"What's that sound?" Tikki asked as they sat under a tree. "It sounds like crying."
"That's because it is crying, love," he muttered, having heard the sound a while ago when it had been softer.
"Come on then, let's go find it."
"Wait, what?" he asked his friend as she floated off. "Tikki!"
The red kwami floated through the air at top speed as she headed for the noise. Reluctantly, Plagg followed. It wasn't as if he had anything else to do. Eventually, they came to a river. In the shallows was a small creature that he instantly recognized.
"It's a human," he muttered. "So, what? The filthy things just started leaving their young around?"
"She's sick," Tikki noted as she inspected the infant. It was, by far, the grossest human he had ever seen. Her skin seemed to be melting off in large clumps.
"Come on, Tikki. There isn't anything we can do." he said, turning to head back towards their tree.
"Plagg, we have to help! She's a baby!"
"Tikki, what do you want to do? Humans can't hear us! Humans can't see us!" He argued. "She is clearly dying and there isn't anything we can do to stop it."
"How can you be so heartless?" she screamed at him.
"Because I know my place!" he shouted back. "We are kwami! We are immortal beings that are here simply to watch the world go by!"
"No, I don't believe that!" Her face was set in anger. This wasn't the first time they had argued about their existence. Since the dawn of time, they had lived in this world for no apparent reason. They were invisible to all other creatures and while they could interact with the world, each in their own way, it seemed they served no purpose. "Plagg, we have to try."
"Fine, fine! You want me to do something?" he asked, ready to snap "I'll do something!"
He reached out with his paw and summoned his power. Tikki called out his name, but he didn't stop. His paw touched the foot of the baby and instantly the child stopped crying. Her skin turned black like coal and Tikki's face started to pale. It was the only thing he could do. Plagg had learned early on to not interact with the world. Anytime he did, death and pain followed. He wasn't like Tikki who could create flowers and beauty or Wayzz who could protect small animals. He was meant to destroy and so he had promised himself, long ago, to not interact with the world. Immediately, he regretted breaking his vow as Tikki began to cry.
"Tikki, we are not meant to be in this world. We have no role. We have no place." He whispered softly. "At least she is no longer in pain."
"No, I don't believe that," she said through her tears. "We have a purpose. We just haven't found it yet."
"Really? How many more millennia will it take for you to see reason?" he asked, but Tikki wasn't listening. Instead, she was reaching out towards the dead child and touched her hand softly. A red light appeared and surrounded the infant. Tikki backed away and grabbed hold of Plagg. They watched as the light shimmered and grew brighter, eventually forcing them to look away. Then the light vanished, Plagg looked back at the child and couldn't believe his eyes.
The wounds on her skin were gone and her green eyes met his. She smiled and began making sounds, reaching out to him. Slowly, he lowered himself to her, starring at her with amazement. She reached out and grabbed hold of him. Her fingers were warm and strong. The child squeezed too tight, but he didn't care. Plagg found himself stroking the human's small fingers with his paw. Her skin was soft and her smile was contagious.
"Tikki," he whispered in amazement. "She can see me."
"I see that, Plagg."
Plagg looked back at the red kwami who was floating down to the child's face. The infant turned her gaze onto Tikki and broke out into a burst of soft laughter. Tikki stroked the child's head, tears beginning to fall down her face.
"Ah em oo ba em," the baby seemed to say as she smiled at Tikki. The two kwami laughed with delight and relief. They could be seen. In all of their years, they had never been able to interact with a human or any creature that wasn't another kwami. Yet suddenly, this child could see them and touch them. The infant turned her face back to Plagg and began playing with his ears with her free hand.
"Em em em em," she cooed.
"Em," he repeated with a smile. "I'm going to call you Em."