Yukio carefully dropped himself into the water. He was hesitant to put his head under the water, bubble or not. Séan yanked his body under and waited for him to gain his bearings. 

Séan - “Hold onto my shoulders KiKi. I doubt Fujimoto would appreciate the knowledge that you were swept out to sea.”

Yukio carefully floated over Séan’s back and held onto his shoulders. Scaled and webbed hands shot up and placed on top of Yukio’s to help keep him in place. Yukio was fascinated. Everything he knew about siren’s was from old textbooks. Séan’s tail moved side to side like a side instead of up and down like how cartoons and his textbooks portrayed. His tail was beautiful, yet dangerous. Again, differing from a dolphin, his tail was more rounded with curves meeting in sharp spikes. 

Séan - “When I go swimming, and a predator thinks I’m a tasty looking snack, my tail serves as a weapon. Like a serrated blade.”

How Yukio wished he had his notebook. He loved learning about obscure demon species and sirens were as obscure as they come. Naga and Naiads were also just as if not more rare, but Séan was half siren and half human. His physiology was fascinating. Yukio gently trailed his fingers down Séan’s back. 

Séan turned his head to try and see Yukio and he smiled at the sight. He was muttering quietly to himself with eyes as sparkly as Séan’s scales. Séan felt something swell in his chest. He quickly chalked it up to pride at being the one to show off the beauty of his home. 

Yukio reached his hand out and caressed a branch of bright magenta coral. Out of the corner of his eye, a glint caught his attention. Turning his head he was met with rows of sharp teeth and a quickly approaching shark. 

Séan - “Don’t worry KiKi. It’s just Guppy, she’s mostly harmless!”

Séan let Yukio grab onto one of the coral and he swam over to the tiger shark. Guppy was swimming around Séan and headbutting him like a kitten. Yukio watched in awe as the shark swam away after Séan gave it some scratches. 

Séan - “Guppy is just a pup, don’t worry about her. I want to show you my favorite place. Hold on tight.”

Séan swam under Yukio and after he latched onto his shoulders, Séan swam to a current. It was fascinating to see such a powerful underwater current. 

Séan - “Hold on tight KiKi!”

Séan swam into the current and let themselves get swept away. After minutes of being pushed this way and that, the water spit them out near a cave entrance. Séan maneuvered Yukio so his back was to his front. He swam them up a tunnel and lifted Yukio out of the water. 

Séan - “We’ll tread the surface and hitch a ride with the fisherman back to Akamaru. This is my secret cave. I come here when I need to unwind. Here scootch.”

Yukio took a few steps back and helped Séan pull himself out of the water. His tail split into a pair of legs with razor-sharp fins on the back of his calves; his body remained covered in scales. 

Yukio - “You have legs and a tail?”

Séan - “Yupperooni! The tail is better for swimming and amazeballs at defense and offense under the water. My legs are legs. My scales form if I’m fully submerged or completely wet, like in the rain and whatevs. My ancestors only had tails, hence mermaid hoopla. obvi. As we evolved, we were able to split our tails into legs and disperse among the human populace.”

Yukio - “How old are you?”

Séan - “A year older than you and RiRi. I learn a ton through the local pods and Lord Egyn.”

He walked over to a set of shelves and a basin that seemed naturally formed through years of rushing water and erosion. Yukio’s attention flicked across the shelves. Small skulls and bones, framed photo of him Rin as kids, two photos of Séan with two sets of people, elderly and young. 

Séan gestures to the one where he couldn’t have been older than twelve, on the lap of a man with graying blonde hair and a woman with a somber expression and blonde hair with brown roots. 

Séan - “My . They’re my Irish family. Pap makes soda bread so good, your socks’ll not only be knocked off, they’ll wash themselves, hang themselves to dry, and fold themselves for the next day. That’s my Pa’s younger sister. We don’t get along too much, but we’re civil for Pap’s sake.”

Yukio - “Then I assume this is your African family?”

Séan - “Heck yeah! This is my Gran's family.”

Séan excitedly pointed out people. 

An incredibly old woman with a dignified expression was Séan’s Great Grandmother and matriarch of the family. To her left was a black man and white woman with a mixed raced child (his aunt, uncle, and younger cousin). To her right was a young man holding a baby girl (his older cousin and his baby sister). 

Behind her was a man and a siren with a probable six year old Séan on the man’s shoulders. She was beautiful with long inky black hair braided and draped over her shoulder, serene deep blue and indigo scales covering her forearms, her décolletage, and her forehead/eyeridge. Like Séan, she had no eyebrows and pale pink opalescent eyes. It was undeniably Séan and his parents when he was younger.  

Séan - “Auntie Sue has a big heart. She adopts children from bad situations and teaches them divination and herbal medicines so they never have to rely on hospitals.”

Yukio - “You're so lucky. To have such a big family I mean. I only had Fujimoto two or three monastery workers. I never had many people to call family.”

Séan - “Now you do. You have Mephisto, Lord Egyn, Rin, me, and the entity of Akamaru. We're your family now, and the future says it'll be a good one.” 

Séan winked and stuck his tongue out. 

Séan - “We should start heading back or Uncle Dmitri’ll be upsetty with me for making you let for dindin.”

Séan led him to a set of sleek stone steps. 

Séan - “RiRi helped me carve these out. They go all the way to the surface.”

Yukio followed him up a few steps, but slipped down and twisted his ankle.

Séan - “Shit, you okay? That must’ve hurt, I’m sorry, I forgot human feet don’t have traction for wet stone. Uncle Dmitri has a cream to help with swelling.”

Yukio was stunned at Séan’s complete 180 personality shift. 

Yukio - “Séan, it’s okay. It’s a twisted ankle, I’m not going to hold it over your head.”

Séan pouted and lifted Yukio into his arms and climbed the stairs quickly. There was a fishing boat a few yards away.

Séan - “Let’s get you on my back and I’ll swim us over.”

Soon, they were on the boat with hot chocolate and towels. Yukio watched as scales fleshed back into his skin and others fell off in a pile. He picked one up and slowly turned it in his fingers. They were similar to fish scales in design, but they had a smooth, almost metallic touch and blue-green sheen. They also had a firmness to them, almost like a bullet, if Yukio were to make a comparison.

Yukio - “Your scales are gorgeous.”

Séan puffed up, ego having been inflated and siren vanity stroked.

Séan - “Why thank you my lovely KiKi~ Siren scales are widely used by demons for armor and weapons because of their durability and sharpness. There’s only a small handful of smithys that can make such equipment, and most of them are right here in Akamaru. There’s only like one or two in Gehenna.”

Yukio listened to Séan talk about Gehenna from his schooling when he was younger, until they reached the docks. Séan had Yukio in a cradle hold to prevent him from walking. 

Guinevere - “Child, are you hurt?”

Yukio - “I’m fine, ma’am. I only twisted an ankle and Séan seems to think I’ll shatter if I put weight on it.”

Séan - “Rin had a sprained ankle once and his Pa didn’t let him walk until he was better. I’m following what Lord Egyn did, so no complaining from you mister.”

Guinevere - “Very well. Séanan, Dmitri was looking for you, so head there now.”

Séan - “Understood Lady Gwen.”

Séan sidestepped a jet of water and jogged back to Dmitri's hut. Said demon waited at a fold up table outside his hut with a book in hand. 

Dmitri - “Nephew.”

Séan - “Hi-low sweet uncle. Dear Yuki twisted his ankle, have you any of that cream left?”

Dmitri - “It's where it always is. Be quick you no dinner.”

Séan sat Yukio in a chair before walking inside. 

Dmitri - “I thank you for looking after Séanan in my absence. How is his studies in True Cross?”

Yukio - “He is top of his class. However, in his exorcist class, he is tied for top ranking with another student.”

Dmitri - “Good, Cornac and Lorraine would be proud. And you, are your studies good?”

Yukio - “Yes, I'm a grade higher than Séan so I'm the top of my classes and I'm the teacher of the demonology cram classes. In the exorcist classifications, I'm a middle first class exorcist and a meister for both Doctor and Dragoon.”

Dmitri - “Quite accomplished at such a young age. You will be good for Séanan.”

Yukio - “Is that Séan's full name?”

Dmitri - “Yes, his christened name is Séanan Dmitri Burke-Rose. I am Séanan's godfather.”

Yukio - “That's quite the name. I'm just Okumura Yukio.”

Dmitri - ““Just” implies that you are not interesting or worthy of intrigue. Séanan does not give out trust easily and for him to bring you to our home willingly is a sign of his devotion to you.”

Séan - “Uncle, you made borscht?”

Dmitri - “And barmbrack for dessert.”

Séan - “Yes! Here you go KiKi, slather that on your ankle and I shall retrieve dinner!”

Dmitri sighed and set his book down.

Dmitri - “Séanan is a good child, from this old Naga, please continue to watch over him.”

Yukio - “Don't worry, I will.”

Séan - “Time to feast!”

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