54

Health and Healing

Oga's crew had been marooned on the same island, and nursed their captain back to health. They were a loyal crew, and while Oga loved the pirate life, if he was to ever gain the affections of the male siren, it was a life that might be best left behind. "Alright, crew, I'm going to get us back to civilization. But this will be our last voyage."

"But captain!"

"No, no lads, this is the end for me. I've got my eyes set on a finer treasure the seas have been kind enough to show me."

They set up camp, set signal fires, and for four days not a single ship passed along their shores. Food and clean water were abundant, but Oga was nervous that he would not be able to keep his promise. These waters were rarely sailed, very nearly uncharted. They could make a bigger fire, but that would kill off their resources should they stay on the island for much longer than anticipated.

While the crew slept on their makeshift hammocks, Captain Oga kicked the coconuts that lined the shore. "You know I've seen those brown things before, humans eat them, don't they?"

"My silver fish, what am I to do?"

Furuichi wasn't used to the sound of the Captain's lament, "What is it, Captain?"

"No ship has passed by our island in four days. I'm not sure how long we'll be stuck here."

"That's never been an issue before, why are you worried now?"

"Because," Oga knelt beside the beached siren to stare deeply into doe brown eyes, "because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not wasting it here."

Furuichi's face twisted into the same pained expression it did several years ago, back when Oga kissed the willing siren.

"Oga it's not that simple…"

"But it can! I've met with fortune tellers-"

"Stop."

"-shamans-"

"Oga. Stop."

"-mediums. They all say the same thing, that you were human once-"

"I said stop!"

"Furuichi!"

The siren fled into the water, happy that his tears were unnoticeable in the dark water. Oga was persistent, hopeful, and while that is what made the silver siren love the human, Furuichi knew that their love was impossible. The life underwater was not what Furuichi had planned, and it was not a life fit for someone so naive and full of life. The curse aside.

"Ship on the horizon, Captain! We're saved!"

Oga smiled, and dusted off his slacks. The sail looked friendly, which meant that they could go home without the fear of being hanged. Along the journey back home, the sailors of the ship claimed they had heard the most beautiful music telling them how to get to the island. "It sounded like a dream." They claimed to hear splashes and catch glimpses of a silver tail until they reached shore. Oga laughed at them, claiming their stories were such a farce, all the while his heart breaking knowing that while the siren would always be there for him, Oga would never be able to have Furuichi's heart. Captain Oga just wanted to know why.

A month had passed before Oga mustered up the courage to walk along secret shores at night. It occured to the ex-pirate that he had never properly thanked the siren for getting them home. It was also harder to stay away from the shores since Oga missed the siren so much.

"Oga?"

"Furuichi."

Oga didn't run toward the beautiful siren, he didn't want to scare Furuichi off so soon this time. "I wanted to thank you for saving us."

"Oga...I have something to tell you."

"I know."

"What do you mean? I haven't told you yet."

Oga took off his shoes to dip his feet into the cold water washing up along the shore. "Like I said, all of the shamans, fortune tellers and the like told me the same story. That you were once human, but lived a difficult life. So difficult, in fact," Oga sat beside the siren, "That you tried to drown yourself in the water under a full moon. Poseidon, uncharacteristically taking pity on you, transformed you into your half- fish, half- human body. The only problem is that you'd have to bend to his wishes for a thousand years for saving you.

"How many ships have you sunk, Furuichi? How many lives have you been forced to take?"

"Oga, I don't want to answer those questions."

Oga caressed the side of Furuichi's cheek, and Furuichi couldn't stop himself from leaning into the touch. He'd been so starved of Oga, it pained the siren so much when Oga refused to visit the shore. "I won't make you answer them. Let's just enjoy this moment for now."

"Agreed."

Furuichi and Oga sat by the shore until the small hours of the morning, the sun peeking over the horizons. When Furuichi swam away, the silvernette bit his lips together. He rubbed at the black spot on his left hip. The silver fish sighed, he still hadn't told Oga everything.