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The woman lived by herself in a small home on a tiny stretch of beach. She had relied on the fantasies and kinder worlds found in books to get her through a tough childhood, and due to this still had more than a touch of whimsy in her soul. She wanted to believe dragons and fairies existed; that the magic of Santa Claus was real. Reality often struck her unkindly in the face as she struggled to share her love of peaceful, happy thoughts to others.Adults just grew up cold, without magic anymore. It was sad, because personally she thought that's what people needed.The singing began a few weeks into the summer of her thirtieth year. It was something more than melodious, a song without words that made her happy, yet want to weep when the last notes had faded from the air. The woman had asked her family what they thought only to have them question her sanity. She had then resorted to recording the song to upload it online, but it was the same.She would often fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the soft, haunting melody only she seemed to be able to hear. But after a few bad days in a row with no love or support to boost her in her time of need, she couldn't bear it any more. She donned her swimsuit, some protective gear for the reef and head out late one night armed with a flashlight and towel only. She had been warned from an early age about night swimming, but had lived here long enough to know where the bad areas were. Stretching on the shore, she heard the song again and focused in on it, trying to decipher where it was coming from. The crash and spray of the waves made it very difficult to tell, but by sheer luck she saw movement on a large rock jutting out a few feet out. Setting out for this large chunk, she soon got her feet under her and crept around until she found him.He had his lower half in the water as he sat, nude to the waist with a beaded coral bracelet on one wrist. Long, blond hair flowed down his back, the fact that it was mostly dry a testament to how long he must have been sitting."Hey! My name is Elly. Are you the one that's been singing every night?" Sure, it was dumb, but she was stunned to actually find someone stupid enough as her to come out here at night. The man gasped in surprise and slipped out of view into the water without another sound. She peered around the rock, frowning. Where could he have gone?"You - you could hear me?""Ah!" She jumped and barely avoided falling in herself. "Are - are you the one coming here every night to sing?"He blinked, his impossibly bright green eyes wide as he stared at her. His pale face was all she could see, framed in the ocean by his long, blond hair. "You heard me," he repeated, obviously quite stunned by the fact. "No one else can hear that song.""Yeah. Well, I thought everyone was just being mean when they said they couldn't hear."He swam closer. "It's true. Only a siren's soulmate can hear their special song."
Wait... siren? Soulmate?
The man had gotten his hands on the bottom of the rock and he jumped up. A spray of water accompanied his leap as he slid up beside her, human from the waist up but a silvery skinned fish on the bottom. Elly choked, a hundred thoughts running through her head. The silver was shimmery and iridescent, the fins and tail a yellow that matched his hair color. She backed up, not entirely certain she hadn't met a madman out here."Hello, Elly. My name is Hizashi."She ignored the niceties for now, too shocked. "Is that one of those latex swimwear things? Like, some people like to put on and pretend they're..." She stopped, looking closer. "It's - it's not a costume, is it. I can't see a seam at all.""You're taking this better than I imagined you would. I mean, we know you exist. Humans don't really accept that we do, though." He swept one hand around, tying his hair back with a cord he took off his arm."I might be in shock." She squinted, once more caught off guard by how handsome he was. "I think I am. But I've always wanted beings like you to be real, so..."He reached out for her, a soft smile on his lips. "Do you mind if I hold your hand? Every siren dreams of this day and I'm a little overwhelmed." Elly wordlessly held one out and he grasped it lightly. "Thank you. Um. You're really warm.""So are you," she noted in surprise."Yep. Technically I'm a mammal, so I'm warm blooded. I just mimic a fish from the waist down.""Really?" Elly looked harder, then saw he was blushing. "Sorry. I'm staring at your - well, yeah. It doesn't look embarrassing, but that's your um. Your lower half. Sorry.""I like having your eyes on me," he said shyly. "I never thought anyone would hear my song and find me! Hey, let's head for the beach? You're going to get cold sitting on this rock - and, heck, so am I eventually.""All right." She watched him as he moved gracefully in the water alongside her, wondering what he would do once he was at the shore."Whoohoo!" Hizashi leaped, arcing out and rolling as he fell so that the impact would distribute throughout his body. Elly winced but he seemed perfectly fine, so she clambered awkwardly out of the froth to pick up the towel she had placed on the sand."I never thought I'd be talking to - hell, let's face it -- a dream for a lot of people. A fantasy creature." She dried herself quickly off and then handed the cloth to him, eyebrows raised.He laughed, accepting it with a smile. "I bet you have the same questions. Every time we match with a human they have the same questions." He dragged his tail farther up on dry ground and began stripping the water off with his palms."Oh?""Yeah. And you know what I'm talking about." He gave her a very direct look. She noticed he had two tiny, well-kept points of a mustache on his upper lip. They wiggled when he talked or smiled."The thought did cross my mind.""Just wait for it..." He eyed his tail speculatively, rubbing with the towel. "Ah, there we go." In one quick motion he wrapped himself around the waist, and with good reason. The scales smoothed more, turning a fleshier color. As she watched in astonishment he picked himself up to face her on two very human legs.She blinked. "Do you guys watch movies?"His answering grin was huge. "You're thinking Splash, aren't you?"
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He was very pleased with himself. She couldn't believe her eyes and in the end had asked if he wanted to spend the night. Hizashi enthusiastically accepted, so they trudged up the beach to the back of the house."This is so great," he chirped happily. He took a moment to wipe his sandy feet off before coming inside to the almost all hardwood floor interior. She smiled, noticing this."I have a spare room. You can sleep in there," Elly offered, trying not to stare at the incredibly sexy man walking closely behind her wearing only a towel draped around his hips. "Oh! It has a bathroom ...here, if you want to shower or anything." She pointed."Wooow." Hizashi's eyes grew wider as he saw more of the place. "Your house is great!" He peeked into the bathroom, then scratched his head. "Uhh. You usually wear clothes when you're on land, right? I don't have any on me right now.""That's okay! There's some in this dresser here. They might not fit really well but we can get you better things tomorrow.""Do you already have a mate?" His face immediately fell as he saw men's clothing packed neatly in the drawers."No! Uh, I mean, we don't call it that. But, no. Those were for my ex boyfriend. I bought them and he never... well, he didn't use them. That's all. We're not together anymore, thank god.""Boyfriend and girlfriend, not mates." He blushed. "I know that, it just means so much more in my culture to say it the other way."She sighed. "Your culture. Damn. Every time I think this isn't happening, you say something that brings me back to the fact that you had a tail half an hour ago.""I assume you showing me this room means you don't want me with you tonight?"She choked and had to place a flailing hand on the wall to steady herself. "We just met!""So? I know you're my soulmate." He lightly touched her hair, dyed purple and cut short for ease of swimming. "I know you feel it, too. I won't force anything, but I'm curious as to why we should wait." He smelled good, not as she might have expected but with just a hint of tang of salt that reminded her of the sea. There was also a faint scent of musk about him, like the Old Spice her grandfather used to wear."I thought I had found true love before," she said quietly. "You know, the ex. And a few others. It always ends badly. I - I just want a little time to adjust. If I wake up in the morning and you've been a dream, then...""I think you would be upset, " he said. His fingers gently stroked through her hair to caress the back of her head. "Would you cry if I wasn't there when you woke?"She swallowed back tears. "Hizashi.""I've made you sad." He withdrew immediately, holding his hand in front of his lips. "I didn't mean to. I'm very thankful for your hospitality and I should have been more thoughtful. I'll sleep in this room, and will be waiting for you here in the morning.""Good night." She smiled at him before fading back into the dark hallway."Sleep well."He wished it for her, but didn't get a good sleep himself since he wasn't used to the softness of the bed. He was also far too excited!This meant he was awake long before his hostess, so he used the time to shower, shave and dress himself as befit a human being. When he was all done he pulled open the closet door to find a full length mirror and examined himself carefully.His long, blonde hair had been folded into a more intricate bun instead of the ponytail. He had chosen the lightest color t-shirt out of the drawer, powder blue, and a pair of ill-fitting khaki slacks that were a good couple of inches too short for him. His ankles stuck out, but he decided that it was the most comfortable for now. He wouldn't have bothered with shoes but had spotted a pair of woven hemp sandals with sea shells, and those were perfect. As he was marveling over the footwear he heard the sound of knocking coming from the front of the house. He winced; she was still asleep! In order to stop the thudding, impatient noise he answered the door. It swung wide to reveal a bewildered golden brown human with dark hair."Good morning," Hizashi said pleasantly. "Did you want something?""Where's Elly?"Hizashi frowned at the angry, direct tone. "She's asleep," he answered, putting a finger to his lips. "You want to leave a message?""This is ridiculous! Who is this guy?! Why's he in your house, huh?" The man went from disturbed to shouting in a heartbeat, as if he could somehow scream her awake.Which, Hizashi thought painfully, was probably true if he kept it up. "You're her ex, aren't you?""I'm her boyfriend," the man insisted, puffing his chest up and standing on his toes to poke the six foot one inch merman in the chest."You're leaving."The man took one look at the resolute glare in those green eyes and backed away. "I - if you think she's yours 'cause you slept with her, she cheated on me. So, she'll cheat on you. So you better leave, 'cause I know how to deal with her."That was it. His jaw clenched and he knew if the sniveling little bastard tried more lies he would punch him in the face. Some of that thought must have shown through, because the other scrambled even further up the gravel driveway, his eyes huge in fright."If she wanted you, you would be here," Hizashi said in a deadly quiet voice. "You are not. I am here now. Go away." He resisted an urge to slam the door and carefully locked it instead."Hizashi!""Erk!" He jumped guiltily.Elly was standing behind him in her nightgown, shaking. "Did he leave? Is he gone? You're still here!" She couldn't resist hugging him tightly.He felt her heart beating wildly against him. "Does he come here to threaten you?"She cringed the tiniest bit. "Well... he won't take no for an answer. My parents also kind of encourage him, so there's that.""You've told him to go away and he keeps coming back?""Yeah. I hate to bother the police, but I was starting to think I might need a restraining order. He gets that bad.""Not if I have anything to say about it," he grumbled."Thanks. I'd better go shower.""Yeah. The sooner you're ready, the sooner we can get me clothes that weren't intended for that ratbag." He plucked at the front of his shirt with some distaste.She burst into laughter."Oh! I didn't mean, uh, thank you! I just...""I know. It's okay. I won't be long!"
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She drove him to the mall to pick up clothes after breakfast. It wasn't busy in the morning and they were able to wander around leisurely through several male clothing shops. Hizashi wasn't really fussy but he was tall, so it took several tries before they found a store that could fit him."This isn't too much? I feel bad making you pay right now, but I didn't bring any money with me on my swim."She affected surprise. "I thought you didn't have any money."He grinned at her. "I don't have access to it now, that's all. I can pay you back later.""Hey, look. These are your size, too!""Really?!" He saw what she was holding and snorted laughter. "What are you insinuating, lady?""That you look good in scales?" She grinned and flashed the biking pants in front of him. They were tight blue spandex with a scale pattern."Those are snake scales!" He held a hand up before his face as if he was about to faint. "Please. I'm not a reptile." Elly snickered and put them back on the rack."Ooh, go ahead, there's the fitting room. Try your stuff on." They chatted through the door as the salespeople watched in amusement."All right, check these out..." The door swung open and he wandered out."Those are great!" Elly nodded. "I think they look good on you."He paused, turning around to stare at his reflection in the mirror and wiggling his rear to make her laugh. "So they don't make my butt look big?"She giggled and shook her head. "No! They really do look great.""Okay, that's probably it, then! Two pairs of pants, undies and some shirts are all I need for now." They asked a passing clerk if he could wear one of the outfits and it was agreed as long as she paid first. Fifteen minutes later he strode out in well worn jeans with a heather gray, button-down shirt worn open at the neck and a simple white tee underneath. He still had the sandals from the house as he found them more comfortable than anything else they had tried on. Hizashi definitely stood out in the now-busy mall. He was tall, he had long, golden hair and his physique was trim yet rippling with an undercurrent of muscle. She thought he was gorgeous, and to her chagrin she found others did as well. In a few minutes they were surrounded by women. The ladies clustered around him, completely ignoring Elly, who sighed and simply stepped aside. He was polite, but kept glancing nervously about until he found her sitting on a bench a few feet off."Elly! Where'd you go?" He pushed through and sat with her, reaching out to hold her hand. "Don't leave me like that." The crowd of females glared at her angrily, though some slunk away after seeing how he looked at her."Sorry. I just got shoved and felt it was easier to wait." She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear."Aww." He snuggled closer, mischievously stealing his very first kiss on her cheek. "If that ever happens again, just hold on tighter to me. Don't let go; I won't."She blushed wildly, touching the spot he had kissed with trembling fingertips. "Oh. Th - thanks.""Okay, then! Ready to go home?""Yeah."When they got back, Hizashi folded his new clothing neatly in the top drawer of the dresser. Once that was done he stripped, tossed the clothes he took off in a backpack he had found in the room and drew a towel around his waist.Padding softly out into the hall he raised his voice. "Hey, do you have any ziploc bags?"Elly raised her eyebrows at the towel, then remembered he couldn't really wear a bathing suit. "Yeah. What do you need them for?""I need a waterproof bag to carry my info back. Just the usual - photo ID, cards, you know.""You have those? Of course you do." She slapped the side of her head. "I'm not going to ask how right now, but..." She rummaged around in an old wooden dry sink near the back door. "Here, a bag from my free diving gear. It'll keep your stuff dry.""Thanks! I'll grab some food for tonight and get the money to pay you back." He tapped his long fingers thoughtfully together, staring at the clock in the living room. "Should only take an hour, maybe a little more if dinner's feeling frisky.""You don't have to -"He rolled his head on his neck, one eye wide and the other squinting in a way she found strange yet intensely attractive. "Pay you back? Get food? Nah. I want to do both. Okay?"Elly placed a hand on his arm. "Okay," she smiled."Don't worry. I'm coming back." Hizashi leaned over and kissed the top of her head, delighting at how quickly and deeply she blushed."I know that.""I'm not sure you believe it, though. Something about how you're clinging to me tells me you're scared."She blinked down in surprise to find he was right; her fingers were digging into his forearm. "Sorry.""Hey." He took her hand in his when she let go. "It's fine to be scared once in awhile. This is happening very fast, but I promise I have the best intentions.""Hurry back," she murmured uneasily."I will." His answering smile warmed her heart. It was foolish, she knew, to have such an attachment to a man she had just met. But what if it was true? What if magic really did still exist? There was a merman, after all, waving at her from the beach right now. Was it so silly to believe in love at first sight then, as well?
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Hizashi swam strongly through the water and had soon reached the area where he kept a locker at another beach. He slipped in unnoticed, got everything out and back into the waves as quickly as he had come.Elly was delighted with his haul when he knocked politely on the screen door in the back. He held two huge lobsters and several fish, along with a woven kelp bag filled with clams. Her joy at seeing him, however, took precedence and he could clearly tell. She held him tight despite the fact that he was still somewhat damp from his swim and didn't let him go until he sneezed."Oops! Sorry!""Don't apologize," he chuckled, wiping his feet before tossing his catch in the sink. "I hope you do that everytime I come home.""I probably will, you know.""Good." He tickled under her chin in passing, leaning close so their noses almost brushed. His grin grew as she became more flustered and he took another step, bringing their bodies into light contact. Elly swallowed very hard, her heart pounding. A long, golden strand of hair had come undone from his ponytail and brushed her cheek as he leaned down.The doorbell rang and she closed her eyes. "Damn.""S'okay, love. We can finish this conversation later."She nearly started to hyperventilate at his boldness but managed to stumble over and answer the door. In her confused state she didn't check to see who it was first, and she swore inwardly as she saw her parents standing before her."Uh, hi guys..." Her mother and father were not physically imposing people, yet they managed to bowl her over in a rush to get inside. Her mother hugged her tightly and she sighed as she hugged back. "Let me guess. My ex told you something stupid about me.""Stupid? No! We heard about this huge guy that threatened him. He was so scared for your safety that he came to us.""Really?" She folded her arms, staring flatly at her parents. "Threatening him. So you believe if he says that, but not your daughter if I say he's the one that's been causing trouble."Hizashi peered around the corner abashedly. "Hi, hi. I guess I'm the 'huge guy', huh?" He grinned and shook their hands as Elly introduced him. "I wanted to make a much better first impression than this. I would never do anything to hurt your daughter."They apologized but her mother went on to add, "He just seemed so distraught, we wondered what had happened. We came right over to see if everything was okay. " The group moved to the dining room table and sat. Elly headed into the kitchen to finish preparing their meal.Hizashi frowned a little. "She was sleeping and he started yelling, so I told him to leave. She doesn't want him around anymore. I thought that's what breaking up with someone meant.""He was just so worried about her being up here alone...""My decision," Elly said firmly as she dropped the clams into boiling water. "I can protect myself. Do you guys want something to drink? We've got water and uh, some cranberry juice."Her parents declined, but Hizashi got up to get some water. When he came back he smiled disarmingly and shrugged at them. "Well, she's not alone now.""What do you do for a living?" Her father asked him. Elly opened her mouth and then closed it, uncertain how she could avert the impending disaster.The merman did have an answer, however. "I'm an artist. I collect things off the beach or in the ocean and turn them into jewelry - " He shook his wrist out, showing the beaded coral bracelet he wore, "or fashion, like sandals.""Oh. That's an interesting job for a man."He smiled, spreading his hands. "It's profitable both in the tourist season and the winter months.""Where did you two meet?" Her mom smiled at them both and Elly wished as hard as she could that this would go well."In the ocean. She went swimming and found me." He flashed her a grin as she had started waving her arms around in the kitchen to warn him. Don't worry, he mouthed silently. Of course he knew better than to tell anyone the entire story."Oh, I guess she went looking for that mystery song."Hizashi took a drink from his glass to cover his confusion. Why would that cause such tension to drop in the room? It lay like a thick blanket over the table for an uncomfortable period of time before she spoke again."She keeps insisting she can hear it at night. We keep telling her it's not real, but...""Mom.""You always have to be right!" The older woman laughed knowingly, rolling her eyes. Her father snorted laughter as well but didn't say anything.Hizashi didn't mean to, but the pain in Elly's eyes ran deep. This was not light hearted teasing. These people who were supposed to be her support were hurting her with their distrust and cruel jibes. "It was me," he said quietly.They blinked at him stupidly. "What?""I was singing, and she did hear me. You're right - it's exactly how we met." He stood up as Elly came to the table and wrapped an arm about her waist. "I knew instantly this beautiful woman was someone I wanted to be with.""Oh. Well, good! I always told her she needed to find someone that appreciated her."Elly flinched as her mother instantly flipped the conversation back to something to jab her with. He squeezed her gently in acknowledgement and they sat down together, him relinquishing her waist to hold her hand instead."She can be so pretty, when she's taking care of herself. More guys should have been interested in her, but, you know, she's such a handful." The stress on that one word and implication of the entire sentence was enough to render him speechless. In that little gap of chatter she made as if to get up and go into the kitchen. "Is everything all right in there?""It's fine!" Her daughter jumped and ran to check the pots, a reflex so ingrained she couldn't stop herself. It effectively separated them once more but he turned in his chair, smiling."It smells great, Elly," he called out. "Let me know if you need any help at all, okay?""Okay." Her reply back was much flatter, deflated from the happy, bright woman he had seen so far. And no wonder, for her mother was speaking further on her favorite topic."I mean, how long have you been together? You probably noticed she's living in a bit of a fantasy world." She craned her neck to try and see what the younger woman was doing in the kitchen. "Don't microwave the butter, it'll get all over the place." She elbowed her husband, pointing at the butter dish. It was, simply, a butter dish... but Elly knew. It had butter smeared on it and was chopped sideways - the pat wasn't immaculate. She also knew that they would talk about how "disgusting" it was, when she wasn't around (or possibly right in front of her). About how "messy" she still was, "just like when she was little"."I'm not microwaving it, mom." She grit her teeth and tried to remain calm."I like that about her." Hizashi stood and stretched, ignoring the butter drama. "Well, you can see we're okay here, right?" He gestured behind his back for Elly, who gratefully rushed up."Right!" She pressed close to his side for strength. "We really didn't get enough food for everybody. If you had called, maybe..."The older couple frowned, caught off guard, and allowed themselves to be ushered out. There were a few more thinly-veiled insults along the way, but it was eventually over. As her parents drove off down the road they both breathed a sigh of relief.Hizashi was the first to break the sudden silence. "You want to take a walk before dinner?" The house smelled delicious but he could see she had very little appetite right now. He gently steered her to the kitchen, where he helped turn off the stove top and store some of the food that hadn't been cooked yet.Elly moved woodenly at first, but he didn't leave her side. When she picked up the butter her hands started to shake so badly she almost dropped it on the counter."I'm okay," she reassured him, struggling to hold back the damning tears.He took the plastic tub out of her hands and set it down. "No, you're not." His arms wrapped tightly around her from behind and he bent so his chin rested on the top of her head. "Those people hurt you.""They're my parents!" She bit her tongue, her lip, and when the tears still threatened stuffed her hand in her mouth. He removed that as well, then turned her so she could burrow into his chest. He subtly encouraged this with some light touches on her back. It worked; Elly grasped the front of his shirt, hiding her face as she started to cry."Just because they raised you doesn't mean they did it right, you know." He picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and walked out to sit on the porch overlooking the beach. "Are they always like that?"
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"Always. It's always been that way.""I get it now," the merman husked sadly. "Damn, just... damn. Do you have friends? Any support at all? Or just - just your folks?""No one." Elly shrugged. "Every time I try to make friends it doesn't work. I try to be a good person, but other people... I don't get it. I'm not an angel and I have bad traits, sure, but I feel like I forgive so much about others and then no one forgives me anything. I guess I'm probably doing something to put people off, but I don't know what it is."Hizashi's brow drew tight and he held her closer. "I don't think it's your fault, sweetheart. You need love and care - real love, the kind that is open and honest. And patience. You won't begin to heal in a day.""Why would anyone want a broken person?" She was shaking harder now, afraid to look into his eyes. "My mother was right. I am hard to live with!""No..." He kissed the top of her head and began stroking her hair. "So what if you require more patience? More love? I'm betting you didn't get that as a kid. It's not your fault you need it now. You deserve somebody that loves you one hundred percent, no matter what. Most people had parents for that." He raised her head as gently as possible, urging her to look into his sea green eyes."Hi - Hizashi...""You have me."He could see she didn't want to meet his gaze and could tell her tears frightened her. He didn't exactly know why but it didn't matter right now. What mattered was calming the fear in general. He wiped the wet streaks away with careful fingers, leaning in to place his forehead to hers."Maybe we're all broken. Some more than others, some so much that they won't heal entirely, no matter what. But, you know, two broken halves make a whole.""You're not broken," she sniffled. "I mean, listen to yourself."He sighed and one of his fingers brushed her lips. "Listen to yourself. You just told me I wasn't. But I've been traveling around for years, heartbroken, thinking I would never find my mate. Some of us don't. Those are the ones that settle for a 'comfortable' relationship... like my own parents.""Oh...""Yeah." He traced the softness of her skin there, his expression haunted. "I had the opposite problem. My parents didn't love each other. They were together just because they didn't want to be alone and to have me.""Oh my god. Was it bad?""I thought so. I mean, I didn't know what was wrong at first, but they were always fighting a lot. Eventually I went to live with my grandparents, but I wanted to be with them. I promised myself I was going to find my soulmate when I got old enough, and I wouldn't settle for anything less." He paused, realized he was still caressing her lips and slowly slid his fingers up to cradle the side of her face. Each noticed the other's shy smile and they laughed together, warm breath mingling before Hizashi dared to move. He placed his mouth on hers, holding it for the briefest of moments to savor the feeling before brushing lightly across. She gasped, her eyes dazed with such a strange confusion that he stopped."Zashi?" She sounded even more baffled.He mouthed her lips softly. "Nmmm. There it is again. You look stunned. Why?"Her blush darkened. "I didn't think a kiss could be like that. Like when they say a - a soul kiss...""Oh, that wasn't one of those," he told her seriously, his hand now cupping the back of her head as he shifted her in his lap. "This is one of those." He pressed more firmly against her lips, sucking suggestively. She parted them and his tongue swirled inside, wrestling hers in a teasing, playful manner. Light, soft licks and smaller kisses followed deeper, more serious ones until they were both moaning passionately, their bodies warming up even with the cool sea breeze whipping about them."I think you managed to make me hungry," she hesitantly whispered in his ear.He started to pant, his tongue hanging partly out of his mouth. "Please tell me you don't mean food." His eyes burned from within, a devastating look of utter desire focused directly on her. "Please say me. You want ...me."She tightened her grip on his shoulders. "I do want you.""All of me?" He nibbled her ear, his breathing growing rough. "You want to see how our broken parts fit together?""Hizashi!" Her eyes popped wide open.He laughed in pure joy and stood with her still in his arms. "Okay, let's go to the bedroom."He tumbled onto the bed with her, making her giggle and then gasp as he covered her with kisses. His hands urgently groped her everywhere, eliciting soft cries when he delicately squeezed her breasts that became much louder as he teased the area between her legs. Elly was breathless, thoughtless except for the need to be kissing and touching and smelling him. Everything was delicious, even when they banged their teeth together in their haste and started to laugh."Here - wait, let's take off everything but our underwear. Okay?""Good idea, love."Elly had seen him almost nude several times already but was still shy when he stepped out of his pants. The boxer briefs he wore were tight across the front, and there was some wetness. He saw where she was looking and blushed."You make me more excited than I can ever remember," he admitted shyly, pressing his index fingers together."Yes.""Aww." He rejoined her on the bed, laying carefully on top of her and relishing the feeling of their skin touching. She reached up to touch his hair with trembling fingers and he smiled. "Want me to undo it?""There's so much..."He grinned and unfastened the tie, shaking the silken tresses free. They swept forward like something all by itself from a fairy tale, surrounding him in a shining cloud of gold. The hair offset those twinkling green eyes of his so well she was forced to cover her own."Hey, what's wrong?" He kissed the arm over her face."N - nothing," she said. "You're so handsome it hurts me."Hizashi was silent for such a long while she hesitantly uncovered her eyes for a peek. She breathed quickly in at the sight. He was holding a hand over his mouth, his brow tightly drawn and his glorious eyes overflowing with tears."Zashi?""You - you ... " He sobbed. "That's it. I'm going to love you like no one ever has or ever will, ever, forever!"And he did keep his word. Within minutes she was lost, writhing and screaming his name."What is - oh, Zashi, what's happening..!"He kissed her, murmuring into her mouth as he thrust. "Looks like someone's never orgasmed during sex.""H - Hi - Hih..!""Yes." He doubled his efforts to stay calm and keep his slow, even pace, though her expressions and shocked cries were making it difficult. "Let go... let me take you there.""Hizashi!""Oh my god, beautiful," he whispered. "Just hearing you is gonna..." He squeezed his eyes tight, whining softly as his pace grew frantic. "Hold me!"She held him tight with her arms and legs, clinging to his hot, sweaty body as he surrendered to his release as well.After, they lay beside each other, slowly regaining control of their breathing and their wildly racing hearts. Hizashi reached out and found her hand."Come away with me."
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"What?""You heard me, my love." He fondly stroked her hair back from her sweaty face. "Come away with me.""Where? What do you mean?"He sighed and took both her hands in his. "I know humans have more complex rituals, but for me this is it. I'm bonded to you.""Like marriage?""Ye-e-e-es..." He raised one of her hands, turned it over and kissed the underside of her wrist. "A little more than that, maybe. But you'll understand later. For now, I have to ask: are you happy here?""Happy? I always thought so." She frowned. "Just now, though, the past few days, I think I only just started to know what that means."Hizashi's eyes teared up. "So cute..." He wheezed. "You're killing me. Augh. Um. So, what I mean is, there's this place we can go. Everything you want to keep can get boxed up and sent over; you can work out the same deal with your finances and even the house.""I can take the house?" Her lips quirked in a grin and he chuckled."You know what I meant. I can move my stuff the same way, all to a new home where it's much easier for us to live together." "Tell me more about this place." She laid back, nestling in the crook of his arm as he leaned over her and spoke softly."I've seen it only once, but my kind have spots like it all over. Places where new couples can learn how to coexist in a world that doesn't believe in us.""New couples," she mused, yawning. "That's what we are, huh. I like it."He kissed her forehead, smiling. "I'm glad.""How would we get there? Is it far?""Well, that's the tricky part, 'cause it's an island. It would be fastest to go by plane but I get very nervous when I'm not around water for too long." He bit a fingernail, holding it between his teeth as he thought. "I can't see any other way, though. You can't swim that far and it would take too long, anyway. And there's this ship that would be better for me, but it's expensive, and slower.""Didn't you say our first time was like marriage for you, Zashi?"He grinned at the nickname and nodded. "Uh huh.""Then why don't we set the financial things up, pack my things and get human-married at the courthouse beforehand? Then we can take the cruise as our honeymoon. I assume it's one of those popular tourist locales?""Smart lady," he breathed reverently. "My god, I am way too lucky to have found you.""It's probably the other way around, but thank you." She smiled, a large, genuinely happy smile for the first time in a long while. Several weeks later the house was on the market and they were nowhere to be found. Her frantic parents tried everything to track their whereabouts but were unsuccessful at every turn. They struggled to try and take the house, the small amount of possessions she left inside and anything they could. It was only after they contacted a lawyer that one representing Elly showed up. He gave them a single envelope, addressed to them with a letter written in her own handwriting and nothing more."I'm going to keep this as brief as I can.
Hizashi and I are married and are going to live our own life far away from, well, you. I had to leave to finally be happy. To learn that things are not always my fault, that I'm not a failure, or ugly, or fat, or a messy pig because I don't fully wash down a butter dish every single time I use it.
I still love you. I probably always will. But if you taught me anything at all, it's that "love" and "like" are not the same thing.
I was never what you wanted me to be, never good enough. Hizashi loves me for who I am, just like you should have. I've been haunted by the way you raised me too long and it stops now, because we'll probably never see each other again.
Live well.
I will."