Chapter Text
“Honey, all the places
I'll never get to see
I'll always wonder what's across the tossing ocean
The world I'm at
Looks pretty flat to me”
-The Crane Wives, “Safe Ship, Harbored”
Prince Tsutomu Goshiki, heir to the Pacific Kingdom, isn’t stupid. He knows some of the merfolk assume he is, sure. And he knows he doesn’t always pick up on things the way Tendou and Shirabu do, but he’s not an idiot.
He knows the whispers that follow Archmage Tendou through the palace. “Monster,” they say. “Nightmare,” they whisper. “Glad he’s on our side.” He knows the majority of the nobles in the palace think Shirabu is an unfeeling asshole. Tsutomu knows that they look at Tsutomu himself, and assume he’s stupid. Incompetent.
But Tendou pulls Tsutomu into his arms when Tsutomu is crying. Ruffles his hair and makes the ceiling gleam with odd patterns until the tears stop. When Tsutomu got a fever last year, it was Shirabu who stayed in his room, who pressed a hand to his forehead and soothed his chills with healing magic. And Tsutomu sees both of them for who they really are, so he can’t be that stupid, right?
Tsutomu has always admired his archmage, and the mage apprentice. Growing up confined in the Royal Palace, with no one to talk to besides the royal court and his mom… well, it got lonely. Everyone was so busy. But still, Tendou and Shirabu made time for him, like older brothers that he’d never had. He wanted to be like them, and also show the world that they weren’t monsters.
He’s sure that Tendou notices when Tsutomu hangs out with him - when he studies the herbs and magical components the mage uses, and what they do. He’s not technically supposed to be learning magic, as that’s something for the military, but he admires his closest friends so strongly that he can’t help but be interested in what they do. Tsutomu regularly sneaks out, much to the frustration of his guards and mother, but he doesn’t think they realize that he’s out gathering components. Nothing too rare, of course, because even he can’t venture too far out of the kingdom without stirring up way more trouble than usual. He doesn’t really want to make everyone panic… he just wants to get out for a little bit. So he doesn’t stray far.
This time, he’s managed to get back without being caught, and that means he has a bigger bag of supplies to work with. Tsutomu swims in through his bedroom window, then sits on his bed and inspects his ingredients. “I think he used this one to make heat…” he mutters, pulling out a collection of rocks that seemed to shine when he tilted them against the magic lights illuminating his bedroom.
He tries to recall what Tendou did, muttering a couple words in the ancient tongue and holding the stone up. Then he concentrates, squeezing his eyes shut. At first, he worries nothing will happen, but then the stone starts to heat up in his hand. He gasps softly, eyes snapping open. The stone has started to glow a faint orange color, illuminating the dark parts of the walls. Tsutomu’s eyes widen, his mind distracted easily by the light.
“Wow… oh, ow!” He yelps and drops the stone as the heat suddenly becomes too unbearable for him to hold. I guess I still don’t really know how to control it . He hisses and waves his hand in the water, praying silently to the gods that he didn’t get some kind of burn that he’d have to explain to his mom later.
There’s a knock at the door, and Tsutomu jerks. “One minute!” He quickly shoves the stone back in the satchel and shoves the whole thing underneath the bed. “Okay! Come in!”
The door opens, and Tendou swims in. “Hello, your highness!” he chirps, his long, translucent tail making the light around him flicker. He moves over to Tsutomu, wrapping him in a hug and ruffling his hair.
Tsutomu laughs, trying to squirm free. “Tendou!”
“Do you have to do this every time you see him?” Shirabu asks, follow Tendou in. He already looks tired, red and white tail flicking through the water.
“Aw, is someone jealous?”
“Like hell.” He sighs and shuts the door behind him. “Why did you drag me here again?”
“Can’t I just hang out with my two favorite people in the whole palace?” Tendou asks. He pulls away from Tsutomu to try and envelop Shirabu in a similar hug, but Shirabu swims a small distance, and Tendou doesn’t follow. Shirabu’s always been oddly unaffectionate for a mer.
“I like hanging out with you too!” Tsutomu says, heart warm at Tendou’s words.
“Aw, precious. See, Kenjirou?” Tendou moves back over to Tsutomu.
Shirabu crosses his arms over his chest. “You still haven’t explained why we’re here.”
“Right!” Tendou says, as if he didn’t just deny an ulterior motive. “I just wanted to let you two know in advance. There’s some herbs I need that grow near Japan around this time of year. Powerful! And rare.”
“So you’re going to get them?” Tsutomu frowns, sinking in on himself. He knows Tendou and Shirabu have to leave the palace sometimes. It’s part of their duties. As the Archmage, Tendou is also the General of the Pacific Kingdom’s armies, as well as responsible for any massive magical needs across the Kingdom. Shirabu, as his apprentice, is also his second in command and assistant in those tasks.
That doesn’t mean he has to like it.
“I won’t be gone for too long!” Tendou says. “Five days at most.”
Five days. Alright, Tsutomu can deal with five days. Five days with one of his only companions gone, stuck in this massive palace where everyone else either looks down on him or thinks he’s too important to befriend. He’s dealt with worse. “Only five days?”
“Maximum! I should hopefully be back in three,” he moves through the water, twirling around in a state of constant motion. “But I can’t not go. This trip…” his smile fades for a second, his wide eyes taking on a glassy, faraway look. “It’s important that I go. And that I go today. For all three of us.”
“All of us?” Shirabu raises an eyebrow. “You’re just getting supplies.”
“I know! But still. It’s important,” Tendou nods.
Shirabu doesn’t question him. Tsutomu doesn’t question him. No one in the palace questions Tendou’s instincts, because he’s the first future seeing mage in over a hundred years. The art is lost, and all Tendou really has to go on are quick glimpses and vague feelings. But they’ve saved lives more than once.
Tsutomu perks up a bit at that statement. It’s rare for Satori to mention him in his visions, let alone say it’s important for Tsutomu. “Do you know why?” he asks, unable to help himself.
“Not yet! Patience, patience,” Tendou ruffles his hair again. “But I think you’ll like the outcome! Whatever that outcome is.” He shrugs. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Okay… if you say so.” Tsutomu nods. Of course, he can’t entirely get rid of the fluttery, anxious feeling in his chest, but he trusts Tendou. If he says it’s important and that he’ll like it, he’s inclined to believe him. “Five days,” he mutters, more to himself than either of them.
Tendou hears him anyway. “Five days!” he echoes, squeezing Tsutomu in another hug. “Or less. We’ll see! Is there anything you need from me before I go?” Tsutomu shakes his head, and Tendou nods decisively. “Okay! I’m off, then! Don’t burn down the palace while I’m gone!”
“Could we even burn it down?” Tsutomu wonders aloud. They were underwater, after all.
“I’m sure the two of you would find a way, science be damned.” Tendou grins, then gives Tsutomu one more hair ruffle before making his way out. Shirabu is left in the room with him, and for a few minutes the two of them sit in awkward silence. Not that Tsutomu minds terribly; even though Shirabu isn’t as talkative as Tendou is, Tsutomu enjoys his company all the same.
Eventually, though, Shirabu speaks up. “I had better go. Sometimes I think he goes on these excursions exclusively to saddle me with all the paperwork,” he grumbles to himself, prompting Tsutomu to giggle softly.
“Well, you’re good at paperwork! And other things. Lots of things, actually.”
Shirabu rolls his eyes. “Try not to get into any trouble. I’ll see you later.” He, too, swims out, closing the bedroom door behind him. Once Tsutomu is sure Shirabu is out of the vicinity, he lets out a dramatic sigh and flops backwards, drifting onto his bed. He flicks his tail anxiously, trying not to let Tendou’s absence get to him too much. This happens all the time.
Though… this was important , somehow. Tsutomu doesn’t have powerful future magic like the archmage, but just knowing that he felt something… it makes Tsutomu’s heart pound against his ribs. He said that I’d like it. That means nothing bad will happen. Right?
He tries to just go to sleep and stop thinking about it.