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Iceburg sat bolt up in bed, startled awake by a loud crash. At first, it was too dark to see anything clearly which cast a feeling of great unease over the teen. If not for the flash of lightning that snuck in through the crack under the door the feeling would've stayed much longer but the soft illumination brought familiar sights. The cozy room and the large, snoring figure in the next bed provided swift comfort.

Tom.

It had taken a moment to remember what had happened throughout the evening - how he had gained a new identity, home and life - but a wide smile spread across his face when he finally did remember it all. He inhaled the pleasant aroma of freshly worked wood and nestled blissfully back into the warm bedding, grateful to be where he was - safe from the storm. He frowned as he wondered about what had awoken him.

Well...I suppose it must have just been the thunder outside...

He laid there in silence and thought of his journey to this new island. It had started out pleasant enough but after about a day on the water, the tempestuous conditions hit hard. Everything had lurched and slammed around him while he'd been twisted up painfully inside the tiny chest below deck. The roar of thunder, waves and frenzied shouts from the small crew had left him nearly paralyzed with fear for the entirety of the ride.

Water was something that scared him; being in or on the ocean already felt wrong in a way he could never put a finger on but during that trek he'd been beyond terrified. He'd been convinced they were going to capsize against the harsh elements and was still surprised they made it. He couldn't help but constantly imagine that water was going to seep in at him through the trunk and that he'd be taken to the bottom of the sea. Every time he'd managed to drift off, even for a moment, he had nightmares of it. Like all of his dreams had been for as long as he could remember, they were so real he could even feel it all - it was impossible to tell if it was really happening or not until he would snap awake, gasping for air.

Iceburg was shocked, but thankful, that he hadn't had any of the lucid nightmares at Tom's yet. He'd been asleep for hours and hadn't awoken once until then. He sighed and wondered what time it was.

As he was about to drift back off to sleep, he heard an all-too-familiar voice ring out through the darkness. He sat back up and held his breath so he could hear more clearly and hoped it was just his imagination; his tired mind tossing scraps of nightmares at him before sleep took back over. He felt his limbs go weak when he heard for certain low noises were coming through the door to the warehouse. The voice sounded again; others staggered in behind it. Another boom of thunder rolled through the air and when the lightning flashed again he saw shadows moving across the room. He then heard his birth name being called out and there was no mistaking the agitated voice.

Without thinking he blindly darted to where he knew Tom was in a deep sleep. He clutched at his arm and shook him in frenzied desperation.

"Mr. Tom, sir!" Tears sprang forth from his eyes while he spoke "Tom! They're here - they've come back!"

Tom leapt up, wide awake in an instant and in the same motion he scooped Iceburg up with one arm. The petite adolescent squeezed his eyes shut and held on tight to the Fishman. It seemed to only take a few steps to get up the stairs and to Kokoro's door.

She sat up with a confused look on her face as he burst in but remained silent when she saw the unusually agitated look on his face and the emotional state Iceburg was in. He wordlessly sat him down beside her, then turned and quickly headed back down for the warehouse.

Iceburg looked up at Kokoro, pale and shaking.

She knew there were no words she had that could truly help at that moment, so she just met his gaze and smiled warmly. She draped a heavy blanket over him and held his small, trembling body against her. She patted his back as they sat in the silence of the room.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble I've brought here…" he finally managed to whisper.

She brushed his hair soothingly from his soaked face, then smiled with confidence towards the door.

"It's no trouble for us, not really. I don't think that there'll ever be any trouble that Tom can't deal with. Besides," She looked down at him again and gave a quiet chuckle "this is your home now. It's yours to rightfully bring trouble to. You silly boy... you could go and cause all the trouble you want and all we'd care about is that you're safe and happy."

Iceburg closed his eyes and enjoyed the comfort - it was unfamiliar to him but he welcomed it. He wondered again what his life would be if he could've been with Kokoro and Tom all along instead of what he'd been dealt.

Downstairs in the main bay, Tom stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips. Three well-dressed but inauspicious looking men were gathered by the ship Iceburg had arrived on. He let out a loud laugh as he regarded the disarrayed state of the room.

"Sorry boys! It's barely morning, so we're not open for business for another few hours... If you needed your ship earlier you should've told me; I could've arranged something and saved you the trouble of busting my door down! Why don't you come back later? I can have 'er down in the bay and waiting for you then. The weathers supposed to be starting to clear up by then too."

"Burn the damn ship for all we care, old man." The youngest of the three piped up from behind the others; he looked to be in his early 20s, lanky and tanned with a limp black ponytail - his eyes seemed to be equally as dark. He licked his thin lips. "We're here for something much more valuable."

Tom laughed loudly and flopped back on one of his patchy green couches.

"Well, I'm not going to go burning anything like that in here! I might be a fool, but I'm not that much of a fool! In any case, I think you've come to the wrong place if you're seeking riches... The wrong island, actually."

The young man stared into his eyes as if to challenge him and sneered.

"I hardly think so. I think we've come to exactly the right place."

"TAHAHA! Really? Do you boys even know what island you're on? This is Water 7! While it might be considered paradise here, our economy is anything but. I think it's just the short, mild Winter and tropical Summer that we have... What is it that you think you're looking for anyways?"

The one who appeared to be the eldest stepped forth. He was a somewhat gaunt-looking man with slicked-back silver hair.

"You must have seen a girl at some point."

Tom stared blankly and feigned confusion before he finally responded with another hearty laugh.

"…Well, obviously! I suppose I've seen quite a few in my years. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, please! I mean on the ship - did you see a girl on the ship!?"

"Or sneaking about anywhere nearby..." The young man with the black pony-tail peered around the room like a hawk searching for prey; his voice sounded distracted.

Tom raised an eyebrow and looked to the bow where the likeness of a mermaid was mounted as a figurehead. He stared back at them and pointed to it.

The man dropped his head in his hands and sighed in frustration while the other two spoke quietly with one another.

"God help me, Fishmen are so damn stupid."

Tom grinned and got up so to open the launch door.

"Y'know I suppose you could be right about that! Anyways, how about we get your ship out of here, boys, so you can go about your day."

"Yes, let's. We're obviously wasting precious time here." The young man stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave the ship another glance over as he spoke.

He went about untying the line from the piling and led the boat over to the doors as if it were a mere kite on a string. The intruders eyed one another up nervously then followed a fair distance behind him. The silver-haired man dug money from his wallet and held it out at Tom's back.

"Listen…I'll pay for any damage we've caused, and there's a fair amount extra here as well. We wouldn't have broken in if we weren't desperate... It turns out a certain passenger of ours would up to be missing from the ship. She's quite young, you must understand. She's got long, kinda blue hair. Pale and thin – pretty, but a bit flat-chested. You can't miss her. if I leave you my information will you tell me if you see anything?"

Tom didn't even turn to look at his bribe. He was much quieter than he'd been before.

"What colour of eyes?"

After a short pause, the three of them turned to speak among one another. The elder turned back to answer.

"I'm not sure. So, will you tell me if you see anything?

"Nope. I can't say that I would. It's not any of my business, boys. Y'know...I don't care to be an accomplice of anything shady."

They stared, momentarily taken aback by his quick refusal. The money was a substantial amount and judging by the location of his property and the rundown state of things, he needed it. Many other people in such a position would've accepted without a second thought. The man stepped forward and spoke up again, slightly more pleadingly.

"It's nothing like that. She was never supposed to be on the ship at all, she was believed to be back on the main island of Kimmerios. We have to get her back there."

Tom's eyes narrowed at the mention of what had become known as the Accursed Isles but he tried to keep a light tone in his voice.

"Nah...Don't want your money! I'm no bounty hunter, boys."

"Listen, Fishman, she's not a criminal. She's got no bounty to her name - she's just a spoiled little brat who wants to run away from her responsibilities. Fresh meat like her won't last a minute on these streets, someone will snatch her up and have their way with her without a second thought. I think you'd better say something if you've seen her, or it's on yourconscience if she winds up tainted goods. Unless..." The man then gave him a suspicious expression. "unless you've just taken her for yourself, that is."

Tom grimaced at the suggestion and felt rage start to build but he didn't turn to face them. He didn't want his face to give away his true feelings. He just shook his head as he looked out at the storm outside and let out a booming laugh.

"You humans are strange sometimes! Well, regardless…I don't have a girl and I don't want your money!"

The third of them, a sturdy and clean-cut man with glasses, finally spoke up. His eyes were grey and icy - they seemed to hold as little emotion as his voice as he spoke.

"I would highly suggest you accept the offer. The girl in question is part of a dowry arrangement for my client, Giroux." Tom looked back to see the man indicate to the seedy youth with the black ponytail. "The girl is his rightful property... It would certainly be criminal to withhold it from him."

"Withhold...it from him?" Tom's eyes flashed as he repeated the words slowly.

"Don't be talking like things are finalized yet! She's still mine right up until the day of the wedding, asshole, and don't forget it! She's not sixteen yet, is she!?" The silver-haired man turned and shoved hard into the man with the glasses. "Until then, and until we see everything signed over - he doesn't get to lay a single finger on her."

The man, evidently Giroux, gave a sickening grin when he heard this.

"No one else had better, either. I've already waited long enough to claim what's mine...if I find out somebody else has already taken her -"

The eldest was visibly annoyed and cut him off from finishing his sentence, but kept a level tone.

"You've hardly waited. Don't think I've forgotten about your perverse little attempt on her, boy; now I'm wondering what else you've tried other than that. If it turns out anyone has already tarnished the little bitch, I'd be willing to bet my life it was you who did it. You're still paying in full."

Giroux threw his head back and cackled at his words.

"You know full well I didn't get that far. Besides, don't act like you can blame me for it! She'd been practically begging me throughout my entire stay...naturally she just acted like she didn't want it once that maid came in. I'm a man after all, what was I to do?" He waved him off with a gloved hand and gave another short laugh after. "Of course I'm still paying the rest in full. If you can even track her back down, old man. Otherwise, my father will be demanding a refund for the first installments."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder about this 'disappearance', Giroux, and those kidnapping threats back on Kimmerios. You're taking all of this awfully well for how keen you've been, aren't you? Maybe it's just been your plan all along to find a way to get her for free?"

Giroux cackled even louder than before, and it sounded worse than nails on a chalkboard to Tom. He clenched his jaw with disgust and nausea coursed through him. The way they were going on about Iceburg made something churn inside him that he'd had dormant for a long time. Instead of breaking their necks or crushing their heads like his instincts tried to tell him to do, he made himself grin down at the three them.

"Well, well! It sounds to me like the kid isn't anyone's property anymore! Anyways, I haven't found any girls around here. You'll have to look elsewhere. It's a big island, y'know? Have you tried the shelters uptown? Usually, some people gather there in weather like this - mostly for Aqua Laguna though. Would it make you feel better if I said I'd keep an eye out?"

They turned from arguing amongst themselves to see Tom effortlessly hoist their ship up the edge without the help of the pulley system that was in place. It was only then they could truly appreciate the power that was before them. It was well known that Fishmen were at least ten times stronger than the average human but his carefree attitude had led them to let their guards down.

"Keep your money though. Like I said. It's none of my business. You already paid for your ship repairs."

His sharp teeth glistened as he flashed a wicked smile. The sudden and intense change in his once jolly demeanour was something to behold and the men's nervousness returned tenfold. The cheery Fishman had become quite menacing with very little effort. He stared with a darkened expression at the silver-haired man – the one who he assumed was supposed to be to be some 'guardian' to Iceburg judging bt the possessive way he spoke of the youth.

He dropped their ship like a stone to the water below as he spoke.

"Now… isn't it about time you boys got heading out? I'm downright tired and it seems I've got some repairs to my door I have to get working on."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he gave a loud laugh and seemed to return to his usual self.

"Quite." The silver-haired man cast an uneasy glance at Tom, then finally turned his back to him. "Shall we then?"

In no time they were on their way and out of sight. He stood alone for a while and listened to the storm, wearing a much more sombre expression on his face than usual.