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“Make sure to get back by dawn, Your Highness!” was what the servants had told Yudai before he ran out to the beach. He had always loved the outdoors. Getting locked inside his chamber really didn’t help, he needed a breath of fresh air. And truly, the smell of the ocean is one of the most refreshing and calming scents he has ever taken in. He loves it.
He ran to the shore, his bare feet kissing the soft, white sand as it runs wet when the water splashes through his toes. He giggled playfully, running his hands through the sand as he smiled in satisfaction.
Else than the outdoors, there’s another thing Yudai loves dearly. Singing . He was gifted—given by the Gods the talent to possess such a beautiful and endearing voice. To him, singing is just like breathing fresh air: relaxing and relieving. To his dismay, though, the royal families had banned him from singing. They believe singing brings bad luck to people’s lives, thus why Yudai will always get scolded for singing alone in his room.
However, he’s no longer inside the castle. If he could, he would. So he reached closer to the water, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He embraced the melodies he brought forth, echoing through the ocean. If only it was a magical land, the trees would sway to the rhythm, birds would chirp alongside him, and the water would dance its waves to the lullaby.
But this is not. Because he did not sway the trees. Or make the birds chirp, or make the waves dance.
Even so, he did bring something with his voice—his face shocked as he stopped singing when a glimmering, dark blue tail emerged from beneath the water. It dived back down, disappearing from Yudai’s sight. This time, half of a head appeared within the surface, its eyebrows frowned. It looks… Intimidating. Or is it frightened ? Nevertheless, Yudai felt a tinge of vulnerability as the creature stared back at his eyes.
Yudai took a step forward, yet the little thing decided to further lower itself to the ocean, though his eyes are still above the ocean.
“Hey? I won’t hurt you,” said Yudai, offering a hand forward.
The creature seems reluctant at first, before it finally dunks itself down and swims to the beach surface where a rock is nearby. Yudai could finally see the creature fully, from head to… Tail. Its hair is silky black—probably due to the water, eyes reflecting the pretty skies in a shade of purple. There were scales all over his body, connecting its cheeks to its ears and through its abdomen, which formed a tail to its end. It had fins running through its spine, creating a semi-circle.
Yudai has read about this before. Growing up in a castle, the library does proffer a series of knowledge, starting from life-lessons, random creatures, royal etiquette, and a bunch of other things. He was force-fed these books since he was homeschooling. He knows very well the creature upon him is a siren , and he knows very well what dangerous things sirens can do. But if this little guy really was a bad one, it would have already lured and drowned Yudai down in an instant. Instead, it didn't sing to him. It just appeared to the surface looking vulnerable and curious.
The prince walked to the rock where the siren was sitting at, cautiously. He still needs to be careful! Who knows? It might turn out to be a trap.
“I am Koga Yudai. I live by the castle over there,” Yudai introduced himself, pointing to the enormous building behind them, “what’s yours, little siren?” His smile was pretty, making sure to look as kindly as possible to gain the creature’s trust.
“Asakura Jo,” said the little siren. “Is this your first time here? I always come here every evening,” explained Jo, “it’s my first time seeing you too.”
Yudai smiled widely, an eye smile forming. He chuckled, “my parents, the queen and the king, they don't allow me to wander around outside the castle. They’re nice enough to let me have a little time outside right now…” Yudai sat on the sand, his toes playing with the soft particles while his fingers traced his own name on the surface. He was humming a sweet tune, in line with his pretty face.
“I heard you sing before,” Jo suddenly stated, its head lifted up to stare at Yudai. The latter looked at the siren, his face blank before turning red. “Ah, I’m sorry… Was it displeasing? I knew I shouldn't have sung in the first place… Man this is embarrassing,” said the human, chuckling shyly as he tucked his head down.
“No… It was beautiful,” answered Jo, a smile creeping up to its lips, “I loved it. Your voice is beautiful.”
Yudai looks back up, his eyes shining. He breathes out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God… Thank you…” Yudai said, looking to the vast ocean with a gentle, subtle smile, “I have always loved singing. Unfortunate for me, the royal family doesn't allow me to sing. They say singing and music in general brings bad luck to the lineage! Isn’t that insane?”
Yudai looks to his left to find affirmation from the latter, which was then answered with a single nod from Jo. He continued, “no matter how private, they will always find me out singing! Even in my own room. Hell, they even caught me singing in the shower. What do they even do if they don't sing in the shower?! That’s why I went here. I love the beach. It’s just a wide landscape where I can be free, and it’s deserted too. My servants won't hear me sing a little lullaby in a place this open.”
Jo stared at Yudai, smiling at how enthusiastic he became just by telling about things he love. The two mingle in silence, enjoying the sunset up front accompanied by the soft swishes of the wind and waves, as well as Yudai’s sweet humming—the two have never felt peace like this before.
“I cannot sing,” Jo says abruptly. Yudai looks to his left, tilting his head in confusion.
The siren added, “my family despises me. They told me I am a useless siren. That’s why I always swim away from where they are every evening. I go to the shores everyday in hopes of finding someone to talk to. Apparently I’m just unwanted—both in the water and on land. You're the first one ever to want to talk to me.”
“No way! They are scared of you? You look like the purest, most innocent being ever!” Yudai comments.
Jo chuckled out a laugh, “aren't you supposed to be afraid of me? I could just sing and lure you down to the ocean. You know what sirens can do.”
“Well, if you really want to kill me like that you could have done it since the first moment we met… But I’m still here thriving! You know what? I’ll teach you how to sing so that you’ll at least be wanted in the water,” teased the older, bumping his shoulder to the latter lightly. The two shared a burst of laughter, resounding through the air. Yudai watched as the siren dropped back to water for a few minutes, before rising back up to the surface with a few shells and kelp in hand. It also took some tiny tree branches stranded across the shore, stringing it all up. Yudai waited attentively.
“Here you go,” gave the siren, “a little gift. For you who wants to be my friend.” It was a homemade shell and kelp crown, beautifully placed and sealed tight to a circle of branches. The siren placed the crown it made on the prince’s head. “It looks pretty on you.”
Yudai’s cheeks flutter in the shade of red, his hands softly touching the crown as he smiles warmly, “thank you… For the gi—”
“Your Highness! The queen is searching for you!”
Yudai jumps in surprise, looking back to find his servant waving her hand at him. He immediately stands up, “hey, I gotta go. I’ll meet you again some— Jo?” When he looked back at the rock, the siren was already gone. It has swum back to the depth of the oceans. Yudai stared at the water, unwilling to leave before saying goodbye.
“Your Highness!”
On the second call, Yudai finally ran back to his castle. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll meet the siren again. Some day.
And that some day just happens to be next week. And the next week again. And another week after. In all those times Yudai met up with Jo at the beach, Yudai taught Jo how to sing. How to catch the beat, how to reach a note, how to mesmerize people with your voice.
“You’ve gotten way better at singing,” commented Yudai, when another one of their mini singing sessions ended.
This time, Yudai sat on the rock beside Jo, not even caring if his ass gets wet. He rests his head on Jo’s shoulders, taking in the fresh scent of the ocean lingering on its skin. Jo smiled gently, “it’s all because of your help, Yudai.”
The two bask under the orange sky, enjoying the breeze. “I’m going to sing in front of my parents today,” says Jo, eyes never wavering from the sky.
Yudai got his head up and stared at the siren. “Seriously?! Oh you’ll do amazing!” He grabbed Jo’s hands, holding it tight, “I know you will do great. You have a beautiful singing voice.”
Again, Jo smiled. “Will you come back here tomorrow? I want to tell you everything that will happen tonight…”
Yudai grinned, “I’ll try to sneak out! Mom and dad told me they’ll be out on a royal duty to another kingdom today, and my servants are easy to defy. I’ll come here by 8 p.m. tomorrow.”
As the siren swims away back to its home, Yudai can’t help but giggle in giddiness. He walked back to the castle, all hoping for the best. May the siren at least be wanted in his own home .
“They liked it,” was what Jo told the human once they meet up, once again, at the beach the next night. Yudai jumped in excitement, embracing the younger in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you… You can finally do family stuff together with them! You will no longer be kicked out during dinner!”
Jo nodded. It jumped off from the rock, diving into the water. It swims far away from the shore, and stops right in the middle of the ocean. Not that far though, as it is not that deep yet. It waited there, signaling Yudai to come join him in the water.
No suspicions whatsoever, Yudai walked in, letting his bare legs greet the cold water. He shivered for a while, before once again walking forward against the waves. Once he reached where Jo was, the water had reached his thighs. Jo grabbed the human’s wrist and slowly swam its way deeper, making sure to not pace too fast for the human.
Once the water reached Yudai’s abdomen, the two stopped. “I’m so glad I met you a month ago, Yudai,” Jo started.
No. Yudai doesn't like this. Is Jo about to say goodbye to him? “Jo…”
“I have gained the ability to sing… All because of you. I have been accepted and given the chance by my family once again, all because of you. I couldn't have thank you better,” it continued.
Yudai was starting to feel warm tears threatening to spill out. “Jo… Is this your way of saying goodbye? Now that you are no longer unwanted down there?”
Jo smiled pathetically, pulling Yudai’s wrist once again to reach the ocean deeper. The water is now on Yudai’s chest. Jo swims towards Yudai, bringing the taller to a tight hug. It lets go of the hug, then proceeds to stare at the latter deeply. It brought its scaly hands to Yudai’s cheeks, caressing it carefully.
“ No . It’s my way of making you say goodbye. I’m sorry, Yudai. I love you.”
Was all Yudai heard before a sacred melody filled his ears. The beautiful tune, the angelic hymn. He can see Jo in front of him swimming back and forth gracefully, as if it’s inviting Yudai to join him.
Yudai took a step forward.
Another step.
But the creature, the beloved creature that Yudai had fallen in love with, is just not reachable. He couldn't embrace the body anymore.
He took another step.
Yudai smiled at Jo with a single tear falling from his right eye, proud of how beautiful its singing has become. But why can’t he reach for the boy? He wanted to praise it, give it compliments, hug it, pat its head, tell it that he’s so proud of it.
But instead, what introduced his eyesight after he took another step was the blurry vision of the ocean as his foot slipped, water taking over his lungs as he drowned to the ground of the ocean.