Beneath the Waves

The Last Touch

Turns out Ria only got to the very first page in the little notebook before getting so excited that she just had to get into her sea monster form again. Apparently, as sea monsters, they had increased speed and strength, not only underwater, but on land as well. She had to test this out, and honestly, she didn't even have to go far to do it.

She walked to her bathroom, feeling really stupid, she filled the tub with water and got in. Knife in hand, she started the cuts, sort of getting used to the feeling now, she waited until she was fully transformed before stepping out of the tub. She dried her feet, not wanting to slip and call 911 in her current state, and got ready for some tests. She put herself through a full physical and oh my god she was way fitter than human-her. She could do 100 push-ups, no problem, even one-handed push-ups were a piece of cake. She lifted her bed with one hand and could cover the span of her apartment in a second. She was strong. She was fast. She completely understood the humans' jealousy and/or fear.

She was in the middle of lifting her sofa over her head when she heard a knock at the door. Fuck. She crossed her arms and prepared to say the magic words, but then she heard a voice,

"Ria it's me" came Chris' voice from the other side of the door.

Instead of completing her detransformation, she thought this would be a cute (and hilarious) way to introduce Chris to her sea monster self.

She walked over to the door, webbed feet plop-plopping across the wooden floor, and opened it. Chris was looking behind her at something she had heard and only started looking back at Ria when she crossed the threshold and Ria closed the door behind her.

Chris froze.

Fuck. Maybe she shouldn't have done this. Maybe this was a bad idea and Chris wasn't ready for it. No, it was something else. Chris' face looked like it had been drained of all blood.

"Fuck" she whispered

The next moment Chris' body rose into the air, glowing as if a spotlight without a source was shining on her. Her arms raised, forming a cross with her body. Then light started shining out of her mouth, eyes, ears, and even her nose. Her eyes rolled back into her head until only the whites were visible. In a flash of light, Chris transformed into (and Ria couldn't fucking believe this) one of those warriors on the page she found in her book. Chayal.

Chris' eyes rolled back into their rightful place, but they weren't her eyes, they were pitch black.

"Chris... Chris can you hear me" Ria asked nervously, the word enemy flashing through her mind.

Chris' arms lowered and in her right hand appeared a gigantic sword, unlike anything Ria had ever seen.

"Fuck fuck fuck" she whispered. She needed to get back into her human form.

Chris said something in a voice and language Ria didn't recognize and for the first time, Ria felt terrified.

Chris' body was lowered onto the floor, her feet touching wood. But before Ria could even take a step towards her to try and talk to her she struck.

The sword sliced through the air as Chris did an intricate spin maneuver, narrowly missing Ria's stomach, but grazing her arm. Blood seeped out of the wound, deeper than she had hoped. Chris lunged for her and caught her off guard yet again. This time leaving a cut in her side.

"Chris!! Chris stop! Can you hear me, Chris?!" Ria screamed desperately

She remembered that she was fast and as the next few attacks come at her she manages to dodge them, mostly. Leaving her with small cuts all over her body. She was getting tired, and Chris showed no sign of slowing down. Ria had stopped begging Chris to hear her. She had stopped hoping that Chris would stop. At this point, she was just trying to stay alive.

Chris launched herself forward in a giant leap, her blade finding Ria's other side, this cut much deeper than the one before. Ria knew her only hope (possibly) was to turn back into a human. She fell to the floor, blood oozing out of every cut made on her body. Apatite stained red with only her blood. She wasn't a fighter she realized. Chris stood over her, sword perched and ready to deliver the killing blow. Ria crossed her arms and whispered her words softly. Feeling the cold of backward water pouring she knew she was human again when she rolled on her side and coughed blood into her non-webbed hand.

In a flash, Chris had transformed back into Chris, giant sword nowhere to be found.

"Ria... Jesus what have I done... Ria can you hear me?" Chris cried

"Water... take me to water" Ria managed to get out

Hunched over Ria's bleeding body Chris starts sobbing. Ria knows she doesn't have much time left, she doesn't even know if water will be enough to bring her back at this point.

"Water ... Chris... please" she coughed

Through cries, Chris manages to pick up Ria's limp form and carry her to the bathroom where the tub is already filled with water. She gently puts Ria down in the water, stands back and waits.

At first Ria is worried because she doesn't feel any better, but when she looks at Chris, seeing the awe on her face she realizes she must be healing. Chris walks closer, kneels next to the bathtub and traces a finger down Ria's cheek. For a moment Ria considers leaning into the touch, but then she remembers why the fuck she's in the water in the first place. Chris had lied to her. She'd damn near fucking killed her.

Before Chris can stroke her cheek again, Ria grabs her arm and pushes it away. Sitting up in the tub, water dyed red with her blood, she looks at Chris in anger.

"You lied to me" she accuses

"I didn't know how to tell you" Chris replies gingerly

"I told you EVERYTHING. I TRUSTED you" Ria says, tears running down her blood-stained cheeks

"I know and I felt awful hiding this from you, but I couldn't tell you! How could I tell you that I'm supposed to be your mortal enemy when I love you more than life itself!"

"You don't love me"

Chris could no longer hold back the tears, she started crying too.

"How can you say that? After everything? I don't love you?"

"You nearly just killed me because you didn't tell me your little secret AFTER I might add, accusing me of having a secret. You don't love me. Look at what you did to me today. That's not LOVE" she shouted

Chris stood up, "I do love you. I just... how could I tell you? I didn't know how"

"Get out of my apartment. I never want to see you again. This is over. We're done." a finality in her voice that she didn't know she was capable of. But it seemed to do the trick.

Still crying, Chris stormed out of the bathroom, and out the front door slamming it behind her.

Ria sat up, drained the tub, and turned on the shower. She sat like that for ages. Water pouring down her face until she couldn't tell if she was crying anymore.