Fires at Icy Midnight

Band: The Guzmania&Acme (ex.DIV) with Moran, heidi., Kalafina, Nightmare, Ganglion and Band-Maid in the background

Pairing: Chobi&Chisa with Ivy&Vivi in the background

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, fantasy, AU

Series: "Fires at Icy Midnight"

Warnings: magic, violence

Notka autorska: "Fairies, according to legends, are small, cute creatures, who live among the trees, drink nectar from flowers and fly on bumble-bees. When people think about fairies, the last thing they think of are strict rules about mixed offsprings and magic controled by them."

Fairies, according to legends, are small, cute creatures, who live among the trees, drink nectar from flowers and fly on bumble-bees. When people think about fairies, the last thing they think of are strict rules about mixed offsprings and magic controled by them.

There are four original magic elements - water, fire, earth and air. Fairies controling them have butterfly wings and wands with a rose and a diamond. Every element has its colour - water is navy, fire is red, earth is green and air is violet. Fairies have wings, wands and clothes in all of shades of them.

And then we have their mixed offsprings.

Every offspring has wings of a moth and wand with its glass counterpart. Water makes mist with fire, mud with earth and ice with air. Fire and earth are lava, fire and air are light, but earth and air make its opposite element - darkness. When all elements mix, a pixie is born - a fairy without wings, who uses offsprings' wand.

Offsprings aren't liked in society, like always. But light fairies are glorified and spoiled. Light magic is considered as sacred and that's why light fairies are the only offsprings with butterfly wings and rosie wands.

It was one problem with offsprings. Ice, lava and darkness fairies rarely control their powers, so everytime, when something happens, they're sent to the watch centre. It usually works out and after a year of living here, a fairy comes back to the good side of spreading shining dust around.

But sometimes there are fairies who are bullied by other over and over lose control constantly...

I'm an ice fairy. I've spent almost all my life in the watch centre. I can't control my powers for longer than a week. And Ryu, the darkness fairy, is the main reason for that. He loves torturing me.

I jumped from one branch to another and sat down on a leaf. I saw other villagers behind a fence, spending happily their time in park. I was surprised, when I noticed that a representative of almost every element in our small community was there.

Siblings - Chobi and Meiko from the fire clan and Kiri from the air clan. By the way, these two clans were replacing each other on the throne all the time.

Another siblings - Jin and Ivy from the earth clan.

And finally Saiki from the water clan.

There were some mixed offsprings too. The light fairy Hikaru, the mist fairy Akane, the mud fairy Yoshihiko... Oh, and even the lava fairy Vivi and the pixie Ni~ya.

And me, the ice fairy Chisa, hiding behind a fence and watching longingly those, who are free. Just like some butterfly dreaming about flying.

* * *

I left the Watch Centre, folding and unfolding a belt attached to my bag. I could leave, but for how long? Three days? Three hours? I'm going to return there and watch the world through the fence again.

I don't know life outside the Watch Centre. I don't know life in peace. I don't know, how it is to be free.

Suddenly something fell to my feet. I looked at this.

"Chestnut?" I was surprised, picking up the chestnut.

It was immediately covered in frost.

I dropped it. I have to calm down. I can't lose control again. I left the Watch Centre only about three minutes ago!

"Hey~!" I heard and I looked up.

Oh, right. Chobi from the fire clan. He's nice to everyone and probably likes everyone too. Even if he doesn't know them.

Like me.

"Hi" I replied and I felt that the strap of my bag is freezing.

"Oh, my chestnut" Chobi picked it up, but it slipped out of his hands and fell on his foot. "Ouch...

"I'm sorry" I said. "I think I froze your chestnut..."

"No, you just frosted it a little" Chobi smiled brightly and burned the chestnut, which caused it to thaw. "What's your name? I'm Chobi."

"Chisa" I replied.

"Are you going home from the Watch Centre?" asked Chobi, following me.

Go away. Talking to me won't end well for you.

"Yeah" I nodded and he was still following me with his chestnut.

"I rarely see you" Chobi was still talking. "You know, I know everyone. Hotaka is your brother, right? I often see him, when he's going mushroom picking. But he goes there earlier. He's nice, it's a good boy. Is an age gap between you big?"

"Three years" I replied.

"I have a sister, Meiko. But she's three years younger, not older" Chobi smiled slightly.

Oh, so you think that Hotaka is older? Not first time in my life.

"We're going fishing with Ivy. Do you want to go with us?" asked Chobi and I just sighed.

"I can go" I said quietly and followed Chobi to the riverside.

* * *

"Gotch ya!" Ivy lunged at the zander, which immediately knocked it off its back. "Or not. I'll catch another one!"

"Wouldn't it be easier for you with vines?" asked Chobi, creating a bow and an arrow from the flames that pierced the fence.

The fish fell back into the water with a loud splash.

"I made a bet with Vivi that I can do it without it" replied Ivy, grabbing the perch by the tail and letting it drag him for a while.

I was sitting at the riverside and just looking at them. I didn't want to use my strengh or powers or to invest my emotions in this duel.

"Chisa, watch out!" called me Chobi suddenly and I looked up.

A large fish, probably a pike, jumped out of the water and flew straight towards me.

Shhuush. Icicles cut through the air and pierced the fish and nearby trees, cutting down flowers and cutting grass within a radius of several meters.

The fish fell with a thud right in front of my feet, its blood staining our clothes and the river water.

"Awesome" whispered Ivy, holding a bass, who tried to break free from the trap. "We're going to have a party tonight!"

"This pike is going to feed us for a good week" said Chobi, approaching the carcass. "We need to call a few more people, because we can't carry this huge fish on our own."

"I'm sorry, I got scared..." I mumbled under my breath.

"What? No, it's amazing!" exclaimed Chobi, patting my shoulder. "Good job, Chisa. Come with me, we need help. Ivy, kill this fish already, it's getting tired."

"Can't I make it my pet? I would feed it worms" said Ivy, making Chobi laugh.

"If you want it as a pet, I don't care, but I don't know, what would your parents say."

"Mum won't let me, fish are too slimy..."

"You answered your own question" Chobi grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a village. "And now watch these fish or some bear will eat them!"

Ivy nodded.

And I thought that if not Chobi's call, this fish would crash me...

* * *

I sat at the end of the table covered with dishes from the fish we had caught and listened to the happy conversations and watched the emerging romances.

I looked at Ryu, who had been watching me the whole time.

Despite his origins, he was never sent to a control center.

Never.

I felt the cutlery freeze. I thought about it immediately.

I can't let it happen. Calm down, Chisa.

"Are you okay?" asked my mum, looking at me in worry.

I nodded. She had such beautiful, navy wings. Dad had violet ones.

I sighed.

"I have to relax, I'll be fine" I announced, getting up from the table.

Hotaka looked at me, a little worried, but then I noticed that he started to eat my food, which I barely touched.

I leaned against a tree and the bark froze instantly. Chisa, for fuck's sake! Control yourself! This psychopath just looked at you!

"What happened, Chisa?" I heard next to my ear, which made me freeze grass around me. "Whoops?"

I looked at Ryu. He was petting frozen grass, breaking it.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"To get rid of you once again" explained Ryu calmly. "What are you looking at, Chisa? Are you are afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you" I replied, although the crackling of the slowly freezing forest denied this. "I just don't like your company."

"That's rude of you to say that" said Ryu. "Very rude."

He grabbed my shoulder and pinned me to the tree. Frost covered his hand.

"You're very naughty, Chisa" Ryu chucked. "I have to tell autorities, what you're doing."

"Hey, leave him alone!" I heard Chobi's voice, who just ran to us, breaking grass on his way. "Let him go."

"Of course" Ryu took his hand off my shoulder. "I wanted to go anyway."

And he flew away, leaving us alone.

"Are you okay?" asked Chobi, walking to me. "Chisa?"

He grabbed my wrist.

"Don't touch me!" I jumped off him like he burned me, but his hand was covered in frost anyway. "I can't control my powers, I don't know, how to do it."

"It's normal, you're so young, kids..."

"I'm seventeen, Chobi."

He was silent for a moment.

"Seventeen?" repeated Chobi after a while. "You said that Hotaka..."

"That there is an age gap of three years between us. But I'm the older one" I corrected.

Chobi looked at me like I've just told him that we can't fly on swallows.

"Awesome" Chobi laughed. "So we haven't met for past 17 years?"

"Yeah."

"How?" asked Chobi. "How is that even possible?"

"You see? I told you, everything is frozen" Ryu returned with two employees from the watch centre.

"It was your fault, I saw that!" yelled Chobi.

"Children are too loyal to their friends" Ryu smiled maliciously and the watch centre guards grabbed my shoulders.

"I don't want to come back" I cried.

"You have to control your powers first. You won't have to then" replied one man.

"Hey, leave him alone! It's not his fault!" shouted Chobi, but no one listened to him.

And I felt that someting stung my shoulder and fainted...

* * *

I was laying on the bed, drawing in my sketchbook. I've survived outside of the Watch Centre just almost a day. I knew that it's going to be like this.

I heard knocking on the door.

"Come in" I said.

Vivi stood in the treshold, vissibly not pleased because of this situation.

"Hi" he said, closing the door behind him.

"Hey. Have you lost control too?" I was shocked.

Vivi has been in the watch centre once. A long time ago, when we were still children.

"Ivy got mad" started Vivi, sitting on the chair. "I mean, when they took you. Chobi told him, what Ryu has done. I was angry too and then I tried to stop Ivy from fighting with the watch centre's security, but I failed. They knocked Ivy out and I... I lost control, because I was worried about him."

"I see" I nodded, not stopping my drawing. "But you can lose control once a few years."

"You're right" Vivi smiled slightly. "But I'm glad that things turned out like this. Now I can ask you some questions."

"What questions?" I didn't understand, what he's talking about.

"Does Ryu always bring you here?" he asked and I nodded. "Since when?"

"Since I was four" I replied. "He hit my face with sand, when we were sitting in the sandbox. He loved guards taking me to the watch centre so much that I was outside for, I think..."

I thought for a moment.

"Don't tell me that you don't leave this place at all..." Vivi opened his eyes wide.

"Summing this up..." I took a piece of paper and a pen, then I counted days of freedom. "Twenty nine days."

"In one year?"

"Since I was sent there for the first time" I smiled sarcastically and put the paper away.

Vivi looked defeated.

"You're kidding me..."

"No" I shook my head. "Since thirteen years they're keep putting me here and, to be honest, I can control my powers less and less, because..."

"You're so scared that you're going to be sent here that you lose control again" Vivi finished my thoughts. "That's why Hotaka was here only once. It's not genes' fault, but this psycho's."

I nodded and then I heard knocking on the door.

"Come in."

"It's dinner time" announced Hikaru, who worked there. "Oh, Vivi. You're here. So I don't have to visit your room."

"We'll be here in one minute" said Vivi.

I walked to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"What I've just told is a secret, okay?" I looked at him firmly.

"But..."

"I don't want anyone to pity me" I explained. "Don't tell anyone. Please."

Vivi fell silent. I didn't know, how to interpret this...

* * *

Several days later I sat under the fence and started drawing again. Suddenly I felt that something stung me through the net. I turned around abruptly and saw Chobi.

By the way, the fence was now covered with frost...

"Oh, sorry..." Chobi stepped back from the fence. "You won't have problems because of this, will you?"

"Not here" I replied. "Why are you here?"

"Don't be mean, I came here for you" Chobi puffed his cheeks a little. "Vivi told us about your situation."

"I told him not to do it!"

"But he told us. And it’s good that he did" Chobi knelt next to fthe ence and sat down on his heels. "Chisa, you spent only twenty nine days free, since this psycho started bullyomg you!"

"And what are you going to do? No one believes me, everyone likes him" I sighed.

"I thought that I can at least show you, how it is" he said.

"What do you mean?"

"I can come here and talk to you" he explained. "They shouldn't forbid us to do it, right?"

"Until I lose control, it's fine" I replied.

Chobi smiled brightly.

* * *

Chobi and Ivy were meeting with us everyday. They've been giving us sweets, talking with us, telling jokes and playing games. The fence was the only thing, which prevented us from touching them. And I wanted to do it more and more. But I knew that if someone saw us, they would lock me in my room.

And then a whole year has passed. They let me and Vivi go the same day. Ivy and Chobi waited for us.

"Do you want to go to the riverside?" asked Ivy.

"Tomorrow. Today I want to spend time with my family" replied Vivi.

"Of course" Ivy embraced Vivi with his arm. "I'll walk you home, my lava girl."

"I'm not a girl, Ivy."

"But you're sweet."

"Ivy!"

I laughed and looked at Chobi. He was smiling like always.

"Should I walk you home?" he asked.

"If you want to..." I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

Chobi led me to my home. I thanked him, we said our byes and I walked inside. I welcomed my family, we had a dinner, then we sat down in front of the fireplace, where we ate cake, which my mum baked specially for my return.

I went to my room. I used to be here so rarely that almost nothing changed since I was a kid. Besides my bed.

I finished a book I started reading in the watch centre already, I ate supper with my family, played some games with Hotaka and went to sleep.

It was nice to sleep in my own bed. But I knew that it was a matter of time until Ryu was going to take this from me again...

* * *

The next day we went to the riverside. Ivy pulled out a fishing rod and sat down with Vivi closer to the shore. I prefered not to touch the water.

"Something happened, Chisa?" asked Chobi, sitting next to me. "Don't you want join them?"

"I don't want to risk freezing the water" I explained.

"Don't panic" Chobi sighed. "When was the last time you had lost control?"

"Yesterday, when I was brushing my teeth" I replied, making Chobi blink. "I'm a hopeless case. I'm stressing out because of my reflection.in the mirror"

"I don't even know, what to say" said Chobi.

We were just sitting there and staring at flowing water. Suddenly we heard Ivy's happy voice.

"Yeah, I caught you, little fish!" he shouted, pulling fishing rod to himself. "Vivi, help me, this fish is stubborn as hell."

Vivi grabbed the fishing rod with Ivy, but this fish was too strong. Chobi ran to help them and then...

SHOOST.

Fish pulled everyone underwater. And pixies are the only fairies, who can swim, so...

"No!" I screamed, jumping on my feet.

Grass around me froze within a radius of about half a meter. I ran towards the river, freezing everything around, and ran into the river, but I didn't even get wet.

Surface was already covered with ice.

"Chobi! Vivi! Ivy!" I tried to find them, but I couldn't.

Only after a while I saw Chobi's red clothes. I fell to my knees and melted the ice there, then I pulled everyone out.

The river froze completely after this and that's why ice didn't break under us.

* * *

"It was terrifying" said Ivy, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands.

We were at Chobi's place and parents of all three fairies practically knelt on the floor in front of me after we explained, what happened.

Even if I still was a little nervous and the armchair I was sitting in was covered with frost...

"You saved our sons" Chobi's mum looked at me gratefully. "I don't know, how to even thank you."

"Well, your mind was cool in such a stressing situation" said Ivy's dad.

"Don't even start with your silly puns again" Vivi's mum threatened him with her finger.

"They’re funny to me" Vivi's dad shrugged.

"Men and their sense of humour..." mumbled Ivy's mum.

"Who wants cake?" Chobi's dad walked into the room with a shortcake he just made.

"I just hope you didn't get in trouble because of us" said Chobi, staring at his cup.

"Why are you so worried about this?" asked his mum.

"He didn't control, what he was doing" explained Vivi. "Well, he still can't control it..."

Everyone looked at the armchair I was sitting in.

"We won't say anything" promised Chobi's dad. "Nothing is going on, it's just frost. It'll melt."

"I could be worse, if Vivi were the one, who lost control" said Hotaka. "Then you wouldn’t be able to save this armchair."

"And floor" added Vivi's dad, making his wife nudge him in his ribs.

"Are you really going to keep this a secret?" asked my dad.

Everyone just nodded.

"Don't you dare even try backing out of it!" warned them my mum. "If you do, I'm going to flood this village!"

"Tsukiko" scolded her my dad.

After afternoon tea, we came back home. I went to sleep, hoping for a better future.

But like they say, hope is a mother of stupid people...

* * *

I was returning with Chobi from mushroom picking. Chobi proudly rolled a large porcino, I settled for a small chanterelle. And then none other than Ryu stood in our way.

"I heard about your heroic adventure yesterday, Chisa" he said calmly, walking towards us. "The whole village is praising you."

"Don't even walk closer" Chobi stood between me and him. "Get out. You can't stress him only because you like it!"

"Bullshit" Ryu grabbed his shirt and threw him away.

Confused Chobi fell on the ground and glared at Ryu, furious.

"Don't throw me like some bones for dogs!" he shouted, burning grass around him.

"Boring" said Ryu and in this moment everything faded to black.

"Chobi, get out from here!" I yelled and then I felt that Ryu punched my stomach.

I curled up and fell on the ground, then I grabbed Ryu's ankle.

"What the fuck are you doing, you ice freak?!" I heard his voice suddenly.

What have I done? I don't know, what. I didn't see anything.

...until the shadows disappeared.

Ryu was almost frozen. He stepped back and his frozen clothes were screeching, breaking like twigs. He couldn't move his left leg at all, after I grabbed it.

"You know what? On the other hand, it couldn't end better" Ryu smiled and ruffled his frosty hair.

"If you're going to call people from the watch centre..." Chobi wanted to punch him, but Ryu did it first.

"Then what? I can blame our little icicle for everything, so I can hurt you even more, you know?" Ryu laughed and flew away.

My powers didn't reach his wings.

"Chisa..." whispered Chobi, then he walked to me and hugged me. "He..."

"Step away!" I yelled, but Chobi didn't listen to me. "Being in my presence is dangerous! Ryu is going to kill you and blame me!"

"I don't care about it" said Chobi.

I pushed him away.

"You saw, what I had just done. Well, you see it all the time. I loose control everytime. I freeze furniture, chopsticks and plants, because I get scared over something trivial!"

"It's all because of him" said Chobi firmly. "It's his fault, not yours."

"I froze your armchair yesterday, because I was still stressed by the lake situation. I didn't notice you or Vivi making holes in floor and you were the ones, who almost died!"

"You're just sensitive, that's all."

"I'm a mixed offspring. You're a pure-blood."

"Vivi is an offspring too."

"But he can control himself! Do you really think I killed this fish, because I wanted to do it?!"

Chobi glared at me.

"You didn't?"

"No. I just wanted to protect myself. And I could've hurt you or Ivy. I didn't control it."

Chobi clenched his fists.

"I can't let him hurt you" I said. "I can't lose you."

"But if they lock you in the watch centre again, I’ll lose you" Chobi stomped his leg like some angry bunny. "And I don't want it!"

"Why?"

"I like you. Very much. Very, very much" explained Chobi. "And that's why I don't want you to return there. I want a normal life for you, not sitting behind the bars all the time."

"But I'm dangerous, why can't you understand that?!"

"Ryu is the dangerous one!"

"Really? So look around us and tell me that you feel safe."

Chobi looked around. He was staring at frozen plants and frosted trees. His porcino was completely frozen. My chanterelle too.

"You were scared. It's because of him."

"Were you scared too, Chobi?"

"Yes..."

"Exactly. And you're not burning forest right now" I sighed and moved away from Chobi, but he grabbed my hand.

"Chisa, there has to be something..."

"Don't touch me!"

Blood splashed over my face, arms, legs, clothes... I was looking in Chobi's wide open eyes. I was watching as he fell on the frozen ground, coughing with blood. He probably tried to understand, why icycles pierced him through and got stuck in a tree behind him. He also tried to call my name, but he couldn't do it and just stopped moving.

And I couldn't do anything, I couldn't even move, I just watched.

Until frightened guards from the Watch Centre didn't inject me with doubled sleeping potion.

* * *

I woke up in a cell...

Wait a minute.

I blinked. It really was a cell. I wasn't in the Watch Centre. I was in jail.

"Good afternoon" I heard someone's voice.

I got up. Guard was looking at me with an emotionless expression.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Light fairies revived your victim" he announced, opening the cell. "He's fine."

"Glad to hear it" I said, when the guard grabbed my shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"You're going to be executed. I want to watch" replied the guard, smiling maliciously.

He didn't even flinch, when I froze his hand.

So that's how I'm going to die.

I don't know, why, but I thought "Finally"...

* * *

I got tied to the trunk surrounded with dry twigs. Funny death for the ice fairy, right? As a total opposite to my powers.

Well, not exactly. They would have to pour lava on me.

"Chisa, the child of water and air, fairy of ice" I heard loud voice of the judge. "You're guilty of murdering Chobi, the child of fire, fairy of fire. Do you admit that you killed him with cold blood?"

I nodded. My mum fainted.

"Well, good night" said the judge and snapped his fingers at executor.

Executor walked to me, lit a flame on his finger and lit up the wood.

I closed my eyes. This is going to hurt. But at least I can finally rest, right?

"No!" I suddenly heard a voice.

I opened my eyes and through smoke I saw Chobi in his pajamas going towards me, pushing other people away.

I felt tears in my eyes, when flames reached my legs.

It hurt.

It hurt like hell.

I closed my eyes.

I was losing my mind.

And probably started crying.

But then fire burned out. I felt someone untying me, picking me up and jumping from the stake with me.

"Don't come closer or I'm going to burn this village to the ground" growled Chobi, still holding me in his arms.

"Chobi, my dear..." I heard his mum's voice. "He killed you..."

"Accidentally" Chobi interrupted her. "He lost control and it was my fault. Well, not only mine, but Ryu's too."

"Ryu?"

"Darkness fairy. He provokes him all the time, just to put him in this mental hospital again! He's obsessed with bullying him!"

"What do you have to say, Ryu?" the judge glared at him.

Ryu just shrugged.

"I just think this ice freak brainwashed him."

"That's not true!" shouted Hotaka. "I've seen you many times, scaring him!"

"I saw it too!" confirmed Saiki. "Akane was with me back then!"

"He's doing everything to make Chisa lose his control" added Akane.

"And we've always been telling you about it" reminded them Saiki.

"But no one listened to us!" shouted Ni~ya. "Because he was acting like this usually only among offsprings."

"You ignored even pure-bloods' words" added Yoshihiko.

"It's really hecking unfair, you know..." said Kiri quietly.

"I can confirm" Hikari nodded. "You have to start listenong to us."

"I understand that teenagers are just children in your eyes, but that doesn't mean that we can't see, what's going on" said Ni~ya.

Ryu just laughed.

"See? You can see? Good luck."

All we could see was darkness. Deep and frightening.

"That's why marriages between earth and air fairies scare me!" cried my dad. "Do you see, what's going on?!"

"Well, we're not, in fact" I heard Ivy's dad voice.

"Dad!" this time it was Ivy himself.

And then we heard a thud, short scream and another thud.

We could see again after that and we saw Meiko, who was leaning over Ryu, holding a torch in her hand.

"I hit him" she announced. "He was annoying and he didn't even notice that I'm blind."

Meanwhile Ryu was a little burned, unconscious and finally defenseless.

* * *

Light fairies healed me, so I could leave the hospital quickly. Ryu was executed, but I didn't ask, how. I really didn't care.

I went with my parents and Hotaka to the park. Today it was a Firefly Festival, so the whole village was there to observe it.

It was almost midnight. I was looking at one of the fireflies, sipping grape juice, when Hotaka nudged my cheek.

"Look" my brother pointed on Chobi, who was standing there with his friends and discussing about something with them happily.

I got up, gave my juice to Hotaka and walked towards Chobi. Ivy saw me first and patted Chobi's shoulder, pointing on me.

"Chisa" Chobi looked at the ground. "You're causing ear;y winter."

"Because of emotions" I started to walk towards him. "Why did you save me?"

"I've told you before. I like you. Very much" replied Chobi, but Vivi smacked his head. "Ouch! Alright, alright. I love you. Are  y o u  happy?"

Ivy and Vivi laughed under their breath.

"What?" I blinked.

"I fell in love with you. That's why I couldn't lose you" explained Chobi.

I walked to him, freezing everything around me.

"And you're not scared?"

"No. I have fire powers. I can melt this everytime" Chobi smiled radiantly.

"Good, because I can become too emotional right now" I said, putting my hands on his cheeks and kissing his lips.

But I think Chobi didn't care about his frosty hair, if he kissed me back.

Melting everything around us, because even pureblood fairies can't control their emotions in such situations.

The end

In the silence

Band: Moran

Pairing: Soan&Hitomi

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, slice of life, soft angst

Warnings: mentioned death, based on real life

Note: Hitomi hates silence, because it reminds him of that one event from his and Soan's past he still didn't get over it.

I hate silence. Whenever I sit in complete silence, my demons are speaking in my head. Bad memories are revived, feelings that weren't needed for a long time are renewed. There is fear of losing this reality in which I live.

I sigh, crumbling piece of paper in my hand with another bad lyrics. How am I ever going to focus in this choking, devouring silence, which is eating me inside? In this eternal loneliness that has been going on too long?

Okay, maybe you only went away for a week, but in a situation, where I'm neither in a mood nor good at all, I have a tendency to dramatize.

And I try to write again and nothing comes out of it. I go to the window, open it wide and lean my hands on the windowsill.

Cars buzzing, I can hear the voices of people downstairs, someone slammed the balcony door, someone was listening to songs from "Fullmetal Alchemist" at full volume. It's probably that hard-of-hearing teenager from the fourth floor.

I stand there, looking at the small, concrete world called the estate that surrounds me. Someone in the opposite block is watching a cartoon with the children, a lady is preparing her dinner, while licking her fingers. I laugh under my breath, when I see a couple on the third floor, who's desire was so big that they forgot to close the curtains before going to bed.

I wonder, how many times someone has watched us like that?

An insect is walking up the wall. I don't know what kind of creature it is, but it crawls up the wall as if his life depended on it.

Or maybe it depends? Who knows it out there.

And aren't we often like such insects? We go on without even knowing why. And why so fast? And why are we always in a hurry, why do we walk so rarely, looking at others and the whole environment?

We have such a beautiful, cloudless sky today. Well, maybe sometimes you can see a cloud, but such inconspicuous, white as snow.

The Mazda engine growled as someone pulled from the parking lot. I can hear dimly the noise of the fan that someone must have placed near the window. I think one floor below. The sound of the TV is breaking through the wall. Judging by the names, the neighbors are watching some Turkish soap opera.

Wait a minute. Does this mean the electricity is back?

I turn on the radio and it turns out that it is. It works. And then I realize, when was the last black out.

* * *

I don't know why, but then the sky was also cloudless and the electricity went down for a few hours.

It was well past midnight and I was waiting for any word from you. That you would at least call me and tell me what they told you. And if everything is alright?

I stood at the window, not knowing what to do. Not only was I unable to find a place for myself, there was no electricity either, so I sat in silence and darkness.

Someone knocked on the door. It was an electrician, who announced that the electricity should come back in a moment. I nodded my head as a sign that I understood and he went to knock on more apartments. I don't know, why he was doing this, since people were probably asleep already, so they wouldn't even notice the return of electricity.

Indeed, the light flickered the moment I heard the clang of the keys. No, not the sound of a lock being opened, just the chaotic hitting of keys and pendants together. Clank, clang. As if... As if your hands were trembling.

I opened the door. You stood there, trying to grab the matching key with trembling fingers and you didn't even notice that the apartment was already open.

"What happened?" I asked and you jumped out of fear.

You were staring at me with frightened, glassy eyes, which were even more like two deep wells than usual. You were standing and staring at me, trying to say anything, but you just parted your mouth and stayed that way.

I have never seen you in such state. Even when you had panicked, which you do often. Even when you were mad. You've been always the protective one, the serious one, the resourceful one, the down-to-earth one...

I didn't know how to react. I did not know, what to do.

"What's going on, Tomofumi?" I asked once again. "Tomofumi!"

The keys fell from your hand. You fell to your knees and hugged my legs.

Well, at least I got some reaction.

"Zill... Saburou..." you whispered, clutching your fingers tightly on my legs. "I arrived... A few minutes too late... I arrived a few minutes too late..."

I blinked. I was standing like that for a while, then I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Grab the keys" I said coldly.

You nodded and grabbed one of the key rings and I grabbed your shoulders and lifted you.

"Come."

We entered our flat. I locked the door, leaned on it and fell to the floor. Here, in our home, we could start crying.

Maybe because o this I hate the silence? Maybe because it reminds me of this day, when we lost our friend?

I hear the sound of a key turning in the lock. You enter the house and greet Maa-kun by patting his head.

"Hitomi?" you look at me, worried. "What happened? You look sad."

"There was no electricity" I explain.

You nod your head, undersanding well, why I act like this.

"I'll make some tea" you smile, brushing your fingers lightly on my arm as you walk past me towards the kitchen.

After all these years together we don't have to say everything. We understand each other practically without words.

The radio goes silent. I think they have more serious problems than I thought.

"I think we can't make tea at the moment!" I hear your laughing voice from the kitchen.

And I realize that with you even the silence isn't so scary. Especially, when you're killing it with your hopeful laugh.

The end

Bright light, bright love

Band: Moran

Pairing: Soan&Hitomi

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, fantasy, AU

Warnings: violence, supernatural elements

Note: The last part, written after years. Enjoy. ^^

I'm sitting on the balcony barrier and I'm staring at the silver moonlight. I turn back to you, when I feel your presence. I know your aura so well that even I don't know, how it's possible.

"What are you thinking about again?" you walk to the barrier and lean on it.

I can see a reflection of the moonlight in your eyes. They seems to be silver, not red as always. Well, do you remember, how it was before you changed me?

I was a conqueror. A mere conqueror, one of those not yet evolved and were drinking vampire blood so that they could smell them. We were distracted. Nobody gathered in the Shelter that simply didn't exist. Neither here nor this one. The problem, however, was why, in fact, I became this conqueror.

A vampire attacked me. After dark, I was returning home from the forest where I was picking mushrooms and wild fruit. Until now, I hadn't believed that these beings existed. And I didn't think anyone could break my arm.

I slumped down on the tree trunk when the vampire, dissatisfied with my rather great strength and stubbornness, threw me against it.

"So tasty, innocent blood and a so stubborn human" hissed the vampire.

I lost consciousness, but just before that, a black coat fluttering in the wind flashed before my eyes.

I woke up with an iron taste in my mouth. I was in a house I didn't recognize. The windows were boarded up. And I was lying in a four-poster bed. Dressed, with the arm in plaster and a bandage on the head and chest.

I got up and went to the window and with my good hand I slightly bent one of the boards. It was daytime, the sun was shining brightly. And I had no idea where I was.

The planks buckled under my weight as I walked down the long corridor, looking for the host of this house and possibly my savior at the same time. All the windows, not just those in the room where I woke up, were boarded up.

When I entered one of the rooms, I froze. But not at all out of fear.

You slept on the bed, in the torn sheets. I won't hide that it was you, because it doesn't make sense. So you slept there and I felt it. Cold. A strange, piercing cold that seemed to radiate from you. I didn't understand this feeling.

I was looking at you, completely ignoring the cold. Your brown hair scattered on the pillow and your shapely lips begged for a kiss. But I don't kiss strangers. You were so beautiful. You still are.

I wanted to back off, because I didn't want to wake you up, but then I heard a murmur behind my back. I turned to the bed, and it... was empty.

"Are you looking for me?" you asked and I jumped in fear.

You were still a little sleepy, but your blood-red eyes were already shining with a clear-headed glow.

"You are..."

"A vampire" you said calmly. "But I have a conscience. This vampire, who attacked you, didn't have it."

"Thank you for helping me" I bowed.

I had the feeling you were embarrassed.

"No problem" you said, smiling a little and I could see your white fangs. "You can stay here as long as you want... By the way, what's your name?"

"Wakugawa Tomofumi" I replied.

"Shinpei Hitomi. Nice to meet you" it was you who bowed down this time. "And... I'm sorry that you feel this coldness."

"Vampires cause coldness?" I asked.

"Yes, but humans don't feel it" you explained, lighting a candle on the nightstand. "Only conquerors can do it."

"I'm not a conqueror" I noticed.

"You're a conqueror now and it's my fault" you laughed. "You know, your aura was blinking. I thought that it went out and I gave you my blood, but... You started breathing. I'm sorry."

But I wasn't mad at you. And you know what? Killing these bad vampires was very funny and I could also protect the village. I haven't met you again, though. As a vampire. As a friend, who just doesn't like sun - yes.

However, when I was fighting with vampires and making new weapons, I didn't expect that I would die. And I died in such a stupid way, according to you. It was the impulse, nothing else. I saved you, even if I shouldn't.

"Tomofumi, why?" you asked, putting me on the ground. "My wounds would heal in a moment!"

"Unconditional... reflex..." I whispered, feeling the blood trickle down my cheek. "Forgive me..."

I would never have thought that you would drink the blood from my mouth and you would end my transformation begun eight years earlier by that.

And now that several hundred years have passed, your skin glistens in the pale moonlight as you lie beside me. Your aura is strong, glistening like blue gold.

You could say I'm your guardian angel, Hitomi. I made a promise to myself that I would protect you and I'm sticking to it. From always, forever, until the end.

The end

Under the Water

Band: Moran, Matenrou Opera and Versailles in the background

Pairing: Soan&Hitomi, Ivy&Vivi and Sizna&Sono in the background

Rating: 17+

Genre: AU, fantasy, romance

Warnings: violence

Note: Hitomi as The Little Mermaid, Soan as a prince, Sizna and Sono are fish, Kamijo is a psycho and only Ivy and Vivi are just normal humans.

Storm. Big waves were hitting a ship, which started to sink. The crew tried to stop the crisis, but they couldn't do it. Handsome young man in blue coat and white shirt, already wet with sea water, grabbed rudder just before a moment, when a ship almost hit the rocks. But he couldn't change direction completely. He didn't know that the ship had actually hit one of the rocks lightly, which created a hole in the port side through which water began to pour onto the deck. And by the time the crew discovered it, it was too late.

Everyone got into the lifeboat, except for the young man. He came back for the dog that had been left on board. The animal was terrified. The man found it and gave it to his companion, but then the ship hit the rocks again. The lifeboat's ropes broke and it fell into the water, throwing one of the men right into the ocean, but fortunately he was saved by his crewmates.

Unlike the youngster in a coat, who fell into the water, when floor broke under his feet. When he reached the surface, he saw only burning wood and not even a single man. Trying to escape the rubble, he didn't notice the rubber falling from about. It hit him in the head, making him uncounscious. He fell in the water again, sinking slowly. He hit the bottom of the sea and then some days later it gave back his cold body to the seaside.

And then I woke up abruptly. The same dream again, the same since years. I sat up, breathing hard and my head really hurt.

What were these night visions? I had this dream for the first time, when I still was a preschooler. The older I was, the more recently it appeared. Dad said that maybe these are memories of my previous life. But is it possible for me to be a human in my past life?

Oh, right. I'm not a human. You know fish, right? Right. Humans too. And when you match these two creatures, you have me, my family and every Atlantis' citizen.

Yes, I know that humans think that Atlantis is just a legend et cetera. But it's better like this. At least they mind their own business.

"Young master?" I heard my butler's voice.

He was a seahorse. A very mean seahorse...

"What happened, Sono?" I asked and he sighed.

"This dream again?"

"Yes."

"Eat something and you'll forget about it" Sono patted my shoulder with his fin.

I shook my head and swam to the dining room.

I won't forget about this dream. I can't forget about something, about which I've been dreaming since childhood.

"Hi, Hitomi" black-white fish smiled to me, when I sat by the table.

I looked at it. In fact, the fish was my dear friend Sizna. He was nice, not like Sono. He was only a little too loving older brother towards his younger sister, Dura.

"Hi, Sizna" I mumbled, putting some algae salad on my plate. "Where are my parents?"

"Your father swam to the shore to make sure, if rumors about the storm are true" replied Sizna, chewing some algae. "And mrs Manako swam somewhere with her friend."

"Storm..." I mumbled, looking at algae between my chopsticks. "I had this dream again, Sizna."

"Oh" Sizna almost spat his algae. "Dura-chan had a bad dream too today. She dreamt of Sono in a dress, chasing her around."

"Hey!" Sono overheard us as always and materialised beside us.

"It was just a dream of a little fish, easy" Sizna laughed. "What are you going to do today, Hitomi?"

"I don't know" I put chopsticks on the table and sighed. "I feel a little off today, in fact."

"Is it because of this nightmare?" asked Sono.

I nodded.

"What nightmare?" my younger brother, Tooru, sat down beside me.

There was a big age gap between us, so for now he was a little annoying kid. But he was my annoying brother, so I loved him.

"The one about a storm. I've told you about it once" I explained, fuffling his blue hair.

"Oh, I remember" Tooru laughed, put the salad and algae into his bowl, then he started to eat fast. "Mum told me that dad swam to check, if there is any chance for a storm and that if she hears that you left home, she's going to pluck the scales from your tail."

"I want to swim around a little, because I don't feel right" I announced to him.

"So you want to have your tail pluckedl?"

"I want my head to stop aching" I replied.

I haven't been used to pain. I felt pain rarely and some people were telling me that something is wrong with my pain receptors.

"Do, what you want, but I wouldn't make mum mad" Tooru smiled brightly, showing his white teeth and one hollow after he lost his last baby tooth recently, then he swam to his room.

...how he finished his breakfast so fast? This kid is always an enigma for me.

"Young master, you can't..." started Sono, but Sizna interrupted him.

"Be quiet, Sono. Hitomi wants to swim to the surface and Hitomi will swim to surface" Sizna smiled and patted the seahorse's head.

"Sizna!"

"What?"

"Ugh, nothing..." Sono rolled his eyes.

I'll probably never understand these two...

* * *

When I left home, I realised that ocean really wasn't calm this day. Sizna and Sono swam with me. Sizna was talking about Dura non stop, Sono tried to persuade me to come back home. But my head hurt more and more, and on top of that my heart started to beat so fast that I thought I'm going to have a heart attack.

I reached the surface. I saw a black, ominous-looking sky and a turbulent ocean surface. The storm was real. I was about to dive back in, when I saw something that made my heart hurt so much that I couldn't breathe for a moment.

Ship! The ship from my dream! For Poseidon's, Neptun's and every god of seas and oceans' sake!

"What's going on, Hitomi?" asked Sizna, pulling my shirt. "Hitomi?"

I didn't listen to him. I was staring at a youngster in a blue coat, who at this point  ran away from the lifeboat.

Dog! He's looking for a dog! I knew he was looking for a dog!

"Young master, wait, what are you doing?!" called me Sono, but I was already swimming as fast as I could towards the ship.

This ship is going to hit rocks! He's going to die!

"Hitomi, watch out!" I heard Sizna's scream and that's why I jumped off the boat in the last moment, before it crashed me. I grabbed some brown-haired, confused youngster's sweater and threw him to his friends.

Dad won't be mad. He told me a long time ago that we should live with humans in peace. But he'll be afraid that people from land are going to eat us like some exotic meal.

I swam further. I saw this youngster just after he was hit by the rudder.

"No!" I screamed and caught him.

He looked at me and lost his consciousness.

I surfaced and looked for the lifeboat. It was already quite far away. I swam to it and handed to humans their lost friend.

"Who are you?" asked some petite, big-eyed, blonde-haired boy.

I smiled to him and dove into the water.

I heard a scream, someone tried to follow me, but...

"You don't have to. He's a merman."

"Mermaids aren't real, Ivy."

"They are. We’ve just seen one."

"You swallowed too much salt water..."

My head stopped hurting. Heart too. I felt relieved, calm and happy.

"What have you done, master?" Sono was frightened. "Humans saw you!"

"My dream was a vision" I announced. "Vision, Sono. I  h a d  t o  save him. It was his and my fate."

"But this kid in sweater saw your tail" Sizna pointed out. "Don't you..."

"I heard them talking about it and they don't believe him" I shrugged and came back home.

* * *

"Hitomi!" I heard my mum's voice, when I had a nap after this rescue mission.

I opened my eyes, a little anxious. She was staring at me, frowning and splashing water with her tail.

"Hitomi, Sono told me that you saved a human" she announced.

I sighed.

"Have I done something wrong?" I asked and then my dad swam into my room.

"Manako, darling. Don't be so harsh on him" he said.

"I didn't even start scolding him" my mum pointed out.

"So don't start" replied dad. "Do you know,  w h o  he saved?"

"No matter, who he saved, it's a bad situation!" shouted mum.

"Relax, Mana" mumbled dad. "Our son saved a human prince."

Mum blinked and looked at me.

"A prince?"

"I don't know anything about that" I announced.

"Do you see? Prince saved another prince" dad summed it up.

I didn't say that I'm a prince and my home is a castle, right? No? That's because I don't like it too. Well.

"So if a king of humans learns about this accident, we can tell him that we exist?" asked my mum.

"I'm not too sure, but they'll be grateful at least" replied dad.

"What about the second boy?" I asked.

Parents looked at me, surprised.

"Did you save someone else?" mum was surprised.

"Yes" I nodded.

"Did he see you?" dad looked at me firmly.

I nodded.

"It can be a problem" said mum. "What do you think, darling?"

"We'll see" dad scratched his head. "Hitomi, don't swim too close to the surface, until I learn more about the second boy and what is he going to do about that knowledge."

I agreed. I felt that I didn't have any other option.

* * *

"Master Hitomi, I don't like, what you're doing" said Sono, nervously flapping his fins. You have to come back to the castle, young master! Your parents..."

"Rules are meant to be broken" Sizna interrupted him.

Good boy Sizna, you'll get a worm.

"Don't worry, Sono" I said, laying down on some big, flat rock, sticking out a little above the surface. "I'll be okay."

"Master" Sono grabbed my shirt. "Master, humans. Humans!"

"Shut up or they hear you" Sizna covered his mouth and I slipped off the rock to prevent humans from seeing me.

Wait... Isn't that this prince I saved? And his friends...?

"I really saw a merman, Vivi" said Ivy. "You saw him too."

"It couldn't be a merman, Ivy" mumbled Vivi. "Mermaids aren't real."

"I saw him too" admitted the prince. "But everyone keeps telling me I had hallucinations because of hitting my head."

"And they're right" said Vivi. "You just hit your head. Ivy got scared too and imagined everything."

"I wasn't scared!" shouted Ivy. "I mean, I was, but I'm telling the truth."

"I believe you" the prince laid down on the sand. "I can even wait here for this merman."

"Well, he was handsome, in fact" Ivy thought for a moment.

Vivi nudged him in his ribs.

"What?" Ivy looked at him.

"What about me?"

"You're pretty" Ivy ruffled his hair. "So-san? What are you looking at?"

"I thought that..." the prince leaned and almost saw me, but I was back in the water already. "I saw something. Or someone."

"A mermaid?" asked Vivi meanly.

"I'm going to make a merman out of you too" said the prince. "I'll catch you and splash! You'll be under the water."

"Don't do that, please" Vivi cried a little.

"So don't be mean" asked him the prince.

"Sorry..." said Vivi. "So, are we going back to the castle?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Ivy. "There's pasta for dinner today, we can't be late!"

And happily, pulling Vivi's hand, he ran to the castle, not even noticing that the prince stayed.

The young man pulled up his throusers, took off his shoes and entered the water.

Is he walking towards me?

No, I don't think...

"Master" Sono pulled my hair. "He's walking towards us. Towards us. Us!"

"Be quiet, Sono" growled Sizna.

We were swimming back, but the prince didn't give up even, when his trousers were already wet. And even, when he stopped feeling ground under his feet.

I couldn't swim away. I would make too much noise. Besides that, fear was paralizing me. And not just fear...

The prince dived and looked at me, already under the water. He glared at my tail, then he gave me his hand.

"RUN AWAY, YOUNG MASTER!" yelled Sono. "RUN AWAY, IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

"Shut up, Sono" Sizna smacked his head.

I gave the prince my hand and he pulled me to himself, then he swam towards the seaside. In this moment I thought that I'm stupid. What if he's going to sell me to the circus?

The prince sat on the seaside and I sat in front of him, still in water. I didn't want to let my tail dry out.

"So I was right" said the prince. "You're a merman."

"That's right" I confirmed.

"My name is Soan" he introduced himself. "What about you?"

"Hitomi" I replied. "Do you want to send me to the circus right now?"

"No way!" Soan laughed. "You saved me. What kind of person I would be, if I sent my savior to the slavery?"

"Humans are like this..." I mumbled and realised that Sono is pulling my shirt. "Sono, stop."

Seahorse glared at me and let go of my shirt reluctantly.

"Is this your pet?" asked Soan.

"DON'T CALL ME >>PET<<, YOU BIG MONKEY!" yelled Sono, trying to bite the prince, but Sizna stopped him.

"He's my butler, Sono" I replied.

"He seems to be angry. Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

"You called me a pet" growled Sono.

He was quiet for a moment.

"So... Did I?" Soan looked at me, at Sono, at Sizna and at me again.

"He explained this to you" I replied, a little confused.

"Oh..." Soan laughed hysterically. "Erm... Hitomi, you know, there is one thing..."

"What?"

"I didn't hear anything" he explained.

Oh, right. He's a human. They're deaf.

"I'm sorry" I smiled apologetically. "You called him a pet."

"Oh. Is it bad?" Soan looked at still annoyed Sono. "I'm sorry, Sono. Forgive me."

Sono snorted and didn't say anything.

"Did he forgive me?"

"Of course" I poked the seahorse's fin. "Sono is a friendly fish, right?"

Sono glared at me and snorted once again. Sizna just shook his head.

"Can I ask about somethig?" Soan looked at me firmly.

"It depends, what do you want to ask about" I replied.

"Why did you save me?" asked Soan. "I'm glad that you did that, but... Why were you there? Why did you save someone, who's a different species? You talked with my friends and my crew. Weren’t you scared that they're going to discover, who you are?"

"I didn't think about me, when this happened" I admitted. "I thought about dreams I had since my childhood."

"Dreams?"

"More like nightmares. About your death" I explained. "Besides, you also risked your life for someone, who's a different species. You came back to save a dog."

"How do you know that..." Soan froze for a moment. "Wait a minute. Have you really dreamed of it?"

"Yes. Since forever" I confirmed. "You probably don't believe me."

"I believe you."

"Why?"

"You know, I'm talking with half-fish" Soan pointed to my tail. "I wouldn't believe a human. But you're a magical seaborn creature, so why not?"

"Well, in some way it's nice" I said. "But I think I have to swim back."

"Already?" Soan looked disappointed.

"If someone sees me, they can be not so tolerating like you" I explained. "I prefer not to risk."

"You're right" Soan nodded. "Will we meet again?"

"Someday, for sure" I smiled friendly. "See you later, prince."

"See you later" Soan got up and I dived.

"You're going to get yourself in trouble someday, young master" growled Sono, waving his fins agressively. "You can't trust humans that much."

"Why?"

"Because they're humans!" shouted Sono.

"Don't judge him just because he's one of them" said Sizna. "Seahorses aren't always mean just because you are."

"Hey!"

I laughed and swam home. I had to sleep. I had too many adventures recently.

* * *

Laughter. The man in golden-red outfit stood with his weapon pointed at me and was laughing like a psycho.

"If I can't have you, no one can" he said with an emotionless voice and pulled the trigger.

"Hitomi!" I heard Soan's voice, who ran to me and pushed me away.

I smelled metalic scent of blood, but not pain.

He shielded me.

I sat up on the bed, breathing heavily. Soan, why would you risk like that? And why for me? I didn't save you to be a cause of your death!

I fell on the bed again. Protect him, Poseidon. Protect him from everyone, who looks like a man from my nightmare...

I sighed. It seems that I can't fight with fate.

* * *

Soan has been sitting on the sand and looked like he was waiting for me. I was a little surprised. I was the one, who’s supposed to be waiting for him.

"Did something happen?" I asked, swimming to him.

"I hoped that I'm going to meet you one more time" he replied honestly, smiling fondly. "You’re not mad at me, are you?"

"Absolutelly not, I was just surprised that you're here" I explained. "I thought that I have to wait for you."

"For me? Did something happen?" asked Soan.

"I had another nightmare" I announced. "I dreamt that some strange man wanted to shoot me, but..."

"But?"

"You shielded me. You did it and..." I couldn't tell him that he died.

"I sacrificed myself for you? Typical me" said Soan. "Are you worried about me?"

"I saved you. I don't like the idea that you're in danger again" I explained.

"It's nice" Soan smiled. "You're worried about someone you don't know. You're really nice."

Soan leaned on the sand and looked into my eyes.

"I just wonder about one thing. Can you turn your tail into legs?" he asked.

"What about you? Can you turn your legs into a tail?"

"I can't."

"You have your answer" I shrugged. "I can't visit your world. I'm sorry."

"But my world can visit you" said Soan.

"How?"

"I can show you" Soan opened his bag and pulled out a book.

It was weird. Pages were white, not green and signs weren't forged, but put on them with black ink. But there were also pictures on pages.

"What is this book?" I asked. "Is it magical? Can I learn white magic with it?"

"Nah, it's just the atlas of the world. I thought that you're going to like it" explained Soan. "I noticed last time that you didn't want to leave water, so I guessed you probably can't. So I brought a piece of my world to you."

"You're a great observer" I praised him. "Do you have more of such books?"

"Yes, I have a los of atlases" Soan nodded. "Should I bring them too?"

"It would be nice" I smiled fondly.

I was interested in these books. If they were showing real places, it was probably some kind of human magic.

* * *

Surface land seemed to be fascinating. Books had pictures, humans made dishes in completely different way and animals were even more awesome than ours.

"Good boy" I patted Maa-kun's head and gave him a bisquit. "Is it really liver flavour?"

"Dried liver" replied Maa-kun, chewing a bisquit. "I can't even compare it to fresh liver."

"But you like these bisquits?"

"Of course! I love them!" replied Maa-kun entusiastically, waving his tail.

"I'm curious, what he replied" said Soan, sitting on the blanket.

"That it doesn't taste like fresh liver, but he likes it anyway" I explained, making Soan laugh.

"I'm glad you got along" he said and started peeling some red fruit with a small knife.

"What's that?" I asked.

"An apple" replied Soan, giving me a slice. "Taste it."

"Thanks" I nodded and bit it. "Sweet."

"Fruits are sweet because of fructose" explained Soan. "I have clementines and strawberries too, if you want. Well, clementines are a little sour."

"Why?"

"Probably because of vitamin C" Soan peeled a clementine and gave me a slice.

"You didn't use a knife to do it" I noticed.

"It has such a thick skin that I don't have to" Soan gave me both fruits. "You see? Apples have thin skin. Do you want strawberry, by the way?"

"Is it tasty?"

"It's the best fruit in the world" he said, giving me one.

"Don't you have to peel it first?" I was surprised.

"Nah, you can eat it, everything in strawberries is edible" Soan smiled brightly.

He was right. It was delicious.

"Oh gods, a mermaid!" we suddenly heard.

We turned around abruptly and I felt cold sweat on my skin. It was this man from my dream. He's going to kill Soan!

"Run" Soan snapped me out of my thoughts.

I nodded and jumped into the sea, before the man running towards us managed to catch me.

* * *

I've been avoiding Soan for a month. I wouldn't forgive myself, if something happened to him just because I met with him, but...

I missed him. I missed our conversations, atlases, fruits and Maa-kun. But especially I missed Soan himself. I think that I had a crush on him. And I didn't mind it at all.

"Hitomi?" dad sat down beside me, when I was reading a book on the sofa. "Sono told me that you befriended a human."

I froze. Why my butler can't keep any secrets?

"He told me, because you stopped talking to him suddenly. Did this prince hurt you? Should I declare a war with humans?" asked dad.

I shook my head.

"Someone saw us" I explained. "This person was a man from my dream and..."

"Dream? About this ship?"

"The other one. More... Drastic" I replied.

"Drastic?"

"So... I mean, the prince died in it. Because of me" I whispered the last words.

"Oh" dad went silent for a moment. "He got your attention, didn't he?"

"The prince? A little" I confirmed.

"Humans are fascinating for me too" dad looked forward, just like he just remembered something. "That's the reason why I married one of them."

I blinked.

What?

"What are you talking about, dad?" I asked, confused. "Mum is a mermaid."

"She's a mermaid now, but it doesn't mean she wasn't born as human" explained dad. "Her ship was wrecked, everyone died. She was the sole survivor. She was young, younger than you. And badly injured. But under our magical care she got better."

"And magic turned her into a mermaid?"

"There was no other option. Humans can't breathe underwater" continued dad. "But she never missed the surface world. She never liked her species."

"Why? Humans aren't so..."

"They're not" dad interrupted me. "Not everyone is a good person, Hitomi. And they don't understand that someone is different than them. Mermen can have pink tails and no one would make a problem out of it, but humans will bully others for even trivial things. And we're not even the same species as we are."

"So humans are bad?"

"They're different than us" replied dad. "They have other priorities. Other way of thinking. I just want you to be careful. If your nightmare is going to happen, what then?"

"I am careful. That's why I stopped swimming there" I replied.

"Be careful around this stranger, Hitomi. But don't ignore the prince" dad smiled fondly. "If you like him, if you trust him, don't end this friendship. Just be careful about others. They can hurt you."

"Or even kill me" I mumbled to myself.

* * *

"It was Kamijo" explained Soan, when I met with him again. "My annoying cousin. He's obsessed with mermaids. He won't give up so easily."

"I understand" I nodded.

I looked at Soan. Something bothered him. I could see it.

"Something happened?"

"I thought that I'm not going to see you again" he admitted. "That you got scared and you won't visit me ever again."

"I'm sorry for worrying you" I said. "You're angry, aren't you?"

"No. I understand you. I would panic myself" he laughed a little hysterically. "It would be typical for me."

"Are you panicking often?"

"A lot!" he cried. "Well, in fact, I started to worry that something happened to you."

"Why?" I didn't understand his way of thinking.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Soan smiled fondly. "I don't want to lose contact with you just because I have a crazy cousin."

"Right" I smiled back to him, but I was really worried about him.

I knew that Kamijo has going to put us in trouble.

* * *

Our friendship with Soan was flourishing like flowers in spring. Or something like that. Did I use this metaphor well? Anyway, I felt like I've known the prince since forever. And I wanted to be his friend, to be close to him and, to be honest, him himself too.

I was falling in love with him more and more. I loved his soft smile, bright and deep eyes, which were piercing my soul, and his even deeper voice. I wanted to listen to him for hours, even if he was reading some boring book about how to use some things.

And there was also his cousin. He was coming to the beach, just to check, if I'm here. If he found me there, he was chasing me and tried to kidnap me. Once he managed to catch me, but I pushed him away and Soan punched his face. I tried even to talk to him patiently, but I was left just with proofs that humans really have other priorities than mermaids. And I didn't like it at all.

* * *

I was on my way home after meeting with Soan, when I heard a loud splash. I looked up and looked around. I saw Maa-kun, who was falling down towards the bottom of the ocean. He had to fall from the ship and lost his consciousness, when he hit the water surface!

I swam to him and embraced him with my arms and then clouds of dust rose up around me. I felt something wrap around me, and after a moment, holding Maa-kun tightly to my chest, I realized that I was in a net.

I was thrown aboard a fishing vessel along with the dog, which regained consciousness and began wheezing and growling.

"This dumb asshole threw me into the sea!" Maa-kun splashed water from his fur. "Master is going to wipe the floor with his face."

"Dumb asshole?" I repeated, having hope that he's not talking about...

"Excellent" I heard a voice and then it was no one other than Kamijo, who walked to me.

He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

"I knew that this trap will work."

"Don't touch him!" Maa-kun tried to bite Kamijo's calf, but the crew pulled him away. "Let me go, I have to tear apart his arteries!"

"Stupid dog" murmured Kamijo.

"Have you really risked his life to kidnap me?!" I yelled at him, furious.

"It's just a flea-bag" Kamijo shrugged.

"I don't have fleas!" denied Maa-kun.

"Let's go back!" ordered Kamijo. "To the castle! We have, what we need!"

"Aye, captain!"

Just perfect...

* * *

Kamijo brought me into the cell and chained me to the wall.

"Wait here, I'll be right back" he said, stroking my cheek.

I gritted my teeth. It was this cell. The cell from my dream, which I've been dreaming about for months. Or I should say, having nightmares about.

I sighed. My tail started to dry up. What will happen, if it dries completely?

Kamijo came back after half an hour and covered me with a blanket.

"I don't want you to get cold" he said. "And now listen to me, little fish, because I have some offer for you."

"What offer?" I pretended to be interested.

"You're going to be my lover" announced Kamijo. "Or I'm going to send you to the circus. There's also an option of killing you, if you're going to be too rebellious."

"I'm going to be your own curtisane only after my death" I growled. "I have my honour."

"I can take it from you easily" Kamijo smirked.

"And how do you want to do it, if I don't have legs?" I didn't understand, how he was going to screw me.

"You still have mouth" replied Kamijo and turned towards the door. "Think about it, if you want to be still alive."

And then he left.

...

What did he mean?

* * *

I didn't realise that I fell asleep before I woke up. Scales on my tail were almost dry. They even started to change colour.

I heard noises upstairs and some loud footsteps. Someone was running downstairs, someone else was chasing them, something broke. What's going on there?

Footsteps, these from stairs, were coming closer to my cell. Kamijo?

Gate opened abruptly and just as I thought, this horny aristocrat stood in the doorway.

"My stupid cousin is here" Kamijo grabbed my shirt and picked me up. "He's here with his sidekicks. What is your relationship with him, exactly?"

"We're just friends" I replied.

Because we were. Even if I had a crush on him.

"Do you want to be more than friends with him?"

"..."

"Answer me!"

"..."

"So I'm right" Kamijo threw me against the wall, which made me a little dizzy and nauseous, after I hit my head. "That's why you don't want to sleep with me. You chose him."

Kamijo pulled out his gun. He had golden-red clothes.

I knew, what he's going to do.

"Kamijo, no!" I yelled. "Wait!"

"Wait?" Kamijo started to laugh like a madman and pointed his gun at me. "For what?"

Right. If he shoots me, Soan will be safe.

"You're right. If you want to kill me, just do it now" I said, closing my eyes.

"Of course I want to" announced Kamijo. "If I can't have you, no one can."

His voice was emotionless. He pulled the trigger.

Door slammed against the wall.

"Hitomi!" I heard Soan's voice, who ran to me and pushed me away.

I smelled metalic scent of blood, but not pain.

He shielded me.

Damn it!

"Soan!" I leaned over him and pressed wound on his chest. "Look at me, Soan. You can't die, okay?"

"Hitomi..." he said, grabbing my hand. "Am I seething things or... Your tail..."

Soan coughed with blood.

"Legs..." he said louder.

I looked at my tail and... didn't see it.

I was a human covered with a blanket.

"It dried up" I realised. "It dried up!"

I tied a blanket around my waist and got up, picking Soan up.

At first I had trouble with keeping my balance, but then I started walking forward. I passed confused Kamijo, who probably didn't have any more amunition, because he didn't shoot again. And he didn't even try to stop me.

* * *

I ran upstairs clumsily, almost tripping all the time and almost falling from them. I hit my knees hard many times, but I had to save Soan.

"It's you!" I heard Ivy's voice. "Vivi, that's this merman!"

"He has legs" Vivi pointed out.

"And he can't use them properly. Come on, we have to help him" Ivy ran to me and took Soan from my arms.

He threw Soan's arm over my shoulders and my arm over his.

"Grab Soan from the other side, Vivi" said Ivy.

Vivi just nodded.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To the sea" I replied.

We started to run. Leaning against Ivy's shoulder, it was easier.

* * *

On the beach I saw my dad, who also had legs and was running too. When he saw me, he stopped abruptly.

"For Poseidon's sake, Hitomi!" he shouted, then he ran to me.

He took injured prince from me and checked his pulse.

"He's still alive. Damn it, I tried to dry this stupid tail for two hours! We should go now."

Then he looked at Ivy and Vivi.

"Oh, right. I totally forgot about you two" he said. "Tell the king and queen that I'm taking their son under the water for some time. Humans can't save him."

"And you can?" asked Ivy.

"Of course, it's not a problem at all with our magic" my dad smiled brightly, putting Soan on the seaside. "Hey, prince? Blink, if you can hear me."

Soan blinked.

"Good. You can feel a little weird, but it'll take just a moment" my dad warned him and waved his hand over Soan's legs.

Crack! Soan's trousers broke immediately.

The prince had a tail. In a shade of blue so bright that it was almost white.

Ours returned in the moment we touched the water. I didn't even notice it.

"I told you, Vivi! Mermaids!" Ivy clapped his hands, excited.

"I have mindbreak, I think..." said Vivi.

"See you later" I saluted to them and jumped into the water with my dad and Soan.

* * *

Soan was sitting in the bed, reading one of our books. I swam to him, carrying dinner for him.

"Strange" he said, looking at a tuna salad.

"What's strange?" I asked. "Don't you like tuna? Should I give you something else?"

"No" he shook his head. "I just thought that, you know. Mermaids don't eat fish, because they have fish tails."

"Stereotypes" I laughed. "Do you like our cuisine, by the way?"

"Of course" he nodded. "Even if I feel like I'm eating sashimi all the time. But I don't mind."

I sat down next to him on the bed.

"Soan?"

"What?"

"How did you know, where I am?"

"Maa-kun led me there" explained Soan. "He came back to the castle with wet fur and has been freaking out, until I decided to follow him. My dad wanted to take him to vet already."

"Your mum wanted to do it too?"

"No, she wanted to call an exorcist."

We both laughed.

And then we were silent for a moment.

"Why did you protect me?" I asked after a moment.

"Really?" Soan put the bowl on the night stand. "I understand that women are oblivious. But another man? Please, come on."

"Wait, are you..."

"I fell in love with you, Little Mermaid" Soan laughed shortly. "I can be your prince Eric, Ariel."

"Ariel is my father's name."

"You're kidding, aren't you?"

"I'm not."

"Oh, Neptun" Soan kissed me briefly. "You're not going to stop surprising me, Hitomi. And one more thing..."

"What?"

"I don't want to go back to the surface" he announced. "Unless with you by my side."

"You have to stay here for now" I reminded him, taking his hand. "And then we’ll see."

Soan smiled fondly, which made me realise one thing - whatever we decide, we're going to be fine. We just have to be together.

The end

Kirei Shiroi Hana

Rating: 17+

Genre: drama

Warnings: death

Note: "Second beautiful, white flower just doesn't exist."

I'm standing next to you and I'm looking at your sleeping face. Whiteness of your clothes makes an illusion that they're brighter than a snow which is slowly falling from the sky. We have beginning of the March, after all, right?

Your hair scattered on the pillow, white as a snow, but darker than your clothes. Maybe you are an angel? On your face I can see a weak shadow of smile. Just as we met for the first time. We were kids, do you remember? But the doors to adulthood closed behind us and the past doesn't matter.

But still we should care about illnesses. And your heart had been living with it for a long time. But then it stopped during your labor and broke. It seriously stopped.

You're dead.

Your husband is standing with your newborn daughter. A girl has your eyes, you know? I kiss you on the forehead and I feel tears in my eyes again. I straighten up and finally leave you.

The voice of my beloved spouse is the last thing which I hear before diving in the darkness.

When I'm awake, I'm in home already. I sit down on the bed and I take a glass of water from my spouse's hands.

"Why good people are dying so young?" I ask, looking at my spouse's eyes, which are as sad as mine.

"When you're on the meadow, which flowers do you pick up first?" I hear a question.

I'm a little confused, because I don't understand, what's going on...

"The most beautiful..." I reply after a moment.

"So you know, why" my spouse smiles sadly.

I'm glad that I didn't lose love of my life, but nothing can replace my friendship with you.

Second beautiful, white flower just doesn't exist.

The end

White Snow

Band: UNiTE., mentioned Canzel, xTripx, D=OUT, DIV, Acme and Kameleo

Pairing: Haku&Mio, mentioned Naoto&Shougo, Icchi&Ruli, Naoto&Mio, Haku&Yukimi, Satoshi&Shougo + others

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, soft angst

Warnings: main character's melancholy

Note: A story about two broken hearts, which comforted each other.

Haku was sitting on the floor, trying to tune his bass. Icchi crouched down beside him, watching him closely.

"You should tell him already" he said after a moment.

Haku finched, startled.

"Who?" the bassist asked slowly.

He obviously didn't undestand, what Icchi was talking about.

"You really don't know?" Icchi laughed, smiling friendly and meanly at the same time. "Yukimi, of course. Since when you have this crush on him, hmm?"

"For too long" mumbled Ruli, smacking an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

He probably couldn't decide whether to smoke now or in a moment.

"Alright, alright" said Haku and sighed. "I'll go to him after the concert, okay?"

"Of course!" Icchi jumped up and clapped like a little child. "Take your life into your own hands, you're not a teenager anymore~!"

"Yup, he isn't" Ruli took the cigarette out of his mouth and left, finally deciding to smoke it.

After the concert Haku walked to Yukimi and grabbed his arm, stoping him for a moment. He probably wanted to tell him everything and explain, what he felt, but he didn't do it. He just kissed Yukimi without a warning.

Our staff shook their heads and returned to doing their business, Icchi smiled radiantly, but a little meanly and Ruli...

...and Ruli gave me a sympathetic look.

I stood there staring at Haku and Yukimi as if they were my whole world. Or basically the world and someone who destroyed it. It covered itself with crystal white snow and fell into a long winter sleep.

I don't know since when I loved Haku. Maybe from the first meeting? I know I told him about it a few months ago. And I got dumped, because Hiroshi's heart was already occupied. Not by me...

And now I was standing there and watching Yukimi pull away from Haku and say he has been waiting for this for a long time. Hiroshi put his arm around him and they happily went to the wardrobe. And I couldn't move, every cell in my body screamed in emotional pain.

"It's a little sad" Icchi smiled meanacingly, standing next to me. "But I couldn't watch you get your hopes up. It was time to end this, leader."

"You get the most enjoyment out of it anyway" I said softly.

The squeezed throat made it impossible for me to make a louder sound.

"Maybe I'm just being mean?" Icchi shrugged, directing his steps towards the dressing room. "Move, or people will start to think you're having a seizure."

"Icchi" Ruli scolded him and shot him a look that made it clear that if the vocalist didn't shut up soon, he would be the bottom.

"Alright, alright. I'll go. Hurry up, a cold beer is waiting for us" Icchi stretched and went away.

Ruli walked to me and put a hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off.

"I'm okay, you don't have to..." I stopped, when Ruli hugged me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry about him. And about Yukimi. And about Haku" he said calmly, trying to stroke my spiky hair. "I can talk with Icchi about his problems with his empathy, if you want."

"You don't have to. And now, let me go" I gave Ruli a fake smile and pulled him away. "Can we go already?"

"Yes" Ruli smiled back, but his smile was real, not like mine.

And so began the several years of pretending that everything was fine, that I'm not falling apart slowly to pieces, and that smile isn't just a mask.

* * *

This state was going on and on, and I had the feeling that I would never get you out of my head again.

I've been daydreaming at some boring party with a drink in my hand, although I don't like alcohol. Lin was talking to Chobi, Yui was playing PSP with Hikaru sleeping on his lap. You were hiding somewhere with Yukimi again, and it is probably in the least permitted place you could have sex in. As usual.

"At this moment of the party it's getting boring, right?" I heard a voice next to me. "Everyone is drunk and not responding."

"How do you know that I'm not drunk?" I asked.

Ena, xTRiPx's drummer, just laughed.

"You've been sitting here for hours, drinking one drink, Mio."

"You're a good observer" I said, stirring the straw in my glass.

"Why are you sad?" asked Ena and I frowned slightly.

"I'm not sad" I said.

"You are" said Ena firmly and cast a longing look at Shougo, who was sitting with Satoshi at the table and giggling like a teenager, probably thinking something the drummer said was very funny. "And I know very well, why."

"You still love him?" I whispered.

I knew these two had been together once, but they broke up under not very clear circumstances.

Ena just nodded, and I nudged his shoulder.

"Just don't show it."

"I'm trying not to."

"I'm trying as well."

"But it's hard."

"And you tried..."

"I tried."

"And you did it?"

"No."

"Neither did I."

"Scary, isn't it?" Ena sighed, staring at his almost empty cup. "I don't even like alcohol, but when I look at them, I..."

"...have to drink this?" I finished his thoughts.

He nodded again.

"At least you're cute. You have the rights" Ena laughed shortly.

"I'm not cute!" I was offended, but he put a finger on my lips.

"Should I prove it?" he asked, smirking.

Alcohol, fake relationships and sleeping around. The only way to forget.

And, in some absurd way, to awaken the hope that someday everything will be okay...

* * *

I felt that Haku embraced me, when I tried to tune up my guitar before the concert.

"Nee, Ryosuke?" Haku pulled one of the strings. "Smile."

"What?" I looked at him, confused.

"Smile. I don't like, when you're sad" said Haku.

"I'm not sad. I'm just focused" I explained, putting away my guitar on the sofa. "I'm happy, don't worry."

"You didn't lie just not to worry me, right?"

"I wouldn't dare lying to you."

Haku smiled radiantly, helping me to get up. Even if almost three years passed, I still couldn't believe that he's really by my side. I can touch him. I can hug him. I can do  everything.

After the festival I was sitting a little bored, when Haku and everyone else were drinking like it was the end of the world as we know it. Or as if there were some drinking competition.

Well, everyone besides Sana.

"Hey, Mio" a little drunk Shougo, or maybe even not just a little, sat down next to me on the sofa. "'Sup?"

"Everything is okay" I replied, leaning on Haku's shoulder, when he was talking with Reika about bassists' things.

I didn't understand even a word from this conversation.

"Are you sure?" asked Ena a'ka Naoto, putting a hand on Shougo's shoulder.

I smiled radiantly, nodding.

"Yes, I'm sure."

And Naoto, smiling to his memories, picked up Shougo and walked towards the door.

"What the hell are you doing, for the dogs' sake?!"

"We're gonna go home, princess. Too much alcohol tonight for you."

"We have to take Chisa with us!"

"Alright, alright. I don't want to have my head torn off by a small dumpling almost twenty centimeters shorter than me, don't worry."

And we, for an unknown reason, couldn't stop laughing because of this conversation.

However, that doesn't change the fact that everything was really okay and my laugh finally became real.

The end

Shadow in the Heart

Rating: 17+

Genre: criminal

Warnings: violence, death

Note: Narrator returns home and has to face with their psycho partner.

I enter the house and I see you. You sit in front of the TV and stare blankly at the screen.

Can you still see something? Can you see... me?

Or you stopped seeing me a long time ago?

I put shopping bags on the cupboard in the kitchen and start to unpack groceries to cupboards and fridge.

I feel anxious.

I'm always under valerian, melissa and other drugs, because my weak nerves can't stand up to what's going on in my own life. My own home.

I look at my vibrating phone, laying on the cupboard. Of course, my best friend. As always. As if he felt in some way that I don't feel good. As if he wanted to warn me about me...

Because it's only my fault. Only I can't escape this hell. Everybody tried to save me a long time ago, trying to explain to me that something is wrong with you.

And now bruises on my wrists and shoulders can confirm it. These on the neck too. And on the legs...

And all these scars left after your fingernails grew too long...

I take a deep breath as I straighten my shirt sleeves. I'm dizzy. I have to calm down. I need to not think about how you're killing my mental health, both physically and mentally. Especially mentally...

I put my phone in my pocket, finish unpacking my groceries and head to the living room. I sit in the armchair and start to watch this show about the world most expensive drumsets, pretending to be interested in it.

"You hate me, right?" you ask suddenly.

I trembled, because of fear. I look into your sad eyes which I have been looking with love into for a long time. And which, ironically, I still love.

"What are you talking about, darling?" I smile gently to you.

When you smiled for the last time...?

"You're lying" you say and stand up.

You won't punch me, you never did. But probably you'll grab my wrist, squeeze it until I start crying and lead me to the bedroom. And you'll show me who is the boss here.

I close my eyes, preparing for what is about to happen, but... You're leaving. I open my eyes and I see that you seriously left. What means only one thing.

You went for a knife again.

I go to the bedroom and, as I thought, I find you on the floor, cutting your wrist in amock.

Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut...

"Stop it" I say firmly.

You look at me, observing me.

You make another two cuts without looking on your hand. You're still looking at me.

"You're gonna hurt yourself" I come to you and put my hand on the knife. "Don't do it."

I try to take the knife from you, but I can't.

A phone is calling once again. You pull it out it from my pocket and look at the screen.

"You know, who's calling? Your best friend" you put a phone on the floor. "How typical. The knight has to protect his princess, even if she has her prince already."

I blink in confusion, not understanding what are you talking about.

I still hold that damn knife and its blade cuts my hand.

I try to take it out of your hand, but...

...I don't know if it was you who stabbed me or if it was my fault that the knife stabbed my chest by accident.

I close my eyes and drop to the floor.

It hurts. It fucking hurts so much.

Please, help me. Help me! I'm begging you!

I hear you say my name and feel you pull the knife out of my body. I can feel your hand on my cheek. You smear the blood on it, as you try to wipe my tears from it.

I'm afraid. I'm fucking scared. Someone has to save me. Someone help me!

The last sound I hear is that stupid phone ringing again.

I can't pick up the phone, my friend. Please, forgive me...

The end