Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Mermaid Melody Pitchi Pitchi Pitch.

I'm not quite sure what Seira's age is supposed to be. When I checked on the Wikipedia page, it said that she was around 12 years old. It's not too important, but I'm probably going to make her around 13-14 years old in this story.

Summary: When Seira feels the pressure of being a mermaid princess too much to bear, an unlikely person comes at the right time to help her out.

Seira stretched her arms and wiggled her toes in the warm sand with the cool ocean breeze brushing against her face. Today was a perfect day to go to the beach, but here she was alone.

Lucia and the other girls were busy studying for their college entrance exams. Nikora was too busy taking care of the Pearl Piari, and Taki-san was working on her fortune-telling.

Seira definitely didn't want Hippo coming along. He was just going to use this as another opportunity to train Seira in her "princess duties." And besides, with the way that she left him this morning, he probably wanted to leave her alone.

Just thinking of the word "princess duties" made her sigh in frustration, bringing her away from the relaxed state she was in before.

Unlike Lucia, who was kept in the dark about being a mermaid princess for most of her childhood, Seira knew her purpose even before she was "born."

She knew she was the mermaid princess of the Indian Ocean and that she would eventually have to go back home in order to restore the kingdom to its former glory. She knew that there were so many people who were depending on her.

And at first, she tried her best to learn all that she could. She wanted to become like the other mermaid princesses she looked up to. But the sheer amount of knowledge and training she had to undergo overwhelmed her.

Hippo surely meant well, but his criticism was hard to take at times. He constantly reminded her of her potential when Seira objected to his harsh methods.

But still… there were times she needed to run away from her lessons for a chance to breathe. She needed to get away from the past and the feelings that haunted her.

That was exactly why she was at the beach to begin with.

—*—

"Princess, you need to focus a little more on your lessons!" Hippo yelled. "You can't expect to be a proper mermaid princess if you don't-"

"Lessons, lessons, lessons, that's all you like to talk about," Seira cut in. "Can't you see how hard I've been trying?"

"I am well aware of that, Princess. But you need to work harder," Hippo said. "It just seems like you haven't been taking these lessons seriously. What's happened to you?"

"I'm just tired of all of this training. I don't even think I'm fit for this role any-"

"Princess, don't say such things like that! Like the rest of the princesses, you have a duty to-"

"I just can't deal with this…I'm sorry that I'm not like Lucia or the others. I'm not like Sara either!" Seira glared at Hippo. At this, his head shot up and stared at her, prompting her to continue.

"I'm sure you'd be happier to work with her than with me. Or maybe, do you think that I'll just end up destroying my kingdom too?" she said before heading out, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Seira…"

—-*—

Seira couldn't help but remember the fight she had with Hippo that morning. The lessons they were going over weren't much different from the usual ones, but she was feeling more on edge recently.

Things just hadn't seemed the same since she got back from her first visit to her kingdom for her thirteenth birthday. She had looked forward to this visit for months, and enthusiastically prepared for this occasion.

But it had all been for naught.

"What's wrong with me? Why can't I do anything right?" Seira asked, not expecting anyone to answer her.

"Do what right?" a cheerful voice popped out of nowhere. The mysterious figure sneaked up from behind Seira and playfully covered her eyes.

"Aaah!" Seira called out as she tried to untangle herself from the person's grasp. "Coco?!" she gasped, looking at the golden-eyed woman.

"You got me," Coco grinned as she ruffled Seira's head with her hand. Sitting down on the sand beside the young girl, she said, "It's been a while."

"I thought that you were still working on restructuring your kingdom," Seira asked as she continued looking at the ocean.

"I was, but I just felt like dropping by for a quick visit," Coco replied, also looking straight ahead. "Something was telling me that you would be here."

"Huh, who is that?" Seira questioned, now looking up at Coco.

"Someone special," Coco whispered to herself. For a moment, something flashed in her eyes, an expression that Seira was unable to read. As soon as it appeared, Coco's eyes went back to normal as she turned to face Seira.

"You still hadn't answered my question from earlier," Coco said matter-of-factly.

"That's…" Seira immediately remembered the reason why she was there in the first place. "…complicated…" she said as she turned away.

"I'm listening."

Man… Seira wasn't getting out of this anytime soon. She questioned whether she would have preferred to be working under Hippo's strict training regimen than have this conversation right now.

For a few minutes, she desperately tried to think of a way to change topics. But the more she tried to think of a distraction, the more she felt Coco's hard stare burning into her soul.

Giving a small defeated sigh, Seira confessed, "I… I don't think I'm fit to be a mermaid princess…"

With her head down and her bangs covering her face, Coco couldn't see the expression the young girl was making.

"And why is that?" Coco continued in the same inquisitive manner when she first arrived.

"At first, I tried my best to become a great mermaid princess just like all of you. But… everything's been so hard, I can't seem to do anything properly," she said, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I'm not Sara…" Seira said seemingly out of nowhere.

"Seira?" Coco was in alarm at the mention of her precious friend's name. "Where is this coming from?"

"I've heard things about the previous Orange Pearl Princess…" she said quietly. "Even though you guys never really liked to talk about it, I found out everything it on my own."

"What did you hear?" Coco asked, trying to control her voice so as not to scare the poor girl.

"I know what she did… She destroyed your kingdoms, scattered and slaughtered your peoples, and captured several of you guys.

"When I visited my kingdom for the first time on my thirteenth birthday, I could see the fear and disgust in people's eyes as I approached them. And for a while, I was confused. 'What had I done to hurt them?' I thought.

"As I spent some time there, I figured out more stuff. I heard them whispering things behind my back. Scary things, hurtful things…" Seira's voice began to crack.

"When I confronted them about it, they described to me the horrors of what they experienced. The pain they suffered at the hands of… Sara… I couldn't blame them for saying those things about me."

The tears that had been threatening to fall for a while were now cascading down Seira's cheeks. She wanted to let herself fully break down, but she willed herself to continue speaking.

"When I found out that Lucia risked her life to preserve mine by placing my shattered pearl in her necklace, I felt really bad. She almost died!" she said, now looking straight at Coco.

"I didn't want to believe that these things were true, but I couldn't just ignore the things they said. And I got scared.

"I love you guys so much, but what if I ended up hurting all of you someday?" she cried harder. "If anything happened to you guys, I'd never forgive myself."

"Seira…" That was the only thing that Coco could say at that moment. As she looked at Seira now, she noticed that the edges of her bright orange hair were beginning to fade, transforming to that same familiar shade of hatred and darkness Coco witnessed once before.

Caught up in the process of restoring her own kingdom, she was unaware that Seira had been shouldering these worries by herself for all this time. She assumed that she would be able to rely on Lucia and the other girls at the Pearl Piari, but she was wrong.

Now, she could see how hard this strong-willed girl was trying to be brave. How hard she was trying to live up to the expectations of her people and her friends. In the process of pursuing these things, Coco saw that it was tearing her apart.

Seeing the way that Seira was furiously swiping her eyes and holding back her anguished sobs in an attempt to maintain her composure reminded her that, at the end of the day, she was still just a little girl.

"I'm… sorry… I'm really sorry!" was all that Seira could say at that point.

"Ohh, Seira…" Coco said as she quickly pulled the girl into her arms.

The sudden action surprised Seira as she instantly froze in Coco's embrace. Although they were fellow mermaid princesses, Seira still didn't know Coco too well and was unsure of how to respond.

She hadn't anticipated on being this open about her feelings. She even made a commitment to herself to not cry a few years back and be as strong as she could.

But the tender touch with which Coco held her was not only comforting but also very familiar, yet she didn't know why.

Instead of questioning that familiar touch, she gave in and soon collapsed into Coco's chest, crying the tears that she had been trying to keep in for so long.

As Seira continued to cry her heart out, Coco soothingly rubbed her back. She rested her chin on Seira's head, humming a song that her best friend used to sing.

—-*—

Gradually, Seira quieted down as her sobs died into quiet whimpers. She laid her head on Coco's shoulder, taking in the faint scent of seawater in her yellow hair.

During this time, the two remained silent, with the waves crashing against the shore.

"Feeling better?" Coco asked, softly stroking the long strands of hair that were back to their original shine.

"Mhm…" Seira nodded into Coco's chest, her voice still hoarse from crying.

"I know that we don't really talk much, but thanks for being honest with me. You remind me of someone who was very important to me."

"Was it Sara?" Seira asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

"Yes, it was…" Coco admitted, a little caught off-guard with the bitterness in Seira's voice.

"I'm… sorry," Seira gently pushed herself away from Coco in remorse after she realized how harsh she was. "I didn't mean to sound that way…" she looked down.

"It's ok," Coco reassured her, positioning herself so that she was once again facing the ocean. Staying silent, Seira turned her body in the same direction, this time, scooting a little closer to Coco.

"Sara was my best friend. We were like inseparable sisters. She was a kind person and just pure at heart." Coco said. "I looked up to her so much."

"But how could someone so kind and pure do such terrible things?" Seira couldn't help but ask.

Hearing such things said about her friend hurt Coco, but as she looked at the hurt eyes of Seira, she let it go.

"She was hurt deeply," Coco recalled the moment she lost her friend for the first time. "There was someone she loved a lot, even more so than me, but that person ended up leaving her."

"Why is that?" Seira asked, her eyes now full of curiosity.

"She was the oldest out of all of us mermaid princesses. Like you, she had a lot of responsibilities weighed on her shoulders.

"Sara couldn't leave her kingdom to elope with the man she pledged her love to, even if he was the one who had seen her loneliness and longing for companionship. And he left, breaking her heart.

"While she looked happy and cheerful on the outside, I think she had thoughts and feelings that she kept to herself. Sound familiar?" Coco glanced quickly at Seira with small smirk and a wink.

At this, Seira looked away, clearly flustered, causing a laugh to escape from Coco's lips.

"She didn't want to be revered as the Orange Pearl Princess, or as the eldest mermaid princess. She simply wanted to be loved as 'Sara.'

"Sometimes I wonder, 'If I had been able to notice the pain she was in, would I have been able to save her? If I was stronger, would I have been able to do something?'

"I'm not saying that I agree with what she did. I know she inflicted a lot of pain on so many people, including me, but… I can't find it in my heart to hate her. I don't think I ever will.

"Sometimes… the people you love the most will hurt you the most…"

"Yes…" Seira whispered, thinking back to Mikeru, the ancient being who was responsible for shattering her heart.

"Let me tell you something." Coco gently grabbed hold of both of Seira shoulders, forcing Seira to stare straight at the older woman.

Seira averted her eyes, expecting some sort of reprimand or lecture. "What?" she asked, wanting to get this over with.

"Just look at me," she said, gently turning Seira's face so that she could face her directly.

"I don't want you to ever feel like you're alone. Even if I'm in the South Pacific Ocean, and you're all the way in the Indian Ocean, just call me, and I'll come rushing to you.

"But your kingdom-"

"Don't worry about bothering me. I'm sure that the other girls are willing to help you carry your burdens as well."

"But what if I end up doing something to hurt you?"

"If we hurt each other and get into a fight, that's ok. We'll just make up, apologize, and start loving each other again. And we'll do it as many times as it takes.

"Although I've said that you and Sara are similar, I want you to remember that you are you. Even if you were born from the same pearl, you're both different people.

"You're Seira. She's Sara. You're not Sara, and Sara is not you. Even if I have to remind you of that fact a hundred times, I will," her expression softened a little bit. "So please… stop blaming yourself for things that you didn't do."

"Mhm…" was all Seira could muster as she leaped in to hug Coco, beginning to cry again.

"And when you start to feel overwhelmed by everything, please don't keep these things to yourself. You can come to us about anything. Okay?"

"Okay…"

"Haha, I thought you cried yourself out already."

"I'm sorry," Seira's muffled voice got out.

"No, it's alright," Coco replied, returning the embrace. For a brief moment, the two quietly hugged each other.

Soon, Coco stood up, stretching her arms and putting her sandals back on. Once back on her feet, she held a hand out to Seira. "Why don't we go and get some ice cream." she suggested.

"Yeah, I'd like that, big sis."

—

Here's the end of the story! Hope you guys liked it!

I've always been curious of the dynamic between Seira and Coco because in the series, Coco and Sara were best friends.

I'd always imagined that Coco was probably saddened by the death of Sara, but I also think that she may have felt the need to watch out for Seira, her friend's successor.