“Alright! Okay.” Burying his face in his hand for just a moment, he takes a deep breath. This is crazy. “I can’t make any promises.”
The floor is wet when he attempts to step closer, water mixing with the deep red of the creature’s blood. Naoki swallows away the lump in his throat. It’ll be fine, he tells himself, but doesn’t truly believe it. He’s nearly there; one arm-length away. Then, the creature’s maw snaps as its head surges forward; teeth clacking. Naoki yelps, feet nearly slipping on the wet ground. His heart drums within his chest, his breath catching.
The creature’s body shakes, clicks emitting out of its mouth in tandem. Almost as if— “Are you laughing at me?” Stomping his foot, Naoki stares at the siren in disbelief. “Stop,” he says, voice quivering when the clicking continues, “Fine. I’m not gonna help you if you freak me out like that.”
The laughter dies down, replaced instead by bared fangs.
“Actually,” Naoki laughs, inching his way across the boat, “I was just joking. You know me.”
Nerves claw up his throat as he moves, trying desperately not to step onto the creature’s tail. Far too fast, he finds himself at its back. Blood oozes from the wound, running down its shoulder in dark streaks. Naoki’s hands shake where they’re stretched out in front of him. His feet seem frozen to the floor. A few seconds of indecision pass; too long, it seems, as a dorsal fin flares up. “Ka’aaaaa.”
“Yes,” Naoki says, flinching. “You don’t have to repeat that.” Willing his feet to move, he steps forward. “I’m not a Noca.”
A trill cuts through the air at the words. Turning its head, the creature flits its eyes back to Naoki’s form. “Ka’a,” it repeats and cocks its head, eyes dilating, “Noca.”
A beat. Naoki’s eyes narrow as they both continue to stare at each other. “I’m not— That’s not—” he stops. “So you are partially listening to me. Or paroting, probably more likely.”
“Noca.”
“Okay.”
Disinclined to be insulted again, he takes a deep breath and continues to inch closer. “Okay, Naoki,” he mumbles, “slowly does it. Slowly does it.” It’s so close now, hands hovering over the wound. The little tremors make their way up his arms, his whole body shaking. So preoccupied by the racing of his own heart, he almost misses them. But they’re there, barely noticeable. Tiny little clicks, akin to quickened breathing, protrude out of a panting mouth. Naoki’s heart constricts.
“Hey, uh,” its ears twitch at his tone, softer now, “it’s okay, Zagi.” More twitching, a higher pitched click. “I’m not pulling it out yet, I’m just gonna touch you.” Fingertips barely brush the skin of its shoulder. Naoki’s breath sticks in his throat like a stone. His voice is merely a whisper. “Please don’t eat me.”
Finally, his hands grip onto its body. He almost jerks back at the coldness of its skin, clammy texture sticking to his fingers. Before he does, the creature exhales beneath his palm and he feels himself follow suit. It is here that he notices the trembling of the body beneath him, the torn up webbing, and scarred skin. “Oh,” he breathes, “you’re just as scared as I am, huh.”
Against all instinct, Naoki allows his hand to remain on its shoulder; thumb slowly stroking back and forth. The creature shudders, a slight trill accompanying the movement, followed by a wince when it rattles the hook embedded in its skin. Naoki’s lips press together, nearly white from the pressure.
“This’ll leave one nasty scar,” he mumbles, eyeing the wound once more. Muttered apologies fly from his lips when his fingers prod the skin around it, pulling slightly to reveal blood-stained barbs cutting into flesh. “Qixa,” Naoki’s face twists, “Kixaigou spear.” Crimson stains his nails, teeth gritting. How is this thing still alive? “I’m gonna have to push it down a little to get it out, okay?”
Head tilting, the creature’s amber eyes flit between him and the hook. Its nose flares. “This will hurt,” Naoki says, watching as understanding spreads over its face, “I’m gonna count down, okay?”
Here goes nothing.
Trembling hands wrap around the handle of the hook, before Naoki curses and wipes the sweat off on his pants first. Another try; there’s no way around this. His chest rises as he breathes in, then out, “Okay,” fingers flex around the metal. “Okay.”
“Kao,” he counts.
“Hib.”
“Nao.”
Nothing.
Wild clicking nearly makes Naoki jerk back. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” he yelps, almost losing his footing when the creature’s fluke crashes into him. “Hey— I said I’m sorry! I’m gonna do it, okay?” Hand lifting from the hook, he pushes away the tail with a grimace. “Give me a second, I’m just as nervous as you are. Probably more nervous, given the fact that you’re a siren with sharp teeth and sharper claws taking up the entirety of my boat and I’m just a Naoki.”
Wrapping his hand back around the handle, he takes another deep breath, eyes falling close for just a moment. He can do this. It’s not going to eat him afterwards. Probably. “Okay,” he mumbles, “this time, this time.”
A dorsal fin flares; gills tremble. Naoki can’t fuck this up again.
“Kao,” he starts again. His feet dig into the floor.
“Hib.”
Fingers flex. A hiss when the hook is pushed down.
“Nao.”
He pulls.
A violent screech rings in his ears, goosebumps breaking out across his skin. His mind buzzes, pain exploding behind his eyelids. He doesn’t know if he’s blind or if the world has shattered in place, broken pieces burying itself in his body. Metal falls from his fingers, crashing onto the floor with a muted thudd, drowned out by violent screeching. Crimson fills his vision, gushing out of a crater in shredded skin. Fighting through the fog, he presses down, trying to keep the blood from flowing further. The moment he does, the creature screeches once more. Naoki yelps as he’s dragged backwards, crashing into the railing just as the boat tips to the side.
A splash. Then silence.
The boat settles within the waves. Rocking slowly coming to a close. Naoki’s chest stutters, his eyes sting as they blink open. Blood is lining the wooden floor, deep puddles spreading further. Trembling, he lifts his hand, watching as it drips off his fingertips.
“That’s it,” he says, frozen, “I’m never coming back out here again.”
Sparkling violet ripples over the sea as the first rays of the sun peek over the horizon. It glitters in specks of white, lightening up the depths below. Warmth spreads over his skin as he moves into the light; soothing, gentle. The serenity of the morning is broken by a deep rumbling. It’s become familiar now, this sound, and he turns his head in its direction with anticipation growing within his chest.
A shadow of a boat passes above him.
One push and he’s moving upwards, surfacing just behind the rocks he’s seen the strange creature climb the last time it was here. From the boat, noises rise and he strains his ears to catch the sounds.
“Qixa,” he hears, familiar too, “Os, mi as, mi as, mi pysob cob.” Strange, unfamiliar. His ears twitch. “Laus nocau maut kaut, gais goi.” Noca, ah. He understands.
Strange, unknown, this creature’s sounds. He cocks his head, listening.
He’ll figure it out soon.
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