Hurr-durr look at me : "hey guys I'm on summer so this'll come faster" - ugh. Hello and I'm sorry for the wait! Things start to pick up again in this chapter, which is poorly written but I'm going through a slump so we're all just going to work with it - yes, yes? Good good. I will say that I love the lore and the rules of this universe I made up. If you're one of those lovely rereaders : 1, you're my favorite. 2, I promise one day this fanfiction will disappear and the next time you're at a book store you might spot a familiar title in the NEW BOOKS section. Lol, love you all lots and thanks for reading! Remember, review!
"Zen!" Someone called.
The Prince of Clarines tensed. A wince contorted his face and he kept it there as he slowly turned. The tide sloshed around his ankles with the motion, and a small wave careened into his heel. He was standing just where the warm sand met the cold water, the foam hissing around his toes.
Yatsufusa stood there, his arms crossed and his weight leaning into his hip. He reminded Zen of Mitsuhide sometimes when he chided him. The thought made his wince deepen. He missed Mitsuhide - and no doubt his friend missed him too. But the pull of the ocean was smothering.
"I'm sorry." Zen stated. He couldn't describe the feeling to Yatusfusa. Or anyone, for that matter. It was impossible to explain what Zen didn't even know himself. The Prince's insides must look something like the mushy ground underneath his foot. He felt the alluring solidly of the land call to him, the sand. And he felt the teasing rush of the sea whisper to him. It was like one called to his heart, and one called to his mind. But it wasn't that simple. Sometimes his heart yearned for the comforts of the castle and to be back with Mitsuhide and Kiki. Sometimes it wanted to be somewhere over the horizon. The same went for his brain. It just depended on the day. More recently it depended on how sick he felt.
And today, his heart yearned for the sea. Despite his brain trying to backpedal away from the shore. For his brain had access to his eyes, and his eyes could see the wall of black clouds rushing towards the shore. Purple lighting danced around the curls of the puffs, and reached to stroke the sea out on the horizon. The wind already pushed at Zen's chest as if in warning. It combed back his hair and reminded him of the pirates plank. Thunder grumbled hungrily in the distance.
Yatsufusa heaved a great sigh and looked up at the approaching storm. "This needs to stop." Yatsufusa had said that line many times before over the past week.
Zen coughed into his sleeve and reluctantly stumbled out of the water's grip. The foam stuck to his skin, bubbles all slowly popping and the sand clutching at his weight. "I know." He murmured. He reached down and grabbed his shoes, deciding to simply hold them instead of struggle to put them on.
Yatsufusa tugged on his headscarf. "That storm has driven even the fisherman away from the sea. You should be helping us board down the house, not staring at the horizon."
"I know, I know." Zen grunted as pain zig zagged through his body. His legs nearly gave out on him and he paused to let the ache travel through him. When it passed, Yatsufusa put his hand on Zen's shoulder and arm. He helped hoist him through the sand. "I said I was sorry." Zen managed.
"I don't understand this. You were nearly killed, it's a miracle you washed ashore. Why do you want to go back?" Yatsufusa mused out loud. He sounded frustrated.
Zen hung his head. "I can't explain it."
Yatsufusa took a deep breath, then seemed to swallow his annoyance as thunder crackled through the air. It was loud enough to send chills down Zen's back. "Can you please walk a little faster?"
Zen held a board against the whistling wind. He felt very weak, so he simply leaned his weight against the old wood. Yatsufusa's hammer jarred him with each strike of the nail.
Garack studied him as she lit a few candles. The dark home felt like it had somehow sunken into the ground, or maybe that was just the sickness. The low lighting was relieving to his eyes, he kept his gaze away from any candles. Garrack had shadows moving on her cheeks from the candle she just lit. "Zen, you look worse than normal."
"Thanks." He grunted.
"You know what I meant." Garack shook the match she was holding until the flame went out.
Zen grunted as a powerful blast of wind nearly tossed him from the board. He readjusted. "I'm not sure what's wrong." That was a bit of a lie. His heart was screaming plainly at him what was wrong. Only now, it felt like his mind was slipping away from the opposite mentality and listening to his heart for a change. He felt like he was fighting with himself to stay on the land.
"Where's the pain? Same place?" Garack asked, stepping up on the dresser they put in front of the lower boards. Without permission, she pressed her hands to his chest and his neck, feeling his heartbeat.
Zen puffed out his exhale. "Same place, just worse." Focusing on the pain should have helped clear his head, but it did the opposite. He groaned as Garrack added a little pressure. She took her hands away with a apologetic look.
"Garack, can this wait a few minutes more?" Yatsufusa said around the nail he was holding in his mouth.
She pursed her lips, and Zen could tell she wanted to say no. But she stepped off the desk and back down to the floor. She turned away to light more candles around the house.
Zen winced as the wind nearly sent him and the board flying. His skin stuck to the top of the desk thanks to the salt water, so being pushed made his skin make an uncomfortable rubbing sound.
Yatsufusa finished the nail and went to do the last one. "I'll try to hurry." He promised Zen.
Zen inhaled and he nodded. He tried to focus on breathing. In and out. The pain only made him think he couldn't breathe, so he was trying to prove himself wrong. He closed his eyes, listening to the consistent whine of the wind as it rammed into the wood behind him. That was his mistake.
Through the wind and the rest of the storm, he thought he heard something else. The whistling of the wind quieted in his mind, and the pattering of the rain as it hailed on the house seemed to slow. Instead, he heard the swish of the waves as they ripped at the sand. Even farther, on the horizon, he heard a faint voice singing softly.
He couldn't make out the words, but the voice sounded so familiar, so soothing, he gasped aloud. He flung open his eyes and turned. His body felt like it was on fire. His sight was blurry, and his eyes dilated until they felt like they were going to pull from his face. He let out a guttural long sound of longing. The sound made Yatsufusa jump with shock and slam the hammer into his nail. He hissed in pain and stumbled backwards. Zen slammed his hands against the board as if he were in a trance. He curled his hands into fists and tried again, eventually hitting the board like he was trying to make a beat. Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun.
Yatsufusa fell back and off the dresser he had been standing on and onto the floor. He groaned as he slammed his head into the floor. Garrack gasped and ran over, grabbing his head carefully and looking up at Zen. "Zen! What are you doing?!"
Zen didn't respond. He pounded on the wooden board with his two fists. Again and again. He couldn't think, he could barely see, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He heard that voice, and that's all he needed. It was hers.
"Zen!" Garrack shouted.
Yatsufusa tried to stand, but just before he sat up Zen grabbed the top of the board with his fingertips. He pulled, pushing his weight down into his arms. The board cracked with a sickening tear and then the wind and rain rushed through the house. The rain and wind sent Zen's clothes ruffling around him, the wreckage of the board making a V around his legs. Hail poured inside, all the candles in the room were snuffed out in less than a second.
"What are you doing?" Yatsufusa demanded, yelling over the wind.
Zen glanced back, his eyes wide and primal. The usually bright blue of his eyes was darker, the color of the deepest sea. Whatver it was that made Zen, Zen wasn't there anymore. His hair flew around his head, white hair glowing blue for a millisecond with a bolt of lightning that ripped through the sky. Then Zen turned, taking a deep breath through his nose. He leapt through the window and raced towards the beach, out of sight and into the depths of the storm.
Shirayuki was in so much pain, she thought the only thing she could do was sing. She was resting on a underwater rock formation, just a few yards away from the surface. She watched the waves rush against each other, her tail wrapped around the rock tightly to keep the wild currents from stealing her. The world was completely dark around her, only the faintest bit of light came from her reflective scales. When lightning broke over Above Surface she would close her eyes and still see the flash.
Shirayuki was singing about nothing in particular. Just letting the words flow from her heart. She sang about her pain, but that seemed to only make it worse. So now she stared up at the surface, singing about how she felt a little like the waves crashing against each other. She asked why the sea was raging so harshly tonight, or if it was because of the sky that the ocean was forced to move like so.
A rushed current cut her off and her hair rushed upwards. She was nearly pulled from her perch, but she tightened her grip with her tail and pulled her hair back down. She took a deep breath to continue singing, when a hand reached out of the dark of night and covered her mouth.
She let out a muffled shriek and grasped the wrist, but when she felt another fin brush her scales she paused long enough to see the pair of golden eyes glaring at her.
"Mmhmm?" She tried to ask.
Obi the Sharkman swam up closer into her view. "Stop it. You need to stop singing." Obi's voice was hard and agitated.
She blinked, but nodded once to let him know she would stop.
Obi removed her hand, and she immediately turned her head away to cough. It was so fierce and gripping Obi grasped her shoulder. "Miss, are you alright?"
Shirayuki looked up at him, her eyes dilating. "No." She groaned. "What are you doing here?"
Obi reached up and felt her forehead. He frowned. "You remember Zen?"
Shirayuki nodded and rubbed at her eyes to try and clear her vision. "Of-Of course."
"He's sick. Like you. And you're singing is calling him back to the sea." Obi brushed her hair behind her ear and tried to lift her from her perch.
"W-Wait. He can't hear me. He's thousands of miles away, right?"
Obi nodded. He touched his lips and looked up to the surface. "But you kissed him."
"He kissed me!" Shirayuki argued, feeling her cheeks get hot. She unraveled her tail from her perch and staggered. Her fin wouldn't open for a scary moment, but when it did she let out a sigh of relief and straightened. Could she even swim in this strong of a storm?
"Whatever." Obi snapped. "The point is a human and a mer have never once before kissed. You've both gotten sick because of that."
"I...I don't understand."
"I do, the Sea told me. You've intertwined your fates."
"Wh-What? What do you mean?" Shirayuki swallowed, her gills felt like they were clogging up.
"As we speak, your boyfriend is going to drown himself trying to get to you." Obi twirled his spear and looked up again. "We need to save him. If he dies, you'll die too."
Shirayuki's heart nearly stopped. She started to feel sick – vomit sick. "Obi…I don't…I don't think I can…make it in time."
Obi smirked, his eyes glinting in the dark. "You don't have the Aigua." He grasped her around the waist and thrust his spear towards the surface.
Shirayuki started to black out, but she felt the water push up under her fin before the golden light from Obi's eyes faded.