Chapter 4

When Ookurikara came home that night, he didn't even bother to turn the lights on.

He immediately stubbed his toe on the stand in the entryway, but he figured he deserved it.

After he left Mitsutada behind at the aquarium, he had let himself stagnate. He worked and he ate and he fished, but he was doing everything robotically. After all of the excitement and chaos of saving Mitsutada and bringing him back home, life seemed flavorless. He remembered how he used to live and what he used to do, but it was all so extremely boring. And he was mad about it. To suddenly feel like he was lacking something in life, although he should have no complaints... it was awful. God damn, Mitsutada, making him suddenly miss people. Well, not people, but one mermaid. He spent the first week pretending not to miss him at all. He went to the dock. He stared at the horizon. He fished. He tried desperately to stop thinking that every sudden wave was Mitsutada come to say hello. When he was hungry, he ate the usual, but thought about the fish that he used to be given. When it was time to clean up, he idly wondered why Mitsutada hadn't come by, before kicking himself for not remembering. All he could think about was what he didn't have.

So the next week, he stopped going fishing. He spent the second week cooped up in his house, watching movies, taking naps, playing games, even cleaning. But the more he tried not to think about it, the more he did. He couldn't deny that he desperately wanted to see Mitsutada. And the thought pissed him off.

So he spent a week pouting about it.

And at the end of the week, he realized that the last two week's worth of effort had been pointless. With a sigh, he a swiped his keys off the countertop and left the house without even bothering to lock to door. His scooter waited for him in the driveway (cars were expensive and unnecessary), and he started up the ignition effortlessly. Gripping his handles a bit tighter than recommended, he kicked the kickstand back and pushed off, accelerating into the twenty minute drive to the aquarium. Mitsutada was probably mad. It has been a whole two weeks and he hadn't even tried to call (not that he knew Ieyasu's number, but it would have been easy enough to Google the aquarium). But maybe that was for the best. Maybe then he could admit to himself that he wanted the mermaid back, even if it was just to live in his own bathtub. He wondered what kind of face Mitsutada would make. Maybe he would wave and pull himself out of the pool so he could sit next to Ookurikara. Maybe they would kiss. The fisherman found himself smiling. Of course, perhaps before he left the house he should have considered:

The aquarium was closed on Sundays.

Monday was just as bad, because although the aquarium was open that day, Ieyasu wasn't in, and without him, there was no way to convince the aquarium staff to let him in the backroom. He stood in the parking lot staring at the building forlornly. Mitsutada was so incredibly close. He contemplated breaking in for a moment before remembering that it would be hard to make a clean get away on his scooter-he wouldn't be able to steer and hold the mermaid after all. As he got ready for the night shift that evening, he promised himself that he would catch a few hours of sleep after work and then go to the aquarium as soon as it opened.

That wasn't soon enough though.

The next morning, he got a call saying that Mitsutada was missing.

It was nine AM, and he had gotten off at six, and everything was still terribly fuzzy. Masamune was trying to be cool about the whole thing, but he was beating around the bush so much that Ookurikara couldn't even understand what he was getting at. Only after the tired fisherman had snapped at him did Masamune reveal the facts in full. The words took a moment to settle into his brain. Then he leapt out of bed. Not bothering to toss on more than a T-shirt and jeans, he kicked his door open and jumped on his bike.

The whole ride to the aquarium, the only thing he could think about was the knot in his stomach and the hundreds of questions buzzing about in his head.

Where was Mitsutada?

Who had taken him from the backroom?

Why had they taken him?

How could Ookurikara get him back?

He met Masamune and Ieyasu at the aquarium, and they spent the day searching around town. They asked at all the fish shops. Ieyasu filed a report at the police station that a "large fish" had been stolen from the aquarium. Masamune went snooped about sketchy corners that probably should have been avoided. Ookurikara scoured every dock for any sign of the Keibishi's ships. At the end of the day, Masamune passed him a coffee and sympathetically patted his shoulder. Ieyasu looked like he wanted to do the same, but seemed worried to get too close. Downing the coffee in one go, the fisherman tossed it in the garbage before turning to his scooter without another word.

"We'll meet up again and keep looking, /y'hear?/" Masamune called after him.

Ookurikara turned the ignition.


Back in the black of his apartment, the tired and upset fisherman nursed his stubbed toe while trying not to contemplate what would have happened if he had just gone to visit Mitsutada earlier. Would it really have changed anything? He sighed and slowly made his way to his bedroom.

Even in the dark, Ookurikara knew his room. And right now, there was most definitely something in there that hadn't been there this morning. He froze, hands twitching for a weapon or something as he inched closer to try and figure out what it was. It was then that he realized he was using the wrong question. Not what, but /who/? There was most definitely an unknown person lying on his bed.

It only took him a minute to find the baseball bat that Masamune had bought him a few years back to try to get him into the sport. This was the first time he was actually using it, but he realized he would have to thank the idiot "dragon" later. Gripping the bat tightly in one hand, he reached for his bedroom light switch with the other; he could flip on the lights, and while the person was dazed by the sudden brightness, knock them out and then call the police. He had never felt the need to call the police before, but he couldn't carry an unconscious person to the police office and ride his scooter at the same time. He took a deep breath and flipped the switch.

His left hand immediately flew to the bat so he could grip it tightly. Raising it high over his head, he paused to better examine he person he was about to hit. They were dressed impeccably for a burglar and had dark blue hair that was incredibly well styled and looked a tad bit familiar…

Ookurikara froze.

"Mitsutada?"

The figure on the bed seemed to have been a bit bothered by the light, but he squirmed even more at the fisherman's voice, blearily opening one eye while sitting up slowly.

"K-Kuri-Chan?"

The arms holding the baseball bat fell limply to his sides while Ookurikara stared in disbelief at the person in front of him. The face and the hair were unmistakably Mitsutada's. The webbed ears that normally adorned the sides of his face were gone though, replaced by smaller, pink, human ones. His body too, was obviously human in the way that it was clothed from neck to toe, not to mention the very separate two legs that now hung over the side of the bed. He was still wearing those same leather gloves though. And the question was out of the fisherman's mouth before he even processed the words.

"What are you doing here?" After spending the whole day dashing all over town for any sign of the mermaid, to have him show up in his very bed was, well, overwhelming, to say the least.

The merman, no, human, was obviously still half asleep, and could only look at his lover with confusion. "This is our home?"

It was the wrong thing to say. Ookurikara didn't even know where the anger came from. He hated when anyone assumed anything about him, and regardless of how much he wanted to see Mitsutada, that didn't stop him from needing to correct an error. "This is my home." And then, without even meaning to say it, the second part tumbled out after. "You don't belong here." All the exhaustion was weighing heavily on his mind, and he couldn't stop himself even though he knew this would hurt the mermaid.

The darker haired man was completely awake now, and looking at his lover with confusion that wasn't hiding the hurt beneath. "But you're my mate. We're supposed to be together."

He was clenching the bat again, and all the feelings from before he had said goodbye two weeks ago came rushing back. "I can't be your mate."

The room went silent. Mitsutada stared, eye wide in shock and lips half parted, whatever he had been about to say dead in his mouth. It suddenly felt like the air was choking him. Ookurikara tried to breathe, regretting the words, but knowing that he needed to say them regardless. They couldn't do this. Sooner or later, one of them was going to break. He couldn't handle the expression on the ex-mermaid's face though.

"I-" There was so much torment there, as he struggled to stomach what had just been said to him. But then the memories of two weeks of silence came back to him. Ookurikara didn't want him around after all. Pink lips tightened into a thin line. "I should leave then."

He caught Ookurikara's eyes with his own, before looking away, down to where his gloved hands had shrunk into fists. He attempted a smile, but it only stretched his face out further. Slowly uncurling his hands, he placed them on either side of the bed, steading himself before he attempted to straighten his legs. He was only up for a moment before they buckled underneath him and he fell to the floor.

"Mitsutada?!" The worry was instinctive, and Ookurikara's body moved to try and catch the other without thinking.

His hands were slapped away.

"I'm fine," the blue haired man all but hissed, glaring from his pathetic spot on the floor.

Ookurikara could only watch as he reached for the bed with shaking arms and slowly tried to pull his body up again. The clock ticked and Mitsutada grunted. It took him some time, but finally he was up again, striking the fisherman with a bitter look as his body teetered. He gingerly let go of the bed. He could do this. He just needed to move cautiously and patiently. Taking a deep breath, and using that and his spite to steady himself, Mitsutada tried to take another step. He hit the floor much harder this time. The pain froze him temporarily, and he could only cringe. Ookurikara was at his side again, hands reaching out to steady him before they were pushed away. He would do this on his own.

He didn't look up at the fretting fisherman as he weakly dragged himself across the hardwood floor. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to go or what he was trying to accomplish. After all of the fretting and all the pain it had taken to get here, the man who was supposedly his mate didn't want him. A lot of him wondered if he needed to slow down and try and talk this through. Ookurikara wasn't a diamond in the rough, he was the rough. Since they had first met, he always spoken harshly, and often hid his true feelings. This time shouldn't be any different. Mitsutada had just said something to offend him, that's all. Of course, it had been a long and lonely two weeks. And when he thought about it, when push came to shove, Ookurikara almost always admitted his true feelings. Why was this to be any different?

Mitsutada only made it as far as the kitchen before he had to pause to rest. His body ached everywhere and he really just wanted to sleep. Everything ounce of his body wished to collapse into the floor, give up. Leaning his head against the wall, he decided to close his eye for just a second.


The feeling of gently being lifted brought him into wakefulness, and he could only blink at the tanned face of the man who was carrying him.

"Kuri-Chan…?"

The arms holding him shifted slightly, trying to hide embarrassment. Mitsutada realized that they had just now arrived in the bedroom. How long had he been asleep?

"…I'm sorry." The voice was quiet, and not nearly as committal as the ex-mermaid would have liked. Still, he heard the words clearly, and the fact that they had been said truly meant a lot. After everything that had happened though, just that wasn't enough.

"I'm still mad."

This earned him a snort, and the words seemed much easier and more natural this time: "I know."

He was set down in the bed carefully, sheets having already been pushed to the side so he could settle without effort. He didn't protest, especially not against the soft mattress. His lone eye locked on the pair that were the same color as his, and the two stared each other down for a moment. Ookurikara bowed first.

"Stay here." It was much more of a command than a request, and Mitsutada wasn't about to let it slide through the ambiguous cracks.

"For how long?" Even exhausted as he was, he took the time to laboriously fold his arms and tilt his head slightly.

"...At least for tonight." With eyes that seemed suddenly hesitant to meet his, Ookurikara answered cautiously.

Mitsutada tsked and unfolded his arms. "Very well, but I expect a better apology in the morning."

This earned him a tentative but definite smile. "Of course." A tanned hand reached out, as if he wanted to touch the other's face, before it was pulled back quickly. "Good night," he forced out the greeting as he turned off the lights.

Footsteps made their way from the wall to the other edge of the bed, which shifted as Ookurikara crawled in. There was plenty of room between the two of them, but Mitsutada had never been able to actually sleep next to the other before, despite the number of times they had made love. After all this time, he was just a few feet away. His body heat radiated towards the other side of the bed. His scent wrapped all around the other. And yet, this time, Ookurikara felt further away than ever.

TBC