Mermzashi 4

 "Elly! <i>Elly</i>!"

She came dashing out from behind the hut with a look of sheer panic on her face, waving a thick stick. The fire cast a glow so she could find her way easily back without tripping on anything. "Zashi? Are they here? Are you o - kayyy..." Her voice trailed off as she saw him.

His green eyes were giant, round and wide with fear as he held his hands awkwardly out towards her. This caused him some balance problems as he struggled to sit properly without looking at the pale human legs splayed out in front of him. Elly rushed over and knelt down and he threw his arms around her neck in a panicky grip.

"I don't know what happened, I woke up an' you weren't here but these <i>sticks</i> had replaced my beautiful tail! Am I dreaming? It's dark. It's night. Please-please-<i>please</i> tell me I'm dreaming."

She ran a hand through his long, blond hair, threading her fingers through and massaging his scalp. "No, sweetie. I think this is real."

"No one ever told me this could happen!"

"It'll be okay," she told him in as calm a voice as possible. Her stomach was tense and her pulse fast at the strange development.

<i>He could be with her now</i>. He appeared fully human, she saw as he sat back, rubbing at his eyes. His ears were rounded and his nether regions appeared normal ...

She cut this train of thought off when she heard him whimpering. This <i>wasn't</i> normal for him; this was a frightening experience and he needed her to be fully there, not fantasizing about their future.

"We'll fix it, Zashi. I promise."

He tried a weak smile and touched her face with his fingertips. "I guess I really was asking a lot when I wanted you to grow a tail, huh?"

Elly smiled back and shook her head. "How else were we going to be able to live together? And still, right? You don't want to stay like this."

He snorted. "I'm a hypocrite, I know. But, no. No, love. I'll do this for you if it's what we need to do to be together. It's so sudden though. I still think it's not real."

"What if the solution is better than we thought?"

"Hmm?"

"What if your species can change back and forth?" She was getting excited, one hand tightly clasping the oversized shirt she was wearing over her heart.

"I don't even know how I did it this time -"

"I think I do," she grinned. "I've seen <i>Splash</i>. What if you wet your legs in the ocean?"

"What in the abyss is 'splash'? Wait, nevermind." He ran a slow hand across his eyes. "You think..?"

"It's worth a try."

Hizashi tottered to the water as fast as he could on his unsteady legs. He fell once he got there, pinwheeling his arms wildly and grumbling a little at his clumsiness. "Okay. Cross your fingers for me." He slid himself into the waves, sputtering when the spray from a large one hit him in the face. "Ugh! Now I can see why some humans don't like the water. It burns like air does to us when it gets in you."

It took only a few minutes. His legs grew slimy, a thin coating of mucus he knew covered him when he stayed under the water for awhile. He started to relax as they then fused together, changing from pale, thin flesh to tougher, prettier scales. The other parts of his body changed as well and soon he was a complete merm again.

"Thank the gods." His voice was shaky as he ran his hands over his body. "Back to normal."

Elly squealed with joy, flinging herself on her knees once again next to him. "Do you realize what this means?" She pulled him in for an excited hug. "I know it's not just about us, it's about your whole species... but we can be together both ways! If I change, I'll probably be able to do the same thing, right?"

"I - I don't know," he said, honestly baffled. "What if only guys can do it it? What if you just <i>can't</i>? What if, I dunno, we can only do it once?!" He slapped his tail on the water in agitation, churning it into a frothy white foam.

"Hizashi," she said fondly, placing her hand on his. "I think love has found a way."

He blushed red across his nose and cheeks. "I want it to be true," he said somewhat breathlessly. "But if you decide on this, you need to commit to the idea that you might be stuck with a tail forever. Otherwise, I'd feel terrible."

"I swear that I am completely committed. Change me," she told him firmly. "I won't be getting stuck even if I can't change back because I <i>want</i> to be with you."

He swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat, but as emotional as he was he didn't cry. He held her instead, tugging lightly on her clothing to indicate she should remove it. The shirt and jeans were tossed quietly onto dry sand. And, just as silently, they embraced, rolling into the water together as they kissed. Hizashi pressed tightly, creating a seal with his lips, and breathed for her while he slipped them both under the waves.

It was darker here, and colder.

Elly's heart beat quickly, frightened despite her willingness for the change. Her mind knew she couldn't breathe underwater, and, in turn, her body grew stressed, releasing hormones that were critical for the change. He waited several minutes to make sure, then wrapped his tail around her and sank to the bottom. They were still in the shallows but it felt like she was deeper. She was so scared she couldn't open her eyes as he gave her breath again, and then he darted quickly to her neck, sinking his sharp teeth in the soft flesh of her neck. She involuntarily gasped, drawing water, and began to struggle in panic, flailing her arms about for a second before noticing she wasn't choking.

The water sounded different. When she had submerged before, it was roaring with the swish, splash of liquid above. Now it was at both more quiet and yet filled with sounds. A gentle, insistent clicking nearby encouraged her to open her eyes.

It was Hizashi. She could see him clearly, as if the darkness were somehow negated. She could tell it was night, but still see everything around her. His blond hair floated freely about him, framing his dear, sweet face as his eyes shone brightly at her. They were filled with love, his gestures miming how beautiful she was. He pointed at her tail and formed a heart with his hands, grinning.

She made as if to huff, negating this as she'd never thought of herself as pretty, and a few bubbles passed out of her nose, the remnants of air trapped in her sealed-off lungs. This startled her but she looked after the shock wore off, curious about her new appendage. It was a shimmery, deep purple with lighter lavender outlines and a small, rounded fin at the tip. She recognized it and was amazed at the species choice. Looking over at her new husband-mate, she wondered if all merm hair matched their fins.

He pointed up, offering his arm around hers to help her swim but she shook her head. He shrugged and she grinned at him, ear fins flapping in amusement before thrusting powerfully up, swimming strong with no hint of awkwardness. Hizashi stared after her bubble trail, staying in place for a few brief seconds while he gathered his wits about him.

His first reaction once he was above water was to grab her in a huge hug. Water sprayed everywhere as they laughed joyously together. In the distance some water fowl squawked, startled, and flew off at all the commotion they were making. "How did you <i>do</i> that so easily?! I could barely walk on those sticks humans have!"

"I used to do this swim called the 'mermaid' all the time. It's the same concept, except - except it's easier with a real tail!"

He gaped at her for a moment, then laughed, pushing his wet hair back and squeezing the water out absently as he guided her to shore. Hizashi helped her sit, then took a deep breath, grimacing at the feeling.

Elly nodded, understanding why he professed to hate 'sucking air'. "Blech."

"Yeah. Look, I'm going to dry out again. We can try it out together, and if it doesn't work for you, I'll be able to get you back to the water. Or vice versa, right?"

She nodded, her eyes bright. "Time for a test run."

Rubbing vigorously with a blanket helped speed the process up. Hizashi's tail split first, lumps first forming under the scales and legs following soon after. Elly took a few minutes longer, but thankfully changed as well.

She stood up and did a little dance of glee. "This is magical!"

"Crap!" He'd fallen to his knees again. "Why aren't these working like yours?!"

"It's not your fault." She helped him up, throwing his arm over her neck. "I used to swim a lot. But you've never had an opportunity to walk."

They headed to the shelter and once inside, she pointed out the bed where they could lay and talk.

"How do human males walk <i>around</i> like this with all their - their jiggly bait out?!" Hizashi thrust his hips, face scrunched up in disgust as his parts swung around. "It's freaking me out, babe."

Elly shrugged. "I dunno. I always thought the same thing."

He tentatively sat, then threw his new legs over and laid on his back. "This is a neat change," he sighed as she fussed around, getting comfortable. "It bounces!"

Elly giggled wickedly. "It sure does."

"I - I think I could get used to these sticks," he said weakly from where he had mashed his head deep down in the pillow. "I think... this is all - we're gonna do some amazing shit together."

"Yeah." She laid her head on his chest and he sighed happily.

"M'not worried about anything anymore." He bent and kissed her on the mouth. "We've got the best of both worlds. Tomorrow we'll meet with my people, an' later on, who knows."

"Love will find a way."

"You said it," he hummed sleepily.

"I did," she agreed, snuggling closer.