~Ten Years Ago~

 

A young boy and his family were taking a break at the beach during their summer holiday. Even though it was the morning, the sun made the sand very hot, so its grit would burn your feet.

 

The kind mother, with her long brown hair, was watching the two little girls as they played in the shallows.

 

Farther off at the rocks was the tall father, his black hair wet from water-fighting with his two sons.

 

The father was talking with the oldest son, short black hair like his father, about how great school will be for him once it starts. The other son, with short brown hair, had wandered to the rocks farther away.

 

That son stopped, noticing something shining in the water. It seemed caught. Interested, the son climbed his way over to the small pool where the shiny object was. The glare of the sun made it impossible to see it, so he just reached down into the water and pulled out the object.

 

“What’s that you have?” called the father, coming over with the other son.

 

The brunette handed it to his father.

 

A golden mirror with a mermaid on the back. It was small and round, fitting in the palm well. Down from a ring was a red tassel. The man looked it over with interest. On the mirror’s surface was an engraved magical circle.

 

“Wow, very pretty.” The father said, handing it back to his son.

 

“Can I keep it, papa?”

 

“I don’t see why not.” He smiled, his son smiling with him.

 

That night in the cabin, all were asleep in their beds but for the brunette son. He was holding the mirror in his hand, staring at the reflection. Like magic, the mirror would give off a faint silver glow as if from a candle.

 

As the son stared into the reflection, it shifted and changed to a young boy at his age with cyan blue hair and matching eyes, and fine white skin.

 

The son smiled, reading one of the words in the engraving. It was a language he couldn’t read, but the symbols looked like letters.

 

“Araiso.” He said with a smile.

 

The reflection seemed to smile back to him, just as softly.

 

 

~Present Day~

“Kasei!” called a girl’s voice, “Wake up! You forgot to do the chores again!”

 

A brunette teenager up in his bedroom shifted awake with a yawn. He rolled over, pushing his face into his pillow. A moment to relax and then he shifted his hand about searching for something in the covers by his head.

 

He lifted his head up, looking into the mirror’s reflection, now in his hand. He yawned and groaned to it, “You kept me up last night with your stupid glow…”

 

“Ka-sei!” the girl called again.

 

“I’m up!”

 

He got up with another yawn, pulling on some jeans and then a dress shirt. He ruffled his hair into place lazily, picked up the mirror and dropped it into his pocket, then headed out of his messy bedroom.

 

“You’re gonna be late for school, Aranie,” he said as he entered the kitchen.

 

His younger sister with black hair glared at him. “Oh please, I’m always on time.”

 

He covered his mouth with a yawn, “That’d be Su, who’s already left.”

 

“Fine, just don’t forget to do your chores.” She waved to him then ran to the door.

 

“Your braids aren’t even.”

 

“I’ll fix them when I get there!”

 

He watched after his sister sleepily for a moment, then shrugged and went to cook himself some eggs. After eating, he looked up when he heard someone come home.

 

“Kasei, you up?” called an adult man.

 

“In the kitchen.”

 

The man came in, his black hair gelled back, and sighed at the look of his son. “Why can’t you try to look productive? It’s only been one week since you graduated.”

 

“Yeah yeah,” he nodded mockingly as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and then started looking around for his lighter.

 

“It’s on the microwave.” His father said, going to make himself some eggs.

 

“Why are you home early?” Kasei asked, lighting up his cigarette and took a soft drag off of it.

 

“I actually have to shop for your mother’s birthday present,” his father said with a chuckle, scrambling the eggs about in the pan. “What are you going to get her?”

 

“A golden dipped rose.”

 

“…That was my idea.”

 

“Find another,” Kasei chuckled, heading out of the room.

 

“Ah, Kasei! Do your chores!” his father called after him.

 

“Sure thing.”

 

His father just sighed, knowing it wouldn’t be done.

 

And he was right.

2: 2

Kasei just went to the study down the hall and picked up a book on oceanography to research. He pulled out the mirror and looked through the book for references about merfolk. He’d been looking for a while and found nothing that seemed plausible.

 

Giving up after a few hours, he looked into the mirror. Like mist clearing, the mirror showed a young man with sleek features, vanilla sweet skin, ocean blue eyes and hair, and an expression of coldness.

 

“Yo, Araiso,” Kasei said to the reflection with a nod. “You have no idea how hard it is to find stuff about this circle in books!” He groaned.

 

Like always, the reflection didn’t falter in expression. Just blinked, seeming to listen without a care.

 

Several hours later, Su and Aranie arrived home with their mother. Kasei went to greet them only to be shaken by Aranie.

 

“Kasei, you’ll never believe this!” she squealed, “A hot guy with white skin and blue hair just left the mall!”

 

“…So?”

 

“He was headed to the park!”

 

“He looked pretty handsome,” Su nodded, her long black hair tied into a tight bun. “He was refused service for no shirt at the mall.”

 

“Oh?” Kasei asked, not really caring.

 

“Yeah!” Aranie nodded, “And on his back was this huge tattoo of that circle!”

 

“The one that’s on your mirror.”

 

“…Really?” Kasei asked. “Hmm…” Two minutes and he was out the door with sunglasses on, a cigarette between his lips and his shirt somewhat buttoned.

 

The park was only a quick fifteen minute walk away. Kasei stopped a little into the grassy area of the park, sighing he looked around. He smiled when he spotted a shirtless man with fine white skin and blue hair sitting at a bench by the pond.

 

Kasei headed over, stopping near the other. “Hello… Where’d you get that tattoo?”

 

The other looked at him and Kasei nearly dropped his cigarette. It was the person from the mirror.

 

“Araiso..?”

 

Looking confused slightly, the other nodded.

 

“Ah…” Kasei nodded, pulling out the mirror to look at it and then to the other.

 

Araiso saw the mirror and grew immediate interest. He stood up and walked over quickly to Kasei to inspect the mirror.

 

“Whoa!” Kasei took a step back seeing Araiso suddenly in front of him. “Y-yes…?”

 

Araiso just reached for the mirror and pulled it to him. He looked over the front, still letting Kasei keep a firm grip on it, and then looked over the back. Then he tried to pull the mirror from Kasei.

 

“Hey this is mine!” Kasei snapped, pulling back his beloved keepsake. Araiso followed, reaching for it.

 

If you’d ever seen two people fight over a tv remote, this was just like that. ‘Cept no sofa, and no table to stand on to make it more unfair.

 

Kasei’d move the mirror high above his head, and Araiso’d get as high as he could to reach it.

3: 3

Finally Kasei hid the mirror into his pocket and headed home, thinking this young teen was too strange.

 

“Ooh, Kasei, you brought him home!” Aranie squealed, running out to meet the two as they came up the drive way.

 

“Yeah yeah, he just kinda followed me.” Kasei shrugged, going inside.

 

Araiso gave a nod to Aranie then hurried after Kasei.

 

Kasei was sitting comfortably on the floor by the coffee table, lighting up a cigarette. Concerned, Araiso looked around and noticed the mirror on the table. Instantly he walked over, moving to pick it up.

 

Kasei grabbed his wrist and pulled the mirror back into his lap. “Mine.”

 

Araiso didn’t seem put off. He just sat close to Kasei and kept trying to reach for the mirror. They’d lean left, then they’d lean right. Then back and forth, high and low. Kasei tried putting it far away from the other, but that just made Araiso shove him down to reach it better.

 

“This is my mirror!!!” Kasei shouted, pushing Araiso back off of him. He sat up and put the mirror back into his pocket with a huff.

 

“What are you two doing?” Su asked, coming in with a bag of chips in hand.

 

“He won’t stop going after my mirror.”

 

Su nodded, taking a bite of a chip. “Looks like he wants more than the mirror.”

 

“Huh? WAAAAH!!!!” Kasei jumped up, holding his pocket shut where the mirror was. “What do you think you’re doing!”

 

Araiso just got onto his knees and tried to pry Kasei’s hands off the pocket and slip his hand back in again.

 

Kasei held back one of Araiso’s hands long enough to sit back down comfortably. He yelped again when he felt Araiso’s other hand trying to get into his pocket.

 

“Would you stop it!” Kasei grumbled, holding both of Araiso’s hands to the floor by the wrists.

 

Araiso frowned and tried to pull his hands away.

 

“Strange, why doesn’t he talk?” Su asked.

 

Aranie came in, looking at the two teens on the floor. “He hasn’t said a word?”

 

“Nope,” Kasei said, pushing Araiso’s hands into his bare chest. “So why don’t you talk, Araiso?”

 

“That his name?” Aranie asked.

 

“How’d you get that?” Su ate another chip.

 

“I guessed~” Kasei shrugged, looking to the other.

 

Araiso motioned with his hands at his throat then shook his head.

 

“Sore throat?” Kasei asked. Bored, the two sisters left the room. Kasei watched them leave then looked back to the other.

 

Araiso just shook his head, frowning a bit.

 

Kasei raised a brow. “Okay… I’ll let you go, but you gotta understand this is my mirror.”

 

Araiso just pouted and glared.

 

“Yes?” Kasei asked, tightening his grip a bit on the other.

 

He let out a gasp of pain but nodded reluctantly, and Kasei let go of him. Araiso rubbed his wrists frowning.

 

“Don’t be like that…” Kasei grumbled, putting a cigarette into his mouth and lit it. “You were the one who wouldn’t stop going after me.”

 

Araiso sighed. A moment later he tugged on Kasei’s sleeve.

 

“Hm?” Kasei looked to him, Araiso rubbing his arms. “Cold?” Nod. Kasei looked behind him to the sofa, reached and pulled the blanket from it to Araiso. Then he helped wrap it around the other. “So where’d you get that tattoo?”

 

Araiso looked down sadly.

 

Kasei looked away, letting out a puff of smoke. “Oh, right.. Can’t talk.”

4: 4

After a bit, Kasei got up and with a new cigarette in his mouth, headed back to the den. Araiso followed after quickly.

 

Kasei spent a while flipping through some books, while Araiso just sat next to him with the blanket wrapped around him.

 

“Waiting for me to show you the mirror?” Kasei asked with a chuckle, looking to the other. All he got was a pout. “Why do you want my mirror so bad?”

 

Araiso looked around, trying to think of how to explain it without words. He pointed to Kasei’s lighter.

 

“My lighter?” He blinked, totally confused. Araiso nodded then pointed at him. “…Me? My lighter belongs to me?” Again, Araiso nodded. Next he pointed at the mirror in Kasei’s pocket. “My mirror…?” Now Araiso pointed to himself. “You… Ha.” Kasei chuckled. “It can’t be yours.” Araiso frowned, not understanding. “I found this on the beach ten years ago.”

 

Araiso flung his arms up in the air making to scream in frustration. Angrily he pointed out the window to the sun, then shoved his arm down from a ninety degree position, like something hitting a horizon.

 

Kasei stared for a moment then shrugged, “Something about when the sun goes down?” Araiso nodded with a firm look in his eyes. Kasei shrugged and just chuckled, then he went back to reading.

 

Finally, when the sun went down, Araiso got up and pulled Kasei around the house until he found the bathroom. He yanked in Kasei and closed the door, then motioned for him to stay put.

 

Kasei grumbled, crossing his arms, “What’s this about?”

 

Araiso glared to him, starting the bathwater.

 

“You don’t expect me to take a bath with you, do you?”

 

The following glare made Kasei not want to say anything more, for fear of his safety.

 

Kasei remained quiet and watched as the other stripped and then climbed into the bathtub. As soon as he did the light in the bathroom went off, but a glow from the bathtub water lit the room dimly.

5: 5

Kasei raised a brow, his arms uncrossing as he slowly walked over to the tub. “…Araiso?”

Blue sleek eyes looked up to Kasei. Araiso’s short blue hair was wet and hugging his face. Where his ears should be came long fin-like pieces with light blue- almost white- scales on them.

Kasei stared unable to say anything, as his eyes wandered more. At Araiso’s shoulders came more fin-like pieces as if wings that started at his collar bone and then flowed down to his shoulder blade, then they came into long graceful pieces. Down to Araiso’s arms, from his wrist to his elbow were more elegant fins. Kasei looked into the water to see if perhaps there was a matching tail.

No tail.

Instead, from the edge of his hips were slight fins fanning out. Then down to his legs, starting at the knee, Araiso’s legs had been turned into graceful solid structures wrapped in large fins to make two separate legs, but both as if their own fins.

Kasei looked back up, “…Wow… You’re a merman?”

“We’re properly called Children of the Sea.” Araiso said, his voice soft and loose but gentle.

“You speak now?” Kasei fell to his knees.

He nodded, “Yes. I can’t speak in human form.”

“So… What did you wanna tell me?” Kasei asked after a moment, folding his arms onto the edge of the tub to look at the other.

Araiso grew a slight blush onto his face, “My-my mirror…”

“What about it?”

“Can’t I have it back?”

“Why?”

Araiso sighed, brushing his wet bangs from his eyes. “I’m the second prince, not to gain the throne… But to regain the respect of my brother, I have to have my mirror with my crest on it.”

Kasei nodded, “So that reflection.. was you?”

“Yes. Through a special underwater bubble I can look through my mirror to find where it is.” He nodded.

“Well that explains it.”

“Hm?”

“Your blue hair.” Kasei said.

“…well, can I have my mirror back?” Kasei shook his head. “What? Why not!”

“Why do you need it? Really.”

“I was exiled…” Araiso looked down. “A merfolk without their special object doesn’t belong in the kingdom… I got pushed to the far ends where humans fish until I turned 19.”

“Why 19?”

“It’s when we gain the ability to appear human for almost twenty hours.” Araiso nodded, “Then we need to return to the water.”

“…This sounds like some crazy dream…”

“It’s real.” Araiso insisted, leaning close to the brunette. “Please, won’t you give me my mirror back? I want to go home.”

“No.” Kasei smirked. As Araiso was ready to shout, Kasei grabbed his chin and gently pulled the other toward him. “Now, now.. I’m not doing this to be mean… I’m just thinking, if you were exiled why not stay with someone who can be your friend? It’s not like anyone’d believe me that you’re a real merman anyway.”

Araiso pulled back, thinking it over for a minute. “…Why do you want me to be here?”

“I’m lonesome.”