Disclaimer! I don't own the Disney or any of their works and the same goes for Square Enix and their work. There I said it!
Warnings! Shonen-ai, swearing, ecchi, possibly violence and possibly yaoi. These warnings goes in the whole story and if there is any chapter that I find need a more extreme warning or a new one I will add it at the top of that chapter.
AN! Hello again! xD I'm so happy I got such a nice response on my earlier fanfic "Chocobo in a thong" :D I wasn't expecting that since it was my first and all! I would like to thank everybody who faved and reviewed it! It's a very good way to encourage a writer! Some people requested a sequel and I promise that I think about it, I already got at least one idea for their date and we'll see if I come up with some more x] For now I would like to try my luck on a multi-chaptered fanfic. I would like to apologize in advance if I don't finish the story or if I'm slow with the updates, I know at least I hate when that happens but I don't know what will happen in my life so I dare not make any promises that it won't happen... Oh, and no matter what the title might make you believe I didn't get my inspiration from "The Little Mermaid" I actually got it from watching "Ponyo": P Excellent movie by the way, I strongly recommend it!! :D
I hope you will like my story and if not, well the main reason I'm writing it is to get some writing practice so HA! I win! x]
The Little Merman
Chapter 1: Sea and land
That day began much like every other day did back when I was still a fisherman. My best friend, and former colleague, Zack was telling me about the new info he had gathered on mermaids and I, as a good friend, listened to his stories intently. No matter how ridiculous I found them. I like Zack, I really do, but when it came to mythology and especially mermaids he's always been kind of a nerd. He was also very stubborn since every time I confronted him about it he simply answered something along the lines of "I'm rather a nerd than a stick in the mud, Cloud". I guess I deserved it.
I'm not a fisherman anymore by the way; I quit some time ago and became a soldier instead since I wanted to do something to serve the country. I still love to fish though; it's something special about sitting alone in tranquility, surrounded by nothing but water and life and just listening to nature singing it's daily melody, but now a day I don't do it for the money but rather as a hobby in my spare time.
The only thing that differed that day from our otherwise daily routine was that the news had informed us about a storm that was on its way towards our little town. Normally we wouldn't set sail if we knew before hand that the weather was going to get rough but that day was different, we were all suffering from the financial crisis that was sweeping the country and we were desperately in need for every single gil we was able to scoop up.
And I'm glad we went, because otherwise I would have never have met him.
~- *** -~
Two young men were walking together along the harbor towards the pier, side by side, like they did every morning. The one who walked farthest towards the ocean was dressed in casual clothing, consisting of a regular white t-shirt and a pair of jeans followed up by a pair of heavy boots, he was a tad taller than the average man, he had a glassy expression on his face and a pair of striking baby blue eyes that was as pale as the ocean on a cloudless day to go with it and his head was covered with his trademark out of control spiky blonde hair.
The other male wore a tight dark blue armless sweater, a pair of baggy jeans and alike heavy boots as his blonde partner. He had a goofy smile plastered to his face, similar unnatural eyes as the blonde but much darker in color and spiky raven hair that pointed backwards with the exception of his split bangs that hung on either side of his hairline, framing his face nicely.
"Today is the day, Cloud! I can feel it!"
It was still a couple of hours before sunrise so the whole town was pretty much bare with the exception of the sleeping vagrants along the sidewalks and the rats that finally dared to jut their heads out from under the bridge. Cloud watched how a rat hightailed back to its covert as his boot creaked against the hard wood of the bridge.
"Yeah, right…" the blonde answered with a sigh.
"Aww, come on! What's up with that disapproving answer? You don't believe me?!"
"Well, to be honest Its getting more and more difficult to take you seriously since lately you've had that 'feeling' almost every day and I still haven't seen you catch anything more spectacular than a tuna. And that was pure luck"
"It was not! I consider myself a very skilled fisher, thank you very much. And today I really do feelit! It's different from the other days, believe me!"
"Different how?"
"Well, for one! Today it's not only my gut telling me so but my head too!"
"Your… head?"
"Yeah, I have like this pressure behind my forehead. Almost like a headache but at the same time it's not… It's a sign, I tell you. A SIGN!!"
Cloud sighed. He had been through this conversation so many times before he already knew how it would end. And yet, he always kept on arguing knowing perfectly well that the other man wouldn't listen to him no matter what he said or how convincing his arguments was.
"It's probably just the high atmospheric pressure. They said on the news that a thunderstorm would sweep by around late afternoon so we will have to be back before then by the way."
"Shun, non-believer. SHUN! Whatever, man. I will find a mermaid someday and when I do I will shove it in your face, just you wait!"
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't get your hopes up about this, you will just end up with disappointment and we both know that"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Cloud! How can you not believe in mermaids?
"I'm not as naive as you are, Zack. I don't believe in fairytales"
"I'm telling you, it's not fairytales! They have caught mermaids before, I've read about in old newspapers! There are even stores where you can buy necklaces and rings made by authentic mermaid scales! Now what do you say about that, huh?!"
"Publicity stunt and sales pitch"
Cloud saw from the corner of his eye how Zack opened his mouth ready to voice a retort when he was interrupted by a shout from the left of them.
"Are you two lovebirds gonna just stand there and argue like a married couple all day long?! If you didn't already know so there's a storm heading this way and I'd like to get this over with before we get stuck in it!"
Both Cloud and Zack turned their heads to the left to look at bearer of the voice that had intruded in their heated discussion. It belonged to none other than Sephiroth; Zacks ship's captain. Sephiroth was a young adult, not much older than the blonde and his dark-haired companion; he was rather tall and had beautiful silver hair that went all the way down to his waist and his eyes had a light blue color which beauty rivaled Cloud's baby blue ones. He was generally a very handsome man. Cloud's captain on the other hand was a man in his early thirties, his name was Cid Highwind and unlike Sephiroths natural beauty Cid gave more of a hirsute impression. He had a filthy mouth that swore constantly and a very short temper to go with it but, despite the vulgar first impression he gave, when it finally came down to it he was a good man.
The reason they used two boats, even though it most likely would be far more economical with just one, was partially because of the irregular traveling of the fish; they seemed to travel in shoals and if you were on the wrong side of the ocean then you were screwed so it was a good thing to cover both sides. But mostly it was because Sephirot and Cid weren't on very good terms with each other. Frankly they couldn't stand each others presence for too long without launching at the others throat.
Cloud wasn't exactly fond of Sephiroth either. To put it bluntly, he saw him as nothing more than a greedy bastard. Whenever there was money to be made, Sephiroth was sure to be around. He used to be a con-artist and scammed people, richer or poor, on a daily basis. You'd think he'd be stinking rich by now but even though he used to be he wasn't any longer, a while ago he was arrested and received a fat bunch of forfeitures together with one year in prison. It was Zack who bailed him out in exchange that Sephiroth promised to walk the road of the law from then on and to assist him with that he offered Sephiroth to join their little group of fishermen, much without his two blonde co-workers consent. Eventually Zack had been able to convince them both by telling them about the boat that the silver haired man had in his possession.
A boat bought by money stolen right out of innocent people's hands Cloud thought darkly.
Cloud met Zacks eyes that now held a more determined glint to them and nodded in a silent agreement that it was about time to leave.
~- *** -~
The day began much like every other day. Leon woke up early and thus rose together with the sun. He wasn't necessarily a morning person, back when his parents were still alive he could snooze until early afternoon every day, but after the accident he was forced to take more responsibility and waking up early to work and gather some breakfast for both him and his little brother, Sora, was part of that responsibility.
Both Leon and his brother had matching chocolate brown hair and blue fish tails; it was those parts of them that pretty much gave away that they were genetically connected. The older of the two had long vent hair that went almost all the way down to his shoulders and a pair of eyes that swayed in color between gray and blue resembling an uprising hurricane.
The younger brunette had spiky hair that seemed to have a life of its own and a pair of aqua blue eyes that corresponded with the ocean that surrounded them. Even though they were both unhealthily slender Leon was more muscular and better built than his three year younger brother. He also had an angry red scar that went diagonally across his nose giving a rather intimidating first impression.
Sitting up on the giant flat rock that was his bed he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up and remove the remaining grit that had gathered there as he was asleep. When he was certain his senses was as sharp as they could get this early in the morning he glanced over at the other rock on the opposite side of the cave where Sora laid splayed on his stomach snoring soundly. The corner of Leons mouth twitched in an almost smile as he saw that his little brother had managed to throw his blanket, made by seaweed and sewn together by human hair, on the floor of the cave sometime during the night. He swam over to the other youths sleeping form, grabbing the seaweed blanket on the way, and covered him with it carefully as to not wake him up. Leon himself did not own a blanket and slept solely on the bare rock. Sora had protested about it being unfair in the beginning but Leon had eventually managed to convince him that he did not need a blanket. After all comfort was something they rarely could afford and whenever they could Leon thought it best that the younger of the two received it.
Yes, Leon and his little brother were very close even though they still argued on a regular basis just like any other siblings.
They resided in a sea cave closer to the shore than Leon had agnized but since it was the cave they had been born and raised in they simply couldn't find in themselves to move away from it. It was narrow but not intolerable and the passage to it was covered in a field of seaweed that served both as a protecting shield hiding their home from uninvited guests and as provision in emergencies. Seaweed was edible but it wasn't the most satiating or palatable food that you could come across which is why it was avoided to eat unless obliged to.
When Leon had made sure that Sora was comfortably tucked in under the blanket he peeked his head out of the opening of the cave, making sure that the coast was clear, before he left for Traverse town. He needed to first of all find some breakfast for him and his younger brother and after that he was off to see if anyone in town needed his assistance.
Just like any other ordinary day.
~- *** -~
The storm had approached much earlier than anticipated. It was only noon and the wind had already perceptibly picked up in velocity and the rain was pouring down with such strength that Cloud couldn't tell if it was water or hail. It could as well be bullets hitting him from above for all Cloud knew. He was too focused on his task to give a damn.
He sat on a sturdy crate, rod in a steel grip and his feet were planted on the deck preventing him from moving barely an inch from where he was sitting on the stem. He had put on a yellow rain cape; or rather Cid had forcefully wrapped him up in the hideous thing.
He heard said man shouting something in the background repeatedly but the wind was too strong for him to be able to pick up on what was said. They had been out on the sea for hours and yet Cloud had barely caught any fish at all, he'd be damned if returned home empty-handed and that's why he still sat there like a statue even thought his freezing body and common sense were screaming at him to drop the rod and tell Cid to steer them back to safety.
The boat suddenly made a harsh tilt to the right which made the blonde lose his balance and stumble forward, off the box, a few steps until he regained his balance and grabbed the rail not to fall off the boat. He barely noticed as his red rectangular box that contained all of his bait skittered along the right side of the deck and fell into the ocean.
~- *** -~
"Thank you so much, Leon! You're a true life saver, dude!"
Leon looked away from the little brunette boy that now was sitting on the floor of a house mostly made out of a giant silver white seashell. Leon couldn't help but wonder for a second what kind of gigantic animal had been residing in that shell. His eyes then met with the aqua blue eyes of a spiky haired blonde cacaelian with eight green octopus arms and a black tattoo, which Leon guessed was supposed to resemble some kind of wing, covering half his face.
"It's no big deal" Leon answered and shrugged nonchalantly. This wasn't the first time Leon had to search for the little boy together with Zell and Leon couldn't for the life of him understand why the neighbor lady still let someone as careless as Zell baby sit her child. Maybe she didn't have the privity of her child running amuck every time she turned her back to him.
"Oh, believe me it is a big deal! Man, if he had swum up to the surface right now I would be in deep shit right now. And we're not talking ankle deep we're talking chest deep, dude!"
Leon raised an eyebrow in distrust at the blonde's exaggeration and it didn't exactly help that he waved his arms around like a fool to demonstrate to the brunette exactly how deep "shit" he would be in.
"Why? What's going on up on the surface?"
"You don't know?! There's this big ass storm going up there and it just keep getting worse, I heard from Yuffie that ten mermaids already got caught and hurt in it and the number keep increasing every hour because of clueless mermaids going up there! I'm glad I told you before you did"
"Yeah, thanks for telling me but I wouldn't take Yuffie too seriously if I were you. She tends to overdramatizise things..."
Yet he couldn't help the worrisome feeling that started to gnaw on his insides. Sora had a tendency to swim up to the surface and play, especially when he was together with Riku. Did he know about the storm? Said and done, Leon left Zell and the neighbor boy with a quick farewell and left towards the reef. He knew from experience that was Soras favorite place to be because of the beautiful corals in different colors that decorated the rock ridges.
"Hey Sora!" the older brunette yelled when he finally spotted the two youths sitting on top of the biggest rock and looking up towards the surface.
Sora flashed him a smile and waved happily as he approached them, a smile which Leon returned swiftly but as his eyes caught the sight of his silver haired companion his mouth immediately turned a 180 and became a scowl.
It was Riku, Sora's best friend. He had silver grayish hair in shoulder length and a pair of matching gray eyes. Those eyes met his and even though he had a proud and fearless expression on his face the older brunette could still see the hint of fright in his eyes. It was most likely because Leon was staring at him like he had murder in mind.
"Leon, stop staring at him like that!" he heard Sora scold him from above after having his eyes lingering a little too long on Riku.
"Guys, please don't fight..." the young brunette added in a more begging tone of voice when neither of the two looked away.
"Don't worry we won't, Sora" Leon said in his usual composed voice and finally looked away from his silver haired friend.
He didn't like Riku. It wasn't because he was a bad person or anything like that, not at all, he trusted his younger brother to be a good enough judge of character for that. It was his tail that bothered him, his specimen. Riku was from the shark mer folk and therefore had a shark fin. The reason he didn't like the boy wasn't personal he just couldn't allow himself to trust a shark. He had already done that mistake once.
"So, what are you two up to?" Leon asked if only to break the rather awkward silence that had erupted. He didn't do a very good job hiding his suspicion from his voice though.
"Nothi-"Riku began defensively but was interrupted by a voice from above him.
"There's a boat up there" it was Sora who had spoken. He had turned his head towards the surface again and the other two followed his example after hearing his statement. "It's rocking pretty violently, I wonder if they need any help?"
"Don't even think about it Sora." The young brunet turned his head sharply at the stern voice that belonged to his older brother. The youth pouted at the harshness in his tone and at the fact that he had just been given an order. He was a teenager after all, he hated being ordered around.
He reclined his head back towards the surface in a display of defiance and the sight made his eyes widen and curiosity warm his boyish heart.
"I only came to tell you that it recently got to my knowing that there's a storm going on just above the water surface so do me a favor and stay away from emerging since its very dangerou-... SORA! Didn't you hear a word I just said?! Get back here!" the silver haired boy who had been listening intently to Leons little speech flinched when the older boy suddenly raised his voice noticeably and his usually composed voice turned into a harsh bark.Riku followed Leons field of vision and saw in horror how Sora was swimming in high speed towards the boat and was by now dangerously close to the surface.
"I'm not going to emerge, I promise! The humen on the boat dropped something into the water! I think its food!"
"I don't care! It's dangerous! SORA!! Get back here dammit!"
He waited a while to see if his younger brother would obey his command but when the younger had already reached his target, which appeared to be a red box of some sort, Leon had had enough and swam after him all the while cursing under his breath and muttering about what an imbecille his little brother was. He could hear how the shark merman followed him but at a safe distance, apparently reluctant in interfering with the siblings quarrel.
Suddenly Leon's eyes widened to the size of saucers and time seemed to proceed in slow motion.
The sounds of some unidentified object shatter the water surface with a loud splash. How said unidentified object put a shadow over his dear younger brother who looked up too late to recognize what the object was. A net. Leon opened his mouth and screamed something from the bottom of his lungs but he was in too much panic to recognize his own voice and understand what it had uttered. He felt how his limbs seemed to go numb and adrenalin take over his body as Sora released the red box and let it fall to the ground and turned around to swim away from the net that seemed to be chasing him but his reaction was far too delayed.
Sora panicked as he saw from the corner of his eyes how the net was slowly surrounding him and cornering him between the ropes of the net and the surface. He felt a sharp shove to his left side, forcing him to close his eyes tightly out of the sudden pain flaring in his ribs, and he flew what felt like several feet away from the intruding object and he managed to swirl two laps before he finally regained his balance. Not until then did he dare to open his eyes again and shortly after he rather wished he hadn't.
The last he saw of his brother before he was roughly pulled out of ocean was how he was laying on the bottom of the net, fish tail crooked and hanging lifeless above the surface just a few inches above his head, hands tangled up in the net and his stormy eyes looking back at him with a strange mix of fear and relief.