~Len's POV~

"Pull starboard!" I shouted, clutching onto the mast of my boat to make sure the strong winds and violent waves wouldn't push me off.

"Yessir!" One of my crew members called back to me, twisting the wheel rapidly to the right.

A bolt of lightning flashed brightly, and thunder cracked almost immediately afterward.

"Shit," I hissed, pulling my hand back away from the mast for a moment to examine it. The boat had been whipped one way out of the blue, and I cut my hand open on some of the wood that was sticking out.

Suddenly, a piercing shout seemed to be our salvation. "Land ho!"

I quickly ran to the bow of the ship, wiping away some of the water the rain and waves had splashed over my forehead as I looked out ahead of us. Land. An island, to be more exact.

"Straight forward!" I shouted, running to the helm and waving the crew member away from it as I took ahold of it. I made my way through the waves, only barely making it to land. The ship had begun to sink.

"Everyone out!" I called, leading the crew out of the boat and onto the shore. The entire stern had sunk, and we were stranded.

"Everyone, listen up." I gathered my men around me and began to make plans for survival. "Split into two groups! One group will go looking for food, and another group will go looking for shelter and useful items. Got it?"

The crew gave out words of approval and they split up.

"Sir!" One boy called out, waving his hand at me. "What about you?"

I raised an eyebrow at the boy, walking up to him. "I am going to be scouting the area out. Alone." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Understood, Hibiki?"

"Y-yessir...." The boy averted his eyes, taking a step back away from me.

"Good." I placed a hand on my hip, the other gesturing around. "Anything else?"

No one said anything, so I nodded my head. "Good. Now, off with you all!" I shouted angrily, and the crew ran off quickly. I sighed, walking into the large jungle ahead of me, taking out my sword as I did so.

As I walked along, I noticed a small pond-like area with a few stones sticking out of the water. It had been a while since I had gotten a drink, and the water looked like fresh water, so there was no problem for me to walk over and have a sip.

"What are you doing?"

A voice that came out of nowhere made me flinch away from the water. I looked around, confused for a moment, but then I saw a boy poking his head out of the water.

"A...boy...?" I mumbled quietly to myself. "Ah, um, just taking a drink.... H...how did you get here...?" I asked, leaning forward a bit, but not too much.

"I...was born here...." The boy replied, giving me a confused look. "Is there anywhere else, really?"

I nodded. "Haven't your parents told you about any of the other countries?"

The boy shook his head. "Apparently, they didn't know either."

"Speaking of parents," I continued, "where are yours?"

The boy shook his head. "Gone."

"Oh...." I dropped my shoulders a bit. "I'm very sorry."

"Don't be," the boy replied, moving a bit closer. "My parents left me when I was little. That's how I learned to fend for my own."

"That's not a good thing, I believe...." Now that the boy was a bit closer, I could see his face much better than before. He had one bright gold eye, the other a darker red.

"Is it? Did your parents stay with you?" The boy had a faint look of excitement on his face as he asked the question.

"Well, yes. That's what they're supposed to do." I nodded. "What's your name?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm Oliver." Oliver smiled at me, leaning his arms up on the ground as he kept asking me questions. "Where did you come from? What's it like there? What are these?" He cautiously poked my legs as he asked the last question, peaking my interest.

"You...don't have legs...?" I answered his question with another question, and a wave of concern swept over me. Did he have to crawl everywhere?

Oliver laughed softly. "Legs? No, but I have a tail!" He leaned down a bit as a large fish-like tail poked out of the water beside him.

"W-wha—?!" I scooted back. "Y-you're a siren...?!" I couldn't get sidetracked. I had to get away from him and off this island. I couldn't die here!

"Huh? No, I'm a merman!" Oliver smiled brightly, leaning back up against the ground again. "Hey, where are you going? Please tell me more about yourself!"

I blushed slightly at his sudden request, but it really didn't seem like he was a threat at all. I sighed heavily and moved back over to him. "I'm a pirate, you see. Unfortunately, I've been shipwrecked on this island.... I have to find a way to get home."

"What? You're going back?" Oliver looked a bit sad as I told him about how I needed to leave as soon as possible.

"I have to. My parents and sister are waiting for me back at home...." I hesitantly reached a hand out to him and brushed some of his bangs away from his face. He really was pretty....

Oliver pressed his cheek up against my hand like a cat. "Don't leave me...." He whined softly as he said that, moving his hands up to hold onto my wrist.

"H-hey...." I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, rubbing my thumb against his soft face for a moment before I gasped softly, getting an idea. "You can come with me! How fast can you swim?"

Oliver flinched, thinking for a moment. "U-um.... V-very...?" He giggled awkwardly as he replied.

"Good!" I said, grabbing onto his hands. "I'm going to pull you up into my arms, okay?"

"W-what?" Oliver blushed, nodding slowly.

"Alright...." I pulled him up out of the water and into my arms, holding him bridal-style. "It's a while until we get back to the beach. Can you manage?"

He nodded slowly, his entire face the color of his left eye. I chuckled quietly at how cute he was.

When we finally reached the beach, I had to hurry and set Oliver down into the water so he wouldn't suffocate. "Oliver? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah...." Oliver went a bit deeper into the water and poked his head out again. "U-um, you never did tell me your name...."

I cocked my head to the side. "Didn't I? Oh, well I'm Len."

"L-Len...? I like the way it sounds...." Now it was my turn to blush at what he had said.

"T-thanks," I mumbled out, smiling at him.

"U-um, L-Len...?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you c-come closer...?" Oliver looked a bit concerned, so of course I worried and moved closer almost immediately.

"Oliver, wha—" I was cut off when Oliver moved up and pressed his lips against mine. They were surprisingly soft, and it was a strange sensation that I'd never felt before.

"U-um...." Oliver pulled away, blushing furiously. "I-I think I like you...!" He shouted, quickly ducking under the water and moving farther out.

"W-wait, Oliver, come back...!" I called for him, but he wouldn't come back.

Sighing, I leaned back, touching my own lips for a moment. I smiled. "I like you too, Oliver."