Azure Waters, Crimson Tide

by EternalFluffy

A crystal blue sea, ruled by dual princesses...a sea witch and her twin shark familiars...a peaceful, happy world... Yet, for one brother, fate might not be so easily averted... (100% AU, rating will increase later).

2. Part 1 Chapter 2

First of all, I want to thank everyone who left a review. Wow, I'm so happy. I never expected chap 1 to get more than maybe two reviews, since Wadanohara is a such a small fandom. Ohmygosh, thank you all so much, even just for reading.

Unfortunately, chapter 3 might take a little longer, because I really need to organize and finalize events for the next 2-3 chapters, but I will be working on it! In the meantime, I'll probably post small doodles and ideas and things related to the story at azucrim-blog on Tumblr. Sadly, I can't put the link, but that's its url.

I feel like, with this story, I kind of struggle with perspective. I'm shifting back and forth between Sal and Wadanohara's POVs, and sometimes Samekichi's, and it's...a little weird. I'll have to pay attention to that.

The whole "threat" seems to have been brushed under the rug, but...it's going to come up again later, don't worry.

BEWARE OF CUTE. Also, a few parts might come off like shark-cest, but that isn't my intention. They love each other...more than just brothers, but not lovers.

...I want to make an OC out of that swordfish.

(-)

Chapter 2

"Rise and shiiiiiiiine! Rise and shine! Move your tail fin, salamander!"

"Apfffff!" Sal awoke the next morning to Memoca leaping onto his stomach, forcing air from his lungs. "Th-That's a new one…don't think I've ever been called an amphibian before."

"Well, we had to get you up somehow!" The bird-girl rolled back off him, one wing-sleeve flapping in his face. "C'mon, get up! Everyone's waiting downstairs, and Wadda has something important to talk about!"

"Ugh…" A bit awkwardly, Sal pulled himself up in bed, rubbing at his face. "O-Okay… I'll…be there in a moment." He yawned. "Sorry. Kinda groggy, still."

"Well, don't take too long with your morning beauty routine or whatever! We wanna get this show on the road!"

"Sure…" Sal shook himself and tried to pat his spiky bed-head down. This was…really disorienting. To have been awakened so roughly, and so late…

A quick glance around revealed that the rest of the beds were indeed empty. Sal was never usually such a late sleeper…in fact, Memoca herself was usually the last out of bed. Wow…I must have really been exhausted. It felt weird, and his head kind of hurt. Part of him just wanted to crawl back under the covers, so he wouldn't have to face Samekichi and Wadanohara's questioning. But they were all waiting for him, and he couldn't keep them waiting. Saying he didn't feel up to it would only raise more concern.

"Meet you down there!" Memoca called in a loud, deliberate voice, as she raced back down the stairs. Needless to say, all her shouting wasn't doing anything to ease his budding headache.

"Urggh…" Sal pulled himself up out of bed, adjusting his turtleneck. He stood and stretched, socks pressing to the cool floor…and immediately, he knew something was wrong.

A really, really odd burning sensation flared up on his legs…specifically on the side of each thigh. A pained scowl twisted his lips. What in the world…? Why on the planet would he be hurting there? If his memory served, he hadn't even gotten hit there yesterday. By all rights, his chest and the front of his body should be hurting, not the sides. He knew that sometimes healing magic could leave a tingling sensation, but…this was definitely too strong to just be the lingering effects of a spell.

Though crackling pain seeped into them, Sal forced himself to walk forward, quickly slipping around the corner and into the second-floor bathroom. Curiously, he kept his pants off once he was done, and bent over a little to scratch at the areas and get a better look at them.

As soon as his hands made contact with that skin, he knew something was odd. What…? Slightly panicked, he twisted around and raised one leg to look at it properly. What…?! Why do I…? Huh?!

On either side, in exactly the same spot of each thigh…was a little bump. They were pink and swelling against his pale skin—like a pair of matching mosquito bites. Experimentally, Sal softly pressed on the left one with a finger. It was solid underneath—not a blister then—and it ached a bit when he pressed in, like some kind of bruise. At least the irritating burning was beginning to fade now, though he couldn't figure out why.

This is…really weird. Did I have some kind of allergic reaction to something? It can't be these pants—I've been wearing these for a while now. Maybe it's because I wore them to bed? I don't know why that should make a difference. If I was lying on something, maybe, but…then it should only be on one side.

He shook himself and carefully began to slip his pants back on, shifting himself around and being extra careful not to rub the fabric against the irritated areas. There wasn't any time to thoroughly examine himself—he had to get ready and meet the others. Hopefully, he could just ignore any pain it caused him.

It's probably just an irritation from some dirty seawater, Sal began to convince himself while he combed his hair out and slipped on his jacket. Or…some sort of hives I got from being so anxious yesterday. Yeah, that's probably it. They should go away eventually, as long as I don't scratch them. He and Samekichi both had exceptionally sharp fingernails too, so he'd have to be very cautious.

The pain continued dull throbbing as he combed out his hair, brushed his pointed teeth and generally prepared himself. He decided that he could deal with it until the end of the day…it was going to be incredibly irritating, but he could definitely do it. There was definitely no need to tell them about it and worry them even more—Wadanohara was probably worried enough about him as it was.

On his way downstairs, Sal glanced up at a helm-shaped clock. It was already past noon. Oh, God of the Sea. How am I going to explain this? He decided he'd have to play up how good he felt now, as if the extra-long rest had completely cured him.

Indeed, everyone was gathered around the center table when he finally descended, and they all swiveled their heads, giving him various expressions of confusion and annoyance. For some reason, Fukami's eyes were especially cold…his glaring gaze seemed to say "how dare you", and it was making him a bit nervous.

One look at Wadanohara, and he understood. "Oh, Sal. Thank goodness. Are you feeling alright?"

Sal forced a laugh. "I'd be perfectly fine if it weren't for the seagull that attacked me in my sleep. It'll take a little while before my stomach recovers."

Wadanohara glanced back around. "Memoca…!"

"Hey, I got him up, didn't I?" The gull girl shrugged. "Samekichi probably would've bit him or something."

Speaking of Samekichi, the grey shark was fixated on Sal with a slightly suspicious expression, and it was making him feel guilty.

"Eheheheh…" He slipped down the staircase and over to an open spot on the further couch, next to the disgruntled Fukami. "Really, I feel great now, though. I guess I needed a ton of sleep, but I'm all rested now!"

"Have some breakfast," Wadanohara told him. "Or lunch or something. There should be leftover waffles in the fridge. We have something important to talk about, though."

"Okay, thank you." Sal rushed to dish out a waffle, warm it up, and top it with a strawberry and cream. All the while, he could practically feel Samekichi's eyes goring through his back. I'm sorry, Samekichi, he couldn't help thinking, and wishing he could just read his thoughts. I want to tell you everything, but I just…don't want to cause you any more anguish or embarrassment.

When he sat down again with his plate of brunch, Wadanohara took a deep breath and prepared to make some sort of announcement. "You haven't heard, Sal, but, early this morning, I took a quick trip to Sea God Palace."

He halted in his very first bite of waffle, stunned. The palace?! Why in the world would she have to go back to the palace so soon?! It…it better not have anything to do with yesterday. But there's no way I would be kicked out of being her familiar for not being "good enough" or anything. That's what the tests were for. But, but…!

Samekichi caught his gaze with softer eyes, trying to reassure him.

"Helica came to get me almost as soon as I was awake, with a summons that the princesses wanted to see me immediately."

"Yeah, she nearly broke the door down!" Memoca added, flapping her arms a little. "She was probably in a big rush or something. Yet even that didn't wake salad face up."

Wadanohara continued straight through, not letting the bird girl distract her. "There wasn't enough time, so I only took Samekichi with me, and only he and I know what went on. So here's the thing…" She folded her hands over in her lap, a little nervous "I don't have all of the details myself, but they want us to undertake a special mission."

"A…special mission?" Fukami looked interested now, leaning forward a bit more. A special mission at the request of the princesses? That sounded incredibly important. No wonder she wanted everyone to be here.

Wadanohara nodded, the ribbon on her hat shifting a little. "Yes. We're leaving in a few minutes. We have been tasked with investigating the western surface area. Apparently, they've been getting reports of strange activity near there…fish feeling sick, getting lost, and…even a few deaths." Her eyes shifted down and to the side, solemnly. "They need us to look around and see if we can figure out what's going on…they need me in particular to use some magic and check to make sure it isn't due to any sort of spell."

Samekichi crossed his arms and looked to her with irritation. "The one thing I don't understand is—why couldn't they just get your father and my dad and Tatsumiya to do it?"

"He said it would be very good practice for me." Wadanohara gave a sheepish little smile. "Don't worry—Princess Uomi says she believes there's no direct threat to us. Whatever it is, it's only been affecting small, non-magical citizens in other towns, and only near the surface. But…Dad's going to be on standby just in case something does happen."

With a reassuring smile, she looked to the shark twins, and Sal stared back up at her, quickly wiping cream from his face. "In an emergency, we'd send Sal back to the palace to get them, since he could get there the fastest. And…I'd trust you all to protect me in the meantime."

Samekichi groaned. "Great. Dangerous mission that could be entirely avoided, here we come."

"It's not dangerous," Wadanohara argued. "And…I want the practice, really. I want to be of some help to this sea. Come on, everyone."

"It sounds frikkin' exciting!" Memoca enthused. "Count me in!"

"I…don't know…" Dolphi hadn't spoken yet, but when she did, everyone fell silent and listened. Her hands clutched together from under her shirt cuffs. "But…if everyone is together…I…won't be scared." Fukami looked to her and granted her a tiny, soft smile…and she grinned back.

"Yes." Fukami finally agreed. "If this is what we must do, let us depart as soon as possible."

Samekichi grumbled. "So hurry the hell up," he added, glaring over at Sal.

"Mmm trrrring!" He cried, stuffing a huge mass of waffle in his mouth.

"My goodness, don't choke!" Wadanohara interrupted. "It's not that big of a deal!"

"Yssssss it immmss!"

Nevertheless, Sal quickly shoveled away the rest of his brunch while Wadanohara went to grab a couple little things from her room upstairs, like a few spell ingredients, and her broom, for emergency purposes. The familiars didn't have much to bring, themselves—Fukami had a couple books stashed away on the boat and Dolphi some doodling supplies, and that was really all they needed to entertain themselves during an extended voyage.

Sal washed off his plate just in time, as Wadanohara came to the doorway and announced it was time to go. He ran to his brother's side…and immediately wished he hadn't. Pain flared on his legs again, and he just barely managed to contain a wince. I really hope I don't have to fight… Only if I really have to. If Wadanohara's in danger or something. Even then, I probably won't be of much use. Like she said, the best thing I could do would be to swim off to get help. I'm…not sure how I feel about that.

On the way, they stopped to let a few townsfolk know they were leaving for a while. Tarako was particularly distressed and wanted to give everyone kisses goodbye, but Samekichi smacked it against a wall before it even got close.

"Peace out—we'll be back soon!" Memoca called, before they all ducked out of there.

The path towards the surface gate was always so beautiful…the ocean sparkled and shimmered under their feet, and they walked on a trail of stardust through the water. Wadanohara was particularly pleased by the sight, and any unsettled feelings inside her were comforted by this atmosphere. Samekichi seemed unaffected, but to those that knew him well—Sal and Wadanohara—he was greatly enjoying it too. For a little while, Sal even managed to forget about the weirdness with his legs.

At the ringed area of the gate, a giant swordfish was waiting for them—a guard and helper appointed by the princesses. "Hello, Swordfish," Wadanohara greeted him…no one knew his name, if he even had one.

"Ah! It's Wadanohara and crew!" He smiled under his long, thin snout. "Pulmo informed me that you would all be travelling today. Are you out on royal business?" He shook his shiny body side-to-side. "No, no, that's none of my concern. Just…have a safe voyage, and come back soon, alright?"

"Yes, we will."

"Joining me for the transferal today, Sal?"

"Eh…!" Sal snapped out of a light daze at the swordfish's request. Oh, dammit. I forgot about this. When the whole group went out together like this, the swordfish couldn't carry everyone to the surface, so Sal usually morphed and took the rest. He wasn't as strong as Samekichi, sure, but he could keep up with the guard's pace better. But right now…

"I'm…sorry. I'm still kinda too tired to do it…hahaha. And I just ate and stuff…"

"We had to practically drag him out the door this morning," Memoca exaggerated.

Samekichi gave him a sideways glance. "I thought you said you were totally fine now."

"I am." Swiftly, he thought to use the teasing approach. "I just want to see you do it. Why should I always have to do the transportation, hmm?"

"I thought you liked doing it."

"I do, I do, just—you gotta share the wealth sometimes." Casually, Sal slapped his brother on the back, trying to get him to lay off it. "Now, go on. Your turn!"

"Oh!" Thankfully, Mr. Swordfish agreed. "That would be interesting. I've never swum with Samekichi before. Let's try it!"

Wadanohara giggled a little. "It's good to switch things up sometimes."

"Rrrrgh, alright, okay." Knowing he couldn't waste any more time, Samekichi stepped into the center of the circular area, transforming into his much larger shark body.

Carefully, Wadanohara reached out to him from the edge, and he glided over, meeting her hand with his snout. "I'll ride with you, then," she decided, granting him a reassuring smile.

It took a bit of maneuvering, but she climbed up onto his back. Naturally, Dolphi wanted to go with the swordfish, and so Memoca joined her.

"Wait! Me too, me too!" Before he could pull away, Sal expertly launched himself up and onto Samekichi's back, using his fin as a handhold and pulling himself up next to Wadanohara. It actually hurt quite a bit…but the reaction was definitely worth it. Wadanohara glanced back at him, suppressing a little giggle, and Samekichi shuddered underneath. He grinned a sharp, toothy grin.

"Goddam it, Sal, why?"

"Because I looooooove you." Sal rubbed the smooth gray back under him with both hands, and finally, Wadanohara couldn't contain her laugh anymore.

Samekichi groaned, though he began to drift towards the center again and prepare for liftoff. "I reserve the right to kick you off at any time, so you'd better behave."

"Yes, mother."

Meanwhile, Fukami decided he wanted no part in that, and joined the girls by wrapping a few tentacles around the swordfish's fins.

"Aha, well, looks like we're all set, right?" Mr. Swordfish was a little confused by the arrangement, but eager to get going all the same. "When you're ready, Samekichi. To the surface!"

It took quite a while for the two of them to swim all the way upwards. Softly, step by step, the sea lightened the closer and closer they got to the light of the sun. Sparkles fell away, replaced by slanted beams of sunlight. As expected, Samekichi fell a bit behind, and from further ahead on the swordfish's back, Memoca turned and stuck her tongue out at him. Feeling a bit guilty, Sal tried to help by pumping his tail along with him…but he quickly discovered how ineffective it was and how ridiculous it looked, so he gave up.

At last, the familiar trio and Mr. Swordfish broke through the water and began to unload onto the ringed platform of the Surface Gate. A few minutes later, Samekichi finally surfaced beside him.

"There we are!" The swordfish cheerily announced, while Wadanohara and Sal slipped off the shark, and he morphed back onto the platform next to them. "It's a beautiful day on the Surface! Please, enjoy your trip, and come back safe and sound."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Swordfish," Wadanohara told him, giving him a short curtsy, before he ducked back underwater.

Samekichi still complained a bit, but everyone mostly ignored him as they made their way down the long dock and to their boat. A pair of crab guardians called greetings as they passed, and everyone vaguely returned their claw-waves.

Wadanohara's ocean voyager wasn't terribly big…but it was still comfy enough for all six of them not to feel suffocated. There was one large, main room in the center, with the lower deck mainly used for storage. It was certainly not designed for living for extended periods of time, but, as a weekend getaway…not too bad. Unfortunately, they weren't here now for a vacation.

Casually, everyone checked out the boat first, making sure everything was in order. Fukami especially scrutinized the bookshelves, and Samekichi checked their meat supply in cold storage. Once everyone was satisfied, Wadanohara took the wheel and gently pulled the boat out of the dock, slowly guiding it out to sea.

Looking at the small girl, you'd be surprised to see her at the helm of a ship…but Wadanohara was a very talented and experienced sea captain. She'd even ridden through storms and rocky areas before without even a scratch, though she'd definitely had help from various familiars during those times. The western sector of the Great Blue Sea…it would take a little while to get there, but they should definitely be there before sunset.

After a while, everyone fell into peaceful activities. Memoca was fluttering about the boat, occasionally playing games with Dolphi, who mostly stayed inside and did little arts and crafts projects. Samekichi remained exactly at Wadanohara's side, once in a while scanning the water for anything that looked out of the ordinary. A few times, he even used the onboard spyglass.

At the back of the boat, Fukami and Sal stood in silent serenity, just enjoying the ocean view. Fukami stood a little further back, though Sal was pressed right up against the railing, leaning himself forward to feel the soft sea breeze on his face.

It was so amazingly relaxing, and he could almost feel his worries drifting away, lulled on the gently rocking waves. Everything was so beautiful here…the warm light blanketing the waters, the fresh, salt smell of the sea, the quiet lapping sounds against the hull… Sal closed his eyes and leaned into it a little more, feeling the kisses of sprayed-up droplets on his cheeks and smiling, secretly. He just wished he could stay here forever…soothed by the gentle cradle of their beloved ocean.

When he finally lifted his eyelids again, a blue-white mass in the corner of his eye told him he wasn't alone. Fukami was standing right next to him now, his long, flopping sleeves poised on the railing as well. Looking into his cloudy, grayish eyes, Sal could clearly read his intent. "I was so tempted to just give you a big shove."

Knowingly, Sal fixed him with a return gaze of his own, frowning sarcastically and conveying his own silent message: "Don't you dare think about pushing me off."

The relationship between Sal and Fukami was…odd to say the least. But the two had a sort of unspoken comradery whenever they were alone together. Sal could tell that the tall octopus had a crush on Wadanohara. It was obvious in the way he treated his brother, in the furtive looks he gave her, in his protectiveness of her. And there was some sort of kinship of unrequited love between them.

To be honest, Sal really liked Wadanohara as well, and if not for Samekichi, he would have pursued her too. But, unlike Fukami, he knew when he didn't have a chance and when he should just move on and heal. He loved his brother and valued their relationship more than anything else—it wasn't worth tearing that apart. And…as long as Wadanohara still cared for him as a friend…that would be good enough.

Fukami, on the other hand, was a bit fixated on her…though he never spoke of it, naturally. Some days, Sal wished he could actually talk to him…maybe he could help him through this, since he'd been through something so similar. But for now, they only communicated in stares and silent thoughts and knowing expressions.

Slowly, Sal breathed in the open air, letting it fill him with hope, and gazed back out over the sea. Fukami stayed by his side, his robe and his sleeves lightly billowing. Even if they never said a word…it was nice to have company…to know that they weren't alone.

Shuffling a bit, Sal removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to feel the breeze on his skin. Fukami glanced over at him, with a look that said "you're really weird", but he just smiled in return.

"Aaaaah! Salsal! Fukamin!" Not long after, Memoca's call broke through their peaceful companionship. She came flapping and bouncing up behind them, the cap on her head nearly falling off. "Dolphi and I are going to play that board game again! You guys should join us, so we have four players and everything!"

Fukami gave a sigh, but Sal chuckled and threw his jacket over his shoulder. "Alright, I guess. But just one round. C'mon, tentacle man."

Fukami scowled at that, but followed along when Memoca yanked at the end of his robe, whining "pleeeeeease".

So, for a while, the four played a board game on the table in the cabin, while Wadanohara and Samekichi chatted. Fortunately, they were just putting away the pieces after being utterly decimated by Dolphi, when Samekichi stepped in to announce that they were docking for a little while.

Wadanohara had decided to quickly check the Lonely Isle on the way. Nothing much was going on there, though…it was silent and calm, as well it should be, being a literal graveyard. No one said much of anything while they traveled up towards the peak.

Wadanohara performed a few detection spells, but nothing came up. It wasn't long before they'd decided that nothing was out of the ordinary here, and simply moved on.

During the ensuing trip between Lonely Isle and the westernmost island, Star Isle, the familiars occasionally took turns practicing attacks on drifting life preservers and other various items floating through the sea. It was good exercise and also helped clean the ocean at the same time. The voyage was truly underway. As they neared Star Isle, Samekichi ordered everyone to be on the lookout for strange goings-on. Fukami took point at the stern, while Dolphi and Sal positioned themselves on either side. Although she couldn't actually fly, Memoca managed to climb up to the very top of the boat and roost there on lookout.

Nothing. The sea looked perfectly clear and calm and healthy. The strangest thing they'd run into was an odd-looking red bird with a round bump on its head and soulless white eyes lying out on one of the life preservers.

A plan hatched itself in Sal's brain after several minutes of this observation strategy had passed. Determinedly, he left his post and approached Wadanohara and Samekichi at the bow. "Heeeey," he casually spoke up, though Samekichi gave him a glare. "Nothing much is going on, so…I was thinking maybe I could scout around?"

Wadanohara looked up at him, briefly leaving the ship to cruise on its own. Her eyes were soft and questioning. "We…don't know what's out there, though," she reasoned. "If you run into any kind of trouble, we might not be there to help…"

"And I thought you were still tired." Samekichi crossed his arms, the fins on the edges of his cuffs poking out between them.

"Ah, it'll be fine—I'm not worried." Sal smiled widely, and his tail was practically wagging with excitement. "I won't be away for too long. And I'm not too tired." Teasingly, he grinned towards his brother. "I'm only too tired when it's convenient for me to be too tired."

Samekichi groaned. "…You just want to go for a swim, don't you?"

"Mmmmmaybe…" Sal's voice took on the little singsong lilt he sometimes acquired, and he clutched his turtleneck collar, acting especially cutesy. "Soooooo, can I go scout around?"

Wadanohara giggled. "Well, I suppose so."

"Yesss!" He made a show of hopping up and pumping his fist in victory.

"Just come back very soon, alright? And…let us know if you sense anything unusual…any little thing. Got it?"

"Aye, Captain!" Sal saluted her, beaming brightly, and immediately sprinted for the ship's front railing. "Whoooo!"

Samekichi and Wadanohara watched as he threw himself into a dive right over the edge, splashing down into the water below. Samekichi could only shake his head, and Wadanohara knowingly chuckled behind her smile.

As soon as his whole body thrust under the water, Sal morphed into his shark form, shaking himself a little and re-orienting himself to the different perspective and body movements. Aaaah…it felt so nice. For a few moments, he just twisted himself in and out through the water, delighting in the feeling of it gliding over him and through him. Honestly, he had really wanted to swim…swimming around was his absolute favorite thing to do, and it put his heart at ease. However…there was another reason he had desperately wanted to change into a shark right now.

Uncertainty gnawed at the pits of his stomach when he thought of it again. He'd thought of it earlier when he'd refused Mr. Swordfish's invitation…but he had to be sure, in case that sort of situation arose again.

Taking in a deep filter of oxygen through his gills, Sal slowly twisted himself around, curling his tail in as close to his face as he could possibly get it. A cold little stream trickled through him. Yes. Of course. I was right. At least I know for sure…

Those weird little bumps were present in this form as well…swollen pinkish dots on either side, near the base of his tail. They still hurt, naturally, since water was pressing against them, though it was more of the constant ache he was starting to get used to.

Sal's legs had been hurting throughout the day, though it was only unbearable when something hit at either spot with force. Part of him wasn't concerned, though the other part was anxious under the surface. What if it didn't get better? What if it wasn't just hives or allergies?

With a little shudder through his fishy body, Sal flipped back around and pushed off further into the ocean. All he knew for sure was that he wasn't going to drag his loved ones into this. It wasn't important enough to cause them grief over. Opening his blue eyes wide, he focused intently on the ocean, jetting and glancing past confused fish and various other innocent sea creatures. I want to make them happy, he thought. I don't want them to have to be ashamed of me.

And so, repeating those feeling over like a mantra, Sal zipped through the clear blue ocean, scanning for anything unusual to report. No matter what, he wasn't going to let it bother him. Some things…were more important than his own health.

(-)

So far, this definitely didn't feel like a royal-appointed mission at all. It just felt like a spontaneous vacation, and Wadanohara had to keep reminding herself of how serious this really was. Nothing was turning up, and it was starting to get a bit monotonous. Still…if some malicious magical force really was out there, everyone had to be on alert.

She really hadn't wanted Sal to go off on his own, but he seemed desperate and stir-crazy. She could have asked Samekichi to accompany him, but… At the same time, she didn't want to turn this into more than it needed to be. If there really was no danger here…

Beside her, Samekichi was gently waving his gray shark tail and staring out to sea. "Are you sure this isn't just Princess Mikotsu pulling some sort of prank on you?"

Wadanohara gave a nervous chuckle. "No, no. She wouldn't go this far. And Princess Uomi would never agree to going this far." She stepped closer to the boat railing as they glided along on a straight set course to the west. Her eyes swept over the glassy little waves, looking for any sign of a white shark-dolphin. "I just hope, when we do find something, we're ready for it. And…we're able to actually identify it."

"True." Samekichi looked a little grim.

Knowing him, he was probably worried they'd run into something and he wouldn't be able to properly protect her from it…if it came up too suddenly or under his radar. It was really sweet of him, but at the same time, Wadanohara didn't want him worrying about defending her all of the time. Though she certainly liked having him to rely on, she did have her own magic if she desperately needed to protect herself.

They exchanged a few more words, speculating about the supposed danger and what form it might take and where they might encounter it…before a clattering off to the right side announced Sal's return.

He was in humanoid form again…he'd probably morphed while still in the water and climbed up the emergency ladder. He only shrugged off his little ocean romp and said he'd found absolutely nothing. Samekichi teased him a bit about his enthusiasm for swimming compared to his laziness earlier, but the banter didn't last too long, fortunately.

Sal had been acting a little odd lately, but Wadanohara decided not to bother him about it, especially because of everything he'd been through yesterday. Part of her even felt a little guilty—if she'd known the princesses were watching, she might not have agreed to let him battle. But nothing could be done about it, and they'd just have to figure it out from here.

He seemed perfectly normal at times, but kind of…off at other times. Like when he'd refused to swim with Mr. Swordfish. Normally, Sal would never pass up an opportunity to do the transportation and surreptitiously race with him. And she wasn't buying that he'd just been "too tired". Her hypothesis was that he still felt bad about himself…so hopefully, if he was happy, it would gradually wear away.

Wadanohara decided they would stop off at Star Isle when they got close, though the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, dying the world around them a soft rose-orange. She searched high and low with her detection spell, to no avail. Nothing was even slightly awry on this island, even near the enormous curved branches of the Star Fruit Tree.

They even ran into Nekoyama, the mail seagull, and Wadanohara carefully asked him if he'd seen anything in his travels. The gist of his garbled words was that he'd never even heard of such incidents before, if they could trust his memory at all.

In the back of Wadanohara's mind, even she was starting to doubt the severity of this task. This was mostly training for her, she had to remind herself. So even if there was no actual danger, she needed to act as if there were.

By the time they departed from Star Isle, fuzzy gray darkness was beginning to descend over the boat, and Wadanohara dropped the anchor for the night. It would be much more difficult to look around at night, though she'd probably come out and use the spyglass once in a while.

Everyone gathered in the main cabin for dinner, barely fitting around the table, and mostly griping about the lack of activity. Memoca bragged about a few moves she'd pulled while battering a life preserver, and Dolphi said she'd seen a shark, though it turned out she'd only seen Sal's fin when he'd been out "scouting around".

When they broke up, and Fukami pulled out a book to read on one of the beds, and Dolphi produced a box of crayons from seemingly thin air, Wadanohara got an idea. She'd always planned on doing this, but…right now was the moment. The golden opportunity.

With a slight rustle, she reached into her nightstand drawer…and withdrew a smooth, porcelain ocarina. Fukami glanced over at her as she made her way to the center of the wooden floor with it…and when she pressed it to her lips, she had Samekichi's rapt attention. Her music was like irresistible sweet honey…and she was naturally talented with just about any musical instrument, not just piano and ocarina.

Both instruments were very near and dear to her heart. Wadanohara's father had taught her to play the piano from a very young age, and some of her most cherished memories were of sitting at the piano bench with him, reveling in the sounds and the wonderful feeling of being loved. And the ocarina was so special to her…because it had been a present from her shark twins.

Not long after the three of them had settled into the Deepsea Town house together, they'd presented her with this gorgeous potato-shape ocarina, as a show of gratitude. At the time, they'd squabbled over it, each trying to take sole credit…but the truth was, they were equally responsible. It had initially been Sal's idea, but Samekichi had been the one to actually place the order for it with Nekoyama and pick it up when it arrived. Whenever she played it…it reminded her of the two of them and those first few months starting out. Though she loved Dolphi, Fukami, and Memoca, and was eternally grateful to have them in her life, those old times had been wonderful, and sometimes, she felt a little nostalgia for them…

Wadanohara gently blew, producing sweet notes from the oblong object…stringing them together into a song from her childhood. All of the familiars paused and took notice when the performance began. Even Memoca lowered her voice to better listen to the witch's relaxing melody. Samekichi closed his eyes and smiled, from his spot at the table. All at once, his muscles seemed to relax, and he was thoroughly content, listening to the music of his beloved. Fukami set down his book and fixated his eyes on the movements of her delicate fingers over the wind holes. A soft, smooth noise began…and gradually swelled, until it was level with the ocarina's notes. Sal.

From the opposite side of the table, Sal was beginning to sing along, supplying the words to the undersea classic.

Wadanohara smiled at the edges of her lips. She'd hoped this would happen, actually. Though he didn't show it often, especially in front of a crowd, Sal really liked to sing…and he was pretty good at it, too. He wasn't spectacular, and he wouldn't win any sort of award for it…but his voice was smooth and flowing, trilling and pleasant. Even Samekichi had to admit that it sounded nice. He needed to sing now, Wadanohara thought—it was something he could do that others would admire.

Once the song drifted to an end, they began to request even more songs. "Could you play that stupid one?" Memoca asked…and Wadanohara answered "of course", launching into a quicker, wavering tune.

Memoca and Sal chimed in with the accompanying childish lyrics, laughing at each other between each chorus, and Dolphi started to clap along.

Samekichi requested a few more songs, ones that didn't have lyrics, and so Sal only hummed a bit during those. Two more silly songs from Memoca and Dolphi, and finally, after, Sal voiced his own thoughts.

"Oh!" He decided, excitedly standing up in his seat. Dolphi and Memoca were still giggling and making poses and hand motions to the previous tune. "Could you play that fast one? That one you do on the piano that I really like?"

"Umm…" Wadanohara cradled the ocarina in her hands a moment, considering. "I'm not sure. I could try. It might not be as distinct as on the piano, and I might slip up here and there, because it's so fast…"

"Oh, that's fine, that's fine—it doesn't have to be perfect."

Samekichi gave him a half-teasing glare, conveying "Stop giving her so much work", but he only chuckled it off.

Wadanohara was truly excited to take his request, no matter what it was. Mentally, she prepped herself…sucked in a deep breath…and began.

Sal broke into a wide smile the moment it started, and Samekichi shook his head at him. The tune was a little bit slower than usual…Wadanohara's fingers couldn't shift into position on the ocarina as quickly and easily as they could skip across the ivory keys…but it was still lively and jumpy as ever.

Almost subconsciously, Sal began to dance along, hopping against the wooden floor in a spontaneous, untrained tap-dance. He threw in some twists and whirls across the room, circling the space around Wadanohara, and she had to force herself to stay focused on the song or else she would've burst into laughter. Sal danced the same way he swam—with pure merriment and complete reckless abandon. It was wonderful to see, if not thoroughly ridiculous.

Memoca snorted and wasted no time in letting him know how stupid he looked. Yet at the same time, she was shifting up out of her chair, her feathery little tail twitching with excitement. A few seconds later, and both she and Dolphi had joined him, bopping and flapping and pattering along to the clipping rhythm.

Wadanohara was overjoyed to see her familiars having so much fun with her music, so she zeroed in on her hands and her breath, pooling all her efforts into keeping it going steady.

The two girls and the shark laughed to each other, sometimes joining hands or dancing towards each other. Even Dolphi got caught up in the moment and shook her tail together with Sal's, beaming to him as if she'd completely forgotten that he wasn't also a dolphin.

Eventually, the requested song came to an end…but Wadanohara immediately started in on another upbeat dance tune, just to keep them out on the floor with her. Dolphi and Memoca clapped their hands together and twirled each other around to the beat, having the time of their lives.

With a natural flair, Sal spun himself over towards Samekichi, and bent uncomfortably close to him, a goofy grin on his face. "Samekiiichiiiiii…"

"No." His answer to the unspoken question was immediate. He didn't even need words—he knew what his brother was thinking.

"Aw, c'mon…" Sal smiled to him, warm and joyful, and gripped onto his arms, dragging them up by the wrists. "Join us, Samekichi!"

"Ehh, but…" The gray shark-boy began to protest, but his resolve was clearly breaking down. He really wanted to, but he was incredibly shy, and his cheeks were already starting to flush with embarrassment. Wadanohara's heart fluttered thinking about how cute he looked right now.

"Don't be scared—c'mon!" Sal urged, laughing and tugging at his arms. "You know you want tooooo…"

"I don't want to do anything, if you're involved." Yet a little grin cracked onto Samekichi's face, and he relinquished himself to his brother's insistent tug.

Sal broke into giggles, practically pulling him to his feet and dragging him out onto the dance floor.

Wadanohara tried not to stare, but she couldn't help sneaking peeks here and there. This was just so amazingly wonderful and more than she'd even hoped for.

It took a little while for Samekichi to get warmed up and feel comfortable moving this way in front of other people, but Sal was dancing beside him, gradually coaxing him along. A few times, they even slapped tails, bumped backs, and generally coordinated moves together.

Once he'd limbered up and stopped blushing like mad, Samekichi was actually pretty good at dancing, himself…probably because he was so in tune with the rhythm. When they performed the same move together, you could see how Samekichi snapped straight and true to the music, while Sal was a bit more sloppy and erratic. It was still so heartwarming to see them dance together, though, since they were both so unbelievably happy…though Samekichi definitely didn't show it as much.

When she noticed it was appropriate, Memoca leaped against Samekichi's back, and he nearly fell over. She and Sal laughed, and they started to dance around him, incorporating him into the group as a whole. It lasted for almost another whole song. Until Samekichi got a little too excited and hip-checked Sal a bit too hard.

With a yelp, he toppled to the floor, and Samekichi was instantly rigid and grave, sweeping down to his side to make sure he was okay. "Oh, geez, Sal. Are you alright?"

Memoca and Dolphi didn't even notice until Wadanohara took note herself and her music stopped. "W-What? What's going on?" Memoca glanced around, Dolphi's hands still clutched in her wings.

"I-I'm fine…" Sal struggled back up onto his knees, though he was cringing in pain and clutching at his left thigh. "Just a…bruise, probably. I'm out, though."

A frown creased Samekichi's face, and he extended his arms to help him back up. Sal carefully rose to his feet again, pushing off from his brother's arm, though he still looked bent over a little. Carefully, he seated himself back at the table, trying to bite back pain, and Samekichi took a seat near him, probably feeling guilty over the incident.

Wadanohara played one more song for the persistent Memoca and Dolphi, though after that, the party kind of died away. The mood had been interrupted, and Wadanohara herself wanted to put the ocarina away and make sure Sal wasn't too injured. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd noticed him rubbing at that one spot on his thigh a lot. Like he'd said, he was probably going to bruise there…but it should have stopped hurting by now.

"Um…do you need an ice pack or anything, Sal?" It was the first thing Wadanohara said once she'd stashed away the instrument and came to the side of the table.

"No, no," he tried to dismiss her. "I'm fine, really. It's not hurting as much now—it'll probably go away soon."

Again, she wasn't entirely convinced. Sal was good at acting—he was probably covering up how much it really hurt him. "Why don't you let me heal it?" she offered, slightly extending a hand towards him. "I could…"

"N-No!" He cried, a little too quickly, one hand popping up to stop her. "Don't waste your magic! Seriously. It's not worth it." He chuckled, a bit forcedly. "You should make Samekichi heal me. It's all his fault, after all."

"Shut your mouth," Samekichi grumbled, though the light flush on his cheeks betrayed him. He really did feel bad about it. "You're the one who made me dance in the first place." The wistful gaze he directed down at the table seemed to say "If I could heal you, I definitely would."

For the rest of the night, Wadanohara joined them at the table. Memoca got bored and went to bother Fukami, interrupting his peaceful reading time. Samekichi listlessly flipped through an illustrated encyclopedia, keeping himself distracted. Wadanohara joined Dolphi and actually made a little origami figure with her, while Sal watched and tried to memorize the steps.

Eventually, everyone started getting tired, especially Dolphi, who always had an early bedtime. There was only one problem with that…

"Oh…" Looking around the room, Wadanohara suddenly realized something that she should have thought of a lot earlier. Her arms wrapped around Dolphi, steadying the sleepy little dolphin girl. "Um…I kind of forgot. It's been so long since we've stayed overnight on the boat…we only have three beds in here."

Fukami rose from the bed he'd been sitting on, relinquishing it to their use. "No problem." Succinctly, he stashed his book away in a bookcase…and began to curl his tentacles up underneath him. "I don't need a bed." The others watched, confusedly, as he began to arrange his own tentacles, folding them around and under him…until he had his own personal squishy octo-bed.

"Aha…well, that's sure useful," Sal commented, incredulously.

"And I know!" Memoca flapped over, cradling Dolphi between her and Wadanohara. The dolphin cracked open her dark eyes to stare back at her friend. "…Dolphi and I can sleep together! We've done that before, and it was nice! Right, Dolphi?"

Dolphi blinked…and then gave a tiny smile. "…Yeah. Memoca's feathers are soft."

Wadanohara let go, leaving her with a pat on the head, and they chose the second bed near the nightstand. Memoca lifted the covers and let Dolphi crawl in first.

Silence. Sal looked at Samekichi. Samekichi looked at Sal. A long, smug, silly smile stretched across Sal's lips. Samekichi lowered his eyes into a hard glare. "…..You know what this means…"

"We're not…"

"Oh, yes, we are. There's no choooiiice…"

"Rrrrgh, do we really…?!"

Sal swept over to the third bed, throwing his jacket and shoes off and snuggling into it, on his back. "C'mon, brother. You get to sleep with me toniiight…"

"Goddammit it, Sal," Samekichi heavily groaned—his phrase of the day, it seemed. It wasn't too unusual, really… They used to sleep together when they were very young, at least so Samekichi had told her…but it was still kind of embarrassing. But there was nothing else to do… It would be completely inappropriate for one of them to sleep in the same bed with Wadanohara.

Resignedly, Samekichi sighed and began to slip off his jacket and anchor necklace. Carefully, he folded up the coat and stashed it underneath the bed, tucking the necklace into a pocket to make absolutely sure he wouldn't lose it. With a dull little thnk, his shoes dropped onto the wood floor beside Sal's, and he kneeled onto the bed, glaring straight into his laughing blue eyes. "But don't you dare kick me in your sleep again."

"Of course not. Why would I ever do that?" Humming a little, Sal rolled to the side to make more room on the bed.

Meanwhile, Wadanohara stashed away her hat and ducked into the tiny one-stall bathroom to change into her nightgown. By the time she came back out, the two sharks were settled down under the covers, squished back-to-back. Dolphi and Memoca were already asleep, Memoca softly snoring. Fukami cracked one eye open at her from his self-cushion, his arms crossed comfortably…but then closed it again when she climbed into bed. He was probably just making sure she was okay.

With a satisfied sigh, Wadanohara sank into the cushion. Their mission was far from over…or even really started, but she still felt proud of herself…for being able to invoke such joy in her beloved familiars with her music. There was nothing she needed to be worried about now. And it wasn't long until she fell into peaceful slumber herself.

(-)

Gentle sunlight streamed through the portholes, bathing the small cabin in fresh brightness. Stretching her arms and back slightly, Wadanohara slipped out of bed the next morning, thoroughly refreshed. Her sleep had been satisfying and dreamless, and she was ready to start on the journey again. Softly, she patted down the covers, tucking them back under the pillow, and stroked her loose, wavy hair.

With one glance around the room, she noticed that Fukami had already woken up and left the room. He was probably out on the deck reading or watching the ocean or something. Everyone else was still fast asleep. Memoca had stretched out her legs on her back, practically pushing poor Dolphi off the edge of the bed. Dolphi was still sound asleep, though, and curled in a ball, almost hugging her own tail.

Wadanohara moved to the dresser to retrieve her clothes, and passed the twins' bed on the way. Her heart almost melted into gooey blobs. Ohmygosh, that's so adorable…

Whether intentionally or just out of habit, Samekichi and Sal had shuffled into a close, comfy position in their sleep. Sal was snuggling his face into Samekichi's side, lightly tucking against him…and Samekichi's hand rested over Sal's head, squishing his fin-spike down a bit. It was just such a protective, affectionate gesture…even if Samekichi wasn't even aware of what he was doing. It was probably a subconscious, natural motion for him.

Samekichi was really such a caring, kind soul, even if he didn't show it often. He really was very protective of Sal, too. Though he'd restrained himself at the time, Wadanohara had noticed the terrible pain behind his eyes when Sal had gotten so injured in the battle yesterday. He'd probably had to be this way growing up…to protect his brother from being bullied by other sharks. The unfortunate truth was that Sal wasn't very strong, physically, and he might've gotten beat up quite a bit if Samekichi hadn't been there to fight for him. It was just so wonderfully endearing…how much he cared about him. It made her love him all the more.

Wadanohara had to tear her eyes away from them so she could go get dressed. She was practically humming with happiness as she quietly got herself ready for the day.

Gently slipping out the door so as not to wake her sleeping familiars, she stepped out onto the deck, finding Fukami standing out near the edge. "Morning, Fukami!"

"…Good morning, Wadanohara."

She hadn't talked with him in a while, and that was kind of sad. Fukami was always so calm and reassuring, and he could be good company, if sometimes a little too quiet. "You're up early. I hope it wasn't uncomfortable for you, sleeping like that."

"Oh, no, not at all. I just…wanted some time to think."

They stood for a while in silent peace, eyes sweeping across the rolling waves.

"…If something's really wrong…I hope we figure it out soon." It was unusual for Fukami to try to start a conversation like this…but he was really trying. Something was weighing on his mind, and he needed to release it somehow…even if it really had nothing to do with the mission.

Wadanohara set her mouth into a firm line. "Yes. I…hope it's just nothing and we don't find anything, but on the other hand, I hope we do find something, because…I don't want to be oblivious to it."

Fukami closed his eyes. "I know what you mean."

For a few more moments, the two of them stood watch together…until Wadanohara decided she should probably fetch something for breakfast and check to see if anyone else was up yet.

Almost as soon as she opened the door, a heavy thump shook through the cabin, immediately followed by shouting voices. Yep, they're up.

"Sal, what the hell?!"

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

"Will you guys shut up?!"

"He was freaking sniffing my armpits or something like a freak!"

"Good morning to you too, brother, dearest."

"God, what is wrong with you?"

Wadanohara couldn't help smiling as she stepped in on the scene. Sal was in a heap on the floor next to the bed, obviously having been shoved off by a rather flustered-looking Samekichi. The covers were all tangled and rumpled in a mass. Memoca had shot up and was squawking at them for disturbing her slumber…while Dolphi was still curled up, awake but not minding at all. "Hello, everyone."

"Ah, hello, Wadanohara!" Sal immediately scrambled to his feet, slightly embarrassed by his position. "I hope you slept well. I hope you weren't rudely awakened by an inconsiderate shark who just couldn't contain his anger. Cause let me tell you, that's brutal."

"You were the one invading my personal space!"

"Oh, c'mon. I've lived with you for how many years now? What personal space?"

Wadanohara just chuckled and let the two of them bicker it out a bit more, while she began to arrange the table. Eventually, they all lifted fully out of bed, even Dolphi, who probably could've gone on sleeping all morning. They shuffled around, preparing themselves for the day. All of it was so very normal…though Sal did take an oddly long time in the bathroom. Memoca even banged and barked at the door because she needed to go, and he still wasn't out yet. Fortunately, it wasn't much longer.

Another warm, breezy, clear, pristine day greeted them when they all finally made their way out onto the deck. Back to work. Fukami helped drag up the anchor, and Wadanohara took control again, nudging the boat into a gentle cruise westward. The familiars took up their lookout positions once more, scanning for unusual activity.

Again…nothing was turning up. An hour or so in, Wadanohara tried a detection spell again…nothing. Samekichi was giving her a concerned look. She was going to keep trying, though, even if he was worried that she was using her magic for no reason. She had to keep trying. This test or mission or whatever it was…she wasn't going to let herself fail it. Not this way.

Time passed. Their positions shifted, but the familiars remained on strict lookout. Afternoon was approaching.

The tapping of footfalls on the wooden floor behind her announced that someone had left their post. And she was pretty sure who.

"Um…hey. If nothing's turning up, still, I could try scouting around again."

Samekichi gave his brother a hard look over his shoulder. "Are you really that bored already?"

"Eh. Yes and no."

Wadanohara turned to search Sal's face, and…something really seemed off. Though his lips stretched into a smile, his eyes held something troubled. He stood gripping one arm to the side, more anxiously than he usually would be about this. Was he still feeling bad about himself? Had being injured by Samekichi during their dance reinforced his feelings of inferiority? She really hoped not…and she wished there were something she could do, so he didn't have to feel that way. That was probably what this whole "scouting around" business was about now…Sal wanted to contribute something…something special that he could add to their efforts.

"Alright," she told him, offering a friendly smile. "Go ahead. We should try something different anyway."

He grinned and rushed to the boat's edge, immediately throwing himself into the ocean…though, somehow, he seemed a little less chipper about it. Almost like this was something he had to do rather than something he wanted to do. That definitely didn't seem right.

A crazy idea popped into Wadanohara's mind. There would be consequences for this, but…she wanted to. She wanted to so badly. To get a chance to talk to him, to try to figure things out. A part of her was attached to Sal, just as a different part was attached to Samekichi…and her other familiars, in their own wonderful ways. She couldn't stand this. Desperately, she broke into a sprint to the boat railing after him…

"Wadanohara!" Samekichi cried, darting forward, reaching out for her…but it was too late. She'd already dove off the edge of the boat into the water below.

"Wadanohara, what are you doing?!" The only thing that stopped him from automatically leaping in after her was that Sal's shark-head appeared, gliding over to her side.

Wadanohara bobbed up and down, treading the water and moving a little bit closer to him. This was exactly what she'd been hoping for.

"Are you nuts?!" Samekichi shouted, practically tearing his fluffy collar apart. But she only ignored him for the time being.

"W-Wadanohara, are you okay?!" Sal reached out his flippers a little and stared at her with especially wide, round eyes.

She giggled. "I'm fine, Sal. I just felt like taking a little dip along with you."

He nervously chuckled a bit in reply. Something still seemed wrong about him. He should be overjoyed. He should be flipping up out of the water and clapping, swimming circles around her. He should be offering to give her a ride, blowing raspberries at Samekichi, and trying to make her laugh, like he always did. Not this…demure, anxious, unsure hesitation.

"And I wanted to talk to you." Wadanohara paddled through a wave, right in front of him. She reached out and soothingly rubbed his smooth, alabaster side. His muscles tensed a little at her touch…only confirming her suspicions. "Sal…are you really alright? You seem kind of…depressed or something lately."

"Heh… Well…I might be catching a cold." Sal's eyes rolled back a little when he admitted this. "I have been feeling kind of tired and weak. Like when I slept for so long. That might be why I seem down. I…don't have as much energy." He chuckled, lightly. "I should probably find something to take before I infect everyone on this boat. I'm really sorry if you catch it."

A little saddened, Wadanohara gently rubbed his snout, his round blue eyes almost crossed to look up at her. "I just don't want you making yourself ill over what happened at the palace…"

"Oh, no, no!" Sal wriggled back and forth. "I assure you, I'm over that now. It's a fresh start, right? Fwiish, out the window." He nudged up against her palm a bit. "You worry about this mission. I'll worry over my own health, okay?"

Wadanohara wasn't entirely convinced, but she gave him a tiny smile anyway. "If you're sure…"

"Sure I'm sure." Sal nodded upwards a bit. "Now, let's get you back on board before my other half has an aneurism."

Samekichi did look like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

Wadanohara extended her arms, fitting them around Sal's snout. With a cheerful smile, he hopped upwards slightly, making her bounce, and she gave a short laugh. Samekichi was probably throwing a personal fit right now, and she loved imagining it.

Carefully, Sal glided to the ladder rungs, pushing Wadanohara within reach of them. Complacently, she reached out to grab the first rung, pulling herself off him and up onto the ladder. Her clothes were soaking wet, but she could probably dry them swiftly with magic.

"I'll see you in a bit," Sal cheerily told her. "When I report back."

"Yes, of course. Don't stay out too long." She gave him a return smile, and finally began to climb back up onto the boat. By the time she reached the top, he'd already disappeared into the blue depths.

For the next several minutes, Wadanohara had to endure Samekichi fretting over her and admonishing her for acting so impulsively…but at the same time, it was adorable how upset he was getting over this and how much he'd been worried for her safety.

Part of her wanted to discuss Sal with him—if he'd noticed how oddly he'd been acting and if he had any better insight. But eventually, she decided against it. If it seemed like she was fixating on Sal at all, she might start sending the wrong messages and upsetting them both.

Instead, she focused on how much she'd wanted to go for a swim, maybe perhaps suggesting that he could take her for a swim next time. This was pretty boring, and she honestly kind of wished they could play around a bit more on this journey. Oh, well. At least they were getting closer to the far western reaches of the sea, where they really needed to focus their efforts.

An hour later, Sal stepped back onto the deck. He walked a little oddly and pressed a hand to the side of his leg. "Nothing to really report, sadly." He sighed. "Well, it's a good thing, at least, but…we've got to find something."

"Yeah, I know." Samekichi scowled. "Let's get everyone together here and talk about it—having them on stakeout all this time isn't doing any good, it seems."

Wadanohara agreed to that plan, and soon, everyone had gathered at the bow end, looking out across the bare expanse and idly wondering what they should try next.

In the meanwhile, a few hostile fish floated past, and Memoca insisted on fighting with them. They conducted a few sea-battles, mostly out of boredom…but a sick feeling was growing in the pits of Wadanohara's stomach.

She switched out each familiar for each battle, trying to give them equal chance to shine…but something was very clearly wrong with Sal. The first time he battled, he was panting and lightly rubbing at his legs afterwards. The second time, his face contorted a bit in pain.

A time came, during a battle with a large grouping of enemy fish, when she decided to use all of her familiars at once. It would be a good exercise in combining their powers and learning to work with each other and their differing abilities. At least, that was what she'd thought. As soon as the hoard disappeared, something happened. Everyone had been so focused on searching the ocean…that they had barely noticed what was going on right under their noses. Now…it couldn't go on any longer.

The fish disappeared back into the ocean, defeated…Memoca whooped with victory, Samekichi stretched his back…and Sal crumpled to the wooden deck, his entire body shuddering.

"Sal!" Wadanohara and Samekichi were immediately at his side, with the other three following loosely after.

He coughed a bit, clutched his legs again, and tried to speak. He couldn't. It was over. Wadanohara could tell, from the look on his face. There was no way he could pretend he was fine any longer. He was breaking down…his body was failing him, and he couldn't hide this problem now. She'd been worried that something like this might happen.

"Sal." Wadanohara firmly looked him straight in the face, and he shivered, weakly hugging himself around the arms, as if trying to hold himself together. "Something is wrong with you, and I need to know what. As your master, and as your friend…you need to tell me. Now."

Sal twitched and pressed his knees towards his chest. His breathing was ragged, quick, panicked, his face displaying agony…and even fear. But finally, he answered. "I… Y-You see, I…don't really even know. I've been trying to figure it out ever since yesterday morning, before we left, and…I just…" He shook his head, almost rubbing his face against his knees. "I-It didn't get any better, like I thought it would. I didn't…think it was a big deal. I-I didn't want to bother anyone about it, especially since…"

Samekichi silenced him with a glare, his expression dark and insistent. "Now, Sal. Tell us. Now." Even the other three familiars were worried, huddling behind Wadanohara and gazing at him with varying degrees of expressed concern.

"A-Alright…" Sal's eyebrows pinched together as he turned away from their probing eyes, focusing on the cracks of the wooden planks. "It's…probably easier if I just show you…like this…"

While they looked on questioningly, he carefully unfolded himself…and flopped forward, onto his stomach. He stretched himself out, pressing into the deck…and phased into shark form. Everyone backed away around the larger body when it flashed light magical blue and grew and took shape. Sal wouldn't be able to stay this way for long, since he couldn't breathe on land in this body…but this was the only way to really show them, without getting undressed.

Wadanohara crouched slightly, looking around and trying to find anything odd. But almost immediately, Samekichi noticed it. He moved around to the other side with curiosity…and tucked the corners of his mouth down in a scowl. There were bumps near the base of his tail…round, pinkish, and bulging. He reached out slowly to feel one.

"D-Don't press on it," Sal warned. "It hurts when you press on it."

Samekichi gently placed a gloved hand over it and felt around it, confusedly considering. "What is this? Some kind of rash?"

"Dunno." Sal's fishy body twitched as he suppressed a gasp through his gills. "But it's there in my human form too."

Wadanohara stepped up to the opposite side, softly cupping her hands around the other bulbous growth. Wordlessly, she closed her eyes…and soft blue energy began to trail down her fingertips, flowing out over the inflamed area.

"A-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" A scream erupted from Sal as soon as it touched him, his body wrenching and thrashing. Wadanohara ripped herself away, cutting off the magical stream. With a sudden crackle, Sal morphed back, coughing and gasping and shivering and even whimpering a little.

"Aaaah! I'm sorry!" Wadanohara exclaimed, worriedly holding her hands out. "I didn't know that would hurt! I'm so sorry!"

Sal was still too breathless to respond, and Samekichi placed a hand on the top of his head, comfortingly. His expression was grim, worried.

"What did you just do?" Fukami spoke up. He stood by Wadanohara's side, ready to defend her in a heartbeat, his dull eyes focused on the shuddering white shark.

"I-I tried to heal him." Distressed beads of sweat were forming below Wadanohara's bangs. "It didn't…work."

"It didn't work?!" Memoca squawked in disbelief. "But…but how could it not work?! Healing magic can heal anything!"

Wadanohara slowly shook her head, grayish eyes wide. "Not everything. Whatever that is…it's something that can't be helped with magic alone. That's…concerning. It could be something really serious."

"Whatever it is, it's definitely more than just a rash." Samekichi nodded solemnly. He softly ruffled his brother's hair. "We need to get you to a doctor."

"I'm sorry…" Sal gulped and tried to steady his shaking. He'd curled up again, knees near his chest. "It's okay, Wadda. You were only trying to help me. It…it kinda feels worse, though. It hurts. I just don't know…" He shook himself side-to-side. "They've…gotten bigger, too. They were a lot smaller yesterday. I thought…they'd go away, but…I was wrong. And I've been…feeling really weak, though I don't know if that has something to do with it. Like…these things are sucking away my energy or something."

Wadanohara stared for a moment…before steeling herself…balling her hands into fists over his skirt, and turning back to her trusted octopus familiar. "Fukami. Turn this ship around. We're heading back to town."

He curtly bowed and immediately strode off towards the helm.

"B-But what about the mission?!" Sal broke away from his brother's touch, shoving himself back up onto his feet, despite his quivering legs. "This mission is really important—the princesses even said so! You can't abandon the mission just because of me!"

"Yes, I can," Wadanohara asserted, fixing him with a firm glare. "Don't even suggest that we sacrifice you just to get this mission done."

Fukami didn't even twitch away from the controls, and he slowly began to swing the vessel around in a half-circle.

"Your health and well-being are much more important than some little mission. Especially since we have no idea what's even wrong or how to help it. If we don't do something, you're just going to get worse, and then, who knows what might happen."

"B-B-But, it's not that bad!" Sal flailed. "It's just some lumps. I can deal with the pain. It's really not a problem! I…um…" His attempts were hopelessly weak, and he knew it.

With one movement, Samekichi practically shoved him down into a sitting position on the floor again. "Look. Just sit down and shut up. We're taking you back to town, and that's final."

"Rrrrrgh." Grudgingly, Sal relented, falling silent and just hugging himself in place. No one said a word as the boat turned, and finally began to jet off in the opposite direction.

Wadanohara watched around Fukami's robe and advised him to shift it up into the fastest speed. It was probably still going to take several hours before they could get back to the gate, but at least it wouldn't be as long as it took to get out here.

Samekichi tromped into the cabin and retrieved a chair, plopping it down on the deck and firmly commanding Sal to take a seat. He wasn't too happy about it, but he pushed himself to comply…he'd learned throughout his life that there was no fighting his brother when he was so determined to take care of him.

The wind blew louder and more forcefully in their ears, since they were moving much faster. Yet, Sal could still be heard when he gently spoke up again. He hung his head slightly, his face light yellow-pink in shame.

"I can't stand this. Why? It's not… It doesn't matter this much to me."

"Sal." Samekichi pressed his hand onto his shoulder, rubbing a little through his grey-brown shoulder sleeve. "Why didn't you tell us? This…wouldn't have happened this way if you had just told us."

Sal shook his head, sadly. "I…didn't want to bother anyone. I just…I'm always causing problems for you. I hate it. I feel like I'm just a burden on all of you. I didn't want to be such a burden…" Samekichi sighed. He'd probably had to deal with this sort of issue quite a few times already in the past.

Though she hadn't spoken much during the whole ordeal, Memoca came to Sal's side now…and folded her wings around his neck. His head lifted, his clear blue eyes blinking in surprise. She never usually displayed any kind of serious affection like this. She pulled away, and good-naturedly gave him a quick slap on the back. "If you were really such a burden, we would've tossed you out a long time ago."

"Heh." Sal managed a chuckle. "Well, that's a wonderful vote of confidence."

"And really…" Wadanohara was listening in, and she chimed in to give her support. "You were permitted to become my familiar for a reason. Because you would be useful to me. You never would have passed the test if you would have just been a hindrance."

A little smile graced Sal's face and he averted his eyes. "That does make sense… Thank you, Wadanohara."

After a while, Wadanohara pulled out her ocarina again to pass the time, and got everyone to sing along (except for Samekichi). Even Fukami was humming a little bit. Sal eventually felt more stable, and his legs had stopped hurting so much, so he felt up to standing and walking around the boat a little again. Dolphi nudged them into playing her board game again, and they gathered around the table in the cabin. This time, Wadanohara played with them, since she'd handed sea captain duties off to Fukami. All in all, they tried to keep calm and act like everything was perfectly natural.

Secretly, Wadanohara was a little glad that they'd been pulled away from the mission…it really hadn't been getting anywhere anyway. It would be a little hard to explain why and how she'd had to abandon it, without making Sal the culprit, but she told herself she would deal with that when the time really arose.

By the time they finally reached the gateway to the undersea kingdom, the sun was setting, staining the sky and ocean orange-red. Fukami expertly docked, and they all rushed to the inner ring.

Wadanohara cleverly dodged questions from the crab guardians and Mr. Swordfish, saying that she was fine but she couldn't really discuss the details of her trip just yet. It was hugely fortunate that they didn't run into Pulmo or any of the other advisors on their way down through the path to Deepsea Town.

And at last, earlier than any of them had expected, they were bursting through the front door of their house, rearranging and replacing whatever small items they had brought with them. Although Sal insisted that he felt fine, Wadanohara and Samekichi forced him to go upstairs and lie down in bed. They weren't exactly trusting his definition of "fine" anymore.

As soon as she had a chance, Wadanohara bustled out into the town and enlisted the aid of a local doctor-mermaid. She wouldn't be as prestigious as a doctor fish from the palace, but for emergency purposes, she'd do just fine…especially since she was willing to take sudden work late in the evening like this. Though really, she couldn't refuse when the sea's guardian witch came to her, asking her to please take a look at one of her familiars who was suddenly very ill.

They entered the house just as the deep blue darkness of night was descending over Deepsea Town. "Thank you for making this house call on such short notice like this." Wadanohara earnestly told the medical mermaid, who was dressed in light purple and carrying a hastily-packed bag of supplies. "He's right upstairs—we made him lie down. We don't really know what it is, but he's exceptionally weak and he's got these weird bumps on his legs…"

Samekichi waited on the couch with her while the mermaid was examining Sal upstairs. It was worrying, sure…but at least they should have an answer. Memoca and Dolphi were distracting themselves in the other room by playing some sort of pretend game, and Fukami was keeping his tentacles busy, idly baking some muffins for tomorrow.

It didn't take too long. When the long, pigtailed, purple hair of the mermaid appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Wadanohara was immediately on her feet, gravitating towards her. "So…what is it? What's the matter with him?"

The mermaid walked right past, barely glancing at the worried girl. "He seems perfectly healthy. Fatigued, yes, but that was all I could tell."

"Are you sure?!" Wadanohara's voice strained, lifting up a few notes. "But…what about the bumps? What in the world are those bumps?"

"Just a rash, that's all."

"Ah…!" Before she could get another word out, the mermaid left, yanking the door closed behind her.

"Ah…" What…? Why would she…? Anxiety pressed Wadanohara's face, and her body froze, halfway towards the door. Something wasn't right. Something really, really wasn't right.

"She seemed in an awful rush," Samekichi commented. He was burying his fear, though his hands were shaking a little in his lap.

"…..I…" How could there be nothing? It just wasn't possible. As much as she would love to say "Oh, it's okay, Sal, you're perfectly alright, we were worried for nothing", she knew it wasn't true. She was lying. Either the mermaid had found something…something she didn't want to talk about…or she'd encountered something even she couldn't understand or explain with medical science.

"I'm writing to my father." Wadanohara finally decided. Determinedly, she marched over to a drawer, ripped out a piece of paper, seized a quill, and clapped them onto the table. "That's not true. I don't know what's going on, but I know that's not true." She withdrew the quill, dipped it, and swiftly began to write. "If I can get this to him tonight, he can come here tomorrow. We need him."

Lord Meikai wasn't medically licensed, but maybe that wasn't what they needed right now. He did have a vast store of knowledge on a great many things—things common people would never have known about. And if Sal's body had rejected Wadanohara's healing magic, maybe this disease was magically-oriented. Maybe it wasn't a disease at all, but a curse or a malicious spell placed upon him. Her father would know. Her father would tell them the truth.

Hastily, Wadanohara scribbled away, explaining the situation and why they needed him right away…meanwhile, Samekichi gently rose from the couch, and slipped away up the stairs to visit with his brother. This was all happening so fast—such a whirlwind of hustle and activity. He needed to talk to him. He just needed to talk to him. Samekichi needed to be there, every step of the way. All the anxiety was welling up within him, and he needed to see Sal, to look him in the eyes, and know that he was still the same as ever.

When he appeared at the top of the stairs, Sal glanced over at him from the bed, his expression almost relieved. He was probably glad it was him and not another doctor or something.

Wordlessly, he came to his bedside, taking a deep breath and trying to act natural. He figured he might as well start by filling him in. "Hey. Wadanohara's putting in a summons to her dad for tomorrow. That lady didn't find jack. Hopefully, Lord Meikai can figure it out. I'd say he probably can. I mean, what can't he do?"

Sal shivered a little under the covers, but remained silent. He gazed off towards a window on the opposite wall, avoiding making a response.

Samekichi grabbed a chair from the smaller desk in the room and set it down right beside his brother's bed. He sat, and gently took his pale hand in his glove.

Sal turned tired blue eyes to him and finally gave a feeble smile. He was still worried, himself, he could tell. He could see it in the creases of his forehead and the tension in his shoulders.

Softly, Samekichi began to rub the back of his hand a little, with one thumb, trying to be comforting. It…was hurting him more than ever, especially not knowing what was even wrong. He'd promised…he'd promised always to protect his dear twin, and it pained him, knowing that something was hurting him so much, and he could do nothing about it. Unknown illness…the one thing he couldn't foresee or defend against… "Sal, it's alright. We won't make you go back there, especially not now. He's going to come here to take a look at you."

"I know…" Sal's voice was almost a whisper. "I just…I don't know what's going on. I…don't know what's happening to my own body, and I'm…scared."

Samekichi had to bite back the pressure in his throat. He was powerless. He couldn't tell him it would be okay…because what if it wasn't okay? No one knew anything. All he could do was this…

"That's completely understandable. And no matter what, I'll be here for you. Whatever he says. I'll be here to help you, okay?" He dropped his hand, and gently, affectionately patted his shoulder.

Sal gave him another weak, glowing smile. "Thank you so much, Samekichi. I…I'm really happy for everything you've done for me, really." He sighed. "I hate having to worry you like this, though. I really hate it. Just once, I'd like to be the one helping you. But that's never going to happen, is it? Haha."

"Hey." Samekichi cracked a small smirk. "You never know. It could happen. And I need my little brother around, just in case."

"Pff—you, getting injured or sick like this? I couldn't picture it."

But you do help me. The words would never be aired aloud, but Samekichi could feel them in his heart. You help me every day…just by being alive.

In a few more minutes, Wadanohara came up the stairs to announce that she'd just delivered the letter to a speedy postal carrier fish, and implored him to send it over right away. She came to the side of the bed to check on Sal as well, though he kept repeating that he felt fine, just tired and limp.

Samekichi was left to wonder just where in the world this had even come from. Sal's problems had all started with their trip to the palace… Maybe something had infected him while he was there. He'd always been strangely unnerved at even being near it. He was starting to wish they hadn't taken him…that he'd made him stay home that day.

At least they could all take comfort in Lord Meikai's impending visit. He should be able to tell what was wrong, and maybe there would be a potion he could administer or a spell he could perform to ease the infection out of Sal's body and help shrink the inflamed bubbles on his legs.

Everyone was especially quiet that night, giving Sal as much time to rest as they could…even Memoca. The incredibly long day, the doomed mission, and the frantic tension had all wiped them out, and they really didn't stay up that long, either. No one had really expected something like this to happen when they'd woken up this morning.

But sometimes, there were things no one could ever predict…things that no one would ever see coming. Things that were so unexpected, they changed the way you lived your life. Sal's lumps…were just one of those things…

(-)

Tick, tick, tick, tick… Pressing in…breath…fade worming through…loose tightness. One second, two seconds, three seconds… Tick, tick, tick, tick… Silence blasting inside eardrums…Deathly stillness…Settled terror… Tick, tick, tick…

Everyone was gathered in the main room, lined up on the couches. Dolphi and Memoca on one, Wadanohara in the middle of Fukami and Samekichi on the other. No one dared vibrate a vocal chord. Wadanohara was holding the boys' sleeves, closing her eyes and occasionally drawing in slow breaths. Samekichi looked even paler than they'd thought possible. It was a strange day indeed when you could hear the clock hands ticking in that house.

It was taking a long, long time. That was probably a good sign…things were actually being accomplished. But it was literal torture for everyone. Memoca shuddered and suppressed urges to pick out her feathers. Small teardrops threatened to spill over Dolphi's cheeks. Fukami sat straight, ramrod and rigid. They all seemed to think in unison. Lord Meikai…please tell us. Please don't let it be anything horrible. Anything life-threatening. Please.

Hours passed…though in reality, only thirty minutes. Twenty more minutes…Ten… A whole afternoon. And then.

Lord Meikai was the center of the universe, taking quiet, gentle steps. His dark-robed form shifted closer…closer. It was a normal pace, though it seemed like he moved through molasses. Time froze when he seated himself. Everything, everyone froze. Everyone reached for their savior with fearful, quizzical gazes. Lord Meikai. Lord Meikai knew. He must know now. He had the answer. The answer everyone wanted to hear, and yet never wanted to hear.

Soft water flowing around it, Lord Meikai set his hat on the table, where it flopped, tired and deflated. He opened his mouth…and destroyed the wall of clear silence. "He's unconscious for now, and he'll probably sleep for a while longer. I had to induce him into a short coma so I could check…"

He'd had to be unconscious during the examination? Just…what had he had to do?

Lord Meikai set his mouth in a line, deep gray eyes narrow and grave. Immediately, everyone was on high alert. Wadanohara slipped her hands away and squeezed them into her lap. Samekichi tried to put on a brave face, but he was really a nervous wreck. His hands were fidgeting at the flaps of his jacket, and one leg was constantly twitching. Wadanohara gently clutched his shoulder under the pretense of bracing herself…though she did it more to comfort him than anything else.

The cold intake of her father's breath brought a shiver to her heart. He was grave, much too grave… This was the most serious she'd seen him in quite a long time.

"… I must be perfectly honest with you. I'm not sure how to begin to explain this."

"W-what's wrong?" Wadanohara's worries burst in her mouth. "Can it be cured? Do you know…?"

He shook his head, gently, pieces of stray brown hair bouncing. "It's…not certain."

"Not certain?!" Samekichi couldn't take this anymore. He was going to tear himself apart. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

Lord Meikai sighed. The edges of his mouth tugged down and he closed his eyes. Something was churning in his mind, probably selecting the right words to tell them…the right way to tell them. "It is…something with a magical orientation. Physical and incorporeal at the same time. I have never encountered this sort of anomaly in my entire wizarding career. I should like to research it. You see…"

He paused a second, and Samekichi was ready to leap up and tear the words from his mouth. Wadanohara's breath hitched for the announcement.

"…At this very moment, Sal's body contains a sort of parasite composed of magic energy. I could not be exactly certain of this parasite's function and ultimate goals, but I can only tell you what I managed to glean while probing it with my own energy. It was…a very delicate procedure."

So…it was magic-based, after all. No wonder the medical mermaid hadn't been able to find anything wrong. Lord Meikai stopped to collect his thoughts, and everyone could only stare into the table, letting this soak in. What in the world…?

He threaded his fingers together, thoughtfully, before speaking again. "The parasite is rewriting parts of his genetic code…causing those growths on his legs. I suspect they'll grow much larger before their formation is complete. They're not a rash or irritation—they're new parts of his body forming. Naturally, they are going to cause pain and discomfort…just like when new teeth come in. And he may be much more tired and weak, since it is leeching off his own bodily magic energy."

"W…Whuh…?" Samekichi's mouth dropped open…then, his chest heaved, and he snapped back again. "C-Can't you just remove it?! Get it out of him! Extract it from his body before it does any further damage!"

"If only it were so simple." Lord Meikai rested his head on his fists, looking genuinely distressed for the first time many of them had ever seen. This was dreadfully, terribly serious, and no one was ready for it. "…This unknown energy parasite has become literally entwined with his brain matter. It is possibly rewiring parts of his brain to accommodate the new body parts…at least I hypothesize. Now, I could attempt to draw it out…but I fear that if I did so, parts of his psyche—his entire personality even—would likely be damaged…or even wiped away."

Samekichi ground his sharp teeth. He wanted to object…but there was no possible recourse. His hand twitched into a fist, frustration and hopelessness gripping his muscles tight.

"So…what can we do?" Wadanohara's voice was small and soft. There was no way out, it seemed. Either leave Sal to suffer, or risk essentially killing him.

"Support him." Lord Meikai softly advised her…giving his daughter a small, loving smile. "He needs you…all of you more than ever. I could not exactly determine if there would be any other symptoms or changes due to this parasite… It's possible that, once his new body parts have grown in, he can carry on with his life as always. But there may be additional consequences. I will need to check up on him at least once a week to monitor the energy's development."

Samekichi forcefully shook his head, spiky pieces bouncing. "But…I just don't understand! Where did this come from? How did he get this? How did it get into him?"

Lord Meikai heaved another sigh. "We may never know. It may have something to do with what we've reported in the ocean recently. It may have always been inside of him, lying inactive until now. I'm going to start researching possible sources and similar reported incidents as soon as I return to the palace. Do not fear—I will help him as much as I am able."

Samekichi rested his forehead in his hand, and Wadanohara subconsciously stroked his other arm a little. She could share in his sentiments, and she could almost feel what he was thinking right now. Why? Why Sal? Why did this have to happen to him? Why him?

Lord Meikai folded his hands over his dark pants. "I believe that's all I can tell you at this point in time."

There were a million more questions Wadanohara wanted to ask. What kind of body parts were they? An extra set of arms or legs? A second pair of eyeballs? Why would a magic parasite need him to grow extra limbs? Was it going to take over even more of his body? Did it affect his magic usage? Was he ever going to be able to swim and dance and laugh again the way he always did? But she knew that was as far as the answers went. At least now, they were aware. They could monitor this thing and try to keep it under control. Maybe there was nothing they could specifically do…but they could at least help in any way they could…try to ease his pain.

"Thank you, Papa…" Slowly, a little unsteadily, Wadanohara lifted up onto her feet, and her father followed, gently.

"I should return to the palace archives and begin my research right away. Rest assured, I will put my best efforts into this."

"Thank you." Father and daughter embraced, folding into a warm, soft hug.

The familiars watched, at least taking comfort in their close and caring relationship. They murmured their gratefulness as well, even Samekichi, though he was practically biting into his lip.

As soon as the wizard took his leave, and the door closed gently behind him, awkward silence pervaded over the room. No one knew what to say. What was there to say? Wadanohara stared down at her shoes. Fukami crossed his arms. Memoca picked at her dress. Dolphi tucked her arms behind her back.

"…I'm going to check on him." Samekichi finally spoke.

"I-I want to come too," Wadanohara decided.

"Me too!" Memoca added.

Eventually, everyone trailed up the stairs after Samekichi, naturally concerned. Lord Meikai had said that Sal would sleep for another couple of hours…but right now, everyone just wanted to see him…to confirm that he was still living and breathing with their own eyes.

Sal's head barely poked out above the covers, lolling to the side. His mouth opened slightly…and he looked for all the world, perfectly content. Though Samekichi knew that this position wasn't natural for him.

To everyone's surprise, Dolphi was the first to approach. Gingerly, she reached forward…and extended her arms around his body in a half-hug. "…Poor Mr. Sal."

Wadanohara almost felt like crying. No. She fought against the knot in her throat. There's no reason to cry. It's not hopeless. We still have a chance. He might get better still.

Memoca joined Dolphi at the bedside, trying to help her feel better.

Before she even noticed what she was doing, Wadanohara was reaching out and slipping her hand into Samekichi's. His hand gripped back gently, reassuringly. They would get through this together. They had to be strong…for him.

Now…the only problem was… How in the world were they supposed to tell Sal all of this when he finally did wake up?!