The Deep ☼ SHURI UDAKU

☼ Chapter Eight ☼

Bonding

☼

When Nerissa awakens, she's in a bed in a bright room. There's someone laying beside her, their head in her shoulder. She looks and sees it's Shuri, moving her chin to kiss her forehead.

She glances around the room, smiling when she sees Naia and Malik cuddled in the corner, laying on a couch.

With Naia becoming a mother, those instincts for who you care about must have kicked in. Mothers, at least mers, have heightened abilities of knowing when something has happened so she probably just had a feeling of dread for Nerissa.

Shuri mumbles something and slowly opens her eyes, sitting up when she sees Nerissa looking at her. She shrieks, grabbing Nerissa's jaw and kissing all over her face.

She chuckles, hugging Shuri.

When Shuri pulls back, she sees Naia walk forward. Nerissa smiles when she notices Naia's nearly half-way through her pregnancy and it's showing. She's wearing a white dress that opens around her stomach.

Shuri slides off the bed and sits on the chair beside it.

Naia sits beside Nerissa, grabbing her hand and placing it on her stomach. "He's due in two months." Nerissa smiles, looking up at her "He?" She nods, lifting her other hand to lay on top of Malik's, his own resting on her shoulder.

She looks down at Nerissa's exposed stomach, a scar to the right side of it. "Are you okay? I knew something was wrong with you. I felt it." Nerissa nods, lifting the blanket to cover her abdomen.

"How is everyone?" Naia bites her lip, looking to Malik. "We're fine. It's just different." Nerissa nods, moving to grab Shuri's hand.

"This is Shuri, Naia. Shuri, this is Naia."

Naia bows her head, smiling. "Hello Shuri." Shuri reaches a hand forward "Nice to meet you, Naia." They shake hands, Shuri's returning to hold Nerissa's

She kisses Shuri's forehead, nodding to Malik.

He moves forward, holding his hand out. She grabs it, bringing
their chest together before pulling away. "You okay, little sister?" Nerissa rocks her head. "I'm well, considering everything." He nods, kissing Naia's head.

An idea comes to her and suddenly she's trying to get up, Shuri stopping her. "Hey-Hey stop. You're going to hurt yourself. What are you doing?" Nerissa grunts, trying to pull the needles out of her hand.

"I just want to show them my cave." She sighs. "Okay, but you can't just jump up and leave. I'll be right back and then you can go. You're all healed, you just needed to wake up before they let you out. I'll get your stuff and we can go." Shuri pecks her lips before walking out, mouthing something to Naia, Nerissa assumes is Shuri asking Naia to watch after her.

Naia turns to Nerissa, a mischievous grin on her face. "So you finally got a girl.. found her, I suppose." Nerissa groans, laying down. Malik chuckles, rubbing his face. Nerissa shakes her head "I guess? We're not really anything. We're just kind of existing with each other. If that makes sense?" Naia nods, sighing.

"It's not good for our kind to be alone. We need a companion." She smiles "Do you plan on making her yours soon? You know we can find a way for her to go to the m-" Nerissa cuts her off with a whine, shaking her head.