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Yukina wasn’t much of a believer in the rumour of a mermaid living in the nearby lake. Of course she wasn’t, most of anyone wouldn’t be unless they had seen it for themselves. Though, this town had a particular insistence on it being true, and it was only a matter of time before Lisa was believing them as well. “Come now, Lisa,” Yukina sighed as she watched her childhood friend get in the canoe by the dock, “it’s silly to go out this late to see some fairy tale.”
“Aren’t you curious, Yukina?”
“We’re only here for the week, why would I try to become invested in something so foolish?”
“You’re such a stick in the mud sometimes. Come on.” When offered a hand to step in the boat, Yukina hesitated. There was something about Lisa’s smile that she simply couldn’t deny, and with another heavy sigh, she reluctantly joined her friend. Because she was the one that wanted to go so badly, she would be doing all of the rowing while Yukina just took the chance to relax. That’s what this whole trip was about.
After returning home from one of many extravagant tours, her father announced that he had purchased a lake house in a small town. Somewhere cozy to take small vacations every now and again, and he had decided that he wanted to use it right away. Being the loner she is and not having a clue what she would do on her own, Yukina invited Lisa. She never would’ve guessed this would be how they spent one of the few nights there.
It was dark. Extremely dark. The only thing lighting the way would be the moon and the stars, reflecting off the surface of the water. The small glow wasn’t much, but enough to have confidence that they wouldn’t suddenly get lost. And Lisa had promised not to go out too far, so Yukina did her best not to worry. Undeniably, there was a calmness to the sound of the water being pushed by oars, and soon enough, she felt herself nodding off.
It was only when the boat started swaying too much for comfort and Lisa started shaking her that Yukina opened her eyes. Panic was welling up in her chest, worried that something had gone horribly wrong. Instead, she was met with Lisa pointing frantically into the distance, whisper-shouting, “Look, Yukina! Look!” She did her best to spot whatever it was, but saw nothing. Groaning, she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
“Lisa, there’s nothing there . . .”
“Hello!”
Well, that voice certainly wasn’t a familiar one. Frozen in shock from the single word, Yukina took a deep breath, her line of sight slowly trailing down to look over the edge of the boat. There, casually swimming in the water, was a girl who simply didn’t look human enough to be someone merely going out for a night swim. Her ears were pointy, like an elf out of a fantasy movie, and there was no denying that those peculiar spots of aquamarine on her chin and neck were scales.
That was it. It was too much to handle. Was this a dream? Surely, it was a dream. Yes, and Yukina was still asleep. Her head felt a bit light now. Was someone calling out to her? Her body was feeling heavy. Everything was cold. She was sinking. Oh, she was sinking.
How pitiful, to die in such a way. To think that she was only seventeen, still full of aspirations and goals she wished to fulfill. This was the end of the line for Yukina Minato. Farewell, parents. Farewell, friends. Farewell, future.
However, she would not see her life flash before her eyes, as many said happened when they died. Instead, she would be coughing up water, back lying on some sort of unpleasant terrain. She could feel her wet clothes clinging to her body, the grass beneath her fingertips almost foreign now. Her vision was blurry, but she could make an outline of a figure before her. Slowly, details were piercing through the temporary blindness.
Aquamarine hair. Emerald eyes. Scales along a jawline and neck that matched the colour of the hair. Toned skin. And boobs. Ah. Boobs. Indeed, those were female breasts before her eyes. Even while barely conscious, her head turned to the side, as to try not staring.
“Are you alright?”
While she was not looking at the person she could only assume saved her, Yukina could tell that she was the one who had spoken. It was only logical, after all. Without looking the woman in the eyes, she merely replied, “I suppose.” Nearly drowning wasn’t really something that she would consider “alright,” but she wasn’t dead , which was more than enough. Though, curiosity got the best of her, and she gazed upon the woman once again.
She was beautiful. That included the scales that were ever so neatly lined against the edge of her face. Ah, wait a moment. Scales. Yes. She looked eerily similar to the thing she had seen before, when she passed out and fell overboard . . . yet, she seemed so different. How odd.
For some reason, Yukina didn’t feel as though she would pass out again. Instead, she found herself entranced in the beauty of this woman. Her curiosity insisted that she look further, and so she did, eyes trailing away from the magnificent face and to where one would expect legs. Instead, she was met with a fin. Tail? Which would it be?
It looked like it was straight out of a movie. It was the tail of a mermaid. So the locals were right, and Lisa was right for believing them. Oh, that’s right, Lisa. She must be worried sick. With the strength that she could muster, Yukina propped herself on her elbows, trying to sit. The mermaid began to move back, her tail’s end slapping against the edge of the water. Ah, was she even safe this far out?
Thinking more on it, Yukina didn’t know much about mermaids. Why would she? What a silly thing to think. But from the look of it, the mermaid was slithering back into the water, most likely so she could disappear before anyone else saw her. If she wasn’t the same one from before, then that meant there were two mermaids. Yukina was somewhat frustrated that she was growing more interested by the second.
The splashing of water was becoming more prominent, signaling the mermaid’s leave. It was then that Yukina realised she hadn’t thanked her. Forcing her might into her elbows, she pushed herself off the ground so she could properly sit, and shouted as loud as she possibly could. She would have to thank her vocal coach for helping her perfect her voice to its strongest.
“Thank you! Whoever you are.”
There was a pause, silence filling the air. Then, more splashing, just distant this time. Eventually, it faded completely. It was then that she collapsed back on the ground, a grunt escaping her throat and an obnoxious slap of the wet clothing. From the corner of her eye, she saw something — or rather, someone — coming towards her. Everything was still a bit dizzy, but she would always recognise Lisa’s voice.
“Yukina!” When her best friend knelt down at her side, Yukina could feel herself breaking into a smile. “Are you alright?!”
“As good as I can be.” The response caused Lisa to smile as well, though it failed to stop the tears in her eyes. Instead of saying anything, she simply shook her head, helping Yukina to her feet, arm wrapped around the shoulder to keep her up. They began to make their way back to the house, ignoring how the sun was already peeking over the horizon.
Yukina looked back, met with nothing but the still water of the lake. She sighed. Then, looking back at Lisa, she mumbled, “We can’t tell Father about this.”
Despite seeing it with her own eyes, Lisa said nothing more on the mermaid situation. Was it to avoid Yukina’s father finding out about the night prior? Or had she seen something that made her regret it? It was concerning, but Yukina kept to herself. If Lisa wanted to speak up about it, she would. She always did.
That didn’t stop Yukina from wanting to learn more. From what they had been told before going to see for themselves, the sightings were always in the evening or late at night. The evening ones were usually just the flip of a tail or something small, but the night ones could include as much as the entire torso. It wasn’t damning evidence, but it was something.
Lisa went to bed early. Yukina pretended to follow suit, checking to make sure Lisa was truly asleep about an hour later. Sneaking down the stairs, she spotted her parents on the couch, asleep in front of the still turned on television. She remained silent, slipping on her flip flops and slipping out the back door. Down the hill in the backyard to the dock, where the canoe had been returned.
She had decided on wearing her two piece bathing suit and a hoodie this time, just in case she found herself in the water again. Hopefully, if that did happen again, it wouldn’t be where she passed out and had to be rescued by some glorious mermaid. Actually, that didn’t sound too bad. No, not this time! Why was she thinking this way?
Attempting to discard the thoughts, she sat at the edge of the dock, knees pressing into the wood as she leaned over. When they had gone out, they hadn’t gone out too far, so maybe attempting to communicate from here would work. She hoped so. For whatever reason, she wanted to talk more to the mermaid from the night before.
Was it the effects of a siren? But sirens were salt water mermaids. Was it different for fresh water mermaids? Maybe she should’ve asked around town. But the locals didn’t take too kindly to her. Rich man buying a lake house in a small town, yada yada, that sort of stuff. She didn’t feel like putting up with it.
Shaking all thoughts from her mind, Yukina tried to think of the most logical approach. Reaching down, she dipped her hand in the water. It wasn’t as cold as she was expecting, so she kept her hand there, fingertips playing with the edge. She was regretting not going swimming as much as she could’ve been, insisting that she was fine on the dock when she and Lisa came down. Though, there was no response.
Grimacing, she supposed the best tactic was to simply call out. Plenty of people had probably tried, but there was no harm in doing so, was there? Barely above a whisper, she called, “Hello?” No immediate response. But there was the ever so slight sound of splashing, so she pulled her hand back, hoping she would be answered. And indeed she was, a head quickly surfacing, along with a naked torso.
“Hello!”
The same joyous tone that she had heard right before falling into the water. With a small yelp, Yukina fell back, landing on her rear. The girl in the water tilted her head innocent, smiling. She looked similar to the woman from the night before, yet Yukina knew they weren’t the same. Trying her best to keep her cool, she leaned forward again, keeping her hands close to her chest. “Uh, hi.”
“You’re the girl who fell in the lake last night, right? Onee-chan saved you!”
How embarrassing. Ignoring the heat rushing to her cheeks, Yukina quietly replied, “Your sister . . . is she here?”
“Of course she is! Onee-cha-”
“Hina! What are you doing?!”
The tone was somewhat harsh, but only scolding, no real hostility behind it. Yukina recognised it. The same voice she had heard ask if she was alright last night. With more intrigue, she leaned further forward, doing her best to eye out the figure in the night. Unlike her younger sister, she kept everything but her head below. Even so, her beautiful eyes still glimmered like gems.
“You . . .” Was all Yukina managed to say. The woman didn’t reply, but her eyes widened, and her head dipped back under. Her sister, on the other hand, looked down at the spot with disdain. Or maybe that wasn’t the right word. Upset? Probably.
“Onee-chan, you can’t avoid her forever! She came down here and called for us, she obviously wanted to see you!”
“Y-Yes! Please, um . . .”
“Sayo!”
“. . . Please, Sayo-san.”
A few seconds passed. Then, Sayo was returning from the water, her neck and shoulders now visible. It was easy to tell that she was avoiding eye contact, and Yukina sighed, trying to think of something to say. She was never good with talking to people, why would it be any different with a mermaid? Hina must’ve been able to read the mood, because she wore a devious smirk, and slowly began to descend into the water. “I think you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll be on my way! See you at home, Onee-chan!”
Before either could protest, she was gone. Neither said a word, only glancing at one another and then away. What was there to say? Hey, you’re beautiful, thanks for saving my life? That didn’t sound too bad. The last bit, anyway. Taking a deep breath, Yukina made the first move.
“Thank you, again . . . for saving my life.”
“Ah, that? It was nothing. Hina scared you, so as her older sister, it only made sense to take some of the responsibility. She shouldn’t be showing herself to humans in the first place . . .”
“Why’s that?”
“Some of the humans want to hunt us. No one from this town, it seems, but when fishermen hear about real mermaids, of course they want to catch the grand prize. Most don’t believe in it, thankfully, but sometimes, we weren’t so lucky. You’re not from around here, but it was obvious that you didn’t want to hang us on your wall like some sort of trophy.”
“You can tell I’m not from here?”
“It’s clear as day. Almost everyone comes to the lake, so new faces aren’t usually welcome.”
“Ah . . .” Yukina’s mouth was suddenly dry. She wanted to take a drink from the lake, only to realise why that was such a stupid thought. Almost as if reading her mind, Sayo stopped up a handful of water — or rather, a bubble. It was small, nothing too overwhelming for her small palm. With a serious look on her face, she said, “Drink.”
Normally, Yukina wouldn’t do something rash. There was still that underlying feeling of trust and intrigue, and not wanting to reject Sayo’s offer, she ducked her head down, beginning to drink the bubble. To her surprise, the water was clean, refreshing. She must’ve been extremely parched, for she ended up drinking all of it. When there was none left, she found her lips on Sayo’s palm.
Out of embarrassment, she retracted quickly, attempting to cover her blush with her hand. Sayo said nothing, only returning her hand to the water. It was now that Yukina saw Sayo had emerged further, torso visible. And again, her breasts were in plain sight. Some of her hair cascaded upon them, but not enough to cover her . . . her . . . her nipples.
Averting her gaze, Yukina tried to change the subject. The one dwelling in her mind, that is. “S-So, Sayo-san, do you have any interesting abilities? Other than making lake water drinkable.” She was hoping maybe she could learn more about her mysterious attraction towards the beauty.
“Uh, not many. I can make humans breathe underwater for a short period of time. I can also go on land for a short period of time as well, though I’m not sure if that counts as an ability.”
“I see.”
“Was that not what you were hoping for? Sorry to disappoint, but fresh water mermaids are not as colourful as salt water ones.”
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant! I just thought that perhaps you had certain . . . traits of a siren.”
Sayo went silent. Her eyes fell back to the water, and Yukina wondered if she said something offensive. Before she could apologise, though, Sayo was turning away. “I’m sorry, but I must be going now. If . . . If you want to talk again, come out tomorrow around the same time. I’ll be waiting.” With that, she was gone, leaving Yukina to question where she went wrong.
The next day was a hot one. That was to be expected in the summer, but it was almost unbearable. If Lisa didn’t drag her out to get ice cream, Yukina would’ve stayed in her room all day. Instead, she was sitting outside a mom and pop type of shop, shorts riding up her thighs as she swung her legs off the elevated edge of the building’s entrance. Lisa sat beside her, licking at her ice pop, humming an unfamiliar tune.
Yukina was staring out into the distance, head still swarming with thoughts. All she could think about was meeting Sayo again. I’ll be waiting. She was actually giddy about it. Her, Yukina Minato!
“Uh, Yukina . . ? Your ice cream is melting.”
Upon hearing Lisa speak, Yukina glanced over at her, then her hand. The vanilla ice cream cone she had chosen was indeed beginning to melt, the cream sliding onto her hand. With a sigh, she hopped off the edge and walked to a nearby trash can, throwing it away. “I wasn’t all that hungry, anyway.”
When Yukina looked back at Lisa, she was wearing a questionable expression. A mix of suspicious and concerned. But Yukina brushed it off — she was sure Lisa would speak up if there was something truly concerning on her mind.
That same night, Yukina repeated what she had done the night prior. Check if Lisa was asleep, head out the back door and to the dock. Confident that she wasn’t at risk of falling now, she kept on the shorts and plain white t-shirt she had been wearing. When she arrived at the dock, Sayo was nowhere in sight, so she leaned down towards the water, calling out, “Sayo-san.”
Her tone wasn’t questioning, like if she were trying to confirm a person’s identity, but it wasn’t demanding either. Just casual. Just like that, Sayo peeked out of the water, only fully emerging once she confirmed it was Yukina. This time, she leaned her torso against the dock, prompting Yukina to scoot back a bit, legs crossed over one another.
“Hello, Yukina-san.”
That was a bit surprising. Had Yukina introduced herself last night? She didn’t remember doing so. And again, like reading her mind, Sayo spoke up. “Your friend, she had been calling for you when you fell that first night. I just assumed . . .”
“You were right. It’s Yukina Minato.”
“Ah, alright, Minato-san.”
Minato-san. For some reason, Yukina wished Sayo hadn’t switched to that rather than Yukina. Though, she was surprised at how Sayo used honourifics. She would have to ask for more details about that later. Instead, it was back to the business from last night.
“So, about when I asked if you had any siren-like powers . . . I’m sorry about that.”
“Ah, no, there’s no need to be sorry.” If it wasn’t so dark, Yukina would say Sayo looked flustered. “It’s not as though you offended me. It’s just a bit embarrassing.” With curious eyes, Yukina leaned in, clearly full of anticipation to hear why . With a sigh, Sayo offered her explanation.
“You hit the nail on the head. To an extent, anyway. We fresh water mermaids are not sirens, per se, we just have the ability to seduce humans. No singing required. The only thing is . . . I do not have full control over it. It just happens , and when it does, I can’t stop it.” Sayo was refusing to meet Yukina’s gaze, staring at the dock instead.
That actually cleared some things up. That’s why Yukina was so interested in Sayo. Why she looked at the mermaid with hopeful eyes, entranced by her looks and thought about things that were simply impossible. But, to try avoiding admitting her own attraction, she asked, “Why do you have such an ability?”
“I don’t believe it has a purpose. It’s just evolution handing down what our ancestors have. They sang to lure in men to kill, we just look pretty and unintentionally grab the interest of humans. Some can control it, but I cannot.”
“What about Hina? Can she?”
The question resulted in a displeased expression from Sayo, and Yukina felt an apology on the tip of her tongue. Instead, Sayo spoke, “She can, but she’s also a genius in every way. She never had an issue with it.”
“Does she ever use it?”
“I haven’t seen it for myself. I prefer to stay underwater, as is custom to avoid being hunted, but Hina wants to see humans and explore land. She’ll probably find a way to, some day. She’s the one who’s caused our infamy, after all.”
“No wonder the stories are only about one mermaid.”
“Well, we’re also identical twins. If she had never cut her hair short, we’d be impossible to tell apart. Even our scales are the same.” When saying this, Sayo gestured to the scales that cascaded her face, head then falling into her arms. Talking about Hina seemed to be no good. Better change the topic.
And so, she did. Yukina didn’t even realise how the time was passing by, just talking about . . . well, anything, really. There was so much to discuss — their differing cultures, their interests, what they do in their free time, and about anything else that could be thought of. It was only until the sky began to brighten, sun hidden behind the morning mist, that she realised the time. Suddenly standing, Yukina felt panic course through her veins.
“I’m sorry, Sayo-san, but I must be going. My mother will be waking up soon to make breakfast.” Curse her mother for being an early riser. Sayo was clearly disappointed, moving back from the dock. “I see,” she muttered, “I should leave as well. I don’t belong out in the daylight.” Those words, for whatever reason, struck Yukina deeply.
Without really thinking, she returned to the edge of the dock, leaning down to get closer to Sayo. “Don’t say that, Sayo-san. Your beauty would be even more glorious in the sun.” Ah, crap. She really just said that, didn’t she? And from the look of it, Sayo was surprised as well. She said nothing, but moved closer, cupping Yukina’s cheeks in her hands.
Yukina felt blood rushing to her cheeks, and closed her eyes instinctively. Was Sayo going to kiss her?! Part of her hoped so, but part of her was also scared. It would be her first kiss. How strange to think she might actually share it with a mermaid.
Instead, she felt something soft against one of her cheeks. Her eyes opened, wide as saucers, but Sayo was already leaving, too quick for even a goodbye. Yukina reached up, fingers delicately brushing her cheek. Sayo had kissed her. It wasn’t a kiss kiss, but still.
Sayo had kissed her.
“You look exhausted, Yukina.”
Yukina tried her best to ignore Lisa’s comment as she dipped her toes in the water. She decided to stay out of the lake, still thinking about that night. Most would probably tell her to get over it, but not Lisa. Never Lisa. She was a damn good friend.
“Sorry. I didn’t get much sleep.”
“I could tell. You barely touched breakfast — I actually thought you would pass out in it!” Yukina tensed when Lisa spoke about how obvious it was, but figured it was just that obvious. No malice behind it. There was no way that Lisa knew, anyway. She was deeply asleep before Yukina left. With a sigh, she stood, brushing off her bottom.
“I’m going to take a nap. Come wake me up when you’re done.”
“Okay!~”
Ignoring how exhausted she truly was, Yukina wanted to be as well rested as possible when she came back down to visit Sayo. Sayo would show again, wouldn’t she? She would. Surely. With a shake of her head, she headed back up the hill towards the house, ready to hit her bed and pass out.
The newfound routine repeated, and Yukina was down at the dock again. Lisa had given her a strange look when she decided to “sleep” in black pants and a short sleeve button up, but she insisted she was too tired to change. In actuality, she didn’t want to go down to the dock in her cat pattern pajamas. That was far more embarrassing than anything else that had happened so far.
This time, she didn’t even need to call for Sayo. Instead, Sayo was waiting, head resting in her arms on the edge of the dock. She seemed to be staring off into nothing, thinking to herself. Yukina could feel herself falling harder in love. Or attraction. Whatever this was.
When her flip flops made their obnoxious sound against the dock, Sayo looked up, a smile making its way to her face. It was impossible for Yukina to suppress her own, sitting down near Sayo’s arms, with just enough space to give them their own personal bubbles.
“Sayo-san.”
“Minato-san.”
Other than that slightly grating detail, this felt right. Yukina felt right when she was here. With Sayo. As their conversation began, she pretended not to notice how Sayo’s hand had slipped up into hers, fingers intertwining. She pretended that everything was natural, as it should be. That’s how it felt.
Just Yukina, Sayo, and the sound of the water gently swaying in the night.