After a short while, Kasei returned to his bedroom dressed in his jeans with a towel on his head. He stopped after closing the door, looking over to his bed. Slowly he pulled down the towel to see the sleeping figure more clearly.

A snicker grew onto his face, then he walked over and pulled the blanket up over Araiso. “Stupid. You should have a blanket on you when you sleep.”

Araiso only muttered something, snuggling happily into the blanket placed over him.

Kasei stood there watching Araiso for a bit. Finally he tossed his towel to the shelf and settled for sleeping with his head against the edge of his bed.

In the morning, Kasei walked downstairs. His sisters had already left, and for some reason his brother and father were talking.

“You shouldn’t sleep this late,” his father said from the table, drinking coffee.

Kasei stared at him, putting a hand on his hip. “You’re never home. I have to play dad so I can act anyway I want, just like you. Right, old man?”

His brother glared at him, “Why do you insist like acting like such a child, Kasei?”

“Forgive me for not growing into a fancy-assed salary man, Cho.” Kasei glared right back.

“Enough!” their father shouted. “Cho told me you brought that blue-haired freak back into my house late last night.”

“Yeah, so?” Kasei crossed his arms. He’d long grown out of wanting to earn his father’s respect.

“I told you not to bring him here!”

“He’s my friend.”

“Too bad. Kick him out.”

“No.”

Slowly, Kasei’s father stood up. “Kasei. Kick him out now, or I will.”

Kasei’s eyes thinned. “He’s my friend and he can stay however long he wants.”

Long annoyed with Kasei’s arrogant attitude towards him, his father finally snapped. He lunged at Kasei, punching him hard to the floor. Kasei stood up, blocking the second punch, spun around and kicked at his father.

Punches, kicks and a good toss later, Kasei was sitting against the sofa on the floor with a black eye and bloody lip.

“Now.” His father straightened up. “Get your friend out of here.” And he left the room.

Cho walked over to Kasei slowly. “You really should stop egging him on like that, Kasei.”

“What do you care?” Kasei asked, standing up. “You’re his perfect son. He doesn’t give a shit about me.”

Cho frowned, “You don’t really believe that do you?”

Kasei spat blood to the side, glaring at Cho. “Unfortunately, I do.” He pushed past his speechless brother and headed back up to his room.

Quietly, Kasei got dressed quickly, then pushed Araiso’s shoulder. “Araiso. Araiso, get up.” Araiso just curled more into a ball. Kasei sighed, and scooped the other up into his arms, blankets and all, and carried him downstairs. Kasei glared once more at his brother as he snatched up the car keys and left outside.

Once Araiso was buckled in, Kasei went around to his side and started the car up. He checked his eye for a moment in the mirror before backing up and driving out onto the road.

An hour or so later, Araiso woke up to the salty fresh smell of the ocean. He blinked open his eyes, seeing he was at a small secluded cove laying on the sand. Confused, he looked around, spotting Kasei nearby.

“Morning.” Kasei waved, standing up walking over to him. “You better get going.”

Araiso rubbed his eyes as he stood up. He stared at Kasei’s beaten up face, moving to touch it.

Kasei caught Araiso’s wrist before he could though. “I’m serious. You have to go.” He turned Kasei around, and shoved him toward the water.

Uneasily, Araiso stepped into the water a bit. He closed his eyes and exhaled. As he did, a small spout of water washed up around him and he fell to his knees back in his original form.

“You’re hurt, Kasei.” Araiso said, turning to him.

Kasei shrugged, “My Dad got pissed at me is all.” He pulled something from his pocket at tossed it to Araiso. “Here.”

Araiso caught it, looking at the small mirror now in his hand. Then he looked back up to Kasei, “I can’t take this from you. You love it.”

“It’s yours to begin with.” Kasei said with another shrug. “You need it to get home.”

“But Kasei…” Araiso frowned. “I… Sort of don’t want to leave now. I want to stay with you.”

Kasei shuffled his feet a bit, snickering. “Araiso, look at yourself. You’ve got scales, a fin and need to be in the water. Your voice hypnotizes people. You have blue hair and pale skin. You turn into a human.” Araiso stared at Kasei in shock. “Face it. You’re a freak.” He hardened a glare on the other.

“I… I’m not… I just wanted to…”

“To what?” Kasei tilted his head, trying to make himself as much of a jerk as possible. “Be human? Fit in with us?” He paused, “No human looks like you in anyway. You don’t belong here, and that’s proven by the fact that you can’t even talk as a human.”

“Yes, but I…”

“And you’ve got some freaky powers, odd tattoo on your back,” Kasei waved his hand. “You’ve no idea what humans are like and are willing to trust anyone you meet.”

“I thought you were my friend! I wanted to come up and see you!”

Kasei shrugged, “You were wrong. So, go home.”

Araiso stared at Kasei, his eyes welling up with tears and his lips starting to quiver. He couldn’t believe what Kasei was saying.

“What are you waiting for?” Kasei shouted. “You got your stupid mirror now. I had fun with a girly-boy mute who doesn’t know squat. You’ve entertained me and now I’m done with you, so go.”

“Stop it.” Araiso shouted.

“You were just a stupid toy to me!” Kasei shouted. “You ruined everything with my family, and Daaku. You’re not wanted here.”

“Stop it!”

“You’re born from some weird god and have no idea what families are.” Kasei shouted louder, trying to make his point. “I got bored of you, so get the fuck out of my life now!”

“You’re…” Araiso shouted back, “You’re horrible!”

“That’s what humans are.”

Furious, Araiso turned and in one fell swoop dove into the ocean waves.

Kasei stood there, appearing pissed for a few moments. Then he let out a heavy sigh and hung his head. He looked up for a moment at the waves for any sign of Araiso, then turned and walked away.

Slowly Araiso pushed his head up through the waves, looking sadly after Kasei. He watched him leave, then slowly sunk back into the ocean.

Araiso hugged his mirror. As it touched his heart, the crest on it and his back glowed together and it formed a thick strap around his wrist.

He spent a moment thinking sadly, trying to organize his thoughts. Then, Araiso swam as fast as he could to the deep ocean trenches below to the nearest city.

He swam to a large spire of the city, looking around confused. “Navy? Coral?” He swam around, looking for anyone in the whole city. “Serene? Nerides?” Araiso stopped near a banquet hall in one of the buildings. “Anyone?” He hung his head slowly.

Shouts of attackers came around him, and in a blur of motion Araiso was tied up in thick seaweed.

“Well, well, you took a bit longer than I expected, Araiso.” Came a man’s voice. Araiso looked up as a man with dark blue features and a woman with reds and shells came swimming down to him. “Good job, guards. You caught him perfectly.”

Araiso struggled against the guards holding the ends of the seaweed holding him hostage. “Coral! Navy! What’s this about? Let me go!”

The woman snickered, swimming over to him, “We can’t do that, dear little brother. You’ve done something very illegal.”

“Illegal?” Araiso blinked.

The man nodded, cross his arms. “You’ve actually dared to fall in love with a human.”

“Wha- I haven’t… I don’t love a human!”

“You can’t lie to your own kind, Araiso.” The man answered, swimming closer. “And as punishment…” He put his hand over Araiso’s eyes. “I’ll be taking your oceanic powers.”

Araiso screamed in pain as a powerful burst of energy ran through him from his whole body and left him threw the hand on his head. His crest glowed brightly on his back, as it painfully cleared a few symbols from his flesh, the red blood slowly floating around him.

Araiso gasped, glared up to the man. “Why are you doing this, Navy?”

“Simple.” He smiled. “I want to wash all the humans away. I’m done with them killing us off. Now, it’s their turn to suffer.”

“But they already do!”

“How?” Navy blinked.

“They… Their families and love… And their currency…” Araiso wasn’t sure how to explain it.

Navy scoffed. “Troubles the humans brought on themselves. We’re dying from their negligence! They must die! They must all die!”

“Navy, you can’t do that!”

“I don’t have to.” Navy snickered. “See, if you don’t have your powers to control the ebb of the tides, the other two will start to argue amongst themselves and well… Just use your imagination.” He turned to the woman next to him, “Have him taken down to the Dark Cave and seal it off. We don’t want him going to warn anyone.”

“Right away.” She bowed as Navy swam off. Then she fiercely directed the guards outside of the city to some cliffs at the coast.

Araiso was shoved into a very dark cave. Once in, a thick wall of ice sealed off the exit.

“Coral! Stop this! Let me out!” Araiso shouted, pounding on the ice.

She smiled at him, “Maybe after the humans are dead.”

Then she and the guards swam away.

Araiso pounded on the ice for a while more. Then, slowly loosing strength, he sunk to the bottom of the cave. “What can I do? Maybe Kasei was right, and I really don’t belong there… Or here.”

He hung his head into his knees, “I don’t belong anywhere.”

A day of sadness passed. Finally Araiso looked into the mirror in his hands. He closed his eyes and thought hard.

Slowly, the mirror’s surface began to glow. Araiso looked into it as he saw very slowly a shadow, then a figure and then Kasei’s face come into clear view.