Chapter 12

"After I told you everything about my companions would you have the grace to tell me your age?"

"Tell me yours first," Myde said. Ienzo rolled his eyes.

"And why should ?"

"Because I don't want to scare you," the purple haired human rose one eyebrow.

"I'm 19."

"19 what?"

"Years."

"How do you count the years in this world?"

"From winter to winter. A year has 365 days."

"Ah, so you're having the same system we use."

"Ok, but how many winters, if we count in them, are you old?"

"72."

"WHAT?!" Myde pouted, but Ienzo was too shocked to notice.

"See? Now I scared you! As you mentioned the age of this Even I thought your lifespan is different from mine. I can assure you that I'm not an adult yet." Ienzo just gasped some more times at him until his mind was able to form a proper sentence.

"With 70 you're an old man..."

"Really? You're an old man with 300. And a methusalem with 350."

"That means..." he calculated the simple mathematical problem down in his mind, "you're about 18 in our world? Cause you become an adult with 18 here." Myde thought about this, but then nodded his slow nod.

"It feels strange to say such a small number, but ok."

They both lied side on side on the rock like the previous day, the sun shone warm down on them and the both enjoyed the way their fingers were interlinked.

Ienzo lifted his hand up to block the bright rays of the sun. It was something after noon. He had brought Myde another fish from the cook, because the merman had informed him that there weren't enough fish in the small lake. He had also brought a ham sandwich with which he had tried to convince Myde for their food. Myde had tried it, but only after he insisted that Ienzo also tried a piece from the raw fish.

"And chew. Gulping instantly is cheating," he had informed Ienzo.

So Ienzo had took the white gibbering flesh in his palm and Myde a piece fro the sandwich. On three they took it in their mouth. Ienzo had closed his eyes and after the first urge to vomit it all out he forced himself to chew. It tasted salty, but not particularly bad so he had gulped it and opened his eyes. Myde hung over the edge of the rock with audible coughing coming from him. The spiked fin of his back, which was normally folded to a small line, stood up high. With a pained moan he rolled back next to him.

"That was sooo nasty!" He proclaimed. "why are you not throwing it up?"

Ienzo smiled and shrugged. "It didn't taste that bad. Salty somewhat but else tasteless. This bad?"

"Uuuuuh, that's unfair. And here I thought I could comfort you." He moaned again and had spat out to get rid of the taste in his mouth.

Now Ienzo heard a splash and as he opened his eyes again he was alone on the rock. He looked over the edge of the rock, which hung about two meters over the surface. The dark shadow under him grew until Myde's head broke the water. He shook his head to get rid of the wet hair in his face. Some driblets hit Ienzo in the face.

"Sorry, but I got too hot. And I wanna show you something."

"What? You mean... in the water?" Ienzo shifted uncomfortable. "I don't know. I've never been a swimmer." Myde made a face.

"You mean you can't swim?"

"Let's say that I can manage not to drown until I reach the shore." Myde laughed loud at this dry statement.

"Awww, come on. There's nothing in this lake which you have to fear!"

"Except for a hybrid creature between fish and human, with teeth and fangs and which is bigger than me," Ienzo stated ironically. Still he made no attempts to go into the water.

"I'm no hybrid. You're just laking a tail. Now come on! Just jump down. I promise the water won't hurt you." Myde said it in a teasing voice, which awakened the stubbornness in Ienzo, who started to get rid of his shoes, socks and finally his heavy linen trousers. He just had to much fear the extra weight would force him down. He shifted uneasy from one foot on the other and dared to peer down on the dark green water. Now that he was actually undressed sans his chemise and boxers the wind appeared much colder and the sun less warm.

"Is the water cold?" Ienzo asked but Myde refused to answer just rolled his eyes. The scholar took a deep breath, gripped his nose hard between his thumb and index finger and with closed eyes he jumped into the water.

The cold hit him like a hammer, but he refused to emerge. The force of the jump had brought him down about 3 meters, the compression of the water over him pressed unpleasant on his ears. He opened his eyes and expected a blurred and fogged world of blue and shadows. But oddly enough his environment appeared clear before his eyes, the water green and full of tiny white bubbles around him. He turned his head and saw Myde floating some meters away from him. With a little bash of his tail he come nearer.

"It's not that cold, is it?" He was right, Ienzo realised, the feeling of hurting cold had disappeared with the wonder of a clear sight. Myde giggled a little.

"Ah, forgive me, I forgot you humans can't speak under water," he grinned deviously and came again a little nearer.

Ienzo released some air from his lungs to lower the pressure that build in them. He frowned at the ominous look in Myde's eyes. The pressure in his lungs now stuck in the back of his throat and he had to gulp dryly. With a look at the surface he started to swim up to inhale some air, but something gripped his angle. He looked down and saw Myde who hold him in a iron grip.

"You don't think I let you escape that easily, now that I finally have you down by me?" he asked in a teasing but dangerous voice. He pulled him down again on his level, in which the water pressure was almost painful. Ienzo's eyes grew wide, but Myde's smirk also.

"You know, I always wondered why we fear you humans so much. You are so weak and ... fragile," he brought Ienzo near to his face. "And after all you can't stay under water longer than what? 3 minutes?" The young scholar was now in a full grown panic, he tried to crawl his way up, but the water made his movements weak and slow and soon his wrist were in an iron grip again. So he tried to kick himself free, but the long and slimy and strong fishtail wrapped itself around his ankles. Bound in that way all he could honestly do was squirming. The fire in his lungs burned painful and the last amount of precious air fought his way up in tiny bubbles.

The key for a a human to survive 3 minutes under water was to hold the air in the lungs, despite the pain and force in them. 20 from the inhaled air is oxygen and from this 20 you burn 4 with each breath. Ienzo calculated this down in his mind. He had had oxygen for 3 more breaths. Now with the bubbles reaching the surface he had nothing left. He felt his mind slowing down and black fog started to crawl at the edges of his vision. He shot a desperate look up to Myde whose expression was unreadable.

After it had been impossible for him to find a decent description of drowning in one of his books, he had made some self experiments in the bath tub. He had had Even with him, who had also been interested in this theme, to make sure he wouldn't drown really. It came clear that it was impossible for him to drown himself just out of pure will in a tube, so Even had tied him up. From this experience he could tell that he was on the edge of loosing his conciousness, which came along with the loss of control over his diaphragm, which coordinated the breathing. With the loss of this the water would float his lungs and the oxygen supply of his brain would stop, which would cause his death.

With his eyelids low he stopped to squirm. He saw a warm smile on those blue lips, which dove further until they reached his face. By the smallest contact he felt the sensation like a big heavy hand wrapping around him, devouring and holding him tight.

"Inhale" Myde whispered and the palsy caused by the sheer touch anticipated that he chocked as Myde pressed air into his empty lungs. His breath tasted salty and was cool like a mountain breeze, which banishes the foggy blackness on the edges of his vision. Ienzo blinked a little to adjust his eyes and the world around him was clear again – and the hot fire in his lungs was gone. He was about to open his mouth in question, but a clawed finger sealed them.

"Don't try to breath. You can't, silly. You're under water. But the little magic I possess should ban the urge to breath." Myde's smile was teasing and warm at the same time, Ienzo couldn't decide to be angry for being nearly drowned or thankful for the chance to stay under water under this chilly circumstances. The tight embrace Myde caught him in was enough to shut his brain up.

"This will last for three minutes. Come, I want to show you something." With that he made a strong movement with his free arm, the other was occupied with holding Ienzo tight to his breast, and dove further down into the dark green.

Ienzo felt lightly disconnected to his body. Myde didn't force any more pressure on him than to keep his body immobile, which caused the strange feeling of being here and being there. He was drowning. Drowning in those strong arms. He melted away, melted into water and became one with his surroundings. He was mildly aware that three minutes have to be passed by now and that the increasing feeling of drowning was the affect of real drowning, but he honestly couldn't care. Ienzo was about to inhale deeply, which would definitely have caused some choking problems, as they broke the surface. Myde laughed at his totally confused face, as if the rabbit of a little child suddenly turned into a carrot. 'Some thing's definitely wrong here...'

"What...?" Ienzo whispers hazily.

"We're here!" Myde laughed, though he knew it was his doings that the thoughts of the young scholar were slow like billowing sails in a gentle wind.

"... here?" It was just too cute how the normally hard and observing purple eyes were half lidded and about to close in an instant.

"Yeah, here! Take a look around!" And as Ienzo did as he was told the luring fog fell from him like a light blanket and his eyes widened in wonder.

"Where's here?" He asked still whispering, but now out of awe. They were in a cave, which lay with its ceiling only one meter over the water line.

"It can only be reached by the way we passed" Myde told him. There were little holes in the light stone, though, through which the bright sunlight entered.

Thousands of years ago the lake's been formed and with him this little cave. The clear and mineral rich water, the silence and the time itself had helped the myriads of crystals to grow out of the pure stone. All of the ceiling and nearly every inch of the walls were covered with light rosy, white and every thinkable shape of violet coloured stones. The inflating light illuminated them in a ghostly way and let the sparks dance over the water, the stone and the two lovers.

In this very moment Ienzo became aware that the very earth had a Heart itself.

"It's so beautiful here."

"It is" Myde confirmed. "I haven't expected to find something this gorgeous so far from the ocean. Come!" He lifted Ienzo on a stony plate where they could both lay comfortably with Myde's tail gently stroking in the silent water. Like always Ienzo was surprised by the strength that hid behind that lanky arms. He could make out some glittering blue and silver scales around them. Each one sparkled as light hit them, just like the scales which were still detached with the merman's body.

"You're here often, are you?"

"Yeah, I like it here. And I can watch and listen to the humans who stop here."

"Are there many?" He rolled on his side so that he could face the merman.

"Not many. It's more fun to observe those who live down there in the city." A scowl appeared on Ienzo's face.

"It's dangerous for you to go into the city. What if somebody sees you? I couldn't stand you getting caught." Myde chuckled at this and leaned forward that their faces were millimetres away from each other.

"Don't worry about me. I'm strong enough. Even if I can't escape that I'm bound to this water place." And he kissed him. It was a struggle of dominance, which cause both to moan deeply in the back of their throats. Myde broke apart and instead kissed the crook if Ienzo's neck, his sharp teeth surprisingly gentle teasing the sensitive skin. With a deep inhale Ienzo's mouth opened wide and he was lost again in those blue blue eyes and the drowning was back.

His eyes are wide open but he cannot see anything, because everything he can recognize is the soft and cold hand that strokes over his forehead, his cheek and found its place around his neck. The sensation increased as a second hand made its appearance. Torturing him, counting the ribs on his breast, he wants to cry out, but his body is numb and yet in fire and still there's this bitter sweet pain-notpain on his neck, where the teeth vanish and feather like kisses appear. Up and down his throat, to that spot behind his ear, which caused his whole body to tremble in a silent fast staccato rhythm. The air he inhales in loud and deep and rises his chest to a point where it comes in contact with that stone like, cold skin he's longing for so violently he hadn't even know. Ienzo didn't know when but his legs had sprawled and as the merman settled himself between them, lay himself with full torturing contact on the smaller boy, he encircled him around the hip with his legs.

"Myde..." He moans so low that he hadn't heard it himself, but the merman obeys his demanding arms at sealed his lips again while he took oh so gentle and iron like his arms and caught his wrists over his head with one hand. The other found the sensitive spot on his hipbone and that contact was sp violent that Ienzo cried out in a small whimper. He arched his hip up to Myde as he began stroking the spot in slow and cruel circles.

"I found out that you humans do that when you love each other. " He said, as he broke the kiss a

second time. Those purple orbs in front of him were so clouded he couldn't make out a spot of black. The eyes shimmering in tears and it appeared him so beautiful he nearly couldn't stand it. "And I want to do it for you."

This time his cry was loud and halls back from the near walls, as that now body warm hand follows the line of his hip down into his pants.

The rhythmical thumping around is arousal, the hot tongue on his neck, down his flat breast, around his sensual nipples. That all made Ienzo cry out in pleasure with every wave of sensation whirling around in him, driving him insane, driving him crazy. He comes hard and Myde captured his open but silent mouth in a possessive kiss. Ienzo's vision went white and his body buckled down like a doll with suddenly cut strings.

They both panted heavy and Myde took the shacking boy in a tight wand warm embrace. Ienzo felt hot and pleased and so at ease with the world around him like never before in his entire life.

With a sudden action he took Myde's head between his hands, not bothering if he might hurt his fragile gills.

"I love you! I don't know where it comes from or how it will proceed. But I love you and I've never meant anything like this in my live. I love you and I will never ever be separated from you!" He had a desperate streak in his voice and his face hold a pleading look. Myde looked somewhat concerned but his expression melted and a heart warming smile appeared. He gently released Ienzo's fingers from his skull and placed them against his breast and kissed him gently on the lips. His long fishy tail encircled them both in an awkward kind of nest.

"I love you too, Ienzo. An I'll never leave you. Our hearts are connected and no power in these worlds is able to break that string."


kinda sweet enough to rot your teeth, isn't it? and you should know me better than believing that this'll last forever!

Well, has there happened anything in my life worth telling you? I'm again in a huge exams-stress and so I havn't written anything for a month or so. And as a plus I can't really remember if this chapter's been beta-ed. Anyway I have just one chapter or so left to write and this story'll be complete.

and you know? Reviewing is NO sin. You're really allowed to do so! (Normally I wouldn't write something like that, but it's kinda dissapointing to get just one review for the last chapter)