I am SO sorry for the long wait but I've been so busy, and I've been quite ill as well. Don't worry I'm not gonna go into a long speech.

But first I noticed a mistake I made a couple of chapter back – I had Jun and Tammy in the room when Lyserg confronted Ren about Horo. I'm scratching that now – they know NOTHING!! MWHAHAHAHA!! 00 right, chapter…oh, and I'm gonna use one of my OC's from my other fic The Horse Whisperer.

Two Worlds, One Love

Chapter 10 – So many problems, so little time

Pearl shivered. It seemed like they had been waiting ages for some sign that Crusty and Feathers had found Horo. She looked up at the mermaid who had perched herself on a rock. She seemed like she was scared to blink in case she missed something as she looked up towards the mansion.

"Miss Pilika?"

Finally the princess turned her gaze away and looked at Pearl. "Sorry Pearl, I'm just so worried about them…"

"I know, me as well"

"There must be some way to get up there and find out what's going on" She looked around and noticed a small path up the beach that seemed to lead up the hill – in the direction of where he brother was. "Look there! Maybe I could drag myself up that path a bit"

Pearl's mouth dropped. "Are you INSANE!! Miss Pilika you can't DRAG yourself out of the water! You'll be seen for sure!"

Pilika seemed to ignore the small fish and leapt off the rock and into the water, heading for the beach. Pearl was hot on her tail.

"Don't you DARE!! Horo will never talk to me again if I let anything happen to you!"

The mer-princess swam up close to the edge of the beach, so close that her tail was touching the bottom. Pearl popped up beside her. "Please Pilika! Don't! If a human catches you that'll be the end!"

"They won't"

"That's what Horo said many times before, now look at him…"

"I'm not my brother"

She didn't even look at Pearl before swimming forward and pulling herself right up onto the beach. Pearl's heart skipped a beat. "MISS! PLEASE DON'T DO IT!!"

The mermaid struggled to pull herself through the sand. She blanked out Pearl's cries – she HAD to do this, for her brother. Looking back she could see she was halfway up the beach already. Further back a panic-stricken fish was bobbing up and down in the water crying out pleading calls for her to go back. No chance of that now, her mind was made up.

"I'm going on a what pulled by a what?"

Ren sighed. "You're going on a cart that will be pulled by my horse"

"What's a horse?" Horo was quite fascinated by the sounds of it. "Is it like a seahorse?"

"Uh, sure…" There wasn't much point in trying to explain that they looked nothing alike.

Crusty tapped on the glass at the window. "How do you open this thing?"

Ren reached up and opened the window so Feathers and Crusty could get into the room. Feathers looked around the room. "Nice nest you got here"

"Uh, thanks?"

"Never mind that!" Crusty waved his claws about. "We need to get Horo back to the sea! Do you know your father has the whole kingdom out looking for you? I dare to begin to explain what your sister is like right now"

"I can imagine…"

"You have a sister?"

Horo looked at Ren. "Yeah, she's younger than me"

"And joined to your tail…" mumbled Crusty. Horo glared at him.

"So I'm likely to see another one of you down at the beach now?"

"Probably, but I'd rather she stayed back home. If a human catches her I dread to think what would happen"

"Well, let's not dely your return home any longer. Wait here, I'll be right back" Ren got up and ran out of the room.

Yoh struggled against the ropes that bound him down. His brother has disappeared somewhere so he decided to take a chance at escape. The ropes were tight and the wound in his side wasn't much help either. He had to stop every now and then because he was in so much pain.

He thought of what his older twin had told him not too long ago – his plan. There was no way he was ever going to help with that plan. Ever. He would rather become shark food than be apart of it.

Looking around the small cave Hao called home he tried to find something that could help him get free. Nothing, not one thing. Sighing he was about to give up when another thought came to mind. He could use his magic to help him! But how?

Hao's cave was full of potions and spells but which one could be used to good use? There was a lot of glass bottles filled with different coloured liquids, but one caught his eye. A green glow told him exactly what it was – a special type of acid that mer-people used to dissolve really strong coral when building houses. What Hao was doing with it he really didn't know but it would be able to free him in no time.

Another problem occurred – he had to get the bottle from the shelf to his hand. If he could throw something at it using his tail…

He spotted a few clam shells lying nearby, just out of his reach. Shifting his body slightly he whacked his tail off the ground making them jump towards him slowly. Finally one landed next to his tail and he slipped it under the shell. He only had one chance to get this right. Aiming carefully he flipped the shell up and batted it towards the shelf. It hit the wall beside the bottle but then rolled forward, knocking it off the shelf and onto the floor.

His heart stopped for a second as it hit the ground but when he saw the bottle was still in-tack he breathed a sigh of relief. He whacked the ground once again with his tail making the bottle jump very slowly towards him. Bump, bump…almost…got it!

He shifted his tail and used it like a fork, dragging it towards him. He tried twisting himself to reach the bottle with his hands but winced as his wound made itself known.

But he wasn't giving in to the pain that easily. Ignoring it as best he could he reached down and snatched the acid into his hand, fiddling with the lid to open it. He got it open and slowly poured it over the ropes that bound him. He cried out as some dripped onto his hands but with all his might he pulled himself free.

He fell forward, gripping his injured side. Looking towards the cave entrance all seemed quiet outside. He had to make a break for it now before Hao returned. He looked at his slightly burnt hands and clutched them. If what his twin said was true then Horo was in danger. He had to find out what was really happening. Without looking back he swam straight out of the cave to freedom.

Pearl kept on jumping up and down in the water trying to keep Pilika in her sight. "MISS PILIKA!!"

It was no use. She was just being ignored. She swam in circles purely out of distress. There wasn't even anyone she could go back to and ask for help – they'd all be in so much trouble for even being above the surface.

Pilika carried on dragging herself up the beach and stopped as she reached the end, pulling herself up onto the grassy embankment. She gasped at what was before her – an endless but beautiful sight of the human world. Everything looked so...different compared to her watery kingdom. Strange plants were dotted about and most of the ground was green. It looked a bit like very short seaweed but softer and not so slimy.

She ran it through her fingers and gasped as a couple of strands broke and stuck to her hand. The wind blew through her hair sending shivers down her spine. Looking back up she noticed something strange – there wasn't any human homes about. The only thing close was the mansion. But that didn't mean the place was safe.

Pearl was shouting again but she couldn't make out what she was saying. Then she saw – two humans were making their way down the path towards the beach. Towards her.

Thinking of the only way of hiding she let herself fall back down the embankment and hid against its small wall. She brought her tail up to her chest and sat quietly. The water was too far for her to make it in time and she couldn't see Pearl anymore. Their voices were getting closer and they sounded male. All she could do was sit and wait, hoping they wouldn't find her.

Crusty paced back and forth impatiently. "What's taking that human so long? And, please my prince, will you get back into the water!"

Horo looked at the crab. "Why?"

"Because that's where you should be!"

"So should you" he backfired.

"Yes, but I can walk on land you can't!" He walked towards Horo and began pushing his arm to move him, but obviously to no avail. Feathers just sat and watched

"I'm sure Ren will be back soon. He hasn't been gone too long"

Right on que Ren ran into the room and approached Horo. The prince was taken aback as the human knelt down in front of him and tried to put him on his back.

"Ren! What are you doing?!"

"Put your arms around my neck and wrap your tail around my waist. I'm taking you outside"

"I don't think so!! Put him down!" Crusty ordered.

"You're the one that want's him back home, this is the only way" He stood up slowly. Good were mer-people heavy! But as he walked off with him Crusty still wasn't too happy about the prince being in the arms of a human.

"Wait, where's Lyserg?" Horo indicated towards where he last saw the boy.

"Who cares, he must have snuck out when we weren't looking"

"OI! Put him down! Get back here!!" The crab wasn't too happy and chased the human, Feathers flying after them all. "What if another one of you lot see him!!"

"No ones home hence I'm going this way!!"

It felt weird having a damp fish tail round his waist but it didn't really bother him. He kicked the door open and headed for the main hall. Crusty followed as quickly as his short legs would let him while Feathers flew ahead of them.

The mer-man was in awe at the human's home, all these strange objects – some he'd seen in shipwrecks. As Ren carried him through the hallways he had to stop every now and then to hoist Horo back up as he kept slipping.

"Where are we going?" Crusty yelled.

Ren didn't answer he just ignored him and carried on making his way along the corridor. They came to a staircase and Ren slowly made his way down. Crusty on the other hand was finding it quite difficult. The steps were large to him and he was trying so hard to keep up with them that he fell down the last few steps.

Feathers landed beside him and picked him up in his beak and flew after them. Of course the crab wasn't too happy about this and protested, trying to use his pincers to make the seagull drop him.

They made their way through the kitchen and Ren kicked the door open. Horo winced as the sunlight hit his eyes and then slowly looked in front of them and gasped. It was the strangest creature he'd ever seen, it had four legs and a long neck – and it was taller than him or Ren. It was a gorgeous pure white colour.

"What is that?"

"That is a horse, he belongs to me"

The horse snorted and turned its head to look at them, his big black eyes staring straight at Horo. "Can I touch it?"

Ren walked forward and Horo reached out his hand, feeling the long silky mane run through his fingers. Feathers landed on the cart that was attached to the horse and dropped a very distressed Crusty.

"RIGHT! I've had just about enough of this! You!" He pointed a claw at Feathers. "Don't ever carry me like that again!"

"Well would you rather I left you lying in there like a big green lump?"

"A BIG GREEN..!!??" His breathing seemed to be getting faster. "AND YOU!" He pointed at Ren who just raised an eyebrow. "You better not be planning anything!! I'm watching you! And the King will have you if you dare to even think of harming the pri…"

"CRUSTY THAT'S ENOUGH!!" Horo quickly interrupted the crab and sent him a warning glare. "Everything's fine so just…keep quiet for me, please"

Ren placed the merman onto the cart in the middle of a pile of sacks. "What's this?" He squashed a couple but they seemed pretty heavy.

"They're bags of rice. If I was to have just you on the cart under this…" He pulled out a blanket and placed it over him, "…it would be a little obvious to people that something very strange was under it"

"Good point"

Feathers hopped up onto the horse's back and had a look at it. The horse turned to look at the seagull and by the expression on his face was a bit annoyed that the bird decided to use him as a perch. Crusty appeared from underneath the blanket.

"And what is the point in all this?"

"This is easiest way I can take you two back to the sea with out being seen. So be quiet and you'll be there in no time"

Crusty growled then went back under. He looked at Horo. "The sooner we're back home the better"

"I wouldn't say that just yet. My father will be in such a state…and one hell of a mood. I don't know how I'm gonna explain any of this to him"

"I would worry about getting back into the sea first. You've been out of water for too long now, look" He pointed to the prince's tail which was now pretty dry.

"It does hurt a bit…"

He was having second thoughts about sitting up by the window instead of staying in the pool. Suddenly the cart began to move and a small bit of hope flushed through him. He was going home.

Pilika had never been this scared in her life. The humans were getting closer by the second and she couldn't get away. Pearl had disappeared, had she abandoned her? No, she wouldn't do such a thing. But if the humans caught her as well…

She heard them talking away and laughing to each other. Their voices were getting louder and she could make out their conversation. Their footsteps had stopped right above where she was hiding. Please don't find me…

"I swear to God it's true! Why else would I have this bruise and be soaking wet?"

"I dunno, maybe you fell into the sea and your hallucinating?"

"You're such a dick"

"What? Because I don't believe your fantasy story?"

"Why the hell would I make something like this up? Tell me?"

"Again, I don't know! Maybe there's something mentally wrong with you. You like boys so that's a start"

Suddenly there was a punching sound and one of the humans landed onto the sand in front of her. She gasped and jumped at the thud of his body hitting the sand. He slowly pushed himself onto his knees, rubbing his cheek. Oh no, please don't see me…

He growled and turned around looking up at the other human. "What the hell was tha…HOLY SHIT!!"

Pilika pushed herself right up against the wall as the human stared right at her. The human male just pointed at her, unable to find the right words for his discovery.

"Ly…Lyserg look! It's a fucking…holy shit man!"

She jumped again as the other appeared this time, landing on his feet beside the other one and kneeling down to see what his friend was pointing at. He smiled.

"Well, well, another one. We got ourselves a little female by the looks of it. Now do you believe me?!"

"She's got a tail! She has a fucking tail! Do you know what this means??"

Lyserg sighed. "That mer-people exist and I was right and you were wrong?"

"NO! If the press find out about this, we could be rich! A real live mermaid! Can you imagine!?"

The smaller male laughed. "I do, but first…" He grabbed her tail and pulled her towards him, climbing on top of her and making her let out a small scream. It was then he noticed her blue hair and matching eyes. "You look familiar…let me guess. You're related to that mer-punk in Ren's mansion and you're looking for him"

"Don't touch me human, it's none of your business why I'm here"

"Ooo, back chat. You must be his sister then. May I ask why you're under here and not in water?"

"Again, none of you're business"

Lyserg laughed. "Oh, he's gonna be so sad to find you missing because, darling, you're mine now. I'm gonna be rich and it's all thanks to you. Hey Wayne"

"Yeah?"

"Shall I carry her to my place or do you want her for a while?" The other boy laughed and crawled up beside them.

"I'll take her; my parents aren't home for another week yet. There still away in America. This is great!! Give her to me!"

Lyserg stood up and Wayne grabbed a hold of the mermaid, flinging her over his shoulder.

Ren lead the horse down the track towards the beach. He looked ahead as the sea came into view. He was kinda sad about Horo leaving, it felt like he was letting a part of his soul go and it was leaving a big empty space. Suddenly the sound of distressed cries cut his thoughts short.

He looked up and a little way off he saw familiar hair and another boy he couldn't quite make out. But it was what he was carrying that caught his attention. His eyes widened and his mouth slowly dropped. "HORO!"

The prince flung the blanket off and sat up. "What?" He heard the cries also and turned to the source of the noise. Crusty jumped out as well. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. "PILIKA! Ren don't let them take her!!"

"JUMPING JELLYFISH!!" Something else for Crusty to panic over.

Ren undid the horse's reins and smacked his hint quarters. "Don't let them get away Phoenix!" The horse neighed and galloped after them. Feathers also went after them. Ren turned to Horo. "I'll get you to the beach and…"

"NO!! Get my sister! I'll be fine!" Ren nodded and ran after his horse.

Lyserg heard commotion from behind him and yelled as a white flash went past him. The horse turned and reared up in front of them. Wayne fell backwards in fright, dropping the mermaid. Feathers was flying around their heads, squawking. The horse was going crazy, trying to scare them away. Pilika looked up at this strange creature, not knowing whether to be afraid of it or not.

The two boys had no choice but to run. Neither wanted to be stamped by the horse's powerful hooves. Ren picked her up. "Are you OK?"

She was a bit shocked at everything and just gave him a nod. He whistled and the horse ran back to him. He placed her on his back. "Lean forward and put your arms around his neck. You'll be all right with him" He turned to the horse. "Take her down to the beach and put her back into the sea. Wait for me there"

The horse neighed and galloped off down the hill. Ren ran back to the cart turning his back to Horo. The merman put his arms around his neck and his tail around his waist like before. He picked up Crusty in his hand and Ren ran down the hill towards the sea.

When they got there they found Pilika half in the water, safe, with the horse standing also in the water next to her, Feathers on his back. Ren placed Horo down next to her and watched as she grabbed her brother and pulled him into a death hug. He retuned it and gripped like he was scared she'd disappear. "Are you OK Pil?"

Didn't reply, just nodded. Crusty leaped in front of them. "We have to go, now!"

Horo looked at him then at Ren. "But what about…"

"I'll be fine. You need to go before anyone else see's you"

Feathers flew off and Crusty went underwater. Pilika looked at Ren, gave him a quiet thank you and tugged at her brother's arm. "We have to go Horo, come on" She pulled herself further out and disappeared underwater. Ren smiled.

"She looks like you"

Horo smiled. "I know. Are you sure you'll be OK?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go"

The merman looked at him and leaned forward, planting a small kiss on the human's lips. "Thank you Ren for everything you've done for me" With that he pulled himself backwards further into the water. He gave Ren one last smile then dived under.

Ren smiled and whispered to himself. "Your welcome" He stood up and made his way back to the mansion with phoenix following.