Chapter Three

The Right Person for the Job

I was in such a blind panic, returning from the island, that I almost barreled face first into Minamoto Teru. I stopped, eyes wide and gills flaring, his eyes scanned me, there was no readable emotion on his face other than cold suspicion, one perfectly groomed eyebrow raised in appraisal. I dropped into a deep, deferential bow, my hair obscured my face, but I didn't push it out of my eyes, I didn't want to look at him. My blood was frozen in my veins. I didn't dare to speak, but I couldn't move until something was said, I was just sucking in a breath when he spoke first:

"What did you see?" a simple question, and yet so dangerous. I gaped at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish that's been stranded on land.

"I…" it felt like my vocal cords had been sand-papered, "I saw a tower, a castle I think, I don't know…"

"A landfolk dwelling," he said, I nodded, "what else?"

"What else?" I trailed off, "there was nothing else," the lie was out of my mouth before I understood why I was telling it, "just the castle, the sand, and the trees, not even the gulls cry on that island."

Teru pinned me with his flat, predatory gaze, and for the first time I realized that the merfolk could be just as deadly to the landfolk as they were to us. After a few moments, he sighed and smoothed back his rumpled hair, he gave me a little half smile, a dimple appearing in the corner of his mouth. "I looked all over for you, Yashiro-san, I never expected you to be here," he trailed of slightly, "...willingly."

"You looked for me?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course, did you think you wouldn't be missed? You nearly gave my brother a heart attack, and Akane-san is just beside herself, even that bottom feeder Mitsuba was worried," he scratched the back of his neck in a way that reminded me of Kou and I had to stifle a manic giggle. Perhaps it was nerves, perhaps it was relief, but I was dangerously close to hysterics. "Are you alright? Your stomach is wounded." his voice was soft and attentive, I blushed under his steady gaze and covered my stomach with my hands.

"Oh these?" I tried to be nonchalant, "they're just minor scrapes, I didn't even notice them." because I was scared out of my mind, but he didn't need to know that part.

"Good," he smiled at me, a full smile this time, but he still only had the dimple on one side of his mouth, "come on," he said, holding out his hand, "lets go." I took it, his hands were long fingered and delicate, but as strong as a steel bar, he clamped down on my wrist, and shepherded me back to the village.

He only let go once we were back. I turned to thank him, but before I could I was knocked to the sand by a sobbing Aoi.

"Nene-chan, you absolute idiot!" her face was red, and her eyes were puffy, but she was as pretty as ever, her nails dug into my upper arms, "what in the seven seas were you thinking?! Did you hit your head or something? Did you ever stop to think about how scared I would be? Well?"

"I'm sorry, Ao-chan," I put my arms around her and patted her heaving back, she sat up and scrubbed at her red-rimmed eyes.

"You can't ever do that to me again!"

"I won't,"

"Do you promise?"

"I…" I hesitated. Despite the fear that filled me every time I looked at the mysterious land mass, it also exhilarated me, it had shattered the monotony of my life and made me feel interested, and truly focused on something, for the first time in years. As much as I wanted to tell Aoi that I wouldn't go back to the island, and mean it, I couldn't make that promise, not honestly at least. But I could still feel Teru's eyes on me, boring into the back of my neck. "I promise." I dropped my gaze, I didn't want Aoi to see the lie in my eyes.

"Good," she said, her shoulders slumping in relief, "and you," her head whipped around towards the village entrance where Kou floated, watching with an expression of hollow guilt on his face, Mitsuba peeked out from behind him, met Aoi's furious gaze and ducked back in, "go home." She said through gritted teeth.

"Kou," Teru raised a hand as Kou turned away, he looked back reluctantly, "we'll talk later," he said it with a smile, but there was a threat buried under the words. Kou nodded solemnly, and slipped away, "And Yashiro-san," he addressed me, the charming smile still on his face, "don't go up to the surface again, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I said, Aoi took my hand and led me away.

xXxXxXx

Aoi fussed over me like a mother octopus as she tended to my wounds, applying liberal amounts of rock flower balm and linen bandages.

"I can't believe you of all people would do something like that," she said, "I'm very disappointed in you."

"I'm sorry," I meant it too, I hated to see her so upset.

"I know you're sorry," she pushed back the hair from her face, "but that wont give me back the 10 years of life I lost worrying about you today." she floated back to take a look at her handy work, "there you are, much better." She settled down next to me on her soft, sea-sponge bed, "tell me, who's idea was it, Mitsuba-san?"

"It was my idea,"

"You don't have to defend them,"

"I'm not, Ao-chan, it was me, I haven't been able to get that island out of my mind since I first saw it," I said, fidgeting with my fins. She stared at me for a long moment, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth.

"Perhaps we should take you to see Minamoto no Yorimitsu," she said softly.

"What? Why?"

"What if you've been cursed, Nene-chan?" she said, "I've heard of such things from my mother, stories of merfolk being ensorceled by the landfolk and forgoing their tribes to make the change, and those are the lucky ones! Some merfolk are lured to the island and eaten!"

"The change isn't permanent," I said, "even I know that."

"No, but the sea witch can make it permanent," she said, "for a dire price. Oh look at me and my big mouth," she tutted, "far be it from me to put any ideas in your head."

"I wouldn't want to be one of them," I said, "not forever anyways." I drummed my hands on my lap, my mind churning with thoughts, "what do you think they're like? Landfolk?"

"Selfish, greedy, I've heard they smell terrible, like dirt and animal rot. They're violent and war like, and worship no God but money. They burn forests and drain rivers to build their dwellings with no regard for the earth that sustains them," she took my hands in hers, "don't obsess over the land, Nene-chan, it's a path of destruction, please…" she whispered, "I can't lose you."

"You'll never lose me," I squeezed her hand and she gave me a sad smile.

"I want to believe you Nene-chan, I really do."

xXxXxXx

I slept like the dead, and woke up much later than I usually did, feeling drained rather than rested. I lie still, awake but unwilling to move for a long time, I had been plagued with nightmares, schools of merfolk beached on the island shore, blood turning the tide red, being impaled on the sharp spire of the tower, and all the while I was being watched by those sunset eyes. I finally sat up when Aoi came bustling in with a basket full of mussels, scallops and oysters, she plopped it down next to me on my bed.

"Eat," she instructed. I wasn't hungry, but I did as I was told, I had stretched Aoi's good will too far these past few days. She sat next to me, talking about this and that like we always did, she didn't bring up the surface or the landfolk and I was grateful for that.

"You don't look so good, Nene-chan," she put her hand to my forehead, "no fever."

"I'm fine Ao-chan, you need to stop mothering me, you'll give yourself gray hair,"

"Gray hair!" her eyes widened in mock terror, and then melted into a sweet smile, "I think you need a little more sleep," she took the basket of food away from me.

"If this is the treatment I get, I should put myself in danger more often," I said.

"Don't even joke like that," she frowned at me, "I'll be back to check on you in a little while, okay?" she didn't wait for me to answer before she swished out of my cave.

I collapsed back onto my bed, curling into the fetal position and waiting for sleep to come again. It did, slowly, but this time I slept deep and dreamless. I awoke, muzzy and irritable, to someone shaking my shoulder, I turned over onto my back, mumbling and rubbing my eyes.

"Yashiro-san?" earnest, green-blue eyes peered into mine, and I jumped up, nearly knocking my head against Shijima's, "woah there," she jumped back a little, "did I scare you?"

"You almost killed me!" I pressed the palm of my hand against my chest, "what time is it?"

"It's getting close to dusk," she looked wistfully towards the opening of my cave, her expression was unreadable, empty, like she had gone away for a moment, she came back with a sharp intake of breath. "You've caused quite the stir out there, you know?"

"I know," I sighed.

"You're lucky you weren't reprimanded, both Minamoto-kun and Mitsuba-san were publicly disciplined.

"Why wasn't I?" guilt settled like ash in the pit of my stomach, it was all my fault.

"Akane-san pleaded for you, she has quite a sway with the Council, they've agreed to suspend your punishment, until they deem it more appropriate."

"That was nice of her," I said, tonelessly.

/ "It was, and it gives you plenty of time to go back,"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You didn't think you were done with the island yet, did you?" she asked. Come to think of it, I hadn't thought I was done with the island, as a matter of fact, I was sure I wasn't, but what did Shijima Mei know about it? What was she hiding?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I folded my arms, a petulant gesture that made her laugh.

"Yes you do, and you can go back, easily, if you do it at night."

"You know I can't do it at night," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "what if I make the change?"

"What if?" she asked.

"Well, I could get captured, ensorceled, killed and eaten!"

"Did Akane-san tell you that?" she tucked a strand of seaweed brown hair behind her ear, "it isn't true, human's have no magic, aside from that they borrow, or steal."

"Is that supposed to be comforting?" I asked.

"It just is," she tugged restlessly on a leather cord hanging around her neck, whatever hung on it was hidden inside her shirt. "Will you go?"

"Why are you so insistent about this?" I asked,

"Because," she smiled, "you're the right person for the job."

"What job?"

Shijima just shook her head, a faint smile touched her lips, she pulled the leather cord over her head and held it out to me, a small circular object made of tarnished silver hung from it,, barnacles crusted it's surface, it was cold and heavy in my hand.

"and this is?" I was getting tired of her enigmatic schtick, but the sparkle in her eyes told me that she was having fun.

"Open it," she said, pantomiming opening a clam shell. I did as instructed, it opened to reveal a broad, round face, with a needle in the center that twitched and quivered, but always pointed due east. "It's a compass," she said, giving me an actual answer for once. "the needle will point you to the island, it has a strong magnetic pull," I knew that much, I had felt it myself, "will you go?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to go tonight, shouldn't I give patrol some time to relax, they're going to be on high alert after yesterday." I said, Shijima shook her head.

"They won't go near the surface, not at night, they wont risk the change, they treat it like sacrilege," she rolled her eyes, "but I know better."

"I'm not going to make the change," I said, adamant.

"You don't have to, but you do want to see it again, before it floats away forever." it wasn't a question.

I narrowed my eyes at her, my thoughts were thick and murky, they had been since I'd returned, maybe seeing it again would give me some type of closure, maybe it would just draw me in, trap me, swallow me up in it's gritty gray sand. I steeled my nerves and met Shijima's eyes.

"I'll go, tonight," I said, "if you cover for me."