Part I: Chapter 3
There was a little river that Mei wasn't allowed to play in. By herself anyways. She'd lost count of the times her father had warned her not to play there. She couldn't see why though. It wasn't very deep or strong upstream and it was the perfect place to cool down or play in during the summer. She'd seen Yao go down there with his friends plenty of times.
So one hot August day, when she was feeling particularly brave, she made up her mind to play in the river. Kiku had been against it of course.
"Your father said not to, Mei," he argued as she marched confidently towards the sparkling silver ribbon by the bank. Mei rolled her eyes.
"He said not to go by myself and I'm not. You're with me."
Kiku scowled uncharacteristically, "You know it's disobeying. How do you know I'll be able to help if something goes wrong?"
She hadn't really thought about if he wouldn't be able to save her, but her stubborn pride won over. She could take care of herself. "I'm not a baby, Kiku."
"You're seven." She glared at him and flipped her hair over her shoulder like she'd seen other girls do.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to." There was a pause, then she felt a cold breath of wind and the hair on her arms stood on end. When she turned he was nowhere in sight. "Kiku?" she called, a note of fear creeping into her voice. She gave a small huff though and continued. She wasn't about to back out now.
She felt a wave of giddiness when she finally reached the river. A part of her was slightly guilty that she was disobeying her father, but she convinced herself that she could take care of herself just fine. Besides, though she hated to admit it, there was something thrilling about doing something forbidden. Tugging off her sandals, she stepped into the deliciously cool water. It rippled past her shins and she giggled when she felt the little fish nibble at her toes. She glanced behind her expectantly, but frowned when Kiku still wasn't there.
"Party pooper," she mumbled as she kicked at the bubbling water and it sloshed back at her legs. She looked up and nearly stumbled back when she saw a boy, a few years older than her, standing a little further downstream. He was very pale with round, watery blue eyes. His wavy platinum hair, nearly white, fell almost to his shoulders. He grinned and waved at her and she shyly waved back.
"It's more fun downstream!" He called.
Curious, she waded towards the strange boy. As she drew closer and could see him more clearly, she studied him quizzically. He was thin, but his arms and legs were sinewy like a seal despite his young age. His skin was paler than she had thought, his snaking blue veins were visible just beneath a sheet of porcelain. When he moved, there was a glimmer of something that looked like phosphorescent scales on his skin, but it might've been a trick of the light. Perhaps this was one of the creatures of Kiku's world.
"Are you a naiad?" She asked out loud and he blinked in surprise.
"I suppose you could call me that." He tilted his head. "You can see my true form?"
She frowned. "Of course I can."
The boy looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then he quickly smiled again and beckoned her to follow him. "Come on! Let's play!"
She hesitated. "But the water is much stronger downstream…"
"Are you too scared?" He teased and she quickly shook her head.
"I'm not scared of anything."
"Then follow me!" He grabbed her wrist and tugged her after him. When she glanced down she noticed the paper thin web that stretched in between each of his fingers.
The water grew deeper- almost up to her waist- and the currents seemed to nudge her along more persistently. A part of her now knew why her father had so warned her against playing in the river alone. She was glad this boy, who seemed to possess unnatural strength for one so small, was holding onto her.
The thought had hardly crossed her mind when suddenly his grip on her hand loosened and she lost her footing. The water rose up to embrace her with a gurgling splash. Bubbles wrapped around her as she sank into the frothing currents. Although she'd been standing just fine moments ago, she couldn't seem to get back up. She managed to resurface briefly for a choked gasp of air before the water pulled her under once more. She glimpsed the watery blue eyes of the boy and his impish grin as the weight of the river pushed her to the pebbly bed. She struggled frantically when she realized he was the one who was pinning her down. Tiny desperate bubbles whirled around her before bobbing towards the surface. Her lungs screamed for air and the naiad boy, though he was hardly a boy anymore and had become one with the force of the river, carried her further downstream.
Suddenly, among the roar of water and her blurred vision there was a tongue of flame, dark ancient eyes full of blazing fury, and the flash of scales. Dark spots clouded her vision. The last thing she remembered was someone tugging her upward.
"Mei? Mei! Mei, wake up!"
Mei coughed and grimaced at the taste of the muddy river water in her mouth. She groaned groggily. Kiku was sitting over her, the nearly permanent impassive look on his face was melted into one of concern. She squinted up at him and distantly realized that he was no longer transparent, but solid and framed by the sunshine above.
"Kiku…you came."
He sighed, though out of relief or exasperation she wasn't sure. Maybe a mixture of both. "Of course I did. I am your Watcher."
"Where did that boy go? The one who pulled me under water?"
His face darkened. "He will not return for a long while. You should've been more careful, Mei. Just because you possess the Sight and can see beyond the earthly realm doesn't mean-" He stopped abruptly.
She looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"Nothing. Just…don't do something like that again." She realized then just how shaken up Kiku was, but she couldn't help but feel all the more curious. Seeing his closed off expression, she knew he would say no more of the matter.
"Well, I guess you get to say I told you so," she smiled weakly after searching for something light to say.
He shook his head and pulled her up in a fierce hug. She was too startled to do anything at first. Then she hugged him back. He'd never felt so real.
A/N: I actually had a whole backstory for the river spirit, but I couldn't find a way to include it. He was once infamous because so many children drowned in the river, but there was not much to be done because people needed water. As the area became more developed though and the river became more drained, the people forgot about him and he became very bitter.
I really enjoyed writing this though (Protective Kiku is just so hnggggg) and I hope you guys like it!
Thanks to all who reviewed as well! In response to Amythystfairy 1, unfortunately Kiku cannot reveal himself to other humans as that is part of the rules he is bound to, but I have a feeling Mei doesn't really mind that no one believes her (she's still really young). Plus with three brothers she probably gets tired of having to share, so I imagine she's content to have Kiku to herself haha