Jongdae glowed with the radiance of a midsummer sun as he walked along the dirt path to the café. Dust kicked up around his feet, a sure sign that the warm weather was approaching, and the little bell rang out when he pushed the door. It was surprisingly busy again and he looked around before picking up a tea towel behind the counter and beginning to clean. Baekhyun looked at him gratefully as he busied himself while Baekhyun served the customers and when the rush slowed Jongdae chastised him gently. "Baek. You'll work yourself into the ground. You need help." "The tourist season seems to be early this year." He smiled gently at his friend. "It's just caught me by surprise. I'll hire someone for the lunchtime rush."

Jongdae grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the kitchen. "I have something for you." His eyes shone with barely contained delight as he pulled the string of shells and pearls from his pocket and dangled it in front of Baekhyun. "Really?" The delighted man squealed loudly and grabbed at the string. "What is this even made from?" he asked as he examined the wound and braided fibres and the carefully threaded adornments. "Gifts from the ocean." Jongdae smiled warmly as Baekhyun tied the strand around his neck. He'd made his friend happy and that was worth the world to him.

"So this guy." Baekhyun smirked as he filled the sink with dishes. "When is he coming around to meet us? Surely he wants our approval." Baekhyun winked at Jongdae's blush. "I told you!" he spoke to loudly, like he always did when he was nervous, "He wants to. I just have to plan it." Jongdae sighed and walked away. He picked up a bag of rubbish from the bin in the corner and headed out to the outside bin with it. He stood in the bright blinding midday sun and debated telling Baekhyun the truth. He knew he could trust him. But would Baekhyun believe him?

He wasn't sure.

His sigh was heavy as he returned to the kitchen of the little café and packed away the clean dishes for his friend. He wondered what Minseok was doing. He said he wasn't nocturnal so he possibly wasn't sleeping. Was he wandering the ocean floor, searching for more gifts and treasures, was he curled up with his brothers in a cosy nest? Was he racing a pod of dolphins or winding sea grasses into some magnificent piece of craftsmanship? His life under the waves seemed so mysterious and wonderful to Jongdae. It seemed perfect. There was only one thing missing.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Minseok wandered in front. Sehun was in the middle and Yixing swam at the rear of their expedition team. It had taken them a while to make it to the underwater mountain range where their brothers went missing. When they finally crossed a ridge and swam down into the huge channel Minseok gasped with wonder. It was more amazing than anything he'd ever seen on land. The channel was hundreds of metres wide and maybe even thousands deep. It was dotted and littered with hills and valleys and steam rose from huge natural chimneys and vents made of rock and stone. "What is this place?" he wondered aloud and Sehun shivered a little. "The place where the light never touches." His enthusiasm renewed by their search, Sehun grabbed Minseok's hand and drew him closer, and Yixing clutched at him as well. There was magic here, they could all feel it, and it seemed to be drawing them closer.

"Down there!" Sehun pulled ahead and the other two swam quickly behind him. They weren't going to let their youngest out of their sight. They swam down to the floor of the underwater valley and into the deep wide chasm and soon they were reliant on their own luminescence to see each other. Sehun was the one drawn the strongest to the deepwater magic pulling them like the current. Yixing was also drawn but Minseok was more concerned with his brothers than the lure of the ancient and ominous spells woven into the caves and crevices. "Wait!" Minseok called out and grabbed Yixing by the arm and he in turn grabbed Sehun. "I can feel him!" Sehun twisted and tried to free himself from Yixing's grip but the older and more experienced melting held him tight.

"We need to be careful!" Minseok was afraid. An emotion his brothers seemed to no longer possess. It was his humanity keeping him sane, he held on tightly to the thread of the man that remained inside, and when Sehun tried to break free he was able to chase him. Yixing was slowly being lured like Sehun but not as badly and just when Minseok was going to make them leave this place they saw it.

A deep red glow from a far off cave. It pulled and pulsed and seemed to breathe with an evil light and magic and Sehun tried to break away again. "He's down there! I can feel him!" He cried out as he tried to swim away towards the cave but Minseok held him tight and began to drag him away. This was wrong and bad and he knew he had to keep them away.

He could feel Luhan too. And Yifan and Zitao. All three lost brothers were down there in the evil red magic and if they went down there they would end up the same.

"Come on!" Minseok dragged both his brothers by the arms. Sehun resisted but Yixing was more catatonic than defiant and as they began to move further away he seemed to shake out of it. "Minseok what happened?" He asked as he shook his head. "Bad magic," was all Minseok could offer. "Help me." He said as his strength was sapped and Yixing grabbed Sehun's other arm and helped to drag the wriggling merling away from danger.

When they finally escaped the threatening energy of the chasm Sehun seemed to snap out of it. "I could feel him down there. But I could also feel something else. Something wrong." Minseok held his little brother as he mulled over the fact that Sehun could no longer feel afraid. Sorrow and sadness had bred in his soul but fear had been replaced with a vulnerability to danger.

"I need to come back here alone." Minseok said with a finality that surprised even him. "I still have a little of what makes me human and that part of me is immune to the magic," he said as he looked at his brothers. "It didn't affect me the way it affected both of you."

No one spoke as they swam back home. They all knew Minseok was right. It was the only thing to do. He knew this was his calling, his purpose and his mission, and he would give all he had to try and bring their lost brothers home.

But first he wanted to see Jongdae glowing in the radiance of the midday sun, his face turned up to the light, his beautiful skin soaking in all the warmth and care the suns rays had to give. He wanted to see Jongdae laughing, his eyes sparkling, splashing with joy as scattered sunlight danced across soft ocean waves of green and blue and white.

He wanted to see Jongdae one last time.