the delta sun burns bright and violet
by. Poisoned Scarlett

He was pretty sure he was drowning.

If by the way his lungs ached for air and he clawed at the water to no avail; deceptively soft hands bringing him lower and lower, the sound of high cruel laughter of women muffling his own gasps. He tried to tear her hands off his body but she held on tight, her malicious blue eyes glaring into his. She bared her teeth at him and then her mouth formed into a grin and she continued to drag him deeper and deeper, twirling him with dark glee as he tried not to pass out.

Truth be told, this had been Black Star's fault. When they had circled around the serpent infested water two weeks later, having only caught two—with the second one being fully caught, a mother to their great luck—Sid had told them they would swing back to the moor and collect their money. Their client might be slightly annoyed they hadn't caught three grown ones but considering their second serpent was a mother, they managed to catch its frantic little babies in their nets and brought them on-board too.

So they had headed back to mermaid territory and all would have been fine…if Black Star hadn't loudly proclaimed that no woman could bewitch him because he was too mighty. That certainly scorned the mermaids, who took pride in their voices and songs, because then they began to sing and although the earplugs did muffle their sound enough that the pull was not as hard, Black Star hadn't been wearing his. He had forgotten in all his boasting. Soul had felt no different despite their singing, to his great surprise. He didn't have to fight any sort of temptation nor did he try to jump in the water like his stupid, stupid friend actually tried to do.

And, of course, since he and Sid were the only ones who were not affected by their songs (the others had their eyes screwed shut and their heads clutched in their hands) they both grabbed Black Star before the idiot could go get himself drowned. The man was stronger than they gave him credit for: he managed to knock Sid clean off his feet and took a swing at Soul. But he had managed to pin him down on the floor. At least until Black Star snarled and shoved him off with a burst of strength, grabbing him by his shirt and shoving him over the edge of the gunwale.

And Sid hadn't been lying about mermaids reaching out to grab men.

Soul had been grabbed by his hair, the damn bitch nearly ripping it out, and both he and Black Star had toppled over and into the water. And now he was drowning, actually drowning this time, because he tried to save that idiot. He couldn't even see him anymore: he had no idea where the man had gone but if his fate was any similar to his, he was probably filling his lungs up with water by some femme fatale mermaid.

"Let go of me!" Soul shouted underwater, his voice loud in his ears despite all his flailing, and the mermaid hissed at him. He was going to die and he hadn't even asked Maka why she followed him around so much all those times he talked to her. His eyes popped open. Maka followed him around. "Maka!" Soul shouted, the last of his breath escaping him. "MAKA!"

The mermaid that held him down looked so terribly shocked when he called her name. She stared at him, stared hard at him, and then suddenly she let him go and moved away, looking very horrified. But Soul barely had time to look: he righted himself and tried desperately to reach the surface. But he was so deep, he saw with growing fear, the surface looked so far away and he knew he would never be able to reach it in time. It was too far but then hands grabbed him again, lips pressed against his mouth and he was startled by the air they breathed into his lungs. He inhaled it greedily, gripping her arms as she brought him up and up, and when he opened his eyes, they met furious green ones and then his head broke the surface and he sucked in air, coughing hard. His limbs felt weak and light and his head hurt and everything felt heavy.

"This," he coughed, "is the second time you save me. Not cool," he managed a weak imitation of his grin.

Maka pressed her hand to his pale cheek and pushed away stray hair from his eyes with her other hand, smiling exasperatedly at him. "Why are you always being thrown overboard?"

"Because I'm stupid," he swallowed another grateful breath of air and then looked around, his heart picking up again. "Where's Black Star? Shit, BLACK STAR!"

"He's gone," Maka told him regretfully, holding him upright so he didn't sink. He looked pale and wild-eyed again. She didn't like that look on his face. Maka looked down at the water, searching it for any signs of that man. She could hear her sisters, all gathered below her watching her with wide eyes. She knew Liz had not meant any malice by trying to drown him—well, she had, but she hadn't known about him. She should have told her it was him. She had only told them that one of the men on the boat had felt…right, so wonderfully right.

If she hadn't been so embarrassed by their teasing and giddy laughter, she would have told them who it was and maybe Liz wouldn't have tried to drown Soul. But that man, Black Star, no matter if she tried to save him because Soul asked her to, she would be too late. He was too deep now. She wouldn't be able to—!

"There he is!" Soul grinned and Maka blinked.

To her surprise… the man was actually fighting the mermaids. Maka watched with bewilderment as Black Star fought tooth and nail to escape their clutches—and gasped in horror when one of the Weapons on the boat managed to stab one of her sisters in the neck, successfully frightening away the rest. It was the one with the glasses, the one that scared her, and he smirked as he grabbed her by the hair and slit open her throat. She noticed Black Star's face was scrunched as he was pulled on-board again, as if he were fighting something, and she knew it was the song. Even though they weren't singing anymore, she knew it would echo in his head until he set foot on land. Land, or dirt if they had any, always broke the spell.

"I have to get over there!" Soul said and Maka nodded, giving him a nudge. He looked at her and saw her uncomfortable expression, her eyes flashing to the boat grimly. He looked again and grimaced at the sight of Harvar pulling out a dead mermaid inside the boat. "I won't let him touch you," he promised. "Go and—urgh!"

"SOUL!" Maka shrieked when he was pulled down, diving after him. "LET HIM GO!" Maka shouted at her sister in horror, watching her choke him. "What are you doing? Let him go! He did nothing to you!"

"THEY KILLED MY SISTER!" The mermaid screamed at Maka, her eyes anguished. She brought him even deeper, digging her nails into his throat. "THEY KILLED HER AND HE WAS WITH THEM! HE'S ONE OF THEM! HE'S A WEAPON LIKE THEM!"

"He might be a weapon but he would never do that! You can't extract your revenge by using him, IT WAS NOT HIS FAULT! LET HIM GO!" Maka snarled viciously and tackled her, shoving her away from Soul. He kicked away, clutching his throat, but the other mermaid swiftly attacked Maka. She would have grabbed her hair and punched her if it hadn't been for Liz, who restrained the other one enough for their other sisters to come and stop the cat fight.

"You traitor!" the other mermaid hissed.

"You stay away from him or I'll rip your hair out, you wench!" Maka snarled back and the other mermaid swam away but not without one last dark look at her. "Oh, Soul!" Maka remembered and swam to him, grabbing him and shaking him when he didn't respond. He wasn't moving, she saw with terror. He was not moving! Maka paid no heed to any one else, even when Liz shouted at her to come back. Maka brought him up to the surface again but felt her heart drop when he didn't move. She needed to bring him to dry land—she needed… Maka had no choice. She needed to bring him to the boat so they could revive him!

Maka wasted no time swimming to the boat, dragging his body along. She saw the dark-skinned man, the one who Soul often said cooked bad meat and got them sick with his creations, shout in alarm. Others came and she pushed Soul to them, frantically.

"He's not breathing! You have to save him! Hurry!"

"Wait, what?" Kilik blinked, not expecting that.

Sid stared at her and then reached over to grab the rope. He tossed it at her and she grappled for it before wrapping it around Soul tightly. "You heard her! Pull 'em up, boys!" Sid ordered and they did, hauling a limp Soul out of the water. Maka watched, her heart pounding, and then she saw the glint of gold and screamed, barely avoiding being impaled by a spear. It managed to nick her shoulder, though, drawing blood. Her eyes flashed a violent green at Harvar when he set a foot on the edge of the boat, his spear out and glinting under the afternoon sun. She would kill him if he tried that again; she knew enough to know that if she grabbed hold of his spear, she essentially had a piece of him, and she could inflict major damage with it.

"HARVAR!" Sid shouted harshly, grabbing the mans shoulder before he could try again. Maka watched, her eyes returning to their normal shade of green as the captain put himself between them. "What are you doing? She's helping him!"

"She's a mermaid!"

"She just saved him and you will not kill the person who saved Soul no matter if she's a mermaid or not! That's not the type of men we are!" Sid snarled and grabbed his spear. He stabbed it into Harvar, making the man gasp, but the spear became one with him again and he fell on his knees, clutching the spot in his stomach where the spear had jabbed through.

Maka nodded at Sid when he glanced at her and waited, waited because she had to know if he was alive. Her eyes threatened to well with tears but she held them back bravely, not shedding a single one. If she hadn't waited so long, he wouldn't be fighting for his life right now. If she hadn't—Maka set her teeth regretfully and then there was the cook Kilik again, grinning down at her.

"He's breathing!"

Maka released a breath she didn't know she was holding and sank a little in the water with relief. "Is he awake?" She asked, hopefully.

Kilik shook his head, watching her curiously. This was not a sight he was used to: a mermaid near-tears because a man nearly drowned. Usually it was opposite: cruel glee and satisfaction. Kilik's eyes suddenly widened, leaning over the edge dangerously. She saw the one with the strange hair cut, Ox, stand next to Kilik and give her a curious look; as if he wanted to ask her something but Kilik beat him to it:

"Are you in love with him?"

Maka startled, jerking away from him. She hadn't thought about it that way: she just knew that when he was around it felt right and warm. But that made sense: love. Maybe she did love him, maybe that was why the thought of him gone hurt so much. So, thinking she had nothing to lose, Maka nodded her head and Kilik stared again and said a strange word under his breath. Something like fuck me although she didn't know what that meant. Perhaps surprise, judging by his expression. This generations language, Maka thought with a disdainful scoff, was absolutely annoying.

"You're a mermaid," Ox told her and she looked at him. He stiffened under her smoldering gaze, adjusting his glasses on his nose awkwardly. "Why on earth would you save Soul, a man? It should go against your nature..."

"The cook asked the same, phrased differently," she told him. "He belongs to me," she simply told him and Ox blinked and Kilik sighed.

"Man, what'd I give to have a girl say that to me," he mumbled and grinned down at Maka when she cocked her head at him curiously. "Don't drown me and you have my blessing."

"I can arrange that," she smirked at him and he blew out a chuckling breath, unable to help the thought of Soul being one lucky bastard.

"I have another question, if you don't mind!" Ox hurried before he lost his chance. "The Sirens, the women who are said to reside in the cliffsides and near the shores, there are legends that say they're cousins to mermaid however I have reason to believe otherwise! There is too much evidence that counters it! Are they truly cousins or were they once mermaids and have been turned into Sirens - ?"

"They're outcasts and we do not speak of them," Maka coldly told him and Ox nodded eagerly, wishing he'd brought his notebook with him.

"Could you? I understand it's a taboo topic but just because this is stuff that isn't in books! I have to know!" Ox hurried, spotting Harvar recovering. He'd hold a grudge if he saw him talking to a mermaid, even if it was for his knowledge. "This is something I have to go to the source for and I may not have a chance at this again!"

Maka pressed her lips together but decided it would not hurt, only because he looked so very eager to know. Soul had said Ox was an intellectual. She respected scholars, being one herself. "Sirens and our kind are very different despite common belief. Sirens are abominations. They're a creation that should have never seen light and although their song might be as irresistible as our own, if heeded, it will lead to an...unfortunate conclusion. A fate worse than death. They frolic in fields of corpses and gorge on the souls of men," Maka told him and Ox and Kilik listened, unnerved, "They're the reason why we are hunted so much."

"Reason?" Kilik dared to ask.

"We are often confused," Maka smiled bitterly. "They're what you must really look out for. If you believe a death by drowning is the worst you can imagine, you have obviously never seen how a Siren kills a man."

"And mermaids?" Ox asked, quickly. "How do you differ from Sirens?"

"We are cursed," Maka looked down at the water for a second before looking up again with a very tiny smile, "But we have a chance at being human again."

"Again?" Kilik snapped his head down. "You mean you were actually human once - ?"

At her sad smile, Kilik and Ox stared, unsure of how to take this new information.

When the man with the dark-colored glasses stumbled into sight again, Maka dove back into the water and made sure to swim deep enough so the water would stop his spear should he try to throw it. She heard Ox moan something out, something about his one true source being forever gone now, and faintly heard the one with the glasses snap something at him before they disappeared from sight. She could vaguely see them through the ripples of the water but she didn't dare resurface: Soul was alive and he would be okay and that was all she needed to know to ease her beating heart.

However...he would leave.

Because Black Star would still be bewitched by the song.

He needed to touch dry land immediately, so they would have to leave immediately. Soul had also told her a few nights ago that they captured all they needed to and he would be going back, anyway. Maka clutched her hands to her chest, wanting to go with them so badly; for once she truly loathed the cursed placed upon her. She wanted to be near Soul. She wanted him to say something to anger her so she could spit water at him, because his reactions always made her laugh and laughing was something she did not do often. He made her so happy—she just wanted to be happy for once, wanted to prove to that wretched witch who called herself Medusa that she was wrong and there was really someone out there for her.

"Maka," Liz whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. Maka looked, her hair floating to one side as the tide swept past. "I didn't know…forgive me."

"It's okay," Maka smiled halfheartedly at her. "I didn't tell you it was him…and you let him go when he called my name."

"Anya is calmer now but she's still angry with you," Liz told her and looked back down to where the others had gone. Liz pressed her lips together. "That wench, actually trying to drown the only one who held your heart! She knew, too! She knew it was him!"

Maka's eyes darkened and she turned away, motioning to the two others who waited for them nearby.

She would have never forgiven her if Soul had actually died. But he was fine, he was breathing, and although she would probably never see him again, at least she knew that there really was someone out there who was meant for her; someone could break her curse. That was enough for now.

When he woke again, he was sore all over and his first thought was about Maka and why she wasn't with him. Then the past days events came back to him and he groaned and forced himself to sit up, holding his head in his hand. His neck burned as if someone had wrapped it in barbs and when he touched it, he felt thick pads of gauze beneath his fingertips. He was in his boxers only and he couldn't spot his wet clothes anywhere. He wondered how much time had passed when the door opened, revealing Clay with a glass of water in his hand.

He perked up. "Hey, you're finally awake! I thought I was gonna' have to dump this glass of water on you so you'd wake up!"

Soul sneered back. He rubbed his neck as Clay closed the door behind him. "How long was I out?"

"About a day," he replied. "Sid said to come wake you up cuz you were probably just sleeping in at this point."

"I really did just wake up right now," Soul deadpanned.

"How were we supposed to know that?" Clay grinned. He offered him the glass of water and Soul took it gratefully, nearly draining the glass. "So, you snagged yourself a mermaid, huh? Alright, that's pretty badass. I give you that much," he smiled lopsidedly when Soul stiffened, nearly spitting out his water. "But I've still got more game with regular girls than you."

"Shut up."

"It's true."

"I don't try."

"Whatever makes you feel better."

Soul chuckled and looked at the sheets tangled around his legs. "She brought me back, didn't she?"

"Pretty panicked, actually," Clay told him, watching his face flash with concern before it smoothed back into its neutral state. He had to admit: Soul had the best poker face out of all of them. "She thought you died."

"You guys told her I'm not dead, right?" Soul demanded, sharply. She harbored enough sadness, the last thing she needed was this added weight in her heart.

"Yeah. Ox interrogated her about Sirens or something and then she disappeared," Clay told him, deciding not to tell him Harvar had nearly killed his mermaid lover. He was sure that would not roll over well. He sure as hell would stab any bastard who tried to kill his girl. He could only imagine what someone like Soul would do. He admitted to messing with the guy but he always made sure not to overstep his boundaries: there was something about Soul that unnerved him although it was probably just the fact that he had dark red eyes and a killer grin—literally, sharp teeth and creepiness and all. He didn't know what that pretty mermaid saw in the guy—he was a sight for sore eyes, in his opinion—but whatever she did, Clay was still happy for them.

Maybe then Soul would get laid and stop being such a Grinch.

"Hey," Clay suddenly said, very seriously. "How do you…do it with a mermaid? Isn't her lower half…a fish tail? Like, does she have a hole somewhere—?"

"She can become human if she touches land, Clay, just shut up before you scar me," Soul held a hand up and glowered when Clay snickered.

"Just a curious question!" He defended himself and then sobered again. "Black Star's locked up in his room. Don't go in there. Sid says the song will affect him the most at night, so if you hear shouting and banging, just ignore it."

Soul grimaced but nodded. "So we're heading back?"

Clay nodded. "Should be there in a few days, Kid's going all out."

Soul dropped his eyes to the sheets, his expression one of calm although inside was another story. If they were going back, that meant he would not be able to see Maka again. He didn't know when he would be able to venture this close to where she lived. He had already used up his second year and only hunter boats were allowed this deep into the sea.

Clay left him to his thoughts after one last friendly smile and headed back to Sid to inform him he was alive and kicking—or in Soul's case, Clay chuckled, alive and brooding.

Soul, meanwhile, only troubled himself with thoughts of never seeing her again for a few more seconds before he swung his feet over the edge of his mattress and got dressed. When he walked out, he flinched when he heard a fist slam into the door. Star's room, Soul thought. He watched the door strained under Black Star's assaults before it became silent again—then the man roared and kicked the wall in frustration. Soul turned away from it and made his way to the lounge, finding Clay sprawled on the couch and Ox sorting through some movies.

"Afternoon, Soul," Ox greeted when he noticed him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Thanks. Where's Kilik?"

"Kitchen," Clay mumbled. "Cookin' us some grub. Hopefully it isn't one of his own recipes, I'm starved…"

Soul looked outside and, with one last glance at both men, made his way out. Kidd was navigating—the man hardly left the captains quarters unless Sid called him out of it. Soul made his way to the edge of the boat with more haste than he knew was necessary. He looked out at the water, searching the tide for a familiar head of blonde.

"Maka?" He called. "Hey, Maka!" He called her name out again but nothing happened. She never took this long to respond, he thought with worry. What if something happened to her? He'd seen how viciously that other mermaid had attacked Maka—did mermaids kill each other? Soul ground his teeth, his hands clenching and unclenching. No way, before he blacked out he'd seen the others gather around to pull them apart. So she was safe, he told himself firmly, he didn't need to freak out. She was good and he was just being excessively protective.

"She told you her name, didn't she? She must trust you a lot," Sid said, startling him from his racing thoughts. Soul looked at him as he approached, hands buried in the pockets of his khakis. "Mermaids don't give their names out so easily. They're special to them, the only thing they remember from their past lives."

"How long until we dock?"

"A week at most," Sid replied.

A week. That was not nearly enough time. Soul turned back to the ocean, feeling bitter. He understood what Harvar meant now, the irony about it all. He knew what he needed to do to keep her, he knew that he had to take that risk and see if it was true. He had to follow her into the water and hope he would not drown—he had to literally risk his life for that girl.

You'll be mine, she whispered in his mind again.

He wanted to be.

"Be careful around Harvar," Sid told him.

Soul flicked his eyes to him.

"He's sore about what happened yesterday, how that mermaid brought you to us," Sid looked at him seriously. "Harvar's brother was killed by a mermaid. He never let that go, it was one of the reasons he came to hunt with us in the first place."

"He wants revenge," Soul summed up flatly. "He didn't hurt her, did he?"

Sid tensed. "No."

Soul looked at him sharply. "Sid."

"…He tried."

Soul turned around but Sid grabbed his shoulder, feeling muscle harden with fury. But he did not let him go, he forced him back and gave him a stern look when he tried to argue. "I stopped him before he harmed her! Don't go looking for a fight, Soul," he told him gruffly. "Or I'll put you both in place and it won't be pretty. That's the type of man I was raised to be!"

Soul sneered nastily but turned back to the ocean, the sight of it cooling his temper. Figured Harvar would try to hurt her; she'd told him once he scared her. Because she could read his intentions or something—something about being able to read people, their souls. He did not quite understand how but she told it to him with utmost conviction and he believed her. Anything was possible at this point, he just found it easier to take it all in stride than try to pick it apart.

"I'll leave him alone," Soul told Sid when he didn't let him go. "But if he starts something, don't expect me to walk away."

"Just as long as you don't get blood on the deck. Takes a damn long time to scrub it out."

Soul only snorted, returning his sights to the ocean and wondering what she was doing right now and if she missed him as much as he missed her.