Chapter 3:
"Come with me," he says. Even though he's been thinking about it for hours now, the words still sound ridiculous to him. He points to the cliff. "I live up there and I've got a carriage waiting for us."
"Carriage?"
Kurogane frowns, his brain trying its best to think of a way to explain carriages. "It's a cart drawn by horses. Or, a thing with wheels—no, wait, you know what? We don't have time for this. It's a thing that'll get us where we need to go. You'll understand when you see it."
"And water?"
"I have a large tank that will fit you," Kurogane says. "I don't expect you to stay there forever, but we can figure out what to do next from there. This way, you'll be safe from everything at least for a little while. If you stay here, you'll definitely die tonight."
Fai looks up at the cliff then back at the water. He raises his tail out of the water and points to the caudal fin. "I must keep this…not dry."
Kurogane looks around for ideas before pulling the wrap tied around his waist off and soaking it in the water. "It's not much, but if we wrap it around your fin, it should be enough until we get to the house, right? And I've got a bucket in case that dries up. It's better than nothing—probably. So? What will you do?"
Glancing back towards the horizon, Fai draws closer to the shore until only his tail remains in the water. "Alas, I cannot go back and I cannot stay, so I will go with Kuro-chi," he says.
The rain begins falling harder.
Instead of correcting the mer, he steps into the water and helps wrap up his tail. "Is there anything else that needs to stay wet?"
"Yes," the mer says, tilting his head back, exposing the gills at the top of his neck.
He knows he shouldn't be surprised, but he can't help but blink stupidly for a moment before pulling off his headband and dunking it into the water, glad for all the different layers of clothes Tomoyo made him wear. "That's all, right?" He hands over the piece of cloth. "Here, you can wrap it yourself."
Fai wraps the headband loosely around his neck and looks down at his wrapped tail. "Kuro-mu, why…?"
"Why am I helping you?" he finishes for the other. "You saved me earlier, didn't you? That's more than enough of a reason for me. There's no point dwelling on it though. Are you ready to go? We don't have much time left. I'm gonna have to carry you."
The mer nods and holds out his hands, revealing the webbing between his fingers.
He reaches down and scoops the other out of the water, taking a step back, surprised by the weight and the feel of the creature in his arms. Instead of skin, the entirety of the mer is covered in fine scales that grow larger as they run down his tail. The hair clinging to his clothes and hand is far thicker and coarser than he first thought—feeling more like long strands of seaweed than hair. He adjusts Fai's weight carefully so as to avoid damaging the delicate looking fins on his arms, back, and tail.
Glancing out to the distance, as lightning lights up the sky again, he swears he can make out gleaming eyes watching him from the waters. Not wasting any more time and sploshes back to the shore. On the way, he bends down and manages to hook the bucket handle with two fingers.
Fai curls up close to him and laughs. "Hyuu! Kuro-pi is so big and strong!"
"Shut up, I don't need a running commentary," he barks back. "Just hold on tight, you stupid fish."
The mer tightens his grip as he's told. Even as they leave, his eyes never leaving the water.
Kurogane manages to make his way back to the other side of the trees with minimal trouble. Before stepping out into the open, he glances around to make sure the streets are still empty and the windows around them closed. "Hey, kid, you there?" he calls, raising his voices to be heard over the downpour.
Syaoran pokes his head out from the driver seat of the carriage and gapes. "Kurogane-san! That's—"
"I know what this is," he hisses back. "Just open the door before someone sees!"
"Yes, of course!"
From his arms, Fai watches the boy with silent curiosity.
Or maybe it's wariness.
He doesn't feel particularly inclined to ask.
Hopping off his seat, Syaoran opens the passenger door and takes the bucket out of Kurogane's hand. "Where should I put this?"
"Just on the floor over there in case we need it," Kurogane instructs, awkwardly stepping into the carriage. Looking at Fai then the seat, he sits down, deciding not to let go of the mer in his arms. "We're going uphill," he explains, drawing the curtains over the windows. "If you sit on your own, you'll just end up flopping all over the place like a stupid fish and hurting yourself. Now, stay quiet until we get off."
Syaoran closes the door behind them and gets back on the driver's seat, still in a daze. "We're going now," he announces, tugging on the reins for the horses to move.
The horses whinny and start moving forward, pulling the carriage along.
From inside the carriage, unable to peer outside, the journey feels terribly slow. He can barely hear the sound of the horses' hooves hitting the ground over the storm. Sure, he knows the boy's taking the fastest route back, but the impatience still gnaws away at him. Without anything better to do, he rewets and reties the pieces of cloth around the mer's tail, taking care not to damage it.
Suddenly, the carriage comes to a halt.
Sitting outside in the driver's seat, Syaoran carefully steers the horses up the streets. With his range of sight cut off by the rain, he has no choice but to take it slowly. Even as the rain drips down his face, all he can think about is the creature sitting in the back with his master. Endless questions fill his mind as he drives, so much so that he nearly overlooks the person standing by the side of the road.
The man smiles ruefully and waves. Recognizing the man as the scientist he reported to earlier, he pulls the horses to a stop. "Hello, Syaoran-kun, sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid I got caught up in the rain myself. Would you be kind enough to give me a ride back? It's not very far."
"I'm afraid I can't," he says, raising his voice for Kurogane to hear. "Kurogane-san is in the back right now and instructed me to bring him straight home."
"Oh? It's rare for him to leave the pub so early."
"Yes, well, he had his concerns about getting caught in the storm." Syaoran continues, "I'm really sorry, sir, but I should go. Orders are orders, and I would hate to wake Kurogane-san up. This journey's been a particularly exhausting one."
"Of course, I understand. I'm sorry for holding you up. When you get back, please thank him again for the specimens he gave me, and let him know that I'm always willing to pay for more excursions so long as he's willing to sail out," the scientist says.
He nods and tugs on the reins again. "Thank you kindly, sir. I'll be sure to let him know. Please excuse us and goodnight."
Once the man's out of sight, he slumps in his seat and breathes a sigh of relief.
Kurogane leaps out of the carriage and makes his way through the garden to the backdoor as Syaoran steers the horses into the stables. Shifting Fai's weight over to one arm, he reaches into his pocket for his keys to unlock the door. Inside, he can hear the servants bustling about, finishing up for the day and frowns, trying to figure out which set of stairs to use.
Just then, the front door opens and Syaoran steps in, soaked from the rain. "E-excuse me, I'm back," he calls out.
The servants immediately gather around him to help him out of his wet clothes. Taking the opportunity, Kurogane kicks his shoes off and runs off to the side stairs and makes his way upstairs, going straight into his study. He pushes the door close behind him with his hip and makes his way over to the empty aquarium.
Outside, the wind and rain pound against the glass of the balcony doors, rattling the wooden frame and the glass. He hopes they'll be able to withstand the storm. Beyond the terrace, the ocean's surface has been reshaped by violent waves that eat away at everything they come into contact with, dragging any smaller boat still out down into the depths below.
With one foot, he drags his chair over from the desk and pushes it up against the tank. Stepping up on it, he inhales and lifts the mermaid over the side and drops him in. "This is where you'll have to stay for the time being. No one's allowed in here without my permission," he says.
Fai unwraps the pieces of cloth from his tail and neck and does a couple of turns in the tank as though exploring the limited space of his temporary shelter. He surfaces again and rests his arms on the edge. Handing back the cloth, he looks around the room and says, "This…'tis quite big."
Kurogane arches a brow. "The tank or the room or what?" he asks, gesturing at each respective word. He lights the lamp on his desk before retrieving his wrap and headband and wringing it out over the water. "Be more specific."
The mer taps at the glass with his fingers. "The…tank? 'Tis no sea, but 'tis nice."
Wiping the raindrops off his face, Kurogane scoffs. "This little thing's a pretty far cry from the sea."
"What is that 'little thing'? A small fire?" Fai asks, pointing at his kerosene lamp.
He blinks. "This lamp? What about it? How do you even know about fire?"
There's a soft knock on the door. "Kurogane-san? Sorry, I went ahead and dried off first."
Fai immediately falls quiet while he makes his way over to the door.
"Oh good," he says, opening the door to reveal Syaoran. "Kid, you can keep him company for a while. I'm gonna go dry off. I'll lock the door behind me. And you," he points at Fai, "you better behave yourself until I get back. Maybe I'll even bring some food back."
Returning to his room, he throws his wet clothes into the laundry basket for the maids to wash tomorrow. He takes a quick hot shower and changes into usual robes. Finally warmed and relaxed, he realizes only now how empty his stomach has gotten.
He makes his way down the stairs only to run into Tomoyo and Souma.
"Kurogane," she greets. "I'm glad you made it back safely. I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you when you returned, but I trust the journey was a successful one?"
"Of course. Like it'd go any other way," he replies with a huff.
Souma frowns. "Kurogane, watch your tone!"
Tomoyo touches her arm gently and shakes her head. "Don't mind him, Souma. You can give me your report tomorrow morning after you've rested. For now, I've had the cook make you a platter of snacks, please enjoy them with Syaoran-kun."
He blinks at her foresight. "Oh, thanks."
"Oh, and Kurogane, next time you decide to sneak in through the back door, try not to leave a trail of water behind you. I didn't expect such sloppiness from you," Tomoyo teases.
"Shut up," he bites back. "Go to bed already."
"Kurogane!"
Tomoyo smiles. "Goodnight, Kurogane. I will see you in the morning."
After the girls leave, he stomps over to the kitchen and snatches the tray off the table along with a couple bottles of wine and makes his way back up the stairs. About half way up, he wonders how he'll word the 'returned to the house with a mer' part of his report. But then again, knowing Tomoyo and judging by the amount of food prepared, he wouldn't be surprised if she probably has a pretty good idea about the situation already.
When he returns to the study, he opens the door a crack only to find the fireplace lit and the two talking.
"Sky water? Oh, you must mean the rain!" Syaoran exclaims. "It's raining really hard right now, but we actually call this a storm since there's wind and thunder and lightning."
"Thunder? Lightning?"
Scribbling something down on a piece of paper, the boy explains, "Thunder is the sound you hear from the sky—the big 'boom'. And lightning is the flashes of light that normally comes before it; they sometimes look like this."
"Thunder is…big?" the mer tries.
"Do you mean loud?" Kurogane suggests, finally deciding to step inside.
Fai looks up at his approach and smiles. "Kuro-sama is back."
He arches a brow. "You're learning honorifics now?"
"Yes, I learned a good way to speak with people. Syaoran-kun is a very good teacher," the mer answers easily.
Syaoran immediately shakes his head. "Not at all, Fai-san, you're just a very fast learner, that's all!"
"But Syaoran-kun draws pictures for me," Fai presses.
Hiding the piece of paper behind his back, Syaoran looks down, his face flushed. "I'm afraid they're not very good at all."
Kurogane sets down the platter of food and takes off the lid to reveal a large array of food. He had a hunch that the kid would make a fine teacher—a far better one than him especially when it comes to languages. "That's fine. If the fish wants to learn and you want to teach, go ahead. But for now, I've got food and we all need to eat." He looks over at Fai. "Hey, what do you normally eat?"
"Fish," the mer replies easily.
"Well, we don't have any of that, so you'll just have to try new things tonight." He wolfs down some of the ham and cheese first before taking a slice and handing it to Fai. "Try it. It's cured meat."
"Cured meat," Fai repeats, taking a nibble and making a face.
He arches a brow. "What? You don't like the taste? It's supposed to be salty."
Looking confused, Fai stares at him. "Taste?"
"Yeah, I don't know how to explain taste, but here, try this," he says handing over an apple slice. "This one tastes sweet."
Fai's eyes widen. "I like sweet."
Kurogane huffs and takes a swig of his wine. "For some reason, I don't find that surprising at all."
Eating another slice of apple offered by Syaoran, Fai continues eyeing him. "Kuro-sama, what is that?"
He blinks. "What? This? It's wine."
"Wine? Mayest I…?"
"You wanna try some? I doubt fish are supposed to drink alcohol. But then again, I've never seen one eat cheese and fruit slices before either." He heaves a sigh and opens the bottom drawer of his desk, where the tumblers are. Normally, he only uses them when drinking from his secret stash of good, expensive liquor, but he wasn't about to go all the way downstairs again for a wineglass.
Pouring half a glass, he passes it over to the mer's outreached hand. Fai carefully takes the tumbler and examines it from all angles, nearly spilling the wine.
"It's a glass," he grumbles. "It's made of…glass. Hurry up and drink it before you end up dropping everything into the water."
Fai takes a sip. His eyes widen and he lets out a cough.
Kurogane has to suppress the urge to grin. "You probably shouldn't start off with something so strong."
The mer eyes him almost challengingly before finishing the rest. "'Twas not strong but sweet," he says, holding up his cup for more. "I like 'wine'. Prithee, another?"
"Maybe you're not a completely stupid fish then," Kurogane relents, refilling the mer's cup. Then he grabs another glass and fills it, passing it over to Syaoran. "You have some too; since you didn't get to drink at the tavern."
Accepting the tumbler, Syaoran nods. "If you don't mind."
"Try not to get too drunk this time," he mutters.
A platter of food and three glasses in, and Syaoran suddenly goes up to the mer and says seriously, "Fai-san, I promise I'll do my best to teach you."
Confused, Fai smiles. "My thanks."
"We'll start with reading and writing then!" the boy exclaims, waving around his empty glass. "You use a pen like this!"
Taking the tumbler out of his hands, Kurogane huffs. "What did I say? You can resume your lesson tomorrow, now off to bed with you."
"But, Kurogane-san, what about vowels?" Syaoran protests, eyes half-lidded and his movements sluggish and uncoordinated.
He picks the boy up with one hand and handing Fai the rest of the bottle, he makes his way over to the door. "You stay put. I'll be back after I put this drunk to bed," he tells the other.
When he returns, he finds Fai holding an empty bottle and arches a brow. The mer merely tells him, "I like wine."
"So I see. That was the last of it, so there's nothing left to do but sleep—assuming you sleep at all. I'm staying in this room, so no funny business, you hear?" he warns, pulling up his chair and plopping himself down in it.
"No funny business," Fai repeats, and he smiles in a way that makes Kurogane both curious and dreadful about the kinds of comebacks the mer will be able to come up with once he expands his vocabulary.
Crossing his arms, he leans back and mutters, "We'll talk more in the morning."
"Ay, in the morning."
After a moment, he cracks open an eye to take a quick glance at the mer only to find his back turned towards him, resting on the other edge of the tank. With the stormy skies outlining Fai's profile, Kurogane wonders what kind of expression the other's making as he watches the balcony doors, still buffeted by the rain and rattling from the wind.
The storm must seem so much louder out of the sea.
Then above it all, softly, Kurogane hears Fai speak, his voice just barely above a whisper, "In thy slumber, mayest thou at least hast good dreams."
Closing his eye again, he plays the mer's last sentence over and over again in his head, wondering if he dreamt up the nostalgia behind those words.
A/N:It's not a complete TRC fic unless there's a drunk!Syaoran and a daddy!Kurogane!
One of my favourite lines from Fai is his sleep line to Ashura in chapter 2, and it frustrates me that it doesn't always translate well. It's「せめて、眠りの中では良い夢を」which more or less becomes, "At the very least, in your sleep, may you have good dreams." Depending on which translation you read, the meaning is completely lost sometimes and I just... But enough of that. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
