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"Gaara, let her go." Asherah whispered from her position on the floor.
The Kazekage scowled at the creature.
What did he have to fear from her?
A long moment passed as Gaara and Beauty glared at each other.
"You are not Siren." Beauty hissed at the Kazekage, her eyes narrowing even further, until they became only blue slits in her scaly face.
"Gaara, let her go!" Asherah whispered urgently.
"Of course I am not a-" Gaara began to retort at Beauty before he was interrupted by a thunderous splash.
A handsome man rose from the water at the far end of the room's pool. His hands slung water off of his face, but once he was dry enough, he opened his arms wide towards all in the room. "I'm here! I made it!"
He had dark, brown hair and darker blue eyes, standing about Gaara's height, his build was quite athletic, and he was clad only in loose, black trousers.
"You're late." Beauty snarled.
"But I did make it!" The man smirked, pointing at Beauty with his index finger.
The man looked at Gaara and Seraphina as he walked a bit closer towards those gathered around the stone runway.
"This is my husband and daughter, Uncle Vannon."
Gaara blinked.
This was a member of Asherah's family she had never mentioned, although he saw Elocin smiling in her shark-like glee from the water.
Oh…..
So, this man was Elocin's father?
"Pleased to meet you, I-" The handsome man began, extending a hand to shake with Gaara.
Unfortunately, before Gaara could formally make his acquaintance, a loud shriek from Beauty interrupted them.
"Late! Husbands! Daughters! Excuses! Look at the lot of you! There's killers on the loose and all you can do is make excuses! That's all you ever do!" The creature called Beauty exclaimed, looking accusingly at each person gathered around her, then at Asherah, her gaze landing on Vannon.
At length she looked away and began to peer at those gathered around the stone runway.
She came first to Asherah's mother.
"Odessa of the Black Sea! Talented enough to tame waves! Ha! It took one man to ruin you!" Beauty spat at Gaara's mother-in-law.
Gaara waited for Odessa to defend herself, but she simply frowned.
Beauty walked over to Asherah's cousin and lifted her from the water by her hair. "Elocin, the great dark siren! I bestowed the wrath of beauty upon you! And what have you done with it?! Nothing! You waste your time playing and frolicking about like a stupid mermaid!"
Elocin's grin faded from her features, replaced by a look of deep despair. "A-actually, there are many things I have-"
"SILENCE!" Beauty snarled, dropping her with a loud plop back into the pool.
"What about me?" The man who Asherah had claimed as her Uncle asked.
Beauty sighed deeply, she walked to the very edge of the stone runway and held out her arms in a grand gesture. "Oh, Vannon! I love you like a son!"
Asherah's uncle frowned and looked very hurt. "Mother, I am your son."
"Well, I'm very old, I can't remember who's my son and who's not! Don't you have anything better to do, then play on my sympathies?!" Beauty almost screamed at him.
"Yes, Mother, but it was you who asked me to come!" Vannon defended himself.
It was no use, Beauty had already moved on.
"And you, Asherah." Beauty said very slowly, lowering her arms to cross them at the bowing Siren Queen.
"You, who call yourself the Queen of Sirens, the Queen of Skorgan, the Queen of this, the Queen of that. Now you're a housewife?! To an ordinary man?! You are the Queen of nothing!" Beauty spat hatefully.
Asherah remained bowing but from the side Gaara could see the anger in his wife's face. "My husband is no ordinary man."
"I don't care what your husband is." Beauty sighed as she turned and began to pace up and down the stone way. "We are in a crisis. A terrible war is coming and I need those that are most capable…. All of you are the best, all of you are the most gifted…...but all of you have failed."
Beauty turned back to face them abruptly. "Sirenkind and all the lands they inhabit are being systematically destroyed as we speak. Are any of you capable of stopping the slaughter? Of saving those at risk?" Beauty laughed. "I bet you can't even save yourselves."
As Kazekage, Gaara was unsettled when he heard Beauty speaking of war and danger.
He looked over at Asherah, who was clearly surprised to hear this.
Why had no one told his wife?
Did Beauty doubt her that much?
Gaara saw the faces of all who were present drop in sadness and fear.
Even Vannon…..
Gaara looked at him closely and wondered…..
Something about him seemed…..different.
He had been summoned here, he had entered through the water with no escort…..
The Kazekage thought….
Were all sirens female?
"You there, man." Beauty called.
Gaara would have to ask his question another day….
That creature was talking to him again.
Beauty eyed Seraphina, whose hand was still clutched tightly in Gaara's. "My time is limited. I will not ask again."
Gaara grit his teeth and prepared to find a way for his family to escape when his eyes widened.
His hand was suddenly empty.
Seraphina let go!
"No!" Gaara shouted, watching in horror as his small daughter walked up to beauty.
His wife grabbed his ankle, preventing him from chasing her.
"She is doing what she feels in her heart, Draga Mea. That is what all sirens are called to do." Asherah whispered.
Tiny Seraphina stepped boldly up to the stone runway and bravely stood in front of the tall, scaly creature that was called Beauty.
Beauty sighed happily as she examined the little girl.
Beauty opened her mouth and sang a few notes.
Seraphina repeated them back.
Beauty smiled and raised an eyebrow.
Beauty reached out a hand and placed her skinny, scale-covered fingers on Seraphina's chest, holding her palm directly over the child's heart.
Beauty took a deep breath in and closed her eyes.
Everyone was watching silently, intently, especially Gaara.
If that thing tried to hurt his little girl…..
At last, Beauty removed her hand and clasped her palms together, opening her eyes.
"Will you please bind her?" Asherah asked, daring to look up from the ground.
"Bind her?" Beauty asked, as if the question had been offensive. "Oh no, no, no. This one will never be bound, can never be bound."
Asherah's face twisted in terror, causing Gaara's scowl to deepen.
Asherah could not imagine why Seraphina had been displeasing to beauty!
Gaara was trying to imagine which sand attack would be best to use as he started to make a stance, already thinking through his necessary hand signals.
"The child is strong of heart and wit. Much more than any of you." Beauty sniffed. "This child will not be bound, she will come and stay with me for a time. I will bring her home when she is ready."
Gaara's eyes almost popped out of his head.
What?!
This thing thought he was going to leave his precious little girl here, in this dank, dark, desolate place under the care of this monster?!
Gaara immediately looked over at his wife for support and found himself in even greater shock…
Asherah was sitting up on the stone, a bright happy smile on her face, as if she had just received the best news. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, so much!"
"You're going to let this thing take our baby?!" Gaara demanded angrily.
"Gaara of Suna, this is an amazing opportunity and an unthinkable honor! How could you hold her back from this?!" Asherah replied.
That apparently wasn't enough to wipe the rage off Gaara's face.
Gaara's bride could tell.
"Very well." Asherah said, narrowing her own eyes at her husband. "Why not ask the child what she wants to do?"
Gaara's anger faded to anxiety.
A part of him was afraid to hear Seraphina's answer.
Yes, he was afraid….
But he had to….
If this was a good opportunity for his daughter, if it was what she wanted, he would be the monster if he refused.
"Seraphina," Gaara called.
The little redhead turned around.
"Is this what you truly want?" Gaara asked.
Seraphina's eyes were bright as she spoke with a smile, "Yes, Daddy, it is. I promise it won't be forever."
Asherah was proud, but Gaara was sad.
Sad but proud.
"So you wish it, so it shall be." The Kazekage replied.