A shipwreck? This far out?

A chill creeps into Satoru’s veins as he swims closer. Lifeless bodies suspended in the water and a slowly-falling field of debris; a great deal of it still flaming on the surface. He never expected his first glimpse of humans to be like this. They never come this far…must have been hopelessly lost.

Curiosity outweighs his caution, just like always. He glides through the ship’s fracturing carcass with a morbid fascination, bright eyes flicking around to soak in every detail. Just a quick look, I’ll leave before the sharks—

A twitch in the water catches his attention. His head snaps over to it, and that’s when he sees you. Limp, eyes closed, but not yet gone. This one’s still alive?

There’s another twitch, and with a sharp panic he realizes he’s just watching you fucking drown. A powerful flick of his tail closes the distance between you, and he pulls you in against him. Air, right? They need air. Fuck, too far to the surface.

He doesn’t allow himself to think on it any harder; he just cups your unconscious face in his hands and pulls your lips to his. The gills on the sides of his neck rise and fall, filtering the water for the very oxygen he’s breathing into you right now.

Within seconds he’s breaching the surface with you in his arms. He pulls you toward the sandy shore of a nearby island; likely the very one your ship had been trying to reach before it was wrecked on craggy rocks.

Once you’re gently laid out in the wet sand, Satoru just looks at you. He knew the stories of humans; brutish creatures, clumsy and evil, always destroying whatever beautiful thing they touch. He imagined something ugly, but…this one is not that.

You’re fascinating. Beautiful, even.

A moment later the first watery cough chokes out of your throat. He shoves back into the water, tail flipping with a panicked splash, retreating to a rocky cove a short distance away.

But he can’t leave entirely. He lingers, keeping hidden in the shallows, peeking over a rock as he watches you stir.