Siren's Song (Completed)

Chapter 8

YURIO

I'm going to kill Victor and Yuri.  If we had just kept swimming we wouldn't have stopped and had to do a rescue mission and get caught in the process.

I was in a large tin basin on the lower deck of one of the ships. There was enough room for me to move my arms and wiggle my tail but that was about it.  The water barely came up to my chest.

I thought about escaping but the guard sitting near the door glared at me.

Stupid baka. If he would just leave then I could-

Could what? Crawl on my belly to the upper deck and then what? Throw myself over the edge and plunge into the depths below without being caught.

Tch. I just might.

I sighed folding my arms over my chest as someone else approached. This pirate wore black trousers as I heard them called and a white tunic.

His boots were mucked and dirty, but his tanned skin was smooth and clean. His hair was cropped short, but a little longer on the top. His dark eyes studied me from the other side of the tank.

The first pirate rose leaving me alone with this new one.

I wasn't one to back down, but his stare made me feel strange. I averted my gaze feeling uncomfortable.

"So you are real." He spoke quietly, but loud enough for me to hear.

"Of course I'm real. You're real aren't you?" I snapped.

His stoic face remained impassive as he took a seat near the exit.

Damn. Definitely no chance of escape.

"I never believed your kind to be real until I lost people I loved. I've been studying trying to find out all I could about sirens like you. It was why I joined the crew of Captain J. To find the monster that killed the people I loved." His deep voice was thick with grief and hatred.

I flinched at his tone, but refused to be intimidated by him.

"We aren't monsters. We do what we have to to survive because of a curse bestowed upon us. You are the monsters kidnapping us and torturing us to sell and kill us." I growled flashing fang as my temper flared.

He seemed a little surprised at my outburst and rose to stand before the tub just out of my reach.

"You lure innocent people to a watery grave." He spoke so low I almost didn't hear him. He turned back and took his seat near the exit.

"Then we are even." I muttered glaring at the wall. We fell into a tense quiet. The air was thick with tension and anger.

"Why haven't you tried to escape? To kill all of us?" He asked after a long silence.

"Because there would be no point. One, I'd be killed on the spot for trying. Two, there are a lot more of you than me, and three, do you see me with a pair of legs? I can't exactly walk out of here." I threw my hands up for emphasis.

Something like amusement danced in his dark eyes before he composed himself and that void look was back in his eyes.

I sighed sinking a little lower into the tub.

"Do you have a name?" He asked once again breaking through the silence.

Surprised by his question I simply nodded.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Yurio." I answered honestly.
"What's yours?" I asked curious.