WARNING(S): Death/corpses mention, morbid mer/siren lore, descriptions of a dead fish lady
The night was dark, a new moon leaving the sky barren of its soft beams of light. Still the stars twinkled quietly like ornaments, and it was under a black night like this that Sasuke found himself sneaking to the water again.
Lugging his boat across the rocky sand, he grunted as it finally touched the waters lapping at the shoreline. Wind tugged at his jacket, ran through his hair, and sent a chill down his back.
She should be here. She had to be lurking around, waiting for her chance.
Ever since his brother had gone missing at sea a week ago, he'd been searching endlessly, madly, for any leads as to what might have taken him. His advisors warned that he was chasing shadows, but he was determined - and then an interesting rumor sprung up from the servants: sirens.
Doomed women of the sea, with voices rasping and hauntingly husky from the ocean in their lungs, tails of seaweed and chain and coral, skin forever stained a pale, deathly hue - it wasn't pirates, it wasn't a shipwreck - it must have been sirens.
And so here he went, a map in his coat pocket, a lantern, and a trunk of valuables should he never return to his homeland's shores again. But all of it would be worth the hassle if he could just find his brother again, right?
Sasuke prayed to the gods as he shoved off of land, and after a few unsteady moments on the waves, he brought out his oars and began to row.
The horizon seemed to span on forever to all directions, and despite the chilly spring cold he persisted. The kingdom's shores faded from sight behind until all he was left with was an uncanny darkness, the kind that choked all bravery and traumatized lesser men forever from the depths of the ocean. But Sasuke was no such man, and despite the lingering paranoia in his heart he pressed on.
All of a sudden, above the blustering winds, there was a sound. A deep, wailing sound, not unlike that of a woman crying. His ears perked up and he searched this way and that, but he could see nothing.
A haunting, wordless tune echoed across the waters around him, and against his better wishes his eyelids began to grow heavy with exhaustion.
Shaking his head, he took both oars in one hand and, with one swift motion, delivered a harsh slap to his own cheek. The impact sent his head turning sharply to the side, but it worked to quell the sleepiness creeping into his subconscious from the singing.
"Show yourself, witch!" He shouted into the dark. "I'm not afraid of you - all I want is my brother back! Give Itachi back to me!"
For a moment, the song warbled on, and then it trailed off into silence.
All at once the exhaustion lessened, and he blinked rapidly as he cautiously turned his head. There was no one here.
Sasuke breathed a quiet sigh of relief, thanking the gods. Surely now he could-
-there was a thump on the bottom of the boat.
Sasuke gripped his oars, bringing them out of the water just before something pale could snatch them away. Peering over the side of the two-man boat, he found a ghastly face staring back.
His heart leapt into his throat and he threw himself back into the boat, just as the side tipped to allow a large, messy-looking creature to climb out of the water, peering at him with wide, vacant pale eyes.
"A- are you the one that took my brother?" He questioned, cursing himself for fumbling his words.
The creature blinked, long tendrils of coral-pink spilling over its shoulders. A shaking, pale hand reached up to pull some away from its face, and it was then that Sasuke discovered in the flickering lantern light that this was… a woman?
No. Not a woman.
"Siren," he breathed, fear seeping into his chest as he gripped the oars tighter.
The siren frowned, opening her mouth. Scraggly, choked noises escaped, and she clasped a hand over her rope-bitten throat and tried again.
"...pr…" she began, frowning in frustration at herself. "... prrr…"
"I- I am Prince Sasuke," he took a tentative chance, "and I don't want to fight you. All I want is my older brother, the crown prince."
The siren's eyes widened a little, and she nodded as if she understood. "Prrrrrrr…"
"Can… can you take me to him, then?"
The sea creature looked away with a pensive look.
Now that he got a good look at her, she wasn't as ugly as he first imagined. When one thought of merfolk, particularly those damned by the sea, they thought waterlogged corpses, mere skin and bone held together by kelp and seaweed and chain. This one almost seemed… alive.
She looked back to him, blinking those large, glassy green eyes. Her skin was as ghostly as he thought it would be, nearly white and appearing… translucent? What was that he could see beneath the fragile surface?
She seemed to realize he was staring at her at the same time he did, and a blush akin to a bruise formed on her sunken cheeks, and she dipped her front back into the water with a huff of a growl.
"I- sorry," he sheepishly said. "It's just… I've never seen one of you before. You look differently than I'd imagined."
The siren gave him an unimpressed look. He could practically hear the question: "How did you expect me to look?"
"I dunno, just- not- not like that?" He gestured vaguely to her form, still peeking over the side.
Rolling her eyes, she huffed again, bringing herself out of the water. It dribbled off of her pale body, down the soaking remains of the dress she must have worn the day she died. It was a pretty scarlet color - or at least it appeared that way in the dark. Even the lantern he'd brought wasn't much help. She just seemed fascinated with its determined glow against the glass, reaching her hand out to touch it before pulling away hesitantly.
He watched as she finally gathered the courage to touch the side, and sprang away in surprise at the warmth against her skin. Chirping curiously, she leaned in again, exposing more of her lower body - and the boat tilted further to the side, making Sasuke yelp. "T- too far! Too far!"
The pink-haired siren screeched a piercing note, letting go of the boat and allowing herself to fall back into the water with a splash. The ocean sprayed him in the face, making him sputter - and as he finally got the urge to look over the side, he couldn't see her anymore.
"Um… hello?" He called hesitantly. "... siren…?"
There was no answer. No wailing song, no chirping, no growls.
Sasuke heaved a sigh. "Great. There goes my only chance of finding Itachi."
… And his only chance at company, not like he wanted to admit it. No matter how innocent and curious she seemed, at the end of the day she was likely responsible for countless deaths and he shouldn't be careless.
Dipping an oar back into the water, he waited a few seconds. Nothing.
Slowly he began to turn around, bringing out the other one to start paddling back for shore. Fishing out the compass he'd brought in his coat pocket, he set it on the opposite bench next to the lantern so it was easier to read the directions.
"Sorry, Mom," he murmured under his breath. "I should've listened to you."
Sasuke hadn't kept count of how long he'd been paddling for, but his arms were getting tired and there was still no shoreline in sight.
Letting out a quiet, tired sigh, he scanned the horizon for any clues, but predictably there were none. He leaned forward and squinted at the compass, but it was still pointing south. He should have gotten home by now… right?
He took the oars out of the water for a moment to grab the map, and he traced along the sea until his nail hit the kingdom he'd come from. Sasuke frowned. What the hell…?
All of a sudden, the front of his boat scraped against something. The impact jerked him forward, and he tumbled out of his seat with a grunt.
"What the…?" He muttered, slowly getting up and looking out. Then his eyes widened. "Wh- what the…?"
His boat had somehow struck a heretofore unseen sandbar, all told probably a couple of meters wide and several long.
Scratching his neck, he shook his head. "What are the chances…?"
Then he heard it. A scratching noise, coming from behind him. It was almost like a horror tale the old seafarers liked to tell to scare the children. He turned around, expecting the worst-
-and there was the siren that had met him before, blinking up at him and letting out a warble of greeting.
"I thought you left me," he accused, though he felt nothing but relief to see a familiar face. "Where am I?"
Chattering, the siren dipped into the water and reappeared on the side, very close to him. Instinctively he moved away, but she reached over and placed an icy-cold, clammy hand atop his. Pointing, she uttered, "Prrrrrrrrr."
"Huh?" Sasuke blinked. He must've been more tired than he'd thought. "I know it's a sandbar, but… but where am I? This isn't my home."
The siren gave him a look, brow pinching together before she tugged at his hand, pointing to the sand. "Prrrr."
"You… you want me to settle in here for the night?" He guessed.
A toothy grin spread across her face, and she nodded rapidly. Her long, damp hair fell into her face and obscured her vision for a moment before she tugged it away, making him chuckle.
"Alright, fine, I trust you." He said, before getting up and heading to the front.
She watched as he swung his leg over the side and attempted to yank the boat onto shore. With a determined huff, she grabbed the back and shoved it forward, nearly knocking him over as the hull cut a line in the thick sand.
"Whoa! Uh… thanks…?"
She nodded firmly, before bracing on the sand and hoisting herself up. Sasuke watched, fascinated, as a long, straggly tail followed closely behind, the shredded remains of a skirt clinging to the scaled, tangled thing. She shivered in the cool air, looking up at him with a puppy-eyed gaze.
"Unfortunately I don't think I have anything to start a fire with," he said regrettably, a shiver passing through his own body as the wind suddenly cut through. "Sorry."
Nodding solemnly, she leaned against his side and closed her eyes, a low rumble making its way through her throat and pleasantly vibrating against his arm.
Sasuke stared up at the moonless sky, breathed a sigh, and closed his eyes, huddling against the mer for as much warmth as she could give. This would be a long night…