Roderich thinks back on previous heartbreak and makes a promise to Vash.

...xXx...

"Look, look! I have new spots!"

Lilli chittered excitedly as she swam in little circles, showing off her little seafoam tail to her brother as her own sea silk weave flew around her shoulders. The larger male managed to get her to sit still long enough for him to see exactly where she was showing him.

"See, big brother? Right there, and there!"

"I see them."

Roderich smiled to himself. Having deigned that he didn't really want to relax without the male nearby, he'd followed his emerald companion down into the clearing. The purple merman swam to the grey slab of stone that his sisters were on and laid down between them. His heart was still floating above the seas at having Vash actually fall asleep on him earlier—it was nice to feel so trusted, and he was almost sad that the other had woken up so soon.

Seeing the leopard-tailed merman look so damn happy as he visited with his little sister, though, was more than enough to make up for the momentary loss.

A fluttering of fins brushed against his left hip and Roderich pried his gaze away to turn to Elizabeta. The mermaid was smirking at him.

"My dear," Elizabeta cooed, her fins caressing his side. "You look positively moony."

"I told you his head's been in the sky lately," Emma piped up from his right, and he saw her wearing a similar grin.

"I don't know what you mean." Roderich sniffed, lifting his chin.

"It's easy to see why," Emma added, and she nudged his shoulder with hers. "He's so good with Lilli."

"Very handsome, too," Elizabeta trilled.

"Those spots are pretty fetching."

"And he's the strong, silent type, I see."

"Awful brave, to boot."

"Be quiet!" Roderich choked out, not wanting Vash to overhear them.

"Don't you think so, though?" Emma urged, her words dripping with feigned unawareness. "He did save us."

"I'm grateful," Elizabeta said. Her wide fuchsia fins splayed out across his back, covering him like a blanket, and she reached out an aqua-colored hand to pat his cheek. "I don't know what I would have done if either of you . . . well."

"Eliza," the eel-tailed merman said. Emma murmured in a similar sentiment.

"Everything turned out in the end." The pink and turquoise mermaid just smiled at them both with genuine relief before returning her gaze to keep an eye on the rambunctious pups around them. "Not only are all of you safe and sound, but Roddy found himself a cutie."

"Hey, now listen here . . ."

"I don't know, Liz. Rod hasn't made much of a move yet." Emma ran a hand through her yellow locks and sighed dramatically. "If he doesn't want him, I'll take him."

"You—!" Roderich was unable to help the heat that flooded his cheeks and he shrank back, regretting his choice to lay between the two mermaids.

All that his embarrassment got him was being assaulted from tickling fins and giggles from both sides.

Roderich pointedly watched the older pups play a game of hunters as the mermaids settled themselves. He was proud of Bazil for having yet to be caught as the designated prey.

"Don't sulk," Elizabeta chided delightfully. "And don't ignore us!"

Her long auburn hair draped over his shoulder as she leaned her head against him. He felt Emma do the same on his other shoulder, and the merman let the two entirely surround him with their taunting.

"I'm not ignoring you," Roderich insisted. "I'm just not going to respond to this nonsense."

Emma gasped in mock offense and fell into a laughing fit beside him. Elizabeta covered her mouth to keep her own snickering to a soft minimum.

Roderich cleared his throat and snuck a glance towards Vash. The blond male was looking over a pile of colorful shells that Lilli was holding out to him in her little hands. The pup watched with unwavering intensity as her brother sorted the shells into different piles.

What are you doing? He couldn't help himself as he mentally reached out towards the leopard-tailed merman. To his credit, the blond hardly startled at all.

Picking out my favorites, I guess, Vash reluctantly replied. The brunet could still sense his hesitation at using their bond. She insisted.

Oh.

Why?

Nothing. Only curious.

After a few seconds he felt the equivalent of a sigh in the back of his mind.

Roderich was ready to speak again when a bout of squealing sounded off on the opposite side of the clearing. All of the adults stiffened, ready to spring up in an instant. It was revealed to only be a bit of a scuffle between the three little cream-colored pups and Killian, the mermaids squabbling with the merboy over a shiny rock that he was clinging to desperately, and the older merfolk relaxed.

"I better go break that up," Emma offered. She pushed up and left them.

Elizabeta also slid off of the grey rock, sweeping her long hair over her shoulder as she floated in front of the iridescent merman. "Why don't you introduce us, hmm?"

"What?"

"Come on, introduce me to your handsome hero." The mermaid threaded her arm through his and pulled him along beside her.

Roderich found he couldn't protest, even though he really, really wanted to.

...xXx...

He and the mermaid got along remarkably well for cycles now. When his father had first brought Elizabeta back to their pod after a long trip away, they'd instantly connected. Roderich was eager to see a new face and absolutely overwhelmed her with questions upon questions about the waters away from the caves. The only other place he'd been to had been the Great Alcazar when he was much younger, so he didn't have anything else to compare it to.

The older mermaid was a lone wanderer, or so she said. She used to be apart of a pod, long ago, "Days upon days travel from here, in an area of black valleys and freshwater shallows with islands." Elizabeta didn't talk much about her old pod, and Roderich figured it was because they hadn't parted on good terms. He didn't pry, and she told him all about the bleak-but-beautiful seascape she came from.

As far as it went how she had encountered Diedrich at all, she had been in the process of travelling the world, fighting and hunting as she pleased, and had an unfortunate run in with a fishing vessel. She'd managed to break the harpoons that had speared through her tail, a feat that had awed Roderich when she'd first told him, and Diedrich had just so happened to be swimming by in time to help her flee from the boat. Their pod had been more than welcoming—a skilled warrior and hunter was always a great addition to any pod—and soon Elizabeta was one of the family.

Only she and Gilbert butted heads on a daily basis. The male had immediately discovered the need to pester Elizabeta about every little tale she told to the others, and constantly challenged her. The mermaid hadn't even fully healed by the first time they scrapped, and she'd emerged the victor. This didn't dull Gilbert's interest in provoking her, or setting competitions while hunting, and Elizabeta rose to each and every one of them. The two formed a very formidable pair for any prey, predator, or human that dared cross their waters.

All in all it was in good fun, Elizabeta fit right in, and fell even more so into Roderich's heart.

Ever since her early days within the pod, they had been nearly inseparable. Roderich had been easily enamored by her beauty and her strength, and for some reason the mermaid fancied him back. They began an eager courtship that lasted for many moons.

That is, until she sang for him.

The memory of that night was forever preserved in the back of his mind; a clear, jagged crystal that bled him every time he thought of it.

The two had snuck away from the rest of the pod late one evening into one of the deeper caverns in the maze of caves and tunnels that made up their home. They both wanted to see if there was more to what they were feeling.

Roderich often sang to himself and for his younger siblings. He was carefree about the sound and did it simply for the pleasure of doing so. He was used to the looks of awe and serenity his singing would bring his family—but the first time Elizabeta had heard him she had cried that his was the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard and all but kissed him on the spot.

He was overcome with the joy that his fated one would have ventured across the far oceans to find him. He'd heard tales of soulmates being inexplicably drawn together, no matter the distance. All he needed to hear was her own song, and their pairing would be set.

Elizabeta was shy about her own voice, only humming occasionally while doing mundane tasks, and that was why they had retreated to the deep recesses of the sapphire caves while everyone else slept. Roderich had thought his heart would strangle him as he waited for the mermaid to gather the courage and sing.

Then she opened her mouth and crooned a foreign shanty, the tune haunting and words echoing through the rock like a chorus of spirits had joined her.

Roderich's hope was crushed like a brittle bone.

He felt nothing.

The mermaid's singing was pleasant, if shaky at first from her nerves, and the shanty itself was alluring. But he felt nothing at the sound. Only heartbreak.

The stories his father told him all ran through his mind as her song went on. How when he heard the voice of his soulmate, his one, his asha, it would be unlike anything else he'd ever experienced. He would feel such a pull towards the sound, gripped by the power of the sirens of old, that he wouldn't be able to do anything else but succumb to the sound.

To twine one's song with the song of another, through passion and the tying of souls—that's the only way for merfolk to truly bond.

It was at the crescendo of her melody that Elizabeta noticed his fallen expression. The sound of the silence that gaped between them after she ended her song was deafening. Neither could speak, but both of them knew the truth.

They weren't meant to be.

The absurdity of the timing of Gilbert frantically swimming around the corner, out of breath, frazzled out of sleep, and shouting, "Where did that song go?!" wasn't lost on either of them.

...xXx...

"Vash, this is Elizabeta," Roderich said as they came to a stop beside the leopard spotted siblings. "She wanted to come say hello."

Vash had watched them approach the last few tail lengths with increasing suspicion, but his narrowed expression eased as the brunet spoke. Roderich, however, was trying to keep his fins from noticeably trembling.

"Hi, there!" Elizabeta caroled cheerfully. "I'm sorry that I didn't come introduce myself sooner."

Vash recoiled at her enthusiasm. "Hi."

"You can call me Eliza, if you want, or Liz." The auburn-haired mermaid peeled away from Roderich to get a closer look at the other male, her round fins dancing around her like pastel pink and blue drapes of cloth. "We're already fast friends by now after what you've done for Rod and Ki, so it's no problem."

Vash looked like he didn't know how to react to the broadly smiling mermaid, and the violet male felt a pang of sympathy. Elizabeta's presence was a vibrant one, at least to Roderich, and he was forced to recall how the other male had grown up secluded from most everyone. The hazel-haired merman didn't want to scare him, and he would have been happy to lead the mermaid away if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't deny her anything. Even after what had happened between them. He still very much cared for her and her wellbeing, and wished to stay close friends.

And for some reason, he was still so nervous for this meeting to go well. Why am I acting like a shy youngling?

The emerald and white speckled merman's entire body language had been closed off towards everyone but Lilli the entire time that he'd been there, and it didn't seem like that was letting up any time soon.

Though, Vash did spook as his own sister hopped up from the sand and darted around Elizabeta excitedly.

"Lizzie!" Lilli chirped, barely able to contain her excitement. "Can you help me find more shells?" The little blond cupped her hand around her mouth to whisper not-so-quietly, "Brother is very picky."

Elizabeta burst into laughter as Vash turned bright pink. "H-Hey!" Roderich coughed to hide his amusement.

"Maybe later, Lilli," Elizabeta purled, fixing the bone clasp holding the pup's silk shawl around her shoulders. The mermaid winked. "I know some secret spots where we can search for some."

"I think your brother just wants to spend time with you," Roderich warbled at the youngling, covering his mirthful smile with one hand. The dark-haired male leaned towards her conspiratorially, dropping his voice low to a murmur. "He's been looking forward to it all day."

Lilli smacked her own cheeks as she gasped. Roderich could feel a scolding looming in the back of his mind as Vash puffed up in front of him, but the emerald male didn't get the chance to say or do anything as he was tackled by a little green blur.

The youngling was giggling and giving Vash big kisses all over his face. "I'm here, Vashy!" Lilli peeped, rubbing their noses together. "You're here, too!"

"I can see that!" Vash snorted. A slow smirk crossed his face and a mischievous glint twinkled in his eyes. "But, it seems that you've swam into . . . a trap!"

The male struck—tickling his sister's sides until she was laughing and squealing for breath. Lilli cried out a helpless, "No! You're gonna tickle my new spots off!" and Vash let up in his attack long enough for her to wiggle away. The merman waited a beat and took off after her.

Roderich wanted to join them.

"Careful, lover boy," Elizabeta crooned. She barely managed to retrieve his attention away from the verdant siblings. Her gaze held an unbearable amount of patience. "You don't want him to catch you with your jaw on the seafloor, do you?"

"As long as he catches me," Roderich quipped. He rolled over slowly, sighing. Once he was upright again he asked, "Am I really so obvious?"

"You're practically shining!" Elizabeta confirmed.

Violet eyes wandered towards the spotted and speckled pair a few tail lengths away from them in the coral. Lilli was poking from behind the colorful branches and sticking her tongue out at Vash who was looking around and pretending not to see her.

Roderich bit his lip and fanned his fins, twirling in the sun as he observed them. The midday beams of light illuminated the siblings with a lustrous glimmer of golds and greens.

Shining.

...xXx...

It was close to sundown by the time the adults started wrangling the younglings in for the night.

Emma offered to escort the triplets back to where the Alcazar pod nested in the largest coral tower, and Abel showed up soon after to help. Elizabeta herself already had a sleeping Killian in her arms and she was making sure that Bazil and Evicka had a firm hold on the cloth tied around her waist as she started swimming them back to the tower designated for the Sapphire Cavern pod. With a wave and a smile, they disappeared around a column.

Darkness started to seep around the edges of all the architecture and the peaceful landscape as the waters above them burned a bright red. Wisp lanterns began to gleam around them, floating to and fro like lazy jellyfish or clinging to stone walls. Tendrils of light waving through the water beneath the little spectral orbs like independent curtains of ribbon. The wisps glowed in an array of pastel yellows, ghostly greens, and serene blues. There were a few here and there with odder colors that hovered off in the distance.

Roderich himself lingered beside the last two tails remaining in the clearing.

Lilli yawned widely, little incisors biting onto her lip as she blinked away her sleepiness. The pup carefully placed one by one the pile of shells she'd collected throughout the day into a small cloth satchel that Emma had given her. Vash laid on a patch of moss barely a tail length away, resting on a rock with his arms. That's where he'd been the last long while, having tired out fairly soon from roughhousing around with his sister. The rest of the time he'd done his best to make up for it by sending her off on scavenger hunts or asking for her to introduce the other pups to him. Whenever she left him to go and play with the others, he would watch her intensely from the sidelines, and Roderich made sure to keep him company.

Despite wanting a day to spend alone with the leopard-tailed male, he was quite happy after everything.

Vash eyed a yellow lantern that floated down into the clearing, making its way languidly over the grass, his gaze narrowing suspiciously at the strange creature. The violet merman couldn't help his chuckle as he paddled up to the wisp and gently shooed it away to the side.

"Have you never seen wisps before?" Roderich asked, though he felt it was a silly question.

The poor lantern bumped into a coral tree, helplessly spinning off into the sand. Vash snorted as he watched the wisp bounce into a cluster of kelp next. "No. These things wouldn't last a day floating around my reef."

"I would think not." Roderich pitied the goofy creature and deigned to help untangle it from the kelp strands as they conversed. "I'm afraid too many fishermen would like to snatch them up for their own. There, there you go, you laughable little thing, you. Go on, now." He gave the wraithy creature a small pat upwards away from any obstacles.

"Or they'd get stuck in between some shark's teeth. You seem familiar with them, though," Vash said, stretching out his arms. After a pause, he asked, "What exactly are they?"

"Emma says they're friendly spirits," Lilli quietly answered, trying to tie close her bag. She frowned and then swam over to her brother, holding it out to him to tie instead.

Vash did as he was asked. "That's what she says, huh."

"It's something like that," Roderich added, looking between the two as he felt a fond warmth fall upon his heart. "We keep them in the caverns to help the crystals light up the deeper tunnels. My father told us that they are left over souls from some of the ancient sites. When he and Alexius were settling closer to the surface," he gestured around them at the Alcazar as a whole, "he said that the wisps followed them."

"Maybe they got tired of being stuck in dark, abandoned places," Vash suggested. "They're not exactly a very lively bunch."

"Perhaps they were lonely," Roderich mused. He watched a blue and green pair a few dozen tail lengths off twirl lazily around each other.

After a moment of quiet he thought he heard the soft sound of snickering and drew his gaze away to the siblings. Lilli was holding her cheeks as she giggled and Vash hid his mouth behind his hand, staring at him with quite the intensity.

The eel-tailed merman perked up. "What is it?"

Lilli hid her face into her brother's shoulder as her laughter got louder. Vash pointed at him with his dark green hand and Roderich saw the male bite back a smile.

Do I have something on my face? The brunet reached upwards and felt nothing, but when he looked at his palm he saw a soft yellow glow reflect off his silver scales. Looking up, he felt a tug on his hair as the little wisp drifted in front of his face and landed right on his nose.

"Pfft! Shoo! Shoo, you—"

Roderich whirled and waved about, trying to get the lantern to stop clinging to him as kindly as he could and he heard the two in front of him finally snicker together at his expense. Despite his obvious struggle, the wisp wouldn't let go of his right ear no matter how persuasive he was, and the lavender male didn't have the heart to rip it away.

"Fine!" he huffed with a side half-glare at the creature. "It's getting dark, anyway. I suppose we could use the light." Not like I can't see in the dark already or anything. The wisp swayed around, its light beaming brighter, and he could swear the lantern looked smug.

"It's lonely," Lilli chirped, swimming over to him. The blonde youngling rubbed one of her eyes as she smiled at him. "Like you said, Roddy."

"And it's late." Vash pushed himself off of the small rock, flicking his tail a few times experimentally. "We should head back."

The sunlight was nearly all gone by now; the red above darkening to a greyish purple. Roderich didn't miss the grimace that crossed the emerald male's face before his expression composed itself.

"Quite right. Come here, darling." Roderich held open his arms as Lilli automatically leaned into him, hooking her jade-colored arms around his neck. He ignored the wisp stuck to him as he swam forward towards the other male. "Let's be off then, shall we?"

Vash stared at him with an unreadable expression. A moment passed as they looked at each other; one patiently waiting for the other to make a decision.

Lilli turned around in his arms to look at her brother. "Vashy?"

"I can swim on my own," he said, pushing up further and kicking his tail off in the direction of the cubbyhole. "You're already carrying Lilli, so it's fine."

"It certainly is not." Roderich easily sped up and kept pace underneath the injured merman. He pressed up against him purposefully. "Come now, don't be stubborn. As you've said, it's late."

"I'm fine."

"Vash."

"Brother . . ."

"Okay!" the emerald male snapped, giving in to the two of them. He felt the heated weight of the male lay atop him, fingers holding his shoulders.

Roderich was sure that Lilli had pulled a pout over his shoulder, and he patted her tail in thanks. The pup just snuggled into his arms more comfortably and settled in, and he saw Vash reach forward to pet down her hair.

The swim to the cubby was unhurried, usual for his nature. Lilli was a bundle of warmth in his arms and Vash's tail moved slowly with his own. A heavy chill spread throughout the water as soon as the sun had gone away, the evening covering of a cold blanket for the deep sea Alcazar. He felt the two siblings unconsciously hold him closer. Aside from the lanterns, their irises were starting to glow themselves as they always did during the night. The water outside the magical protective dome melted completely to black and the safe haven stayed lit with the work of the comforting abundance of wisps. The yellow one that saw fit to fasten itself to his ear created a halo of bright light around the trio, and it probably felt itself a helpful little lantern. Roderich let it be.

They reached the cubby made of ruddy stone, like a half hewn sphere sunken into the sand and surrounded by tall kelp. The whole area was dark until they approached, and the wisp was successful in its illumination as they came to a stop, giving the waters around them a golden glow.

Thank you.

Roderich stilled as Vash let go of him. His heart kicked up a fuss for the thousandth time that day as the words spoken inside his mind spread a shiver across his skin.

The speckled merman made to move in front of the brunet when he hissed so suddenly that both Roderich and Lilli jolted. The purple male went to turn his head and felt a sharp tug on his ear. He spied that the wisp had tangled itself through both his dark hair and the yellow strands from Vash.

Thanks to the length of the tendrils the pair of their faces were only a wisp away. Roderich could feel his cheeks burn as he saw Vash's own darken, the merman's eyes were wide.

The two of them held a long look, the waters sparking from one another.

Then Lilli made an aha! sound and reached between them, lifting the spectral lantern away from their hair and into her tiny jade palm.

Silly spirit, you!

Surprisingly, the wisp willingly detached itself and curled its ribbons of light down the pup's arm. Roderich breathed in deep as Vash shifted slightly away from him. The ghostly creature then flitted up and up like a mote through the water, and came to rest beside the mouth of the den.

With the moment broken, Vash cleared his throat. "Come on, Lilli. Let's go get some sleep." He gestured towards his sister, and Roderich was pleased to see that he hadn't quite yet hid his blush away.

Roderich was going to protest, but caught himself. Right. It wasn't his place to argue whether or not to keep the siblings apart, even if Vash was still injured. He couldn't bring himself to separate them for any longer than they already had been. Who am I to do such a thing? They've only had each other until now.

As he was about to hand over the youngling, Lilli tightened her hold around his neck. Roderich raised his eyebrows at her. "Lilli?"

"You're still hurt," she mumbled meekly into her arm as she looked at Vash. "I don't want to make it worse."

The brunet gave her back a few pats. "I'm sure it'll be all right, as long as you'll be careful not to hit your brother while you sleep," he teased lightly. Or we could both stay. He didn't dare voice that desire inwardly or outwardly.

"Come on, Lil'," the male blond urged gently. "We can sleep in tomorrow, if you want."

The small mermaid just shook her head and held on. He watched as Vash's face fell.

And something inside him broke. It felt like his heart.

He couldn't keep quiet.

"Your brother has missed you very, very much, dear," Roderich said. He tilted his chin down to meet the gaze of the youngling, putting on a soft smile. "I'm sure he's been very lonely."

Lilli chewed for a moment on a lock of hair, looking as serious as a five and a half year old pup could look. Then she leaned back from his chest and stared up at her older brother, the little satchel of shells clasped tightly in one fist. "It's okay, Vashy. We can play tomorrow. I just want you to get better."

A swell of pride grew throughout him, and Roderich glanced between the two. His emerald companion was squeezing his own hands too tightly, and his face was conflicted. On one hand he looked ready to try and argue with his sister. On the other he looked absolutely touched by her bravery. Regardless of what he was thinking, Vash was speechless.

Roderich gave them awhile to come to an understanding, assured that they must be speaking privately. After a bit, Vash sighed and nodded his head, turning his attention to the iridescent male. The blond gave him a stern look.

"You'll look after her, then?" he asked.

"Of course I will," Roderich answered immediately.

Promise?

Shaking away his surprise, the dark-haired merman inclined his head. His whole being practically turned to mush under the other's pained gaze.

Wholeheartedly.

Vash tsked and rolled his eyes, at last seeming to relax. Why can't you just say yes like a normal person?

Roderich lifted an eyebrow. Because I mean it more than just a yes.

With a shake of his head and a sigh, the spotted male tugged his silk weave tighter around himself. "Keep her warm, yeah?"

"I will."

"And I'll see you tomorrow?" Vash asked his sister, clearly hopeful.

Lilli nodded vigorously, her golden hair swishing about. "I'll bring you more shells!"

"Can't wait."

"I'll bring her, not to worry." Roderich paused, then added on a whim, "How about we all go out for a swim tomorrow? We could explore this place," he noticed Lilli's eyes brighten further at that and glanced at Vash, "and you can start getting some strength back in your tail."

Looking between the brunet and his sister, the other male ducked his head and looked at the sand. "I think I'd like that."

"Then we'd better get some sleep! Tell your brother goodnight now so he can go get some rest."

Roderich leaned Lilli closer to her brother and the pup broke off from him to give the merman a quick, excited hug as she bubbled a goodnight. The hazel-haired male wished he could do the same, and nearly did simply from their proximity and the fact that once Lilli pulled back Vash made a start towards him, as if he were about to hug him, as well. The other stopped himself, brows furrowed, and then he could hardly look at him while muttering his own goodbye.

A heat shimmered across the back of his skull, and he felt an inexorable tugging. Quite unable to help himself—and frankly at last giving in to this rise of uncontrollable urges—Roderich leaned forward and brushed his cheek against Vash's, like the male had done to him earlier.

"Sleep well," he whispered, then pulled away. His voice refused to lift any louder for the tender moment, and an unsanctioned purr rumbled through his throat.

With that, Roderich swiftly sped away from the den with Lilli in tow waving over his shoulder. His heart was racing the entire way back across the Alcazar towards his pod's nesting quarters. The violet male was shocked that Lilli could fall asleep in his arms at all, what with the raucous drumming right beneath her ear.

He was about halfway home free when another soul called out to him.

You forgot to take the wisp with you.

Roderich smiled against the night.

May it keep you company for me until morning.

...xXx...

Asha - life, love, joy; a term I use for endearment and designation of soulmates

Bit of a longer one, this one. Hope you all enjoyed!