Chapter 2
Kasei just went to the study down the hall and picked up a book on oceanography to research. He pulled out the mirror and looked through the book for references about merfolk. He’d been looking for a while and found nothing that seemed plausible.

Giving up after a few hours, he looked into the mirror. Like mist clearing, the mirror showed a young man with sleek features, vanilla sweet skin, ocean blue eyes and hair, and an expression of coldness.

“Yo, Araiso,” Kasei said to the reflection with a nod. “You have no idea how hard it is to find stuff about this circle in books!” He groaned.

Like always, the reflection didn’t falter in expression. Just blinked, seeming to listen without a care.

Several hours later, Su and Aranie arrived home with their mother. Kasei went to greet them only to be shaken by Aranie.

“Kasei, you’ll never believe this!” she squealed, “A hot guy with white skin and blue hair just left the mall!”

“… So?”

“He was headed to the park!”

“He looked pretty handsome,” Su nodded, her long black hair tied into a tight bun. “He was refused service for no shirt at the mall.”

“Oh?” Kasei asked, not really caring.

“Yeah!” Aranie nodded, “And on his back was this huge tattoo of that circle!”

“The one that’s on your mirror.”

“… Really?” Kasei asked. “Hmm…” Two minutes and he was out the door with sunglasses on, a cigarette between his lips and his shirt somewhat buttoned.

The park was only a quick fifteen minute walk away. Kasei stopped a little into the grassy area of the park. Sighing, he looked around. He smiled when he spotted a shirtless man with fine white skin and blue hair sitting at a bench by the pond.

Kasei headed over, stopping near the other. “Hello… Where’d you get that tattoo?”

The other looked at him and Kasei nearly dropped his cigarette. It was the person from the mirror.

“Araiso..?”

Looking confused slightly, the other nodded.

“Ah…” Kasei nodded, pulling out the mirror to look at it and then to the other.

Araiso saw the mirror and grew immediate interest. He stood up and walked over quickly to Kasei to inspect the mirror.

“Whoa!” Kasei took a step back seeing Araiso suddenly in front of him. “Y-yes…?”

Araiso just reached for the mirror and pulled it to him. He looked over the front, still letting Kasei keep a firm grip on it, and then looked over the back. Then he tried to pull the mirror from Kasei.

“Hey this is mine!” Kasei snapped, pulling back his beloved keepsake. Araiso followed, reaching for it.

If you’d ever seen two people fight over a tv remote, this was just like that. ‘Cept no sofa, and no table to stand on to make it more unfair.

Kasei’d move the mirror high above his head, and Araiso’d get as high as he could to reach it.

Chapter 3

Finally Kasei hid the mirror into his pocket and headed home, thinking this young teen was too strange.

“Ooh, Kasei, you brought him home!” Aranie squealed, running out to meet the two as they came up the drive way.

“Yeah yeah, he just kinda followed me.” Kasei shrugged, going inside.

Araiso gave a nod to Aranie then hurried after Kasei.

Kasei was sitting comfortably on the floor by the coffee table, lighting up a cigarette. Concerned, Araiso looked around and noticed the mirror on the table. Instantly he walked over, moving to pick it up.

Kasei grabbed his wrist and pulled the mirror back into his lap. “Mine.”

Araiso didn’t seem put off. He just sat close to Kasei and kept trying to reach for the mirror. They’d lean left, then they’d lean right. Then back and forth, high and low. Kasei tried putting it far away from the other, but that just made Araiso shove him down to reach it better.

“This is my mirror!!!” Kasei shouted, pushing Araiso back off of him. He sat up and put the mirror back into his pocket with a huff.

“What are you two doing?” Su asked, coming in with a bag of chips in hand.

“He won’t stop going after my mirror.”

Su nodded, taking a bite of a chip. “Looks like he wants more than the mirror.”

“Huh? WAAAAH!!!!” Kasei jumped up, holding his pocket shut where the mirror was. “What do you think you’re doing!”

Araiso just got onto his knees and tried to pry Kasei’s hands off the pocket and slip his hand back in again.

Kasei held back one of Araiso’s hands long enough to sit back down comfortably. He yelped again when he felt Araiso’s other hand trying to get into his pocket.

“Would you stop it!” Kasei grumbled, holding both of Araiso’s hands to the floor by the wrists.

Araiso frowned and tried to pull his hands away.

“Strange, why doesn’t he talk?” Su asked.

Aranie came in, looking at the two teens on the floor. “He hasn’t said a word?”

“Nope,” Kasei said, pushing Araiso’s hands into his bare chest. “So why don’t you talk, Araiso?”

“That his name?” Aranie asked.

“How’d you get that?” Su ate another chip.

“I guessed~” Kasei shrugged, looking to the other.

Araiso motioned with his hands at his throat then shook his head.

“Sore throat?” Kasei asked. Bored, the two sisters left the room. Kasei watched them leave then looked back to the other.

Araiso just shook his head, frowning a bit.

Kasei raised a brow. “Okay… I’ll let you go, but you gotta understand this is my mirror.”

Araiso just pouted and glared.

“Yes?” Kasei asked, tightening his grip a bit on the other.

He let out a gasp of pain but nodded reluctantly, and Kasei let go of him. Araiso rubbed his wrists frowning.

“Don’t be like that…” Kasei grumbled, putting a cigarette into his mouth and lit it. “You were the one who wouldn’t stop going after me.”

Araiso sighed. A moment later he tugged on Kasei’s sleeve.

“Hm?” Kasei looked to him, Araiso rubbing his arms. “Cold?” Nod. Kasei looked behind him to the sofa, reached and pulled the blanket from it to Araiso. Then he helped wrap it around the other. “So where’d you get that tattoo?”

Araiso looked down sadly.

Kasei looked away, letting out a puff of smoke. “Oh, right.. Can’t talk.”