Morg: Heyo! It's been too long! You guys are more than welcome to remind me to update.

Ikuto: We shouldn't have to.

Amu: You don't own us so don't tell us what to do.

Morg: Jeez. Fine.

Ikuto: Just get back to writing.

Amu: Or don't. We don't care.

Morg: So harsh.

~The Eighth Sea~

Utau was only aware of the water that was rising up around her. It was cold and made her entire body convulse. Though she didn't relax her grip and let go of the map piece. She wouldn't lose it now that they had it.

Then the sailing mistress realized that she was still being pulled down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

The light that was always visible at the top of the water was fading. The salt stung at her eyes, but still, Utau stared up. She felt dizzy, but that was probably from the lack of air in her lungs. She knew better than to breathe under the water.

But still, she was confused. Why was she going down? She wanted to go up. Why was it so hard to move?

Everything started getting darker and darker. Utau felt her thoughts slipping away just as the light did. And she let them go. She was tired. Sleeping would be good. Yes. She would sleep.

XXX

Amu reached Kukai in order to see him slam a piece of rotten board through the chest of a siren. The creature just screamed and tried to claw at him. Kukai kicked it backward through a hole in the bottom of the ship before running to jump in after it.

Catching his arm, Amu motioned to her ears to explain that she could hear him. "What happened?"

"They got Utau!"

The male was shouting. Amu didn't know if it was because his ears were plugged and he couldn't tell how loud he was or if it was because he was enraged that something had taken Utau. "This place is dangerous, Kukai. Give the signal. Get every back to the ship. We'll regroup and try again."

Shaking his head, Kukai motioned toward the hole. "Utau has the map piece!"

Amu felt her heart sink. The sirens had to be guarding it. Why else would they go after Utau? "I'll get her. Get the others!"

Kukai stood there for a second as if thinking. There were sirens coming in through other open spots in the walls of the ship. He could see them even if he couldn't hear them. "Fine. Don't come back without her."

Even though the other male was going off her hand signals and trying to read her lips, Amu knew that he understood her. So she made herself absolutely clear. "I won't come back if I don't have her."

Nodding, Kukai kicked another siren in the face that was going for his leg before rushing out of the rotten ship while pulling out his flare gun. He only looked back for a second before firing a shot into the air. He had another one, but he shot the second one into the face of a siren. It was good to watch the bitch scream in fury until she dove back into the water.

Focusing, Kukai moved to help all the others get back to the ship. They weren't all battling the sirens, but it was clear that the sirens were more than upset. Not one member of Ikuto's crew was a poor fighter. Kukai knew that they'd all make it. And he'd be there to make sure that they did.

XXX

Amu fought off another siren before looking into the hole that Kukai had almost jumped into. It looked safe enough, but there were pieces of wood floating there. Not to mention a bit of blood smeared against the edge of one of the boards. Either Utau had been cut or she'd hit her head when the siren pulled her through. Neither of those options were good.

Kicking back to make a siren miss with its strike at her leg, Amu moved to another part of the hole and then dove into the water. She knew it was dangerous being in the water, but she also knew that she couldn't abandon Utau. No one on the ship would get over the loss of the sailing mistress. Amu wouldn't make them try.

So down she dove. Kicking her feet and swiping her hands to push herself farther down, Amu let the air in her lungs go slowly. Down she went. Down, down, down. There was no sight of Utau. Amu's eyes burned due to the saltwater and there were sirens laughing around her. They weren't touching her now that she was diving on her own through the water. The creatures were certain that she was going to die. Amu knew that if she attempted to swim back to the surface that they would hold her down.

Still, the pinkette was not about to give up. Not when she still had strength.

There!

There was something different in the water. It was getting darker. Almost too dark for Amu to really see, but she saw something below her.

Utau. It was Utau!

It was Utau and she didn't look to be breathing. She was also tied to the floor of the ocean by some seaweed.

It was then that Amu noticed that Utau's body wasn't the only one down there. There were others. Other people that had been pulled to the depths long before. None of the other crew members, though Amu didn't really stop to check, she could tell that everyone else down there was skeletal. She grabbed for Utau and broke the seaweed holding the other girl in place.

Turning, Amu started kicking for the surface. She felt that claws start digging in and the sting of the saltwater as it touched her wounds.

Still, she kicked. Amu wasn't going to give up. She would keep kicking until there was no strength left in her.

XXX

Working the wax furiously out of his ears, Kukai counted the crew members while ordering for them to take the ship back a ways from the cove. They had to put some distance between themselves and the sirens. If this was their cove then maybe they wouldn't come out of it.

"Move it! Come on, I know you can hear me now! We need to back up and give these ugly ladies some space!"

Ran stumbled in front of Kukai. She was bleeding from a few scraps on her right arm but otherwise looked okay. "Everyone is here except for Amu and Utau! We can't leave without them!"

Kukai let his eyes fall closed for only a moment. He knew he should have been the one to go after Utau. Still, there was no changing that decision now. "Do you see me telling us to leave? No, we're backing up! So let's back up!"

The others scrambled to get the ship moving.

Yoru, on the other hand, kept up his battle with his siren until she was suddenly on fire.

Dropping his gun to his side, Kukai nodded once to Yoru before moving to kick the flaming and screaming siren off the boat. The flares were definitely working out the best for keeping the damn things away. "Captain, you ready to get free?"

Looking up, Ikuto ignored the blood that was dripping from his face. "Fuck you."

Chuckling without humor, Kukai moved to cut the bonds that held Ikuto. "Glad you left your ears open?"

Ignoring his first mate, Ikuto shook himself free. "Amu and Utau?"

Kukai grimaced but answered. "Utau found the map piece and was pulled under. Amu went after her."

Cursing, Ikuto flew to the railing of the ship. He searched the cove for any sign of the girls. "Ready one of the small boats. And if these bitches don't like flares then bring plenty of them. You and I are going in."

Kukai didn't hesitate to follow the orders. He readied the rowboat himself while making sure the rest of the crew knew to stay out of the cove. He was right in assuming that the sirens weren't going to follow them out. "Ran! You'll be in charge while we're gone! Don't get closer to the cove again. They won't come out of it."

With no idea as to why she was suddenly in charge, Ran saluted the first mate and went about making sure that everyone was being looked after by Kairi. The doctor was definitely going to have his work cut out for him. "Let's go! You heard the captain and first mate! We move away and stay away until they return!"

Ikuto moved to get into the boat but was stopped by a hand on his arm. "What?"

"I need to look at you! You don't look good!"

Shaking off Kairi's hand, Ikuto finished getting in and helped Kukai start to lower it. "Help the others. I'll be fine. You can look at me when I come back."

Kairi didn't say it but he hoped that his captain did come back.

Moving to help Kukai with the oars, Ikuto pointed the small boat to the cove. "We're not going back without them."

Kukai nodded his head. He didn't bother to say anything because he knew his words weren't going to come out right anyway.

XXX

Amu kept fighting. No matter what. That's what she told herself. No matter what, she'd keep swimming toward the surface. She'd managed to break it once and get a lungful of air before she was pulled back under. That's when she realized that it was a game. The sirens were toying with her.

Fighting more, Amu tried to get Utau above her. If she was dying for breath then she didn't want to think about how Utau was doing. Then again, Utau wasn't exactly conscious at the moment.

Kicking out harder and harder, Amu fought her way back to the surface. She broke it just in time for a siren to jump at her. Gasping for air, Amu flinched back. The siren never hit her as it intended. Instead, it got shot out of the way by a flare gun.

Spinning in the water with Utau bobbing at her side, Amu spotted the small boat coming toward them. Kukai and Ikuto abandoned the oars while they had momentum. They were shooting the sirens to make them stay back with a couple of flare guns. "Help!"

Her shout was nothing. Her voice wasn't exactly working, but it was clear that she'd been seen. They were coming straight for her.

"Amu! Hang on, Amu!"

That was Ikuto's voice. He was coming for her.

Amu felt a hand wrap around her ankle and screamed. She was so tired. Tired of the sirens and trying to keep Utau afloat.

Doing her best, Amu pushed the unconscious girl toward the boat before she was pulled under once again. This time, however, she didn't fight it as strongly as before. She was tired. So tired.

A hand gripped her wrist, but Amu didn't even try to tug free. She was going to allow for the sirens to do as they wished.

Ikuto kicked the siren that had a hold of Amu before pulling her back to the surface. Kukai already had Utau in the boat and was keeping the other sirens away. They were quickly learning to stay back from the rowboat so that they wouldn't get shot full of fire. Instead, they kept their distance and just hissed.

Breaking the surface, Ikuto quickly swam with Amu to the boat. Kukai helped him get her into it before pulling Ikuto in. "We have to get back to the ship."

Kukai nodded before grabbing the oars. Utau was breathing and that's all that mattered. The girl had coughed up a lot of water when Kukai had pushed on her chest, but she hadn't woken up. That fact frightened Kukai, but he knew that the best thing was to get her to Kairi. "I'll row if you shoot."

Ikuto grabbed his gun and made sure it was loaded before shooting a siren that had decided to try her luck. "Not a problem."

Wheezing, Amu leaned over to cough the water out of her lungs before letting out a moan. She wasn't in the water anymore. Amu wasn't sure how or why, but she was thankful to be out of it. "I hate saltwater."

Unable to help the almost hysteric laugh that pushed its way out of his chest, Ikuto looked down at the almost drowned pinkette. "You work the wrong job if you hate saltwater."

Looking up, Amu tried to swallow. "I should rephrase that then. I hate drinking saltwater."

Nodding, Ikuto turned to scan the water and the creepy half ships around them. "Everyone does."

Deciding not to answer because it hurt to talk, Amu rubbed at her chest before crawling over to where Utau lay. The girl was breathing and it was clear that Kukai and done some CPR already. "Did she cough up a lot?"

Kukai gave a nod of his head but didn't pause in his rowing. His body was exhausted and his muscles were screaming, but he wasn't about to stop. "Yes, she's breathing but not waking."

Shifting her fingers through Utau's wet hair, Amu kept looking for the bump she knew was there somewhere. Utau didn't have any other cuts so it had to be a head wound that had left the blood she'd seen earlier. "Here it is. She's hit her head. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Kukai bit at his lip before nodding. Kairi definitely needed to look at Utau.

The edge of the cove moved past them as Kukai kept them moving toward the ship. The sirens fell back.

Ikuto winced at the screeches that they were making. They were most definitely pissed.

Shivering, Amu wrapped her arms around herself. "They have a graveyard at the bottom."

Both of the males remained quiet, though they did both stop what they were doing to look at Amu. They were out of the cove and thus out of immediate danger.

Looking back at the cove, Amu shivered again. "At the bottom of the cove. I had to swim all the way down there to get Utau. She was tied to the bottom by seaweed. She also wasn't the only one down there. I couldn't even see them all, but they were there. All the sailors of the ships above them. Just as ghostly and destroyed."

Slowly, Kukai reached out to brush some of the hair out of Utau's face. "Thank you, Amu. For not leaving her down there."

Shuddering again, Amu nodded but didn't respond.

Ikuto moved until he was sitting beside her in the bottom of the small boat. Without hesitating, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in order to give her some warmth. "Not many of the crew know this, but Utau and I have the same mother."

Looking up in surprise, Amu stared into Ikuto's eyes. "She's your sister?"

Nodding, Ikuto squeezed Amu a bit tighter. "Thank you, Amu."

Not saying anything, Amu just relaxed as they finally got to the ship and were being hoisted up. It wasn't until they were close to the top that Ikuto spoke to her again.

"Don't tell the others what you saw. Never tell Utau."

Amu knew. She would never speak of it again. Not to anyone.

XXX

Kairi tsked as he moved to check over Utau. Both Ikuto and Amu had insisted that he look at her first and Kukai hadn't been overly injured, so Kairi did.

"She's got a bump on her head. She hit it when they pulled her under."

Feeling through her hair, Kairi found what Amu was talking about and checked the wound. It wasn't anything serious.

With that decided, Kairi moved to his bag to grab a small vial. He waved it under Utau's nose and was pleased to see her waking up. "She's going to be fine."

Coughing some more, Utau opened her eyes and winced. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Ikuto?"

Moving to his sister's side, Ikuto slipped his hand into hers. "Here."

Uncurling her other hand, Utau revealed the map piece that she'd kept within her clutches. "I got it."

Chuckling because he wasn't sure what else to do, Ikuto moved to kiss Utau's forehead. "Thank you, little sister."

Amu and Kukai definitely ignored the fact that Ikuto wiped away some tears after he took the map piece. Definitely, because he was glad she was safe and not because he'd gotten the piece.

Kairi moved to check over Amu next. He bandaged all her cuts and whatnot. "How did this happen?"

Shrugging, Amu winced as Kairi applied some more stuff to her cuts. "I didn't have the wax and I refused the siren's song."

"You didn't have the wax?"

Without looking at Ikuto, Amu nodded. "Didn't need it."

Ikuto frowned but didn't say anything as Kairi finished with the pinkette and moved to him.

"And you?"

"Same as Amu. No wax and I didn't fall for it."

Scoffing, Kairi did his best to fix the two up. "You're both idiots. No one expected you to prove that no siren song can tempt the two of you. You're both lucky that you're fine. These are superficial and will heal quickly."

Ikuto and Amu exchanged glances but didn't say anything else. Though they wouldn't say, they were both very glad to put the siren's cove behind them.

Up on deck, Ran picked a random direction and had them go that way. Anywhere was better than where they'd just been.

.

Morg: So that's that chapter.

Ikuto: Fuck.

Amu: Creepy.

Morg: Shit happens.