"My family is leaving tomorrow." Ritsu blurted out, currently sitting beside Saga on the sand.

Saga paused, his mouth open and his chopsticks hovering in front of it. He put the bite of food down so he no longer had to precariously balance it on the chopsticks. Ritsu could have sworn he saw the hint of a frown on the siren's face.

"Leaving?" Saga echoed. "Where are you going?"

"Home. I don't live here, remember?" Ritsu said. He had returned with lunch for Saga just as he said he would. The prince had been so delighted when Saga's reluctance to spend time with him seemed to be gone. The siren certainly wasn't welcoming Ritsu with open arms and a wide smile, but he was no longer telling him to go away. Maybe it was the food that caused this change in attitude. Either way, Ritsu was very happy to spend the afternoon with Saga once more, but it would eventually come to an end. Ritsu felt that Saga should know that he wouldn't be returning, at least not for a long time.

"Oh, right." Saga said. Ritsu had mentioned that the other day, he recalled. Will you be back? He wondered, but did not ask out loud. He didn't want Ritsu to get the impression that he wanted him back, after all. It was better for the both of them to go their separate ways.

"I'll return in the Winter, though. My family always visits twice a year." Ritsu said. "I-I could visit you again once I come back. I-If you'd like." He added, nervously drawing in the sand with a finger, having already finished his own meal.

Saga just shrugged and went back to eating.

Ritsu hoped the lack of protest was a good sign. At least he hasn't reminded me that he is capable of killing me today, Ritsu thought a little sarcastically.

"Will you still be here in Winter?" Ritsu asked. He does have bird wings...perhaps sirens migrate like birds do when the colder season comes. Ritsu did not dare ask if this was true, not wanting to receive a glare or be laughed at for such a ridiculous question.

"Probably. I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be." Saga answered, finishing his lunch.

Ritsu nodded. "Then I very much look forward to seeing you again." He said before turning to the water. "It's just a shame I didn't get to swim before leaving." He pouted. "It'll be far too cold to do so when I return."

Saga shrugged. "Why don't you go swimming now?"

"My clothes would get all wet." Ritsu said. While normally that would only be a minor inconvenience, he couldn't return to the castle with wet clothing and risk being seen in such a state.

"So take them off?" Saga did not see the problem here.

Ritsu's face flushed at his words, a mixture of embarrassment and anger swelling in his chest at the casual and honestly crude suggestion. The only person who really ever saw Ritsu in less than his best was the servant who helped him change each morning and night.

"I-you-do you have no modesty at all?! I-I-I'm not just going to strip in front of you!" Ritsu sputtered.

Saga just rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever, no need to get so worked up." He said, not really understanding what the big deal was.

Ritsu took a breath and tried to calm himself. Maybe sirens are not as conservative, he told himself. He focused on the ocean once more. It truly was a shame that he wouldn't be able to enjoy himself in the water this Summer.

Saga noticed and shook his head. This human was so weird. Most humans, as far as he knew, did what they wanted when they wanted, so why didn't this one? Especially when his want was so simple and easy to obtain. Saga stood, brushing sand off himself and holding a hand out to Ritsu.

Ritsu furrowed his eyebrows and frowned, slowly taking it and allowing himself to be pulled up.

"Where are we going?"

"Take off your shoes. Roll up your pants if you don't want them to get wet." Saga said, pulling Ritsu toward the water before the prince even had the chance to follow his instructions.

"W-Wait!" Ritsu quickly pulled his hand away before he could be taken into the water. Briefly, Ritsu thought that maybe his luck had finally run out and the siren was now going to drown him, but he quickly dismissed the suspicion.

Saga watched and waited as Ritsu kicked his shoes off and rolled up his pants as best he could before going into the water until it was up to his shins. Saga stood beside him.

"Can you go in the water with your wings?" Ritsu asked curiously.

"The feathers have a protective coating on them, let's the water roll off them." Saga explained.

Ritsu nodded. That made sense. It'd be terrible for sirens to live by the sea and constantly have to worry about their wings getting soaked. "I haven't seen you in the water before." Ritsu commented.

Saga shrugged. "Cause I don't usually go in it."

"Why not?" Ritsu asked.

"Everything I've ever seen in the water dies." He said, much too casually for Ritsu's liking. Whether that be fish he hunted or humans he witnessed drown at the mercy of other sirens, water meant the end of life in Saga's experience. He did not fear the water, but he certainly did not see the appeal of it that Ritsu obviously did.

"Oh." Ritsu blanched.

"You look like you're going to be sick." Saga commented, noticing how the color had left Ritsu's face.

"You...You haven't actually led me here to drown me, have you?" Ritsu asked. He had thought the brief fear of his was ridiculous, but now he was thinking that maybe his fear had a little merit.

Saga frowned. "No. You said you wanted to swim, but you don't want to take off your clothes. This is a compromise." He explained. "It was annoying to sit there and watch you pout."

"I'm sorry!" Ritsu exclaimed when seeing his frown. Oh God, of course he was frowning, Ritsu had just suggested that he was going to murder him! "I didn't mean to offend or insinuate that-"

"You have every right to be wary of me." Saga cut him off, not wanting to hear yet another apology. This kid had apologized at least once every time they interacted and Saga was getting a little tired of it.

Ritsu just looked away, still feeling ashamed of himself for assuming the worst.

The refreshing cool water on his skin and the relaxing sound of the waves helped calm Ritsu's frayed nerves as he let out a soft sigh.

"I have to leave before the sun starts setting." Ritsu told Saga.

"That won't be for a little while." Saga pointed out. They had just finished lunch, after all. "...if you went swimming now, your clothes would probably be dry by the time you have to leave."

"If you don't want me to think you're trying to drown me, you're doing a terrible job." Ritsu said.

"I'm just saying. You said you wanted to go swimming, so you should." Saga said.

Ritsu wondered why Saga seemed to care so much.

"I'll just wait till next Summer. I'll come back a little more prepared then." Ritsu assured with a smile. It gives me another excuse to see you, he thought.

Saga just shrugged and decided to drop it.

"What will you do during the Fall?" Ritsu asked.

"Probably what I always do. Come here. Catch fish. Clean the beach."

"Don't you get bored?" Ritsu asked.

"I don't have many other options." Saga said. His other choice was to stay home at the seaside cliffs where the other sirens were and it wasn't like they were great company. "Besides, it's nice here. I don't get bored."

Ritsu nodded. "Stay safe, will you? If I found you then surely someone else could too."

"I've been coming here for a few years now, human, I think I'll be just fine." Saga said.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it-I just-what I was trying to say was-"

"It's fine. I know what you meant." Saga said. Besides, it probably was best for him to air on the side of caution. If this dumb kid could find him then surely others would be able to as well. He only hoped his little beach haven wouldn't become further compromised.

"I'll be safe. Promise." Saga said, unsure why he felt the need to soothe some of Ritsu's worries.

Ritsu smiled a bit and nodded. "I'll keep you to that."

"Goodbye, Saga. It was very nice to meet you this Summer." Ritsu said with a smile. They had left the water a while ago and had gone back to sitting on the sand, but now Ritsu was departing.

Saga just hummed in acknowledgement of Ritsu's words, watching as he turned to begin to leave.

"Safe travels." Saga called out after a moment of hesitation.

Ritsu looked over his shoulder to flash him a smile. "I promise I will return in one piece." He said.

I never said I wanted you to return was what Saga wanted to say, but instead the words that left him were, "You better."

Ritsu smiled wider and gave a final wave before finally leaving.

What a fool, Saga thought with a shake of his head, continuing to watch him walk away until Ritsu eventually disappeared from his sight.

The Fall was normally a welcomed change for the young prince. The sweltering heat eased with the shift of the seasons and Ritsu was back in the comfort of his own home. He knew eventually the Kohinata family would come to visit and he would have to play host alongside his parents, but for now he settled back into his normal routine. He continued his studies, dutiful and determined as ever to make the most of his education, reading for pleasure in his free time. He also began to train with a sword. He wasn't allowed to pick up a real sword yet, only practicing with a wooden one to work on his form and develop muscle memory.

However, now that the Fall began, Ritsu couldn't wait for Winter to come. He was eager to see Saga again. As much as he tried to convince himself that it was silly to miss the siren, a deadly creature who barely even seemed to like him, he still felt the desire to see him. It grew even stronger knowing that Saga was so far away.

Stop thinking about him, he scolded himself, but could one really blame him? It wasn't everyday a mere mortal got to meet and (tentatively) befriend a mythical legend. I do hope he's safe, Ritsu frowned. The thought of another person finding Saga on that beach worried him deeply, but surely the siren could handle himself if he was discovered? But maybe he can't, a pessimistic voice whispered. Being separated from Saga had given Ritsu the opportunity to think long and hard about their strange relationship. Saga had no reason to spare Ritsu, especially when they first met. What if Saga hadn't killed him simply because he couldn't? Although Ritsu had no reason or proof to support this train of thought, other than the fact that he was still living now, the possibility worried him greatly. If Saga couldn't hurt Ritsu, then he couldn't hurt anyone.

I'm overthinking things again, Ritsu thought with a sigh. He was supposed to be focusing on the book in front of him. Ritsu had gathered every book he could find on mythical creatures, skimming through every table of contents to see which ones had chapters on sirens. While gathering the books he briefly worried this would be considered invasive, but decided it was ultimately for the best. If he and Saga were going to meet again then Ritsu should return with as much knowledge as possible. He told himself it was for his own safety, but the real reason was that he wanted to be as good of a friend as he could be. Although there weren't exactly lists of siren faux pas nor were there descriptions of how sirens worked socially, Ritsu still hoped the information could be useful.

I wonder what he's doing, Ritsu thought as he jotted down notes in a journal, copying what he believed to be the most important and applicable information so he had it all in one spot. I'm really hopeless, aren't I? He thought with a sigh after realizing his thoughts had unsurprisingly wandered back to Saga. Maybe the siren really had accidentally put him under a spell. Or maybe I'm just stupid. Both options seemed equally likely.

The temperature continued to drop, the air turning crisp with a chill as the Onodera Kingdom went deeper into Fall, signaling the arrival of the Kohinata family.

"Richan!" An greeted once her and her family arrived, a bright smile on her face as they entered his home. Ritsu noticed her mother nudge An and the princess quickly corrected herself, giving a curtsy and greeting the royal family much more properly.

Ritsu returned the gesture, bowing to show respect as he and his parents welcomed the Kohinata family into their home for the next week.

The two children managed to slip away as their parents spoke, An smiling brightly as they did. "It's so good to see you again, Richan." She said.

"You too." Ritsu walked alongside her happily.

"I hope you haven't lost that rebel streak you suddenly developed in the Summer." She said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What are you planning?" Ritsu asked.

"I helped you sneak out a few times. I think it's only fair you return the favor, hm?"

"You want to go out there alone?" Ritsu asked, eyes a little wide.

"Yes!" An said.

"Why?" Ritsu frowned, confused by this sudden request. An had never expressed any desire to leave the Onodera castle before. But, Ritsu supposed he also had never wanted to leave the Kohinata grounds until this past Summer.

"Why not?" An said. "You had your adventure, I want to have one too." She said.

"I don't know An. I wasn't going into town when I snuck out, I was meeting my friend somewhere private. Where would you go?" Ritsu asked, hesitant.

An pouted. "I don't know, but does it matter?"

"Of course it matters. The more people around the riskier it would be for you." Ritsu said.

"I'll bring my dagger." An shrugged.

"You have a dagger?!"

"Sh!" An hushed him quickly. "Not to my parents' knowledge, but yes. I...borrowed it."

"Who did you steal it from?!" Ritsu asked, still alarmed, but speaking much quieter now.

"I borrowed it from my father." An corrected.

"And you talk about my rebel streak. Truly, you have everyone in the world fooled." Ritsu said. An just laughed delightfully.

"Everyone but you, Richan, but that's why you're my best friend." She smiled and looped arms with him, leading him off so the two could begin to look for an escape route for An.

Saga was annoyed.

He was on the beach, as per usual, and had found a spindle seashell that was still intact for the most part. He picked it up, turning it this way and that to look at the brown stripes running along the white shell. It wasn't very large, but it was pretty.

But that wasn't why he was annoyed.

He was annoyed because his first thought after picking it up had been, Ritsu would probably like this.

Saga frowned at himself and threw the shell back into the ocean. He himself had no use for it and Ritsu certainly wouldn't have any use for it either. Besides, what would Saga do with it? Hold on to it until Winter came? No, Saga had no reason to be thinking such silly thoughts.

His foolishness has rubbed off on me, Saga thought with a shake of his head. He hoped that whatever Ritsu's fascination with him was would fade away with the time and distance that now stood between the two of them.

Saga used a wing to break some of the wind pushing against him, preventing some of the Autumn chill. He sat on the sand now that he had thrown the shell and forced himself to stop thinking about it and Ritsu. He watched as the sun began to set, knowing that the night to come would be much colder, but he would stubbornly remain on the beach and sleep through it.

I'm hungry, Saga thought, but he didn't move, not in the mood to put in the effort. Ritsu had only brought him two meals and already he was spoiled by not having to catch food for himself. It was just so much more convenient to have food given to him. Though, he still couldn't decide if he liked fish better cooked or raw. Saga wondered what Ritsu might bring him in the Winter and then huffed as he realized he was thinking about Ritsu again.

I wonder if he got home safe, Saga looked up, the blue turning into deep oranges and pinks painted across the sky. He never got to see the sunset here, he thought absentmindedly. Ritsu always left before sunset. Saga scowled and shook his head. Why should he even care? He didn't care.

"Stupid human, I hope he never comes back." Saga spoke out loud, only in an attempt to convince himself of his words.

It was going to be a long Fall.