"You are the prince of this kingdom, my son and heir. It's about time you acted like it!" Yomi thundered, voice booming as he glared at his only son.

"But Father, I--"

"You will be silent!!" The sea king roared, surging up out of his throne. "There will be no more stealing to the surface, is that clear?! You will stay here in the palace, and conduct yourself as befits my heir!"

"But I don't _want_ to be your heir!" Kurama blurted out, green eyes flashing as he clenched his fists at his side. "All I want is to be left alone. Why can't you understand that?"

Yomi's eyebrows lowered, framing a face that had suddenly gone still. "What did you just say?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

Kurama faltered, falling back a little at the crazed light that had entered his father's eyes. "I--"

"Did you just _refuse_ to obey my wishes?" Yomi asked silkily, slowly reaching for the coiled whip that hung behind the arms of his throne. "You _do_ know the penalty for disobeying your leige, do you not, my son?"

Kurama's eyes widened in horror as realization set in. "No!" He began backing away, shaking his head frantically. "Father, please! I--"

Yomi's eyes narrowed. "Did I just hear you say 'No'?" One long arm shot out and grabbed Kurama's shoulder, pushing him roughly to the shell-covered floor. "You will learn _never_ to tell me 'No', my son," the king ground out, voice tinged with maddened rage. He lifted the whip, trailing the dangling ends lovingly over the struggling prince's back before bringing it down viciously.

"One way or another, you _will_ learn to obey me."

Hidden behind one of the great columns, a slender figure paled and shrank back in fear. As Kurama's helpless screams slowly filled the room, he shuddered, wrapping too-thin arms around himself. Kami-sama, he'd never thought the king would do _this_ to his own son. He covered his ears with his hands, desperately trying to block out the prince's weakening cries. They brought back too many painful memories of the times _he_ had been--Iiya! Now was not the time to remember such things. He flinched as Yomi delivered yet another blow to the red-haired prince.

*Let it be the last,* he prayed, shrinking back further into the shadows. *Onegai, let it stop.*

After an endless moment of listening to the whip crack again and again, he finally heard the king drop it and storm out of the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, he peeked out, making sure the unstable monarch wouldn't be coming back, before gingerly creeping out of his hiding place. The sight of the fallen prince caused him to stop and inhale sharply.

*Kami-sama, there's so much blood.* he thought, feeling sick. Purple eyes wide with distress, he darted forward and knelt by Kurama's side. The young redhead was slackly unconscious, a small blessing he was grateful for. The next few moments were not going to be pleasant.

*Oh, Kurama, what have you done to yourself?*

Kurama blearily opened his eyes, the agonizing throbbing in his back a painful and unpleasant reminder of the previous evening's disastrous events. He winced, pushing himself up to sit unsteadily on his tail. How could he have been so stupid?!?

"Kurama no baka! What were you thinking?!" An irate voice asked as its owner entered the room. "Have you gone completely nuts?!?"

Kurama twisted around, giving his cousin a pained grin. "Well, it _does_ seem to run in the family, ne?"

Duo glared at him, huffily plunking himself down by Kurama's bed. "Baka! You could've gotten yourself killed!" He reached out and gently touched the redhead's back, violet eyes softening with worry. "Are you all right?"

Kurama sighed, bringing his tail up to his chest and laying his head down upon it. "I've felt better."

Duo placed a hand on his hair, slowly stroking the crimson strands. "You shouldn't have defied him like that, Kurama. You know what he's like." The soft alto was low, rough with remembered pain.

The young prince glanced up, looking at his long-haired cousin with sad eyes. His gaze slowly traced the slightly pointed ears that stubbornly peeked out from Duo's mahogany tresses despite all efforts to conceal them. Those ears, coupled with the merboy's pale, pale skin, marked him as a half-breed, a child sired by one of the hated land-dwellers. The sight of his young cousin never failed to inflame the king, the slender merboy a constant reminder of Yomi's failure to control his younger sister. Needless to say, Duo was often the recipient of his father's rages. Only the boy's elven blood let him withstand the savage beatings--his skin healed with amazing speed, leaving not even a scar behind. It was this ability that had allowed the king to conceal his madness for so long. No one ever bothered with the half-breed son of the late princess, and Duo would never tell. Kurama himself had not known until the day he had come upon his cousin after one of his father's 'visits'. The sight had been something he would never forget.

"Oh, Duo, we are a sorry pair, aren't we?"

Duo chuckled, a dark sound laced with rage and despair. He leaned forward and hugged Kurama close, mindful of the wounds on the other's back. As his long chestnut hair gently swirled around them, he whispered, "At least we're not alone."

Duo sat by his cousin's bed, gnawing his lip in worry as he watched the older prince sleep. The wounds on Kurama's back had become frighteningly red and swollen, something that had almost never happened to him due to his mixed ancestry. His body had always bounced back, healthy as ever, save for that one time he--Duo shook his head violently, pushing the memory aside. Best not to think about that now. He was hale and hearty at the moment, if a bit too thin, and that was all that mattered. Kurama on the other hand...

He sighed gustily, pushing his hair out of his face. His cousin, unlike him, was of pure mer-stock, and unfortunately for the both of them, the race as a whole was infinitely more delicate than he was.

*Kami-sama, what am I going to do?*

He briefly played with the idea of going to the court physician for help, but quickly dismissed it. The old stick would most likely hie himself off to the king, and then where would they both be? In deep shit, that was where. He got up and began to pace back and forth, his dark tail churning up a froth of bubbles in his wake. There must be _something_ he could do, something...He blinked, jerking to a halt. Of course! That was it!

With a last worried look at the slumbering redhead, Duo slipped out of the room. He had a lot of work to do.

A pair of wary purple eyes peeked out from between the thick cluster of reeds, nervously scanning the area for any signs of life. Satisfied that the place was deserted, Duo headed for the riverbank. The moment his hands touched shore, faint sparkles of light began to surround his body. He shuddered, biting back a cry as he felt the transformation begin. His dark tail split apart, forming two long, slender legs. Breathing heavily, he hauled himself out of the water, his hair a curtain of shimmering silk covering his naked form.

Chikusho, changing like that always hurt like hell.

Duo shakily stood up, supporting himself against one of the trees in the woodland glen. This was something he'd never told anyone, not even his cousin, a secret he'd reserved only for himself. Kami-sama knew how many times he'd come to this place seeking refuge from his uncle's attentions. The last time he'd come here--well, suffice it to say that not even his elven blood had been enough to counter the results _that_ little meeting brought about. It was fortunate that he'd stumbled, *literally*, upon a little plant that had saved his life. It had been small and unassuming, but unexpectedly potent. He'd fallen on it, back crushing the tiny leaves, and had immediately felt the plant's subtle magic working on his wounds. It would be perfect for Kurama.

Now if he could just find it...

Heero impatiently reined in his horse, his sharply pointed ears twitching in irritation. He could not believe this! The Lady Relena was here. _AGAIN_. How had the silly chit managed to track him down this time?! He'd been so careful. Chikusho!! When he got his hands on the idiot who let his location slip, he was going to wring his neck!

"Hee~eeroooo!! Wait for me~~eee!!!"

Heero schooled his face into impassiveness, wincing inwardly at the piercingly shrill voice of the elven princess. The gods must surely have cursed him at birth. Nothing else could explain the obsession Relena seemed to have with him. He'd threatened her, brushed her off, and, Gods above, even _run_ away from her, and yet here she still was. His friend Wufei had described it perfectly. There _was_ no justice.

"Hee~~~eeeroooo!!!!"

He cringed as Relena's voice began to go into the higher regions of the aural spectrum. She was getting nearer, and the possessive and slightly unbalanced look in her eyes could now clearly be seen. His famed self-control snapped. There _was_ only so much an elf could take. Without so much as a backward glance, Heero, crown prince and perfect soldier, spurred his mount forward and ran for the hills.

*K'so! _Where_ is it?!?*

Duo began pulling at his hair in frustration, beads of sweat running down between his shoulder blades as the sunbeams that filtered through the leafy canopy beat mercilessly upon his naked flesh. He'd been searching for hours, and still had found no trace of the little plant. Kami-sama, what was he going to do now?

Kurama thrashed weakly on the bed, the inflamed lacerations on his back sapping his already drained strength. Twin pools of darkened emerald swept the room, searching for a slender figure with impossibly long hair. But the room was empty save for himself, hollowly echoing the lonely sounds of his pained moans. He knew his cousin was probably out looking for something, or somebody, to help him, yet selfishly still wished that he were here. He'd never before felt so bereft, or so alone. Had this been how Duo had felt all these years, living in a place that cared not whether he lived or died?

*Oh, Duo...*

He closed his eyes, sorrow for both himself and his cousin briefly superceding the pain. How he wished they could be free of this place! If only they could run away, go somewhere his father couldn't find them! But that was an impossible dream. There was nowhere under the sea that they could hide.

Another spasm of pain shot through his body, leaving him gasping for breath. He could feel himself getting weaker and felt a sudden chill. He did not want to die, not yet, not without at least saying goodbye to Duo. There was so much he still wanted to say.

*Duo, where are you?*

Duo blinked, cocking his head to one side. He could've sworn he'd heard somebody calling his name...Oh well, he thought, shrugging. It must've been his imagination. He shifted his attention once more to his so-far fruitless search for the medicinal plant. There was only one place left for him to look. Crouching down before a bush studded with wickedly sharp thorns, he gently eased aside its dangerous branches. A smile of delight suddenly appeared on his face.

*Yatta!*

Giving a crow of triumph, he deftly uprooted the plant he'd spent the last six hours searching for. Now he could go back to the palace and take care of Kurama. He hoped the redhead's condition hadn't gotten any worse.

As Duo got up to leave, a loud crashing noise shattered the peace of the little forest clearing. He whirled around to see a huge beast with flashing red eyes bearing down on him at top speed.

*Oh, shit!*

Heero leaned low over Wing's neck, urging the large stallion to greater speeds. He wanted to make absolutely sure that Relena would _not_ be able to follow him this time. His lips twitched into a self-satisfied smirk as he slowly pictured the look on the silly girl's face when he'd raced from her presence like a bat out of hell. Gods above, that had been priceless. He really _must_ tell Wufei all about it.

Heero was so busy congratulating himself on his timely escape that he was taken completely by surprise when his stallion suddenly reared up. He cursed, struggling to control the frightened animal. A sprawled figure lay dazed on the ground, apparently having been spooked by their sudden appearance. He only caught a brief glimpse of startled purple eyes and an overabundance of chestnut hair before the slender form pushed itself up and disappeared into the trees.

When Heero finally managed to calm Wing down, the other boy was gone.

Duo doved back into the river, clutching the precious plant in one fist. He absently shivered as his legs fused together once more, breathing the life-giving waters in deeply. Kami-sama, that had been close! If that other boy hadn't been there--! Duo thanked whatever god had been watching over him. If luck hadn't been on his side, he'd have doomed both himself and Kurama. Pumping his tail more vigorously, he swiftly headed for the undersea palace. Kurama had better still be alive when he got there.

Kurama sighed blissfully as a gentle hand moved over his back, the relief of having the agony simply _stop_ washing over him like a blessing.

"D-Duo?" he whispered, voice hoarse from hours spent muffling his cries of pain.

"Hmmm?" the purple-eyed merboy glanced up from his ministrations, a frown of concentration puckering his brow.

"Arigatou..."

The amethyst orbs warmed with amused affection. "Do itashimashite... Kurama no baka."

Chuckling weakly, the red-haired prince managed a fond "Brat" before falling into a much-needed sleep. For the first time in what seemed like forever, no nightmares came to disturb his slumber.

Kurama looked up from his book, giving his cousin a bemused smile as Duo quietly sneaked into the room. It was positively uncanny how the long-haired merboy managed to go about the palace unnoticed. Heaven knew, he'd give just about anything to learn that particular trick, although with _his_ hair...

Shaking his head, Kurama turned his mind back to the reason he'd asked his cousin to come. He only hoped his suspicions proved to be unfounded.

"Ne, Duo?"

"Hmm?" Violet eyes blinked at him owlishly.

"That plant that you used...where did you get it?" The mystery had been eating at him for some time now, ever since he'd found a strange leaf in his bed. It had smelled vaguely minty and had felt of _magic_, the kind that couldn't be found in the anywhere in the undersea realms. The many possibilities _that_ brought to mind had sent the warning bells clamoring in his head.

"I--" His cousin looked uneasy, not meeting his gaze.

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "Duo--what did you do?" His heart began pumping faster, worry sending the adrenalin flowing through his veins.

*Masaka--! Duo didn't go to _him_, did he?*

"I--"

"Duo..."

The slender figure sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Would you believe that...I just found it?"

"It's a land plant, Duo. They don't grow underwater."

"Didn't think you'd fall for that," his cousin muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Well?"

Duo stared straight at him, face grave. "Promise you'll keep it a secret?"

"You know me better than that, Duo!" Kurama replied, slightly offended.

Duo winced, but didn't release his gaze. "Gomen, but this is really important, Kurama."

The red-haired prince blinked. *What--?*

"Kurama?" Duo prompted, looking at his cousin earnestly. "Do you promise?"

*He's really serious about this.* Kurama thought wonderingly. Duo's agitation was an almost palpable thing; he could practically _feel_ his worry even though he himself was no empath. Pushing himself off of the bed, Kurama swam over to the other merboy, lightly touching Duo's pale face. Leaning close, he reassured his cousin the only way he knew how, promising on his honor and life to keep the other's secret safe.

Duo closed his eyes, exhaling slowly as he reached up to grasp the hand resting on his cheek. "Arigatou," he said quietly. Then with a slightly nervous smile, Duo ducked under Kurama's arm and headed for the window. "Iku zo, Kurama."

Blinking, the older merboy followed.

Duo wriggled through the narrow passage in the coral reef surrounding the palace, silently urging his cousin to follow. Once through, he placed a cautionary finger to his lips, indicating that absolute silence was needed. A few moments later, one of the heavily armed palace guards swam by, narrowed eyes diligently watching for anyone imprudent enough to attempt to sneak into the royal seat. It was fortunate that the guard wasn't expecting someone to sneak _out_ of the place, else he'd have seen the two figures hiding in the shadows.

When the guard had swum past, Duo let out a small relieved sigh, then darted out, Kurama quickly following suit. As the two merboys swam off, Duo couldn't help but wonder how his cousin would take his little secret. No matter how much he reminded himself that Kurama wasn't like the others, a small part of him still worried that he'd be rejected once his true nature was revealed. He couldn't even bear to think about what his life would be like, if Kurama were to leave it. Yomi's heir was more than his cousin--he was the brother he'd never had, and his only friend. He didn't want to lose him.

Praying silently to any god who would listen, Duo reluctantly swam up to the river's edge and reached out to touch the grassy shore.

Wide emerald eyes stared in wonder as the slim figure arched, a wordless cry emerging from parted lips. In rapt fascination, Kurama watched as the beautiful dark tail split apart, silver-tipped scales washing away to show smooth, pale skin--skin that covered what now appeared to be limbs the land-dwellers called legs.

*How did he--?*

Kurama could but stare in mute shock as Duo emerged from the river, his long, long hair clinging to his body, standing shakily on his newly formed legs. Still somewhat dazed, the redheaded heir to the sea throne slowly made his own way to the riverbank, where the nervous former merboy stood waiting. Heaving himself out of the water, he sat at the now _very_ human boy's feet, giving his cousin a considering look. The boy's head was lowered, face shadowed by gold-shot bangs as he resolutely refused to meet Kurama's eyes. By the way Duo held himself, Kurama could tell that he expected _him_ to be disgusted, or worse.

As the minutes ticked past, the naked boy squirmed, turning a becoming shade of pink under his intent scrutiny. Kurama's shoulders began to shake in silent laughter.

*Ah Duo...you really _should_ know me better by now...*

Suddenly giving the other boy a brilliant smile, Kurama reached out and pushed. Duo fell across his tail in a startled heap. Giggling, he playfully swatted the boy's rump, eliciting an indignant squawk from Duo's throat.

"You have very pretty legs, Duo," he said, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Do you suppose I could get some too?"

Duo gaped up at the smirking face above him, not quite believing what he'd just heard. His cousin apparently found his reaction quite funny, because the merboy began giggling again, quickly swiping tears of mirth from his eyes. Kurama lifted a hand and tapped his forehead with an admonishing finger.

"Baa~~~aka. Did you really think I'd mind about all this?" he asked, gesturing vaguely at Duo's legs.

"Well..."

Kurama snorted, the sound quite startling coming from the elegant prince. "Baka," he stated again, using one hand to lift Duo's chin, forcing him to lift his eyes. "You're still you, aren't you? It doesn't matter if you grow legs, or horns, or," he shrugged. "Or whatever. You'll still be Duo, ne? That's all that really matters to me."

Duo gathered himself up, sitting in a daze by the smiling prince's side. His brain was slowly processing the fact that, yes, he was in his human form, and no, Kurama was not pushing him away, was in fact wholeheartedly accepting him. His cousin's unexpected, but _definitely_ welcome reaction sent answering smile to his face. The world suddenly seemed brighter, for some strange reason.

"Arigatou, Kurama."

Kurama shook his head, waving away his words of gratitude. "There's no need to thank me, Duo. I'd be a poor excuse for a friend if I let something like that drive us apart, ne?" He tapped a finger against Duo's nose. "You should have let me know earlier, though."

"I--" He scrunched his shoulders guiltily.

"Daijobu, Duo," Kurama said, cutting off his words with a soft smile. "I _do_ understand why you didn't say anything."

"Really?"

"Aa. I'd have hesistated too, if I were in the same position." The redhead then sighed wistfully, breathing in the sweet scent of wildflowers blooming in the still forest. "Ne, Duo? What's it like?"

"Hmm?"

"Walking on land? Being free, even if it's only for a little while?" he clarified, seeing Duo's confusion.

"Truthfully?"

Kurama nodded.

Duo shoved his hair away from his face, staring deep into eyes that had grown dark with yearning. "It feels...wonderful."

"Honto?"

"Aa."

"Then why don't you stay here?" he asked, sweeping an arm towards the forest. "Why do you keep on going back home, when you know Father and the others will pick on you?"

Duo gazed down at his lap, unconsciously twirling a lock of hair between his fingers. "I keep going back....well, because of you."

Kurama blinked. "Me?"

Duo sighed, flipping over so he could rest his head on Kurama's tail. "You're my best friend, Kurama. My _only_ friend. I couldn't leave you alone to face the king. Besides," he added, tugging on one of the flame-red locks that had fallen over Kurama's shoulder. "I'd be lonely here all by myself."

"Oh." Kurama began stroking his hair, the gentle motion lulling him into a contented half-doze. "I wish..."

"Nnn?"

Kurama smiled down at him, shaking his head. "Nothing." He glanced up at the sky, beginning to become red-streaked with the setting of the sun. "We'd better go."

"Can't we stay a little longer?" Duo asked plaintively, not wishing to let go of the peaceful moment.

Kurama playfully shoved him off his tail and slipped into the water. "Not if you want Father to come looking for us."

Duo blanched, jerking upright. He'd almost forgotten about that!

Diving quickly, he grabbed Kurama's arm and raced for the palace. If the king ever found out that his son had left his room against _his_ express orders, they were going to be in a shitload of trouble.

Reaching the imposing coral walls, he stopped to turn back for one last wistful look, and noticed Kurama doing the same. Catching the other's eyes, he gave him a rueful grin.

*Oh, well, there's always next time...*

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