Return to the Sea

Golden strips of sunlight shone through the curtains of Roxas' bedroom. The newly wedded couple lay nestled in each others' arms. The morning lark sang his song as if welcoming in the dawn. Gradually Axel began to stir, and slowly opened his eyes, half lidded. A small loving smile pursed on his lips, before sleep enticed his heavy eyelid's to close once more. He gently wrapped an arm around Roxas and pulled him closer to his body in a one armed embrace. Just as the red head drifted off into another peaceful sleep, a content smile upon his lips, Roxas awoke-his eyes also half lidded. The blond sighed happily, resting his eyes on his lovers' sleeping face; the memories of the night before brushing passed his mind, still hazy from sleep. Roxas nuzzled into Axels' chest, feeling the redhead gently squeeze back in response. A few hours later as the sun gradually rose higher in the sky, the couple slowly stirred once more. Axel was the first to awaken, emerald eyes opening to the beautiful sight of his sleeping husband; his face so tranquil, his long eyelashes feathered across his closed sapphire eyes. Axel gently trailed his finger across the blonds' soft cheek; this was possibly one of the happiest moments in his life, nothing could possible ruin it. Shortly afterwards Roxas opened his eyes. He smiled brightly at Axel, muttering a small "hi".

"Morning beautiful" Axel replied fondly, leaning forward to capture the blonds' lips. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Roxas hummed happily in response and nuzzled his head under Axels' chin.

"So, what shall our first day as soul mates bring?" the red head asked softly, kissing the tip of Roxas nose. Roxas hummed again and closed his eyes once more, and just when Axel was wondering whether he had fallen asleep again, his eyes sprung open as if a wonderful idea had come to him. "Perhaps, perhaps we could return to the sea" he said, suddenly looking thoughtful. Axels' eyes widened in surprise, "return to the sea? But I thought that you would be cured of the curse now that we are-"

"No, no, I meant that we can visit. I haven't been to my birthplace for fourteen years; I've almost forgotten what it was like to swim through the cool waters of the ocean. I-I think I would like to see what became of the people I knew. Although I did not react much towards them-after all, I wasn't able to-they were simply happy to sit with me and keep me company. Mer-children are not as loud and disruptive as some human children can be, so I did not mind sitting in their company. Perhaps I could go back and show them how much I have changed, and I could introduce them to the wonderful human being who saved me" Roxas said, a small blush creeping across his cheeks at his last comment.

"Go that far underwater? I hate to disappoint you but I could not possibly go that far into the sea; I would surely drown."

"No, you will be with me" Roxas said, smiling softly as he looked into his husbands' eyes. "As long as you stay with me you should be fine. How do you think that the humans who fell in love with a mer person survived underwater? They were with their loved ones, as long a you have a spiritual connection to the sea, such as soul sharing with a mer-person, you should be perfectly fine."

Axel had heard of humans who had fallen so desperately in love with a mer-person that they had abandoned everything they had on land and went into the ocean to be with them, never to be seen or heard from again. There had always been tales which caused one to assume that the human's-too drunken with their love of their mer-lover -had willingly gone into deeper depths almost forgetting themselves and had unnecessarily drowned, or sometimes their mer-lovers in their enthusiasm to show their lovers' their world had pulled them down deep into the sea, thus unintentionally drowning them and having to suffer the guilt and heartbreak of their loss.

"They do not die" Roxas explained. "Some mer-folk prefer to live on land, other times humans prefer to live in the sea, a place no other human could possibly survive. It is a rare privilege".

"Well, then I would be truly honoured" Axel replied, smiling shyly.

"I just hope that they accept me" Roxas murmured. "After all, humans who live with their mer-lovers are with someone who has a connection to the sea, so they are welcomed, but I was taken away so early, and was born with no soul at all. Perhaps they will treat me like an outsider."

"I doubt that. Perhaps you will be reunited with your biological parents. I'm sure that they would be truly happy and proud to see how you have turned out." Axel nuzzled into Roxas' head. The blond hummed thoughtfully; "I hope that will be the case. Although now I am even more nervous, and suppose we come across my, well, foster parents' real daughter-"

"Hmm, I'm sure she will understand. After all, it was not your choice to take her place" Axel replied.

"Perhaps you are right. At least then I can explain everything."

"I'm sure that she will already know. They wouldn't keep her in the dark all these years." Axel said, entwining his fingers with Roxas'

Roxas hummed thoughtfully. "Either way, I have to face my demons some time, right?" Roxas said, gently playing with Axels' fingers.

"Hmm, as a knight I know that very well" the red head answered, almost smiling at a somewhat ironic distant memory.

"So, to the ocean?" he asked.

Roxas let out a deep sigh; "Yes, to the ocean, I would very much like to show you my birth world".

"And I would very much like to see you with a mer-tail" Axel teased. Roxas blushed and whined a little, causing the red head to laugh and kissed the top of his bashful husbands' head.

"So, let us get ready" Axel said, nuzzling into Roxas again before slowly sitting up and stretching.

"Umm, Axel" Roxas mumbled, suddenly feeling confused and for reasons unknown to him, slightly embarrassed.

"Mmmm?" Axel responded, looking down at the blond.

"Uh, um, what-what is this?" Roxas asked shyly, pointing to a particular substance on the sheets. Axel looked down to see what Roxas was talking about, before realisation struck causing him to flush slightly; 'Oh the gods, how to explain this!' Axel thought, nervously, running a hand through his hair.

The sun had risen high in the sky, indicating midday. Axel and Roxas had washed their bed sheets after Axel had explained as best as he could the answer to Roxas' question. "So, if I was a woman I would be-"

"In the early stages of pregnancy" Axel finished, blushing almost as darkly as his hair.

He was surprised that Roxas wasn't already aware of this, surely his parents should have spoken to him about this before; he was seventeen after all. Perhaps a lack of a heart and soul gave them no reason to explain such things.

"My, what a thought" Roxas mumbled, also blushing.

They went back inside to have breakfast-which was quite awkward what with Roxas' mother looking at them shyly, a pink tinge on her cheeks, which was odd for Roxas as he had never seen his mother blush before. His father on the other hand seemed to be in a bad mood for some reason. Perhaps-Roxas thought with a blush-they had been a little too vocal during their lovemaking.

The newly wed couple briefly told them of their daily plans-which struck a little interest and worry as to what may happen afterwards, especially since they may come across Namine. Non- the less, they prepared to leave.

As they bustled round the house Roxas' mother couldn't help the dreaded feeling that was increasing in her stomach; her memories of the terrible night during the storm when she had lost her little girl. The white faces at the window, the haunting laughter, blaming herself all these years for the supposed 'death' of their daughter. What had become of her? Did she still resemble a human? Did she have knowledge of the common tongue, and customs of a human society, or was she purely an almost alien race? Tainted and ruined, forever different to the sweet innocent carefree child she so sorrowfully remembered? How could anyone justify kidnapping a child from her home to be replaced with another purely because their own wasn't good enough for them? She chided herself, realising how bitter and cruel she was being. It wasn't Roxas' fault how things had turned out, but knowing the fact that all these years she had still cried herself to sleep at night thinking of her baby, plagued with dreams of her crying as the waters swept her baby away right out of her mothers weakened grasp, all these things had been a lie, and Roxas knowing all of this, right under her nose; it was almost infuriating. She knew part of her was being unfair, but she couldn't help herself. She had unknowingly been putting bowls and cooking utensils away in such a manner that her husband had to place a hand upon her arm, his eyes holding hers in a silent enquiry. She smiled meekly shaking her head, glancing towards Roxas' room; luckily he and Axel were inside and hadn't noticed. Her husband followed her gaze, and returned to her with a sympathetic smile, thinking that his wife was afraid of loosing Roxas in the very waters that had claimed their little girl. She decided to keep her feelings to herself. There was no reason to taint her husband's mind with such polluted thoughts.

After saying goodbye, the couple made their way down to the beach hand in hand. The fisherman stood outside with his wife, who waved telling them to return safely, giving no inclination of the feelings she had had moments before. When they arrived, Roxas saw the ocean in a whole new light. "I'm not afraid anymore" he said with a soft smile. Axel squeezed his hand supportively. "For the first time in fourteen years, I'm not afraid anymore. I was always worried that I wouldn't find love in time and the sea witch would take me away to be at her mercy; or that my mer-self didn't exist anymore, seeing as I have lived away from the water for so long. I always worried that if I ever did enter the sea it would pull me down like any mortal and I would drown. Quite ironic, isn't it?" He chuckled. "A mer-person being afraid of drowning" Axel looked at his lover sympathetically. "But not now, I am ready to go back". This time he squeezed Axels' hand. "As long as I am with you, I do not fear the water".

Axel thought that it was he who should fear the water without Roxas, after all, he was the mortal one technically, but he chose not to say this in front of Roxas. Said blond turned to his nervous yet excited husband "Let us explore?"

"Let us explore" Axel replied, trying to conjure a reassuring smile.

The sea breeze whipped through their hair as they descended from the beach down to the waters. Having removed their shoes-originally expecting thick dunes of sand- they found that the shore was layered with shale & pebbles, which applied uncomfortable pressure to their feet making it quite difficult to walk, but they did so laughing slightly at their unsteadiness, holding onto each others' arm for support, while trying to keep their other arm outstretched for balance. "Oh, that certainly wasn't pleasant, I didn't realise that the shore would be quite so harsh, next time I think I'll remove my shoes at the waters' edge." Axel said a little irritated with himself.

"Well, it was worth it to see you looking silly wobbling side to side like an intoxicated crab" Roxas teased.

"Hey, you were walking just the same" the red head retorted playfully. "Besides, I'm not the one about to become part fish" he added slyly. Roxas gasped in mock shock. "Well if that's' how you feel you can just swim by yourself" he said, folding his arms and snubbing his husband pretending to be mad. When he heard no response from the red head he turned to find Axel scrunching his face up as though he had been struck. At first Roxas looked a little confused and alarmed, before Axel opened one eye to look at his legs. "Nope, didn't grow a tail, hey Roxas, help me out on this!" Roxas' worry lifted and he slapped his husband on the am playfully for his silliness.

"Stop that!" he said in a mock scalding manner.

Axel chuckled "alright, alright, I'll behave."

"You're so silly sometimes" Roxas replied, smirking.

"You make me silly" replied the red head. Just then they felt the cool waters of the ocean wash over their feet, as if to remind them what they were there for.

"Come, let me show you my birth world" Roxas said, taking his husband by the hand, walking into the water. "Good grief it's cold!" Axel exclaimed as they waded deeper.

"I feel alright, the water feels soothingly cool".

"Well, you would feel okay, you were born in it!" Axel reminded him. Roxas chuckled, before suddenly remembering something important. "Oh, I almost forgot" he said, removing his breeches. Upon seeing Axels' confused expression he said "to wear once we return to land, I do not wish to walk around naked, and I fear they may rip when, um, you know-" he finished with a cute blush. He removed his shirt too, and left the clothing on a large rock. "I hope that the tide does not come in too soon" he mumbled. He would be mortified if his clothes were washed away and he arrived with nothing to wear, particularly if Namine was with him. He was sure that his body wasn't the first thing she wanted to witness after years of life under the sea. That was, if she decided to come back with them. After all, she may have grown attached to her lifestyle with the mer-people. Roxas was suddenly awoken from his thoughts when he began to feel a little unstable, his legs suddenly wouldn't support him.

"Roxas, are you alright?" Axel asked worriedly, gripping onto the blond.

"Yeah, I guess, just keep moving" he replied, as the unusual sensation continued. His legs were starting to feel almost gelatos. When the water was up to their mid torso Roxas suddenly collapsed under the waves, unable to support his body weight any longer. "Roxas!" Axel cried, before grabbing the blond before he disappeared into the oceans' depths. He pulled Roxas up by his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. "I-I think so" the blond replied, suddenly feeling as though his legs were fusing together.

Axel cried out in surprise, flinching as something brushed past his calf.

"Um, that-that would be me" Roxas replied sheepishly, lifting out of the water the fins of a long silvery fish tail. Axels looked on in shock.

"It-worked" he whispered in awe. He gently poked Roxas' tail fin.

Said blond chuckled "it looks as though the sea is still a part of me after all".

"How come your father has never noticed you developing a tail?" Axel asked, baffled.

"Simple. I have never been in the ocean all these years. I always stayed on the boat when we were out fishing."

"Well, what about when you bathe? It's never happened then".

"I guess it is because we only used the brook near out house, which isn't very deep; also I was still under the witch's spell. That was part of the agreement, that I could never regain my fins and return to the sea unless I either gained a soul-"here he pause to gratefully hug the redhead, who grinned in response

"- or, well, returned with her, a mindless empty shell for her to work at her command; I am sure you have seen how cruel she is" Roxas said, lowering his head sadly.

"If I could have done, I would have taken your place. I could not bear to think what would have happened if-." Axel began, before cutting himself off, hugging the blond to him, fearing the very thought.

"Fear not, we are fine now. Although I cannot understand how easily we succeeded. Surely she would have tried to stop us?"

Axel suddenly became quite nervous, thinking back to his last meeting with the witch, and the kiss she had stolen. He slowly put his fingers to his lips, wondering why she hadn't appeared before Roxas to boast about it and slyly asked him how he had not known about it yet. Was she merely biding her time? The soft concerned voice of his lover brought him out of his worrisome thoughts. Roxas placed a hand on the red heads arm. "What is it?" he asked softly. Axel wasn't sure how to answer. He could not bear to break his soul mates' heart, so instead he said "nothing, I am fine, come now, we have a whole new world awaiting us! I cannot believe that I am going to be one of the only humans in the world who has seen the world of mer folk!" Roxas chuckled at his lovers' apparent enthusiasm. He wrapped his arms around Axels' neck and pulled himself up by his powerful tail to capture his husbands' lips. "Lets us be off then!" he said cheerfully. "Remember, stay close to me, okay?"

"As if I'd want to be anywhere else" Axel replied, resting his forehead against Roxas'. His other motive for these words were his still slightly present fear of drowning, but of course he didn't want to worry Roxas with his negative thoughts, so he kept them to himself; until another thought came to him. "Um, so, so will I be able to breath underwater?" He said nervously.

"Hmm, I don't think that you will need to breath at all" Roxas answered thoughtfully. "We shall have to see. If-if things do not work out as they should let me know right away, and I will re-surface, okay?" This last comment wasn't exactly reassuring to Axel. How far underwater would they be before he realised that he needed to breathe? Despite his fears, he nodded in agreement, taking a deep breath anyway as they both dived into the ocean's depths, Roxas' powerful tail pulling them along with ease.

They travelled deeper into the waves; Roxas laughing joyously at the strange yet wondrous feeling of gliding through the water. It also felt strange to be able to breath underwater. Thinking this he turned to check on Axel. "Are you alright?" He asked. Axel smiled and nodded in response. "So, um, do you need to breathe? Can you talk?" Axel shook his head to the first question and shrugged at the second. He tried to say something simple like 'hello', but it came out as a dull gurgle. Roxas looked a little sympathetic towards his lover. There must be so many things he'd want to ask but not be able to. Axel obviously thought the same thing as his expression became quite forlorn. Roxas gently squeezed his hand in wordless support. "It's alright, I can translate for you" he smiled. Axel rolled his eyes as if the blond had said a bad joke. Speaking of his eyes, he was surprised how clearly he could see things, event though he was underwater the salt had no effect on him at all. Having a spiritual bond with a mer-person truly had its advantages. With Roxas new found strength they had covered many miles already. Axel still felt strange about not being able to breath, he didn't even have any pressure building up in his chest as one normally would when holding their breath for too long. Suddenly he noticed something up ahead and pointed to it excitedly. Roxas looked ahead to see some rock formations decorated with what appeared to be starfish and barnacles, unusually shaped branches of coral in a wonderful variety of colours littered across the rocks, almost like an underwater forest. Schools of silver fish flashed by, swimming together in smooth fluid movements, almost like a synchronised underwater ballet; their silvery scales glinting in the golden rays of sunlight which were strong enough penetrate through the water. Long crimped strips of sea weed elegantly danced in the gently currents of the water while vibrant red crabs scuttled through them in their trademark sideways walk to and from their homes in the rocks, occasionally using their large pincers to snap at potential prey. Roxas watched the fish with particular interest. "It's simply amazing how they all automatically move in the same direction. How do they know where to swim? Nature is certainly an intelligent mistress."

Axel was looking at the colours of the fish. He pointed to them and then to Roxas' own tail. He then made a sweeping gesture, then back at Roxas' tail. Surprisingly, Roxas found that he understood what the red head meant. "No, I do not think that mer-folks' tails are all the same colour. I think that they are- rather we- all vary like humans." Roxas still found it strange that he could now officially include himself when describing mer-folk. Axel continued to look around him thoughtfully. The waters' were now pleasantly warm, and the further they swam the clearer the waters became. They had cleared the tropical coral formations, and were now surrounded by endless clear blue waters', save for the odd plain rock formation; both nervously looking down into underwater canyons which lay daunting and mysteriously below them, a place where no light could penetrate. "Hmm, I wonder where we are now. We haven't seen more then natural wildlife. I wonder even if we're going in the right direction for the home of the mer-people." Roxas frowned, starting to worry. What if they travelled so far out that they couldn't find their way back to land? Suddenly Axel grabbed Roxas' arm in alarm and pointed forward. Roxas stopped swimming and looked to where Axel was pointing. Something was moving amongst a rock formation quite close to them. The two lovers tensed and kept very still, watching and listening for anything. "Hmm, perhaps it was nothing" Roxas mumbled. A flash of something that resembled a fin amongst the rocks caught the blonds' eye. "Or perhaps it is a dolphin!" Axel gave Roxas a quizzical look. "They are sea mammals with longish tails, sleek bodies, flipper fins and a dorsal fin on their back and their foreheads are fairly rounded, depending on the species and they have long noses. They're very friendly. Axel found it hard to imagine and mammal without fur that lived in water. Unwisely, Roxas moved closer to get a better look.

"Hey there, shouldn't you be with your family?" he asked, trying to look behind the rock where the creature had swam. As the couple were looking down, the sea creature disappeared into the rocks. Little did they know that it had swum behind them slowly and stealthily, and was now watching them with beady black eyes. Suddenly Axel caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. His eyes dilated slightly, a strong fear induced tension rippled through him as he turned around slowly, releasing a muffled cry of surprise and fear as he came face to face with the creature. He yanked Roxas back and pulled him to the side as the beast opened its jaws to reveal rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth before snapping them together in an attempt to catch what it deemed as easy prey. Roxas gave a startled yell at the sudden attack, and when he saw what the creature was he fear and panic tore through his heart.

"It's a shark! Move Axel!"

With as much strength as he could Axel tried to kick his feet rapidly to keep up with Roxas as the blond sped through the water. Right now Axel really wished he had a sword or a weapon at some kind. What kind of knight ran from battle? Unfortunately the thought had not occurred to him, although after a while his swords would have been rendered useless due to the salt content of the water anyway.

The shark was gaining on them, and snapped its jaws, attempting to crunch the bones on Axels' leg. In desperation to protect his lover and bide themselves a little time, Roxas unrepentantly swung his body round, and using the full force of his tail struck the shark in the nose-the most sensitive part of its body. The shark writhed in pain, shaking its head from side to side. "Quickly Axel!" the blond cried, now practically dragging the unfortunate red head behind him. Being human Axel wasn't the strongest of swimmers, and he soon began to grow tired, but he desperately tried not to slow Roxas down. If the occasion called for it, he would have to let go and allow Roxas to escape. Whether he would drown first or be eaten alive he didn't know, but Roxas' safety was his main priority. They sped on ahead, Roxas doing most of the swimming, but it wasn't long before the shark recovered and began the chase once more. Axel tried to keep up and make swimming easier for Roxas, but his thighs were burning, his legs felt as thought they were encased in lead. His fingers began to slip through Roxas', who was now panting heavily. He still wasn't fully used to swimming with a mer-tail, and he too was becoming tired. "Axel- no!" he pleaded breathlessly. Unless he was able to find a loose sharp rock, or something similar, Axel wasn't sure what he could do to stop the shark. He looked at Roxas apologetically, his emerald eyes sorrowful. Roxas painfully gripped Axels' hand as tightly as he could to prevent him from slipping away.

"Axel, please, don't let go! Hold on!"

"I'm trying" the red head wanted to say. He wanted to tell Roxas that no matter what he must keep swimming; he must get away. Tears burned in the corners of Roxas' eyes. He looked around desperately for somewhere to shelter in. This was his fault. He had wanted to explore to ocean, and it was he who unwisely lingered around when he first saw the shark. If he hadn't been so naive they could have gotten away quicker, and perhaps they wouldn't be in such a serious predicament as they were in now. They swam under an arch of stone, connected by a rocky cliff sides which lead to an underwater cavern. Roxas was preparing himself to summon the last of his energy to attack the sharks' nose again when something small and slim shot through the water and almost pierced the shark in the head, just missing Roxas' tail fins. To the couples' relief, the shock of the shooting object had stopped the shark in its tracks. Risking a glance over their shoulders, Axel and Roxas could see that a new line of fire had taken place. What appeared to be arrows streamed through the water with unbelievable speed; this time the arrows hit their target, causing the shark to writhe with pain, blood leaking from its wounds like spilled ink. "Who shot those arrows?"Roxas said gasping, as he and Axel were finally able to rest. If Axel had needed to breathe he was sure his chest would have been heaving. He still couldn't believe that his body had no need for air. Roxas however, was panting heavily. Axel took the blond in his arms and held him close, rubbing his back comfortingly. Roxas gently wrapped the bottom of hid tail around Axels' calves in an affectionate mer-person embrace. "My, you two are certainly close" An unknown voice said. The couple looked up to see a merman approximately Axels' age swimming towards them from the cliff top.

"You were very close to becoming shark bait" he added, smirking as if the idea slightly amused him.

"We had no intention of being chased by a shark" Roxas responded coldly, narrowing his eyes in anger. The merman held his hands in front of himself as if in surrender. "At ease friend, I was merely trying to make light of the situation. Eases the fear and tension sometimes, ya know?"

Roxas sighed, feeling slightly guilty; after all, this person had just saved their life.

"Apologies, we just weren't expecting out first trip to the sea to be this hazardous".

"First trip?" the merman asked, cocking an eyebrow. Roxas suddenly felt awkward; he had a lot of explaining to do. Axel rubbed his arm sympathetically as the blond became nervous about the merman's long hard gaze. It was almost as if he was trying to remember something. "Wait, your not the kings' son by any chance are you, the one who was left in the human world?" The merman asked, almost nervously. Roxas blushed a little and nodded, looking down. The merman stared in disbelief and awe for a few moments, before crying out in excitement; "I do not believe what I'm hearing! Goodness, I cannot believe that you managed to break the curse! Was the witch hard to defeat? How come we have heard nothing of this until now?"

Before Roxas could answer the merman's attention was quickly diverted as he turned to Axel. "Oooohhh, so this must be your human mate? Veeeeery nice" he said, looking at the red head up and down in a judge full way, circling him slowly.

Roxas wasn't sure whether to be flattered by the comment or irritated that another man was eyeing up his husband. Axel made a noise that sounded like he was trying to clear his throat and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Demyx! Find someone else to admire, this ones' obviously taken" a silver haired merman said, joining them. The one addressed as Demyx laughed nervously and ran a hand through his mullet styled hair, a thin strand hung down at each side of his face; neither Axel nor Roxas had seen someone with such a unique style. "Sorry, Riku, I meant no harm" Demyx said timidly. The silver haired merman rolled his eyes, and was soon joined by another, who had short brown hair styled in very wild spikes. His eyes were an amazing deep sea blue, just like Roxas'. Finally, another merman and a mermaid about Roxas' age came down to meet them. "Woah! What did you do to aggravate a great white shark?" The mermaid asked in an excitedly energetic manner.

"Be quiet Yuffie" a merman with long brown hair held back in a pony tail scalded. He had a long thin scar which ran across his face, added to his current scowl he looked very intimidating. The one addressed as Yuffie ran a hand through her short black hair, fiddling with a head scarf which wrapped around her forehead. "Aww, I'm sorry Squall, I didn't mean to be rude." Axel and Roxas found themselves awed by the mer-folk, Roxas especially. These were his people, yet he had no idea how to act around them. What was a respectful way to address them by? Did they shake hands or bow, like humans? He especially didn't want to offend the one addressed as 'Squall'. Axel found that he was already feeling out of place. He was at least hoping to meet some humans who had stayed to live with their mer-lovers. It made him wonder if they had somehow changed to become more adaptable to moving through the water. Perhaps they had not developed tails as such, but some sort of amphibious traits, like webbed hands and feet. "He said he's the kings' son!" Demyx said excitedly. Squall raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Did he now? Well, he certainly does resemble the young prince, although it has been a very long time since anyone has seen him. But we shall know for certain when we take him to his majesty". Roxas and Axel glanced at each other in anticipation. The red head gave the blonds' hand an encouraging squeeze, before they slowly took off after the other mer-folk. "

Come on you sea slugs!" Yuffie yelled.

"Our apologies, but we are very tired" Roxas said a little huffily. He was much too tired to force himself to swim any quicker then what they were already doing. Demyx and the mer-boy with short brown hair swam back to them. "We'll give you a helping hand, shall we?" the brunette said, linking arms with Roxas, whilst Demyx did the same with Axel. After Demyxs' previous enthusiasm referring to his husband, Roxas wasn't sure if her was comfortable with this, but noticing the blonds' uncomfortable expression the mulleted merman said "Worry not, I'll behave, I promise". The brunette next to Roxas groaned and rolled his eyes. "Worry not, Demyx is harmless, really. By the way, you probably won't remember me, but I'm Sora" he said, happily holding out his hand. Roxas gave him an incredulous look. The brunette already had a hold on one of his arms, and there was no way he was letting go of Axel. "Oh, right" Sora muttered sheepishly with a goofy grin, as he realised what Roxas meant. Somewhere nearby Riku gave a suppressed snort of laughter. Sora looked over at him, frowning. He turned away, nose pointing in the air dismissively. Demyx chuckled, "This two are always like that". Axel responded with a meek smile to show that he was listening. Roxas chuckled at Sora's expression, trying to remember the brunet from his childhood; feeling bad because his minds' eye was blurry, with memories too cloudy to fully grasp onto. He only really remembered his time on land from the day he was found on the beach. "You're awfully quiet" Demyx commented, nudging Axel in the side playfully. The red head wasn't sure if he was comfortable with Demyx's lack of personal space, but he was glad he didn't have to kick his legs anymore, as Sora and Demyx pulled them along with ease; for that at least he was grateful. Axel merely gave the mulleted merman a look which plainly said 'human- can't talk underwater'. Demyx gave him a quizzical look, before he suddenly realised Axels' problem. He laughed heartedly, tilting his head backwards slightly as he did so. "Ah, no worries, we can fix that when we get to the castle".

'Castle?' Axel and Roxas thought simultaneously. Suddenly Roxas' stomach churned with nerves. What were his birth parents like? Were they strict, happy, care free? Had they adopted the fisherman's daughter as their own? The thought of meeting her face to face was nerve wracking for Roxas. Soon they could just make out the shape of tall buildings off in the distance. As they swam closer, the buildings appeared to loom ahead of them. It was the city of the mer-people. All of the buildings were so white they appeared to glow as if they had their own life's aura. Ocean flowers and corals of every colour and shape decorated them, entwining around the towers of the buildings, even decorating the marble like streets like small gardens. The doors of the houses were made out of large shells or corals branches. "The buildings are actually made out of pearls" Demyx informed them, laughing at Axel and Roxas' awed expressions.

"Yeah, and when some smaller ones fall out you can make them into pretty jewellery" Yuffie added with a broad smile, showing them a pearl bracelet she was wearing.

"You're not supposed to take the pearls Yuffie, you're supposed to keep them for the builders so that they can reattach them to the buildings" Leon said sternly.

"Aww phooey, don't be such a crab Squall, it's not going to make a difference if I take a few" Yuffie replied, rolling her eye in exasperation. Squall sighed disapprovingly. As they came closer to the entrance of the city they could see four guards at the gates, each holding a large deadly spear, their torsos dressed in golden metal armour and helmets similar to that of Roman soldiers. The group slowed to a halt before the guards. "Who are these two?" one of the guards demanded, pointing a spear towards Roxas. Axel scowled and instinctively moved in front of Roxas protectively. "Why is there a human here? We have not been informed of an interracial marriage recently. You should know that it is forbidden for any human to know of the city's where a bout's." The guards apprehended Axel, much to the shock of the small group and to the horror of Roxas. "Wait! Don't do this!" He cried, trying to reach forward but the guards kept everyone back with spears. They couldn't even reach for the bows and arrows. "We'll have to take him to the king to see what he decides."

"But you don't understand, he really is married to Roxas!" Sora cried defensively.

"Unhand him this minute!" Roxas yelled. How dare they threaten his husband? Roxas moved to knock on of the spears out of the closest guards' hands- a defence move Axel had taught him during his sword fighting lessons. In doing so, the guards not holding onto Axel lunged forward with their spears. Axel cried out the blonds' name, but his voice was muffled by the pressure of the water. To everyone's surprise Squall leaped forward, knocking the spear away with his bow and one swift arm movement swung it onto one of the guards arms, causing him to yell in pain and drop his spear which Squall quickly grabbed onto and thrust its' spear point towards the lead guard offensively. In the brief moment of the other guards' surprise, Squall's group managed to recollect themselves and bring arrows to their bows. Soon the two groups were aiming their weapons at each other, except for the captain of the guards, who looked both shocked and outraged, glaring with intense anger at the older brunet, who held his ground, an angered frown etched in his otherwise handsome face. "Up until recently I was a personal guard to the royal family; they know me well. We will go with you to see his majesty, but-" here Squall raised his voice slightly "You will not treat us like common criminals; we have done nothing wrong. This boy-" he gestured to Roxas- "Is the kings' biological son, you should all know what that means". At this statement the other guards glanced at each other nervously, whilst their captain continued to scowl. "The human you are wrongfully apprehending is his mate".

"Um, he means husband" Roxas corrected quietly. He wasn't used to hearing the mer-peoples' term for lover; "You have him to thank for that" Squall continued as if Roxas hadn't spoken. "Two males?" the captain sneered.

"It's not as uncommon as you think" Demyx stated firmly, still aiming his arrow, although he shrunk back a little when the guard gave him a dangerous glare for interrupting. "How else would he be able to return to the sea? Was that not the deal the king made with the witch? When Roxas has gained a soul, he is able to return freely. Do you see the witch here?" Riku commented, in a dangerous yet unnervingly calm tone of voice. The captain surrendered slightly; they had a point, although he hated to be proven wrong. Still in a foul mood, he ordered his men to release Axel with a click of his fingers. The angered red head snatched his arms away from his former captives scowling, and swam over to Roxas, who met him half way, eagerly wrapping his arms around his beloved red head and nuzzled into his chest. Yuffie 'awed' at the scene, making Riku roll his eyes and snort as if amused. Axel gently placed a hand under Roxas' chin and tilted his face to see if the blond was injured. Seeing that he wasn't he momentarily rested his forehead against Roxas' before he leaned in and tenderly kissed the blonds' lips. Sora blushed a looked away muttering "oh my". Riku laughed at his innocent friend, gaining an elbow in the ribs in response from the now scowling brunette. Axel and Roxas slowly parted "I am fine" Roxas mumbled against Axels' lips. "Did they hurt you?" the red head gave him a look as if to say 'do you really think they could?' and pulled the blond into another affectionate embrace. The guards started at them incredulously-one even blushed slightly and looked at his tail fin for distraction, before Squall said in an evenly calm yet dangerous voice "Now that the matter has resolved, let us go to the palace if you will" he gestured onwards.

The captain of the guards growled and ordered his men to continue to the castle. Axel and Roxas held hands again, but then the red head realised something. He gestured to their hands then shaking his head as he pointed to the guards. Roxas assumed that he meant he still hadn't needed to breathe despite the fact that the guards had temporarily separated them. Demyx-who had resumed to pulling the two along- also appeared to understand, for he laughed an almost musical laugh and said "you don't need to stay glued to your partner the whole time; as long as you have a spiritual connection with a mer-person you will be fine. The most common case is being married to one, obviously" Demyx smiled, his eyes twinkling attractively, the couple noticed. They were quite surprised to hear something knowledgeable come out of the mulleted merman, but they merely smiled shyly at him, wanting to seem polite. There seemed to be a sort of aura about Demyx that made you automatically like him, despite his previous lack of personal space; with his cheery nature, almost musical voice and laughter and how he was always trying to make everyone smile.

Swimming through the city escorted by palace guards drew a lot of attention towards the group. Mer-women stopped with their babies strapped to their backs in baby pouches or cradled in their arms and muttered to their friends or husbands, wondering whether the guards had apprehended someone dangerous. Several people looked out of the windows, or stopped halfway through a job that they were doing to gawp at them, especially at the new strangers with them. Roxas looked around nervously, he truly felt as though he wasn't supposed to be there. Axel however was feeling more and more out of place. He looked around trying to see if he could spot any other humans among the mer-people, but so far he hadn't seen any. The numbers of humans living with the mer-people must have only been a small handful. Perhaps they were all looking at him because the number of humans was so few. The tense silence was too much for Roxas, so he decided to try and make conversation. "Um, s-so, um, do you know the fisherman's daughter? The-the one who was left here in my place?" he asked Sora nervously. The brunette looked confused for a start, but then his face lit up with realisation. "Ooh, yeah, Riku likes her" he said teasingly, looking slyly towards Riku, who flushed slightly. It was the young silver haired merman's turn to nudge Sora in the ribs. The brunette laughed despite the pain, clutching his side. It was not very often that he was able to successfully tease his friend, so he considered the pain worth it. "I-is she nice?" Roxas asked; unsure whether someone like Riku would be interested in nice girls, or girls with a cool, hard attitude such as himself.

"She's beautiful in both body and mind. Everyone is fascinated by her" Sora replied, still smiling cheekily at Riku, who was now scowling a little; "Oh" Roxas muttered quietly. He hoped that he didn't prove to be a disappointment when the royal family finally met him. Axel gave his hand a comforting squeeze of support and an encouraging smile. Roxas smiled back meekly and gently squeezed back in a silent thank you. "Here we are!" Sora exclaimed happily, as they could see the tall, glistening crystal castle towers emerging over the other mer-peoples' houses, gradually becoming bigger as they swam closer. Roxas gaped in awe as they passed the final set of houses and beheld a mighty castle, the crystal walls glittering magnificently.

The entire surface glistened as though every inch was encrusted with tiny white diamonds, sparkling as beautifully as sunlight would on the waters surface. Great pillars of crystal towered from the castle, each littered with many windows and decorated with shining pearls. Other pillars supported crystal bridges, which joined together with different sections of the castle. It truly was a magnificent sight. Roxas wondered whether Namine would want to live in a simple fisherman's' home after being brought up in such luxury. More guards met them in front of the large castle gates. "Halt, state your business" one of the guards demanded. He was garbed in the same armour as the guards who had escorted the group to the castle itself, except for the fact that they held large shields as well as spears.

"We need to see the king, this boy claims to be his son" the soldier escorting the group said, still scowling, his foul mood from the earlier confrontation still angering him. As expected, the castle guards faltered, all staring at the blond, who blushed heavily and timidly moved closer to Axel. The red head smiled sympathetically and wrapped an arm around the blond. "Are you certain? You do realise the seriousness of you implication?" the castle guard said sternly.

"We are certain" Squall said firmly. Unlike the guards who had escorted the group, the castle guards had known Squall for a long time, and thus both trusted and believed his words, although his story was certainly a surprise. After all, this meant that there were big changes awaiting their kingdom. "And this human is his mate?" the guard said, gesturing to Axel with his spear. "Y-yes, he is" Roxas mumbled shyly, averting his eyes from the guards' piercing stare. "You-you chose another male? " One of the other castle guards asked, amazed. They had expected a beautiful human girl. Oh, curse the gods', is it so hard to accept? Roxas thought bitterly, scowling.

"Yeah, isn't it great" Our kingdom will finally be safe from the sea witch!" Yuffie cried happily, punching her fist up. "We will leave this discussion until we meet with the king himself" Squall said coolly, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Alright, we shall grant you an audience with his majesty. Follow me" the captain of the castle guards said, ordering his men to remain at the castle doors, whilst he and the first group of guards continued to escort Roxas' group into the castle. Roxas couldn't shake the embarrassment from within him. He hated the way the guards spoke of him and Axel. He hadn't realised that same sex marriages were such a big deal. Perhaps, despite his hope for things to be different, things were just as strict about such matters in the world of the mer-folk as churches were in the human world. But what did it matter? All Roxas knew was that Axel made him feel happy and special. Love was love, right? Either was he'd gained a soul. He wished everyone would stop treating them like mutants.

Axel frowned sadly, noticing Roxas' sudden sadness and tension. He sighed, feeling guilty for the blonds' unhappiness. He, too, had not considered the consequences of his union with Roxas. He hadn't seen a problem with it. After all, he'd saved Roxas and shared his soul with him, that's all that the mer-people needed to worry about, was it not? They weren't exactly in a position to be picky. As they entered the palace they swam into a huge foyer, which was supported by tall sturdy pillars of crystal almost as thick as tree trunks, which held up a high decorative ceiling. Many aristocratic mer-folk garbed with fine jewels and pearls stopped to watch the group as they swam through. Axel couldn't help but feel bad for Roxas. He knew that the blond was worried about his reputation among his kin, and he felt as though he had dealt Roxas with unnecessary hardships. Roxas appeared to sense Axels' guilt, and he turned to gaze at the red head, who was gazing sadly at the ground. "Axel, this isn't your fault, okay? I love you, and I wouldn't change anything for the world. If they find us so had to accept then we can go back to land. Nothing that they say could possibly make me regret marrying you" Roxas stated firmly, squeezing the red heads' hand for support. He meant every word. No-one was going to separate them. Roxas had chosen Axel to be his mate, and that is how things' would stay. Axel looked up at the blond with a small smile, squeezing back as a thank you. He would have stopped to kiss the blond if the guards hadn't been ushering them on with such urgency.

Demyx sighed admiringly and almost sadly at Roxas' declaration. A pang of loneliness suddenly sped through him, piercing his heart almost like a speeding arrow, but he merely brushed the feeling off, as they came to a grand ballroom. Just passed it lay the kings' quarters. He felt a great pity for the young mer-prince and his mate, but at least they had someone to care about.

The ballroom itself was huge, much wider in diameter then what the foyer was. The walls were circular and shimmered like liquid light, the ceiling was carved into various elegant rolling wave patterns, almost too perfectly detailed to have been merely carved manually by builders. The floor was tiled with what appeared to be clam shaped sea shells which looked as though they had been vigorously polished, giving them an almost silvery shine. Some were darker then others, whilst others appeared to have a pale bluish tinge to them. The shells had been placed together in a kind of mosaic, to form what appeared to be an underwater garden. Roxas and Axel glanced around in awe, but they didn't have long to admire the décor, as they were quickly ushered into the corridor up ahead passed the ballroom. Grand pearl chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each glowing their own mysterious light; at the far end of the corridor stood a very large doorway rimmed with gold. "Here are the kings' chambers', you must bow before him and only speak when spoken to. Do you understand?" The captain of the castle guards said strictly. Roxas swallowed roughly; his father sounded really strict. Sora noticed his uneasiness "Worry not, he's not that bad, the guards just like to sound official and important." Yuffie overheard and giggled slightly covering her smile with her hand. Roxas smiled meekly feeling a little better, although everyone focused and behaved when Squall glared warningly at them.

Roxas took a deep breath and time almost seemed to slow down as the chamber doors opened ahead of them. He began to shyly swim forward, once again feeling a supportive squeeze on the hand from Axel. They found that the kings' chamber was by far the most magnificent room they had seen. The roof was domed, with beautiful paintings of bright corals, exotic underwater plants of all colours, as well as various sea creatures such as schools of fish, sea turtles and leafy sea dragons swimming amongst them. Unlike the rest of the castle, this chamber seemed to be constructed of smooth pearls, almost as if they had been melted down and cut like marble. Grand tapestries hung from the walls, all of which were weaved out of a fine material almost as delicate as silk, each displaying images of handsome mer-folk decorated with crowns and jewels, some of them seated on grand thrones; they were obviously past members of the royal family. Three beautifully carved thrones sat high up at the end of the magnificently sized room, the head of the thrones carved in smooth wave like patterns similar to those decorating the ballroom ceiling. However, the people sitting on the thrones made Roxas' heart beat furiously with anticipation. He could feel Axel tense up slightly. The sea king sat in the middle throne, his wife to his right, and to his left – Namine! The blond thought frantically. He swallowed roughly again as all the possibly raves and insults she might throw at him for taking her away from her real family plagued his thoughts. The sea king looked down at the new arrivals with interest, especially when his eyes locked onto Roxas'. The king, too, had deep ocean blue eyes, and his hair was short blond and spiky, but unlike Roxas', his did not curve over his forehead. Magnificent silver armour embraced his body. His tail was a deep shade of blue, just like his eyes. Axel stared in admiration; clearly he was a great leader and warrior. His arms lay on the arm rests of the thrones, his head leaning on his hand thoughtfully.

The queens' hair was brown and held back by a pink ribbon, two bangs hung down from the side of her face. Her coral pink tail was partly covered by a long pink silk cloak with the collar at the head of it, which fanned out behind the queens' head almost like a peacocks' tail feathers only smaller in size, making her delicate features look more beautiful. White fur trimmed the edges of her cloak, and a beautiful golden necklace supporting a rose red ruby hung around her neck.

To the kings' right sat Namine. She was very fair of skin; small rose petal shaped lips curved into a soft smile when her eyes fell upon the present company. Her eyes were that of a tropical blue ocean and they brightened beautifully when she smiled. Her soft white blond hair trailed down her back, gently waving every now and then as the odd water current brushed through it. She wore an elegant white pleated dress which flowed down to her ankles. A finely patterned corset embraced her tiny waist, reminding Roxas of his human mothers' special dress. Despite having lived in the ocean her whole life, she had still maintained her human form. Roxas found himself blushing slightly as he looked at the mysterious girl, as did Riku, much to the amusement of Sora.

They all bowed respectfully, waiting for the royal family to address them. The king glanced over at everyone, looking thoughtfully at Axel for a while, almost studying the red head, but he found himself drawn to Roxas, and once he met eyes with the blond, he found that he could not tear his gaze away from him. Could this really be his son who he had left on land all those years ago?

If Roxas hadn't been bowing he would have found the kings' intense gaze intimidating

"You may rise" he said briefly; once everyone was looking at him, he gestured to Roxas. "You, come here" Roxas looked uncertainly at Axel, who smiled meekly before letting go of Roxas' hand. Sora had been busy teasingly nudging a now fairly flushed Riku, who scowled at Soras' immaturity, hiding his face behind his long bangs of silver hair, making the brunette chuckle. The guard cleared his throat as a warning to silence him-after all, no-one spoke or acted in such an immature manner when the king was speaking. Sora silenced himself, blushing, making Riku 'hmph' in satisfaction.

Roxas swallowed roughly as he moved forwards, trembling slightly as the royal family gazed at him. "There's' no need to be afraid" the Queen said softly. Roxas was still finding it hard to believe that these grand people were his real parents. He started to wonder what his life would be like if he had been raised here had he been born in normal circumstances.

"They say that he is the young prince, Sire; he has returned" a guard cut in.

"Yes, thank you" the king replied, waving a hand dismissively. He would recognise his son anywhere.

"Roxas?" he asked, unsure whether his human parents had given him a new name.

"Y-yes, Sire, uh-Father" Roxas stammered, momentarily bowing, still unable to refrain from trembling.

"Oh, he's frightened to death" Namine said sympathetically, before gracefully leaving her throne and swimming with equal grace over to Roxas, kicking her feet behind her delicately as she did so, keeping her arms to her sides, her dress flowing around her elegantly. Roxas tensed with nerves as Namine approached him with a kind smile, placing his hand comfortingly into her own. "There's really no need to fret, he's a wonderful king really. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time" she said in a beautifully soft voice, her rosy lips curving into a friendly smile.

Roxas couldn't help but blush again, looking for the first time into his 'sisters' eyes. Riku felt a sudden pang of jealousy as he watched how gentle and tender she was being with Roxas. "Come to me" the King said, not unkindly. Roxas hesitatingly looked at Namine, who nodded encouragingly as Roxas swam up to his father, gently releasing Namines' hand as he did so, much to Rikus' relief.

The prince blushed heavily as he looked into his father's eyes. The king stared intently for a brief moment-yes, those were the same blue eyes he had last seen on a beach many years ago, when he and his queen had bid a very sorrowful fair well to their one and only son. To Roxas' relief he broke into a warm smile. "Our son is finally home!" he exclaimed happily, before he embraced the nervous blond, who cried out slightly at the sudden contact. The king released him from the embrace shortly, but he kept his son at arms length so that he could get a good look at him. He suddenly felt strange for having embraced Roxas in such a manner, but he wanted to see with his two unbelieving eyes that the prince had finally returned. The queen smiled brightly, tears forming in her eyes as she outstretched her arms to embrace her son lovingly, wrapping her tail around him affectionately. Her heart had ached so badly, leaving her child so lost and alone on the beach. She had wanted nothing more then to rush ashore and hold him to her once more and stop him from crying, but the witches' water sprites had already drawn the human couple to him, and it was vital that they remained unseen.

It would have been too early for them to learn about the mer-people. Roxas needed a chance to be accepted in the human world and hopefully grow up to obtain a soul. All she could give him to remind his of his true birthplace and what he must accomplish within the human world where the two pearl rings, one for him, and one for his future soul mate. There was a strong possibility that he would have been rejected by the human couple if they had known of his origins from the start, before having a chance to bond with her baby. More tears flowed from her eyes at the painful memory. "I am so happy that you have returned" she said softly, releasing her son from her embrace to look at him as his father had. "Oh, oh Mother, do not cry" Roxas said softly, gently wiping away her tears. He still felt strange referring to her as 'Mother'. The queen smiled meekly, before suddenly remembering the remaining group in the room. Riku sniggered at Sora and Yuffie, who wiped away and emotional tear. "Oh, good gracious, forgive my rudeness" she said hurriedly, wiping away her tears quickly. "So, who might your wonderful, lucky mate be?" she asked, smiling brightly. Roxas blushed again "w-well, in the human word, we-we say husband" Roxas began, but he finished his words stuttering nervously, worried that he'd sounded rude to Her Majesty. "B-b-but h-he's h-here Mother" he quickly added, bowing in an apology that he felt he owed, and held an arm out in Axels' direction. Axel suddenly jolted at the sudden acknowledgement. The queen chuckled, not at all offended by Roxas' correction and turned her gaze to the now extremely nervous red head. He bowed automatically. Roxas felt his heart jolt fearfully when he saw the kings' eyes narrow slightly as if in deep thought. Automatically Roxas swam down to his beloved red head, wanting to protect him. He pulled Axel towards him, wrapping his tail around him protectively.

"N-now I know that we-we are both male, b-but he takes good care of me, and he-he is a knight. He has taught me so much. He has even taught me how to sword fight!"

"A knight, oh someone of noble blood, a very honourable occupation, indeed!" The queen smiled approvingly. Axel felt his nerves calm slightly, but his gaze turned to the king once more, uncertain of what his opinion might be. The king still looked thoughtful, watching how protectively they each held onto each other, and the way Roxas rested his head on Axels' chest, his eyes almost pleading. King Cloud's expression softened and he swam down to the couple, followed by the queen. "I can see he means so much to you, although I see grandchildren are out of the question" he chuckled. Everyone except the guards laughed awkwardly. King Cloud placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder. "I am just happy that you have finally found someone". He turned towards Axel; "thank you for taking care of my only son and heir. I hope that you will accept our blessing." Axels' face brightened with relief, Roxas broke into a wide smile. Axel opened his mouth to thank the king for his kindness and understanding, but only just remembered that he still could not speak underwater. The king laughed softly. "Namine, could you please escort our honoured guest to obtain some Aqua Leaf?"

"Certainly Father" Namine smiled, bowing.

"We can finally ask you questions from the human world!" Sora exclaimed happily, throwing his arms up. Riku snorted at the brunette and playfully slapped him behind the head for his childish outburst. "Hey! What was that for?" Sora whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"For being weird" Riku replied simply, smirking at the brunettes' scowling expression.

"Riku, stop being mean to Sora" Namine mockingly scalded, playfully slapping the silver haired mer-teen across the head. "Hey!" Riku exclaimed, but he smiled non- the less. Roxas chuckled; he could see that despite having the role as 'Princess of the Mer People' the group was still as comfortable with each other as equals.

"My love, would it not be wonderful if we were to hold a welcoming congratulatory ball in honour of Roxas and Axel?" Queen Aerith asked her husband, who held his chin in thought.

"I think it may be possible. If the servants begin work now I am sure that we will be able to set up the ball room by this evening, after all, the day is still young".

Axel and Roxas' eyes widened in surprise; would they be required to dance? It had been a long time since Axel had attended a formal gathering and danced with young maidens- as a knight was politely obligated to do so-but Roxas had never danced before in his life, and now especially that he was in mer-form he didn't have the slightest clue. He expressed his concerns timidly, almost as if he would have been scalded for not knowing how.

"Worry not, I shall teach you if you like" Namine said kindly taking Roxas' hand after seeing his worried look. She may have been in human form, but having lived with the mer-folk all her life and having to attend to all of the formal balls being a royal she knew all that there was to know.

"O-of course" Roxas replied shyly. It would also give him a chance to talk to the girl, after all there was so much he wanted to say, so many things he wanted to ask, and he was certain that she would have her own questions about her own biological parents on land. Perhaps even the human word itself would be of interest to her, due to never have seen it for herself. Roxas found it quite sad, both of them belonging to different worlds and yet neither of them had seen or experienced life amongst their own people and were oblivious to the ways of their former societies.

"It will be easier to teach you, Sir Axel, but it shall certainly be fun to teach the young prince" Namine smiled. Axel smiled humorously; now that he had finally met another human in this aquatic world he was beginning to feel a little less isolated, and Namines' playful sense of humour made him feel more at ease. "But first things' first" Namine continued. "We need to get you some Aqua Weed." The group bowed respectfully to the king and queen, before filing out of the royal chambers and making their way down the corridor. The guards had remained with their majesties, so they were free to talk amongst themselves. "Yay! A ball! Now I must find something beautiful to wear" Yuffie grinned, subconsciously looking up at the pearl chandeliers above them. "Think again Yuffie" Squall said sternly. He had only remained with the group to ensure that in all of the excitement of the princes' arrival the younger ones wouldn't cause unnecessary mischief.

"Aww, phooey" Yuffie muttered.

Sora playfully dug his elbow into Riku's ribs "hey, perhaps you can ask Namine for a dance!" he said, only loud enough for Riku to hear. Riku blushed, glancing at Namine, admiring for perhaps the millionth time how gracefully she swam, even with legs, and how her hair flowed beautifully and elegantly around her face as the water currents rippled passed her face as she swam.

"Ask her! She wouldn't mind!" Sora insisted. Riku looked down bashfully as he considered it. "What if-if she says no, and would rather dance with Roxas?" Riku asked his spiky haired friend, unintentionally ending his words quite bitterly.

"She may wish to dance with the prince, yes, but I'm sure she would like to dance with you afterwards. You needn't worry Riku, they have only just met, but even so their relationship is too complicated for them to fall in love, they are almost siblings, sharing the same parents despite complicated circumstances. Anyway, you are forgetting the most important fact-Roxas is already married. I'm sure that Namine is simply being kind to him, there is no reason to get jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Riku protested, slightly louder the he had intended, although his vivid blush proved his words otherwise.

"Shh" Sora said chuckling, placing a finger on his lips for emphasis. He looked around nervously, but everyone appeared to be engrossed in their own conversations. However, when Riku looked away, Namine briefly looked back and smiled a secret smile, before turning away once more.

They had passed though the ballroom and down a smaller hallway where the kitchens were. Roxas felt his stomach grumble, and started to wonder what kinds of food the mer-people ate. Did they eat sea creatures as humans ate cattle, or like him did they find it hard to kill other living things for food as he did before years of fishing with his human father? "I can see that you're also hungry, well, you've come to the right place!" Sora said happily, the idea of food also appealing to him.

"Yeah, corals' sponge cakes are to die for!" Yuffie added excitedly, clasping her hands together in anticipation of receiving the delicious deserts.

"They're not made out of real sponges are they?" Roxas asked wearily. He really didn't fancy eating something made out of a strange squishy plant like animal. Yuffie and Namine laughed. "No silly! They're called sponge cakes because they're round and softly textured" Yuffie explained, laughing at the princes' naivety. A look of relief washed over Roxas face, although his cheeks now had a pink tinge. Axel hummed humorously at his lovers' cute embarrassed face. The end of the hallway opened out to a very large kitchen. Although to the mer-folk it was a simply yet spacious area to prepare food, to Roxas it was an outstanding luxurious room, compared to his very simple table area in his small house. His eyes gazed around the room impressed buy its size, looking at the many sea vegetable like foods hanging down from the ceiling in nets. Thick marble like counters bordered the room, with a long table standing horizontally in the middle of it. Large stoves heated by natural underwater geysers sat at the end of the room. Strangely shaped cutlery and preparation knives littered different areas of the kitchen tops, as mer-folk swam around preparing food. A red headed mer woman with a salmon pink tail covered with a white apron hummed to herself as she carried out something in a container from one of the ovens. She lifted the lid allowing a flurry of bubbles to escape as she did so, and she leaned forward slightly to smell the food. She took a tea spoon and tasted the food she had obviously just prepared. "Hmm, requires a little more sea salt" she muttered, taking a slate bowl next to her and adding her ingredients. 'How much more sea salt could she possible need?' Roxas thought bewildered. After all, they were in the ocean.

"Coral, we have someone we would like you to meet" Yuffie called out, making the addressed mer woman jump in surprise, accidentally tipping her bowl of sea salt over the table. "Wha- oh my goodness! Yuffie, I told you to knock before you entered my kitchen! Now look, I've spilled the salt!" she scalded, picking up a pinch of salt from the table and throwing it over her shoulder. "Heh, my Mother does that too, to ward off bad luck" Roxas chuckled, before meeting Namines' eyes and suddenly feeling guilty. "I-I- uh, mean our Mother-uh-your Mother-uh-I mean-"

"It's alright" Namine said with an understanding smile. We can talk about it later?" She asked hopefully. Roxas nodded with a smile.

"Now, what do you want?" Coral asked in exasperation, wiping her hands onto her apron. "Allow us to introduce the one and only prince Roxas!" Yuffie said, bowing as she held out an arm towards said blond, who blushed and waved awkwardly. Every mer-person in the kitchen stopped what they had been doing and stared at the prince, whose blush darkened. He would have timidly hid behind Axel, but he didn't want to appear childish in front of his people. He couldn't help but shift over to the red head slightly though. Corals' eyes bulged from her sockets, before she quickly flustered about, wiping down her apron as if suddenly self conscious of food stains or creases on the material, and she brushed down her wavy hair with her hands, pulling it round her shoulder in an attempt to make it look more presentable. She, along with every other mer-person in the kitchen bowed down to the prince. "My-my goodness, such honourable company, forgive me Sire. Are you here to request a meal? Would you perhaps like some sea weed and shrimp, or a sponge soufflé?" As she was speaking the kitchen staff began to frantically rush around preparing all kinds of different foods that the young prince might like to try. "Oh, please, do not trouble yourselves so" Roxas said timidly; although the sound of those particular foods didn't sound appealing anyway.

"We only came in here for some of your famous sponge cakes" Yuffie chimed. The chefs automatically ceased in their cooking, and once again turned their attention to the group. "I-I was just feeling a little peckish, um, Y-Yuffie recommended your cakes, so, um, that's why we came, b-but please, now that you have started you may carry on, perhaps we shall enjoy the food at dinner. I-I would not want you to waste your ingredients". Roxas still didn't particularly fancy the types of foods the chefs had begun to make, but neither did he want to be wasteful of precious ingredients. After all, he did come from a home where food was hard earned, and waste would have brought them at a great disadvantage for other days. "Oh, worry not young prince, if it is sponge cakes that you desire, then sponge cakes it shall be" Coral said. Immediately the chefs disposed of the meals that they had begun to prepare and they started a fresh. Roxas stared forlornly at the food, which had been sucked down a shaft leading into an underwater current which quickly sucked all of the wasted items away and out of sight. The shafts were covered by mini boulders to cover the suction. "Worry not Roxas, the food goes to the fish and other creatures that often live outside the palace. They mostly make their homes here because of the plentiful resources. Food does not go to waste." Namine said softly, gently resting a hand on Roxas' arm.

In all the excitement, poor Axels' desire for Aqua Weed had been forgotten. He gently placed a hand on his lovers' shoulder to gain his attention. Roxas turned and Axel placed his fingers to his throat. His lovers' eyes widened in realisation and guilt tore through him. "Oh, yes, how selfish of me" he said, feeling bad for forgetting the main reason for his visit to the kitchens in the first place. He planted an apologetic kiss on the red heads' lips, receiving a forgiving smile before he turned to Coral. "Please, before you begin baking, could you bring me some Aqua Weed for my husband? He has not been able to speak a word since we have arrived".

"Your husband?" Coral said, looking at Axel like one would when seeing a new kind of animal for the first time. "Well, I was wondering who this charming human was" she looked at Axel in an approving manner. "Such a fine choice my prince, he is most handsome". Axel looked away feeling awkward; he was starting to feel like a prize pedigree horse surrounded by potential buyers who were constantly studying him. Sora seemed to sense this, and patted Axels' shoulder sympathetically. The red head smiled meekly in gratitude.

Coral snapped out of her dazed state "of course, forgive my rudeness Sir" she said, before swimming over to a shelf filled with different shaped and coloured jars, each marked with a specific label. She returned shortly with what looked like a clear jam jar filled with sea grass. Axel frowned slightly, looking at the unpleasant weed as a child would look when being forced to eat their most hated vegetable. However he didn't want to seem rude or ungrateful, so he took the plant and swallowed it as quickly as he could to prevent the taste from lingering in his mouth. He had no idea how merely eating a water plant would enable him to speak, but if he could accept that he was currently in the catering department in the royal castle of the mer-people then he was willing to believe anything. "Do not worry, its' not so bad after a while" Namine chuckled. Obviously she had been eating this for her whole life. "The longer you stay here the less often you have to eat it, but you will get used to it". After a couple of minutes Sora asked "so, say something".

"Axel, can you speak?" Roxas asked hopefully. Said red head flushed slightly as all eyes of his small group were bearing into him. He cleared his throat nervously, holding a hand almost as if he had a sore throat and said in a husky voice "I-It is very nice to be able to speak again." Everyone laughed, causing the red head to smile sheepishly. "Now we shall not need to play charades" Roxas teased, happily wrapping his arms around his husbands neck and pressing his cheeks against his in a cute congratulatory hug, which the red head retuned, laughing softly, his voice no longer as husky as what it was. "My, this shall certainly make my time here much easier; I was beginning to forget what my voice sounded like. The group laughed again. Roxas kissed the side of his husbands' mouth "its' good to hear it again" he said happily. Axel smiled and turned to face him, leaning forward narrowing his eyes slightly. Roxas took the hint and closed the gap, pressing his lips against Axels' for a brief tender kiss.

"He will never be able to speak if you constantly seal his lips" Riku teased.

"Riku!" Sora scalded, slapping his friends arm for being rude to the prince. The silver haired teen didn't mean to sound rude, but Sora could be so melodramatic about things sometimes. Everyone worried for a brief moment, wondering if Rikus' words had offended their prince, but instead the blond merely parted from Axel and said "apologies, but can you really blame me? Resisting temptation when such a handsome man requests for a kiss; how could I possibly say no?" everyone breathed a sigh of relief and laughed softly at the princes' reply.

"Here we are your highness, the first batch of sponge cakes" a chef said, bowing in front of Roxas as he presented him with a tray of soft beige coloured sponge cakes. The aroma coming from them was truly mouth watering. Roxas was surprised at how quickly the first batch had been completed, but he guessed that the intense heat of the underwater geysers had helped. He assumed that Coral-as head chief- had passed one her skills to the others, perhaps in case she was absent from the kitchens. Roxas took one of the cakes and upon noticing his companions hungry eyes he said "oh, please, take one, I do not wish to selfishly eat alone"; he noticed that not even Namine had taken a cake. "Well, if you insist" Sora said, grabbing one of the treats and taking a bite. "Now who's being rude?" Riku smirked, also taking a cake, but with more polite mannerisms them Sora; everyone else followed suit. Roxas' eyes widened happily as he took a bite of his cake. It was very light, considering it had been made underwater. His human mother had never been able to bake them treats often-actually it was quite rare that she did as sugar was a costly ingredient- but here they were, sugary sweet and soft, a mourish treat. A different chief soon swam over to them with yet another batch of freshly baked sponge cakes, the aroma tantalising Roxas' taste buds. He excitedly took another cake as did everyone else in his group. Upon finishing, Roxas gave a satisfied sigh and said "ah, yes, that certainly filled a hole; thank you".

"Oh, I'm so glad you think so!" the chef exclaimed happily at receiving gratitude from the prince. Just then a guard came into the kitchen and mumbled something to Squall. He turned to Roxas and bowed apologetically. "Forgive me Sire, but I am required back in the Royal Chamber" Roxas blushed slightly. He wasn't used to people bowing and asking permission for things. He hadn't been here for fourteen years, he didn't see why people had to feel obligated to respect and obey him to such a great extent now. "I-I-uh, that is fine" he said timidly. They watched as Squall and the guard left, then Yuffie smiled an almost impish smile and said "now we can have some fun!" She took Roxas by the hand and dragged the poor bewildered prince out of the kitchen. He just managed to wave at Coral and the other chefs and yell "thank you for the cakes" before he disappeared out of the kitchen all together. "I was wondering how long it would be before Yuffie kidnapped him for her devious mischief" Demyx chuckled.

"Poor Roxas" Namine said with an amused yet sympathetic smile.

"Rescue mission!" Sora exclaimed, pumping his fist up in a determined manner before following the other two out of the door, dragging Demyx and Riku out with him. "I'm sure that the prince wouldn't be too happy if we allowed his husband to get lost in the castle" Namine chuckled, gently taking Axels' hand as they both swam out of the kitchen to try and catch up with the others.

"Roxas certainly is shy" Coral said to one of her chefs, who nodded in agreement. "I do hope that they don't overwhelm him too much."