Mi-young glanced at Chen with wide, alarmed eyes as Chen hung up the phone from calling Baekhyun. Though she had been right there during the entire exchange, it was still difficult to know how the conversation actually went, and she was nervous considering that she had done the one thing that Baekhyun hated more than anything.

“Is he angry with me?” she whispered as Chen wriggled slightly to adjust Mi-young's position on his lap. She had tried to lower herself to the ground before he had made the call, but the boy was insistent that she not sit on the wet ground. Chen smiled widely and shook his head, making her smile lightly in relief.

“No, not at all. He's worried, naturally, but he understands that it's just a freak rainstorm. He's on his way with the van,” he explained cheerfully and reached up to tuck a piece of stray hair behind her ear. “Now you just sit tight, okay? Baekhyun will be along soon, and maybe the rain will even stop before then!” he reassured her with a bright smile. Mi-young smiled wider and wrapped her arms around his neck with a giggle. I feel much better with Chen here. He's so reassuring! She thought happily.

“I’m glad! I was afraid he would be mad at me for doing this again,” she snickered and glanced down at the end of her massive tail, splashing it in the puddle forming beside them. Chen cried out and swatted at her as water droplets rained down over both of them.

“Hey, hey, cut it out!” he laughed at her while wriggling around in protest, and she splashed him once more before giggling girlishly and obediently sitting still. “Jeez, you really are a mischievous mermaid. Do you treat Baekhyun like this?” he as he looked at her with raised eyebrows. Mi-young giggled again, covering with a hand as she snickered uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized cheerfully before looking bashfully down at the water pooling around them. “I’ve just never had the opportunity to play in the rain,” she admitted with a bashful smile, looking back up at him with pretty blue eyes. Chen blinked, then grinned playfully and reached down to scoop up a handful of water and fling it at her. She squealed with delight and threw up her arms to shield her face as the water splashed over her, and in retaliation she splashed her tail again to shower the boy in rainwater. Chen didn't give up the assault, however, and soon they were even more soaking wet than before and breathless from flinging water at each other.

“So, wasn't that fun?” Chen laughed breathlessly as he shook his head to sweep his dripping wet hair out of his eyes. Mi-young laughed again and nodded eagerly, reaching up to brush her long, black locks out of her face. “Good,” he smiled brightly and glanced up as the sky began to darken considerably above their heads and the rain began to pour down harder. “Oh, well this is not so good,” he frowned deeply, pressing against the brick wall in an effort to shield Mi-young and himself from the deluge. Mi-young shivered as the cold began to seep into her bones, and then she sneezed loudly.

“Oh… Excuse me,” she blinked and rubbed her nose, sniffling. “I don't think I like the rain so much anymore,” she pouted as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself, jerking as she sneezed again. She began to shiver as the water continued to dampen her clothes, making her colder, and soon her teeth were chattering while her entire body trembled. “Wh-where is Baekhyun?” she asked quietly.

“He should be on his way,” Chen answered as he pulled the mermaid closer, rubbing her arms vigorously in an attempt to keep her warm. “Why don't we talk about something to take our mind off the cold, huh? Tell me about your mother,” he asked her cheerfully. Mi-young wiped her nose with her sleeve before nodding and looking up at the sky, watching the roiling grey clouds stream across the sky as the large rain droplets fell.

Mi-young was suddenly alarmed when the image of her mother had trouble surfacing in her mind, and she knit her eyebrows together as she struggled to remember. I can't even remember my own mother…! She thought with a slight pang of panic, and she looked down at Chen tearfully. He raised his eyebrows at her, then smiled reassuringly and patted her head like she was a lost child. “Don't worry, Mi-young. You've been up here for such a long time, and you've experience so many new things, so of course it would be hard for you to recall things about your home. Why don't I ask you about her, huh? Maybe that will help you remember!” he suggested happily, and Mi-young nodded mutely as she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill freely.

“Okay. I think that will work,” she agreed once she had obtained a reign on her emotions.

“What did your mother look like? Does she have pretty black hair like yours?” he began and reached up to grab a chunk of her hair and gently wave it around, making her laugh lightly.

“No, no, my mother has golden hair. It shines like the sun,” she recalled as she swatted Chen's hand away and fixed her hair, which was now sticking out oddly. She cocked her head to the side slightly. “Her eyes are green, too, not blue like mine. The color of kelp blooming in crystal clear water, or the pretty green gems we find sometimes on shipwrecks. I think humans call them emeralds?” she explained.

“Your mother sounds beautiful,” Chen remarked with a smile.

“Yes! She's the most beautiful mermaid in all the world!” she beamed excitedly as the memories began to flood back. “She has a gigantic tail, too, with the colors of the sunsets on the sea- pink and yellow and orange, all glistening together like diamonds,” she breathed in admiration. Her eyes were sparkling too as she relates the sheer beauty of her mother. “She came from the Caribbean islands, during the days that pirates roamed the seas hunting mermaids for their scales and tears, or taking them as husbands and wives on the land. She traveled all across the ocean and learned so much about the world, both above and below the sea,” she told him giddily, then sighed and glanced down at her lap sadly. “I wanted to be like her… But I could never be like her.”

“But Mi-young, you're already like her,” Chen blinked up at her, and she looked at him hesitantly. “You're beautiful, in your own special way- Baekhyun can attest to that,” he smirked, making her blush brightly. “You're adventurous, too! You're always so eager to learn and explore everything about this world, and you've been so brave! Don't sell yourself short, Mi-young,” he beamed up at her, and she smiled bashfully down at him.

“Thank you, Chen,” she told him gratefully, hugging him happily. He laughed heartily and wrapped his arms around her to squeeze her affectionately. She glanced up when she became aware of the fact that the raindrops were no longer falling from the sky, and the gray clouds had been replaced with fluffy white ones. “Oh! The rain has stopped!” she cried ecstatically as she straightened up and stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the feeling of the sunshine warming her skin.

“Oh! You're right!” he grinned as he glanced up and looked around. He shuffled over so that they were sitting in a patch of bright sunlight, and Mi-young could already feel her clothes beginning to dry. She stretched out her tail, watching as the light bounced off the blue-green scales. After a few minutes, the tail began to glow with bright green light and split apart, leaving her with her human legs once the light had faded away. She grinned and jumped to her feet, bouncing from one foot to the other while careful not to splash water onto herself lest her tail reappear. She giggled happily while Chen rose to his feet and shook a few stray droplets out of his hair. “Well, that worked out swell. Baekhyun should be along any minute now!” he told her as he walked over to stand beside her. Mi-young glanced at him with a frown.

“Is he really coming? It’s been so long,” she fretted as she glanced out at the street, watching as cars zoomed by. She looked back at him doubtfully when he bonked her lightly on the head.

“Hey. Don't doubt him. He's really worried about you, you know,” he reassured her. They both whipped around when they heard the sound of shattered glass at the entrance of the alleyway. “Get behind me,” Chen ordered as he shoved the girl behind him to stand in front of her defensively as a man came shambling down the alleyway.

“Chen?” she asked fearfully as she watched the man stumble across the cobblestones. He was wearing a thick overcoat and pants with holes torn in them, and had a beanie hat secured loosely over dirty, unwashed brown hair. He clutched a greenish bottle tightly in his hand, occasionally bringing it to his mouth to take long, gulping drinks of it. “What's wrong with him? Is he ill?” she whispered.

“He's drunk, Mi-young. See that drink in his hand? If you drink too much of it, it makes you angry and irrational,” he explained as he held an arm out over her as the man continued to advance on them, seemingly unaware of their presence. Abruptly, he stopped a few feet away from them and glanced up, squinting at them in the darkness of the alley.

“Eh? Who's there?” he called, but Mi-young could hardly understand him, as all his words slurred together into an incoherent string of sounds. She pressed close to Chen, unnerved by the sheer level of hostility rolling off of the man in waves; it felt as if she were standing in front of a massive shark who was debating whether or not to eat her for dinner. The look in his eyes as he stared intently at her was nothing short of hungry. He suddenly smiled, baring dirty, cracked teeth. “Who's your pretty friend there, boy? Hey, honey, why don't you come spend a little time with me? I’ll show you a gooood time,” he purred as he dropped the bottle. It shattered to pieces as it struck the cobblestone, spilling a strong-smelling liquid all over the alley ground. Mi-young wrinkled her nose as the scent stung her airways, and she lifted her hand to her nose to shield herself from the smell.

“I'm not interested! Please leave us alone!” Mi-young insisted and took a hesitant step back as he continued to lumber across the stones, reaching out toward her with an evil snicker. Chen jumped forward and shoved the drunk man away, causing him to stumble unsteadily into the wall.

“She said back off, okay? Why don't you just beat it?” he yelled, but Mi-young could tell that he was nervous. The man was broad and burly, and so Chen would be hard-pressed if things grew violent. As the man struggled to right himself, Chen was looking around wildly searching desperately for an exit; unfortunately, the only one lay behind the drunk man, who had stood up and looked positively infuriated.

“Listen ‘ere, ya little punk! I’m gonna make ya wish ya’d never been born!” the man shouted as he advanced on Chen angrily, grabbing the startled boy by the front of his shirt and punching him in the jaw with surprising speed. Chen reeled and collapsed onto his hands and knees, blood dribbling from his mouth. The man grabbed him by the hair and jerked him up to punch him once more for good measure, and the boy just fell to the side onto the wet ground, barely conscious.

“Chen!” Mi-young screamed in fright and went to kneel down beside him, but the drunk man stepped over the groaning boy with a devilish grin. She whimpered as she backed away from him, all the way down to the end of the alley where she pressed herself against the towering brick wall, trembling with fright. “Please don't hurt me,” she begged him as she cowered before the large man looming over her. Cringing as he took her by the chin and brought his face close, she squeezed her eyes shut as his foul breath poured over her. He was breathing heavily, panting almost, like the dog she had seen in the park, so excited. Th-this man is sick! She thought while tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

“Oh, don't cry, sweetheart. I promise, I’ll treat ya real nice,” he cackled as he grabbed a handful of Mi-young's chest, squeezing it so hard that Mi-young gasped in pain. She shrieked in alarm and tried to jerk herself away, but he snatched her by the hair. “Ya got such pretty hair, love. Don't make me rip it out yer pretty head,” he snickered before hiccupping and stumbling unsteadily into her. Mi-young began to cry miserably as she felt his body press close to hers.

“Baekhyun! I’m scared!” she wailed pathetically, and the drunk man stared quizzically at her.

“Eh? Whatcha goin' on about, love?” he blinked as he let her hair go to caress her face with dirty hands. She shuddered violently as he ran an untrimmed nail down her cheek, grinning at her as he came closer. Then, like a flash of lightning, he was suddenly thrown to the side into the adjoining wall, holding the side of his head and cursing loudly. Mi-young gasped as she was yanked by her upper arm behind someone, and she looked up tearfully to see a familiar form standing in front of her.

“Baekhyun!” she cried as she dissolved into tears again, so relieved to see him standing protectively in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his middle as she buried her face into his broad, strong back. Meanwhile, he straightened himself up threateningly as the drunken man managed to stumble to his feet.

“Now you just back the hell up, , or I’ll hit you even harder!” he snapped angrily as he held up a fist. The drunken man sized him up before deciding better of causing a scene, and just sank back down to the ground to nurse his likely pounding head. Baekhyun grabbed Mi-young firmly to herd her back down the alley, where Chen was sitting against the wall rubbing his jaw and grumbling.

“Couldn't have shown up a few minutes earlier?” he joked weakly as he glanced up at Baekhyun. The boy ignored him and immediately whipped around to face Mi-young, who was still sniffling and shaking. He smiled gently and reached up to gently cup her face with one hand, but rather than shy away like she did with the drunk man, she embraced it, leaning her face into his hand and savoring the feeling of his skin against hers.

“Are you okay?” he asked her gently as he wiped a few of her tears away with his thumb. She nodded with a miserable sniffle.

“He scared me. He wanted to do bad things to me,” she whispered, and the idea of what that man could have done to her if Baekhyun had not turned up at that moment terrified her to the point she broke down in tears again. He shushed her gently and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in a gentle hug and resting his chin on top of her head.

“Hey, hey, it's okay. I would never let anyone hurt you,” he murmured and rubbed her back soothingly while she gripped tightly at his clothes and sobbed, burying her face into his chest.

“I-I thought maybe you wouldn't come,” she admitted quietly, and she felt him shift to look down at her. She lifted her face to stare up at him with her blue, blue eyes. “You've been avoiding me all day… Why? Did I do something wrong, Baekhyun?” she asked him, her voice shaking with both the emotion from the harrowing experience and the pain from being avoided by the man she cared for so strongly. He stared down at her with sad eyes before sighing deeply and pulling her back into him. He caressed her hair softly, and Mi-young closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers sliding rhythmically through her thick hair.

“No. No, you did nothing wrong. It's me. I shouldn't have… done what I did. It's just confusing. I belong on land, and you belong in the sea,” he told her quietly, and Mi-young could feel his heart break more with every word. She clung to him tightly, pained by the words she was hearing but knowing in her heart that they were true. “I just don't want to hurt you, Mi-young,” he sighed and laid his head on her shoulder, her hair falling over his face.

“You hurt me when you avoid me,” she told him pointedly. “I just want to be with you, Baekhyun, for however long I can… Please just give me that,” she implored him as she hugged him tightly, never wanting to let him go. She knew that wasn't possible, though.

Soon, I’ll have to return to the sea… I won't be able to see Baekhyun anymore, she thought miserable. I’m going to hold on as long as I can…!

“Okay, Mi-young,” he smiled gently as he held her. “I’ll give you that. Now let's go home and get Chen cleaned up. If he stares at me much longer he'll burn holes into my back!” he laughed as he pulled back from her and looked back as his friend, who was glaring while holding his bleeding lip.

“About time!” he moped as Baekhyun walked over to help him to his feet. Mi-young laughed and followed the boys out of the alleyway, leaving the lecherous drunk behind.

I’ll enjoy this as long as I can… So that I can remember these days forever.