Disclaimer: not mine

And trouble finds the boys. Warning – Siren song

Chapter 3

Vexen stared at the empty tank. It just didn't make sense, security cameras showed nothing out of the ordinary that night…which meant someone had gotten into the system somehow. The portable tank was missing, the only proof someone had been there, the tank had been locked after all. He suspected his nephew, after his reaction to seeing the creature, but he knew the boy had no computer skills. Still, it would have taken a group to take it, perhaps he had friends who did? And yet when he'd called the boy had seemed surprised, if he'd faked it then he was a better actor than Vexen had ever known.

There was still so much to learn from the creature but perhaps they would have to capture a new specimen and continue the work with it.

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Sora hung up, tossing his phone from hand to hand. Uncle Vexen wasn't giving up on finding Riku but he still didn't know where Sora lived, thankfully. Even if he suspected him, he had no way of finding him. Tidus had made sure their phones couldn't be tracked years ago so he wouldn't be able to find him that way. Still, there'd always be a risk of him or anyone working for him finding the cove.

He stretched and sighed, he couldn't spend all of his time with Riku, it wasn't healthy for either of them. Riku needed to learn to be independent and Sora couldn't rely on him for company when he would be leaving one day. He went into the kitchen and began working on dinner. Riku had been in his cove for six months now and….and Sora wasn't at all afraid of him. Riku had become more vocal as time went by, but he'd never even started to sing, not where he could hear anyway. Riku's voice had improved, he no longer sounded raspy unless he was vocalising for a while so Sora assumed his singing voice was as magical as any other Sirens'. Riku hadn't used any magic at all, because he didn't know how or for Sora's sake?

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Kairi hung up, shaking her head with a smile. Still the same old Sora, thankfully. She missed getting to see him but her place was too far from his, he wouldn't leave Riku for that long. Maybe once he was successfully hunting all of the time for himself he would.

No matter what though, she couldn't get rid of the fear…Sora sounded like himself, but was that because he was…or could a Siren pull that off? She'd never heard of it because usually the person was never seen again once a Siren or Sirens got control of them.

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Riku leapt from the water, doing a flip, hearing Sora clap. He hit the water and swam full speed into the shallows letting the momentum and small waves help carry him onto the sand where Sora was watching. He sat up in front of him and Sora laughed but then he felt the brush in his hair, working out the tangles, before Sora's hands were running through it, separating it into sections before braiding it. It felt really nice to have Sora doing his hair, he wished Sora's was long enough for him to return the favour with.

He felt Sora finish, tying it off for him, and he leant back hesitantly. He felt the sand shift but then he was leaning against the warmth of Sora and an arm slowly came up to wrap around his waist. He turned his head and nuzzled at Sora, trilling softly.

"Cuddly today," Sora commented.

He'd like to cuddle all day every day. He'd lived almost his whole life without contact and now that he could have it, he wanted it all the time. He had vague memories of being held a lot when he was little, instinctively knew touching was important.

Neither noticed the eyes watching them from the sea.

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A human dared?! Angry whistles and clicks filled the water. From the description he was still a pup, not yet fully matured. They had to teach that human a lesson and free the pup.

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Sora yawned as he put the kettle on to heat water for coffee. It was early but he wanted to head into town and do some shopping and it was always best to do that early. The water in the cove was smooth so it looked like Riku was still sleeping in the cave. He seemed to feel safer sleeping in there than in the more open water.

He heard the kettle whistle as the water boiled and turned back to it, humming to himself along with the radio…he didn't have the radio on…he staggered back from the counter, looking out at the beach, seeing the water ripple…not Riku…his head felt fuzzy. No! He turned to the draw, he had to block…he had to…he…

Sora's hand fell away from the drawer and he stood still, listening to the beautiful singing…so beautiful…

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Riku's eyes snapped open and he frowned, something had woken him but what? He surfaced and there was no sign of Sora so it wasn't him. Something…something was wrong. He turned and swam out through the cave, hearing the sound as soon as he reached the cove, singing…Siren song. No! He swam fast, seeing three Sirens gathered in the shallows and rushed towards them only to feel another body slam into him, strong arms wrapping around him.

"Let go!" he snarled, thrashing wildly even as he was pulled to the surface.

Sora was walking down the beach, a soft smile on his face, and Riku cried out to him as loudly as he could, but Sora couldn't hear him.

"No! Let him go. Sora!" he clawed at the arms around him.

"Settle down pup," a voice hissed in his ear and it felt so strange to hear another Siren, to not have to pay attention to translate what he was hearing.

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Sora walked towards the singing, unable to ignore the summons, not wanting to. The song filled his mind, drowning out all thought, ensuring it was all he was aware of. His foot caught on a piece of driftwood and he fell to his hands and knees but he didn't even feel the pain as he staggered back to his feet, continuing to walk across the cool sand.

He entered the surf, glassy eyes locked on the middle of the three Singers, dreamy smile still on his face, dropping to his knees in front of them. He would kneel for eternity and listen if that was what they wished, he would be honoured to.

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Riku saw Sora drop to his knees in the surf, the water around his thighs, surging up and down with the waves. They had him well and truly ensnared, there was no comprehension in his expression, no self-awareness, nothing but a kind of peaceful devotion. Sora would do anything they wanted him to now and Riku could do nothing but fight against the older Siren holding him back.

What were they doing there? It was his cove! His territory, even if he was young, he'd claimed a small enough area they should have respected that! He flared fins, feeling sharp edges score blood, heard the other hiss in pain, raking his claws deeper into the arm around his waist, able to get a better angle on it rather than the one across his upper chest. He thrashed and twisted his tail, following instinct to try and get free.

"Hey! I think the human's really his Saïx. Pup's fighting hard." A pained groan cut him off as his elbow sank into the speakers stomach. "Think he's about to hit his first season."

One of the singers stopped but Sora didn't react at all to the change, as the one with blue hair turned to look at them. Riku bared his teeth at him, enraged.

Blood was turning the water around them red, even as the strangers wounds healed a little. Riku managed to slam his head back, hearing a satisfying crunch and curse. The hold loosened a little and he spun, lethally sharp teeth latching onto a throat, ripping deep, before he pulled free.

Riku swam fast towards Sora, ducking around the others, his tail slamming into a face as he went by. He wrapped an arm around Sora's waist and yanked him back with him, holding on tight, but Sora was dead weight. He glanced down into vacant eyes and a peaceful expression, and shuddered, no, not Sora… he shook him, begging him to wake up, but Sora remained the same.

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They watched the young one actually pull himself and the human up onto the sand, proving he had grown used to moving on land and giving him the advantage. He shook the human and they all heard his pleas for the other to wake up. A glance back showed Xigbar floating limp, he might heal before he bled out, maybe. They hadn't expected a pup to fight back so fiercely, then again…a look at his fins and tail showed that he was on the cusp of maturity. Which would also explain hanging around a human, without a pod to turn to and his body maturing, he would seek anything that would be compatible. Humans were, gender didn't matter, the magic of their kind would deal with that. There were no other humans around either, had the young one charmed the human into trusting him because he was lonely too?

The fell silent, no longer drawing the boy deeper under their power, even as the younger Siren continued to glare at them, rocking the human, a hand running through spikey hair even as he actually nuzzled at him. Empty blue eyes were staring at them though, their owner utterly unaware of the distress of the Siren holding him, to him they were the whole world, the sole reason he existed. There hadn't been the slightest resistance to indicate the pup had begun bringing him under control even through the more subtle methods involving eye contact.

The young one had no one to teach him, but this lesson at least he would learn now, they would remove their power over the human if he agreed to take over. After all, once ensnared it was impossible for the human to be truly freed.

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Riku stared at them in horror. No! He never wanted to do that to Sora, he knew how Sora's parent had died. He cradled him close, thankful the sun had finished rising, warming the air around them, Sora was cold from the water and his body, and that wasn't good for him. He didn't want a mindless, devoted, slave, he wanted Sora. Sora who laughed and played with him, who taught him to read and catch food.

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Roxas stared at the currently beached Siren, hearing his grief as he rocked his human. They were a similar age but he had the others, knew exactly who he would be turning to when his time came. He was scared but kind of excited and so was Xion. Did he…actually trust the human? Care for him like one of their own kind? Roxas stared into the vacant eyes, realising the colour was very close to his own…so were their faces. That was…creepy. He knew he'd come from that kind of mating, was it possible the humans were related?

It was obvious the other Siren wanted the human as he had been before they had sung. The others would never allow that and besides…when the time came it would happen anyway. But… "What about the something in the middle?" for now anyway. The others looked at him and he ducked his head. "Give the human his mind back but ensure they are linked," he suggested quietly.

"His name is Sora," the other Siren snapped at them.

He knew its name?! How? Could…could he somehow understand it?

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Axel frowned as he watched the two on the beach and then glanced at Saïx. He had the feeling that he had misled them as to what he had seen. The pup was far too attached to the human…Sora, for what Saïx had reported to be true. Now that he was looking, he could detect the subtle signs claiming that this cove had been claimed…they had invaded another's territory, even if he was on his own. It was the unspoken rule of their kind that they did not enter another's territory without permission or good cause and he had the feeling they hadn't had cause.

They had been sent ahead to scout out a new territory for their growing pod; while the cove was nice it wasn't what they needed, Saïx should have passed it by, especially when he saw the markers of a claim. He had said he had found a long Siren, a pup at that, being kept and used by a human. The young one's behaviour did not match that at all. Technically, Saïx was in command but if he had done this for the wrong reasons…

Axel swam in closer, seeing the young one tense, hearing him hiss in warning. Axel shifted around to sit just in the water, hands resting on his tail. "Got a name?" he asked, and cyan eyes watched him warily. "I'm Axel."

"Riku," he finally answered, clutching the human close, obviously worried Axel would call him away.

"Where's your pod?"

The pup actually seemed confused which was very worrying. Just how long had he been on his own?

"So how do you know the hu…Sora's name?" he corrected himself, wanting to calm Riku down and not set him off by insulting his human. It was clear to him, the pup wasn't fully mature yet, but he was coming close and had obviously already chosen a partner for his first season. Surely he knew this would have been the outcome for Sora then?

"He told me," Riku answered his question.

"You can understand him?" Roxas spoke up again in surprise. The only reason he'd been allowed to come was because Axel had vouched for him, he was young to be with them but that may be for the best since he was of a similar age to Riku and probably the human too.

Riku nodded warily, nuzzling Sora again and Axel figured it was more to comfort himself than the human who remained unaware of him. While it was distressing for Riku, it was best to keep the human the way he was for now to avoid extra complications. He could feel Saïx's glare burning into his back but ignored his oldest friend, it was his fault they were in this mess in the first place.

"Did he teach you?" Axel asked, wondering how long Riku had called the cove home, but he hesitated, before shaking his head. His appearance said he wasn't local, not with his colouring and fin type. "Riku, has he been keeping you here, making you do tricks and things?" he asked carefully, and Riku's fins flared in anger, even as he shifted further up the beach.

"Sora saved me!" he snarled. "He'd never…" his hands gently ran over wild hair and then down the humans' back and sides, definite comforting behaviour.

So what had…Axel froze, eyes wide as he spotted something he hadn't before the movement revealing another sections of tail…and the large piece of it that was missing. It didn't look like a bite mark of any kind, it was too…neat? It was big enough to have been from a shark but that would be ragged, deeper in some sections than other, this was all the same.

Riku looked down and tucked his tail up to hide the wound, actually trembling slightly, proving his youth.

"That's a pretty nasty wound, you in pain?" he asked in concern.

"No, it's old. I can still swim!" he snapped defensively.

"Saw that," he smirked. But it did explain the odd motion he'd seen to his swimming, which could explain why he lived in a cove, for his own safety. Could he even hunt properly? He'd seen worse wounds but not usually in such an important section of the tail. "Doesn't look like any bite I've ever seen," he pressed.

Riku hesitated and then hissed in warning when Saïx moved closer, Axel turning to glare at him. Talking calmly was getting them a lot further than he plan had! He glanced back but Xigbar was under the surface, so he glanced at Roxas who nodded and turned, diving to see if he lived or not. He didn't blame the pup for what he'd done, he was defending his territory the way any of them would.

"Not a bite," Riku finally admitted. "Sora saved me," he repeated himself.

"From what?" he asked, shifting forward enough to sit on the sand but still in the surf.

Riku looked between them, obviously reluctant to explain, and that was when the sun came out from behind a cloud…Axel hissed as he saw the multiple scars on his face, also unfamiliar in origin. What had happened to him? Riku shied back and Axel held began softly clicking to calm him like he would any pup. It worked, Riku slowly calming down, softly clicking back.

"Who did this to you?" he asked.

The pup turned away from him, curling even closer to his companion if that was possible, trembling slightly and Axel swallowed. If he was reading his reaction right, then it was a pretty big clue what he kept claiming Sora had saved him from. A human had turned on its own for one of them? He heard the noise of disbelief and scorn from Saïx and turned to him with a glare.

"Go," he hissed.

"What?"

"You had us invade another's territory! Look at him! That human was never a threat to him and now it's going to take a lot of work to get the pup to let us close. You're making it harder so get."

"I'm in charge Axel," he snarled.

"And a wonderful job you've done at that," he snarled back. He knew a single siren like Riku would be a prize to their pod but…there was no way that would happen now. Still, he wanted to make sure the pup knew enough beyond the knowledge he'd been born with, especially if he wanted to actually mate the human and not just use him for his coming season. He'd oversee releasing the human to Riku as well to make sure it went smoothly and Riku could handle it.

"Axel's right," Roxas spoke up as he surfaced, "Xigbar's alive, barely. Riku did a lot of damage." He was obviously proud of his fellow pup for doing so much damage to a well-trained warrior.

It was a very impressive feat…and likely due to Xigbar severely underestimating him.

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Riku curled around Sora, seeking comfort, not wanting to answer the question. He heard them speaking among themselves, ignoring it to gently look Sora over for any injuries, grateful to find none. Sora's only movement was in turning his head to keep his gaze on them so Riku made sure to keep in a position where it wouldn't hurt his neck. He kept talking softly to Sora, even though he couldn't understand him normally, because there was a chance that he could hear him, consciously aware of it or not. If he could hear him, then he'd know he wasn't alone, that Riku was with him.

He didn't want to be his like this, but better him than them. He would look after Sora and try to free him as much as possible. He knew there were different levels of controlling a human so maybe it could be lessened? To let Sora really know who he was and not just have him utterly enthralled by his presence?

He nuzzled Sora, clicking and even cooing softly to him, stroking his hands over his hair, then down his back and sides.

"Riku?" the once called Axel called, but he didn't turn back to them. "It was other humans who hurt you, wasn't it?" he asked, and Riku couldn't help the noise he made in distress.

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Axel heard the noise and winced at the sheer distress it portrayed. He glanced at Roxas and then began hauling himself up onto the land. It was awkward, sunning himself on rocks was very different to trying to move across something that moved weirdly under him. But he made it to the pup eventually, slowly setting a hand on his waist, leaning over him, letting out the same soft noises he'd used to sooth Roxas and Xion when they were younger and even now occasionally. He felt Riku stiffen, his grip on Sora tightening, a soft hiss coming from him, but Axel kept his hold gentle, and his vocalisations soft and calming.

Roxas joined him on Riku's other side, which put him close to Sora, Riku's hiss becoming louder. Roxas clicked and chirped softly, sounding like a younger pup than he actually was, and that seemed to settle Riku a little, before he changed to the same noises Axel was making.

Little by little, Riku began to relax between them, hissing trailing off as his body gave into natural instincts, his head nodding forward slowly. His grip on the human loosened, Sora slipping back to rest against Roxas who nuzzled him gently, even as he reached his hand across Sora's limp body to stroke Riku's side. Axel was surprised to soon hear soft click coming from Riku…the kind made by the youngest of pups seeking comfort. Eventually the noises trailed off, Riku utterly limp, and Axel glanced at Roxas who nodded, the pup was asleep. Not surprising, a body could only handle so much stress for so long.

"You really think Sora turned on his own kind for Riku?" Roxas asked quietly, and he nodded.

"His wounds aren't natural, Axel admitted. "And why else would he be so close to the human?"

"What're we going to do?"

"I'm staying, someone needs to make sure he can survive without a proper pod."

"Then I'm staying too," he glanced out at the water.

Axel sighed but nodded, after all this there was no way he was leaving Roxas with those two along. "Maybe you should head back, you're coming close yourself," he pointed out. If Roxas hit his season…he'd be the only one available to help him.

Roxas grimaced, obviously realising that himself, but then he shook his head. "Xion'll kill me, but I'm staying."

TBC….

I picked pup for young mers since according to a site it is a term that can be used for baby dolphins and sharks.