Sarit
I searched the waters for Abyss, not seeing him or Khun Onyx anywhere. Times like these, I felt that Abyss and I definitely weren't soulmates all the more. While I looked for my best friend without a clue to his whereabouts, my head and heart were pulled in the direction of a man on land.
I can't believe I hesitated. Hesitated to leave. I knew full well it was a risk to me to stay and that my friend definitely needed me urgently. Still, I found myself briefly conflicted about the human I had set out to kill.
"Abyss, where are you?" I muttered as I moved along. I tried to let my whale call reverberate through the waters. It may be that he can't completely comprehend it, but maybe he'd recognize it and head in my direction.
Stress accompanied my hurried nature as I thought of my best friend, my brother in this life. Abyss was there when the elders disapproved of my every action. Abyss was also there when I felt living was not worth it anymore. He supported my revenge, he always had my back. Where was I right now when he needed me? Hesitating over a human? A mere human?
I searched every area I could with still no luck finding him. I headed further back up towards the surface hoping to gain a vantage point. Slowly I saw something that looked like abyssal remnants.
I headed in the direction with a quickening pace. I had not seen Abyss use this much power before so things had to be bad. The stormy waves seemed to push me away as if foreboding. My arm burned from the salt and the tidepools that whirled around me with a fervor and a restraint of a crazed kraken.
"Sarit!!!" A worried voice of the boy called out. I saw Abyss rushing toward me, in his octopi form. He looked at me extremely worried, while Onyx meekly trailed behind him in his own.
My eyes widened seeing them swimming side by side like this, but the tone was too somber to inquire. The way they interacted had a coldness to it that even the chill bit my neck. Clearly the both of them had confronted some intense truths and reveals from one another and it seemed they were not about to reconcile with them.
"Heal him." Abyss said coldly to Onyx, who looked a bit forlorn. They'd quickly closed the distance between me and them, looking at my arm that was in tatters.
The coldness in Abyss's tone had me surprised, I hadn't heard such from Abyss before now. In contrast to that, he turned to me sweetly and asked, "How are you? Does it hurt? What happened?"
I tried to reassure my very very distressed companion who was now like a blubbering seal with worry. "I'll be okay I think. The building Chada and I were in collapsed."
Onyx quickly grabbed my arm with one of his, trying to secure me to heal me properly. I saw Abyss quickly cast a glare at him, telling him to be gentle. I didn't know how to react in this situation, the magick surrounding the two had a complicated air of mixed emotions and intensity. I didn't know what had happened between them, so I chose to remain quiet.
My mind was instead focused more on the matter of Chada. I found myself thinking about him even though I knew I shouldn't. I wouldn't admit it to myself that I was worried.
As if sensing my concerns or just mutually concerned, Abyss asked, "so.... Chada?" He had only softly inquired probably out of fear of the answer, I shook my head saying. "I'm not sure. I called emergency services but I had to go find you guys and he was trapped in the building and I..." I trailed off not sure how to say anything next, let alone form the thoughts.
Beside us, Onyx formed beads of acid sweat on his forehead as he tried to heal my arm. His strength seemed to be on its last thread. Perhaps his mental state was the most worrying. He looked at Abyss with different eyes, his look at me only flickered with the smallest register of surprise when he'd seen me. Thereafter he seemed to accept that I was a siren like creature surmising it made sense. It could be that he was too tired to care otherwise.
I wasn't sure when I had become perceptive enough to notice this, given I preferred my solitude. However, when it came to the matters of Abyss's heart, I just wanted to see him happy. Deep down I knew, that if Abyss was mad, that meant he cared for Onyx. For love and hate share the same root.
I laughed bitterly realizing what I sounded like, knowing full well the irony of my statement reflected on I as well.
Finally my arm seemed to heal a bit. I instantly wanted to head to shore to check on Chada, but the effects of Onyx's powers seemed to make me drowsy. I couldn't do anything to interfere when Abyss directed his anger towards Onyx once more.
"Clearly you two love each other just get this over with." I said letting my usual intrusive thoughts win.
They both looked at me like I had said they should go frolic with unicorns. At least it had cut the tension somewhat.
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders and decided to just keep myself afloat and look out for Abyss with whatever would happen next. To my surprise Abyss pulled out a dagger and said "I should end this right here." I made no move to stop him. If this was one of my BLs I would be sitting on the couch munching popcorn. I was too exhausted by all the emotions to take this seriously any longer. Was this situation what I meant by getting it over with? Nope, but alas some people need to brave the storm to confront their feelings.
Onyx's body was covered in the markings of his species as well as his magick. He seemed to be struggling to maintain his consciousness but he grappled with Abyss's identity. "So kill me." He said as if I was not even there.
Suddenly I realized that Abyss probably didn't need me here for this, so I decided to let them be finally after glancing at Abyss ensuring he was okay. At this point I was a third wheel. I couldn't make the choice for Abyss and I knew Onyx was in no state to hurt him any longer.
I tried to swim towards the surface and my thoughts were occupied by Chada. I just wanted to be in his embrace. I felt a subtle longing for nestling my head in the crook of his neck and falling asleep. I didn't know why I felt this way, it was almost instinctual rather than a conscious thought.
When I was on the waters to the shore, I realized two very key problems. Not only did I not know where Chada's hospital was, I also couldn't transform without him.
I felt a pressing anxiety in my throat, like I was being pulled toward Chada but no way to get to him. How could I forget that I needed him to transform into a human? The stress of this whole situation had made it slip my mind. What if he was still lying there, or dead? What if that was the last interaction we had? I wouldn't get to insult him again or go on land again unless I deigned to do it with another human?
Given my experience with Chada, I would need to do more than just kiss another human to transform again. The thought filled me with a visceral disgust. It felt like someone was churning a wheel of nails. I didn't want that, I didn't want anyone but...
"Dang it Sarit, you know better than to act like this!" I said slapping the water.
I was still drowsy, maybe because of the effects of it, the pull to Chada was so intense, it felt worse than the injury I had in my arm. It was like a dull throb making its way over my body, an ache for him I couldn't erase with reason.
It was fine when we were together all the time, I had already felt an ever increasing pull to him that I couldn't ignore but wouldn't acknowledge either. It was the kind of feeling that felt 'right' when I was with him, the kind I couldn't hate even if I wanted to.
I swam in circles akin to pacing, unsure what to do. Do I go back down to my enclave? Do I wait up here to see signs of him? I needed to know what happened to him. "Only for the sake of knowing." I said to myself as if to convince myself. "Not because I care!"
I knew that being on the surface of the waters for too long was generally unwise, given that people were all bustling around the wreckage from the 'storm'. I also knew that I could camouflage but it was still risky in case someone ran into me or saw through it.
I stayed nonetheless. Hours turned until it was still night out, no sign of Chada anywhere. It was as if it was wrong to be separated from him. Maybe if I was working I would be able to hold off okay, but the very fact I knew I couldn't get to him is what made the feeling all but unbearable.
I kept trying to convince myself with any other excuse to explain the way I was feeling right now. That there wasn't a possibility that my body and heart was forming an attachment to him.
"I haven't given him my pearl. I haven't, it's fine. It's fine." I muttered, staring down at the water and then back at the land.
We came from different worlds, I fully knew the risks of trusting humans. I wouldn't be like my mother, I couldn't be. I couldn't even transform without him so what kind of relationship is it. One doomed by necessity. We weren't supposed to mix.
I knew that there were many examples of the contrary, like the very much happy Kuak, I also knew elders in my waters that had brought their human mates down in the waters to live with them after they'd made the pearl pact. Still, I wasn't ready to acknowledge these thoughts.
My body betrayed my denial though, instead insisting on our proximity. Despite the very fact I had nothing I could do about it.
As midnight approached I quietly hauled myself on shore, still in my tail. I tried to avoid the rocks but still ended up scraping myself a bit.
I knew this was risky, but I just couldn't go back down. I had to get closer. I found the sand area with a half circle of rocks where we had usually... I dismissed the thought and laid myself down there. Starting to fall asleep and dream of him coming to find me as he always had.
"Come back Chada, so I can slap you for trying to save me and getting yourself injured. You're okay right? Come back, I want your touch."
Longing for his warmth, I curled up tightly and shivered slightly out of the water. I didn't care right now if other humans found me.
I just hoped he would.