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Kyojuro wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He hadn't planned to go so far out to sea, and he definitely hadn't forgotten to anchor. Maybe he was too close to some rough rocks, the friction in the waves severing the rope, but that was such a rookie mistake. No matter how it happened though, the fisherman had found himself in one of the worst scenarios he could- alone, adrift, and clinging to his humble wooden vessel as the waves roared around him and a storm threatened to capsize the thing.
As the rain seemed unending, the boat was caught on a large wave that seemed to pull itself out from under it- gravity crashing the poor thing back down with a force that could definitely break it in two or three more blows. Kyojuro swore it was hopeless at this point, resigning himself to a death at sea as he clung to the dagger at his side out of habit- something useful on land to keep himself safe, more often just a tool when he needed to cut material, but utterly useless against the might of the ocean.
The vessel was battered by the rain and waves again and again, before being vaulted once more. Kyojuro braced himself as he saw the rough cliff side getting closer, unable to see past the wall of rain and make a decision- should he jump? Swim right or left? Will he even be able to tell up or down in this mess?
The decision was made for him, suddenly, as the boat was flung onto a bluff and the side shattered, sending a splintered plank right at Kyojuro's face. He was struck, blacking out before he even hit the water.
Kyojuro awoke, screaming as pain overwhelmed the side of his face. He barely even registered his surroundings, closing his eyes against the burn as his hands clenched into the rocky sand beneath him. As he caught his breath, he heard a sound- a voice? It was raspy, reptilian even. Kyojuro did his best to sit up, finding he could in fact open an eye- but only one. His left eye was probably damaged, but he had no way of knowing the severity just yet. The voice called his attention again.
“You're alive after all, human.” It stated. Kyojuro turned his gaze towards the source, the breath he'd finally caught leaving his grasp once more at the being before him.
They were in a beach cave, the side opposite to Kyojuro being completely submerged in now-calmed ocean water as orange sunset light streamed through cracks in the ceiling. A merfolk of some kind was resting on a crag, staring at him with deep blue eyes framed by cotton candy pink barbs, appearing fluffy like eyelashes but these were probably deceiving. Its hair though, which may have been black or brown, was darkened and wet just like a normal head of hair would be. The scales of its lower half were a shimmering silver, adorned with deep blue stripes and pink barbs not unlike the spines of a glorious lionfish. As his gaze followed the curve to the more humanoid torso, the stripes faded but the scales shone over its whole body. Its gills were positioned close to where its lungs would be, closed against the air whereas normally they would float open in the water. Its claws gripped the rocky surface in a casual manner, ready to push itself off back into its own domain. Its wrists bore three more stripes on each arm, but these weren't like the others. They were a deep red, almost enough to be mistaken for black. And they were cleanly edged too, as if seared onto its skin with a purpose.
The creature huffed as Kyojuro stared, revealing very sharp teeth as it spoke again, “You were dying. You shouldn't be out here, but I guess its not like you had a choice being tossed around like a sea sponge.”
Kyojuro opened his mouth to speak, his voice cracking through his dry throat, “Did you save me then? Wouldn't you just eat me? You're a siren, aren't you?”
The creature narrowed its gaze at him, twisting his face into a pout. If Kyojuro weren't so nervous he'd find it cute. “What kind of position are you in to be asking something like that? Maybe I should just kill you.”
Kyojuro didn't flinch, having already accepted the possibility of losing his life the night before. Instead he gathered more strength into his voice, futile in his efforts but determined. “So why don't you?”
The creature- Kyojuro decided he would just call him a merfolk since he hadn’t had confirmation, he was taught mainly to be wary of any kind of merfolk but this one looked especially dangerous if pushed the wrong way- frowned, looking away for a moment. “I don't know.” He admitted. “You were weak. Drowning. Bleeding. I don't protect the weak, but I don’t take advantage either… It felt like it would be wrong to let you die. It's not what my teacher would have wanted.”
Kyojuro took note of the hidden seethe beneath the merfolk's tone. A sore subject, he decided. “Can I have the name of my rescuer then? I'm Kyojuro Rengoku- I don't know how far I am from home but I'm a fisherman from a small village.”
The creature looked at him with an unreadable gaze. “My name's Hakuji. I'm a stu- no. I was a student. I no longer have a home or a family to call mine.”
Kyojuro wanted to ask- he wanted to know Hakuji's story. What had happened to this creature who could have devoured him rescue him instead, and be so forlorn about what he cannot go back to for whatever reason. But the dehydration was getting overwhelming, and the sting on his eye was returning to an incomprehensible burn. Instead he tried to stand up, stumbling before he found himself falling towards the pool- and a pair of glimmering arms out to catch him, careful of the barbs as Hakuji pushed Kyojuro more towards the dry side.
“You probably should be careful. You had splinters in your head… I did what I could, but I couldn’t save your eye. Your side was bruised badly, might have broken a rib or two. I won't be able to get fresh water for you until the sun is set.” Hakuji gave the run down of Kyojuro's situation as if he was used to this.
The blond blinked at him, bringing his hands up to finally feel around and inspect his body, now that he felt safe enough in Hakuji's presence. The side of his face felt rough and sore, and excess blood had evidently been wiped clean, and while Kyojuro was certain his eyeball was still in his head, it was certainly damaged in such a way where even opening his eyelid brought a deafening pain. His ribs did in fact feel weak and sore, but his breathing was okay so even if he did break a rib it did not puncture his lung. He may have lost an eye but all in all he really lucked out.
Kyojuro hummed to himself, thinking about his next move. For now he needed food and water. He considered testing his luck and leaving now when he realized something in Hakuji's rundown had flown over his head. “Thank you Hakuji, but what was that you said about only getting fresh water at night? Is it dangerous?”
“For you.” Hakuji huffed. “You're down an eye, do you think you can really go stumbling around an unfamiliar island when you don't know where anything is? This island doesn’t have any human settlements, so you wouldn't be able to find any supplies or help. You can't even stand up without falling over, what happens if you fall down a cliff or something?”
Kyojuro deflated, feeling like a child for the scolding as his face burned in frustration. Hakuji was right of course- while this might not be the first time Kyojuro's been stranded, this is the only time he's been severely injured on such a mishap. “Is there a reason you can't search for water in the daylight then?”
This earned him an exasperated sigh as Hakuji flared his fins as if to emphasize them. “You're kidding right? What do they teach you humans about us? Sorry I can only grow legs under the moon, we can't all be selkies now can we?”
“Uhh…” The blonde stared, dumbly. “I don't even know what species you are, all I know is you look pointy and pretty.”
“Poseidon's blowhole…” Hakuji’s curse earned a laugh from Kyojuro, which got more glaring in turn. “Hey fuck you maybe I should leave you here to starve.”
Kyojuro struggled to get his giggling under control, he just could not believe he now knows the aquatic edition of ‘satan's butthole'. “I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. What do you suppose I do in the meantime? I can't just stay in this cave.”
The merfolk pondered for a moment, tapping one of his claws on the rocks in thought. “Get more rest, I suppose. Maybe stay on the beach to get one of those things going… Its been so long I've forgotten the word… these really bright pockets of air that you humans are so fond of, they're real hot till you get them wet. You can't eat without using that, right?”
Kyojuro furrowed his brow, flinching a little as that movement brought a spike of pain with it. “A fire? Okay, that I can understand you not knowing about. I’ll see if I can find some wreckage too, if I'm lucky I can find my nets or a rod.”
Hakuji gave him a disgusted look. “No, no nets. If I get tangled in your shit I'll kill you. You humans lose enough nets in the sea, stop it.”
More confused blinking from Kyojuro. “Well I have to eat something, if I can't find fishing line I'll have to use a net at least. I am a fisherman, remember?”
The merfolk let out a reptilian hiss. “No, fuck off. I'll fuckin feed you just stop throwing your shit into my waters. You can do whatever when you leave but around here, no.”
Kyojuro wanted to argue more, but Hakuji slid himself back into the waves to leave the cave. He was pretty rude and seemingly sullen, but he definitely cared enough to make sure Kyojuro could rest and heal. As he made his way slowly along the beach to gather the driest wood and kindling bits he could find, the human wondered more about the merfolk.
For one, Hakuji kept on dodging the question whenever what kind of creature he is was brought up. Kyojuro made a living and supported his brother and father catching fish- he knew venomous barbs when he saw them. The sharp teeth, claws, and being capable of beaching himself without needing to submerge to breath again… Like a siren. Kyojuro wasn’t sure why Hakuji avoided answering.
Once he felt he had gathered enough dry material, he started heading back towards the cave to set up a fire inside. Luckily it was tall enough that smoke would rise and the way the light was filtering through the ceiling gave Kyojuro enough confidence that it would be safe. As the fire started to come to life, he finally realized how cold he had been. The warmth spread through his bones, allowing him to relax muscles he didn't even know he had to tense up under the chill of his wet clothes and the wet cave… he would have to dry his clothes.
It was dark when Hakuji returned. Kyojuro was curled up by the fire, keeping warm as all his clothes lay on the rocks near enough to hopefully dry with the heat. Hakuji blinked at the sight, grinning as he tossed up a bundle of kelp near the human. “Good evening! I see you have no problem with nudity, which is good for me because I have no land clothes.”
Kyojuro did not have a chance to process as he jumped away from the wet kelp bundle- which broke on landing, revealing a small bounty of fish- and Hakuji beached himself as his long tail shortened and split to form a pair of legs. Bare, and in all his naked glory, just as Hakuji had promised.
The human's face went red as a beet as he turned around for politeness sake and rambled loudly, “OH YOU'RE BACK, I WOULD HAVE MADE MYSELF DECENT IF YOU KNOCKED. THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD.”
Hakuji snickered, walking past Kyojuro to leave the cave. His skin was pale, still slightly shimmering in the moonlight. Kyojuro struggled not to stare, deciding to focus his eyes on those markings on Hakuji's wrists. All his natural striping was gone in this form, save for these brandings. “I'll be back in a little while. I'm sorry I've had to keep you dehydrated so long, its so inefficient that you can't drink salt water.”
He left again, leaving Kyojuro an embarrassed mess over what just transpired. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, and maybe he saw way more of Hakuji than Hakuji saw of him- but the merfolk carried himself like it was the most natural thing in the world, and like this was just some chore he had to do. The blond shook his head and got to work on cooking the fish so he could finally fill his angry stomach, trying really hard not to think of how the merfolk had practically glowed under the moon.
It took maybe a half hour for Hakuji to return again, carrying two small buckets. Which was just as well because Kyojuro couldn't help but greedily down half of one, his dry throat immediately feeling the waves of relief. He decided to take it slow with the rest, not wanting to overwhelm his body further as Hakuji took a seat on the rocky cave floor, avoiding the water for now. He seemed to have gotten the idea along the way to cover his lower region with some leaves after the earlier interaction.
After a few moments Kyojuro looked towards the merfolk, wanting to fill the silence. “Thank you. Have you done this before?”
Hakuji gave him an annoyed grimace, as if he thought the answer should have been obvious. “A few times. My father was sickly, as was my wife. I've taken care of people. I used to readily attack and drown sailors who came too close to my home. Used to poison them, maim them. Eat them.” Kyojuro couldn’t help the chill that ran down his spine, but let the merfolk continue, “But my father in law… he taught me that we don't always have to kill humans. Some humans were worth learning from. Some humans merely came here by accident. You are not the first human who washed up injured.”
Kyojuro's mind flooded with questions, and he decided to ask the important one first, “What happened to the other humans before me? Were they able to leave?”
Hakuji tensed. “They… were able to leave. If they had chosen to.”
There was a pause, filled only by the sound of the waves and the crackling fire.
“Hakuji, what happened to them?”
The merfolk was staring at his hands, as of studying the differences put upon them by their more humanoid form. Hesitant to answer. “On this island, once you've drank from its waters you have a choice to make. You can become like me, a creature bound to the sea, or you can die. I've seen people refuse to enter the waters and suffocate on land before they could adapt to using both gills and lungs. After the second time I offered to put them down before they could suffer.”
A rush of anxiety hit Kyojuro, sending him into a burst of pain from his head wound as his heart rate rose. He wanted to get angry, realizing that the choice to return to his old life had been taken from him. “And you let me drink it without telling me this?” His voice wasn’t able to rise as much as he wanted- still sore and still recovering from the dryness. Hakuji didn’t even flinch, as if he was expecting this reaction.
“You would have died from dehydration otherwise. I did what I could for you- but even if you were able to get the drinking water yourself, you would be facing this same fate.”
Kyojuro found himself shaking- from fear, anger, or the pain, he wasn't sure. But he realized berating Hakuji wasn't going to solve anything- this merfolk had fed him, treated him, and given him an option to *live*, when he could have much more easily killed him. Deep down, Kyojuro hated that the creature had gone to such lengths. But he knew he would have done the same in Hakuji's position. As a fisherman- well, former fisherman- Kyojuro's calling had been to provide for his people. To help others. No matter if they thanked him for putting food in the market to reach their tables.
If given the chance to save a life, even if such a favor would have been met with scorn, Kyojuro would always choose to let someone live. And Hakuji had chosen the same path, no matter the struggle he had to take to get on this path.
Kyojuro took a deep breath, calming his nerves. If this was to be his fate, he may as well help others as well. “What do I have to do to live?”
Hakuji looked surprised at that… more genuine, this time. Without the layer of sarcasm that seemed to ooze off of him at any of Kyojuro's other questions. “When dawn comes, you just need to be in the water. I don't know what you'll become… you may be a selkie, able to shed your skin and return to land whenever you please so long as you protect your coat. You may become an average merman, unable to transform at all. You were right about me earlier, though I did not want to tell you just yet. A siren's voice isn't only for singing- just me talking right now may be effecting you, though I've learned to control it better. This only works on humans, so once the sun rises you don't have to be so wary of that.”
Kyojuro frowned at the way Hakuji rubbed the stripes on his wrists as he said that last part. “I wouldn’t accuse you of trying to control me at first sight. Do you think you look like a criminal or something?”
Hakuji looked surprised at him. “Don’t you humans still use tattoos to mark others?”
The blond furrowed his brow in confusion. “I've heard of that being a custom in a far off country from where I lived, but that died out generations ago… Maybe 150 years?”
Hakuji's shoulders seemed to sag. “Ah… I see, I've lost track of time. Another part of the curse seems to be that we age… much slower. I was human once. My father died as a human. My wife and teacher were like me, though, they helped me get through… a very difficult time. I did not accept this life at first.”
Kyojuro huffed, a small smile cracking on his face. “I'll be honest with you, I'm not ready to accept this life either! But I will not die. I won't let your efforts go to waste. And I think I’ll try to swim back home too, my brother would be worried sick.”
Hakuji smiled back at him, slightly off put by the sudden bright energy the blond seemed to exude- maybe now that his strength was coming back, he was returning to his usual self. Either way, he was relieved. He'd had to put down other humans before this one.
Now that Kyojuro was made up in his mind, he got to downing more of his meal the way he used to eat- maybe a little slower on account of the pain, but he would need his strength for the journey. It didn't matter to him what kind of merfolk he became, as long as he could get home to his family again. He could still do his duties, even if limited on land time.
At some point Hakuji must have decided he felt more comfortable in his own element, because he draped himself along the water and the cave's shore edge. Once his scales had contact with water, his body had begun to turn back. So he was sort of napping now, his human half resting on the rocks while his long tail flowed behind him in the waves.
Kyojuro took this time to get some rest in as well. That is, until he felt his body get very heavy at an alarming rate. It wasn’t like the leaded sensation of fatigue but it was like the muscles in his legs were cording tighter, and his organs rearranged in a way that was nauseating as the new breathing apparatus formed in him. He hurried to the water, the splashing startling Hakuji who jumped before grabbing a hold of Kyojuro and pulling him deeper into the waves.
He panicked- his body wasn't listening to him, his limbs becoming something foreign, and unable to breath as the siren pulled him into the depths. Everything in his instincts told him to fight back, and he *tried*. He landed a solid punch into Hakuji's gills, a technique that he'd bored into instinct in the case of a shark attack, and was let go as Hakuji swam away. But Kyojuro was still sinking, still drowning. His legs- no, his tail, he had *fins* now- wouldn’t listen to him, his brain not yet used to operating such a large and cumbersome limb. His vision started to go black as he watched the siren approach again, his lungs screaming-
-Until they weren’t. Kyojuro felt his skin split into slits along the sides of his lungs, the gills finally opening up to filter oxygen through the waves. Hakuji swam up and pulled the blond upwards towards the surface, getting his head above water but keeping his torso submerged. The water that Kyojuro had taken in expelled itself in a fit of coughing, his lungs clearing out as his gills did the work. Vaguely he noticed that the side of his face that should have been searing from salt in the wound was no longer in so much pain, just a dull ache.
“That was one of the worst things I've ever had to do in my life.” He complained, trying to adjust to keeping himself afloat with the tail. Hakuji kept holding him like a set of training wheels, guiding them both closer to shore so Kyojuro could grip a rock while he worked on relearning how to swim.
“You got me good there. You could have kept sinking and possibly drowned anyway if I didn’t come back for you, please never do that again.” Hakuji groaned, something devilish in the back of his head telling him to hit Kyojuro back in the gills but opting not to.
“Ah… sorry. I got a little freaked out.” The blond chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. He took a look at his hands- now webbed claws, similar to Hakuji's. While he was at it, he looked at the rest of himself too. He was vibrant and resplendent, covered in yellows, reds, and oranges, along with scorched blacks that dappled his very voluminous fins. His tailfin was arranged vertically, like Hakuji's, and he had similarly placed barbs as well.
“Huh… I guess I am a siren as well? I'm not a seal like a selkie, and I seem to be a little too pointy to be a regular merman.” He inquired, half thinking aloud rather than asking Hakuji. He absently touched over his bad eye, flinching from the contact but finding whatever wound had closed over in the transformation- not healed, he still could not open this eye- but it was no longer at risk of bleeding openly.
Hakuji looked away quickly when Kyojuro met his gaze, and he had a feeling he had just caught the other staring. “Yes! Though I don't know if that’s unlucky for you. You'll have to be careful when you leave. Until you learn to control it, humans will be compelled to come towards you no matter the peril. You'll need to watch it around your brother.”
“That’s okay, you can teach me along the way.”
“What?”
“You can come with me! I need some help learning how to deal with this. And besides, you look very lonely out here. If you come with me you don't have to be alone any more.”
Hakuji was stunned. He hadn't expected such an offer, especially from someone so determined to find his own loved ones. He nodded in shock.
“Great!” Kyojuro exclaimed, “Let's get going right away!” He tried to push himself off the rock to get a boost, but he started sinking way sooner than he had planned.
Hakuji grimaced in frustration as he went to rescue the poor fool again, “Okay I'm gonna have to teach you what a swim bladder is and I'm sorry this is about to get weird.”
The two of them started their journey… a few days later. Hakuji needed to continue to teach Kyojuro the basics, but soon enough they started their way back. Whether or not they were welcomed, well that’s a story for another day.