A young man sat under the trees that shaded the oasis. His gold eyes were closed as a light, dry wind caught his black hair, pushing it back from his face. His clothes were of desert attire. A turban and cloak both the color of the sands. He held a harp gently in his delict hands.

The first cord rang out as Marduk began to sing softly. The water of the oasis rippled as the few fish that had made it through the under ground spring came to the surface. The voice of the minstral was carried with the wind.

Sai streached, his hands reaching for the heavy hot sun, before he let them fall to his sides. "Dear lord...I think I'm lost..." He mumbled, using his ice powers to make sure he didn't over heat and die. He tilted his head as he heard singing.

It was soft, lovely and male? He smiled soflty to himself and headed in the diraction of where the music was coming from. Suddenlly and oasis appeared before him and he blinked, not sure if it was real or not.

Marduk let his voice get a little louder almost certain no one would be out this way. Not with as hot as it was on this day. The song was a calming one. One Marduk used to help calm creatures that were upset. He also used it to help the lost keep calm when he was helping them find their ways home.

The wind picked up a little causing Marduk to stop playing the harp but continued to sing. He took off his turban and placed it in his pack taking out a hair tie to keep his hair back.

Sai hesitated, feeling as though he was traspassing on something he shouldn't be, before he walked up. He sat down on the sand silently, wanting to keep listening to the song. It was beautiful and his past fustrations at being lost were gone, like magic.

The fish disappered under the water as Marduk noticed the stranger out of the corner of his eyes. He picked up his harp again and began to play it with the song he sung. His eyes looked as if they were closed though as he kept an eye on this stranger.

The song lasted a little while longer before Marduk finished the final cord. He took up a couple of water skins, one he held out for the stranger. He looked like he needed it.

Sai blinked, "Um..thanks." He said, taking what the man had offered. He drank some, but knew that you shouldn't drink to much at one time in heat such as this or risk throwing it all up. He handed it back to the man. Lovely eyes.... he thought to himself. He adjusted his bag, that was filled with his art supplies and some peices of art. "That song was really beautiful. You have a real gift there." He said smiling lightly.

Marduk sipped some of the water and placed the cap on his water skin. "Thank you." he said his voice soft and calm. "It's a gift and a curse sometimes though...." He was very hesitant to speak. The siren blood that ran through him caused his words to have a strange effect on those he spoke with.

"Why are you out here this far from the cities?" Marduk asked his curiosity getting to him.

Sai smiled, "I paint, draw sketch, that sort of stuff. I've always wanted to pain the desert, it's beautiful..yet dangerous place. So, I came here." He said, shrugging. "I've lived in constant snow all my life, so this is quite the change." he said laughing. He brushed some of his dark blue hair out of his eyes.

Marduk chanced a small smile. "The desert is a peaceful place. I've spent most of my time surrounded by some sort of water. Even now I'm here by the oasis." he said blushing a little. "What all do you paint?" Marduk tried not to stare at Sai's eyes. He turned his head to look at the water as some fish came back to see him. He took some stale bread out and sprinkled bits of it into the water.

Sai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Everything. People, animals, the weather, trees. Anything that gives me inspiration." He said, pulling off his pack. He pulled some of his works out. Most of the desert, with the soft sands and warm sun, though one was of Asa, with it's snow and cold. "Here. It's some of my work." He said smiling.

Marduk put down his harp before taking the works to look at. After a few moments he spoke again. "Beautiful." He said smiling gently. "They are lovely. You have a gift as well." He handed the works back to Sai. He paled a moment then blushed. "Sorry for my manners. I am Marduk." He said taking off his cloak. Underneith, Marduk had on blue silk shirt with a white dragon looking as if it was circling him. His pants were made of the same silk.

Sai blushed, "Thanks..." he said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "They are okay, not great. I plan to work on them a bit...I can't seem to get the swirling san the right color and texture as I see it." He said as he put his painting away. "I'm Sai. Sai Razor and it's a pleasure to meet you Marduk." He said, bowing lightly.

He looked up at the sky...frowning, before he moved his hands in a swirling patterened and they air around them cooled to that of a comfortable level. "Better..." He mumbled, before smiling.

Marduk had to chuckle as the air cooled. "I take it you are an ice demon then?" He asked more to answer his curiostiy of the powers."Pleasure is mine. I'm surprised to see anyone else out this way though. Not many find the Siren's Wake....sorry that's the name of this oasis." Marduk said blushing.

Sai laughed, "No need to blush. But I must say, it lives up to its name." He said smiling. He ran his hand through his blue hair and smiled, "Yeppers! I am an Ice demon, cool ain't it!" He said, flicking his fingers in the air and making snow flakes appear, before they wre melted by the heat.

"It is a cool power. Literaly too." he chuckled. "My powers are over song and water." Marduk smiled a little. He was confused though. "How does the oasis live up to it's name?" he asked curious.

Sai blushed, "I said that out loud?" He asked, kinda confused himself. "I was sure I thought that...." He muttered.

Marduk gave a chuckle. "I thought so." he said smiling as he slipped his shoes off, feeling the sand under his feet. "It's called Siren's Wake becasue it's rumored a siren comes here often. Not many have met it though. And those that have, always forget what it looks like." He said as he moved from the rock, sticking his feet in the water. "So many have woke up here to the song of a siren. Unlike many of the oasis, this one has an underground spring filling it that leads to the ocean."

Sai blinked, "You thought what? That I'm an insane 19 year old ice demon that thinks aloud to himself?" He asked sitting beside Marduk. "But that is a nice tale. Kinda reminds me of home. Kinda...except....the Siren I met before I came to the desert isn't as nice as the one here..." He mumbled thinking of someone he met in the past. SHe was an evil little git, in all honsety and would make him fall into the water constently.

"No. I didn't think you knew the story. Not many do. And I talk to myself often enough." Marduk said smiling with a chuckle. "Some sirens are like that." he said with a sad sigh. The water hit his ankles, changing his legs into a dark blue fin. Marduk turned his head from Sai afraid of what he may say. Marduk had to take this form for a few minuets or he'd dehydrate.

Sai blinked and opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. " Well, that's diffrent." He said smiling. "Its bluer than hers...hers was lighter...kinda tealish." he said smiling. "Cool though..." He said shrugging. He was acting like, it was no big deal...and in all honesty, to him, it wasn't.

Marduk was still hesitant. "I'm half siren. My mother's side." he said softly. "Not many know about it." Marduk sighed and laid back on the sand. He closed his eyes as the silk shirt he had been wearing appered folded on his pack along with his pants. A white dragon tattoe circled his waist, it's head resting above his heart. If he turned over, it's wings would be spread out touching the edge of his shoulders. It never bothered him for someone to see it. He also had no problem with people seeing him with no clothes though. Sirens had no such reserves.

Sai blushed lightly and looked away into the vast desert. 'Damn, when I came out here I didn't think I would find such a...a...well...I don't really know what to call him. He is hot though...' he thought and chuckled to himself. ' I sound like a teenager with a crush...wait...I'm 19..does that make me a teen or a adult...gah...confusing... He thought shaking his head. He splashed the water at Marduk out of pure boredrum.

Marduk opened one eye and chuckled a little as a small wave rose from the oasis splashing at Sai. ~Don't get so attached, Mar. You know what happens. They all forget about you eventualy.~ He thought to himself. He sat up again shaking his hair. "Sorry, its so warm here that I'm a little sleepy." Marduk said tilting his head a little.

Sai eeped, quite like a girl, but with a much deeper voice as the water drenched him somewhat. He blinked, then smiled, "AH! Much better! Probably less damaging to the fishes in there too....I was half gonna jump in or something." He said with a small laugh. He picked up some water in a cupped hand and splashed it on MArduk.

"I understand the sleepiness, really I do, but honestly, water's much funner than sleep...sometimes..." He said, with a weird far-off grin on his face.

Marduk laughed at Sia's comment about jumping in. "Acutaly, it is more fun. In many ways." Marduk said as he brushed his hair back, now wet from the water Sai splashed at him.

Sai grinned, having and inkling of a feeling of what he was talking about..or perhaps that was just his pervertedness showing through. Who knows. "Yep!" Said Sai as he rummaged in his pack. Pulling out a few sketching pencils, paper and a load of earsers, he begain to sketch Marduk. He started slowly, with long arched lines, till it slowlyt became more and more defined into a human being shape.

Marduk watched Sai curiously as he sat there the sun warm on his back. It should have been too hot for him but the water was always right there beside him. "What's caught your eye to sketch now?" He asked finaly after a few moments of silent wonder.

Sai merly smiled and said, "An artist never shows an incomplete work of art or riks losing his muse." he said, wagging the penicil. "Anyway, you'll see it soon enough...it's almost done anyway. Seeing as it's just a rought sketch." he said as he finished up the torso, the face and well...the body. He was now doing a little more detail and shading on both the clothes and the hairs and eyes.

Marduk was very curious now. He rolled over so he was on his stomach, his tail still in the water. He wasn't use to being attracted to anyone on the first meeting. He folded his arms and rested his head on them as he watched Sai. It was growing too quite for him though. He was use to having music around him but for some reason, he didn't want to break the silence.

Sai looked at him from the corner of his eye and smiled, "Almost done..." He said, sticking out his tongue. He put on the finishing touches and smiled to himself. After looking at it for a bit, he noticed a few things and did a touch up here and there, where it was light, when it should have been dark, so on and so forth.

"There." he said, flipping the paper around to show Marduk. It showed him, resting, his eyes closed and a ghost of a smile on his face. His tail was in the water and it's soft reflection glinted softly on his face. It seemed serene and it was. Sai smiled.

Marduk looked at the picture and blinked in surprise. No one had ever tried to sketch him. "Wow..." he said breathlessly a deep blush on his cheeks. "It's lovely. But I cant' say I look like that..." he said softly. "It seems to calm and peaceful...." Marduk said a hint of pain in his voice. He was truly calm and peaceful but all Marduk had seen in his life was chaos. He always believed that he would never find peace as one should have with themselves.

"Why draw me?" he asked softly.

Sai seemed a bit surprised, "It is you, or at least, how I see you. I'm sorry if it's diffrent from what you view yourself as." He said, hiding a bit of sadness that creeped towards his heart behind a smile. He was good at that, really good. Exspeically when most thought of him as an evil pervert hell bent on spying on women. I mean, he spied on men too!

He smiled softly, "Cause...your beautful, handsome a work of art yourself." He said, tapping his pencil on his knee.

Marduk turned his head a little. He wasn't use to compliments at all. "It's hard to not know how other's see me most of the time." He said looking back at Sai, a soft smile on his lips. "That is not how most do see me though. Many see me as more chaotic but..." he gave a sigh and shrug.

He grew very shy and uncertian now. He looked at the picture again. "Maybe you won't forget me the way I have been before." Marduk said absently.

Sai chuckled a bit, "Yep. It's always the quite ones who are chaotic. My mom said it to me when I was little...I was also very quite." He said, smiling. Sai smiled softly to himself, the sun was setting and it looked really beautiful. It was on nights like these that he enjoyed company.

He blinked, Marduk's voice drawing him out of his thoughts. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, not really getting what Marduk said.

Marduk slipped into the water a moment, submerging himself in the cool water. He surfaced and placed his elbows on the edge of the oasis. "A siren uses many of their powers to destroy those that are caught in their songs." he said shaking his head a little. "It's something that happens a lot. But there are those sirens that release someone from the spell of their song. When that happens, all the memories they have of that siren disappere with the spell." Marduk was trying not to get upset over the fact.

"A few years ago, my song caught someone and when I released them, they forgot compleatly about me. Most who have heard my songs never remember me after they leave the oasis..." he said sighing.

Sai blinked, "Weird. But that has got to suck, having no one remember you. Being alone all the ti-" He paused, something just clicked in his brain. "Wait a minute..." He said, pausing. "Are you...the Siren in the legend? Or is that merly a conicidence?" He asked, curiouse.

"It's coincidence." Marduk said softly. "At least I hope it is." he replied. "I use my powers for a wide range of things." Marduk kept his eyes on the sand finding it fascinating right now. "It does suck being alone. I have very few people that know I'm acutaly real and not a figment of their minds."

Sai squinted his eyes and poked Marduk. "Nope, your real..." He said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "unless...." He mused, then jumped into the water, a large smile on his face. He poked Marduk again, once on the arm the other on the chest, the forehead. Just random places, but always above the belt.

"Nope, seems pretty real to me...I'm pretty sure I can't imagine solid objects to life." He said laughing, "Then again..that would be pretty sweet." He said, leaning against the sand, his body from the chest up was submerged into the water.

Sai's random poking caused Marduk to start laughing. He was ticklish. "Well I'm glad to hear that I'm real." he said calming down. "And that would be a dangerous power to have. Could you see someone that wanted to destroy the world with that power?" Marduk shivered a little.

Sai looked at him, eyebrow raised, "Dude, you need to lighten up. Think of that silver linning!" He said, his hands gesturing into the sky. He closed his fist and let it fall, splashing, into the Oasis. "If you think that everything gonna end the next day, the next hour, even the next minute...you can't allow yourself to regret things you never did." He said, his head lowered, as though in shame.