A/N: yup, it's been almost forever since I updated huh? Sorry about that, but seriously, college is taking up way too much of my time. Btw, thx Haruka2007, that last review knocked some sense into me, lol. Answers from your questions in your reiew are below. I just realized that I had used both 'Nakuru' and 'Ruby Moon' to design our lovable character inpast chapters. I decided to change it all to Nakuru (the name' prettier…), but keep in mind that I'm actually referring to her transformed version (red hair, lipstick..you know how she is)

For those wondering about Someone Just For Me, I'm thinking of re-writing it (too many weird stuff, I'm not really proud of it)…though I'm not really sure about having the time for it, so its on hiatus for the moment. My semester finishes the 22nd, so I may have time to think about that decision during winter break.

Btw, ratings may go up. Nothing explicit, but mentions of physical harassments in this chapter… I'm keeping it as low as possible, but still, you are warned.

Disclaimer: the usual (wouldn't want to waste your time reading this eh?)

English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make mistakes…

Summary: His obsession toward the beautiful creature encaged her in his domain of sand... AU, a bit OOC KuroTomo

Tomoyo didn't respond, her gaze turned toward the big aquarium. "It's pretty huh? Makes you feel like you were any other mermaid combing her hair under the sea. Kinda feels homey."

"…Yes"

- - -

Sabulum Unda

By Rinslet

Chapter III

- - -

A mermaid found a swimming lad,

Picked him for her own,

Pressed her body to his body,

Laughed; and plunging down

Forgot in cruel happiness

That even lovers drown.

- William Butler Yeats -

- - -

"So? Do you think you can come up with something?"

"I don't see why I have to do something about it…"

"Awwww, come on Na-chan, she's the King's guest! Surely, you don't wanna disappoint 'Daddy'"

The man frowned and held his chin in a pensive position. He then looked down at the small figure in front of him.

Tomoyo shifted on her other foot, feeling uncomfortable under his piercing gaze.

She let out a small gasp as he reached down and cupped her face up, once again surprised that another person could touch her.

"These marks…?" his eyes rested on her neck.

Tomoyo gasped and jerked away from him, pulling the king's cape around herself. The man shrugged.

"Pretty little creature. I guess I have something appropriate." With that, he turned around and headed for the adjacent room.

Tomoyo turned toward the older woman "You saw them too, but you didn't say a thing…"

" 'thought that you might make up your mind to tell me 'bout it one day yourself!"

"Thank you"

"No prob. But believe me; I'm really into all the details! So you will HAVE to tell me about all that lovey-dovey th-!"

Tomoyo quickly changed the subject "That man..?"

Nakuru winked at her companion.

"Human. Surprised?"

Tomoyo nodded.

"That was Nataku, the best tailor you'll ever find in the whole kingdom! He makes the prettiest dress; all shiny and cute and-"

Tomoyo sweatdropped while her escort blabbered on. Surely, she wouldn't have to suffer the humiliation of walking around in frilly things, in an enemy's territory on top of that.

Oblivious, Nakuru continued to rant, this time waving her arms around.

"And you should've seen the size! How the hell did Nataku know how big those…...those things were! I'm telling you, he can tell the size of everyone's bod just by looking! And-"

How long has it been since she has been captured by the King of Tyr? She couldn't remember anymore. Around the time she had stopped to care and decided to give in, she had been sent away to this land and been made the king's toy.

Now what was she going to do?

- - -

"Not bad…" he commented

"Not bad at all" Nataku agreed.

Tomoyo blushed and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her dress was simple, yet she found it beautiful. It was a white and lavender one-piece dress with only a few ribbons (she sighed with relief at that) that reached short above her knees. Totally water proof and the upper part hugged her top while the bottom was like a gathering of multiple petals of a white plum blossom. Though it was a bit see-through, she found it less revealing than what the king of Tyr forced her to wear in front of him.

A hand seized her arm and lead her away.

"Akizuki-san?"

"Though I don't mind spending another 2-3 hours with you, we can't make the King wait."
The woman turned around and blew a kiss at the tailor.

"Na-chan! I'll come again some other time!"

The man rolled his eyes and blew away his bangs. "Don't call me that."

He gave them both a quick nod before Nakuru dragged Tomoyo around a corner.

"May I ask where are we going?"

"You'll see."

They made a few sharp more turns before they stopped at a blue door.

"Well? Go in! We don't have all day"

"Where does it lead to?"

"Nowhere dangerous, that I promise. Now just go in. I'll see you later perhaps."

The taller woman pushed the other inside and locked the door.

"Bummer, what I'd give to be in her position. Oh well! Time to go tease someone else…"

- - -

'It's so dark…I can't see'

Tomoyo took a tentative step and nothing happened. She searched for a wall with her hands, but found none. It was a rather spacious room.

She tiptoed in one direction, slowly.

What are they doing to me? Am I…going to die?

Unconsciously, her hand flew over the mark he gave her.

It's okay isn't it? I have nothing left in this world anyways…

There was a loud bang and Tomoyo jumped. She quickened her pace and ran around blindly.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared and she fell down-

-into the water.

What?

- - -

Unknown to her, Kurogane, who had returned from his trip some while ago, watched her behind his raised glass of wine. He was seated in his favorite red sofa, only a few meters away from the aquarium.

In his eyes, she was already his, trapped between his fingers, swimming in a sea of red wine.

He lowered the glass to his lips and took a long sip.

She finally seemed to have noticed him, and rested both her hands on the thick glass.

//Why are you keeping me here?//

Kurogane stood up from his red sofa and approached. As if mocking her, he raised his glass in her direction.

"Cheers"

//Kill me// the words spilled out of her mouth before she even thought about it.

The king frowned at her words, "Not gonna happen" he nodded his head toward where the 'promised' mark was supposed to be.

"You live. That is my decision."

She involuntarily hugged herself and swam back a bit. No doubt, when he tore her dress, he must've seen them…

Amused, he chuckled slowly.

//Why do you insist on keeping me here? I am of no use to you…//

"Well, I know that you make a very nice trophy"

//Then I'm better off dead somewhere else---//

His big hand slammed on the glass wall, right in front of her throat. "Shut up pedlr. That's enough of your pathetic comments. You think that after 'that', your life is all over?! Grow up, cred happens sometimes." when she didn't respond, he 'tche-ed'.

"Vilg, I hate women like you… not living life to your fullest…" he drained his glass and threw it at the far corner of the room. "maybe I oughta kill every last one of ya 'till you're the only one left…maybe then you'll value your life more considering you'd be the last of your kind…"

//What?!//

Kurogane turned his back to her. As he made his way to the doors, Tomoyo panicked.

'Was he joking? Was it a real threat? Where is he going?!'

Millions of questions filled her head, and for the first time since her arrival, she was afraid. Not for herself, oh no, she feared for her loved ones…

Seeing no other way, she suddenly called out to him.

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"From today onward, you are our new miko…"

"Remember Tomoyo, it is a gift from our goddess…she has chosen you, to someday incarnate her into our world…you should feel blessed…"

"…never, ever use your gift to harm anyone…"

"May we present you, milord of Tyr, our new priestess…she is our gift, to celebrate the union of our two great people…"

He had always watched her with a hint of lust in his eyes…his greasy hands would sometimes trace the borders of her aquarium, craving for something she was sure she never would give to him…

She couldn't remember clearly what happened on the day of his murder…
The king of Tyr had ordered his guards to drag her out of the aquarium and then they were left alone. She had a very bad feeling when the fat king approached her, rubbing his chubby hands together in satisfaction. Afraid, she ran everywhere; she didn't know the palace well enough. The wild laughter came from every direction and it made her even more nervous. She knew that he would find her, for her wet hair and body left a trail. As she ran, she stripped from an extra layer of her rich clothing and pulled her hair together in a cloth to keep water from dripping.
Soon enough, she found herself in the garden. There were midnight guards at their post. She carefully went around them and tried to find a way to climb up the wall…

Unfortunately, the King entered the garden. "My toy seems to have gone a bit wild…I might consider handing it to the one who will find her first after I play with her…"
The guards hooted and even bet among themselves who would find her first. They lighted more torches and scouted the area. In tears, she scurried around in the tall grass and prayed the water goddess to come to her aid. The guards' singing voices were all around her and were getting closer…

Oh t'was a mermaid, beautiful as dawn
Gave her heart to men
Her body to men
And was beautiful no more!

When a foot stopped in front of her, she held her breath and looked up. A tall, bearded man grinned down at her, light in hand. "Well well…what do we have here?" He extinguished his torch by planting it face down in the ground and before she knew it, he pushed her on the ground, clamping her mouth with a large gloved hand. His weight kept her on the ground. "To hell with second place! If I can shag you first, then I'll die a happy man!" His other hand was about to roam all over her petite body, "No worries gorgeous, you won't feel a thing after I'm done with yo-"

A loud scream cut him off. His head shot up, alerted. "What the hell?!"

The guards around ran toward the direction of the scream.

"We're under attack! We're under at-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh"

"Mekel!"

"Hey look out!"

"Aaaaargh!"

"The hell is going on here!?" Her attacked stood up, pulling her in the process. She couldn't even manage a scream, terrified as she was.

"The King! Protect the king!" the others shouted.

"Damn it…"

She was pulled to the inner courtyard, where most of the servants had woken up from the loud screams.


"Lock her up…the king will decide what to do with her after…"

"Y-yes sir!"

Tomoyo closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to recover from all of this. She barely registered someone stroking her cheek, this time lovingly, in farewell, before the guard ran to the garden.

She never did saw that man again.

- - -

She was locked in the dungeons, out of the water. Her body became dehydrated. She didn't know what happened and nobody told her any details. The prisoners had given her looks, and others had tried to start a conversation with her, but to no avail. When she finally lost count of the days, a guard came down to get her.

"The king requests your presence" was all he said.
Tomoyo was bathed, clothed and pampered until the sun was at its highest.

The king was alive?

When she was finally ready, they brought her to the throne room. Seated was not a small chubby person, but a tall, elegant man with blond hair. He was handsome, but she knew better than to be deceived by appearance alone.

The room quieted.

"Tell me, fair maiden, do you recall what happened that day?"

She hesitated a while before muttering a few words. An impatient general requested her to talk louder.

"That night…the…king chased me to the gardens…"

"Yes, we know that! His body was found there!" another general shouted.

'So he is dead…what a relief..' she immediately scolded herself for thinking so…coldly toward her host. Her role was to ensure a good relationship between their two worlds…yes, if she hadn't resisted, she wouldn't have been here, suspected for the king's death…

She stepped forward and bowed.

"I really don't know what happened, your highness. It was quiet for a moment, then suddenly, I heard a guard screaming…then another, and another… a guard led me to the servants where I was then kept in the dungeons…"

Snickering, someone asked "And what, pray tell, why were you being chased to the gardens?" The room erupted in laughter.

She blushed in shame and looked down.

A man standing next to the king claimed order and once again, the room was quiet. The new king stood up.

"So you don't really know, then it shall by my role to lighten you up." He approached her and lifted her chin up. "That day, the arrogant king of the East came storming here, dead drunk and holding his black sword. No one really knows how he got in, but that's a story for another time…"

"Waltzing in here like he owned the place, he saw our previous king and chopped off his head." He violently flicked her head to the side, giving her a full in-depth of the story. "Now, had the king been in his chamber, it might've been avoided. You do realize whose fault this is isn't it?"

"I…"

The royal counselor cut her off "In doing so, you have thinned our trust in your people. Weren't you offered by your own people to serve us? to create a bridge? In accepting that mission, you have sold yourself to us, body and soul. Yet you refused. The present situation has thinned our trust in you; in your people."

"Please! I-I would do anything to take it back! My misbehavior….was sinful…I really…am…"

The king interrupted her "Still, there is light in the circumstance."

Tearful, she looked up to him…and saw an all too familiar glint in his eyes.

"I really have to thank you though. Because of your rash actions, I was made King! King! Can you believe it?! Ten years I've waited for that old bastard to die! And now, finally…" he ignored the guards around as they cried indignantly at his attitude toward the late king.

"Let me thank you then, personally" the last word was emphasized.

"Leave us" he ordered his guards.

- - -

"See? You're getting better already…"

She didn't look up from the floor.

"But somehow, I am not quite satisfied…"

"…my lord?"

"If this is realy what you people has to offer, then really, I'm quite disappointed."

"You……You-!" she gathered her robes and stood up.

"Beautiful…maybe will I only be satisfied when my harem will be full of your kind?"

He laughed and circled around her "After I get control of the Sand…should I take over Water as well?"

Guards entered the room, grabbing her and pulled her away.

The next day, she was shipped to a different location.

And then she met the demon eyed king.

Aside from her usual routine at the temple, she had never done this in front of anyone else but the statue of the water goddess herself.

A mermaid found a swimming lad,

Her parents had told her that it was an art given by their goddess, therefore shall only be done for her and never to harm others no matter what.

She parted her lips and started with a hum.

Picked him for her own,

It then changed to a series of words, incomprehensible to the king's ears, but it was beautiful. By the time he realized what she was doing, it was already too late. Her voice lulled him to the aquarium. When the wall stopped him from going further, he cracked. The gap between him and her became unbearable. His fist pounded the glass with every once of strength he has, just to reach her.

Pressed her body to his body,

It wasn't necessary, but she danced to her own song, moving slowing. In a corner of his mind, the one that was fighting her control, he thought how could something so elegant be sinful when watched or heard with someone else's eyes and ears than that of the goddess?

Laughed; and plunging down

Her dance quickened, became more complicated, more alluring and provoking.

His hands were bleeding, but he didn't care. All he wanted was her. The aquarium was starting to crack, and tiny rivulet streamed down, burning his skin. All he wanted was her.

A puddle started to form at his feet and spread across the room.

The servants that were passing by saw that water was leaking under the grand doors and gasped.

Forgot in cruel happiness

Tomoyo raised her hand toward him, beckoning him to claim what he truly deserved.

That even lovers drown.

The doors were thrown open "Your majesty!"

- - -

"Your orders, your majesty?"

The king of Tyr thought for a moment, then smile wickedly "Send a message to our ally. Tell them that their 'precious' gift got stolen from us by the country of sand…I wonder if they would do something about it?"

Haruka: Actually, Tyr isn't under water, its only a small kingdom somewhere else, filled with humans. Mermaid? I think I never mentioned that Tomoyo was a mermaid, only a 'water creature'. If I did, then let's say that I'm not too fond of the tail and decided to ditch that concept... Sorry if I got ya confused. Ah, the interactions between KuroTomo...well you'll find out -smile-

A/N: I wrote this one in quite a rush, so didn't really get the time to reread and check on things…if there's anything weird, point it out for me please.

The phrases in between aren't what Tomoyo is singing, there just there for show (and to make a parallel between the poem and the fic…um yeah)

You probably noticed that I put some words in italic, try guessing what language Kurogane is speaking (was meant to make up a language for the sand people…but I wasn't good enough to invent to words so I used someone's else idea…) Of course, the invention of this language is fully to their credit as I took no part in its creation.

I'll reveal it the next chpt…