Cookies to my readers if you got the musical reference in this chapter's title ;)

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The rain finally stopped.  It hadn't been the only thing keeping Donghae cooped up inside the ranger station, but it had added to the drudgery.  He had spent the last cycle-of-the-moon recovering.   Most of the time he was swimming in the indoor tank and regaining his flexability, but sometimes he would be struggling to manouver around the ranger station. 

He hated walking now.  Swimming was so much easier, of course it always had been, but the wound from the fishing knife had not affected his tail as much.    When walking, the injury was much more obvious.  His right leg just above the knee looked gouged in and gnarled.  No way that he would ever be able to walk totally unassisted.  It seemed just another reminder of how out-of-place he was in the human world.  

As a child, it was fun to sit upon the edge of the lake and dry off.  He would watch his legs appear, flex his feet, wiggle his toes, then get up and run around the shore of Parang Lake.  This was before the humans came and his family had to hide, because humans, he was told, were vicious beings.  But hiding wasn't enough and how he was here, dependent on humans. 

The ones who called themselves Leeteuk and Sungmin really seemed concerned about him.  They looked pleased with the progress he made overcoming his injuries.  The damage done on the inside that  could not be seen would take much longer to heal.  Learning their language and ways was slow and frustrating.  Even more daunting was trying to trust and hoping not to be hurt or betrayed.   He flinched and shied away the first few times Leeteuk went to pat him on the back for accomplishing something.  He was startled by claps of excitement from Sungmin, thinking there was danger or he had done something wrong.   At least  the promise of going outside soon kept his sanity.

"Ah!  Let's see if we can get the last of the bandages off today Donghae!",  Leeteuk burst into the room with Sungmin following not far behind.  The sudden outburst caused Donghae to sink down into the water slightly.

Noticing the surprised look on Donghae's face, Sungmin whispered back, "Leeteuk!  He's not used to your, um, enthusiasm.  We need to remember to tone it down a bit."  Really, sometimes I wonder how doesn't scare away some of the wildlife out here.  They motioned for him to come forward,  pointed to his bandage, and helped him out of the tank.

Sungmin examined the scar tissue, "Not bad, not bad at all Donghae.  In fact,  what do you think of going out for your breakfast?"

He tilted his head slightly and pursed his lips in thought.  Cautiously, he pointed towards the big window that showed a view of the lake just outside the station and looked questioningly at the rangers.  When they nodded in agreement he showed a slight smile and a few tears escaped from his eyes.  "Come on Donghae", Leeteuk said reassuringly, "Let's go take a look at your new home."

"Sungmin, set up the signs around the perimeter and entrance.  We don't want any visitors scaring Donghae on his first day out."  While that was being done, Leeteuk helped Donghae to the edge of the lake. 

Leeteuk wasn't sure what Donghae's reaction would be as he entered the reservation's lake for the first time.  He had taken a liking to the young merman, being protective and almost brotherly towards him.  Sungmin had even jokingly referred to him as "Umma" a couple of times during this first month of them caring for Donghae.  "The lake bottoms out at just over 20 meters.  There's a large underwater cave and inlets.  Reeds and cattails provide some quick cover most of the year also."  Leeteuk pointed to many of the lakes features while Donghae stayed close by, looking at him and nodding - not really understanding much of what was said, but getting the gist of it.  He would explore the lake when he became more comfortable.

Donghae slipped underwater and looked around.  The water was clear and clean, probably from the lack of boats and other messy human stuff.  Out of the corner of his eye, something darted by.  Was that a perch?  Breakfast!  Donghae quickly grabbed the fish and started to enjoy his catch.  Leeteuk was on the shore and would probably want to see his find.  Donghae resurfaced and proudly showed off his half-eaten fish.  Leeteuk's eyes lit up as he smiled.  "See Donghae, you are going to be just fine here!" 

The smile faded as that thing Leeteuk always had to carry (a phone?) started to ring.  Lately, whenever Leeteuk was talking or listening into that phone thing, he didn't have his usual smile.  Leeteuk closed the phone and sighed,  "Donghae, I have a board meeting I have to go to.  Our funding is, well, not good, and -"  Donghae looked up and vocalized concern.  "Don't worry.  We'll be fine.  Just some things we have to figure out.  Sungmin should be done soon and I'll be back after lunch.  Have fun swimming around your new home and stay safe!"

Donghae was disappointed to see Leeteuk go.  Now he was alone, which to him was one of the worst feelings.  He quickly finished his breakfast and swam cautiously around the lake, getting a feeling for his new habitat.  Hearing footsteps nearing the other side of the lake, Donghae dove underwater to quickly meet up with Sungmin. He was surprised, though, when he surfaced.  The human coming down an unmarked path was neither Sungmin nor Leeteuk. 

The stranger's wind-blown hair was darker than any human's he'd ever seen, black like a moonless night sky.  He looked like he was searching for something and was heading straight for the lake.  From that distance his inquisitive eyes looked almost as dark as his hair.  Strangely it brought to mind diving into a deep lake, wanting to stay and never wanting to surface.  A strange feeling crept up Donghae's spine as he backed himself into the cattails and reeds that Leeteuk had pointed out earlier.  His head remained just above the surface so he could carefully observe the human that was slowly coming nearer on the narrow, muddy trail. 

The rain from the last several days must have made walking on land very slippery.  When the human came to a small slope in the trail, his feet suddenly came out from under him.  He seemed to make it rather high in the air with his arms moving every which way in hopes of correcting his landing.  It didn't work.  The human landed flat on his back, which probably would have hurt had it not been for the squishy mud puddle cushioning his fall.  The noise of the human falling in the mud and the surprised look on his face was too much for Donghae.  He covered his mouth as soon as he realized that he had laughed out loud.

"Hey!  Who's there?"  The human got up and looked around for the source of the laughter.  He tried to brush himself off, only managing to smear the mud around more.  Then, he laughed a little at himself, too.  "I was just wondering who I was sharing my epic moment of clumsiness with."

Donghae felt himself slightly short of breath.  But it wasn't from his quick burst of laughter was it?  No, something in the human's voice beckoned him.  He knew humans were told stories that merfolk were sirens, leading humans astray.  Would they find it ironic if this time, it was the other way around?

"There you are!", the dark-haired human called out as Donghae shyly peered around the cattails.  "Did you sneak in here, too?  I came here to check on the turtles.  They're my favorites.  I was really worried when I saw the "Wildlife Management" signs being put up around the reservation.   I mean, the last time that happened was when a rabid raccoon was chasing bikers around.  He mostly got people's tires, but there was this one time when he bit a guy's ankle and -"  Donghae was looking at the human questioningly.  Yesung was talking too much for him to keep up!

"Oh, I'm sorry!  We haven't introduced ourselves!  I'm Kim Jongwoon, but my friends call me Yesung."  He leaned down and held out his mud-covered hand to Donghae, then gave a deep chuckle realizing how awkward that would be to shake hands now. 

Donghae's laugh followed.  He pointed to himself, "Donghae".  Then he became pensive.  It seemed humans carried a family name.  He liked the sound of Sungmin's.  Hopefully he wouldn't mind.  "Lee Donghae".

"Well, Donghae...Lee Donghae, it sounds like you aren't from around here are you?"  Yesung's smile looked so kind as he gazed into Donghae's eyes.

He shook his head and thought of how to explain things.   "Here now", he stated while making a motion around the area.

"Cool!  Does that mean that you are a new ranger  -"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?  THIS AREA HAD BEEN RESTRICTED!"  Yesung and Donghae looked up to see a very angry Sungmin yelling from the ranger station.

Donghae had a feeling he was in trouble.  He dove under and swam over towards Sungmin.  When he came up, he saw that Yesung was already scrambling back up the unmarked path.  Would he see him again?  He could feel his heart racing and his face becoming flush.  His hand went up to his chest, trying to slow his breaths.

Sungmin bent down towards Donghae.  "Look at you, you're face is all red!  You sure seem terrified!"  He reached down to check his pulse.  "Are you okay?"  Donghae nodded and looked up at Sungmin.  "Ugh!  What was that guy doing here?  You have to be more careful Donghae!  Are you sure you're okay?" 

And he calls Leeteuk "Umma".  "Okay, okay", Donghae nodded again.  He had a feeling Sungmin was shaken up for a different reason than he was.

"Fine, but Leeteuk and I are going to keep a better eye on you for the next couple days while you get used to the lake.  Don't want you to get all nervous again."

Donghae was happy for Sungmin and Leeteuk's company, but he looked back over at the unmarked path - wondering if/when he would see Yesung again.

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Kyuhyun was beginning to wonder where his hyung had gotten off to.  The afternoon shift at Yesung's cafe was going to start soon and there was his uniform, hanging on the back of the bathroom door.  It wasn't like him not to be punctual and ready to go.  This bit of strangeness (different from his hyung's usual strangeness) made Kyuhyun even more on edge.  No, he couldn't lose his nerve, he couldn't.  The years of pining and wishing, it was going to end today.  He would confess his feelings and it would be okay, no, even better than okay-

The apartment door opened and he could hear Yesung's laughter.  Kyuhyun ran into the entryway and stared.  "Yesung hyung, what are you doing there covered in mud and laughing like a mad man?"

"Woah, you are back from work early!", Yesung cleared his throat and tried to compose himself (as much as one can, being covered in mud).  His eyes lit up like stars and a whimsical smile spread over his face.  "I feel like my life just started today, Kyu-ah.....  I met someone."

And just like that, Kyuhyun felt his heart shatter.

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Aw, love already!  But you know things could get complicated...

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