A/N: This was supposed to be a longer multi-chapter story...didn't turn out that way, ended up just throwing it all into a one-shot and calling it a day. Inspired by the Pirates of the Carribean; On Stranger Tides.
DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it, it isn't mine. Songs used: Let it Go -Frozen, Part of Your World -The Little Mermaid, Que Sera -Justice Crew.
Day 1
The sound of singing could be heard over the waves, and under them, carried by the wind and the currents from far off shores and even from the ocean itself. It was beautiful. The way the voices worked in harmony to create a haunting song that lured unwary people to their deaths. Light just wished that they would sing something different for a change. Of all the years spent dragging people into the watery depths, one would think that someone would ask for a new tune to sing. Instead they were stuck in a constant replay of songs long past.
He heaved an irritated sigh causing air bubbles to erupt towards the surface as his sister-kin began yet another song about the sea. All to soon his brother-kin would join them in song, their underwater world filled with the ghostly voices of sirens. With an irritated flick of tail fins Light began to quickly swim away from the underwater city, his new treasures clutched to his bare chest as he glided through dark waters with ease. He rarely went near any built up areas for that very reason. Not that he hated his kinfolk, just that the same songs on a constant re-loop over an unknown period of time was enough to drive anyone mad. Then again, he always had been different from his fellow sirens.
The further he swam away from the hidden ocean city, the more illuminated his surroundings became and soon he was surrounded by vibrant corrals of various sizes, species and colours. Schools of fish darted by him, breaking up and re-joining as they darted about with gleaming scales. Spotting a nice sized seashell partly hidden by sand, Light swam down and gracefully picked it up, tucking it into his string bag full of other trinkets he'd collected during his travels.
'It'll go nicely within my collection.' He thought with a small grin and flexed his tail before darting off again, laughing lightly as he disrupted a school of silver gleaming fish, his long, brunette locks tangling within the chaos. He would have to comb them out when he returned to his cave. He absently brushed his empty hand over his hair to ensure that his hair pieces were still in place, before quickening his swim so he was shooting through the water, dark bottomless depths stretching out below him, and gaining upon the corral reef that hid his home from unwanted guests.
The reef surrounded the entirety of a small island, his cave was hidden within the island and had yet to be disturbed by any of the two legged land dwellers he knew were called humans. Of course, one didn't spend the entirety of their lives luring people to their deaths without picking up a thing or two about them. He was lucky in a way, the island where his home was, had been purchased by a rich human Light had never even seen.
From what he understood the human had so much money he didn't know what to do with it, so he brought the island for the sake of it, and as far as Light knew, the man had not once been to it. This meant, of course, that other humans wouldn't be likely to stumble across his home and treasures within, as they weren't permitted to be on the island. He was grateful that he wouldn't be forced to leave his home like so many of his kin.
He made it to the corral barrier within minutes, panting from the intense swim, before he glided smoothly and slowly over the reef beneath him. He always enjoyed swimming around the reef of his home. He knew every corral, every large rock and even every rare shipwreck hidden amongst sea life which had taken to calling the structures home. A shadow from above him blocked out his own, and turning over he waved to a shark as it passed by, not once making a threatening move towards him. But the animals of the deep never harmed sirens.
He turned back over, somersault with ease, his golden scales gleaming in the sunlight that streamed down from the sky above, precious jewels casting rainbows from the attachments in his long hair. It didn't take long before he was swimming through the shadowed mouth of his underwater cave.
Breaching the surface when he'd swum in far enough, Light made his way over to the rock shelves that circled the pool of water, smooth from years of constant polishing. He heaved himself onto the cool rock, water dripping off him and the items in his hair chiming softly as they clinked together. He would place his new trinkets and return to the open water, it's call already entreating him to return to safety.
°• •°
L honestly couldn't remember when he agreed to buy an island. Though at some point he must have, because he was currently walking along a pristine white beach with no other people around to disrupt the view of open sea that stretched for miles in all directions. Sand already caked his feet and he knew his wild, black hair would be even more unruly due to the slight wind that blew around him, his face and the back of his neck already turning pink from the intense rays of sunlight.
'This is all Watari's fault.' He thought spitefully as he bit into his thumb. 'I don't need a vacation, or time off work.' But his father figure and caretaker had forced him onto one of his yacht's and had taken him to the island, ensuring that L didn't have any access to what he would need in order to work on a case. He childishly kicked at the sand, sending it spraying in a wide arch from the point of impact, before his sighed and returned his hands into his pockets. 'Hopefully we won't be here for long.' If L was lucky they would be here for less then a month, maybe even be gone within a week. He wasn't counting on it.
Gleaming gold from the shoreline caught his eye, and L froze mid-step as he zeroed in on the figure before him with disbelief. His mind whirled and stalled as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing even as he gently and slowly lowered his foot to the sand. Stretched out in the shallows of the sheltered section of beach lay a figure sunning himself. L's mind noted the bare chest of the male, tanned and toned, though slightly feminine, almost hidden under knee length brunette hair that was adorned by various gemstones and other trinkets of jewellery.
And though L couldn't see the males face, he knew that the other was younger then he was. But the thing that caught L's attention and held it. The thing that caused his mind to stutter in confusion, was the gleaming tail that began from the unknown males hips; gold scales spiralling over the bone and down well past where human feet would have been, the fins hidden within the shallow water.
"Impossible." He breathed out on a silent breath, realising that the only reason why the merman hadn't noticed him was because he was slumbering. 'This has to be a trick. People dress as mermaids all the time, it's not that difficult to purchase a fake tail and swim around in it.' L wondered how the young male had made it to the island, it was quite a ride out on a boat, and they didn't notice another vessel around so the male would have had to swim. He was tempted to touch the tail to see if he could guess what it was made out of and how it was held into place.
He was just about to reach out when the male moved slightly and turned over, his hidden face revealed for the first time. Long lashes brushed against delicate cheek bones and L silently compared the male to one of the mythical fey, though that thought was quick to vanish when said male opened his eyes and L was pinned by an amber gaze. Moments ticked by, L silently counting them as he waited for the stranger to become fully cognitive of his surroundings, recognising the moment it arrived by the sharp intake of breath and panic, fear filled, eyes that darted around looking for something.
"W-who are you?!" The young man asked, panic in his voice, sliding back into the water so that he was hidden from the shoulders down. "How long have you been there?"
L surveyed the young male with unimpressed eyes, he couldn't believe the nerve of the kid, this was his island, if anyone should be asking questions it should be him. But his attention had been drawn to the fact that they were on the edge of the water, he should have been able to see the males tail, but the water level had risen significantly to hide it from sight. 'The ocean responded to his distress?' It was impossible, such creatures didn't exist. But the water had risen quickly, had only done so where they were, and it only happened after the male retreated further into it.
His silence must have given the merman the courage to slip beneath the surface of the water without a backwards glance. Within seconds the male was gone and the water was once more at the level it was supposed to be. 'I wonder...' He had research to conduct. L turned on his heel and hurried back up the beach towards the path that led to the hidden island house.
#
Day 3
Fear kept him away for a day. Curiosity had him come back. Light had never met a human he wasn't dragging under the waves, hadn't even spoken to one until that encounter on the beach. It was probably what he got for falling asleep. This time he wasn't planning on surfacing, just watching from under water, away from the warmth of the sun that put him in this situation in the first place. He needed to know what the human was going to do after seeing Light. He knew that the human was intelligent, could see it in dark grey eyes. Light just hoped that he wouldn't have to flee his home and hadn't accidently put his kin-folk in jeopardy.
He arrived only a few hours after sunrise. He had a feeling that the human had been walking the beach for longer then that. Swimming up to a large, jagged, widespread cluster of rocks, Light attached himself to the largest one closest to the human and stealthily watched as the man lingered at the shoreline. Messy ink black hair framed a pale face, dark grey eyes were underlined by heavy bruising from countless hours of lost sleep. He was hunched over and barefooted, dressed in the same baggy light blue denim jeans and over large white sweater, from when Light first encountered him.
'If he's the owner of the island, wouldn't he have more clothing available to him?' Light personally didn't care what people wore, he himself didn't bother with covering up, more then happy to rely on his hair if he felt the need for modesty. Recently though he had found a chest overfilled with jewels and money of an era long gone, and after lugging the heavy thing across the seabed to his cave, had selected a few necklaces of varied lengths to wear. Gold chains weighed down by rubies, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires now glittered and shone just as brilliantly as his hair accessories and tail scales. Well, nothing could shine as bright as his tail.
He curled up against the rock and attempted to listen in to what the human was saying, his hearing unhindered by waves as the corral reefs sheltered the island, leaving the waters calm unless Light felt in need of them. Straining his hearing he finally managed to hear broken words that made no sense to him due to the lack of context. He was also missing quiet a few of them. The human seemed to have reached a decision, Light watching as a small frown marred the humans face before the man looked up over the sea and began to sing.
"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?~" It was a song Light had, had to deal with since the moment it was released. Since the moment human kids everywhere decided to start singing the song. His sister's sung it constantly, it was almost as bad as the old sailor songs from years past. "...Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold?~" Though Light could admit the human had a pleasant voice to listen to, it'd be even better if it wasn't that song.
"Of all the songs, why'd you choose that one?!" He couldn't help but exclaim, cutting over the man's voice mid-lyric, and revealing his position among the rocks. Flushing deeply with embarrassment he sunk just below the water so that the lower half of his face couldn't be seen. "Me and my big mouth." He muttered darkly, bubbles rising with every word.
"I wasn't aware that you knew this song." The man called out, luckily not continuing his singing. Resigned to the fact that the human knew he was there, Light emerged from behind the rock he'd chosen as a shelter, eyeing the man as he cautiously swam closer to the shore. "I wouldn't think that you would have access to electricity underwater." The man continued, not once showing that he noticed Light's hesitant approach.
"The waves carry music to us." Light replied. It was how it always was. "When people sing, we hear it." He stopped just shy of the shoreline, exposed from the waist up.
"You're a merman?" The man asked, curiosity in his tone.
Light couldn't prevent the snort of mirth that escaped him at that. "No I'm not one from one of your dainty fairy tales. We're sirens. We lure people to their watery graves via song." He informed the man proudly. Light had quite a record on his hands for the most drownings in a century.
"I see." Was that disapproval in the humans voice? Or did Light misinterpret it? "And yet you have made no move against me, despite me providing a possible threat." Light could hear the unasked question that time.
"I honestly didn't think of that at the time, you caught me unawares, and afterwards I didn't see the point." Though he wouldn't hesitate if he felt threatened. The water would drag the human down if he tried anything.
°• •°
L hadn't expected to luck out in his search on the first day he decided to try, research told him that singing would sometimes lure out the fey folk of the sea. He didn't think it would work with a song from an animated kids film. 'But it did work.' The young male hadn't approached L, remaining in waist high water as the pair surveyed one another. 'He's picked up some more accessories since I last saw him.' The gemstones glittered in the sunlight and just hazarding a guess L placed the value well into the thousands. 'More then likelythey no doubt came from a long lost treasure.' Watari hadn't believed him when he returned, ranting about mermen, but had willingly given him access to a laptop to conduct his research.
"I would imagine you've heard quiet a few songs then, in your lifetime." L wondered how the sea fey aged, if it was the same as humans or differently. 'Just how old are you?'
"At least it wasn't that song that was all the rage a while back." The male clearly rolled his eyes. "How did it go? Let it go, let it go~...Stop!"
L blinked rapidly, water rushing around him as he found himself standing in the surf, his pants drenched and sweater beginning to become weighed down as sea water soaked into the fabric. 'How did?' He didn't recall taking the necessary steps needed to end up in his current position. 'It was because he was singing.' L felt a curl of fear rise within him at the power needed to take control of someone's actions, glancing up to see that the male hadn't moved from his original position. Though he did note the guilty look on the males face.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." The male made to move towards him before hesitating and L wondered who was more afraid of the other at that point. "It's not exactly something I can turn off, I shouldn't have sung to you."
L felt disappointment crash down upon him at that, irrational as though it may be, L had loved the sound of the males voice. 'A little to much, judging by the current state of things.' Deciding that there really wasn't any point in attempting to remain dry, and seriously hoping that he was a strong enough swimmer to save himself if his clothing dragged him under, L dropped down into the water and cautiously began to swim over to the male.
"We've been chatting this whole time and I have yet to give you my name." L began as he halted arms length away from the male and stretched out his hand. "I'm L." Luckily the water was still shallow enough to be able to stand upon the sandy bottom without much difficulty. 'He has field advantage, so it's not as though he can't defend himself. Or drown me should he choose to.' The male eyed L's hand before slowly reaching out his own and clasping it. It was warmer then L thought it would be, was clearly the same as human skin, and water dripped from their combined hands causing ripples to form where they hit.
"Light." They held hands a moment longer before releasing them and L chanced a look for Light's tail. "You're the first human I've ever spoken to, mainly the only time I come in contact with your kind is when I'm luring them to their deaths."
L still couldn't control the distaste at the causal way Light spoke of killing, though he tried to reason that they were two different species and therefore had very different notions of 'right' and 'wrong'. 'And it's not as though I can arrest him for it.' He would be laughed out of the courtroom and Light would be taken to some laboratory to be 'researched'.
"Well I can honestly say that you are the first of your kind I've ever met." L truthfully said instead, cautiously giving into the urge to scan the males form, aside from the tail which L could barely see beneath the surface of the waves, the only difference between the pair were the practically invisible slits mirrored down Light's throat. 'Gills, guess that makes sense.' "I'll be here for a few more days," he began, never taking his eyes off the other. "Perhaps we can take the time to get acquainted with one another?" He couldn't help the hopeful tone that crept into his words.
#
Day 6
Light could truthfully say that he enjoyed spending time with the human called L. Hours went by unnoticed as the pair spoke of their world's and thoughts, L of what it was like being a world renown detective and Light of what he had witnessed during his life. When they weren't lying on the sand, L joined Light in the sea, insisting on exploring the corral reef that surrounded the island whilst wearing a plastic device that covered his eyes and mouth that L called a 'snorkel'. Light found the contraption hilarious, though he never showed it as he appreciated L's willingness to explore Light's home with him.
That had all happened over the course of two days, and now Light swam beside a small yacht that carried both L and his father figure, Watari, back to their island after a day spent on the mainland. He couldn't see anything that happened on board, not that he tried having lost interest after the first two attempts, and simply followed beside the vessel, surfacing every time he saw L look overboard for him. It was because he was so distracted by keeping an eye out for the other male, that he missed the other boat until the yacht was slowed to a stop.
Frowning slightly Light glanced over at the other vessel, sinking down further under the calm surface of the ocean and watched as people moved about on the unknown ship. He knew something bad was happening the moment a loud bang ripped through the air, startling him badly, it was enough for him to cautiously surface, his head breaching enough for him to see what was transpiring upon the vessels without drawing attention to himself. People were yelling and one was waving around a metal grey object Light hazarded was a gun.
'They're threatening L!' He opened his mouth, fully intending to lure the unknown men to their deaths when the words they were yelling registered.
"...Sirens and we need bait!" The man wielding the gun finished, the shout being taken up by his fellow shipmates. All up Light spotted eight of them, all strong looking men who wore the look of killers. Light knew their kind well. They were treasure hunters, and there was only one kind of treasure Light knew that required a siren. "We're seeking immortality!" The Fountain of Youth had once been a myth, until it was rediscovered and then lost once more, but that brief rediscovery led to a string of violent murders of Light's kinfolk. For only the tear of a siren could awaken the Fountain.
Swallowing harshly, Light sunk beneath the water once more, eyes never leaving L as the man and his companion dropped anchor and left the yacht under the unwavering gun barrel. He wasn't entirely sure what he could do at that point. The enemy vessel began to move once more, sliding through the water as it began to pick up speed. Light could either follow or stay. He flicked his tail in frustration, fins brushing over his exposed chest, and he looked up at the abandoned yacht. He didn't have the strength or ability to get on deck and radio for help.
'And nobody I know would be interested in helping.' Not that Light planned on asking for help. He didn't wish to be in debt to the likes of Misa, Takada or Mikami. 'And they will no doubt see L as competition and kill him anyway.' Not that any of them even had a chance. The enemy vessel was almost out of eye range at that point and Light still hadn't manage to work out a solution. It wasn't as though he'd ever been in this situation before, planning to save humans instead of drowning them. 'If only my parents could see me now.' It was probably a good thing neither of them would as they had both passed some years ago. Needless to say, they wouldn't be thrilled with the fact that Light had made friends with their prey. The ship vanished from sight over the horizon, but Light knew where they were heading. With a flick of tail fins he began to make quick work of covering the distance between himself and the vessel, concern for L and his companion growing with every passing minute.
°• •°
His wrists burned from the rope that bound them together. L had given up fighting against them the moment the sun began to sink over the horizon and the ship neared a small island. He knew what the group of eight were planning, they hadn't exactly been quiet about their plans, and he just hoped that Light wouldn't end up being caught up in it. He had grown fond of the siren, during the days they spent getting to know one another he had felt a stirring within him that he had realised was attraction. He hadn't said anything to the siren, unwilling to risk their friendship, but he had hoped he would get a chance to at some point. Light had made it clear that sirens didn't bother with a dating period, if they were attracted to someone they had sex with them. It was something L could understand, why bother with dating when you lived forever? Not that L knew if Light would live forever.
'Though I would imagine that unless something happens to him, he would end up outliving me.' That was a somewhat depressing thought considering his and Watari's current circumstances. The ship coasted to a halt and both L and Watari were dragged harshly to their feet and jostled into a small row-boat already occupied by seven of the eight men. He knew that this was their final destination. Knew that the men had already set up everything they'd need should they catch a siren. L wondered if Watari's silence was due to his disbelief at having been taken hostage by men planning on capturing a siren in order to find the Fountain of Youth.
"Come on now," The leader of the eight, Higuchi, encouraged with a threatening shake of the gun. "I want one of you to sing. We need to lure the sirens to us by way of song." L wasn't even all that surprised that the men knew how to catch a sirens attention. A quick Google search was more then enough to go off. He was surprised that nobody else had thought of attempting it.
'Then again.' Light had mentioned once or twice that his usual victims came after his kinfolk, and that they weren't exactly 'good people' to begin with.
"What exactly do you want us to sing?" Watari asked, disdain dripping off his words.
"It doesn't matter, just sing." Namikawa, Higuchi's second in command stated, eyes narrowing at Watari's tone of voice. The other five men had set up a contraption just under the water that consisted of a large net that was no doubt going to be used to catch the unlucky siren.
'We have no choice, unless we want to end up dead.' L didn't want to help these men, but he didn't want himself or Watari to die either. "At the end of the day, some you win, some you don't~" He began, causing Watari to look over at him with worry in his eyes. He focused on the calm sea, the song flowing from his lips and no doubt to the ears of the sea fey.
"It's working." An awed voice cut over L's singing and he could see the way the water rippled and rose as numerous beings swum beneath them.
"Don't stop." L had to control himself from jumping in surprise at the sound of a feminine voice just over his shoulder, others weren't so lucky. Some of the men clearly jumped and Watari had frozen in shock, eyes widened on the mythical being resting her arms upon the edge of the boat as blue eyes surveyed them. "Misa does so enjoy it when people sing." Blonde hair was parted into two pigtails and orange scales covered her breasts.
'They're not as eye catching as Light's are.' L couldn't help but mentally compare. Fear was bubbling up within him however, he could see the dark forms of other sirens who had yet to surface but were circling the boat as though sharks. 'Light never did say what happened to the people they drag under.' He was beginning to wish he'd asked.
"Please sing again." Another female voice enticed, a black haired beauty with dark green scales, hefted herself up slightly. "I'll be more then happy to sing with you." A feral, hungry grin stretched across her face as she opened her mouth and began to sing in a foreign tongue. Mido, the closest to her, began to lean forward into her embrace, eyes glazed and ignorant of his fellows attempts at snapping him out of it.
"Enough!" The familiar voice cut through the female sirens song, and both females pulled away from the boat, sinking beneath the waves with vexed expressions. Mido shook his head in bafflement, but L's attention was honed in on Light. He wasn't able to get the warning out fast enough, the net closed in around Light just as L sucked in the air needed to speak. His stomach dropped at the sight of his friend thrashing and hissing about in the net he was tangled in, even as Higuchi and Namikawa grinned down at him.
"Light!" Misa screeched, surfacing from the water, clawed fingers pulling at the netting ineffectually. "Let him go-!" A gunshot tore through the air and Misa fell silent, sinking beneath the surface of the water, crimson billowing around her even as the other sirens screamed wordless cries of fury.
'Did they just kill her?' L leaned over as far as he was willing, struggling to see if the female siren was okay, though he couldn't tune out Light's hissing and thrashing, even as another male siren spoke softly to him, grey eyes gleaming of untold anger as he looked up at the gun toting men, only leaving when Light spoke in a foreign tongue. L doubted that the sirens had gone far, no doubt they were lying in wait.
#
Day 7
'Nice going Light. Some rescue mission this turned out to be.' He went and turned himself into another hostage, one that would suffocate if the people that captured him didn't open the lid to the glass coffin-like container which held not only Light, but sea water as well. He closed his eyes, nausea rolling within him as the two men carrying the container stepped over fallen trees and large rocks. He wasn't a fan of this mode of transport. He wanted the sea, the currents and waves. He didn't like seeing earth below him and trees around him. It didn't help that he was slowly running out of air.
"Are you okay?" The words were muffled through the glass, but Light recognised L's voice and the concern within it, opening his eyes long enough to dart a look at the human, before closing his eyes once more in an effort to fight off his nausea.
"No talking!" A hostile voice from out front of the group snapped.
"Can't you see he's struggling to breathe?!" L asked incredulously. Light thought he was doing well, considering the circumstances, until he realised that he really was fighting for every breath. "He needs air!"
"He has more then enough water in there and I don't want to risk losing him." The same speaker from before returned, the two men carrying him didn't even hesitate.
"That doesn't even..." L trailed off and it was silent until Light heard a scuffle and he opened his eyes in enough time to see L push his way to Light and force the lid open a crack, keeping it held open by inserting a thick branch into the gap. The rush of air was instantaneous and Light greedily pushed his lips to the gap in order to suck in deep lungfuls, barely registering that the procession had come to a halt. "He needs air to breathe, unless you want a dead siren on your hands." L stated coldly and Light shivered at the looks the human was given by those that held weapons.
"How dare you assume you have the right to make that decision?" One of the eight speakers, not one of the two leaders or the two carrying him, asked with anger in his tone. "I should just shoot you now."
Light couldn't help the noise of terror that escaped him at the words and the gun that raised pointed at L's chest. L was his human. His friend. Despite that, Light didn't know if he would cry for the man. He had drawn attention to himself, the hostile men glancing between himself and L even as L looked at him with concern and his father figure watched with worry etched on his face.
"What's this?" The leader asked, walking forward and pushing his face towards Light's own, hot breath fanning across Light's face even as he refused to back away. "Do you two know each other?" The man asked, gun held loosely at his side.
'Don't anger them Light. You're not in the best position right now.' Of course, the thought crossed his mind after he opened his mouth and spat out in spite, words rolling off his tongue in a long dead language. "I will gladly send you to your watery graves and feast on your flesh." Not that Light often partook in the eating of his victims, that went out of fashion some years ago, it didn't mean that he was against it though. The humans looked at him blankly, not a single one aware of what he had said, he smiled sweetly at the one who's face was still pressed into the gap. "I think I'll start with your eyes." He added, leaning away from the man, as far as he could go whilst trapped.
"It doesn't even speak our language. That'd be an issue when it comes to getting a tear." One of the men laughed and they began to walk again, L being pushed along with a harsh shove to his back.
'I'm not an 'it' and I will not cry for you.' This time he kept his mouth shut, air still coming in from the gap and water sloshing around inside. What happened next probably could have been prevented if the idiots carrying his container watched where they put their feet. One second they were walking along a slightly overgrown track, the next they were stumbling over a hidden log, the container falling from their grasp and Light barely had time to brace himself for impact.
°• •°
L watched with growing horror as the glass container hit the ground, glass shattering on the sharp rocks, and water gushing from the broken sides. Light hit the ground with a thud, his brunette hair tangling around himself and his tail even as he curled into himself gasping for air, tail slapping at the ground, even as the humans watched him with wide eyes. L took an immediate step forward, not knowing how he would help the other without water, but seconds after Light hit the ground his golden tail misted away leaving behind bare, tanned legs.
"Idiot humans!" Light spat in breathless anger, though L could see the terror within his wide amber eyes as he curled into himself protectively, gemstones in his hair and around his neck sparkling in the sunlight.
"It has legs!" Kida exclaimed, greedy eyes tracing Light's naked form, a possessive feeling rising up within L had him struggling to hold himself back.
"It can walk." Higuchi stated, he and Namikawa both eyeing Light with dark expressions.
"I'm a 'he', not an 'it'," Light began, anger still laced in his voice. "And I won't be walking anywhere with you." L wished that the other would keep his mouth shut until they came up with a plan of escape.
"You will do what we say you'll do." Namikawa threatened, pulling out a knife from his belt even as Watari and L were restrained. "I daresay your hair will get in the way of that."
"Stay the hell away from my hair!" Light's hands flew protectively to his locks, not that it did much help when his arms were grabbed and Namikawa roughly hacked away at it, brunette tresses falling to the earthy floor. "...hair." The word was gasped out and Light looked upon the locks with a devastated look on his face.
"Relax, I left your jewels in place." Namikawa said with a laugh, kicking at the hair. "Now to your feet." He ordered and Light was pulled up by the men holding onto him.
'The least they could do is give him something to cover himself with.' Not that Light appeared ashamed of his nakedness in front of the ten men. No, he only had eyes for his cut hair. Others on the other hand were eyeing him up.
"Take this." Watari brushed by L and he realised that they'd both been released once more, jacket in his withered old hand stretched out in offer. Light accepted it with a small nod and slid it on, the fabric barely offering much in the way of modesty.
"Let's go." Higuchi commanded and the three of them were pushed into movement.
Light got to his feet under the harsh urging of Takahashi and Mido, stumbling into action as his legs struggled to carry him. It was blatantly obvious to L that Light had never walked a day in his life. Two hours later found Light stumbling over every step, breathing heavily and sweating profusely even as his skin began to turn red from the sun. It appeared to L that the siren was drying up under the harsh glare of the sun and the humid air under the trees. Not once did the siren ask for a break or for help and L wearily eyed his friends torn, bloody feet as they accumulated mud and leaves.
"So I've been wondering." L began, the first to speak aloud in two hours, not that speaking had been encouraged. "How do sirens reproduce?" He asked of Light, attempting to get the others mind off the agony he no doubt had to be feeling in his legs.
"We loose our tail when on land for a reason." Light managed to huff out, pulling the jacket closer around him despite the heat. "Every full moon, sirens make their way to secluded beaches to copulate, then, nine months later they return for the birth, the men keeping watch. They return to the ocean, the babes are left with the elder-kin in nurseries, and life returns to normal."
"Your parents don't raise you?" L asked, somewhat surprised because he assumed that they would, being practically immortal beings and all.
"Did your parents raise you?" Light asked in return, and L couldn't help but glance over at Watari who was paying attention and managing to keep up the pace despite his age. "The first time I met my mother, she was tending to a coral reef that'd been impacted by an oil spill. Encouraging new growth and sea life to return." Light brushed hair out of his eyes, gemstones glittering in the sunlight. "The first time I met my father was after he and some of my brother-kin successfully brought down a ship and were systematically drowning and eating the survivors." L couldn't help but shudder at that, and he wasn't the only one who looked a tad disturbed. Now he knew what happened with the victims.
It was a relief when the group reached what appeared to be rock pools. Right up until Light released a mournful noise of horror and it became clear to L that what he had thought were tree roots and rocks, were actually the husks of sirens staked into the ground by their hands, half in the water and half out.
'What monsters would do such a thing?' Not that L couldn't answer that himself. People killed for money, they would be more then happy to torture for immortality.
"We've reached our destination." Higuchi called out, kicking at a pile of bones. "Stake him to the ground in one of the rock pools." The men were quick to comply, Light hissing out even as he struggled against them, nobody noticed when Watari slipped off to the side for a moment, or when L bent down to palm a jagged rock. They had something to use as a weapon. Now they needed to wait.
#
The rock pool was both a blessing and a curse. He was submerged from the waist down, his tail hidden in the dark depths, and muscles aching despite no longer having legs. From the waist up was a different story. His skin blistered and burned red, he could feel various parts of his arms and shoulders cracking as moisture dried up under the relentless sun.
"Just give us a tear and this will all end." One of the men bargained, and Light probably would have believed him if he didn't have that look in his eyes. The look of a killer. No, Light wasn't crying any time soon, no matter how bad he felt.
"Why don't you shed a tear? Maybe it'll work." Honestly, he really wanted to know who kept the myth alive in the first place. He would drown them if he ever encountered them.
"We need a sirens tear, not a humans." Light wasn't entirely sure why the men hadn't just chosen one or two people to do the speaking, he wasn't threatened by the multiple speakers, he just found it irritating.
"Out of curiosity, have any of you even seen the Fountain? Know anyone who actually made it work for them? How do you even know about it and the details needed to allegedly make it work? Don't you think that would be something that would get out." Light really wanted to know the name of the one who leaked the knowledge to the world, though his words brought looks to the men's faces. "So you haven't seen it? Don't know anyone who's used it?" What kind of person decides to spend their lives chasing a possible myth?
"You exist, so there's some truth to the stories." The leader said, dark look in his eyes. "Stop trying to talk your way out of this."
'I suppose that I can just sing them all to their deaths.' He didn't want to kill L or his companion, but he also had no desire to dry up and die from exposure. He sucked in a deep, unnoticed, breath and opened his mouth with the intent of humming a tune as opposed to singing one, when he caught L slowly shaking his head from side to sure, grey eyes watching him from amidst the abductors. He harshly swallowed down the urge to sing, unsure what it was L wanted of him, but the other made no movement to indicate what he was thinking.
"Did you know that there's a catch to the Fountain?" He asked, turning his attention away from L and focusing once more on his captors who hadn't turned their attention from him once. "A tear is the least of your worries." He wasn't sure if the entire story of the Fountain had gotten out, but judging by the fact that all eight men appeared to be eager to embrace immortality, told him that they didn't.
"What are you talking about? We only need the tear." One of the leaders snarled, leaning down so that his rank breath ghosted across Light's face. "So do us all a favour and cry for us."
"The Fountain doesn't grant immortality." Light continued, not backing away from the face in front of him, not that he could make much of an attempt. "That's why it's called the Fountain of Youth and not Immortality. You all have some decisions to make, even if I did give a tear."
"Shut it siren!" The second leader came up to the side of the pool, gun in hand and aimed at his head. "Stop trying to trick us and just give us a tear." The man ordered, almost as though he believed threatening Light with death would get him to comply.
'Though, I don't actually want to die.' Why was he still in this situation? Right, L had disagreed with what he had silently planned. 'Though...' L was subtly moving his hands to catch Light's attention, sticking his thumbs up when he saw that Light had seen the movements. 'So he wants me to sing now?' He didn't know what was different between now and earlier, but he didn't hesitate this time around.
"I don't know what the plan is, but I do know that I'm still tempted to carry out my original threat." He smiled cruelly at the men surrounding him, intentionally slipping back into his native tongue to unnerve them. "I think that there would be some disapproval though." He finished before allowing a haunting tune to slip from his lips, nothing more then a wordless hum but the effects were instantaneous.
°• •°
The twisted bits of grass L had stuffed into his ears itched uncomfortably, but he made no move to remove it as Light's muffled tune caused his hair to rise and his heart to beat rapidly, even as Watari froze with his own ears stuffed with grass and his own weapon in hand, a stone just as jagged and sharp as L's own. Their attackers however, were unprepared and therefore were hit with the full force of Light's hypnotic pull, their eyes had glazed over and they fought amongst themselves to be the first to reach Light.
He caught Watari's eye and they both moved towards their captives, stones in hand and targets chosen, they missed the way Higuchi and Namikawa eyed their fellow members with disgust, guns in hand and held at their sides. Watari was the first to successfully bring down one of their captives, the man collapsing unconscious with crimson blood streaming down the side of his face, his downfall ignored by the others still fighting amongst themselves.
'I should release Light as soon as possible.' The sirens voice had begun to falter, growing weak before strengthening only to fade again. By now his skin had begun to bleed where it had cracked from the exposure to the sun, blood ran in rivets down the sirens face, throat, arms and chest and L could see the pain shadowed in amber eyes. And still the siren had yet to shed a tear.
By the time Watari had brought down another two of the six who were fighting, L had only managed to bring down one of the men before rushing over to the pool where Light was held captive, dropping the bloodstained rock to the ground, trusting that Watari could handle himself as Light was still able to assist.
"Hey," he dropped to his knees, ignoring the small rocks and roots digging into his skin. "Keep singing, I'll get you out." He began to claw at the rope that had rubbed Light's skin raw, the rough texture biting into his own skin and drawing blood when he pulled to carelessly.
He successfully freed one arm, the limb dropping heavily by Light's side and L saw the visible flinch of pain even as Light's voice cracked for a second before returning on a weak note. Muttering useless apologies he began to work on the second wrist when he caught sight of Light wordlessly struggling to gesture towards something behind him without breaking his humming.
"I strongly suggest you stop that, or your friend will gain an extra hole in his stomach." The words of warning preluded the cold metal of a gun firmly pressed into L's side and he instinctively froze, but not before he managed to loosen the ropes enough for Light's second arm to drop from the binds, the siren immediately vanishing under the surface of the water and leaving L with a sinking feeling and an unpreventable swell of shock that Light had vanished.
"Look what you did! You just cost us our siren!" Higuchi snarled angrily, and Namikawa roughly shoved him to the ground where he could now see Watari held at gun point on his knees, the unconscious, bloodied forms of their other captors collapsed in ungainly heaps.
'How were they not effected like the others? Unless they knew more then what they led on, knew the risk and took precautions.' L's guess was proven true when Namikawa and Higuchi pulled from their ears foam, noise cancellers, dropping the pink and yellow items onto the dirt before roughly doing the same to Watari and his own hasty constructions.
"Won't need these any more, especially where you're both going." Namikawa said calmly, his gun trailing up from L's stomach so that it rested against his temple. "We had it all planned out, and you had to go and ruin it. Oh well, there's other sirens."
"Though none as pretty as your boy." Higuchi commented with a leer. "Shame he didn't stick around." L didn't say anything, but deep down, despite his best efforts, he felt the same.
"I did." There was no time to react, from the moment the two words hit the air the most beautiful sound filled L's head, promises of the sweetest things he could imagine, and a familiar feel that'd he'd heard the angelic sound before. It was that of a siren freely singing.
#
He hadn't wanted to catch L and his father figure in the grip of his song, but honestly, he was in pain and just wanted the situation taken care of so he could go and nurse his wounds. The pair of killers, abductors, tortures, reached the pool of water before L and Watari did, and reacting far slower then he usually enacted the move, instantly pulled the closest male into the water with a loud splash, not once breaking his song even as he dragged the man to the dark depths of the pool where his sister-kin could be seen circling.
"Fresh meat!" Misa shrieked with joy and she and Takada fell upon the man who'd finally snapped out of the trance he'd been under, panic and fear causing him to lash out, screaming soundlessly even as Misa tore into his left ear, blood billowing into the water from the torn, fleshy wound. He didn't linger, flipping around and swimming back up to the surface, he breached to find the trio of humans standing in stunned silence, swaying slightly on their feet as they waited for the song to direct them.
'I had said I would eat your flesh.' He couldn't help but run his tongue over his teeth at the thought, reaching out of the water and singing to the man, easily toppling him into the water and finally breaking his song, causing a slow snap of awareness to return to the three humans, the one in his grasp instantly swearing and fighting against him sending water flying everywhere.
"What the hell is this?! Let me go!" The man snarled, attempting to claw at Light's face, L and Watari both appeared a bit dazed and were therefore to sluggish to do anything when Light felt the man in his grip get yanked from his hold, under the water, his voice cutting off the moment he went under and was replaced seconds later by blood billowing from below.
'Someone must have been a little over-eager.' He hadn't been aware that his brother-kin had joined his sister-kin for the feeding frenzy.
"What just happened? What took him?" Watari asked, snapping out of his daze and slowly approaching the pool of water.
"More like who took him." Light couldn't make out anything in the water under him but ultimately he had no fear of being harmed. "You still have those six to cage," he helpfully pointed out, pointing to the six unconscious men laying on the dirt ground.
"We can use their belts and whatever rope is left to restrain them. Use their boat to return to our own and head back to the mainland with both prisoners and boat with us." L announced, already moving to carry out his own instructions, frayed rope in hand.
'I should release my fallen kin back into the ocean.' They deserved proper burials, the mummified husks an outrageous insult to him and his kin, one that he wouldn't allow to remain for any longer. When Watari went to assist L in restraining the kidnappers and murderers, Light braced his arms onto the edge of the pool and used some of the last of his strength reserves to pull himself from the water.
Edging away from the watery depths, Light felt his tail mist away and was hit by the pain that raced from his torn and bloody feet and the aching muscles in his legs, no longer muted by his tail, and with a determined inhalation he pushed himself up off the ground onto shaky limbs. The coat Watari had given him had also made a reappearance, hiding his modesty somewhat despite Light not being particularly bothered by it now that the other eight men were dead or unconscious.
The cuts stung as dirt and other particles embedded themselves within the tears, but Light ignored it and pushed forwards towards the closest of the remains, aware that he had captured L's attention as he and Watari both finished up restraining the last two of the unconscious men. He didn't stop to turn around and help them, not that his help was needed, to focused on completing his task before his strength abandoned him for good.
He knelt beside the tree that had helped restrain his family and he began to tear away at frayed rope that had bound and sunken into mummified flesh that'd once been living. He sensed L come up from behind him, choosing to ignore the other even as he successfully managed to free one arm from the binding, moving on to the second he was able to undo the rope quicker that time around then he was able to, to begin with. When the second arm was released the remains quickly sunk beneath the surface of the water, the ocean quickly reclaiming one of her fallen children and insuring that the spirit could now be reborn.
"Let me help you," L said, not waiting for a reply as he was already pulling Light to his feet with a steady hand under his elbow to help him up.
"Thank you." He murmured, brushing his fingers across L's pale wrist before making his journey to the next tree and pool. "I suppose that you'll be on the mainland for some time, taking care of what happened. Will you be leaving straight away?" It made sense to Light that L would want to take care of his business immediately rather then linger. Humans lived far shorter lives than fae did.
"It'd be for the best. We need to ensure that nobody else comes after you and your kin again." L muttered back, and Light gently pulled away from L's hold, making the inevitable separation easier.
"Then you should go now before they wake up and cause you trouble." He recommended, kneeling once more to untie another body. "I'll gather my kin and we will ensure that the Fountain will never be discovered or used again." Something he firmly believed should have happened in the first place.
"I'll see you around?" L didn't sound all that sure and neither did Light, even though he nodded in agreement, and the human left him to ensure that his deceased kin would be buried properly. Neither saw the silent tears that fell from both grey and amber eyes as one walked away from the other.
°• •°
Two months later.
"Carrying that basket around and the items that are in it, is a little presumptive L." Watari had said to him in a slightly disapproving voice, even though he had made no move to prevent L from carrying out his plan.
"Presumptuous? He was the one who said that he didn't care when it happened, even if it was with someone he had just met. We knew each other a little bit longer then that, so it's better then some random one-night-stand." L had replied and left the house with his basket in hand as he made for the moonlit beach. The light of the full moon illuminating the sand and surf with its silvery rays. It was the full moon that had drawn L back to his island after two months away on the main land ensuring that the six men had been sentenced to long terms spent in prison.
He hadn't seen or heard from Light in that time and he wasn't even sure when he would see the siren again. His basket, as presumptuous as it was, and the items in it was so that on the off chance they did encounter one another again, they could say that they had given it their all, even if they never saw each other again.
He chose to return to where he had first seen Light, all those days ago running himself on the beach, and dropped the basket into the sand so he could remove one of the items, a large blanket made out of the appropriate kind of martial needed for spending time outdoors and on a beach. He settled down atop it and doubled checked that he had remembered to bring the other two items he needed, filling in time by unwrapping everything so that they could be easily accessed and used.
The moon climbed higher into the night sky as hours passed and L had long since run out of things to keep him occupied, choosing to lay back and silently name the constellations that spread out above him in the star filled sky. He was beginning to think that Light wasn't going to make an appearance, that he should just pack up and head back to the house, when he felt water droplets hit his face in a single, light spray, as though someone had flicked to water at him to get his attention.
He shot up into a seated position, eyes immediately landing upon Light's tanned, naked form, no tail in sight and no sign of any of the events from two months ago on his body. The numerous necklaces still hung from his neck and his hair, only an inch longer, still held the expensive adornments within brunet strands.
"Should I be concerned or flattered that on the night of a full moon, you turn up on a beach with a blanket to wait for me?" The siren asked in a playful manner, laughter in his voice as he glided across the sand with ease before sinking down and settling on the blanket next to L, the chill of the water causing goosebumps to rise on tanned skin.
"Well you did tell me that sirens tended to do whatever they wanted, was I wrong in assuming that you would want this?" L wasn't sure if he had made a mistake, Light had been very forth coming on the topic and the only one who had held them back was L, and that was because he'd never seen himself as the kind of person to just jump straight into bed with someone.
"Indeed," The smirk Light wore was a wicked one, a glint of lust in his eyes, and L instinctively leaned in to kiss the siren, warm lips melding with cool ones and L braced himself even as Light's hand came up to frame his face. "It's good to see you again. Let's not put this off, I don't want you dying on me before we have a chance to have sex. And just so you know, if the sex is awful, you still make a good conversational partner." L felt a flicker of jealously at the words, somehow knowing that Light would search out someone else to spend his time with, and L silently made a vow that he would be better then anyone else Light would have or ever had, had.
"I came prepared." He admitted, reaching to pick up the box of condoms and lube, both of which had Light grabbing for them with a clear look of confusion on his features. "They'll make things easier and safer." He grabbed the items back when Light handed them over with a shrug before dragging him in for another kiss then.
"Prove it." Light whispered, releasing L and lying down upon the blanket, legs spread so that L could slide between them.
They coupled together slowly, gasps and groans muffled and hidden by the crash of the waves even as the moon continued its ascent. When the dawn of the new day broke, Light and L remained entangled within each other's limbs, sleepy eyes watching the spread of colours, blues, yellows, oranges and pinks as the sun slowly made an appearance.
"I guess I'll be keeping you around." Light finally said, kissing L's collarbone before turning his attention back to the sky.
"I suppose." L agreed, unable to keep the grin off his face.
Fin.