JIMIN POV:

When we reach the waters... she's already gone.

Vanished under the crashing tides, roaring and angry with a vengeance, water thrumming and churning restlessly.

(Y/N)'s gone. And walked right into the torrent of water, merciless and dark.

And staring at the waters, eyes fixated onto the dark waters are Jin hyung and Namjoon hyung; faces raw and agonised, hands clutching tightly at each other, knuckles whitened and bodies taut.

And Jin hyung and Joon hyung don't respond to our call of their names, eyes unblinking and it takes Yoongi hyung's hand, squeezing Jin hyung's shoulder as he curls close; a soft murmur as he tries to coax him to look his way that he slowly turns his face. Face shadowed with grief and tears brimming in his eyes, dried tearstains on his cheeks.

"Yoongi-ah... she's gone." Voice aching and trembling.

"She's gone... and... it's been over an hour. She hasn't come back." He says, her name spilling over and over past his lips, hand shaking as he clutches at the one settled over his shoulder.

"She'll come back. Hyung she'll come back." He tries to reassure but the panic and fear gnawing away at Jin hyung is clear from the slight tremble to his body, fingers squeezing Joon hyung who's gaze is yet to tear away from the waters.

"She vanished. She walked into the waters and suddenly vanished." Voice a soft whisper carried over with the salty tang in the breeze.

And Joon's eyes when they turn are empty; hollowed out and hardened, shoulders stiff and voice low and monotone.

"She vanished. And she hasn't come back up." he repeats.

"Hyung... Namjoonie hyung she'll come back. The... service won't take her away, we just have to wait." Kookie implores, voice firm and assured with the knowledge, faith resonating in each syllable and a strong, strong reassurance in it. Voice soft but in no way insecure or anything less than confident.

"How can you be so sure Kook-ah?" Tae asks, eyes flickering with uncertainty and pain, eyeing the waters with a hardened flintiness and stiff posture even as Hobi hyung curls close to him, a shiver running through his spine. The air cold and fierce.

"Because. She just will. And we'll be here." He says, eyes pooling with tears but voice level and firm.

He won't have it any other way.

Neither of us will.

And when Joon hyung disentangles himself, staggering towards the shore, Hobi hyung is right beside him, the two of them sinking down together. It's then I see the small pile of clothes tucked to the side near them. Heart lurching at the sight of them, at the way my stomach sinks, skin crawling with alarm and nervousness.

And for hours we wait. Eventually all seven of us sinking down by the shore, bodies curled close and eyes unwavering from the churning waters that crash angrily against the shore; the spray of cold sea brushing across our faces, wind tugging and roughly tousling hair.

If (Y/N) had never said... I wouldn't have ever been able to see the ocean as a living being, as an entity with power and consciousness.

But now that she's said it I can't help but look at every roll of water chipping away at the shore as an angry strike, can't stop seeing the bubbling torrent of waters as restlessness and frustration. Can't help but see darkness and cold hardness in the inky blue stain it blots the horizon with.

I look at the waters and I want to get as far away from them as possible. 

The sky begins to turn dark, the same inky blot spreading out wider across the horizon, sea and sky melding together, air turning colder and fiercer, the only sound the waves fiercely slamming into each other.

And still (Y/N) doesn't appear.

Tae's body shifts closer to mine, clutching tightly to my hand, gathered close to his chest, a silent shaky exhale ghosting across my knuckles as his head dips low.

And suddenly a small, alarmed noise sounds through the air, Joon hyung's body breaking out of its stiff locked position as he staggers to his feet. 

Because rising out of the waters, pushed by the current and fierce tide, are silhouetted figures, wading forward.

Tae's grip loosens, unfurling as he hurries to his feet, uncaring as he rushes to the shore, wading in towards them, water clinging to him. The water waves crash against his sides as he wades towards Joon hyung, pushing themselves further; unaware of the cold water that clings to them as we move towards the sea.

And it's not three figures who emerge. It's six.

Six drenched figures with haunting phantoms swirling in their eyes, limbs heavy and laden as they move forward. There's three unfamiliar figures; tall and imposing curling closer to Habaek, Mi-sun and (Y/N); eyes flickering searchingly and questioningly. Something stiff and guarded in their expressions as they move closer to the three and shift to block them from sight.

Protecting and shielding them away.

They don't seem to notice as they wade out, brushing past us and staggering to the shore.

And the second they move away from the waters it's as if strings snap, their bodies buckling towards the ground, shuddering and trembling at the bite of night air nipping and gnawing mercilessly at skin.

Joon hyung's body falls close to (Y/N)'s hands rubbing briskly at icy skin, voice a low shaky murmur and the unfamiliar three tense at the closeness.

"Who... who are you? All of you." the taller male asks, hair plastering to skin, brushing past his jaw as he looks over us, eyes cold and posture tense.

"(Y/N)'s... they're (Y/N)'s." Habaek gets out, voice wrecked and hoarse, something heavy and strong in it; almost beckoning unconsciously before his head falls forward, breathing in heavily, that one moment melting away. Rawness and apology in his eyes.

The postures don't loosen and I watch as Mi-sun and the second male help (Y/N)'s trembling figure further up the shore, away from the water; her spine stiff and cheeks wet with tears that trickle down; a salty tang of grief and pain on them, eyes clenching shut when she folds in on herself.

"(Y/N)'s what? Why are they by the sea?" voice sharp and rough.

Something in his tone demands fear and respect, eyes sharp and piercing but the others move towards (Y/N); our bodies tugged to the sight, my heart splintering at the shaky sobs I can hear over the waves, watching her body shrink back slightly.

"Why are you still here?" Mi-sun asks.

My eyes flash to hers, simmering protectiveness bubbling out, indignant as I stare at her.

"Why wouldn't we be? You guys vanished under water for hours." Jin hyung says, lips trembling, hand slowly reaching out for (Y/N), fingers tentatively brushing against her arms and watching as she doesn't flinch before they rest against her forearm, moving closer. 

"You're all okay?" Yoongi hyung asks, eyes drifting across the three new figures who shift closer.

It's then that I notice that their clothes... or lack of.

Notice the way bright, coral-coloured clothes form a second skin, tight and revealing. Feel revulsion churn my stomach when I see how distinctively uncomfortable they look, bodies bared and gleaming with water, trailing over their skin in rivulets.

The wind bites at skin, and their shivers aren't hidden or gone unnoticed, Hobi hyung's hands reaching for the pile of clothes left behind, hands tugging on those discarded layers to hide themselves away.

Jin hyung's hands are unwilling to let go of (Y/N), drawing her closer to him and it's Joon who hurries to kneel, carefully drawing a large sweater over her, shucking off his own jacket to draw around her, fingers careful as they button her up, brush wet strands of hair away from her face and out the hood.

"You're not hurt?"

She shakes her head, hands clutching at herself as she peers at him with reddened eyes, tremors wracking her body. And she sinks gratefully against hyung's warmth, his expression worried and eyes flitting over her, his own clothes wet.

"We need to get them warm. All of them. And into proper clothes." I insist. Helping Mi-sun up, flinching at the ice that seems to leech at my own body heat, numb and frozen but her eyes flicker with gratitude.

"I'll take (Y/N), Habaek and Mi-sun. And anyone else who can fit." Jin hyung says, hands cradling (Y/N) as he stands, clutching her protectively and steadying her.

He shepherds Mi-sun close to him, eyes searching for Habaek before he calls for him.

And as they cluster close, bodies clinging to each other, I know he's done it so that the three of them can remain close. Because he knows the three of them need this, need to reassure each other they're okay.

But the stifling weight of the other three, silently fixed on the rest of us is disconcerting and slightly nerve-wracking.

"Will they be okay? Habaek, Mi-sun and (Y/N)?" the female asks.

She leans heavily against the second male, hands laced with his.

But her eyes burn with a fierce, fierce love.

The other three sirens.

The other three bound to the same fate by the same merciless ocean.

"We'll look after them." Kookie reassures.

And though his gaze is heavy, staying behind with a longing look towards the car that the others have just stepped into, he focuses on the rest.

"You're Jungkook." The tallest male verbalises as he hands over a large blanket, hands twisting with regret but the three of them bundle close, clustering together.

And Kookie's eyes widen, turning startled as he stills.

His own body shaking with the cold.

"(Y/N)'s Jungkook. She.. she spent a lot of time plotting her win at the arcade." Voice shaky but words tender, realising.

And with those words they seem to re-evaluate us, some of the suspicion falling away and they sink gratefully into the heated interior of the car that Tae had silently slipped away to warm up. 

"We're taking you to..." Kookie begins.

"To (Y/N)'s." Tae finishes and yet despite the low soothing hum of his voice, it's clear as he begins to follow hyung's car back, away from the salty poison still hovering in the horizon, that the tension and fear hasn't fully left his body.

It hasn't left any of us. Kookie's hand seeking mine out and in the darkness of the car, he finally lets the tears slip, trickling down as he looks out the window, forehead pressed against it. Small sniffles that he tries to muffle.

And through the small, muffled sound does the second one turn.

Peering at us and eyes pained and warm all at once.

"Thank you for giving (Y/N) a reason to come back to shore. For pulling her out of the waters."

JOON POV:

(Y/N) doesn't let go of Jin hyung.

Even as Habaek tries to soothe her, voice soft as he pleads for her to get warm, to shower off the salt. She doesn't let go. And neither does hyung. Clutching at her just as fiercely, just as tightly.

And cradles her close as he vanishes with her up the stairs, her cold, cold figure cradled towards him, his breath shaky and eyes glassy as he silently leads the way to the bathroom, my body following on auto-pilot, unable to bear her leaving my vision. Not when the last time she'd done it, I'd seen the waters tug her under and she hadn't resurfaced.

"I... can I please stay?" I ask, dithering at the entrance of the bathroom, watching as hyung twists open the taps, testing the water with one hand whilst the other keeps (Y/N) tucked securely against him.

And silently a hand reaches out. Imploring and pleading. Cold, frozen figures clutching at mine.

Silently asking. Silently tugging me close.

She clambers into the shower once she's toed off her shoes, body stiff and slow, tugging the jumper over her head and letting it fall to the side, eyes heavy and cold; detached.

And watches the water swirl and splash against her feet, hands slow and uncoordinated but tugging at her clothes with a franticness to tear the clinging wet fabric from her.

A broken pained cry tears at her throat when the fabric doesn't give, my body jerking forward before I'm clambering in behind her, drawing her scrabbling hands away.

"(Y/N)... sweetheart let me." I plead.

And her hands fall limp.

Body staggering slightly as she turns, steadied by Jin hyung, silently pleading.

My hands tremble slightly before I steel myself, nausea inching up my throat at the agony in her eyes and the revulsion she looks at herself with. Fingers curling into the hem of her dress and drawing it up, across her body. Carefully peeling off the sodden fabric off her and flinching at pebbled, slick skin.

Uncaring of the water that cascades over both of us as I twist the dial, turning the shower on and watching her head bow. The heat of the water is warm, perfect, but she shakes her head, water streaming down her face.

"Hotter. Hotter." She repeats.

And Jin hyung's face, worried and tight with concern, shifts slightly, twisting the dial to turn it hotter but still bearable. Stepping in behind her, her body flanked between us, clothes sodden and wet and his arms sliding around to hold her as she shakes, sobbing.

Loud, guttural cries that tear out her throat; wounded and raw, her hands tugging at her hair, her grief pouring out as she shakes.

A tightness grows in my throat, the curve of her spine defeated and slumped, head resting against my shoulder as she sobs, hands unfurling to clutch at me, trying to seek an anchor, to keep herself adrift, body battered down with the hot spray with water, leeching at the cold that permeates deeper than skin.

Her body trembles, crumbling under the weight of the water, hands torn whether to hold on or let go, ultimately falling away and scouring at her skin; gripping fiercely, fingers pressing deep and leaving red lines behind.

My stomach churns.

Red lines. Bruises.

When we'd seen them on her, when I'd seen Hobi, Kookie and Jiminie's faces tight with shock and anger and worry. We'd thought once that she was being hurt. That she was being hurt by someone.

But the angry red that blooms across her skin makes me realise that her body is an outlet.

Her body has always been an outlet.

Whether that was in dance, constantly pouring out every bit of her into every move. Or whether that was in the way she hurt herself unknowingly; lost in her pain and revulsion, lost in the numbness that she didn't even feel the pain she was giving herself.

My hands dart out with realising, drawing hers away, feeling the tight grip turn onto me, grabbing at me fiercely.

"It's okay (Y/N). Focus on me, hold onto me." I murmur, water streaming down my clothes, clinging to me, hands slick but the bite of pain is one I welcome rather than letting her experience.

And Jin hyung's hands in turn are slow and careful, soft touches as he lathers her up, erases the sting of her touch with the tenderness of his own, eyes red and tears mingling with the water, carefully helping her wash off the suds, hand banded across her stomach, protectively cradling her, chest plastered to her back.

And her cries mingle with the sound of water battering skin and clothes, eyes clenched shut, legs trembling and would've buckled had it not been for our hands holding her, steadying her.

"I just want it to stop. I want it to end." She sobs, breaths sounding strangled and eyes unfocused as she looks at me, hazy and pupils dilated.

Her breathing turns ragged, sharp and painful and pleas spill past her lips, an endless stream of 'please' as she teeters, warm skin curling close.

"(Y/N) focus. Focus. Just listen to our voices. We've got you." I implore.

And the two of us talk to her, voices low as Jin hyung gently lathers her hair up, tender touches as he washes away every proof of the salt, washing away every drop of the ocean from her body.

His voice is a low constant hum as he speaks to her, her hands reaching out for me, laced together with a bruising pressure, cries turning softer. Broken sounds that make my heart shatter, her tears turning into silent trickles, eyes drooping heavily, tilting forward and resting against me.

The shower spray turns off and the three of us are left standing, dripping arms reaching for a towel for her.

Wrapping it around her.

I carefully pat her dry, towelling her hair dry, fingers brushing over her cheeks, curling close, arms wrapping around her towelled form.

I don't want to let go.

That's all I can think of. Over and over.

Ever since I'd seen her wade into the waters and vanish; there'd been a nervousness building and bubbling away, a restlessness making my skin crawl and itch with a wrongness. It was wrong how the waters seemed to curl around them, latching on and dragging them away from sight. There was an incessant need simmering away that made me want to clutch her close, to do everything and anything I could to erase the numbness threatening to overwhelm her, the numbness that seeped out; a heavy fog that was reeling her in and drowning her.

I didn't know how any other service had gone.

But the one I'd seen, the one I'd waited for her to come back from was haunting. The same figures rising back from waters that spat them out, that didn't show mercy as they shivered in the dark; bodies provocatively displayed and souls crushing and disintegrating in front of my eyes.

Slaves. They were slaves to the ocean. And when Habaek had spoken, when the others had spoken, the other sirens... there had been something heavy still lingering in their voice, an instance where the world had receded, a dull fog threatening to sweep over before it had been reeled in forcefully and discarded.

The water was chains and the essence... whatever made them sirens were the weights making them drown even when they were on land.

And all I wanted... all I wanted with every fibre of my being was to see her freed.

"It'll stop. One day it'll stop." I whisper, voice trembling, eyes stinging as I press my lips to her temple, body relaxing when there's no tang of salt on her, when she leans in, body small and curving closer.

"I want to live past one day." Is her trembled plea. Her plea muffled against sodden clothes.

It's her plea and mine. It's ours.

I want to see her live.

Not exist... live.

And one day stretches out ominously far, dangling into our vision but evading frantic, feverish fingers trying to grasp at it.

One day... one day.

But when we step out, carefully moving her between us towards the nearest bedroom, the walls unfamiliar and the pictures a lifetime of memories colouring the walls, I realise one day has to be taken bit by bit. That every day has to be taken one instance at a time.

And when Habaek silently leans forward, hair damp and clothes askew, hurrying forward before his hands curl around hers with an intimate familiarity, he takes her through his room, eyes flickering with worry and pain.

Head nodding towards us.

"Dry off. We don't want the two of you coming down with something." Tender and whispered before he gently guides (Y/N) down to the edge of the bed. His focus. His only priority.

The sight of his kneeling in front of her is the last thing I see before Jin hyung tugs me to him, wet skin and clothes pressing to my back, arm curled protectively around me.

"The quicker we change, the quicker we can check on her. And the others."

Time was something it seemed (Y/N) had an infinity of; trudging through time that was molasses; wading through it and being snared into it. And for us... time was moving like sand; slipping through our fingers and falling away.

Time was fickle and friend to no-one.

And I began to resent it.

Because time and time again life was bringing (Y/N) pain.

(AHHHH! IT'S BEEN OVER A WEEK SINCE I WROTE SS- SORRY! BUT IT'S HERE NOW... THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL ALSO BE ANGSTY AND PAINFUL, AND I CRIED WRITING THIS BECAUSE NOW THE BOYS ARE FINALLY SEEING JUST HOW DEEP IT ALL RUNS AND IT'S TEARING THEM APART... AND BABY SIREN REALLY JUST DESERVES HER HAPPY ENDING. AND~ WE HAD THE OTHER SIRENS TOO! AND!! HOW ARE YOU FINDING IT? AND ALL THEIR REACTIONS? THERE'LL BE MORE OF THE OTHERS NEXT CHAPTER TOO! AND WE'LL BE BUILDING TOWARDS PERHAPS EMOTIONAL INTIMACY- SO IS THAT A YAY OR NAY? COS I DON'T WANT IT TO READ AS EMOTIONAL MISTAKES; COS IT WONT BE! BUT STILL I VALUE YOUR INPUT SO LET ME KNOW! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THE CHAPTER AND I'LL BE BACK SOON WITH THE NEXT!)

QUESTION... YAY OR NAY TO OTHER SIRENS INTERACTING WITH THE BOYS?

Mine is.... I'd think it'd be interesting. Because they haven't met them and yet they know the boys matter to baby siren and~ well they cope with service differently.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3