Living in Your World

by merryfortune

[Pirate & Siren AU] Kyoutani turned his head and hoped that he would see something good in the distance. He hoped to see a port or a village or even just a crummy looking shack. Anything would be better than an endless stretch of sand. What he saw was worse than dreadful nothingness. He saw those eyes. He found the eyes of the creature that had lured him to near death.

Living in Your World

[AN: 1. I know sirens are more related to harpies than they are to mermaids but I don't like using the word "merman" so using siren to me is a more gender neutral stylistic choice.

2. I headcannon Yahaba as asexual so some of his behaviour has been influenced by that.

3. I don't regret the anachronistic pop culture shout-outs.]

The expeditor sailing vessel belonging to the Aoba Jousai Pirates was attacked mercilessly by the sea and the storm. The boat shook and trembled as it tried to face the terrible, ruthless conditions. But out of all the raging waves and tempest, it was the siren haunting the waters just beneath the boat that posed the biggest threat to the lives of the pirates.

'Go below deck, we'll wait it out 'til mornin'!' yelled Iwaizumi, the vice-captain unofficially and first mate officially, as he pushed his cohort down. His crewmates dashed downstairs; they all slid and skidded on the slippery sky deck awash with water in a desperate scramble for safety. Iwaizumi scanned and scanned, underneath the downward onslaught of vicious rain, until he concluded that there was no one left. His head hurt: all he could hear was it; the siren.

'Iwa-chan!' Oikawa, the Captain, screeched and Iwaizumi dropped. He bolted the hatch and hoped that this would be enough to keep them safe and dry until morning.

He plodded down the steps. Oikawa hugged him as soon as he passed by Iwaizumi ignored him. He was counting heads: that was more important than giving head. Oikawa snuggled into Iwaizumi's bulk.

'Everyone's here. We're good.' Oikawa cooed.

'Fuck. We're missing one idiot.' Iwaizumi muttered and Oikawa straightened up immediately.

'Who?' Oikawa asked and he scanned the crowd that were watching the two "parents" of the crew.

Then it struck him. The most obvious-looking person was missing: the Mad Dog with his bleach blonde hair and permanent scowl. He was gone.

Oikawa glared at Iwaizumi panicked. 'Where is he?' he asked and Iwaizumi backed up; arched his back against the hatch protectively.

'I must've missed him...' Iwaizumi mumbled, ashamed of himself for leaving one of the crew behind. No one liked the Mad Dog but he was a good fighter, a good friend regardless.

'Let me up there!' Oikawa growled and Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa's shoulders; shook him vigorously with an iron-like clamp.

'If you think I'll let you up there then you mustn't know me at all.' Iwaizumi growled.

Oikawa seethed but settled. His shoulders slumped and he surrendered. 'I'm sorry but I prioritize your safety above all others, Shitty Captain.' Iwaizumi grumbled and he took Oikawa down to the others. Everyone was quiet but their concerned faces, their agonised faces, the faces of betrayed brethren, spoke a thousand words. Iwaizumi whipped around ferociously and screamed: 'I prioritize all of you above that mongrel, honestly. Better to have one die than all die.'

That shut up all their talkative pouts. The silence was deafening. Below deck, no one could hear anything that was happening above their heads but it only took a little imagination to fill the air with the noisy truth.

Rain lashed the sky deck with violent vigour. The ocean was as grey as steel and the sky just as grim. Nothing could be seen except for a speck of light just beyond the Mad Dog's reach. He drunkenly staggered around, blind as a fool; numbed with the siren song.

A sweet voice floated lightly through all the ordinance of the weather. The song was as beautiful as a symphony. It was intoxicating and uplifting. It was a dulcet melody woven from strange honeyed verses. It engaged not only with the ears but the heart; inciting an erotic passion as fervent as the untamed tempest that had trapped the pirates with divine combat.

Kyoutani was at bliss. He was completely ignorant to the danger all around him as he drunkenly staggered, trying to follow the tune of the song. He leaned over the ornate railing of the ship and his eyes found the source of the light: an angelic blue and white light, the source of the song.

'I love you!' the songstress of the sea sang out. There was a lilt to the voice that skipped and brought forward images of pleasantries. 'Come join me, my love, in the sea where we belong!'

Kyoutani swallowed and he hefted himself over the railing. He freely fell to his certain death. He fell flatly and flopped onto the ocean. He smashed himself against the waves and was soon taken by the siren. The siren wrapped its finned arms around him and took him deeper. Pressure pierced him like a sabre tip. The siren took Kyoutani deeper still with rhythmic twists and pulls, surging through the water and toying with you.

Kyoutani couldn't breathe. He was completely aware of the danger, no longer numbed by the siren's song. There was fluid in his lungs and it agonised him as he felt it move around within him. The siren lunged forward and brought him further down. His breath dissipated before him and turned to strangled bubbles. Kyoutani felt like he was being ripped to shreds by the pressure and how the siren battered him by surging through the water at top speed. Kyoutani could feel the cracks in his ribs, his broken nose, and every other injury he had sustained during his fall.

Even though the salt water burned his eyes, Kyoutani forced himself to get a look at the creature that had stolen him. He could only keep his eye open for a second before pain and loss of consciousness completely robbed him of what it meant to be alive. For that one second, Kyoutani got a decent look at the creature's eyes.

Unfettered by the salt and speed, the eyes were wide open. They were a soft shade of brown and framed by long eyelashes and adipose eyelids. The gaze, although caught for barely any time at all, seemed to be that of remorse.

Kyoutani lost consciousness after that. He didn't expect to wake from that deathlike slumber but then, he felt it: coarse grains of sand beneath his roughhewn hands. He felt the sun cross his face and fresh air on his lips. He stirred and was immediately dazzled by fair weather, a cool breeze, and a sun directly across from him in the sky. He was groggy and his face was caked with salt and sand.

His eyelashes flickered and he plunged between light and dark as he tried to make sense of what had happened. He began to get up. He felt awful. He figured he would be better off dead than with his array of injuries and other problems. There was a pounding in every inch of his body. He dug his elbows into the sand as he tried to bend forward but he was too stiff to rise more than an inch. He collapsed back.

He turned his head and hoped that he would see something good in the distance. He hoped to see a port or a village or even just a crummy looking shack. Anything would be better than an endless stretch of sand. What he saw was worse than dreadful nothingness. He saw those eyes. He found the eyes of the creature that had lured him to near death.

'Sh...' the creature huffed and wriggled closer to Kyoutani until there was barely any distance between them. 'I won't hurt you.' it spoke and Kyoutani saw flashes of fangs.

'Get the fuck away from me!' he screamed and he threw sand across the creature. The siren barely flinched.

'I chose to save you and I won't hesitate to change my mind again so is that really any way to greet me?'

The siren had a strange manner of speaking; masculine in tone but the words seemed to drift into one another. His speech was punctuated by the occasional click of the tongue.

Kyoutani was wary but his guard was slipping. The siren was easily the most exquisite being he had ever laid eyes on. The eyes were enchanting and drew Kyoutani's breath from his dry mouth. They were huge and such a soft colour. The siren was human-like but barely. The siren was sleek and built like a predator edged with raiment-like fins of pale turquoise. The siren had webbed hands tipped with claws that were connected to strong arms. It had a toned abdomen. The siren was pale with skin as luminescent as moonlight. Its tail was long and thick; similar to that of a shark but scaled like a fish. Blue and white scales shimmered in the sunlight but a stripy pattern was noticeable regardless.

'What are you?' Kyoutani growled and he pulled himself up. This time, he was able to go a little further. His bones were stiff but at least nothing was floppy and broken. He had survived a terrible ordeal and had only come out with minor injuries compared to what he could have ended up with.

The siren grinned with closed eyes and bared fangs. 'Shigeru. And you?'

'Kyoutani.' he replied. He suspiciously eyed the creature. 'You said you were going to kill me. Why change your mind?'

The siren giggled.

'Answer me!' Kyoutani roared.

'I actually thought you were dead. I was trying to cook you. I prefer my meat a little crispy.' the siren replied.

Kyoutani got to his feet. He was wobbly and uneven. The siren looked to him curiously. 'Do all humans walk like that?' it asked.

'No.' Kyoutani said and he felt like he still had the boat beneath him. He looked out to the horizon: not a cloud in the sky. He saw no trace of last night's storm and he didn't see any evidence of his crew either which was disheartening.

As far as those bastards knew, or cared, he was dead.

Kyoutani turned around and was immediately awed by what he saw. The island he and the siren were on was gorgeous. There was going to be a lot to explore from the mossy volcano in the centre of the island to the rocky outcrops close by to the swerving beaches and tropical smattering of trees. The island wasn't huge as he could see it curve around but there was still a lot to take in nonetheless.

'What's this place called?' Kyoutani asked. He'd never paid attention to his crewmates who had handled the maps but now he was regretting it.

'My people don't have a name for this island but I just call it My Island.' Shigeru said.

Shigeru began to turn back to the sea. The siren had beached itself something good as not even the long and lacy tailfins reached the water's edge.

'Are you hungry?' Shigeru asked.

'Why do you care?' Kyoutani asked.

'Well, I'm in no position to kill you right now so I may as well fatten you up a little. You were very light to carry.' Shigeru said snobbishly.

Kyoutani glared but his growling stomach gave away his facade.

'I'll fetch you something to eat.' Shigeru insisted. He was still no closer to the sea and he had been going at it for a while.

'Want some help?' Kyoutani asked.

'No! I've done this thousands of times before.' Shigeru insisted.

Kyoutani stared as the siren continued to crawl towards the sea. It was quite a pathetic sight to see but his determination was strangely admirable. Kyoutani sighed and grabbed Shigeru's tail. Shigeru screamed and clawed at the sand. Kyoutani pulled Shigeru violently towards the sea.

'Stop! N-No! Quit it! You're going to tear my fins off!' Shigeru protested and in a few minutes, Kyoutani dropped him in the surf where he was free to push off into the shallows. Shigeru seethed beneath the waves.

'I hate you! I regret not eating you alive!' Shigeru snapped.

'Whatever. I'll get myself somethin' to eat. If I see you again, it'll be too soon.' Kyoutani spat.

He trudged off into the cool shade of the trees. He remained within Shigeru's line of sight. The siren planted himself firmly into the surf and decided to observe. Silly humans, he thought to himself smugly and watched as Kyoutani singlehandedly proved why the creatures of the land deserved such a moniker.

Kyoutani searched through the first layer of trees for fruit and berries. He had attempted to retrieve fruit off of five different trees and each time, he encountered a problem. He was too short to reach the coconuts and wasn't inventive enough to work out how to get the bananas off of the tree. He found a large, brightly coloured snake coiled around the apple tree and a bovine beast trawling through the berry bushes. Kyoutani, being unarmed and disorientated from his near drowning, that he decided to give up and return to the beach.

Shigeru had a thin, smug smile. 'How did it go, hunter-gatherer man?' he asked sarcastically.

'Oh shut up.' Kyoutani growled.

'Would you like something to eat then?' Shigeru asked.

'Shut up.' Kyoutani snapped as he sat down.

Shigeru quickly caught the first fish that passed him. He tossed out of the water and it landed in front of Kyoutani. The fish gasped and gawked, floundering in front of him.

'Well, eat up!' Shigeru called out and he bit the head clean off a second fish. He scoffed it down quickly.

Kyoutani stared disgustedly at the fish. He grabbed a nearby stick and stabbed the fish, putting it out of its misery. He got up and started collecting anything he could use to make a fire with. Shigeru watched curiously but was vaguely offended. He was patient and waited for Kyoutani to finish his strange ritual.

Then it happened. Shigeru's eyes were alight as he watched it. It flickered and danced, spat up strange, orange bits and seemed alive. It breathed and consumed. Shigeru crept in from the surf, as far as he could go without having to be completely out of the water. He reached out to it and Kyoutani slapped his awestruck hand away.

'Don't be an idiot.' he mumbled and Kyoutani set the stabbed fish into position.

'What is it?' Shigeru asked, speaking faster, his words jumbling together worse than before.

'It's fire?' Kyoutani said.

'Fi-ya.' Shigeru repeated. 'What does it do?'

'Burns shit. Cooks stuff. Can kill you if you touch it.' Kyoutani surmised. He glanced at Shigeru.

The siren had such a softened expression: a look of pure childlike wonder. It was so innocent and yet mere hours ago, this creature had attempted to kill him. 'Fi-ya.' Shigeru repeated again.

He watched as the fire turned the skin of the fish crispy and burnt the stick. Kyoutani cautiously pulled out the stick and he picked the fish apart. He tossed aside parts of the fish's face and anything else he didn't want to eat like the guts and bones of it. Shigeru thought Kyoutani was being very wasteful but he didn't mind the scraps. Kyoutani thought Shigeru was disgusting for swiping up the gory bits of the fish.

'So, is it just us on the island?' Kyoutani asked as he wiped his mouth.

'I've never seen any land dweller here before so, yes.' Shigeru replied.

'I'm gonna go mad...' Kyoutani grumbled.

'Mad?' Shigeru repeated. He didn't sound incredulous but frightened.

'Yeah, Capt'n was tellin' me that people go mad at sea when they don't have any company. Actually mad; not just mad for show like me.' Kyoutani grumbled.

Shigeru caught a few things he wanted an explanation for but for now, he would settle for a more diplomatic approach to the conversation.

'I suppose if you are concerned for your sanity then I will stop hunting you.' Shigeru said.

'What's that s'posed to mean?' Kyoutani asked.

'It means I won't eat you. I'll keep you alive even. I'll hunt for you instead.' Shigeru explained.

'I don't need an overgrown fucking fish patronising me. I can hunt for myself.' Kyoutani said.

'But won't you go mad?' Shigeru said.

He reached out and grabbed Kyoutani's ankle. He yanked him closer and Kyoutani yelped protestant. 'You need me for that reason alone.' Shigeru insisted but somehow, he didn't sound like he was trying to convince Kyoutani but someone else...

...Himself?

Kyoutani couldn't tell nor did he care. He ripped his ankle from Shigeru's grip and he felt a strain or fracture in it. Shigeru's claws raked through his pants and skin. He winced in the slight pain.

'I don't need anyone.' Kyoutani grunted.

'Everyone needs someone...' Shigeru mused and he propped up his head over his fisted hand. 'Then again... I don't even believe that.'

'What did you say?' Kyoutani asked.

'Nothing important.' Shigeru replied, uppity.

Everything about the siren grated on Kyoutani's nerves but at least he could fish. Over the next few lazy, almost paradisiacal, days Kyoutani realised at an increasingly rapid pace that he was kind of useless. Even compared to the overgrown fish. He wasn't very good at building shelter for himself or keeping clean, gathering food or doing anything remotely reminiscent of domestic or helpful to his survival.

Kyoutani spent most his time on the beach that Shigeru had brought him to. There was always a strange, lingering tension between them. They were the only toys they had on the island to alleviate each other's' boredom. The siren didn't seem to have a life outside of the human. If he had one, he didn't talk about it unlike Kyoutani who awkwardly shared trivia about himself to Shigeru.

The siren learned a lot about human culture through Kyoutani. He learned what a dog was and that Kyoutani was called a "Mad Dog" by anyone who met him regardless of their stance as his friend or as his foe. He was called that for a reason he was obscuring. He wasn't called that because he was a furred, four legged creature like Shigeru initially reasoned based on how Kyoutani explained the concept of a dog.

Humans were so strange. Those who remained on the land, so those unlike Kyoutani and his brethren, who were known as the Aoba Jousai Pirates, were good because they stayed in their designated realm and bent it to their bidding. Those on the sea were evil because they pillaged and razed wherever they roamed. Shigeru could identify without that. Shigeru could identify that for him and his brethren, who must eat, would be considered evil to those who are eaten.

The sea was eerily calm. There was only blue as far as the eye could see. If it weren't so pretty, Kyoutani would see it as dangerous. He had accepted the grave reality that he was going to die forgotten on Shigeru – His? Their? – Island. He was adjusting though. He was scorched across where he couldn't patch his clothes but his injuries were healing. According to the tally he was keeping on the tallest palm tree he could find, he had been here a week. It has been a hellish week, living by the seas in wait of Shigeru. Kyoutani hadn't started venturing out yet. His stomach's reliance on Shigeru was keeping him anchored to the beach but he had started constructing shelters and other projects. He had to keep moving or else, if he stopped, it would surely be inescapable loneliness and a fate worse than death. He felt tethered and gagged.

Kyoutani laid out, stared at the clouds yet it felt like no rain would come, and contemplated. Today was his eighth day; his eighth afternoon on this accursed island and still no exploration had been attempted. He wondered what else would be out there on the island. And what rests behind the jungle, behind the volcano; was it active or dormant?

There could be other humans for all he knew...

'I return!' Shigeru announced and he splashed through the surf. He clawed towards Kyoutani who lazily reared his head.

'Are you hungry?' Shigeru asked.

'No.' Kyoutani replied and he inched towards the siren.

'Good because I didn't bring any but I did find this. I thought you would find it interesting.' Shigeru said and he tossed a small object at Kyoutani.

It hit Kyoutani's forehead and immediately left a tiny, red mark. 'Hey! Watch it...' Kyoutani growled and he picked up what Shigeru had brought him.

'Well, what is it?' Shigeru asked. He was bright eyed and strangely curious.

Shigeru always seemed invested in what Kyoutani had to say even though he treated him like a lesser being or a fool with unnecessary lashes of the tongue. Shigeru stared intently. His eyes shone and his thin lips smiled.

Kyoutani huffed. He couldn't resist the urge to tease the siren. 'It's a dinglehopper. Here, I'll show you how to use it.' Kyoutani said and he took the fork from Shigeru. He scooted closer and started combing through Shigeru's hair with it.

'This doesn't seem right. I'm pretty sure that this is wrong.' Shigeru argued and he slapped Kyoutani's hand away. Kyoutani was surprised that he didn't do that as soon as he even put the object near his face. 'Now, tell me what it really is.' Shigeru insisted.

'It's just a fork.' Kyoutani replied.

'Yes, and?' Shigeru prompted.

'You use it to eat with but only if you come from, like, certain parts.' Kyoutani replied. 'I don't really use one but fuck it; I'd rather not just chew on driftwood. If you find more forks, you can bring 'em to me... I guess. Same for spoons and knives. Knives'd be super handy, especially the big ones.'

'...Right.' Shigeru mused; his mind drifted the more Kyoutani spoke of things he didn't fully understand.

Kyoutani examined the fork idly. 'So, where'd you find it?'

'I found a ship and I was exploring through it. I'm not going to lie, humans have always fascinated me.' Shigeru replied. He crawled closer to Kyoutani and dragged himself to Kyoutani's feet. Shigeru's fins didn't even touch the water and he grabbed onto Kyoutani's legs. He pulled and tugged on Kyoutani's ankles. Kyoutani grunted and tried to fight but Shigeru's rough, webbed hands had a tight grip on him like shackles. 'Humans are so strange... with their legs, their society... It's all quite bizarre.'

'Leggo off me!' Kyoutani protested and Shigeru let Kyoutani pull his leg away. Kyoutani sat cross-legged on the sand.

Shigeru flattened himself out and rested his head on his hands. His eyes settled on Kyoutani with a love struck manner but not for Kyoutani, no, but for what he represented: humanity. He hummed, content watching his human.

Kyoutani glared but Shigeru wasn't unfazed by it. Most people Kyoutani knew scamper a way when he so much as innocently glances at them but Shigeru was different. Presumably because there was uglier and more fearsome creatures lurking in the oceanic depths from whence he had come but never stayed.

'Tell me somethin'... 'bout where you come from.' Kyoutani mumbled.

'Excuse me?' Shigeru asked sharply.

'Well, you always have me tell you dumb shit about humans. I want you to tell me dumb shit about sirens.' Kyoutani said.

Shigeru glared. 'And give away all our secrets? I don't want to die that badly.'

Kyoutani stared in response. The first part was to be expected: a completely and utterly acceptable non-answer. But that second part was totally unnecessary.

'Wait, what?' he replied in a sputter.

'Sirens live in pods. We are very social and very lonely creatures. That's why we always tell our victims we love them.' Shigeru whispered; his voice was husky and lilting. Even hypnotising. Kyoutani's blood ran cold and his breath hitched in his throat.

Shigeru continued. 'I guess sirens have that in common with humans... You go mad, we go mad...'

'Uh yes... I guess?' Kyoutani said and he was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the proximity between his lap and the siren.

Shigeru rolled over, exposing his pale underbelly and his fins fanned out like expensive silks Kyoutani had seen on his adventures previous; like the curtains that hung in smoky corners on shabby streets populated by exotic knickknacks sold by seedy men.

'Am I your pet?' Kyoutani asked.

'Absolutely.' Shigeru replied with scathing bluntness.

'Of fucking course.' Kyoutani grumbled.

'I mean I feed you and find you pretty things and provide you with shelter. So you absolutely are my pet, you idiot. If you had inclinations of it being the reverse... well, I fear for the human species since you are all clearly incapable of higher order thinking.' Shigeru appraised.

Kyoutani stuck the fork in Shigeru's face. 'Says the overgrown fish that doesn't know how to use one of these.'

'Oh please, if you humans need eating implements then you lot seriously aren't even capable of lower order protective features.'

Shigeru grabbed Kyoutani's hand. He wiggled the fork out if but kept his restrained. 'I mean... Where are your claws?' Shigeru asked and he let go of Kyoutani's hand. He reached out and briefly brushed over Kyoutani's lips. With uncouth brevity, he penetrated Kyoutani's mouth and touched his teeth. 'Where are your fangs? Humans are the most underdeveloped species. I'm genuinely surprised that any of you are capable of being predators.'

Kyoutani glared and came up with a counter argument. 'We have swords and guns and harpoons. Little fishies are chum to us. We have farms and tools. Bigger and better than anything you can imagine. You sirens are primitive to us.' he replied.

'Is that so...?' Shigeru murmured. His voice seemed to curl in flowery folds; melodic and soft, absolutely gorgeous to Kyoutani's ears. Shigeru reached up again but this time, without any desire of humiliation. He caressed Kyoutani's face and felt every crevice and blemish in his tanned skin. Kyoutani blushed but he didn't fight it. He could tell that Shigeru meant no harm even though his claws seemed to rake his skin, breaking the surface and leaving tiny scratches.

'If I were to tell you all my secrets... Who would you tell?' Shigeru asked.

'You.' Kyoutani replied.

Shigeru laughed. His laugh was pure and silver; utter perfection. 'Are all humans this strange?'

'Only the mad ones.' Kyoutani replied.

'Mad as a dog?' Shigeru asked.

Kyoutani laughed: coarse like the stormy sea against a grainy cliff.

'I am mad too...' Shigeru whispered. His voice was like the oceanic zephyr.

Kyoutani chucks his head back and Shigeru rolls back onto his belly. His fins unfurled like sails. A little over a week ago, Shigeru had almost killed Kyoutani and now they were here, in the midst of a deep and meaningful conversation. It was peaceful, calm. Kyoutani had never been so relaxed before.

The following day, he decides that it's time for him to start exploring a little more of the island. He doesn't tell Shigeru over "breakfast" that he plans to wander a little further than usual from the beaches as Shigeru expressed an interest in returning to the shipwreck he had found so he could find more things for Kyoutani. He doesn't bother mentioning it since Shigeru was likely to late to their usual late afternoon lunch.

Kyoutani made a makeshift bag from palm leaves and he set off. He collected unguarded fruits along the way and acquainted himself with the faint animal trails. The jungle was seemingly everlasting, unchanging, and full of unique sights. Kyoutani felt like he wasn't the right person to take it in because he couldn't aptly describe its beauty with poetic language. To him, he just saw endless green foliage and hard-to-follow paths. He could feel the tropical heat grease his skin and clothes; the stench of his sweat but the perfume of flora.

It was the volcano he was most interested in. It had been a hard hike there. A good four hours from camp so he suspected that, if he tried, it would be possible to trek around the entire island in a day as the volcano was the centre. The volcano was a mossy, sleeping giant. It was rocky and edged but it seemed passive. It emanated no heat and the ground around it was cool to the touch. It seemed likely that it would never explode. Kyoutani supposed that was one less terrible way to die on the island. Being burnt alive didn't exactly appeal to him; yet he rathered that over starvation or dehydration, being poisoned by a snake, or gored by a beast.

The jungle was home to a thriving eco-system. The tallest trees gave protection to the tiniest creatures but all the animals – jaguars, bears, monkeys, frogs, birds, reptiles, and more – all lived in a vicious harmony of survival of the fittest. Kyoutani was an outsider to it and every creature he glanced at saw him as a threat. He was one of them though. He was a maddened, pet dog; this was not just Shigeru's point of view but his own as well.

Kyoutani admired the volcano but inspected one last thing about it. There was an underground river that flowed underneath it. He figured it must have a mouth in the ocean so he should probably ask Shigeru if it was possible for him to come this far inland but there was a possibility that he couldn't go into fresh water. Shigeru didn't really seem to understand that salt water was not good for human health.

The sun was slowly setting so Kyoutani decided it was time to head back. The shadows being cast were long and thin; it was almost certainly the late afternoon. He bit into an apple as his stomach growled as he started to trudge back to camp.

There isn't a moon tonight so only stars can lead Kyoutani home. Stars that are tiny and celestial illuminated the sky against a velvety, blue-black contrast. Kyoutani keeps his eyes above him. He thinks he'll never get used to how clear the sky is in the middle of nowhere. Even when he was on the ship, he would always sneak out to sleep under the stars. Even as a kid, he was always fascinated by what lies beyond what he can see. Now, he has an entire island he can craft to his imagination. His childhood dream had come true, in theory, but with a terrible twist.

In the midst of the inky darkness, he can see the outline of his shelter. He can see the bend of where he had tied trees together and slanted slabs of driftwood. He could also see the second shelter he was building which was more cabin-like.

As he came closer, he could hear something mystifyingly entrancing. However it was harrowing and hollowing as well. It tore through him and left gaping melancholy. It left gashes of tragedy inside of him, melodic and sweet but so, so heartbreaking. The voice was hauntingly familiar. The words were just out of reach. The forlorn crooning caressed Kyoutani and guided him towards the rocky outcrop and mess of ponds, puddles, and crevices. Kyoutani he had seen dugongs and seals lounge around. There was a creature of some sort curled on top of the largest rock with its back to Kyoutani.

It was thick and rounded but it glowed in a luminous blue-green shade. Kyoutani soon pieced together the identity of the creature from the sound of its voice and the way its fins were flowing in the soft, frosty breeze. He came closer still, careful and slow, but even so close. He still could barely make out the words. They all turned into one, dejected song.

'Shigeru...? What are you doing?' Kyoutani asked. He could barely dare to speak. The siren's song had kept him numb and compelled him into silence. All he wanted to do was listen.

The song snapped in to pieces and the siren was visibly startled. His back arched and his fins fluttered until they were upright. Shigeru twisted around and poised his claws; flashing his claws. Kyoutani stumbled backwards and he yelped. Shigeru made a hissing noise and glared. Kyoutani met his eyes and he realised that Shigeru was crying, or the siren equivalent as tears seemed a pointless feature in a marine creature. It was like there was sea foam in his eyes that dribbled down his cheeks.

The absolute heartbreak in Shigeru's eyes was piercing and unfathomable. His eyes twitched. He lunged visciously at Kyoutani with his clawed hands at the ready. He came off of the rock and dropped onto Kyoutani, bringing the pair down like a demolition. Shigeru pinned Kyoutani underneath him. His arms dug into the sand next to Kyoutani's head and their bodies streamlined; only Kyoutani's legs were ajar.

Shigeru's throat bubbled with a sob. 'Why would you do this to me?' he asked. He sounded as rabid as the sea which washed them both with frigid waves.

'Do-Do what to you?' Kyoutani stammered as he squirmed.

'I-I thought you were dead. I was singing funeral songs for you.' Shigeru sobbed.

'What...?' Kyoutani murmured.

Foam frothed in Shigeru's eyes and dripped over Kyoutani. Kyoutani blinked it away as it slid down his cheeks. Shigeru hiccupped and coughed, battling sobs and tears. 'I hate you.' the siren muttered through gritted teeth.

'Aw, c'mon, that's not true.' Kyoutani bartered.

'I have every reason to hate you! How dare you disappear like that on me? I-I missed you; I would always miss you if you did that!' Shigeru screamed yet his voice however broken and sad was beautiful nonetheless.

Kyoutani's heart beat in his ears. He swallowed. Shigeru wasn't finished. 'I don't ever want to be abandoned ever again!' he howled.

'I p-promise I won't ever go anywhere without tellin' you.' Kyoutani replied.

Shigeru's hands began to close in on Kyoutani's neck. Kyoutani relived vivid flashbacks of his near drowning but he could tell that Shigeru was hurting; maybe twice as much as he was in the rasp of terrible memories of that drowning and something else. Something he wasn't telling Kyoutani. Something he may never tell Kyoutani.

'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you now.' Shigeru murmured.

'Because you would miss me.' Kyoutani said. Shigeru's claws ate into the flesh of Kyoutani's neck but suddenly, his arms weakened. His grip loosened and he gave up.

'I did say that... didn't I?' Shigeru mumbled and he collapsed onto Kyoutani's chest; listened to his heartbeat.

'I find it so strange that humans only have two lungs and one heart.' Shigeru mumbled.

'What the fuck kinda anatomy do you have?' Kyoutani asked and more waves crashed over them. Kyoutani sputtered and felt his lungs fill up. Shigeru was unfazed. 'Can we please move out the surf or you will unintentionally drown me.'

'...Alright.' Shigeru said and he rolled off of Kyoutani and into the shallows.

Kyoutani got his feet. He was wobbly and drenched. He could breathe easy now. Shigeru looked up to him. 'So, where were you?' Shigeru asked.

'I walked to the volcano and back.' Kyoutani replied.

'Stay on the beach from now on.' Shigeru stated firmly.

'There's a river around the volcano and it probably joins to the ocean. Have you ever thought of that?' Kyoutani asked.

'I haven't seen any rivers though.' Shigeru replied with a thoughtful look.

'Tomorrow, we do some looking then.' Kyoutani said. He stretched out. 'I just wanna sleep. It's been a long-ass day.'

'Wait!' Shigeru yelped as Kyoutani attempted to walk back to his shelter. Shigeru scrambled around and found something. Kyoutani waited for Shigeru to come back to him. He took about five minutes and came back with a waterlogged bag. 'Here. For you.' Shigeru said and he handed it.

Kyoutani opened it and was assailed with the smell of seaweed. The bag leaked but its contents shone underneath the stars. Gold, silver, and jewels: more wealth than Kyoutani could measure. He gawked.

'You humans are always collecting that sort of stuff. I figure you'd like it.' Shigeru explained.

'I love it. Too bad there's no use for it.' Kyoutani sighed. He just became enormously rich and it was useless.

'Excuse you?' Shigeru asked shrilly.

'This sort of stuff's only good if you have another human to exchange it with.' Kyoutani replied. 'But trust me, I love it lots.'

'That's more like it. Mind your manners, fool.' Shigeru scolded.

Kyoutani glanced at Shigeru. He looked marvellously ethereal at night with his glowing scales and haunting songs. 'Good night, Shigeru.' Kyoutani murmured.

'Alright, good night.' Shigeru said.

The two parted ways until morning. When morning came, Shigeru brought fish for them both to eat. Kyoutani cooked it and they both ate. Shigeru really did prefer his meat crispy. Over the crackling fire, they discussed their day. They had their hearts set on exploration. Kyoutani had a plan though.

'You really are an idiot.' Shigeru chided upon hearing it.

'Oh c'mon, like you're that heavy.' Kyoutani replied with a shrug.

'Humans are weak. I doubt you can carry me that far.' Shigeru said.

'We'll see in a moment now, won't we then?' Kyoutani huffed.

'And we will see that I am right.' Shigeru insisted.

Unfortunately for Kyoutani, Shigeru was right. Shigeru seemed to weigh a tonne but Kyoutani prized his tenacity so that carried them both; sort of. Kyoutani couldn't bear the siren's weight so he ended up dragging him through the forest. They left a deep rivet in the ground from where Shigeru's tail raked through. It was a highly unpleasant experience for both of them and they voiced this discomfort in equal complaints until they reached the river.

There wasn't a mouth for it but rather a slush of mud and peat. Here the river was thin and it trickled down into the miniature swamp. It ran over high ground. However, even though the river here was barely a creek, Shigeru was able to take off from and follow Kyoutani towards the volcano.

'Kyoutani, I would like to talk to you about something very important.' Shigeru suddenly announced. Neither had spoken for some time now and the volcano was still ages away from their current point. Kyoutani was keeping an eye out for any creature that may perceive them as prey. 'You are completely and utterly undeserving of knowing it because you are a dumb human but you need to know regardless; especially after my embarrassing episode last night.'

Kyoutani grunted. 'Anyone would have reacted like that. If you were late to meal time, I'd be worried for you. Maybe not singin' funeral songs but I'd definitely be tipping out some homebrew for you.'

'Some what?' Shigeru asked.

'Never mind that, don't get distracted. What do you wanna tell me?' Kyoutani asked.

Shigeru was quiet. 'Please don't take funeral songs so lightly as a start. I didn't even get a funeral song.' Shigeru spoke bitterly.

'So, like, do sirens sing funeral songs for the missin'? 'Cause neither of us're dead.' Kyoutani replied.

'No but we're dead to our communities, aren't we?' Shigeru asked.

'I-I... Yes.' Kyoutani replied.

Shigeru swam forth and he shivered. He continued even though he gave Kyoutani the feeling that he would rather keep this secret to himself. 'I was exiled from my pod for reasons they considered disgusting, abhorrent, unnatural.' Shigeru spoke bitterly, towards himself and towards others.

'I don't know how long ago it was. Sirens don't measure time like you dumb humans do. It's all pretty arbitrary for me and for you; seriously, three hundred and sixty five days for a "year" – how does that make any sense? Anyways, it was my generation's coming of age ceremony; we were starting to see each other less as friends and more as mates. Some sirens are monogamous, some others choose to go through multiple mates through time cycles, now was the time to find out who was what because our sexual growth was really taking place.'

Shigeru could picture himself as a young siren, an adolescent really, with fins of uneven lengths and a smudged face he hadn't grown into. He was innocent back then but now, not so much. Well, as innocent as he could be without risking all his secrets. All these memories were still crystal clear to him: permanently recorded on his brain. The event that caused his exile would never leave him. Some things can never be unseen.

'Humans have always been my fascination.' Shigeru mused; off-topic but Kyoutani knew Shigeru's character. He wouldn't mention something if it didn't carry important links to some aspect of himself so Kyoutani didn't comment. Instead, he waited for Shigeru to continue and he did.

'I've never tasted human flesh but I hear it's better than fish. Better than anything in the sea; I wonder if land foods taste good or if it's only humans?' Shigeru pondered.

'I can give you some fruit if you like.' Kyoutani offered.

'I didn't say you could speak.' Shigeru scolded. He huffed then returned his focus to his story. 'It's something of a sin for a siren to like humans as despite being prey, clawless and fangless prey but you lot are threats but nonetheless, I wanted to know about human life.'

Shigeru hiccupped; a suppressed chuckle. 'I wasn't the only one who wanted to sneak ashore and swim silently, with a full belly, towards societies that aren't mine. But that curiosity was not what had me exiled; it played a part but what is so wrong about wondering about the only other sentient creature's world? No, my interest in humans only served as a platform for my grander sins. This other siren and I, we spent a lot of time together, bonded by an evil common interest: pity for prey.

'His name is – was – Yukio. We were... very close. We would sneak away together at every chance we had; being unsupervised youths, we forged opportunity out of every moment. Together, we would go to the surface and try and find land. When we couldn't, we just find shipwrecks. I enjoyed everything we did together and our bond became very close... To close but I enjoyed the nameless thrill I didn't understand: the fluttering of my stomach, the reddening of my cheeks, but that was until I came to understand what these were bodily signals of. I should have known as it's all so obvious now.

'I remember the epiphany clearly; as clear as the water in the rock pools. We'd shooed off seals from a rocky outcrop and sat up there. We laughed and laughed. The sun was hot but there had been a slight breeze. Not a cloud in the sky; not a care in the world. Then Yukio looked me in the eyes and it felt like I was his whole world. I think now, I may have been his whole world and in that moment, when I met his eyes – as green as sea glass – and they crinkled with joy, I realised that I was in love with him.'

Shigeru paused and he had spoken so mirthfully before, now he seemed overwhelmingly bitter. 'Kyoutani, I have reason to believe that humans are strangely interested in sexual anatomy; particularly their own, particularly those of the womenfolk sirens. Although, you humans seem strangely fond of fatty chests, the female sirens lack these despite the pictures of sirens I have happened upon on shipwrecks. But overall, would you say this is true that humans have a bile fascination for the reproductive anatomy of a siren?'

'Yeah.' Kyoutani replied. He felt kind of weirded out by Shigeru's side note though.

'Well, here's a little fun fact. Sirens can only be truly aroused in the day time, when its pale, and when our luminescence doesn't work therefore, if a siren is glowing the day time, then that siren must be fully aroused. Do you understand?' Shigeru asked.

'Not really.' Kyoutani mumbled.

Shigeru wryly smiled. 'Well, I suppose if I continue my story, it may make more sense. Anyways? Where was I...? Oh yes, and his eyes were lit up with joy in the midst of a serene moment which I had to ruin. I was bold with the revelation that I was in love with a fellow male. We were alone and it felt like, the wind was just right. The sun was so gentle and there was a slight lilt of birdsong in the air. It felt like now would be a good time for a bad idea. I followed my instinct; I cannot name if I regret my actions that day.

'I-I leaned in and Yukio let me. He let me kiss him; in fact, he kissed back. I'll spare you the details as you don't seem like the type who would enjoy hearing about someone's first kiss but, it is relevant to know that the kiss was magical. Everything about it: Yukio, the taste, the scent, the feel, the everything. But I ruined it because I started to glow; exactly like I glow at night. I'd never been more embarrassed. I could have died in that moment because of the shame as a simple kiss was enough to elicit such a biochemical reaction from me.'

Shigeru started to tear up: an ugly sight with froth on his tear ducts.

'Whoa, you okay?' Kyoutani asked.

'I just hate myself so much, honestly.' Shigeru spat through gritted teeth. His self-loathing emanated from him and somehow, Kyoutani is afraid of how this story ends. He can't help but sympathise for the siren.

'I really want you to understand me because I still feel like you see as though I'm going to kill you and I admit that I have presented myself in a manner that would support that I would, but I don't want you looking at me anymore. Therefore, this story is necessary even if it agonises me to tell you.'

'Okay.' Kyoutani mumbled.

'I feel its fair too. I feel like you would tell me something traumatic from your background, right? We have that level of respect now, don't we? My, how far we've come in a week.'

Shigeru dives down into the water and Kyoutani jogs to keep up. Suddenly, it feels like Shigeru is avoiding his story even though he's being sappy: talking about mutual respect and reducing the strange tension between them. Shigeru resurfaces and water rolls off of him sleekly. He pauses and tangles his hand in some water-based flora Kyoutani can't name. They're not reeds or sea weed, he knows that.

'Nothin' too crazy's ever happened to me. My father was a drunkard. Do you have those in siren society? People to drink too much booze...'

'No, I don't really know what you mean.' Shigeru replied. He liked that Kyoutani was trying to share something in this heavy discussion.

Shigeru needed to recollect himself a bit more before he continues. His eyes were stinging with sea foam again. Thinking about Yukio tends to do that but talking about him, it rakes all these dreadful and agonising emotions across him. So much pain fills and he doesn't even notice the sea foam on his eyes because there's so much more going on because of the horrible ache.

Kyoutani shrugged. 'Not surprising. Well, booze is a special drink humans make and its addictive shit. Bad for you and it was bad for my old man. He pushed my mother around a lot, called her a helluva lotta things you shouldn't call a woman; pushed me around, called me a helluva lotta things you shouldn't call a boy, your own son. He did that until I sorted him out. Used Ma's kitchen knife; straight through his gut then I beat him because my blood wouldn't stop pumping. I was furious. Mad. I ran away after that. Didn't even get to tell Ma "goodbye" but at the same time, I was fucking terrified. I mean, that douchebag had been her husband. He must've loved her once otherwise she sure as fuck wouldn't have stayed with him that long despite all the abuse, right? Right?

'That's when people started calling me a Mad Dog. I killed a man – my own blood – and I had gone from a kicked puppy to a feral mongrel with just that. I met a guy afterwards though. He was a real prick but he was looking for a new pet and he gave me a place to call home. That guy was Captain Oikawa. Hate the bastard but now, I kinda miss his irritating nicknames and pissy attitude. Weird.' Kyoutani rambled.

'I see...' Shigeru mumbled.

'What do they do to sirens who kill their parents? 'Cause with humans, that'll get you hung. Then again, so does everything else in my life.' Kyoutani asked. There was a dark look in his eyes and trepidation in his hands. It was like he was still holding the knife. It was like he was about to foam at the mouth.

Shigeru mused a moment. 'In my pod, we never had an issue with that until Yukio and I tested the traditions in place by our society. But I would assume you wouldn't get a funeral song and exile seems too meek of a punishment. It's a sin to kill brethren unless a war between pods has erupted.'

'Yeah, humans have a similar pact but we slaughter ourselves silly anyway.' Kyoutani growled.

He looked up from Shigeru and noticed that they were nearing the volcano. He figured by the time Shigeru finally finished his story, they would be there. He glanced back at the siren. He really was a graceful creature of brilliant colours yet he seemed so alone, depressed. Kyoutani figured that it was probably a good thing that he was voicing all of these tempestuous emotions. He hated to think what kind of torture it would be for Shigeru if he could only express all of this to himself.

Shigeru took a deep breath. Water and air filled his lungs; it all filtered through and brought him the strength he needed.

'We didn't ever talk about the kiss, or my consequent arousal, but it all bubbled up. I found myself senselessly attracted to Yukio. Some time passed and we suppressed ourselves. Tried to trick ourselves into believing nothing significant happened. For a while, it worked. Then, there was a gathering of all the sirens our age organised by the elders. A meet of greet of sorts, a time to test who is most compatible who. A silly event really, we all knew one another except for a few from outsider pods or drifters. It shouldn't have been such a big deal but instead, Yukio and I, we made it into a big deal. We stole what should have been a happy moment for our cohort and turned it into something terrible.

'Yukio swam towards me and took my hand. He defiantly declared himself as my partner. There was immediate outrage and responsibility for this rash action was taken as soon as he had sung out, began a lover's song for me. My vision blurred and I'd never been happier in that moment but it wasn't to last.

'Yukio was taken by one of the elders. She dived on him and wrapped her hands around his throat. She was enraged. She was screaming unholy, bloody murder yet Yukio smiled. That elder screamed obscenities about how we were detriments to the pod. Disgusting, hopeless, abhorrent detriments. Yukio, bless him, retaliated in the most gentle and tender way.

'I recall him weakly telling her: "I love Shigeru" and I couldn't take it anymore. I had to escape but I couldn't yet: I was still so, so scared. Yukio stared at me until he was killed. He was suffocated and then torn to shreds. I'll never get the smell of his blood out of my nose. I'll never get the expression of his face out of my eyes. And like a coward, I swam off as fast I could and took as many detours and roundabout routes. Anything to ensure my survival but faintly, across the sea, I could still smell it: Yukio's blood. He was killed, Kyoutani! The love of my life died unjustly whilst I escaped like a coward. I don't deserve to be alive and well in exile. I should have been the one to die –!'

'Don't you ever say that!' Kyoutani barked and he leapt into the frigid water. He trod water for a second until he found his footing; it wasn't that deep. His skin prickled and his clothes became heavy. He grabbed onto Shigeru's shoulders and lifted him so their eyes met. 'Don't ever say that!'

In the corner of Shigeru's eyes that were the colour of ship's wood, there were flecks of sea foam; his tears. 'Never fucking say that...' Kyoutani mumbled and he forced Shigeru into a hug. Kyoutani leaned his head forward and rested his forehead against Shigeru's neck.

'Why do you say that?' Shigeru asked softly. He was stunned and breathless.

'Every life is precious. That's why. I know it's a fuckin' cliché but it's true. I thought that way for a long time and that put me in a dark place. A place dark enough to kill my father but you've gotta remain strong. It's for the best; not just for you but for the people who love you. For me, it was my Ma. I stayed strong for her. For you, it'll be Yukio. Honour his death by bein' happy, it's what he'd want, right?' Kyoutani asked.

Shigeru was shocked. His gaze fell from Kyoutani's whose was resolute and true.

'If I loved you like that and died like that, it's what I'd want.' Kyoutani mumbled.

Shigeru was intrigued by the implication of what Kyoutani had said. 'So how do you love me?' he asked.

'I love you like your one of me own.' Kyoutani said and he let Shigeru squirm free.

Kyoutani dragged himself from the shallow depths of the river. He was sodden and he had an inkling that his pants were going to chafe now. They did last few times he had been underwater whilst wearing them. He wished that Shigeru would bring him clothes but it isn't like he would be able to find any in good condition on the seafloor.

Shigeru was strangely warmed by what Kyoutani had told him. It brought a meagre smile to his face. His heart skipped a beat and he surged forward. He felt lighter; gladdened that part of his burden had been lifted. He had no regrets about sharing his pain with Kyoutani. He hoped Kyoutani felt similarly. Taking action against an abusive parent must be equally torturous.

He stole a glance at Kyoutani. If he was struggling with such a gruesome affliction, he felt resolved about it. Even though he scowled and looked terribly fearsome, he didn't feel "mad". He seemed to be at peace so Shigeru suspects that Kyoutani has already come to terms with killing his father.

They travelled a little further and soon, they were in the giant shadow of the volcano. There was a vaguely igneous scent in the air but it was stagnant, hidden by all the other odours of the forest.

'Is it active?' Kyoutani asked.

'What do you mean?' Shigeru asked.

Kyoutani huffed. 'Has it ever exploded?'

'Mountains explode?!' Shigeru exclaimed, almost scandalised.

'Only volcanos. Mountains are different to volcanos. Volcanos have lava and shit. Mountains are chill.' Kyoutani explained but it was all nonsense to Shigeru.

Shigeru stared up at the volcano. It looked like a regular mountain to him. It had a lot in common with the underwater mountains he had seen. It was lumpy and covered in flora and fauna. The only differences he could spot with a glance was that size was colossal. He'd never seen something so big before. The second was the lack of barnacles but that was nowhere near as impressive as the sheer enormity of the volcano. Then there was the "lava" thing but he wasn't entirely sure what that was.

There was something else strange about it that Shigeru couldn't quite name. The way the river connected to it was unnatural, like it was missing something. It also had an aura. The serenity that fell over him with the shadow was different to the serenity he felt when he was lazing about with Kyoutani or Yukio, the serenity he feels when he sleeps amongst the seals and whatnot. This serenity was a lot more like the holiness he always felt as a child when he passed by the sacred sites of the sirens.

Kyoutani glanced at Shigeru. 'Why're you staring? You look constipated. Most people stare it "awe" or whatever when they see stuff like this.' Kyoutani teased.

'This place feels... familiar.' Shigeru said.

His expression changed soon after. It became one of understanding and even awe.

'I get it now!' Shigeru piped up and then he dived down. Kyoutani received a spray of river water, some mud and gunk, but was mostly bewildered by Shigeru's sudden behaviour. He guessed anything to rid himself of old angst but this was slightly ridiculous.

It seemed incredibly farfetched but Shigeru supposed that many things in this world are potentially possible. There was a very slight chance that this volcano might have once belonged to a siren pod as a sacred site. But what kind?

Shigeru would simply have to investigate.

He plunged downwards and sifted through sand and rocks. There was a build-up of large rocks that looked like they had randomly come loose one day and tumbled down. Shigeru ran his fingers over a few of them and he tried to look through the cracks. It seemed like there was something being covered up. Shigeru wasn't certain as he couldn't feel anything different in the water or air. There was only darkness beyond the rocks.

Shigeru resurfaced. Kyoutani had sat down and started eating from the reserves he had brought with him. He wordlessly offered a banana to Shigeru.

'No thanks.' Shigeru replied. 'So I think this place might be sacred.'

'Hm? Really?' Kyoutani mumbled, disinterested.

'I think this might have been a siren settlement once.' Shigeru added. 'I think there's something behind the volcano but it's hidden by some fallen rocks.'

'That'd be cool. I guess.' Kyoutani said.

'You're not going to help, are you?' Shigeru asked.

'Nope. I can't breathe underwater. I'd be useless down there with you.' Kyoutani reasoned.

'There might be an above-water entrance. So make yourself useful and look.' Shigeru instructed.

Shigeru dived underwater again and submerged himself. He ran his fingers along the rocks and flicked away the tiny pebbles. He methodically sorted through the rocks, removing the smallest and loosest from the clutter. His hands weren't very tough and he was hesitant to do hard work. It really would be easier with Kyoutani who was unafraid of such things even though he would be bouncing between the water's surface and the bottom of the river.

There were only seven, perhaps eight, large rocks that had been hard to push out of the way but Shigeru managed. His hands were raw by the end of it but soon, he had fully cleared out the hidden passageway. He wondered how long it had taken him. It didn't feel like much time had passed but when he resurfaced, he could see that his internal time had betrayed him.

The sky was a crisp vermillion. Shadows were long, thin and slowly taking over the ground. There was a vaguely murky darkness in the above world. Shigeru couldn't see his reflection in the river water.

Kyoutani had faithfully stayed at the foot of the volcano, next to the river. Shigeru noticed that his bag was depleted of most of its contents. Kyoutani looked half asleep. There was mud across his knees and elbows.

Shigeru wriggled a little bit ashore and propped himself up. His elbows dug into the soft, wet sand as he rested his face against his hands. 'Fancy a little swim?' he asked.

'Nah. Not at this hour. I'll get sick.' Kyoutani mumbled.

'Not even for me?' Shigeru asked.

'Can't it wait until morning?' Kyoutani asked.

'I'd rather if it didn't.' Shigeru mumbled.

Kyoutani sat closer to Shigeru, on the last dry patch next to the riverbank. 'Your hands. They look different. Give 'em here, pretty boy.' Kyoutani mumbled and Shigeru lazily gave Kyoutani his hand. Kyoutani inspected them for a second. 'You're going to have callouses.'

'God forbid.' Shigeru moaned.

'I would have helped you... but...' Kyoutani trailed off. His eyes wandered too.

He fixated on the still water. It was dark and forbidding. It made Kyoutani strangely nervous; hydrophobic even. His stomach knotted and skin crawled. His shoulders tensed. He couldn't let Shigeru know but the siren could already tell. He could sense Kyoutani's hesitance. He saw his eyes move and shoulders twitch.

'Is something the matter, Kyoutani?' Shigeru asked.

'In the morning. I swear I'll go for a swim with you. J-Just let me rest up. It was a long walk and I spent a lot of energy looking for an "above ground entrance". I don't think it exists.' Kyoutani said and he got up.

He collected sticks and grass. He started a fire. Kyoutani came closer to the fire whilst

Shigeru sunk back a little bit. There was an uneasy silence between them but they ignored it. A lot of things had happened emotionally today. It had been draining and the two had come a long way from their usual settlement by the beach. Shigeru had a good feeling about what had been hidden. He hadn't gone inside the passage way yet. He wanted to experience it side-by-side with Kyoutani.

Shigeru woke bright and early the following morning. He always woke before Kyoutani but this time, he had beaten the sun. Barely though. Dawn filtered through huge leaves. Shigeru had never seen the underside of so many trees before. It was beautiful. He really could understand why humans chose land. It was truly gorgeous; although, the sea was far superior.

Shigeru attempted to tend to the measly fire but he didn't do much besides toss soggy leaves at it which caused it to suffer. Instead, Shigeru chose to do something he was better at: hunt for breakfast. He returned underwater and caught a few fish. There had been to search the inlet but Shigeru resisted. He was steadfast in his desire to share the experience of first entering the ancient, possibly sacred site with Kyoutani. Shigeru rose to the surface. He came back with three and Kyoutani had woken.

He looked gruff; like he hadn't slept well. 'Mornin'.' he grunted and Shigeru laid the fish out. He put them on sticks immediately as the fire was revived.

'Feeling ready to swim yet?' Shigeru asked, testily even though he wanted to come across as polite.

Kyoutani shrugged.

Half an hour passed and Shigeru wouldn't quit bugging Kyoutani about going for a swim no matter how he protested. Kyoutani stripped down to his underwear with Shigeru watching, not particularly curious as he was familiar with human anatomy. It was not that much different from his own; only uglier, lacking fins and defences.

Kyoutani crossed his arms and shuffled towards the water's edge. He was in the thinnest shallows; the water barely lapped at his ankles. 'Hurry up!' Shigeru whined as he swam freely. He was displaying his fins temptingly but Kyoutani didn't understand the temptation. He just recognised that Shigeru was trying to be enticing or something.

Since Kyoutani was taking his sweet time, Shigeru was incredibly tempted to just grab his ankles and pull him in but he realises that could not be a worse idea. The last time they had swam together; Shigeru had been gently murdering him. Actually killing him hadn't been the plan and Shigeru had genuinely tried to lure a sailor into forced companionship out of somewhat innocent intentions. Shigeru could understand why Kyoutani was being so hesitant. That would have be a terrifying memory in his eyes as he can't breathe like a siren beneath the cold, sometimes unforgiving grasp of water.

Kyoutani entered the water. He waded through and the river was just at his armpits. It was bone chillingly cold. He was unnerved and didn't want to dunk his head under but he did anyway. As soon as he plunged downwards, Kyoutani came to accept the water more. He tried not think about how the sea had almost killed him. He didn't struggle. He just got used to the water. He rose up again and took a breath.

Shigeru swam closer. 'Are you ready?' he asked tenderly.

'Think so.' Kyoutani said. It was always best to conquer fear stupidly. That's what he's always believed. It wasn't a good philosophy or else, he wouldn't have wound up on this island to begin with. He wouldn't have ended up on the Aoba Jousai ship either.

Beneath the seemingly tranquil surface of the pale, blue-grey river, Kyoutani's hands were flailing. He was trying to keep himself afloat even when he wasn't necessary. Shigeru hushed him soothingly; with half a hum of a siren lullaby. It lulled Kyoutani into a false sense of security; numbed him from common sense. Shigeru took Kyoutani's hand. Both hands were rough but they were comforting towards one another regardless.

'Take a deep breath.' Shigeru whispered. Kyoutani's lungs filled with air. 'Now, let's go deep. Don't worry; it's not that big a drop.' The two lurched forward and went beneath the surface of the river. Kyoutani clenched his eyes and stiffened. His kick was weak so Shigeru led him. The river wasn't as pretty as the sea so Shigeru wasn't worried about Kyoutani "missing out".

Shigeru had been right though. It hadn't been that disconcerting of a drop. Kyoutani relaxed a little, lightened by the truth to Shigeru's seemingly sugar coated titter. They swam together with big strokes. Slowly, pressure built in Kyoutani's lungs. He ignored it. He was certain they would resurface soon.

Shigeru pulled Kyoutani through the tunnel. It was dark inside and Shigeru's scales lit up slightly as a result. The glow was weak and meandering but necessary. It barely helped. Shigeru looked up and he saw the water's surface. He brought Kyoutani upwards. Shigeru noticed the river floor was taller here. Kyoutani quickly found his feet and found himself in a pool of water that hugged him around his waist.

He broke the surface tension excitedly with a huge, noisy gasp of air. Shigeru resurfaced quietly; perhaps with half a giggle from Kyoutani's antics. They were inside the volcano which was clearly not active. Probably hadn't been active for millennia if its insides had filled with water.

Inside the volcano was magical. The crater was tiny and barely any light filtered through. Moss crept along the blackened, rock walls. Tiny, nameless bioluminescent bugs made their homes in the crevices. There was a rock floor next to the pool that was rimmed by flattened, smooth rocks with sigils and writing. Past the flat rocks was a rotten mat that stank. There were abandoned crates though as well large hole that looked as though it had been sculpted into an entrance – or an exit.

Someone had lived here once. Kyoutani nor Shigeru had any guess as to who as if this was someone's settlement once, it looked as though it belonged to someone bipedal but it would seem the most efficient entrance to this hidden home was through the river. It was very bizarre but it seemed perfect.

Kyoutani pulled himself ashore. He ran his fingers along the sigils. He was unsure of the language but the lettering was vaguely like what he was used to. Shigeru hadn't seen anything like it; not even on the shipwrecks that surrounded the island. It was strange that there were so many shipwrecked boats surrounding a nameless, insignificant island.

'I like it here.' Kyoutani announced.

Shigeru grinned. 'Really? So do I.'

Kyoutani sat down and dangled his legs in the pool. Shigeru rested next to him. Their gaze met and Shigeru had never noticed before but Kyoutani really was beautiful. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was because they were genuinely bonding but Shigeru realised that Kyoutani really was beautiful.

The human had such strange hair. Unruly and slowly getting longer; a strange dual tone of blonde with black streaks and roots. He had dark eyes but they hid such a strong and goofy personality. His nose was thick and almost blocky. He had a scowl with pronounced lips. His voice was growly but intriguing. Completely unlike the soft lilting voices Shigeru had grown up with.

He was tanned and scarred. His body was sculpted and toned to a seemingly envious point. His arms were robust and shoulders broad. His legs, his strange and bipedal legs, were beautiful. They were long and sturdy. His feet were strangely pretty too. His toes, despite all the muck, were cute because they were so tiny. Callouses that were interesting too. Humans were so pretty – especially Kyoutani.

Shigeru suppressed a sigh and hoped that Kyoutani didn't mind he was staring.

'I think we should stay here for now on.' Kyoutani suggested.

'I agree.' Shigeru replied.

The pair smiled. This would be their home now.

Kyoutani pointed to the hole in the wall that was over his shoulder. 'I think we gotta look at that first. See if there's an easier way for me to leave.' he said.

'Yes. Okay then. While you do that, I'll get your clothes. You must be freezing. Humans get cold faster than sirens and that's how you get sick, correct?' Shigeru rambled.

'Uh yeah, good on you for remembering. That'd be helpful though. Yeah, you can go get my clothes. I should have left them in an easy to reach place. You'll get back first probably, remember to hang 'em out right or I'll get sick from wearing 'em.' Kyoutani replied.

'Okay.' Shigeru said.

The two went their separate ways. Shigeru dived under the water and Kyoutani got up. He really liked this place. It would be good having so much stability to his shelter and Shigeru still had his water. This was the best compromise they could ask for. They could remodel the river mouth so Shigeru can have easier access to the ocean too. Yes, this place was perfect.

Kyoutani nervously exited the cave. The ceiling dripped and stalagmites grew in spikes from the floor. He was careful as it was dark but he saw fixtures on the wall that indicated torches once sat there. Whoever had first lived here had been thorough with the remodelling, or so it would seem. Kyoutani was appreciative of it and would be until they find the gross skeleton of the bastard.

The corridor stretched out and was wider than Kyoutani imagined it should have been. He was beginning to wonder if more than one person had lived here before. He wasn't certain and he may never know. Eventually, he saw rays of light leak into the corridor and he was then greeted with the mid-morning sun. He grinned as he saw a path marked by flat stones go up and down the side of the volcano. From here, Kyoutani could see the remainder of the island.

He couldn't see a single piece of evidence for human life. He couldn't see hacked trees or a slight shack. He could see his makeshift shelter that was on his and Shigeru's beach though. Only his doing was the civilisation that marked with nameless island. He breathed in the fresh air greedily. The fishy smell of the cave was going to take some getting used to and that mat would need replacing. It was rotten and foul too.

Kyoutani back-tracked and Shigeru had gotten back first. His clothes were sopping wet but spread out. Kyoutani sat with his feet in the pool again.

'May I touch your feet?' Shigeru asked.

'If you have to.' Kyoutani mumbled. Shigeru pulled on his toes and traced over his ankles. The siren was truly curious about human feet. It would be weird if it wasn't so cute.

'Do you like it here?' Shigeru asked, not looking up from Kyoutani's foot. His claws left slight scratches but Kyoutani didn't mind. Shigeru wasn't trying to scratch him intentionally.

'Yep.' Kyoutani replied.

'I'm glad. I like it here too.' Shigeru said. He grinned his closed eyes and fangs bared grin again. Kyoutani had to admit, it was his favourite grin.

Shigeru looked past Kyoutani. 'What do you think is in there?' he asked.

'Not sure.' Kyoutani replied.

'Then let's find out.' Shigeru said.

He crawled onto the stony floor. He wriggled towards the crates. Kyoutani pulled one closer to Shigeru and then one closer to himself. They opened them and found some remarkable things.

Shigeru's crate was filled with treasure. Again, more wealth than necessary to a hermit but it was an impressive stash with nigh boundless worth. Shigeru sieved through it and played with the pearl necklaces. There was even a crown amongst the loot.

Kyoutani's crate wasn't as overtly impressive. It was filled with knickknacks. He found moth-eaten clothes and a hairbrush. He also found a pair of rings, a book, and a map. He unfurled the map first and just as he suspected, it was a topographic map of the island. It was the journal he looked at next. He figured it might hold answers.

The book appeared to be a journal as it had a scrawled name across its leather binding. It was soggy and growing mould. The writing was masculine but unreadable. Kyoutani huffed. 'This is a bust.' he muttered as he sheepishly picked through the pages. Yet there was a single sentence untouched by time written on the inside of the leather jacket. It had been sewn onto it. The lettering was feminine and seemed to belong to a different person.

'Mt Maiko is magic.' Kyoutani read aloud.

'Do you think that's the name the previous inhabitant of this cave gave this volcano?' Shigeru asked.

'Probably. And I think there were two.' Kyoutani said and he put the book back into the crate. He reproduced the rings.

They were tiny, sterling silver things with delicate jewels that were the colour of the sea on a clear, summery day on them. They might have been sapphires but Kyoutani wasn't sure. He didn't really have an eye for this type of thing but he knew they were next to valueless because of their condition. They were dinged up and scratched. They seemed especially worthless compared to what Shigeru had found in the other crate. Kyoutani inspected them and he found that the rings had names on the inside of the band.

'Hiroko and Noboru. I think we might've found the honeymooner's penthouse room.' Kyoutani joked but Shigeru found it unamusing, not understanding the human context. Kyoutani put away the rings. He felt weird holding them as they belonged to deceased lovers.

Shigeru pouted. 'Hm... Strange.' he mused.

'What is?' Kyoutani asked.

'My grandmother's parents had those names.' Shigeru replied.

'That is weird.' Kyoutani said.

'Stranger still... My grandmother's name is Maiko.' Shigeru continued.

'That really is a fucking strange coincidence.' Kyoutani agreed.

'Does it say what these Hiroko and Noboru people called the island?' Shigeru inquired.

Kyoutani shook his head. Shigeru was disheartened. He was hoping for another amusingly bizarre coincidence.

He got up. There were a lot of terrible smells in this cave. He had to do something about them. He checked the third crate and was utterly unsurprised to find that it was filled with rotten fruit. He stuffed the sleeping mat into the crate and took it outside soon after where he chucked it off the side of Mt Maiko; hopefully, to never be found again.

After having done that, Kyoutani was satisfied. He and Shigeru spent the rest of the day lazing around the rock pool. Today seemed shorter than usual despite having done next to nothing as the night sky was quick to deepen the shade of blue overhead. Tonight was a moonless night.

The pair looked up above. They caught scatterings of starlight through the crater.

'It'll be beautiful on a full moon.' Shigeru pointed out.

'Yeah.' Kyoutani agreed.

For the next month, the pair started to improve the cave. Kyoutani added a sleeping mat for himself that he had made himself. It was a shoddy thing but it would do the trick. Shigeru was decorating the bottom of his pool with the pretty jewels he had collected for Kyoutani on his explorations of shipwrecks. Kyoutani had started a tiny farm outside the volcano and put torches on the fastenings. The cave was slowly transforming into a perfect home for the both of them.

The only irritating thing about their little home was that Shigeru didn't like that Kyoutani snored. Meanwhile, Kyoutani didn't like that Shigeru shone.

The two were growing closer each day as well. They were truly looking past their differences – personal and physical – and becoming good companions with another. Yet, there was something lurking between them. It was a strange, fickle desire that came and went almost literally with the draughts of the cave. The pair was doing their best to ignore it as it seemed pointless. It was only a tiny desire to be even closer than they were. Both were ignorant to the true nature of this desire.

Shigeru stared up above and grinned. 'I was right.' he said as moonlight shone overhead. 'The moon is beautiful like this.' It was still gliding over. It was barely within the edges of the crater.

'Yeah, you were.' Kyoutani agreed.

The two eagerly waited. This was going to be their first full moon in their home. It was sure to ethereal. Pale light streamed downwards and somehow, the cave seemed brighter now than it did during the day.

In the half-hearted light of the moon, Shigeru was overcome by that fickle desire but it had never been stronger. He opened his mouth and instead of talking, he sang. He was feeling unusually giddy all of a sudden.

'You really are a great singer.' Kyoutani mumbled.

'I-I didn't mean to.' Shigeru apologised.

Already, Kyoutani could feel the effects of Shigeru's singing. He was already a little sedated by sleepiness but that song completely pulled him in. He was serene. He'd had a hard day from sowing but now he was relaxed. His eyes fell over Shigeru and their gaze met. Now, Kyoutani was the one being influenced by the fickle desire that danced through him every so often when the time was just tight. Now was one of those times when perfection with its soulful brevity had snuck in.

The moon engulfed the crater perfectly. The two leaned in. Kyoutani bent over his knees and Shigeru raised himself up; almost like a performing seal. There was a pleasant scent in the air. The two looked celestial under the gentle light. They kept leaning in even though they both looked a little stupid. The two were supernaturally drawn to each other.

Their foreheads bumped together and they became hyperaware of the proximity between them. 'I-I'm sorry?' Shigeru offered.

'Don't be.' Kyoutani quietly assured the siren.

'M-May I...?' Shigeru murmured and his hands came towards Kyoutani's face. His fingers brushed past Kyoutani's temples and wove into his hair; it was coarse and bristly. Their faces were still come closer. Their breaths bated.

'You may.' Kyoutani replied huskily. His eyes were open with awe. Shigeru's fluttered eyelids shut. Their noses glided against each other with gentle hesitance. Kyoutani caressed the side of Shigeru's face; careful with his fins. They were spinier than he expected. He thought for sure they would be like expensive silk.

Shigeru's lips were puckered. Kyoutani placed his against the siren. Kyoutani had little finesse but his technique was sincere. They had an equal rhythm between them; accommodating and slow. Yet there was an element of wanting more that caused friction between them; a lack of communication stemming from the suddenness of it all.

Shigeru smelt of the sea. His breath stank and his fangs were sharp; barriers to Kyoutani's ideal kiss made of forceful clashes and pervading tongues, dangerous kisses. It was because Shigeru had innocently barred Kyoutani, it caused Kyoutani's heart to race: encouragement towards what he would consider perfect satisfaction.

Kyoutani was so different to Yukio. Yukio was a stolen kiss of sweet innocence but Kyoutani was rough and without inhibition. He smelt of the land: trees and fruit, sweat and dirt ridden hard work. His hands were raw and toughened, completely unlike the hands of sirens – missing webbing and strangely blocky. His lips were dry and cracked, he was eager to use his tongue and to have their teeth clang against each other.

You are beautiful... They thought about each other in lovesick glimpses between kisses. They basked beneath the moonlight and slowly, the moon moved from overhead but remnants of its silver light trickles down the walls, over moss and rocks. Slight darkness seeped in and Shigeru sincerely hoped he was only glowing because it was dark; as preposterous as it sounds.

Kyoutani deepened the kiss and bit down on Shigeru's lower lip. Shigeru moaned into Kyoutani's mouth. Their hearts raced. The silence of the cave was deafening but there were slight clicks and lolls of voices that caught on their ears; playing over and over again like a stuck record's jarred note.

Soon, they were a panting mess who couldn't hold their position against each other for much longer. There was a dull ache at the bottom of Kyoutani's spine and Shigeru felt a strong desire to unfold his tail from beneath him. They pulled away. Shigeru's tail unfurled from beneath him and Kyoutani stretched back. Traces of saliva rested against the corners of their mouths. Their gazes wouldn't cease. Their breaths were heavy. Their hearts were in dire need for more of their fervent kiss.

'I love you.' Kyoutani's voice was hoarse. His words hitched on his throat in mangled breaths.

Shigeru waded backwards; frightened. His eyes were tense and his fins quavered. 'I'm sorry.' he cried out and in a sudden splash, he disappeared. Kyoutani's hand reached out and he couldn't call out to Shigeru to stop.

'What's... wrong?' Kyoutani mumbled to himself once he had found his voice again.

An overwhelming despair came to him. It put a strenuous weight on his shoulders. Kyoutani got up and tore his shirt off. He glared at the eerie pool that reflective the little of the night sky it saw. It looked beautiful. It looked like tar that would drag him down and drown him.

He dived in anyway. He dived in even though his self-preservation instinct screeched at him not to. He followed the tunnel out with his eyes open and lungs burning. The water didn't hurt his eyes as it was fresh but it bit into him with icy fangs. He swam through and out through the tunnel. He resurfaced quickly and took a hasty gulp of air.

'Shigeru!' he screamed out. He slashed through the water and rippled. He saw the edge of a fin glide through the sudden waves. 'Shigeru!'

The siren resurfaced. He still looked terrified. Kyoutani messily swam through and Shigeru stayed; waited for him. 'I love you.' Kyoutani stated again. He was more embarrassed this time. A hint of red was in his cheeks.

'I love you too. That's why I'm afraid.' Shigeru confessed.

Kyoutani put his arms around Shigeru in a loose embrace. 'Why are you afraid? I'm barely a predator capable of higher order thinking. Remember?' he joked.

Shigeru chuffed.

'So, what's there to be afraid of?' Kyoutani asked. 'I mean I do bite but I somehow thought you'd be into that.'

'Please stop making crass jokes.' Shigeru scolded.

Kyoutani glowered. 'Well then, what do you want me to do? I mean, you don't see as scared now.'

'You don't think its unnatural? Two males? Of two different species.' Shigeru pointed out.

'Honestly. Thanks to my time on the Aoba Jousai, I've seen so much weird homo shit that I'm desensitised to it. And well, you're human enough to me for it to not bother me.' Kyoutani replied. 'Besides, no one's here to judge us.'

Shigeru giggled. Under his breath, he muttered about how silly humans were. He rested his forehead against Kyoutani and initiated a kiss. It was quick peck and Kyoutani tugged on Shigeru's lower lip again. The siren hated to admit it but Kyoutani was right. He had more than a slight "thing" for biting.

'C'mon, let's head back home.' Kyoutani mumbled after they finished.

'Alright.' Shigeru agreed. Shigeru took Kyoutani's hand and lead him through the water. He was a lot braver now in the water than he had been before. Shigeru was touched by the sentimental implications.

It was a quick trip back to their cave. Kyoutani got up and tried drying himself with his makeshift towels. He'd tried to make a lot of things in the past month but most of what he made was too scratchy to be useable but he didn't really care. Anything was better than nothing. Soon, he'd dried off well enough for him to consider falling asleep on his mat.

Shigeru watched curiously.

'G'night.' Kyoutani mumbled as he laid down.

'Good night.' Shigeru said and he immediately started to pull himself out of the water. Kyoutani let him scramble.

Shigeru wriggled towards Kyoutani then plonked himself next to him.

'What're you doing?' Kyoutani asked; sarcastically sing-song.

'Isn't this what human mates do? They sleep next to each other?' Shigeru asked.

'Well, um, yeah. Don't use the word "mates". It's friggin' weird.' Kyoutani grumbled, still a tad confused by Shigeru's behaviour.

'Oh, that doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm sleeping here for tonight.' Shigeru insisted.

Kyoutani sighed and he stretched out. Shigeru cuddled up next to him. It was oddly pleasant but something niggled in the back of Shigeru's mind.

'Aren't you worried about drying out?' Kyoutani asked.

'I have land lungs for a reason.' Shigeru huffed. 'Now go to sleep.'

Shigeru rested his head between his arms. Kyoutani did the same. They had their backs to each other. Their hearts raced in their chests. Their minds thrived on the intimacy of sleeping next to each other. All they could to is remain awake; ignorant in knowing that the other was thinking the exact same things.

Morning brought strange tidings. The sun crept in overhead and brought subtle warmth to the cold cave. The pair had grown used to stirring in such early hours of the day; truly living by the cycles of the sun and moon. Because of all the events during the night before, it had been hard to sleep but once they had surrendered, they had fallen hard.

Shigeru normally woke first but this morning, Kyoutani was the first to raise his head. He groggily began to get up. Sunlight reflected off of the pool. It looked beautiful and inviting. Kyoutani wondered if it looked that way because he had finally gotten over his acquired bout of hydrophobia. He mused about going swimming today, if his errands permit.

'G'mornin', Shigeru.' he mumbled. Shigeru didn't move. 'Mornin'.' He spoke up a bit. There was still no response; completely unlike Shigeru but maybe his antics had exhausted him. Kyoutani leaned back on his left hand and looked over at Shigeru.

He looked so relaxed, so tranquil. It would be a pity to disturb him as he probably needs the rest. Those were the thoughts that idly tittered in Kyoutani's stream of consciousness until his eyes travelled further down Shigeru's sleeping form.

Kyoutani screamed. Something was drastically wrong with Shigeru.

Shigeru woke violently. 'What the hell are you thinking, fool?' he snapped angrily. He seemed blissfully unaware of the problem.

'What the fuck...?' Kyoutani mumbled to himself; eyes bugged and brain in irreverent disbelief.

Shigeru's eyebrows knitted together and he got up. He felt lighter. He put his hands to his face and traced along his jawline. Something truly was drastically wrong. He didn't find the barest rivet of a scale or a fin. Furthermore, his hands were missing their webbing. They were missing claws. He felt around his mouth with his tongue. Not once did he cut himself on his fangs.

He was scared to look down but he hesitantly did. Kyoutani averted his eyes. Shigeru was somewhere between repulsed and nonplussed. He had human legs and feet. He even had other human anatomy to boot. He was purely and utterly human.

'What is going on?' Shigeru demanded.

'I-I don't know. At first I thought I was still asleep.' Kyoutani said.

'Maybe I'm still dreaming.' Shigeru said and he pinched himself. His forearm reddened. There was no change. He felt wide awake and revolted.

Kyoutani risked a sneak peak at Shigeru who seemed unfazed to be naked. Kyoutani sniggered then averted his gaze again.

'What are you laughing at?' Shigeru asked cuttingly. His voice had lost that lazy lilt; his words no longer flowed into one another like notes in a song.

'You seem, um, a little below average.' Kyoutani snickered.

'Are you implying human males compete over the lengths of their penises?' Shigeru asked.

'Well...' Kyoutani mumbled.

'Disgusting.' Shigeru spat.

Shigeru's expression softened but only to twist into repulsion. He tried to sing. His voice lifted up poetically but Kyoutani was unaffected by the song. Shigeru tried countless tunes and lilts but it didn't work. His singing voice was off. His words didn't come out properly and his notes were butchered. He still sounded fine. He just couldn't infect Kyoutani's ears with a mystical numbness that made everything alright and intoxicated.

'I hate everything.' Shigeru muttered, finally giving up on his voice. Kyoutani could tell that he didn't mean it though. The siren tried to get up. Kyoutani shot up and held Shigeru steady. It was like watching a toddler. It looks like their plans for today had been completely shot down. It was lucky that Shigeru was a quick learner or else his sudden transformation into a human would have been more troublesome than it already was.

There was so much mystery and confusion surrounding it. What had triggered it? Would it reverse or would Shigeru be stuck as a human forever? It was peculiar.

'Here.' Kyoutani said and he offered Shigeru a pair of pants. 'For modesty or protection, your choice.'

'Isn't this one of the pants I found for you?' Shigeru asked but he accepted the article of clothing regardless. He handled it with bratty hesitance as though it was toxic.

'Yeah. They're too small for me any way.' Kyoutani said.

Shigeru put the pants on. They were slightly baggy on him but he liked them anyway. The extra layer gave him memories back of having scales but it still wasn't the same. It didn't give him near enough satisfaction. It wasn't the right texture although the extra weight was slightly comforting. It wasn't enough to quell all his manic emotions.

Shigeru was furious the entire day. It was probably that rage that drove him to take to walking on two legs. By the end of the day, he didn't need to clutch onto Kyoutani or anything else for assistance. He was completely mobile and independent come dusk but that didn't solve all their problems.

Over dinner, fruit and vegetables, Shigeru fumed. Kyoutani listened patiently. He couldn't begin to grapple with the anger Shigeru was experiencing. He wouldn't exactly be pleased if he woke one morning and found himself a completely different species. Although, Kyoutani did vaguely wish that Shigeru would stop attacking the human species. They weren't all that bad. It was just because he wasn't used to walking and using legs that he was so enraged with his new anatomy.

'Do you have any idea as to what happened?' Kyoutani mumbled beneath Shigeru's boundless hatred for his new body.

'No or else I would have reversed this already.' Shigeru spat.

Tiny tears dribbled down from Shigeru's eyes. He tentatively traced the wet trail. 'I'm leaking...' he mumbled. He tasted his fingertips. 'I'm leaking sea water.'

'You're crying.' Kyoutani explained. 'Normally, it's foam. Now, it's water. Nothin' weird.'

'I see then.' Shigeru mumbled. His voice was high, pith with disbelief.

He chuckled darkly. 'Do you know what's funny? When I was young, very, very young, I used to secretly wish to be human. So I could know what it's like to walk, to see life above land. I never actually thought it would happen.' Shigeru reminisced.

'I always thought it'd be cool to be able to breathe underwater.' Kyoutani mumbled.

'I can tell you don't mean that.' Shigeru huffed.

'...True.' Kyoutani sheepishly admitted with a shrug.

Shigeru turned his back to Kyoutani and the fire. Thin ribbons of smoke wafted up; failing to reach the crater and the stars. Shigeru stared at the pool. He would never know the beautiful feeling of swimming with water rolling off his fins and through his lungs. He was going to miss that. Worst of all, he was going to have to re-learn how to swim. Sirens were born knowing how to swim: the most important genetic memory of them all, almost more important than knowing how to escape their egg. It was pathetic. Shigeru the siren was going to have to re-learn such an important skill tomorrow.

He approached the water and it sicked him. He didn't like how he looked without his fins. He looked plain; perhaps even ugly. His hands balled up by his side and his tears grew hotter. Kyoutani reached out to him. He gently took Shigeru's wrist then sat by Shigeru's side.

'Are you okay?' Kyoutani asked.

'Take a wild fucking guess.' Shigeru snapped. His eyes flared and his voice echoed through the cave with angry rebounds.

'I'll take it as a "no" then. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do besides say that. And, well, help you be a human.'

Shigeru dipped his feet into the water. It was cold. Too cold, colder than it normally was – was it this cold for Kyoutani? It felt good though. It was somewhat soothing but put his feet in, dangling them, didn't feel as good as sliding his tail in. He sighed. He'd never get that feeling back.

'Why did this happen to me?' Shigeru muttered. He shut his eyes tightly. He realised that he only had one on each eye. He'd never noticed that humans only had a single layer before. He didn't like it. He didn't hate it though. He just wished it could be better.

'I don't know.' Kyoutani mumbled. He dipped his feet into the water. He found it cold too but he liked the immediate relief that followed. Today hadn't been a particularly hard day but dipping his feet into the water relaxed him regardless. He put his hand over Shigeru's and stroked his knuckles. 'I still love you. I still think you're the prettiest boy I've ever seen.'

'I don't want to hear that from you. You're probably secretly glad that I'm human now.' Shigeru said.

Kyoutani sighed. He had been hoping to avoid that particular slippery slope. 'I mean, you're not wrong. I could very easily have sex with you now. Sex where I top.' Kyoutani said.

'Humans have live birth, don't they?' Shigeru asked.

'Yep. We're among the only species that have sex for pleasure.' Kyoutani said and he wiggled his eyebrows.

'Go die.' Shigeru mumbled.

A strange sensation started in Shigeru's toes. He wondered if it was a natural reaction to water. He'd seen Kyoutani's fingers wrinkle when he spends too much time in water. Maybe toes twinkle, for lack of a better descriptor. The sensation spread up Shigeru's legs. His toes stiffened.

Shigeru sighed. He paused. He frowned. Something was definitely wrong and that was confirmed by Kyoutani's scream. 'What now?' Shigeru huffed.

'Your day keeps gettin' weirder and weirder.' Kyoutani replied, stunned.

'What do you mean?' Shigeru asked.

'Look, asshole.' Kyoutani said and he shoved Shigeru's head over his knees.

Shigeru realised he didn't have knees. Then he saw his vague, darkened reflection on the still water. He could see the edges of facial fins in his reflection. He lurched forward and dived under the water. He grinned and he sucked in the water. He enjoyed how water rolled off his fins and he how he could move so freely inside his pool. This was the body he belonged in.

He rose. 'What is going on?' Shigeru screamed.

'I don't know. Wait...' Kyoutani replied. There was something about this tickling a faint memory in the back of his head. He got up and searched through the crates again.

He'd claimed one for his own things; the things Shigeru brought him such as spare clothes and cutlery. He searched through the one that he kept sacred for it belonged to the cave's predecessors. The journal had grown even more feral. It reeked. Because it had been boxed off, he hadn't really noticed the smell but now he was going to have to destroy it. Kyoutani cautiously picked open the cover.

'Mt Maiko is magical.' Kyoutani read aloud.

Shigeru chuffed. He circled around and tried to make heads or tails of this situation. 'Mm, perhaps not just in a romantic sense. Perhaps the legends are true. There really are sacred sites that can shift sirens into humans... perhaps even humans into sirens. My grandmother told me legends about it. She said two fated lovers – a pirate and a siren, can you believe it? – once found one of these sacred sites and because of that, they could be together.' Shigeru mused.

'Is this the grandmother named Maiko?' Kyoutani asked.

'Oh! You remembered. How sweet.' Shigeru replied sarcastically.

'Ha, ha.' Kyoutani muttered.

The couple didn't pay much more mind to the magic of Mt Maiko after that. They didn't have enough information to work out the inner workings of Mt Maiko. All they knew was that it was actually magical. The pool gave Shigeru the ability to shift between forms and that's what really mattered.

They gave the island a name by the time they had spent three months on it. Their cave gained more decorations. Affection between the pair deepened as well. Life on their little island was lonely but between them, there was enough companionship and love. They never expected any company until one day something unusual happened. Kyoutani realised that they had visitors, or they would within mere hours. Kyoutani spotted a familiar sight from the stairwell spiralling around Mt Maiko.

At first, he thought he had been hallucinating but he was certain. On the horizon, leagues and leagues away from the island, was a ship: a grand vessel. It was an expeditor with large, unfurling sails that were black but appeared to shimmer like the cosmos. The sails had a peculiar pattern dyed onto them: a skull and cross bones. Their unique accent was that the skull was winking with its tongue out. Its open eye had a collection of yellow stars across it.

Kyoutani would never be able to mistake that flag for it was his. Well, it wasn't his but he did belong to it and that made it his. Kyoutani abandoned his notions of tending to his somewhat thriving garden and raced back inside. He darted through the grainy corridor and into the cave.

His pounding footsteps stirred Shigeru from his mid-morning nap in the pool. Even though he was completely able to help Kyoutani with maintenance, Kyoutani let him skip out on hard work.

'What're you doing here?' Shigeru asked.

'We've got guests!' Kyoutani shouted.

'Guests?' Shigeru repeated.

'Yep, guests. C'mon, we gotta go and greet 'em. I know 'em. They're me own crew. We're gonna be rescued.' Kyoutani rambled.

He grabbed Shigeru's wrists and tried to haul him out of the pool.

'Rescued?' Shigeru repeated poisonously.

'Yeah...?' Kyoutani replied. Shigeru wrung his hands and Kyoutani loosened his grip, letting go.

'You want to be rescued.' Shigeru spat.

'Aw c'mon, don't be like that. You know what I mean.' Kyoutani sighed.

Shigeru glared at Kyoutani. 'No. I don't know what you mean.'

'Okay then. What I meant was that we could go exploring. Don't you want to see the world? We can see it together. We'll finally put all your treasures to good use. We'll be rich. And you can meet new people. You'll like Watari and Oikawa and Iwaizumi and Kumimi and Kindaichi. I mean, you probably won't like Makki and Matsun but to be fair, no one does but each other. They're the funniest fuckers you'll ever meet though. C'mon, it's a good idea. Surely.' Kyoutani explained.

His eyes were alight. He was grinning earnestly. It was a rare expression and Shigeru was in love with it. He crossed his arms and pouted.

'Now you've got me all excited.' Shigeru mumbled.

'Clearly not. You're not glowing.' Kyoutani teased.

'Shut it! You knew I didn't mean it like that, you foul-minded idiot!' Shigeru snarled.

'C'mon, let's go to the beach. At least meet 'em.' Kyoutani said and he extended his hand.

Shigeru accepted it but he didn't drop his snooty expression. Kyoutani pulled him up and Shigeru was hefted out of the water. He flopped onto their sleep mats and Kyoutani threw a towel at him. Half an hour later, Shigeru was good to go.

Kyoutani was quick to leave and kept leaving huge gaps between him and Shigeru. He clearly wanted to get to the beach as fast as he could. Shigeru was slower and not just because he still hadn't found his land-legs yet permanently. He was hesitant. He was anxious and buzzing with questions.

What if they couldn't come to a decision about whether they stay or leave? What if he doesn't like any of Kyoutani's crewmates? What if they hated him? After all, he did nearly murder all of them but to be fair, he didn't have cruel intentions. It just happened that way. What if they didn't accept him – the miracle who could shift between a scaly tail and smooth legs?

He could barely accept himself as the miracle capable of such a supernatural feat.

Kyoutani raced through the garden and into the thick, tropical woods. Shigeru trod along behind him in his excited wake. His skin was prickled but he didn't feel cold. There was a knot in his stomach and Kyoutani couldn't seem to care less. Shigeru trekked along regardless as curiosity was a powerful force.

Shigeru wanted to explore the world he had always dreamed of. He just didn't think it would happen like this and that terrified him. Yes, he wanted Kyoutani to be by his side but he didn't know if he wanted to do it alongside humans he didn't know. Humans he didn't know if he could trust.

Soon, the couple got through and onto the golden stretch of untainted beach. The ship was approaching. It was huge. It dwarfed the two in size. It was beautiful. It was exactly how they remembered it with its beautiful railings and gorgeous sails. But to Shigeru, it looked completely different underneath the soothing calm of a warm sun.

Kyoutani screamed out to the boat. He screamed and screamed and screamed. He screamed until his lungs deflated and his face turned red. He collapsed messily into a panting heap. Shigeru smiled towards him, almost pityingly, and collected some large leaves. He bundled them up and sat next to Kyoutani in the shade of their makeshift umbrella.

'You have quite the voice.' Shigeru murmured.

'Do you think they heard me?' Kyoutani asked.

'Sound travels quite well over water. I'm sure they did.' Shigeru replied.

They waited in silence with the occasional dispersion of idle chatter; a remark about how much closer the ship was slowly getting. After an hour, Kyoutani could see Matsukawa in the crow's nest and he could see Oikawa by the figure head. The figure head was that of a breasted siren which made Shigeru chuckle because of how anatomically incorrect it was.

After another half an hour, they could hear the noises of the boat. They could hear the sails flap loudly and the rigging groan. They could hear footsteps on the sky deck and excited screaming.

'Land ho, land ho!' Hanamaki shouted. He could be heard distinctly. He had a telescope to his eyes and all his crewmates were trying to get it off him. They all wanted to know if it was true. They all wanted to know if that really was Kyoutani waiting for them on the beach. It seemed impossible.

By the two hour mark, some of the crew had gotten hasty and had sent out a swift little dinghy. It battled the ferocious waves and made more noise than the ship. Soon, Kyoutani was greeting his Captain, the First Mate (unofficially the Vice Captain), and an array of underlings to the pair.

'It's great to see you guys!' Kyoutani shouted. Shigeru was waiting behind him, still on a tall dune and trying to hide himself. Hanamaki and Matsukawa attacked Kyoutani from the sides and they all wrapped up into a jovial half-hug.

'We thought you were dead.' Iwaizumi stated.

'How are you alive?' Oikawa asked.

'You'll never believe me. Good thing I've got the proof in the flesh.' Kyoutani said.

Watari glanced at the mound of leaves on the dune. 'You're home?' he asked.

'Nah, that'd be my living proof.' Kyoutani said and he twisted around. 'Oi! Shigeru!'

The bundle of leaves moved and curiosity spiked immediately. Shigeru left behind the leaves and cautiously came forward. He stood shyly next to Kyoutani who had been released by Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Kyoutani and the stranger looked good next to each other with their unkempt hair and shabby, tattered clothes. The pair looked like genuine castaways who had been abandoned for four or so months.

'Hello.' he murmured.

'Hello to you too.' Oikawa said with a thin, sly smile. 'You look strangely familiar. Have we met before?'

'Yes.'

'Where?' Oikawa asked. He seemed like a pompous fellow.

'I'm the siren who tried to, um, sink your ship.'

Kyoutani grinned. The atmosphere became as awkward as he had anticipated. He hooked his arm around the siren and every stared dumbly. 'But don't mind that now.' Kyoutani laughed coarsely.

'My name is Shigeru and I'm in love with your crewmate Kyoutani Kentarou.' he mumbled.

'WHAT?' the gathering of pirates screeched.

Eyes went wide and hearts skipped a beat. They stared to and fro between Kyoutani and the siren.

'I demand an explanation, Mad Dog-chan!' Oikawa screamed.

'I like humans. I find you lower order predators to be highly entertaining. And I don't eat you guys – unlike most sirens, I'm very much an eccentric, I suppose.' Shigeru rambled.

'Long story short: Shigeru may be an asshole but he wasn't trying to murder anyone. He was lookin' for company, got me. We ended up on this island and fell in love. He's eaten me a few times actually; if you catch my drift-!'

'I HAVE NOT!' Shigeru screamed; face bright red.

Kyoutani chuckled but continued. 'Anyway, we found a cool place to hang. That volcano over there? Dormant and fucking magical apparently as it gave Shigeru legs. Kinda. And now you're here and up to speed. So, what took you guys so bloody long?'

Saying that the Aoba Jousai Pirates were shocked and in disbelief would be an understatement but they had to accept this as the truth, particularly after they saw what happened when Shigeru got into the water. Life really is a strange, random happenstance of impossibilities.

Iwaizumi was the first to calm down and accept the state of impossibility around them which was a good thing because he would be the only one who could quickly explain to Kyoutani why they had ended up here.

'So, I take it you weren't listening at the Captain's meeting from five months ago otherwise you would have known that we were looking for Captain Noboru's treasure. That's what brought us into this part of the ocean after all. Now, after a few setbacks – i.e your siren friend and the storm – we ended up at Port Kagami which was where we'd been six months ago. Please tell me you remember Port Kagami. Anyways, after all manner of obstacles: Kageyama's new crew, whirlpools, and countless other things; anything that could go wrong did go wrong, we finally wound back up here and now we've found you. Which means, have you found it?' Iwaizumi asked.

Kyoutani stared at him funnily. 'Found what?'

'Captain Noboru's treasure, you idiotic dog!' Iwaizumi barked.

'Nah but can't we've been looking.' Kyoutani murmured.

Shigeru paused and looked thoughtfully for a second. 'Do you think their Captain Noboru could be our Noboru?' he asked.

'What do you mean?' Oikawa asked.

'Well, our home had been built but someone else. A man named Noboru and a woman named Hiroko. There treasure in their old crates. But we've turned it into our stockpile as well.' Shigeru explained.

'Take us there, Kyoutani!' Hanamaki yelled. He and Matsukawa marched off together.

The rest of the crew trailed after them. Kyoutani and Shigeru led the Aoba Jousai Pirates to their home, by the time night fell, they arrived. Not everyone could fit in the cave so most stayed outside.

Kyoutani showed Oikawa the bounty that he and Shigeru had been amassing from Noboru and all the sunken ships Shigeru liked visiting in his alone time. Oikawa practically drooled when he saw how much of it they had. It didn't all fit in the two crates they had and there was still what shone at the bottom of Shigeru's pool.

With this, Shigeru bought his trust.

'So Captain, can me and Shigeru join your crew?' Kyoutani asked.

'Dummy, we weren't leaving without you.' Oikawa replied.

'Do you think there's more?' Iwaizumi asked.

'Hm, it's a possibility but I don't particularly care. Thanks to Shigeru-chan, we've probably got twice as much as Captain Noboru already.' Oikawa mused.

Iwaizumi wasn't convinced. He got out the map that had brought them to this island. It had been drawn onto the back of a wanted poster. Shigeru stared at the disused side of map in awe. He gasped.

'Who is that man?' he asked.

'What's wrong?' Oikawa asked. Hanamaki and Matsukawa dropped down to Shigeru's eye level. They gasped too.

'Damn, that guy looks really familiar.' Matsukawa said sarcastically and Hanamaki giggled.

'Who is he?' Shigeru asked.

Iwaizumi flipped over the map. 'It's Captain Noboru.' he said.

Oikawa looked over Iwaizumi's shoulder. 'My, he does look familiar.' he agreed.

Captain Noboru bore a resemblance to Shigeru. It was faint but it was there. They had the same hair with a quiff at the front. Their noses were similar too but their eyes: their eyes were unmistakable.

'Shigeru, you don't think it's possible... Do you?' Kyoutani asked. Even he couldn't deny the resemblance between Captain Noboru and Shigeru.

'My grandmother's name is Maiko. Her parents' names were Noboru and Hiroko. It can't be possible.' Shigeru muttered.

'And don't forget, according to this map. Captain Noboru named this island Shigeru.' Oikawa pointed out.

'Fucking really?!' Kyoutani screamed.

Shigeru's heart skipped a beat. 'I descend from... humans?' he murmured. 'How is that possible?'

'You said that this place turned you into a human. What if... it could turn a human into a siren?' Iwaizumi reasoned.

'But that still makes no sense!' Shigeru shouted.

'My, we do have a genealogical mystery here.' Oikawa mused.

Shigeru sank into the water. The pirates stared at Kyoutani. 'You gonna do somethin'?' Kindaichi asked.

'He can get pissy at times. He'll be fine. I think he just needs space.' Kyoutani replied. 'Everybody out!'

'Hey, where are we supposed to sleep for the night?' Oikawa asked.

'Do you really want to spend the night in the love-shack of a human and a siren?' Hanamaki asked as he and Matsukawa got up.

'You have... a point.' Oikawa admitted.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Kyoutani growled.

'If Shigeru-chan is still like this come noon tomorrow, we're leaving without you two.' Oikawa stated as he trod off.

Kyoutani was soon left alone in the cave. He couldn't even tell if Shigeru was still in the pool. 'You still here, babe?' he called out. His voice echoed lonesome through the cave. The water didn't stir so Kyoutani suspected that Shigeru might not be here anymore. He just hoped that he would return by morning so they could talk.

Kyoutani rolled over, stretched out on his mat – possibly for the last time – and then tried to go to sleep. Unbeknownst to him, his siren had returned. Tiny ripples skirted out around Shigeru who observed the human sulkily.

I have no place in this world except beside you... Shigeru mused to himself. He felt as if he didn't belong anywhere as he was a freak of nature. He was a siren by birth but a human by heritage, and now by luck. It made no sense. He approached the edge of his pool. He was tempted to reach out, crawl up onto the floor, and play with Kyoutani's hair lazily. Muss it up a little bit and whisper sweet nothings into his ear as he tried to sleep. Shigeru was going to have to concede because he knew Kyoutani wanted to return to his people, the pirates: the evil creatures of the sea that even sirens had to contend with.

Strangely, it seemed like a good fit. It made sense to Shigeru as he was able to identify with pirates. They were people of the sea too; blood thirsty and adventurous with an eye for pretty stones. As confused as Shigeru was, this made sense. This was clear to him. He knew where his heart lies and it was with Kyoutani and his people the pirates. His mind made it fuzzy. He clouded himself with questions; double-guessing and over thinking himself. Yes, it was a complicated situation but the solution was simple.

Shigeru looked up at the moon; round and full, completely filling the crater and turning the insides of the volcano pale with its ghostly silver. He wondered if it was his destiny as his predecessor had transformed in this pool in the same way. It was definitely the kiss in the moonlight all those months ago that triggered this transformation.

He wondered about Noboru, a pirate captain, and Hiroko, had she been human or had she been siren? Shigeru may never know. He wondered what they had felt all those eons ago. Had they been confused or had they been joyous, leaping at the miraculous opportunity to be a permanent fixture in each other's worlds; without boundary by sea or by land.

The moon disappeared from overhead, floating elsewhere to gift the land light in this time of darkness. Shigeru pulled himself up and flopped across the stony floor. He hoped that he wouldn't wake Kyoutani but it didn't really seem like it ought to matter. He reached out for the crate with all the jewels and gold, their wealth. He opened it. It creaked at its sides, unable to contain all its fortune. Shigeru dug through it. He was looking for something very precise.

At the bottom of the crate, Shigeru found what he had been looking for: the two rings of sterling silver with sapphires. They were dinged up and scratched. They were ugly compared to the other treasures they kept. Shigeru cherished these rings as they likely belonged to his mysterious great-grandparents.

He raked his claws through the innards of the rings, removing the names. They were his now. His and Kyoutani's. The noise was awful: a banshee-like shriek that woke Kyoutani with a start.

'What the hell?' Kyoutani groaned. He looked around groggily. He'd just managed to have fallen asleep.

'Didn't mean to wake you.' Shigeru said.

'You don't mean that.' Kyoutani retorted.

'I mean, you are right but I felt like I needed to apologise nonetheless.' Shigeru agreed.

'What're you doin'?' Kyoutani asked.

Shigeru turned himself around so he could face Kyoutani properly. 'I have an important announcement.' he began.

'You don't want to come with us?' Kyoutani guessed.

'I've decided I shall be joining you actually.' Shigeru said and there was a peculiar look in his eyes.

His eyes, earthen, were wide and shining. He extended one of the rings. 'I want to ask for your hand in marriage.' he said. 'I want you to be mine. Permanently. It is to my understanding that humans offer each other rings to better express this sentiment. Sirens, well, we just mark each other.'

Shigeru's eyes simmered. His voice became husky and promiscuous.

'Oh? And how do sirens "mark" each other?' Kyoutani asked

'Do you want me to show?' Shigeru asked and he crawled closer to Kyoutani who submissively lowered himself and allowed Shigeru to clamber on top of him. Shigeru was tentative and made sure that he wasn't exerting too much weight onto Kyoutani.

'But first, do you take me to be mine forever?' Shigeru asked.

'Only if you do the same fer me.' Kyoutani replied.

'Good enough for me.' Shigeru replied. Kyoutani tilted his head upwards and Shigeru lowered himself.

The two engaged in a passionate kiss. Their foreheads bumped against each other and there was a fervent roughness in their technique. Their teeth clashed together and they grasped onto each other desperately. Hands went wandering; towards hairlines and along jaws. Biting was expected, if not encouraged, and Kyoutani was more than eager to see how much pressure he could put onto Shigeru's lower lips before he scolded him silently with a quick scratch.

Shigeru pulled away first. 'I love you. I really do.' he murmured.

'I love you too.' Kyoutani said. 'Where're the rings. This is the point where I should put one on.'

'Th-They're right here.' Shigeru said after patting around next to him, searching without eyes for where he had put them for safe keeping.

Kyoutani put his hand against Shigeru's who clasped tightly. With his free hand, Shigeru slid the ring onto Kyoutani's middle finger. Kyoutani chuckled but didn't correct him. He figured it would look better there anyway than compared to his proper ring finger.

Shigeru smiled. 'It looks good on you.' he said. He gave the other ring to Kyoutani. 'I don't know how to wear it.'

Kyoutani half-smiled. 'Yeah, it'd be difficult with all that webbing on your hands. We should have some sort of piece of string on the boat we can attach yours to. You can wear it as a necklace.'

'Okay.' Shigeru replied.

'Now, aren't you going to show me how sirens mark their mates?' Kyoutani asked.

'I thought you didn't like that word.' Shigeru teased.

'If it's just us...' Kyoutani mumbled.

'Alright.' Shigeru said

Shigeru pressed his hands against Kyoutani, pinning him to the floor. 'I'll be gentle.' he murmured as he unbuttoned Kyoutani's holey shirt. He ran his fingers along Kyoutani's sternum and marvelled at how sculpted Kyoutani was, how close to siren anatomy humans were. He leaned in and he could hear Kyoutani's heartbeat beneath his skin. He lightly kissed Kyoutani's abdomen and then chose a spot underneath Kyoutani's ribcage, away from his vitals, to mark.

Shigeru sank his teeth into Kyoutani who bit his tongue, refusing to yelp out of surprise. He had been very correct in assuming that Shigeru would have a thing for biting.

'What're you doing?' Kyoutani asked and Shigeru looked at the puncture holes he had inflicted.

'Sirens give each other a lasting scar. No two scars are alike. the more scars you have, the more lovers you've had. It's pleasing to see you have none that are from sirens teeth.' Shigeru explained. 'I'm sorry; this might hurt a little bit.'

'Don't patronize me.' Kyoutani grumbled.

Shigeru bit him a second time, this time a little deeper and a little wider. He dragged his fangs through Kyoutani's flesh until he was satisfied with the rivet he had created. The taste of Kyoutani's blood was metallic and displeasing. Shigeru couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to have marked a siren. He brushed his fingers along the slight wound.

'We have some salve for that, right?' Shigeru asked.

'You say that now?' Kyoutani retorted. 'Yeah, we do.'

Shigeru flopped off of Kyoutani. He got up and started searching through their things. He rubbed some fruit scented gel over his wound and figured that would do for now. Someone else could tend to him later. He'd be right for a few hours.

The tingling sensation that forewarns Shigeru started and he realised that he had dried off. Soon, he had legs again. Kyoutani looked up at him and took his hand. 'Want to make the most of our last night in our first home?' he asked.

'You want me to do what?' Shigeru replied, repulsed.

'I think we should have sex.' Kyoutani reiterated.

'Our concepts of sex are very different.' Shigeru stated.

'C'mon, it'll be fun.' Kyoutani replied, eyeing Shigeru's shapely legs.

'It would not.' Shigeru rebuked.

'Are you sure I can't convince you?' Kyoutani asked.

'Yes.' Shigeru said and he bent down, kissed Kyoutani's bristly cheek. 'Good night.'

Kyoutani took Shigeru's hand and pulled him to his knees. 'Come on; kiss me just a little bit more.' Kyoutani begged.

'Only kissing, you live-birthing fool.' Shigeru mumbled but he wasn't adverse to deep kissing, rough kissing.

Shigeru was on his knees. Kyoutani was keeping him upright and Shigeru was grasping at Kyoutani's bare shoulders. The tension between them was electric. They had kissed before, fervently, but not like this. This time, with every nip and suckle, there was a deep desire for more growing behind their actions.

A new sensation began to stir in Shigeru's loins and Kyoutani noticed. He kissed greedily along Shigeru's jawline, riffling through his hair and tracing down his bare back. Kyoutani's curiously gentle touches sent shivers through Shigeru as well as a breathy, indulgent moan.

'I thought you didn't want to be convinced of the fun we could have.' Kyoutani murmured into the nape of Shigeru's neck.

Shigeru's cock twitched. It was an unusual sensation that caused Shigeru's face to go bright red. Human anatomy was grotesque. He wanted no part in it.

Beneath him, Kyoutani could feel Shigeru slowly become erect and as a direction result, he could feel his own length harden beneath his soft, tattered pants.

'I don't want to.' Shigeru replied. Kyoutani could feel his voice against his lips.

'I see then.' Kyoutani mumbled. He moved his mouth over Shigeru's heart – or, did he still have two even in this human guise? From what Kyoutani could tell, suckling over Shigeru's chest, he only had the one heart throbbing.

Shigeru groaned. 'I-I change my mind.'

'Are you sure?' Kyoutani asked.

'N-No!' Shigeru stammered.

'Then you haven't. Let's start with small steps then.' Kyoutani murmured.

He shifted and let Shigeru lay on the mat. 'This is called a blow job. I don't really give a shit if you cum in my mouth.'

'What are you...? Mouth?' Shigeru's voice was cluttered in alarm.

'It's like a kiss, don't worry. C'mon, legs up.' Kyoutani instructed.

Shigeru's back arched upwards and Kyoutani had Shigeru put his legs over his head. He squeaked with a crimson face. 'I won't hurt you. Or do you want me to just stop in general?' Kyoutani asked.

'I want you to stop, I've decided.' Shigeru muttered.

Kyoutani sighed. 'Alright, I can respect that.' He slipped out from underneath the hook of Shigeru's legs. Shigeru scrambled upwards. He was a panting mess.

'Thank you.' Shigeru said.

'One last kiss?' Kyoutani asked.

'You're not using that on me again.' Shigeru said.

He got to his feet and dived into the pool. As soon as he went under the water, he regained his tail almost instantaneously. He resurfaced with glowing fins that blazed a pale turquoise.

'I love you.' Shigeru said.

'I love you too.' Kyoutani replied. 'Good night.'

'Good night.' Shigeru said.

Shigeru sank beneath the surface of the water; he curled up and became comfortable at the bottom of his pool, amongst jewels and sand. Kyoutani turned his back on the pool and tried falling asleep for the second time tonight. Although, his erection still want attention but Kyoutani decided he would just ignore it.

The following morning, Shigeru woke first and collected all the jewels on the bottom of his pool and put them on the flat stones surrounding the pool. He and Kyoutani still had no idea what the runic words spoke of.

Kyoutani stirred and immediately saw Shigeru's clean-up effort. He started putting the mounds of wealth into their crates. He dumped all his ragged clothes and odds and ends he had crafted over the time he had spent on the island.

Shigeru resurfaced and even though it was bright, he still glowed. His glow was pale but ethereal nonetheless. Kyoutani didn't bring it up.

'That's the last of it.' Shigeru said and he placed his ring on top of what was left to be packed away. Kyoutani took it and pocketed it.

'You can have it back once we get to the boat. C'mon, dry off.' Kyoutani said and he helped Shigeru to his feet.

Shigeru started wiping off water and drying himself. Kyoutani put the last of the treasure in a crate. They were barely coping with all the weight. It was going to be a hassle getting them to the ship but Kyoutani soon discovered that Hanamaki and Matsukawa were close by so that would help.

The pair watched on awe as Shigeru transformed into a human form.

'Ooh, you naked.' Hanamaki immaturely pointed out.

'Look.' Matsukawa nudged Hanamaki. The two started snickering. Shigeru stared at them bewildered.

'I had really been hoping Kyoutani had been lying about the fact human males compete over penis length.' he scolded as he pulled on a pair of pants.

'Well, to be fair, the vagina can be a scary place for the lil guy. Hell, some asses can be scary places too for lil guys.' Hanamaki reasoned.

'Speaking from experience, my dear?' Matsukawa inquired.

'Fuck off.' Hanamaki growled.

Shigeru's disgust at the sexually oriented banter only caused the two cackle harder; to his chagrin.

'You two grab a crate and let's get goin'.' Kyoutani said. He chose the heavier of the crates. Shigeru quickly went to his side and helped supported the weight. When the two chuckleheads quit it, they got serious and started helping out.

Through awkward scuttling, the four went through the corridor in what should have been peace. Instead, Hanamaki and Matsukawa had some questions.

'So, like, did you guys do the do last night?' Matsukawa asked.

'No.' Shigeru replied. 'Human sex could not seem viler to me, to be honest.'

'Okay, fair enough.' Matsukawa shrugged.

Hanamaki and Matsukawa made light throughout the somewhat difficult journey to the beach where the pirate ship was docked. Oikawa was pleased to see them but even happier to see that they had brought Kyoutani and Shigeru's bounty with them.

Oikawa had Iwaizumi take Kyoutani and Shigeru's load. Iwaizumi easily trod off with it and made everyone feel insignificant as he wasn't even struggling with its weight – and it seemed to weight a tonne.

'So, Shigeru-chan, are you going to be joining us?' Oikawa asked. Oikawa glanced at Hanamaki and Matsukawa. He gestured for them to get on the boat. Shigeru slunk back.

'You aren't then...?' Oikawa asked.

'I don't know...' Shigeru mumbled.

'You have ten minutes before departure.' Oikawa said and he strutted off.

Kyoutani took Shigeru's hand. He idly swung it to and fro with gentle playfulness. 'you don't have cold fins do you?' he asked.

'What if...?' Shigeru trailed off.

'I'll stop you there.' Kyoutani interrupted. 'You were always telling me you are "fascinated" by human culture so where's your sense of adventure? After all, human culture differs person to person. And there're a lotta people on that boat. Sure, some of 'em are dicks. You've already met great examples of that but come on, I'm sure some sirens're dicks.'

Shigeru chuckled nervously. 'I love you.'

'I love you too. Come, join me on that ship, babe, where we belong.' Kyoutani said and he tugged on Shigeru's hand, he started going towards the ship. Shigeru gripped on tighter.

'Okay.' he agreed.

The pair ran off together and boarded the ship. Shigeru laughed chirpily and Kyoutani was wide-eyed and grinning. Soon, the boat departed the island Kyoutani and Shigeru had dubbed "Yahaba". The next phase of their adventure, and their love, was only beginning but it was sure to have a happy ending, like a fairy tale.

The end, until next water time...