Chapter Text
Aiichiro sighed as he rolled over on the coral, staring at the rays of sunlight that pierced through the water. Gosh, he wanted to feel that: the sun on his face and arms and chest. The humans got to feel that every day. Why couldn’t he?
He rolled over again, so he was led on his tummy, and gave his turquoise tail an annoyed flick. Why wasn’t he allowed on land? He’d never understood why his dad was so against it. And it wasn’t as if the rule was only for him. All of the merfolk had to obey his order. But Aiichiro was the prince. Surely he could break a rule or two without anyone ever finding out?
With a smirk, Aiichiro turned back over. The sun had gone in and the water above him had turned purple and grey, getting more and more turbulent with every moment that he stared at it. He always loved it when it got like this. The colours were so mesmerising to look at and he adored the way the water felt around him.
It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look, would it?
The merman prince smiled, then he shot upwards. His head broke the surface of the water and the sky made a cracking sound. A moment later, a bolt of light shot down somewhere close, and then water began to rain down on Aiichiro. He closed his eyes and laughed, holding out his hands to catch it. Why hadn’t he ever done this before?
There was a groan and Aiichiro looked around, his smile now gone. What was making that noise? He swam in the direction of it and Aiichiro gasped when he saw land. There was yellowy-white shore that the water lapped onto, creating white foam and bringing up seashells. Storm clouds submerged the rest of the landscape, but Aiichiro could see well enough just to make out pieces of wood and fabric on the shore, along with… was that a human?!
He swam faster now, his excitement leading him forwards until he could see the human more clearly. It was led down on the sand, face first, completely unmoving. Was it alright? When merfolk did that, it usually meant they were dead.
Aiichiro panicked and swam even quicker. He couldn’t let the first human he saw die. He would save it.
He wriggled up onto the shore and turned the human over so their head was resting in the lap of his iridescent tail. They appeared to be a male. A very handsome male. Aiichiro felt himself blush as he let his hands gently brush over the man’s face. He had dark magenta hair, thin lips, and high cheekbones, but his skin was a deathly pale colour. What had happened to him? Did the wood and fabric have something to do with it?
Aiichiro shook the man’s shoulders, as if trying to wake the man up, but he didn’t rouse. What was he supposed to do? Aiichiro racked his brains, trying to think of something his parents did when he was unwell. After his mum left, his dad would sometimes sing to him. That always made him feel better. Maybe that could work here? The merman prince nodded to himself and began to sing, now running his fingers through the man’s hair.
After a moment, the rain stopped falling and the man coughed, water spluttering out of his mouth.
Aiichiro smiled and continued to sing. It had worked!
More water came out and the man groaned. He reached an arm up, shielding his eyes from the faint sunlight that was shining. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was being on a ship, and then there was a storm… he groaned again. They must have crashed into a rock or something. But that didn’t explain why he was led on something that felt like a fish, nor the beautiful voice that was signing to him.
He put his arm down and opened his eyes slightly, smiling at the sight above him. The most gorgeous boy he’d ever seen was running his fingers through his hair as he sang to him. He had dazzling light blue eyes and cute grey hair. With the sunlight framing him, he looked like some sort of angel.
He only had a moment to admire the beauty above him before the boy let out a lovely little gasp and darted behind the nearest piece of debris.
Aiichiro’s heart was pounding in his chest. The man had opened his eyes. What if he had seen him?! Going on land was one thing, but allowing a human to see him was another. Should he go back to him? He bit his lip as he watched the man turn his head slowly, trying to spot him amongst the wood and rocks on the beach without getting up. The man must have been in pain to not be able to search for him properly.
He put out his hands, about to wiggle back to him, but he stopped, alarmed when he heard shouting.
‘Rin!’
‘Rin! Where are you?’
‘Your Highness!’
The redheaded man – Rin – managed to sit up with a groan. ‘I’m here!’ he shouted.
Aiichiro gasped at the sound of Rin’s voice. It was deep, yet it still had a soft quality to it. It was so nice. No other creature in the whole ocean had a voice like it. Aiichiro would happily listen to only that voice for the rest of his life.
But Rin appeared to have heard the gasp and he looked over in Aiichiro’s direction. They locked eyes for a second, both of their hearts beating erratically for a brief moment before Aiichiro reluctantly looked away from those astonishing red eyes and slipped back into the ocean.