Sea Bunny Shores - HayaRyuu (Discontinued for now)

twelfth.

 Ryuuichi holds his bag tight, preparing for the temperature shift in the water. He expects it won't be as bad as last time, as he's returning to his home water.

He tries not to think about Hayato and the others, but he finds it challenging since the warm feeling on his lips won't subside.

After swimming along, he finally reaches the cave where the man lives. He peeks inside but finds nobody. Ryu explores further inside. He finds broken bottles and chairs all over. "Maybe he was in a rush..." Ryuuichi ponders. He swims into the man's chambers and finds it empty besides a bed and a shelf with a few belongings.

He takes a closer look at the picture frame that's hidden behind books and seaweed.

The picture shows two mermen. One is scratched out. But Ryuuichi can make them out to be the king and the clearer one, the man. Ryuuichi widens his eyes. He didn't expect the man to have connections with the king. But considering he crossed the king out in ink, the relationship must have been rocky.

"Okay, okay," Ryuuichi says, breathless. "Let's go over what we know."

"He needs my blood, okay? He said he was going to use it on his partner. But I don't see any pictures of any possible romantic partner. Unless the king is his partner!? No, the king is already married."

Ryuuichi nods, "He doesn't have a partner, that's clear." then he perks up. "What if he's planning to use my blood against the king? I don't know how that would work, but he needs my blood for a reason."

He lowers his head. "I need help." he groans. "Maybe I could go back home and ask Saikawa about it. He's savvy with spells."

"But the chairwoman might not let me leave again, and I promised I'd see Hayato." The boy lowers his head, his mind stumped. There have to be some clues as to where the man is going.

He looks in a few cabinets and finds nothing.

He looks in a closet and finds nothing.

He looks everywhere but finds nothing.

Ryuuichi sighs in frustration. His tail harshly swung behind him. He fans himself with his hands, taking a few deep breaths. "Okay, I don't know where he is. But based on the picture of the king, he must have some beef with him..." he trails. "Maybe he's going to the kingdom in that case..."

The boy swims out of the cave along the path to the kingdom. He still feels the unfamiliar sense of the legs he had. He could tell because his swimming wasn't as elegant and smooth as he wanted it to be. He fell on the ground a few times but continued nonetheless.

The journey back wasn't as long as he thought it would be. Ryuuichi felt it went by quickly instead. He was swimming faster to find the whereabouts of the man. At the same time, he was thinking about what he would say to The Chairwoman. Ryuuichi picked up the flowers for Kotaro before he left, but The Chairwomen wouldn't be so pleased with the idea of an item from the surface.

He watched the entrance from afar and noticed a decreased amount of guards in the area. Ryuuichi swims around their line of sight and right over the gate. He swiftly swims to his home, desperate to see Kotaro.

Once the boy reaches his house, he opens the window and swims inside quietly. He looked toward the cradle and placed his hands on the wooden bars. Looking down, Kotaro is sleeping soundly, curled up with a seaweed blanket.

Ryuuichi brushes his hand against Kotaro's forehead and feels a tear slip from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry for abandoning you, Kotaro." his voice cracks. Kashima gently picks up the toddler and lays on his bed, wrapping his arms protectively around him.

Tomorrow, he would seek out the man and find, then confront him. But that could all wait for a day, as he has some serious catching up with his family.

☁ ~ ☁ ~ ☁

"RYUUICHI, YOU FOOL!"

Ryuuichi awakes to a loud boom of a voice and a piece of old paper hitting his face. The Chairwoman looked down at him and Kotaro, who began to stir from the noise.

"Brother..." Kotaro whispers, rubbing his eyes as if he sees an illusion.

"Good morning Kotaro," Ryuuichi smiles, "I'm here."

Kotaro beams in response and throws his arms around Ryuuichi's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. Ryuuichi feels his heart shatter at the cries and tucks his face into Kotaro's hair, leaving small pecks over his head.

"Explain yourself." The Chairwoman demanded. "You went against my orders and left us here worrying about your safety!" she was holding a fist to her mouth with her eyes tightly shut. That was her tell that she was pained.

Once Kotaro had calmed down and laid his head against Ryuuichi's chest, Kashima spoke. "I know, I felt trapped here, and I managed to get to the surface with the help of magic," he admitted.

"You dabbled in magic?!" the woman yelled. "Ryuuichi, did you make a deal with anyone?"

"Well, I met a man outside of the borders, and he offered the ability to give me human legs in return for my blood."

The woman looks puzzled and sits down on the bed beside him. "I see," she says, quieter than she's ever been. "And how did that go for you?"

Ryuuichi holds up his head, his eyes were bloodshot, but he grins. "I met some people above and even bought Kotaro some flowers." he gestures to his bag. "The humans were kind, much better than told in the stories. I felt wind for the first time, and I saw the sky much clearer."

The Chairwoman sighed. "I never realized how great your desire was to explore."

"That's okay," Ryuuichi responds. "You want to keep me safe."

They share a moment of silence, filled by Kotaro's soft breathing. Light streamed through the window, and a couple of bubbles tickled at Ryuuichi's nose. The Chairwoman avoided his eyes but brought her hand to cup his and stroke his fingers. Kashima looks into her sorrowful eyes.

"The man I made a deal with," he starts. "I have some reason to believe he wants to use my blood will ill intent."

"So, you want to find him?" The Chairwoman finishes his thoughts.

Ryuucihi nods, tightening his grip on Kotaro's frail body.

"I suppose you'll need a hand then," she says. "Talk to Saikawa and head into town. Find your pink-haired friend and look for him," she said, an urgency in her voice.

"Blood is powerful here," she reminds him, "if an exiled merman is a magic user dealing with blood, well..." she trails off.

"I think I can understand why he was exiled."

☁ ~ ☁ ~ ☁

hola mi amigos long time no see

just updating whenever!

working more on my studies and the relasonship with my fam, I'm doing pretty well

hopefully you guys are too!

-fai