"Are you okay?" Kaori appeared on the door of her brother's chambers. Two days had passed since the mermaid attacked him. Ren had some bandages on his head and he looked at her with a deep frown.
"What do you want?"
"I just wanted to know you were all right." She came close and sat by his side. She tried to examinated his wound, but he moved away, abruptly.
"Go away. I do not need you."
Kaori made a bored face and put a small ice bag on his head. Ren complained, feeling a little pain.
"Why do you have to be such a violent woman?! No wonder Shuichirou left you!"
"Hold it still for ten minutes." She said, placing his hand on the ice bag. "And do not talk about him. You have no right." She said, seriously and he looked away.
There was a deep silence between them. Ren didn't know when it was the last time they talked to each other without fighting.
"Can I ask you something?" Kaori looked at him.
"What is it?"
"The mermaid. Why did you capture her?"
"Because I could." He smiled. "Because I wanted to have her."
"You are making her suffer, Ren. She does not belong here. Put herself in her place. You will not be more powerful for that.
"Why do you always have to be annoying?" he stood up from his bed and left the ice bag there.
"I am worried about you." his sister grabbed his hand. "Next time she will kill you if she has the chance. Please."
"It is the first time in my life I have something for myself, only for myself. Something I do not have to share. You would not understand."
"What are you talking about? I have always share things in my life. Even before I was born, I was sharing my blood with you. I shared Chichiue with you and with Ryoma later, so…"
"It is not the same!" he distanced himself from her. "Since the beginning, he never looked at us equally. You were his favorite and then it was that bastard. He had never looked at me properly. Don't you think I know he wanted you to be the heir?"
"Ren, you are wrong." She was in front of him. "Chichiue loved all of us the same way, he…"
"I am done with this conversation." He tried to leave, but she stood in front of the door.
"Chichiue had high hopes for you. You are his heir, after all. There is still time, Ren. To work properly for our people, to behave properly. I am here for you; I will help you out in everything that you need me." Kaori's fingers gently touched her brother's hand. "You can still make Chichiue proud. Please, Ren."
"I am not here to please that old man." The young lord said, leaving the room.
Kaori took a deep, disappointed breath. Her brother was trully beyond help.
###########
Sakuno seemed like some fairytail watercolor image when returning from the sea. Ryoma was still there, in the middle of the snow. He had fallen to his knees with such a vision, not able to believe in his eyes. It took her a while to come back. Her beautiful pale skin, the long red hair breaking the whiteness of that winter night, the scarlet eyes glistering under the moon. Drops of the ocean were running down her naked body and Ryoma thought she couldn't be even more beautiful.
She smiled at him, kneeling in front of his stunned, petrified self and touched his handsome face.
"Ryoma, you are freezing."
He distanced himself, sitting on the snow, shocked, his trembling hand pointing at her.
"You…. You are…."
"Yes?" she asked, calmly, totally oblivious to his surprise.
"You are a mermaid!"
"Mermaid?" Sakuno was confused.
"Yes! You are half human and half… half fish?"
"Fish?" she remembered when he taught her the name of food and she was a little hurt. "I am not a fish!"
"I am sorry, but... you are a mermaid."
"Is that how you called someone like me?"
Before he could say something, he started to cough. Sakuno was worried.
"Let's go to the house. It is too cold for you."
They returned to his place and Ryoma sat in front of the fire. He changed into a dry yukata and Sakuno was drying his hair with a towel. She was still entirely naked, some thick strands of hair in front of her round breasts that were in front of his eyes.
"You should put some clothes on!" he said, extremely embarrassed. "Aren't you cold?"
"Not at all." She smiled, gently.
"Really?" Ryoma finally looked at her. "Now that you mention it, the winter never seemed to bother you. But, it does make sense, since you are a mermaid and all."
She finished to dry his hair and sat in front of him.
"You got a tail just a few moments ago." He touched one of her tights. "This is amazing."
"What is amazing?"
"Ah… something extraordinary. Very, very good."
"I am good?" she was proud of herself.
"You are the best." He showed her a small smile and it made her grin. "Why did you return to the beach, Sakuno?"
"You were waiting for me, right?" she said, like it was obvious.
"You came back for me?"
"You said I was free to leave. And, even though, you were out there in the cold, calling my name. I could hear your voice echoing on the sea."
"Sakuno…"
"I want to stay here with you." The scarlet eyes looked at him. "I was always alone."
Leaning her body on his chest, Sakuno smiled.
"I want to stay by Ryoma's side. You smell good and you are so warm and soft."
He chuckled with her reasons and hugged her. She smelled like the ocean. "I would like that. I was alone too."
"Let's be alone together, then." Even though the sentence was not correct, Ryoma felt his heart tight with the meaning of her words.
"Yes."
"When the sun comes out, swim with me, Ryoma."
"Okay."
Their embrace was interrupted with Sakuno's stomach loud growl. Ryoma patted her head and stood up, starting to prepare dinner for them. He told her to get some clothes and she obeyed.
While they were eating together, he couldn't stop looking at her. She was really a mythical creature and some things made so much sense now.
He remembered the books he read on Muramasa's library about the mermaids and the stories his father used to tell him.
There was still a lot he wanted to find out about her and wanted to ask as well, but that could wait.
For now, he just wanted to enjoy that warm meal by her side and the little happiness blooming on his chest with her presence on his life.