Chapter Text
The little mermaid found her home under the sea, but at night every so often she found joy in sneaking to the surface above. Tonight was one of those nights. Nene reached the surface, brushing her bangs out of her eyes and looking up. The sky was cloudy tonight, and she couldn’t see the moon. She probably would’ve slipped back down under the waves if not for the large boat a little further away. Despite being only fourteen, Nene knew to be cautious as she approached. She’d made it maybe half way before a loud bang startled her back under the water. She’d never heard such a noise before. She curled up just under the waves, her eyes fixated above her to see what the noise was. She was terrified she’d been noticed, and something had fired something at her trying to kill her. Instead, she watched as for a moment the sky above the waves lit up a bright red. Then a minute later, a bright green flashed above her head. Hesitantly, she resurfaced in time to see a gold light brightening the sky for a moment. The loud bangs upset her sensitive mermaid ears, but she was in awe. She’d never seen anything like this before. She laid on her back above the water, hands over her ears watching the sky light up above her in wonderful colour.
“Prince Rui! Happy birthday!” Aboard the ship not far from where the little mermaid swam was a party, celebrating the sixteenth birthday of Prince Rui from the Kamishiro kingdom. The young prince stood by a railing, looking over at the fireworks being launched over the sea with the closest person he had to a friend by his side. He wasn’t introverted, but his rather eccentric interests and personality had made it harder for him to befriend other royal children. Still, he didn’t mind.
“Thank you, Mizuki.” Rui thanked them, flashing them a smile before turning to watch the fireworks some more. They always fascinated him. Mizuki stayed at his side, leaning on the ship railing looking up at the sky. “It’s a shame about the clouds. Still, as long as the water remains calm tonight we should be good.” He mused, keeping his eyes fixed out. Mizuki was quiet for a moment before sighing.
“Luck may not be on our side, the waves look like they’re getting choppier.” Mizuki mused. Rui wasn’t thrilled about that. The clouds plus choppier water usually meant a storm wasn’t far off. What a way to ruin the fireworks. They wandered off without another word, likely to inform the captain of the situation. Rui stayed alone, continuing to watch fireworks.
Nene herself had lost track of time staring up at the ever changing sky. Not even the increasing waves were enough to distract her. She was completely mesmerised. It was a miracle none of the humans aboard the ship had spotted her so open in the water. Another bright explosion lit up the sky, this one a lot closer. It started her back under the waves as her anxiety started to rise. Had something gone wrong for some reason with that specific one? She waited under the water for a minute, before hesitantly returning to the surface. The first thing she saw was orange at the top of the ship. Orange that seemed to grow bigger. A crack of thunder was soon heard, followed by rain. Not a good sign, even she knew that. Still, as if lured, she swam closer to the ship. Another loud crack startled her back under the sea, and not even a minute later the body of a human boy fell in nearby.
Rui knew he was in trouble. The storm had picked up rapidly over the past five minutes, and now he found himself clinging to the banister trying to make his way over to a lifeboat. The order had just been given to abandon ship, and he valued his life enough to listen. He made his way, his arm suddenly being grabbed.
“To the boat, your highness!” He heard Mizuki yell at him. He held on to them tightly, the two making their way over to the lifeboat waiting for them. Reaching the lifeboat, he made a quick and horrifying discovery. There wouldn’t be time to get them both on. He shoved Mizuki onto the lifeboat, his hand slipping from the railing a moment later. Had he not done so, they both would have slipped. “Prince Rui!” He fell back, his head slamming into the deck as he fell and tumbled into the murky water on the other side of the wrecking ship.
Nene very quickly swam over to the boy, watching how his body sank into the water with little sign of fighting. Humans can’t survive under the water like she could. She grabbed hold of him, trying her best to drag his body up to the surface. He was much bigger and heavier than her, making it that much harder. Still, she persisted, and eventually the two reached the surface. She hurriedly looked around, trying to find something she could use to support him with, since she knew she couldn’t carry his weight alone. Eventually she found a broken piece of the ship still floating close by. She dragged him over, forcing his body on to it and clinging on to both tightly out of fear the waves would knock him off again. Now the next part of the struggle, finding land. Humans don’t belong in the sea, so the only logical place to her was the land. Only problem was, she had no idea where land was. She just had to start pushing the makeshift life raft in a direction away from the sinking ship and hope she found it soon.
The sun was already starting its ascent into the sky by the time Nene found land. She dragged him on to the shore, collapsing at his side. She was exhausted. Still, she had to quickly regather her strength so she could return home. She couldn’t be seen by humans, plus her sisters would be worried sick if she didn’t get home. She forced herself up a bit, freezing up as it suddenly dawned on her just how close to a human she was. Her hand moved hesitantly, resting against his cheek before slowly moving down to his chest. She was fascinated by the way it slowly moved up and down. Humans are such interesting creatures… she mused, closing her eyes for just a moment. She couldn’t help it as she began to hum, which built into quiet singing. A siren song, one that would bring the two of them strength. She sang until she heard a loud bell in the distance. Looking up the cliff in front of her, she could see silhouettes of other humans. Panic immediately set in as she forced her way back into the water. She hoped more than anything that she hadn’t been seen by any humans, but part of her worried for the human she’d rescued. What if they weren’t friendly? She found a large rock not too far from the shore, hiding behind it and observing what happened from a distance.
A distant melody, a girl’s silhouette. Rui was completely out of it. He’d opened his eyes for such a brief moment, but the scene burned into his mind. The melody had faded, replaced by panic chaos, but when he opened his eyes again he saw a girl above him. This time, he could make out her features. Long blonde hair, brown eyes, slender with a pretty face.
“Sir? Are you alright? Sir, can you hear me?” Her voice was becoming easier to understand. His body felt heavy and limp, and he felt like he was floating. He still couldn’t understand how he was even alive after going overboard.
“Hh….” He mumbled, trying to speak only to start coughing heavily. Water splattered out as he coughed it all back up, his breathing going from steady to more raspy. The girl seemed to be taken by surprise.
“He’s alive! Get him treated, urgently!” She sounded so worried, and Rui couldn’t blame her. He’d probably freak out if he found someone washed ashore too.
“Right away, your highness.” Highness? She’s a princess? It seemed to make sense to him, just the way she sounded and carried herself gave off the impression of nobility. His eyes remained glued on her, even as he was picked up and carried away. My saviour…
Nene hadn’t left the rock, watching as the human boy was taken up the cliff by the other humans. They didn’t seem to want to harm him, but from here Nene couldn’t do anything even if she wanted to. She did think for a moment a girl had spotted her, but by the lack of reaction she guessed she probably hadn’t. It was a close call, and Nene knew she had to leave, but her body was frozen in place. Her heart hammered away in her chest like it never had before. It was strange and scary and exciting. It was like a light had been turned on inside of her, and a path ahead had become visible. She knew, no matter what, she wanted to see him again. She closed her eyes, making a silent vow to herself, before forcing her body away and making her way home.
Watch and you’ll see… someday I’ll be… part of your world…!