This art (by Gothikichigo on DeviantArt) REALLY has nothing to do with the story. But it's funny. So there.

xXx

"Are you sure he still knows where it is? It'll have moved since he checked it out, and maybe he estimated its course wrong."

Lance briefly dipped his head under the water to again saturate his drying face and hair. "First off, she's a she. Her chirps are distinctly feminine, and she talks far too much to be male. Second, you can't hear them since they're underwater, but the rest of her pod--" He looked at Keith pointedly at the use of the word. "--keeps coming within calling distance and telling her where it is now. That's how she's staying on course so well. And by the way, you really need to stop underestimating sea creatures. One day you'll get on their wrong side, and they'll go from benevolent scenery to a vicious force to be reckoned with."

"Whatever you say," Keith chuckled, then turned to look at the dolphin for what must have been the hundredth time since it (she, whatever) had taken over from the tuna. As he watched, she leapt out of the waves and flipped in midair, landing with a spectacular splash. He had to admit, dolphins were much more beautiful when they weren't being viewed from twenty feet above. Being this much closer made it that much more amazing.

Lance grinned as he saw Keith admiring the cetacean. The sheer wonder filling his expression-- it made all the tiredness and concern for his friends just... disappear. He was carefree, unburdened with any of the troubles of the world. The sun shone gloriously on his dark hair, and he bore an expression of openmouthed awe with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. All the creatures of the ocean had their various traits of splendor or strength or individuality, but Keith had something different. He was simply... beautiful.

Keith said something, but Lance couldn't hear him over the sounds of the water rushing past him and his own thoughts swirling wildly in the currents of his imagination. "What?" he asked.

"How much farther?" Keith repeated, still not turning around. "Could you ask her?"

Lance really didn't want to. He didn't want to break the spell of Keith's wonder. But there was no way he could refuse, so he called to her. She turned and started tailwalking, chattering back to him.

"How much farther?" he asked in the sea language.

She chattered her response, then fell back into the water, briefly shooting forward, then coming back a bit to wait for them to catch up.

"At this rate, we'll catch up a few hours before dawn, give or take," Lance informed him.

The wonder disappeared, replaced with firm resolve. "Good."

Lance stared at Keith, not really realizing that he still was. The lighthearted Keith was a sight to see, but this one... he was something else entirely. He was willing to risk everything (not that he had much to lose) for a group of people that might not even be alive anymore. While carefree Keith was beautiful, this one... it was awe-inspiring. Did human loyalty truly have no bounds?

"Will you help me help them escape?"

The answer was on his lips before he'd registered the question. "Of course."

Keith smiled at him, and Lance wasn't sure what strange phenomenon took place in his chest, but it felt wonderful. "Good. Are you any good at serving as a distraction?"

Lance's thoughts snapped back down to earth. "Puh-lease. I'm the most distracting thing in the seven seas." Keith was in a boat floating above them, so he didn't count. (Maybe he wasn't totally back down to earth.)

"Perfect. I'm going to need you to distract the pirates while I sneak on board."

Lance tilted his head curiously. "What kind of distraction are you thinking, exactly?"

"Just swim around where they can barely see you. Make them curious, and keep them interested. Disappear every once in a while, but when they start to lose interest, come back. Let them see just enough to keep them curious." He took a long drink from his pouch of water. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah, but what will you be doing? How are you planning on getting a boat that close to the ship without anyone noticing?"

"It'll be a bit tight, but I think that if you distracted them, I could get it close enough where the crew could get to it by swimming. Besides, once they're free, you could probably disappear in one direction and double back to help them on board."

"You're talking like you're not going to be with them," Lance said with a reasonable level of concern in his tone.

Keith blinked in surprise. "I didn't even realize I was doing that," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "I'll be with them, of course. I just want you to prioritize helping them. We don't know what condition they'll be in, so they'll need more help than I will. We'll also need to get to shore as soon as possible because I don't have enough food for everyone to last more than a couple days."

"So... I might want some help pushing the boat is what you're saying."

He considered it briefly. "Yeah, pretty much. That would be great."

"Great. That's doable. When we get to the ship, the dolphins will be waiting for us. I can ask them to help."

Keith's expression made Lance want to pull him underwater and keep him in a protective bubble right then and there, but alas, that wasn't an option. "Fantastic. Now all we have to do is wait." He looked forward to the dolphin as it leapt out of the water again and again, sending a splash of water into the air each time. In the evening light, his dark hair almost seemed to have a reddish tinge matching the sun as it dipped near the horizon.

"What happens if I can't find you?" Lance asked suddenly. "What if for some reason you can't find your way back to the boat and you drown because you can't swim long enough to find us? What will you do then?"

Keith bit his lip. "I was just going to hope that that isn't an issue."

Lance clicked to the dolphin, and she stopped as he grabbed onto the back of the boat and pulled it gently to a stop. Keith looked confused and opened his mouth to speak, but Lance stopped him. "I had no idea how else to give this to you without it being weird, but..." he pulled a cord with a seashell strung on it from his sash and held it out.

Keith took it from his hand. "What's this for?" he asked confusedly.

Lance smiled softly. "It'll help us keep track of each other." He held up a similar shell and cord. "My mom made my sister and me wear them so we could keep track of each other and know when the other was in trouble, but my sister didn't want to wear hers once she got a boyfriend." He grinned mischievously. "Something about me not caring about privacy or something."

Keith looked at the shell, somewhat smirking at Lance's implied brotherliness. "So what is it?"

"It's a necklace that will tell you a general idea of where the wearer of the other one is. There's also a thing where it gets warmer if the other person needs you, but it's a bit weird. It could mean they're in trouble or that they're just lonely, but usually danger is really warm. I don't think it'll ever burn you, but it can get pretty warm. Once, my sister made a mother dolphin think she was going to hurt her calf, and mine got pretty hot." He put his around his neck and shrugged. "Just so we can find each other."

Keith looked from the necklace to Lance, then sighed and put it on. He tilted his head slightly. "That's so weird. It's already a little warm!"

Lance put his hands back on the boat and got ready to start moving again. "Yeah, that's just part of how it works. It's always a little warm." He stopped and dunked his head underwater, wiping his face with his hands as he reemerged. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Let's get going, shall we?" He abruptly started pushing the boat again, and the dolphin, seeing that they were moving, started forward again.

Not really realizing he was doing it, Keith touched the shell on his neck. "Lance." The mermaid looked up, trying not to show how anxious he actually was. "Thank you."

Lance did his best not to sigh with relief. "You're welcome. It's the least I could do so we don't all die cold and alone."

Keith chuckled, shaking his head. "That's very comforting."

The dolphin chattered back to Lance again, and he sighed. "She says we'll be there around three hours after midnight. You should get some sleep."

Keith nodded and pulled out some dried fish. "I'll have a bite to eat first, if you don't mind." Lance just shrugged, so he took a bite and chewed slowly, staring after the dolphin again.

Lance couldn't help but look at him. There wasn't much else that was within view other than the sunset, and that was already finishing up, and he'd have to crane his neck too far to look at the stars. But he was just fine with this view.

As the twilight faded, Keith finished his dinner and laid down in the bottom of the boat. As disappointed as Lance couldn't help feeling, he knew that the sailor needed the rest.

The night drifted on with the waves slowly lapping against the hull, the stars passing silently overhead, the half moon shining gently on the waters, not a cloud in sight. Lance stopped once to let his arms rest, but quickly resumed pushing the small lifeboat.

It was probably around midnight when he heard something from inside the boat and felt his necklace grow warm for the first time. He furrowed his brow and lifted himself slightly out of the water with a flick of his tail, but he only saw Keith curled up in the bottom of the boat, sleeping soundly. Lance was about to dismiss the noises as just his imagination when he distinctly heard Keith murmur, "Shiro."

He froze. What was he supposed to do? Clearly he needed some level of comfort, if the growing temperature at Lance's throat had anything to say about it, but he couldn't just climb in, and there was also the issue of who would push the boat.

As the necklace grew warmer, he argued with himself more and more until he finally sighed and started swimming alongside the boat. He bit his lip apprehensively, then carefully lifted himself on the side of the boat, doing his best not to tilt it. He could see Keith's face now, and it was all scrunched up, contorted as he viewed whatever dream or nightmare was presently occupying his unconscious mind.

He reached his hand out, then hesitated. What did he think this would accomplish? Knowing him, it would probably wake him up, and then he would be forced to explain what he was doing.

He reached out and placed his hand on Keith's head, resting in his hair. It was surprisingly soft. He smiled and slowly moved his hand down his head, then put it back to the top and repeated the movement.

Here goes nothing.

He took a deep breath and started to sing.

There weren't any words discernible to humans, but the melody was strange and almost hypnotic. If you asked a sailor what it was, some might tell you it was a siren's call. But any mermaid in its right mind would tell you in a heartbeat: It was a song about peace. About calm after a storm. About the tranquility of a quiet sleep. Any creature nearby was filled with an overwhelming sensation of safety. The dolphin, which had slowed to stay with the boat when Lance had stopped pushing it, couldn't find the urgency to tell Lance to keep moving.

Lance gently stroked Keith's hair, watching as he slowly relaxed and fell into a deeper sleep. His expression was once again that of helpless innocence that had led Lance to saving him in the first place, but now there was so much more. There was hope.

Finally, the song ended, and Lance slipped back down into the water with hardly a splash. Keith sighed quietly as the mermaid moved back to the stern and resumed pushing the boat, clicking for the dolphin to resume their course.

Lance knew he needed the rest. Something told him the sailor still had plenty of trials ahead.