The web site of gingayellow

Title: Murmaider
Fandom: Ronin Warriors
Characters/Pairing: Cye/Kento, background Sayoko/Ryuusuke. All five Ronins, Mia Koji, Sekhmet, Badamon
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine
Warnings: Violence, attempted murder
Notes: AU. Written for the spook_me challenge on Dreamwidth. Inspirations for this fic are the 1989 Disney movie because I’m old, the Hans Christen Anderson fairy tale (mostly the talk about mermaids lacking souls more than anything else), and the Murmaider songs from Dethklok. Cye doesn’t trade his voice for legs in this, but that’s the circumstances behind his transformation are… very different than the movie or story. (That’s where the Dethklok influence appears.)

Kento had been born a prince, but his mother was a commoner who’d just happened to fall in love with the king. A lot of snooty nobles had given him grief for that, but he’d always seen his lineage as a source of pride. His mother was a badass warrior and parent. She’d taught him to fight and to see everyone as equals. As far as Kento was concerned, that gave him an advantage over the sheltered (best case scenario) or spoiled (worst case scenario) noble kids.

Unfortunately, it also meant that some of the nobles in opposing houses saw the crown prince who’d eagerly embraced reforms as a threat to their power. One of them had hired an assassin and gotten his money’s worth. Not only did he do the sensible things when it came to killing a noble—find out when they’re alone and attack only then—he’d stabbed Kento with a poisoned weapon which had drained the fight out of him.

So now here he was, standing on the cliffs he would go to escape from politics and responsibility, facing down the man who was about to kill him.

“I bear you no ill will,” the assassin monotoned. As one would expect, the assassin was clad in dark clothes that hid his face. “However, my employer demands that I present him your carcass. I promise that I will make your death quick.”

Okay. Some sleaze wanted Kento’s head on a pike so he could start a war against his folks. And he was dying no matter what. However, he realized as the ocean waves roared, if there was no body, then the noble creep wouldn’t be able to inspire his fellow cronies to battle.

“I also bear you no ill will,” Kento managed. “But I ain’t letting you mess up my family’s lives.”

With his remaining strength, Kento dove into the ocean.

He was alive, but not for much longer. Even if he had the strength to swim, he would run out of oxygen before long.

At least the scumbag that wanted him dead couldn’t use his body to make some crappy political point.

And at least he wasn’t alone.

If Kento wasn’t about to die, he might have been scared by the creature. The creature looked a bit like a shark—but much, much larger than a shark. If anything, the creature reminded him a little of the stories his mother used to talk about sea monsters that swallowed unlucky sailors whole

But this creature wasn’t a monster. Not when it seemed like all the creature wanted to do was stare at Kento sadly with those large blue-green eyes. And… it was probably because of the oxygen deprivation, but Kento could have sworn that the creature was crying over him.

Nah. That was impossible. The creature was probably crying with joy at a snack randomly appearing.

Kento was okay with that, actually. He’d rather fill the belly of this beautiful creature than rot in a noble’s house, he knew that much.

He smiled at the weeping denizen of the ocean and accepted his fate.

Kento’s body woke up before his brain, gulping air into his lungs desperately for a minute before he fully realized that he had not been eaten by a sea creature. He hadn’t even drowned. He was on a beach, and yeah, he was tired, but it wasn’t the bone-deep exhaustion the poison had caused. He checked where the assassin had stabbed him. The shirt was still torn but the wound was gone. That was weird but he had other things to worry about. He needed to inform his parents about what had happened. His country needed to prepare for a possible rebellion. He—

Kento’s ears perked up at the sound of a feather-soft moan. Of course. Someone must have saved him and had exhausted themself in the process. Kento whisked around to return the favor to the person who’d been kind enough to help him—and froze when he was greeted by the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his life.

The young man was stretched out on the beach, eyes closed in slumber. He was broad-shouldered, and somehow willowy and leanly-built at the same time, and Kento really needed to focus, because he was gorgeous, but had also gotten hurt saving Kento’s life. Kento knelt next to the man. He was breathing steadily, thank goodness. His pulse was strong. He was also naked, save for what appeared to be the remains of a sail wrapped around his middle and legs.

The first thing he needed to do was get the man somewhere safe, Kento resolved as he scooped up the man in his arms. His personal villa was surrounded by soldiers and mages he trusted with his life. It would be a lengthy trek, and perilous. At least one noble wanted him dead and probably wouldn’t be happy when Kento appeared at court later. But Kento knew shortcuts and how to stay hidden. He knew he could get them to safety if he focused. He’d worry about everything else later.

“I understand wanting to save the man’s life.” Mia’s tone was cool like always, but she was slouched in her seat and her eyes were shadowed. “But you left him in a room, with no guard, hours after an assassination attempt?” She rubbed her temples. “This is when I usually say that I’m disappointed in your lapse in logic, but I’ve been your tutor for almost a decade. Logic just doesn’t apply to you.”

“Hey, Rowen’s keeping an eye on him!”

Mia gave him a look.

“Okay, sometimes Rowen is more scatterbrained than me. But only sometimes! And Ryo’s taking care of Yuli after he fell ill and Sage is training. And ‘sides, Rowen is really smart and tougher than he looks.”

“True,” Mia admitted. “And it gave me time to make sure that you’re as healthy as you claim to be after being poisoned and nearly drowning.” In addition to her impeccable abilities as a fire mage and tutor, Mia also had some medicinal skills. Between that and her calm nature, Kento was sometimes halfway tempted to give her the throne. But after that assassination attempt, he would never wish this responsibility on anyone else.

Kento gave her a look. “Does that mean that you’re letting me go visit him now?”

Mia sighed but nodded. “Yes.”

There was shouting from the room where the man was resting.

Mia might have said something about how she was coming with him, but Kento didn’t hear. The man was in trouble. He needed help, he needed Kento to save him—

The man, still clad in the sleeping robes the servants had dressed him in, had Rowen pinned down. The knight’s own dagger was centimeters away from Rowen’s throat. The man bared his teeth, snarling in fury. It was only thanks to a well-timed fire spell from Mia that he was distracted enough to drop it.

Mia and Rowen were both yelling at him, but Kento still knelt in front of the man. Mia was correct: Kento wasn’t a logical person. But he had been in enough fights to know when someone was a genuine threat and when someone was just scared. After Mia’s attack, the man had immediately scuttled into a corner. This was ‘only’ a case of the man’s fears getting the worst of him. Sure enough, the fury had evaporated as the man hid his face in his hands, trembling. Kento reached out as much as he dared. “Hey. It’s okay, I promise. You’re safe.”

“No, I’m not,” the man sobbed. His voice sounded gravelly, almost as if he hadn’t spoken in ages. “Everything’s messed up. I’m messed up. I—this is some sick joke he’s playing on me. He’s taunting me with what I can’t have.” He wept into his hands. “I hate this so much.”

Okay. That was something. “Then let’s fix it. Tell me who hurt you so I can avenge you. Or tell me what you want—I’ll get it for you.”

“I can’t.” The gravelly tone fully ceded to wet sobs of grief. “I-I made this choice, and I have to live with it.” The resignation in his tone made Kento want to cry, too. What could have broken the spirit of someone so strong he saved Kento from death?

Somehow, Kento would make things better for him. He swore that he would.

Eventually, the storm subsided. The man didn’t cheer up, of course, but he did calm down. He looked up for a moment, and his blue-green eyes widened in recognition. “You’re the boy I saved.”

Kento bristled automatically. “Hey, I’m twenty summers old!”

The man almost smiled at that. “I’m twenty-one summers old.”

“Exactly. You only have one year on me. I’m hardly a boy.” He was being a goof about this, but if it kept the man’s mind off of his grief, Kento would be a goof. “Also, my name’s Kento.”

“I’m…” The man seemed far away for a moment but then collected himself. “You can call me Cye.” He stood up uncertainly, one hand against the wall. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart to all of you.” Now that Kento had a chance to hear him talk more, he realized he also spoke with an accent. He couldn’t quite place it, despite his travels. It was pretty, though. “My last memories are chaotic. Then I woke up here, surrounded by strangers.” He glanced at Rowen guiltily. “However, that does not excuse my actions. I will accept any punishment you deem worthy.”

“You’re not going to get punished,” Kento assured him. “I get that you’re scared right now. I would be too if I woke up in a strange place and didn’t know anyone. But I promise all I want to do is repay you for saving my life.”

Cye frowned. “Then why was the sleepy-eyed bloke here instead of you?”

“Prince Kento was almost assassinated,” Rowen supplied for him. “And I apologize for any confusion, but we had to discern you weren’t a threat.”

Cye gazed at Rowen frostily. “If I was, I would have allowed him to drown. Do you honestly think I would have killed him after I saved his life?”

“As a person with basic deductive skills? No,” Rowen admitted. “But as a knight, I have to gauge any possible threats to the crown, no matter how unlikely they may seem.”

“Well, I can’t fault you for that. Goodness knows I’ve seen my share of danger.” Cye relaxed a bit. “So, what’s your name? I suspect you wouldn’t want me to call you the ‘sleepy-eyed bloke’ for the rest of our time together.”

“You’d suspect correctly. I’m Rowen Hashiba. The mage next to me is Mia Koji.” Mia, who never quite knew what to do around strangers (unless they were threatening her friends), flushed and waved awkwardly.

“Everyone’s friends now. Awesome,” Kento said. Rowen and Mia would rightfully scold him for speaking for others, but all he wanted right now was for Cye to feel better. “Just know that you’re safe here, okay? You can stay here as long as you want.”

“… Thanks.” Cye hid his face in his hands again. “I’m sorry; I think I’m crashing.”

“I don’t blame you.” Judging from the state of things, Cye had struck the instant he woke up. Kento wasn’t happy about Rowen’s life being in danger, but… Cye’s skill and will to survive were impressive. Gently, Kento helped him back to bed. “C’mon. You just rest. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Kento stood in the doorway, a tray of grilled fish and tea in hand. Normally, he would have stomped into the room at this point, shouting a good morning at the top of his lungs. After all, what better way to start the day than with a hearty greeting? But considering what had happened last night, even Kento realized that a gentler approach was needed. “Cye?” He kept his voice soft. “Good morning,” he whispered. “Well, good day.” It was almost noon.

Cye stirred slowly. Kento wasn’t surprised. After all the shocks to his system, he was still recovering. But with time, he was sitting upright in bed and staring at Kento with clear eyes. “Good day yourself.” He glanced at the fish. “That looks good. Can I have some?”

“You can have all of it. It’s for you.” Mia and Rowen (and everyone else he knew in his life) would have fainted from shock at Kento willingly forsaking a chance at food. But poor Cye had lost something important to save Kento’s life. How could he do otherwise? Kento perched on the bed, placing the tray on Cye’s lap. “Here. Eat up.”

Cye frowned at the chopsticks, and Kento understood. Wherever he was from, they must not use chopsticks. “If you prefer a fork and knife, I can ask the chef.”

Cye shook his head. “That wouldn’t be much help, either. Would you be too upset if I eat with my hands?”

Kento tried not to laugh, especially as Cye glared at him. But Cye was just too damn cute right now. “I’m the prince, but trust me, I’m not going to swoon from supposed ill manners or anything. My parents raised me to have common sense. And right now, you need to rebuild your strength. That matters more than manners.”

Cye gingerly picked up a piece of fish. “I can’t argue with that logic.”

Kento laughed again. “Heh. That’s the first time someone suggested I was logical.”

“Don’t get used to it.” As Kento grimaced at the discovery of Cye’s snarky streak, Cye took a bite of the fish. He hummed in approval. “This is the best fish I’ve ever had in my life.” He took another bite, and then another. “How did your, um, chef do this?”

Kento shrugged. “I don’t think she did anything too special. She just seasoned the fish and cooked it.”

“Seasonings, hunh?” Cye’s expression grew thoughtful. “I understand if you say no, especially since I almost killed poor Rowen last night, but would your chef teach me about these seasonings?”

“Cye, we all know that you were just scared.” It was hard to imagine Cye right now—who’d been worried he’d hurt Kento’s feelings if he didn’t use chopsticks for his meal—harming anyone, frankly. “I’m sure Kyoko would love you. Her son’s made it clear he wants to be a knight and not a chef so she’s been looking for a protegee anyways.” The last time Kento had spoken to Yuli, he was getting ready to become Ryo’s squire.

“Then perhaps I shall.”

He didn’t at first. The next few days were filled with Cye sleeping, eating, and staring at the ocean from his window. Kento wanted to ask more. He wanted to know everything about Cye. Yes, he was distant from everyone. Yes, there were times when he seemed so far away that no one could reach him. But he was also beautiful and brave and funny in those rare times he could be reached. He’d only known Cye for a couple of weeks, but it felt like he’d known him his whole life. They got along that well, at least when Cye was willing to talk.

Kento had no idea what to do. He wanted to kill whoever had hurt Cye. But Cye wouldn’t talk about it. So, all he could do was offer him Kyoko’s meals and talk about recipes and complain about his lessons and talk about training. As if that helped any.

“It is,” Mia assured him. “I’ve taught long enough to tell when someone is slowly coming out of their shell. Just give him some time.”

Kento was just about to disagree with her… but then they saw Cye in the kitchen with Kyoko. She was praising his first attempt at grilled fish. Cye was smiling and focused on his task.

“Mia is always right,” Kento breathed.

“Yes, I am,” Mia agreed.

“Kento? Rowen?” Cye stood in the doorway. “I’d like to take you up on that offer of dropping on in on the tutoring sessions if the offer still stands.”

“Of course!” Kento pulled up a seat.

Rowen rolled his eyes. “If you think having Cye here will get you out of practicing equations, think again. That said, you’re more than welcome, Cye. Just don’t let Kento make you do his work.”

“The joke would be on him if he did.” Cye looked uneasy as he took his seat. “My own education is… spotty.”

“You don’t say.” Rowen, who had become a knight to pay for this schooling, perked up. “Tell me about it. When Mia returns, we can figure out where your interests and needs lie.”

Cye rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I can read. A little. Sailors taught me. And I can count. Kyoko’s helped me with fractions and the math you need to know for cooking and baking. That’s about it.”

Rowen shrugged. “You’re bright. More importantly, it’s clear that you want to learn, unlike certain Kentos who shall remain nameless.” Kento made an annoyed sound. “How about I give you poems to read out loud? You can practice your reading and I can tell you about the poems when you’re done.”

Kento had never been a fan of poetry. But Cye’s voice made everything seem more alive, even some old person’s stuffy language. It was harder to concentrate on math even more than usual, but Kento didn’t mind at all.

“Can I try using a sword?” Cye asked Sage.

Sage glanced at Cye. “Depends. Do you plan to try to kill someone again?”

“Sage, what the hell?!” Kento grabbed his knight by the shoulder. “It’s been, like, three weeks since that happened.”

“While I have forgiven Cye and no longer consider him a threat, I believe Kento may have only proven Sage’s point,” Rowen offered ‘helpfully.’

Ryo cleared his throat. “Sage, I get where you’re coming from. But Cye’s had plenty of chances to kill us or even just run away at this point. I think you’re letting your overprotective nature get the better of you.”

Sage frowned. “Perhaps.”

“Don’t mind Sage,” Ryo assured Cye. “We’ll both show you some defensive techniques.”

“Not if it makes Sage uncomfortable.” Cye was the picture of composure even when Sage was accusing him of plotting further crimes. “I get it, Sage. If someone was threatening my family, I’d be wary of helping them as well.”

“You have a family?” Sage asked before Kento could.

“It's small, but yes,” Cye answered. “My parents died when I was a baby. I was raised by my sister, Sayoko. I love everything about her, except her taste in men.”

“Okay, there’s a story there.” Rowen put away his bow. “If you’re willing to share, we’d all love to learn more.”

Cye shrugged. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but her spouse Ryuusuke’s only sin is that he’s annoying. But he does worship Sayoko and helps me out when he can.” His attention turned to the tiny window facing the ocean. “Despite everything, I miss him. And her.”

Kento couldn’t help it. He grabbed and squeezed Cye’s hand. Cye squeezed back.

“Ah. I see now. You don’t plot murder. You merely wish to forget your sorrows.” Sage held out a wooden blade to Cye and smiled. “It would be my privilege to teach you.”

“You get right to the point, but thanks.” With his free hand, Cye took the blade. “And don’t worry. I was taught to value life. If I do find myself in a skirmish, I plan to only fight defensively”

“I can do this,” Kento promised his reflection. He never did like formal wear, but he was not going to embarrass his family. “I just need to smile at Sekhmet for an hour while Mom handles everything important. I swear, I can do this.”

“For someone who says he can do this—whatever ‘this’ is—you sure seem like you’re scared that you can’t,” Cye said, a bowl of rice and chopsticks in hand. He helped himself to a small bite. “If you need an out, I can pretend to attempt to kill Rowen again.”

“Thanks, but no,” Kento replied drily. Kento supposed he should have been startled, but Cye had lived with them for almost two months now. He’d gotten used to all of his quirks. How he was extremely sarcastic but kind in equal measure. How he would appear out of nowhere. How he seemed naive and even hapless sometimes, yet picked up skills so fast it was scary. At this point, the only thing that ‘bothered’ Kento was Cye’s late-night walks on the beach alone. Not so much the walks themselves as how sad Cye seemed. No matter what anyone did, there was a part of Cye that was still very much alone. Of course, when you were the prince of even a tiny kingdom, you were alone, too…

“Kento, snark aside, you look terrible.” Cye’s voice flowed with compassion as he put the bowl aside, taking Kento’s face in his hands. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

If it had been anyone else, Kento would have lied and said he was fine. But when Cye looked at him with those doe eyes of his, the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he knew it. “I gotta play nice in front of snobby nobles that talk behind my mother’s back,” he confessed. “And I hate it. They’re terrible, but they have power in the court. I have no choice but to be nice to them or else the entire kingdom suffers. But I’m also not the politest guy in the world, and—”

“It’s going to be okay,” Cye told him.

Kento wanted to believe him, but… “How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ll go with you.” Cye’s voice was the gentlest, calmest sound in the world. Like the ocean waves after a bad storm. “I’ll make sure that you’re a gentleman to everyone you meet.”

“Okay,” and what surprised Kento when he said that was that he believed it. He glanced at the rice bowl. “Do you mind if I have that? I get hungry when I’m stressed.”

Cye rolled his eyes as his hands drifted to Kento’s shoulders. “Fine. I’ll just make myself some more later.”

Having Cye there did make Kento feel better. He knew that there were other people in the room on his side, such as his bodyguards Ryo and Sage. But Ryo and Sage had to (understandably) focus on keeping Kento safe physically. Cye chatted with him in those brief lulls in the meeting so that his darker thoughts wouldn’t get the better of him. It was nice. If it weren’t for the circumstances behind why Cye was there, Kento would have wished that they could stay like that forever.

“Kento of the Hardrock Kingdom,” Sekhmet bellowed as he strode across the room. “It’s nice to finally meet the little prince,” he said with a cold chuckle.

Kento bristled, and was about to ask Cye to help him keep a cool head during the conversation… but then he noticed that Cye was still. “Everything okay?”

“I don’t know.” Cye inhaled deeply. “I smell something familiar.”

It all happened so fast. One moment, Cye was just suggesting something was off. The next, he had Sekhmet pinned down, Sekhmet’s own dagger at his throat.

Ryo and Sage ignored Kento’s orders to let him go so he could help Cye while Rowen approached the scene. His hand was on his bow. “Cye, please explain what’s going on.”

“He’s the one who ordered an attack on Kento. I can smell the poison that the assassin used in his pockets. Check them if you don’t believe me.”

Now Rowen was ignoring Sekhmet’s order for a filthy knight to not touch his noble raiment as he rummaged through Sekhmet’s pockets. He produced a small vial. “I think Cye’s correct,” he breathed.

Sekhmet cackled wickedly. “Yes, it was a brilliant plan. I was going to poison the food. With your foolish prince’s appetite, of course he would die, along with all of my rivals. And make no mistake, this is only a minor setback to my ultimate ambitions. I still plan to—”

Kento was done with this guy. “Sage, Rowen. Take him away.”

“No, let me kill him,” Cye snarled, dagger still pressed against Sekhmet’s throat. “Otherwise, he’ll try it again. I can feel it.”

Sekhmet smiled wickedly. “Do it if you have the guts, little man.”

Cye hissed at that. “You’re wasting the soul you were lucky enough to be birthed with. I’ll correct that mistake.”

“W-wait, stop!” If Sekhmet died, things would be a mess politically. But it would be even worse if Cye actually killed him. Cye was gentler than anyone Kento had ever met. Even if he was protecting his friends, he would never recover from taking a life. He'd almost passed out after attacking Rowen. Kento couldn't let him do this to himself. Kento knelt next to him. “Cye. Please listen. I get wanting to protect your loved ones, I do. But let my guards take it from here. You just—just stay with me, all right?”

“Don’t worry,” Ryo promised Cye. “We’ll make sure no one hurts Kento again.”

“… Okay.” Although Cye didn’t remove the dagger until Ryo had bound Sekhmet’s hands. Cye eyed Sekhmet coldly as Ryo and Sage dragged him away. “These men just saved your joke of a life.”

Kento rested a hand on Cye’s shoulder. He still felt tense. “Um, are you okay, or is that a foolish question after what just happened?”

“I’m fine.” Cye still seemed… off. Like he was fighting his way to the surface from the bottom of the ocean. He managed to smile at Kento. “I’m more annoyed with myself that I didn’t smell the poison until Sekhmet was right in front of us.” He let out a soft huff of frustration. “I suppose my sense of smell isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“Yeah, well, seeing how the poison is supposed to be virtually odorless, I think you did a good job,” Kento observed. Yet again, he wondered where this wonderful man had come from. “I’d offer to make you a knight, but I can’t stand the thought of putting you in danger.”

Cye shrugged. “Kento, I’m not sure if you noticed, but that’s happening regardless of what you want.” But then he embraced Kento. “But I don’t mind. In fact, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Rowen, Mia?” Cye peeked up from his book. “I have a question.”

“Ask it,” Mia chirped. Rowen nodded in agreement. Kento, who was just glad that this meant Mia and Rowen would ignore his poor arithmetic for a while, also nodded.

“Do you believe in souls?”

Mia cleared her throat. “That’s, um, a pretty dense question, Cye. Philosophers have asked that for ages and not come up with an answer.”

“I’m not asking philosophers. I’m asking you and Rowen.”

Mia tapped her chin. “Well, I’m not sure. There’s magic in the world, but a soul? That’s a little trickier.” She smiled weakly. “I guess I’m still figuring out if I believe in them or not. Sorry, Cye. I know that’s not much of an answer.”

Cye shook his head. “No, you helped a lot. What about you, Rowen?”

Rowen closed his eyes for a moment. “I’ve never given it too much thought, but I do believe that all living creatures have souls.”

“Even the ones that live so deep in the ocean, they almost never see the sun?”

“Of course.” For once, Rowen put away his book without prompting. “Cye, these questions are oddly specific. Would I be correct in assuming you have a reason for asking us about souls?”

“No,” Cye said very quickly. “I just. I guess after Sekhmet I’ve been thinking about things like that.” He glanced out the window that faced the ocean. “What you guys just said goes against everything I was taught.”

“Interesting.” Rowen rested his chin in his hand. “What were you taught to believe, then?”

“That only humans have souls. And that they’re precious. If you have a soul, you get to enter an immortal realm after you die. Not to mention your free will when you’re alive. But it’s also dangerous since free will means that you can make mistakes.” His gaze was still fixed on the ocean. “I suppose that’s why Sekhmet set me off. He has something so precious deep within him, and he’s choosing to corrupt it through subterfuge and harming others for some supposed power he’ll lose when his physical form dies in a few decades.”

“Okay, that covers humans.” Both Mia and Rowen blinked in surprise when Kento spoke. He couldn’t blame them: philosophical questions tended to put him to sleep. But he cared what Cye thought. And it was clear this was something Cye was invested in. “What about living creatures that aren’t human?”

“When they die, that’s it.” Cye sounded far away. He wouldn’t look away from the ocean. “So, they have to be very careful. If they follow their leader, they’ll at least have quiet deaths after a long life. If not, then they suffer terribly.”

There was something about Cye’s trancelike state as he spoke that compelled Kento to grab his hand. “Hey. You’re human, remember? So, you have a soul according to whoever told you that. Besides, you’re really kind and always make me feel better. I’m not an expert, but I damn well know you're doing better than Sekhmet.”

Cye was silent, but he did squeeze Kento’s hand.

A week after the nobles had left and five days after that heavy conversation with Cye, they had a small party. Cye had called it a “the meeting’s done/no one is currently trying to kill Kento” party. It was simple: they ate some food Cye had prepared on the beach and talked about their lives while the waves crashed since it was too cool for a swim. After making sure everyone was fed and happy, Cye excused himself for a walk on the beach.

Kento wasn’t quite sure why he followed Cye. Perhaps the sea air (and the divine fish sandwiches Cye made for them) had given him the necessary push of confidence. Maybe he was tired of seeing someone he cared for sad. Regardless, Kento found himself chasing after Cye that late afternoon. “Hey,” he said awkwardly when he finally caught up with Cye.

“Hey yourself.” Cye smiled, a little, then grumbled something about the wind making a mess of his hair. Kento didn’t see it. If anything, it made him look almost otherworldly in his beauty in how it was so perfectly tousled.

“Kento, you’re staring.”

“Oh, sorry.” Kento felt his face heat up. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. It’s been a busy week.”

“I’m fine,” although Cye’s expression said otherwise as he looked out to the ocean. “I realize I may have alarmed you with our conversation about souls. I… am still sorting some things out in the existential sense, but for now, knowing that my friends and I are safe is enough for me.” He sighed softly. “I just miss my sister and Ryuusuke. That’s all.”

“Well, let’s go see them.”

Cye glanced at Kento. “You can’t go. You’re the prince; you have responsibilities.”

“You saved my life. I have responsibilities to you, too. And my folks are still pretty damn hardy. I’m pretty sure we could take a trip. Or you could go on your own. You could… even go home forever. You know. If you want.” Kento wanted anything but that, but Cye came first. As gently as someone like him could, he took Cye’s hand. “It’s your life. You can go anywhere and do whatever you feel like.”

Cye let out a breath. “If only it were that simple.”

“Cye…”

The world went still when Cye kissed his cheek.

“I appreciate your words, but I made my choice to accept any consequences when I saved you. Besides, I like being with you and the others. All of you have made me so happy.” He flushed ever so slightly. “Especially you.”

“I’m glad.” He knew it was small of him, but he was so relieved that Cye wasn’t going away. “But there has to be something we can do.” His idea was so obvious that he could not believe he hadn’t thought of it earlier. “Can we send them a letter? If they can’t read, we could have squire go out and speak to them.”

Cye shook his head. “Our home is isolated. I doubt even the most dedicated squire could find it. If I wanted to speak to them, I would have to…” His voice trailed off as his attention returned to the waves. “Then again, I haven’t tried. I don't know if all of this is a hindrance until I do try. Maybe I could.”

Kento knew he was prying, yet… “Could what?”

“I’m going to do it, Kento.” Cye looked happier than Kento had ever seen him. He was almost glowing as he placed a hand on Kento’s chest. “I’m going to try contacting my family. It’s not a difficult spell, but I have to do it when the stars are out. Will you wait for me?”

“Always,” Kento said without hesitation. “But magic is taxing. I’d gladly stay here and make sure you’re okay.”

Cye grinned at Kento, still glowing. “Thank you. But this is something I have to do alone. Don’t worry, Kento. I’ve done this spell before. I’ll be fine.”

Mia beamed at Kento as he approached the small bonfire they had made. “Congrats on your engagement with Cye!”

Kento paused mid-step. “My what with Cye?”

“Your engagement,” Sage insisted as he swung a practice sword. “Even I’m aware of your feelings for Cye.

“And it’s evident that Cye feels similarly,” Rowen added as he roasted a marshmallow. “You both saved each other’s lives. He cooks for you and takes care of you. You’ve offered him shelter when he found himself among strangers. Of course you two are in love and want to share a future together.”

“Guys, it’s not that.”

Ryo gave Kento a confused look. “But you two like each other so much.”

“I can’t believe I’m the sensible one here,” Kento grumbled to himself. “Yes, I like him. I hope he likes me. But that doesn’t mean we’re gonna get together.” As much as he wanted to, he realized as he slouched on a driftwood log, ignoring the stinging in his eyes. “Stop thinking you guys can predict everything I do because I’m dense or whatever.”

“Hey.” Mia sat next to him, placing an unnaturally warm hand on his back. A telltale sign of a fire mage. “We don’t think that, although I’m sorry that you felt like we did. It’s just you and Cye get along so well. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought you two were already married.”

“Yeah.” Ryo slid in next to Kento as well, grabbing his hand. “We’re not teasing you; we’re letting you know that we got your back if and when you do want to court Cye.”

Kento rested his chin in his hand. That was good to know. All he had to worry about now was if Cye actually wanted to be courted by a blockhead like him. Then again, Cye did save his life, twice. And cooked for him. And teased him, but never to the point of cruelty. He just wanted Kento’s attention. And he’d kissed him on the beach…

“I’m going to ask him,” Kento resolved.

Rowen let out a small sigh of relief. “Good, I was starting to worry you’d just brood all night. So, when do you plan to ask Cye if you can court him?”

“Right now!” Surely the spell had been cast. And Cye must have had time to talk to his family—and Kento could just wait a bit longer if he had to. But right now, he just wanted to at least look at Cye.

Mia grimaced. “Right now?”

“Let him,” Sage said as he kept swinging. “It’s always best to follow through on a decision right away.”

“For once, Sage, you and I are in total agreement.” With that, Kento dashed off to find the man he loved.

--
It was dark now. The moon and the stars were reflected in the ocean’s waves. Even Kento understood that this was a romantic night, perfect to confess your feelings. He just had to find Cye and tell him, and accept whatever Cye’s answer was.

“No,” he heard a voice so wrecked with grief, that it took Kento a moment to realize it was Cye crying.

Anything aside from helping Cye was long forgotten as Kento broke into a full run. Whoever was hurting him was going to pay. He found Cye on his knees, crying into his hands as the waves hit him.

“Please, no,” Cye sobbed, soaked to the bone. “It would hurt me so much. Please, please tell me there’s another way.”

“There’s gotta be,” Kento blurted out. It wasn’t polite to interrupt Cye’s conversation with his family, but Cye was hurting, and Kento had to do something. “Cye, I’ll do whatever I can to help you and your family.”

Cye turned his gaze to Kento. His face was streaked with tears, but his eyes were similar to that night when he attacked Rowen. “Oh, Kento.” He pulled something from the waves as he stood up. It reminded Kento of a trident, but he had never seen a trident so beautiful and intimidating at the same time. “You should have stayed away from me.”

“Tell me what’s going on,” Kento said carefully. “Whatever you think is wrong, I swear, we can fix it. We’ve done that before, remember?”

Cye shook his head, pointing his trident at Kento. “I’m so sorry, but this is the only way I can save them.”

Now things were making sense. “Are Sayoko and Ryuusuke in danger?”

Cye nodded tearfully. “And Badamon says the only way I can save them is if I kill you. I’m sorry, I really am. But merfolk aren’t like humans. When we die, that’s it. We don’t have souls.”

“… Okay.”

“What?” Cye sounded like he was going to throw up.

“I said okay,” Kento replied without missing a beat. “Cye, you saved my life twice. I know how much you care for your family. If my dying means they can stay safe, I’m fine with that.” He took a deep breath. The last time he’d felt this at peace was when he met the sea monster. “All I ask is that you let the ocean take my corpse and that you run far away. I don’t want you to suffer because you protected your family.”

“Please forgive me,” Cye wept as he readied his trident.

Kento closed his eyes. “There’s nothing to forgive, Cye. I love you.”

He waited for the metal to pierce his flesh.

And waited, and waited.

He heard a thud and dared to open his eyes. The trident had fallen to the ground. Cye fell a moment later, crying his eyes out. “I can’t do it.” He hugged himself fiercely, body rocking back and forth. “I can’t—Sayoko—Ryuusuke—I can’t—”

Kento grabbed Cye in his arms, ignoring the freezing waves threatening to overwhelm them. “Cye, listen to me. I don’t know much about souls. I’m not even sure humans have them as you think. But if you saved my life even though you knew you’d be separated from your family, if you’re this torn up about what you need to do… then I think if anyone has a soul, it’s you.”

“I tried to kill you,” Cye sobbed into his chest. “I could never have a soul. I’m just an empty husk that’s supposed to follow orders.” A strong wave hit them. Cye clung to Kento so he wouldn’t be washed away. “But I can’t even do that.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Kento shushed him. “You’re making a choice to spare me, just like you made a choice to save my life. I—I believe you’ve had a soul all this time, Cye.” He wasn’t going to pretend he suddenly knew everything about existence. But Cye having a soul? He could feel that in his heart.

“… I have been making choices on my own, haven’t I? But if I have a soul,” Cye sniffled, “that means Badamon lied to me. He lied to all merfolk for ages.”

“Then that means Badamon is the guy who deserves to be on the sharp end of that trident.” Kento helped Cye up. “I’ll gather my knights and my mage. Together, we’ll stop this creep in his tracks.”

“No need.” Cye scooped up the trident. “He’s already here, and I know I have enough power to stop him.”

There were ghastly green lights on the ocean surface. Kento felt something dreadful in his core at the sight, but Cye was resolute.

“Hear me, Badamon,” he cried out to the ocean. “I realize now why you forced me to become human. It was not merely to torment with the form of a human, but no soul to fill it up. It was so I would kill Prince Kento and weaken the royal family’s power in their kingdom. That would have allowed your lackey, Sekhmet, to eventually take over. Yet you underestimated how much I love Kento and all of my friends.” He summoned glowing blue energies around his weapon. “You underestimated the power of my soul.”

Cye yelled something about waves as the lights were swallowed up by the ocean.

“You’re the monster that I saw when I was drowning,” Kento realized as they warmed up by the fire. After a lot of persuading, Mia and the others left them alone, although they were nearby. Kento had not told them about Cye trying to kill him (because he did not need them to panic over something that Cye had been manipulated to do), but he had told them about Badamon. So, they were guarding them, just in case.

“Monster? That’s rude. But accurate.” Cye held his hands in front of the fire. “We call ourselves merfolk. As you have learned, we don’t resemble the figures you see carved on ships. We also rarely surface, although we can breathe air. We mostly keep to ourselves, although some of us are curious about humans. I was among them. That’s how I learned to read: when veteran sailors were teaching new hires to read to ensure everyone could run the ship, I would learn with them.” He smiled at Kento guiltily. “I would also watch you a lot.”

Kento’s face heated up. “Really?”

“Well, you’re by the ocean a lot. You also travel by boat often as part of your princely duties. Not that I knew that at the time. I was just always entranced by how vibrant and friendly you were. Everything I felt like I wasn’t.” Cye watched the flames. “Then one night when I came to see you, and someone hurt you. Then you were drowning and I said a prayer to the demon of the oceans to let me save you from the poison and the ocean. Of course, Badamon’s favors always come with a price. I’d assumed the price was this,” he motioned to his legs. “Actually, he was hoping that I would kill you. I should have realized it when Sekhmet smelt the same as Badamon. I supposed I was just too busy saving your arse to connect the dots.”

“Heh, sorry.” Kento took a swig of the coffee Ryo had been kind enough to prepare and Mia had been gracious enough to heat up. “So, what about your family? Are they gonna be okay?”

“Oh, yes, don’t worry about them,” Cye said with a smile. “Once you made me see sense, I realized that all I had to do was kill Badamon to free them. They should be here any moment.” He put his own mug of coffee down on the sand. “Oh, speaking of…” He dashed off to the shoreline. There were lights in the ocean again, but they didn’t chill Kento like before. These were turquoise and mint green, and if anything, they made him feel at peace.

“Hi, Sayoko. Ryuusuke, it’s good to see you, too. I owe you two quite the explanation.” Cye sighed heavily. “I made a deal with Badamon to save the man I love. Surprise, surprise, he cursed me to live out the rest of my life as a human. I was willing to accept that, but I never meant for the two of you to get hurt. Please accept my apologies.” The lights shimmered. Whatever Sayoko and Ryuusuke ‘said’ to Cye, it must have been positive, since he grinned. “I’m glad, too!”

Then his face grew serious. “Listen. I have conversed with people I trust concerning souls. You know how Badamon would hold that over us, how we had to do what he said because we were soulless monsters? Well, I’ve lived among the soul-bearers for some time, and it’s not as cut and dry as we thought. Even Kento, the purest man I’ve ever met, isn’t quite sure what they are or if he has one. I’m not claiming to be an expert. I believe I have a soul, but I think this is something everyone has to figure out on their own. I do know we shouldn’t let anyone control us like that ever again, whether or not we have souls.” The lights shimmered again, and Cye nodded. “Don’t worry. It took some getting used to, but I’m quite happy here. And we can still talk like this all the time. Oh,” and he took Kento’s hand. “This is Kento.”

Kento stood up as straight as he could. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he squeaked.

The lights shimmed, and Cye’s face turned red. “Honestly, Ryuusuke! You are so lucky I’m a human now and I can’t smack you with my fin for that.” There was more shimmering. “Okay. I love you both and I’ll talk to you soon.” Eventually, the lights faded.

“So,” Kento whispered as he wrapped an arm around Cye’s shoulders, “You love me?”

Cye ducked his head. “Yes. You don’t have to feel the same, but I needed to tell them why I did what I did.”

This time, Kento kissed him. On the lips, slowly. “I suspect I know the answer, but: will you let me court you, Cye?”

Cye leaning into him was all the answer he needed.

Final Notes: Originally, Talpa was going to take the role of the sea witch, but I thought Cye OHKO-ing Talpa might be a little much, so I went with Badamon instead.

I imagine the merfolk Mouris looking like GIANT football fish, btw. So, there’s your nightmare fuel for Halloween! Needless to say, merfolk Cye was very stealthy when he learned how to read by spying on sailors.