Hey guys! I can't say I have too much to say, other than I'm at the point with these two that I'm humming "I'd Lie" whenever I write them. Ya know, that really old underappreciated T. Swift song? God, that song is my childhood. But anyways! I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

I'm doing alright. Today has been one of those days where I'm both grateful I transferred but also regretting it. Aigh, emotions are hard. Let's all just go dive Below Surface and fight off ancient dinosaurs. Lol, love you guys, thank you for reading, and remember, review!

Shirayuki woke to a dull throbbing on her back, and a strange, familiar pulsing through her entire body. She wanted to shift, but the pulse was so lulling. Once, as a child, her father had taken her to the shallows, and they had done the mer equivalent of star-gazing – wave watching. They lied on their backs in the muddy sand, fish and bottom dwellers flicking over them as if they were not there. Once, a Nurse Shark had tried to lie on top of Shirayuki. She had shrieked and curled closer to her father, who laughed and threw his arm around her to settle her.

Far above them, the waves slammed into rocks with magnificent splashes. The constant thrumming and jumping surface was like a heartbeat.

"I think this is where the Sea is truly herself." Her father had thought aloud. "Where you feel her heart the most."

"Why is she mad?" Shirayuki had asked.

Her dad hummed. "I don't think it's mad, I think it's just…alive."

The memory made her shift her legs, which made her wince in remembering that she did not have a tail, and she was not in the Sea anymore. It also made her wince, as the brain is strange in waking. As she became more awake due to the movements, she felt an hot, sticky feeling on her back. She realized she was lying on her side, her one hand being held by another's.

Another pulse rang through her, and the stickiness seemed to start to fade, though it was still hot.

Shirayuki's throat was parched, her forehead beaded with sweat. She opened her mouth and let out a hard puff of air. Air was so gross, good lord she missed her gills.

Then her hearing kicked up with another calming pulse. Soft humming; familiar humming. A low, soft alto gently thrumming its way over her bones and into her heart.

While it almost hurt, she opened her eyes.

She didn't know where she was, she didn't understand what she was seeing behind him, but she saw Zen, and that made her chest relax.

His white hair was still dazzled with blonde, giving him a sort of glitter effect. His head was bowed, and his hand was tightly clasped to hers. Behind him, a white tarp of sort. It was like their tent, but wooden, and moving.

Shirayuki felt another pulse roll through her and she sighed with it. "W-wait." She tried to plead, her voice hoarse and almost lost.

Zen lifted his head, his blue eyes sharp and swimming with magic and tears. His lips were pressed, holding back the lyrics to a familiar song. "Shirayuki." He breathed.

Shirayuki, inexplicably, felt tears well to her eyes.

"Are you in pain?" He quickly asked, leaning forward. He was on his knees, eye level with her.

Shirayuki pulled her eyebrows closer together and shook her head slowly. "I don't-where are we?"

"The carriage." Zen pushed his hand over her forehead, his touch cool and giving Shirayuki a pleasant shiver – which was quickly interrupted by a sharp pain in her back. She gasped and bit her lip. "You were-"

"Stabbed." She finished with a solemn nod. "Why am I not dead?"

"Kiki." Zen smiled.

"And you." She had to stop to take a breath. Then she met his eyes again. "Were you just singing the healing hymn?"

Zen blushed, which made the corners of her lips curl up. "I tried."

"It was nice." Shirayuki murmured.

"I'll keep going." He squeezed her fingers.

Shirayuki felt aware of the motions of the cart as they bumped over something and she hissed in pain.

Zen grabbed her hand and lifted off his haunches, putting his hand over her head and muttered softly. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. We're going as fast as we can without hitting every bump in the road."

Shirayuki blinked at him. "I-I'm okay." She muttered. "Is River okay?"

Zen nodded. "They're hitched next to the canvas, keeping up fine."

Shirayuki wanted to ride, which was a strange want. But a hot feeling like magma was slipping up her back again and she sighed out in discomfort. "Th-the pirates?"

"We got away. But uh," Zen dropped his gaze and stared at her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles, "the Moon confirmed your theory. About the divine sponsor."

Shirayuki felt sick, and she wasn't sure if it was a late shock response, the pain, or the truth. "The Earth." She murmured, not wanting to speak it too loudly. "He's fighting against us."

Zen sighed and squeezed her hand. "Let's talk about it later, when you feel better."

The carriage thudded as it hit against some bump in the road. Shirayuki gasped, as the jarring impact had her back move for a moment. Tears were wrenched from her eyes and she bit back a scream.

Zen rushed forward and time seemed to stop as he pressed his forehead against hers. Magic thrummed from him, she thought she was hallucinating a glowing white light from him when suddenly the words pressed against her cheek. She didn't hear them so much as feel them. They traced themselves over her cheek, straight from his breath. Beautifully crafted and easily loved cursive stroked down her skin, down onto her neck and around her shoulder to her back. They formed and circled around the point of pain, numbing it so fast she felt unsure.

"Take the hurt and kiss it away.

Take the hurt and make it mine.

O, mighty Sea, you know they belong to me.

Help me to heal them, help me to save them.

I couldn't live any other way."

Shirayuki found strength that didn't belong to her and managed to cup Zen's cheek.

He looked up at her, eyes mournful and worried.

"Where did you learn those words?" She whispered.

Zen smiled softly but rubbed his head against hers in a silent response. It felt so oddly calming, that Shirayuki let her hand drop and watched his magic work.

"There is a pain, I know it to be true.

Please allow me to take it from you.

I ache for your heart and I whine for your soul.

Please never go. Choose to stay."

The pain was so far gone, and a very good feeling took its place. Shirayuki felt a little dizzy from the sudden relief, and a little enraptured. Zen was a Siren, so of course he was a naturally good singer, but this felt too good to be true. He wasn't just singing the words, he wasn't just enchanting them, he was…creating them. It was as if Shirayuki had forgotten English and had just started learning again, had just begun to really understand them.

And it was so, so warm. Like the light of the sun on a warmed rock, like the embrace of her mother, who she could only remember in feelings. It was like being home.

Shirayuki grabbed Zen's shirt's collar and pulled on it feebly. "Z-Zen…" She gasped.

He paused, his blue eyes glowing – literally. Swirling with light and magic and tides, and something Shirayuki was too scared to name. But as he stopped, and he let the magic leave, the swirl slowed, and the glow lessened. He stopped glowing white, and the charged current in the air became static and relaxed.

Shirayuki still felt dizzy, and a little giggly. She wanted to tell Zen about the glowing white halo on his side, but then she quickly realized what had just happened to her. Just this morning, Zen had been buzzing from her version of this spell. Only, she hadn't used the siren spell. She had used the healing spell. Sharply, she pulled on his shirt collar again. More for herself than him, but also for him. "You. Didn't." She hiccuped.

Zen blinked. "What? Does it still hurt?"

"Zen." Shirayuki shook his collar. "You can't do that."

As the last of the blue light left his eyes, he suddenly lurched away from her. He gasped for breath, holding his hands to his chest and coughing slightly.

Shirayuki wanted to reach for him, but her body felt light and heavy at the same time. She instead dropped her hand to his back and sent a very weak pulse of magic through him.

He gasped and whirled on her. "Don't do that!" He grabbed her wrist and sat up again. His forehead was soaked in sweat, his hair damp, his shirt wet around the collar. He had bags under his eyes and he was still breathing heavily. "You're too weak."

Shirayuki puffed her lips out. "You can't throw a siren's song at me and then expect me not to be mad."

"What? I just sang the hymn you did earl-"

"No, you sang a siren's spell. They're incredibly exhausting and taxing, and-" she cut herself off with another hiccup. She groaned and almost rolled over before Zen grabbed her shoulder and stopped her with a firm but gentle grip. She stared at him with a frown. "They're dangerous. They could kill you."

He huffed and shook his head. "Okay, I won't do it again." He lifted her knuckles and kissed them slightly. But he didn't just kiss, he sent his own pulse of magic through her. She gasped, then her eyes felt heavy. "Try to get some rest, okay?"

Shirayuki wanted to protest, but her heart rate slowed and her breathing evened. She closed her eyes slowly, reluctantly.

Zen rose to his feet and unsteadily walked around Shirayuki. He felt sweaty, and out of breath, and exhausted. But his magic pulsed through him almost intoxicatingly. He felt like he had just done a long sword run with Mitsuhide, he was exhausted, but his muscles were still ready to move.

He shook his hands and tried to shake off the feelings. He walked to the front of the tent, pulling open the rusted door with a grunt. Wind blasted him in the face as he did, but he pushed past it and managed to pull himself over the bench of the driver's seat and squeeze in next to his two aids.

"How is she?" Kiki asked.

"Alright." Zen exhaled. In front of them, they raced past trees. The path was smooth, well, as smooth as a unused trail could be. The sun blazed in a partly cloudy sky as they jogged. Thankfully, Mitsuhide was aiming for the soft patches of grass where he could. "How long until we arrive?"

Mitsuhide hummed. "Too long. A few hours. Probably by 1."

Zen huffed. "It'll be enough."

Kiki was frowning at him. She pushed his hair out of the way and pressed her hand against his forehead. "What exactly did you do back there?"

"Oh, you know." Zen batted Kiki's hand away gently, readjusting his hair. "Just your regular daily dose of magical healing. Fun fact, I am now a Siren. Meaning I could lure you guys to death by singing if you want."

Mitsuhide laughed loudly. "Oh, that would be a sight to see."

Zen twisted his mouth at Mitsuhide. "I sang to Shirayuki to help her heal."

MItushide laughed again, but he sounded less sure.

Kiki shook her head. "The point is she'll survive. We'll have to move carefully through the town when we get there."

The carriage rocked and Zen steadied himself. "Yes. Please. I've told you what's been happening with me, what about you? How's Izana? Does Mom know I'm missing? The kingdom knows I'm gone, that's for sure." Zen huffed a sigh of annoyance, remembering Gladys, who had given them a stay on their first night back on land. "And I owe a debt to a owner of an Inn, tell you later. Talk."

Kiki and Mitushide shared a concerned glance.

"Things aren't...good." Mitsuhide offered. "Izana didn't mean to let it be known you went missing. Kiki and I were mostly away, part of the search party. We've just been scouting around, following anything that could have been a clue."

Zen nodded.

"And it happened when we were investigating Tanbarun." Kiki chimed in. "That idiot Prince – Raji? He overheard us talking with his father and made a slight comment to his knight. A commoner overheard, and word of mouth got back to us within the day." Kiki groaned, but then smiled. "It was satisfying to watch Raji get told off by his father, but Izana wasn't pleased. He made a public statement addressing the kingdom. He confirmed their fears, but he made it sound like…"

"Like it was your idea." Mitsuhide laughed. "He mentioned a lot about childhood stories of running away and finding you in trees."

Zen put his head in his hands. "I hate him." He grumbled. His aids laughed, and he rose up again. "What else?"

"He suggested that you were scouting our borders with an elite group of knights and hadn't told anyone. A few other suggestions of noble missions you could be doing for the kingdom. You'll have to publicly appear with a better story than 'pirates turned me into a mermaid'." Mitsuhide explained.

"Pirates did not-"

"Anyways!" Kiki interrupted. "We got news right after that from a doctor named Garack. She had the craziest tale, of you washing up on shore, and falling very ill. And then of you running away in a thunderstorm. She said you broke wooden boards with your bare hands, and they lost you."

"Oh, no." Zen heaved a sigh. "Tell me she's doing alright. Izana didn't throw her in the dungeon or anything, right?"

"No, no." Mitsuhide shook his head. "She's fine, she was sent home. Izana seemed unsure at first, but a lot of the story had proof. She had broken boards, which wasn't much, but she also had some of your old clothes. The clothes I recognized from the day you went missing."

"Weird thought, keep going."

"Izana pushed more patrols to look into pirates. That's how we know so much about the Claw of the Sea." Kiki supplied. "We did more extensive research on a bunch of pirate groups."

"Did you know about The Poisoned Rose?" Zen asked.

"No." Mitsuhide furrowed his brow and wrapped the reins around his wrist one more time. Over to the left of the carriage, Thunder tossed her head in annoyance. Zen gave her a sympathetic glance. Thunder wanted to gallop down this road with River and no other horses. It didn't help that Mitsuhide's ever peppy horse looked a little more regal than her at the moment. Zen smiled, realizing he had come to learn Thunder quite well. "That's the thing. We figured it was Claw of the Sea business, since one spy did inform us of a plot to kidnap a prince. But that wasn't really cut in ground. The spy said that it wasn't a planned thing yet. It was just rumors of a maybe-operation. Then, there's no ship that's ever been signed off to the Claw of the Sea named The Poisoned Rose. We scanned all their records, letters, and histories. It's like they don't exist."

Zen frowned. "Maybe that's where the divine intervention starts."

Kiki shifted. "How can we possibly explain all of this?" She hummed and put her hand under her chin, eyes locked on the road but hazy with thought. After a moment, she looked up and stared at the Prince and Mitsuhide. She scowled at their expectant gazes. "I could at least use some help in thinking up some excuses. And Mitsuhide, watch where you're driving this thing."

Zen laughed. He took a deep breath of chilled fall air. "Whatever happens, I'm on my home turf now. I'm with my best friends, and I know together, we can figure something out."