Chapter Text
The feeling was akin to a thin veil of pressure against the inside of his skull. Hollow and dazed, as if he’d just sneezed but hadn’t re-oriented to reality. Everything was about this feeling, as if his mind tried to grasp what was happening but the tendrils of his reasoning just continued to circle the sensation of the event and not to any other concern of what was currently happening to him. His legs continued to walk forwards, dry sand switching to wet progressing to the chill of a small swell of water that swept over his foot. His pace never faltered as he strode out into the surf. Soon the water was drawing him in as each step was pulled along with retreating waves and sand and yet he remained oblivious, stuck to trying to identify what his mind was going through. The water met his navel the same time a strong set of hands gripped him under the arms and hauled him backwards.
The world spun sharply to color, sound, and motion. A gasp ripped through him to the pain of salted air and freezing waters as his body convulsed. Shock lit all his warning bells as adrenaline flooded his veins in heart thundering jolts. There was shouting, he realized now as he was hauled back out of the water. Trying to decipher the words was cut short at the bone clacking deep growl that made itself known somewhere in front of him. “Fuck that!” The man behind him cursed as he picked up haste in their retreat and he wholeheartedly agreed as he got his feet to floundering to escape whatever was in the water. Once they were at the sand, he was released as both men staggered into a run up the beach and into the grass littered dunes beyond where the water touched at high tides.
Gasping for breath, the two pushed forward. They headed back to the boat while interchanging short remarks of disbelief and curses. Mirio met them at the tree line using a damp bandanna to rinse his hands and he took in their frantic state. “What happened?” Eyes cutting across to the half drenched Kaminari and Bakugou who were both a bit out of breath to explain he ushered them into the shade and took out a small flask. Bakugou snagged the tin and took a long swig before pulling a face; Mirio mumbled coconut water before waiving a hand and Bakugou handed it to Kaminari who took the chance to collect himself. “We have sirens. One almost got Kaminari.” A chill ran down to the pit of Mirio’s stomach as he absorbed the news. “Well fuck.”
The boat was a small skiff that the four of them had escaped in. One badly timed fire mixed with high pitched seas and gale force winds had sent them running from the main vessel and cast away to wherever this isle was. Currently they had drug the boat to the trees and overturned it to form a makeshift shelter. Mirio had been working to collect water from the coconuts, but also had a small husk fire going. Under the boat, fitfully asleep was their captain Yamada. He’d taken a wound to the side and in the effort of keeping their skiff from capsizing had pushed himself too far to get them here in one piece. Red stained the shirt that had been ripped to make the bandage wrapped around his middle.
As the men approached, a green eye opened to glance over them. Attempting to rise, Yamada thought better of it lying back down with a soft groan. “What did you find out there? Hopefully a trading port and some wine.” He chuckled with a wheeze, all of them knowing they were nowhere near trading routs when they had been sailing their main craft. Mirio took one of the coconuts he’d opened and helped Yamada to sit up. “You want the bad news or the really bad news?” Kaminari joked as Yamada took in how rattled they’d become. Keeping his grin tight, Yamada replied, “I’ll take the bad news.”
The bad news was the Isle. It was short and about eight miles long. A sandbar connected it to other strips of an island but currently the sandbar was almost submerged by the tide. There was no open source of freshwater on this piece of land and it didn’t seem like there was much vegetation variety from what they could see on shore. Rocks permeated the waters all around the island. Both hidden under the waves while some towered out and over the highest tide. Also, no signs of their ship – salvage or otherwise. Finished with his drink and flaking pieces of coconut flesh off the sides of the nut, Yamada nodded and motioned for the really bad news. Bakugou recounted what had happened and the piece of coconut on the way to Yamada’s mouth stopped as he stared at the pair. The surrounding waves that had been almost a static background noise seemed to loom over the moment as the four of them sat with the weight of their luck.
“We can fight them off, or go further inland on the main island once the tide drops again.” Denki supplied with a nervous glance around. Mirio found a smile to give Denki’s enthusiasm but they were at a lack of weapons other than personal knives and no matter where they placed themselves, food and calling for help would require that they stuck close to the beaches. Quiet settled once more and the men grew absorbed into their own thoughts as they began making the camp more hospitable. Yamada didn’t have high hopes to begin with but the addition of sirens made their situation all the more bleak. Any plan of trying to get past the rocks and out to the water to catch a riptide or signal a beacon was gone.
Sirens were known for preying on human settlements. Stealing away people with songs or ambushing them from the depths, many a veteran sailor had a tale of seeing one. Accounts of either a flash of them near their ship or shadowing docks while stalking particular prey. Usually, whomever a siren set its sights on would be doomed to the water at one point or another. Yamada had heard plenty of spun tales around the threat and magical allure of such creatures, all ended with blood in the water. Kaminari came beside him with some fresh fronds and as he adjusted and helped Kaminari to spread them out he said nothing about the young man’s shaking hands. Everyone was painfully aware that Kaminari now had an invisible target on his back.
“Captain?” Yamada looked to the amber-gold of Kaminari’s eyes and seeing the uncertainty he reached and settled a firm grip to his shoulder. “You’ll be alright. We have some time to figure this out. For now we rest, eat, and stay warm and in the morning we’ll outsmart some fish.” With such cheered enthusiasm from a man he looked up to Kaminari was able to pull a watery smile and help Mirio with tending the fire. Once dusk fell and the men pulled themselves under the boat, Bakugou took hold of Kaminari’s wrist and placed him between Miro and himself. Keeping hold of his arm, Bakugou leaned and looped a chord of rope around his wrist before securing it and releasing him to get comfortable. Glancing to the short tether that attached him to the closest tree, Kaminari gave a short huff of relief that he might be able to sleep without worry. Settling in, they each in turn found their dreams.
Out amongst the spray of the sea and under the glow of a clear moon, a song lured from the deep.