Chapter Four
The two lovers met the following day, already eager to be held in the other's arms in a loving embrace. Since they confessed, each found the distance more unbearable than before, and could only find comfort in the thought of meeting again the following day. Ai was already waiting at the beach for Syo, who was quickly making his way to the shore to see his beloved. Surprisingly, ever since the prince had met the merman, his heart had been more stable compared to the past, in fact, he would have complications when he did not see the other. Kaoru would never believe him if Syo ever decided to tell his brother. Ai would remain a secret from his brother, possibly forever.
As his mind raced with the possibility of what could happen should he decide to confess, the sound of Ai's voice pulled him back to the present. He was greeted with a smile, and a soft kiss to the cheek as the prince was pulled down to sit on the sand beside the other.
"Welcome back. Did you sleep well at the castle?"
"Very well, actually. Knowing that I could see you the next day made it easy to sleep. The sooner I passed out, the sooner I would be able to see you."
His comment caused the other's face to suddenly turn pink, though only faintly. Syo took notice of this subtle change, and gently stroked the merman's tail. Rather than settle his blush, his actions caused Ai's face to redden even further which Syo found to be charming.
"That's adorable, Ai. This color suits you well." His comment caused the other's blush to deepen further, and Syo enjoying the merman's blushing, face, decided to reach out and pinch Ai's cheek, who moved away to stop the other's action.
While the two laughed played, they had little knowledge of Natsuki and Kaoru hiding behind the rocks, shocked at the sight of the prince together with a mythical creature.
"That's...That's impossible. Such a thing can't exist...Right?"
"Well, if magicians and magic exist it would make sense that something like this is hidden deep within the water. It makes me wonder what else is living right under our noses…" Kaoru ceased speaking as he listened in on the lovers' conversation. He waited for the perfect moment to send Natsuki in and grab the merman.
Finally after a long moment, both he and Natsuki ran up behind the couple while their eyes were closed for a kiss. Ai struggled to free himself from Natsuki's hold, but his strength proved to be too much. Syo was detained by his brother, keeping his head pinned down against the sand.
"Syo, I hate to do this, but sneaking out all the time to see this thing is too much for your body. I'm sorry, but you won't be leaving your room anytime soon. As for this thing-"
"His name is Ai!"
"We'll figure out what to do with him at the castle."
The group departed for the castle with Ai who had already surrendered, resting limply in Natsuki's arms, who couldn't help but feel this was wrong. Syo, on the other hand, was still putting up a fight, but his brother was more than strong enough to keep Syo's arms pinned against his back. Eventually, he too gave up, and instead focused on looking over at his lover who was weak from his own struggle.
A few days had passed, and as his brother said, Syo was once again confined to his room. No visitors were allowed to enter aside from Kaoru who came in to make sure Syo was not starving himself in protest. As he expected, the prince was growing weaker the longer he was away from his beloved. It was Ai that kept Syo's heart stable, but it was Kaoru who was now putting his brother in danger. The former completely unaware.
Ai was locked away in the castle dungeon, where the guards would occasionally come in to splash water on him as well as to gawk at the creature. Though today was different since he was visited by the prince's brother as well as two strangers.
"So the stories were true. You did indeed capture a mermaid...merman, excuse me." The stranger with orange hair leaned in closer towards the cell bars. The other man who accompanied him tugged at the fabric of the other's shirt to pull him back.
"Don't gawk, Ren. We're only here to put in our two cents as the castle's financial advisers."
"Just a quick look? It's not every day you see something like this, Masato." Both were silenced when Kaoru clapped his hands.
"So, what do you suggest? Pick its scales off and sell it to an alchemist?" Ai winced in fear, crawling towards the corner of the cell. His action did not even so much as gather a glance from his spectators. They were to occupied with their chat about turning the merman into a profit.
"Profitable, but may I suggest something?" The blue haired man stepped forward, his attention set on the cell rather than on Ai. "Why not turn this into an attraction? We could turn this cell into a sort of tank with the help of a magician. Ren, do you know of one?"
"But of course. The Cold Baron from a foreign land does owe me a favor, so his assistance would be free of charge. He could easily cast a spell to fill this cell with water, and it will never spill. We can easily remove the bars as well in order to provide an easier view for guests, as well as remove the dungeon vibe from this location. Much more friendly. Care to add anything else in, Masa?"
He rolled his eyes, but spoke nonetheless. "We should set a low admission price in order to encourage visits, and revisits from past guests. If we place it too high, we risk losing paying patrons. A lost opportunity if you will."
Both advisers nodded, while Ai was still curled up in the corner. He was afraid of humans, but now he was truly mortified at the thought of having so many come to stare at him for entertainment. He quietly whispered Syo's name to himself, hoping the prince would come to rescue him, though the prince himself was also in need of being rescued from his personal prison.
It only took a day for the magician to visit, as well as make himself home at the castle to fix any problems with his spell should a problem arise, and cast his magic to turn Ai's prison cell into a fish tank. They were kind enough to at the very least add in marine life from the ocean as well as vegetation, but he knew it was more for the aesthetic rather than to make him comfortable. For the first few days he would remain in the corner rather than swim around, and expose himself to the crowd of humans. However, he was promised a visitation from Syo every so often if he performed for the audience which he immediately agreed to. It had been what seemed like ages since the two had even spoke to one another. If entertaining the audience was all he needed to do, so be it. Syo was worth more than anything to him.
Meanwhile the prince was unaware Ai had been turned into a spectacle. Anytime he asked about what had happened to his lover, there was no answer from his brother. It took days until Kaoru mentioned Ai, and promised his brother he could see him so long as he behaved and ate properly. A quick agreement formed, and Syo happily went to bed though tears streamed down his cheeks as he dreamed of what used to be.
