A/N:
it's late.
Rinharu.
yay.
MermanHaruxPoliceRin
yeayea
I dont own free!
He had overheard some things. He wasn't quite sure what exactly all the fuss was about, but he was pretty sure he overheard something about a weird deep sea creature being found. He took no interest in that kind of stuff. It wasn't any of his business, anyways. His friend, Rei, probably had it all under control anyways.
Rei was a marine bioligist, he loved his job. Rei was always very logical, he always had the formulas all figured out, and was ready to tackled anything new that came his way. But when he found something that couldn't be explained using logic, well, he freaked.
He himself, was a police officer. He liked to consider himself a good one too. (Ask anybody, really, he was pretty good.) Becoming an officer had never been his first choice, he hazily remembers his dream of becoming an olympic swimmer, but he had to have a plan B. So, he had to make the most of his job.
He sort of liked it. It wasn't at all like swimming, though.
Strangely, he can't remember the last time he swam. He always thought swimming would stay a part of him, but appaerntly he was wrong about that. Not like it mattered now. He likes to think he is long done with swimming.
But he kind of-sort of misses being in the water.
He thinks about all this as he sips his bitter coffee. He cringes at the foul taste, but he needs a little caffeine in his system right about now. Especially when he pulled an all-nighter last night filling out paper work that was meant to be done long ago. Oops.
Yeah, he wasn't the most organized person, but he had been really tired these last few days, give him a break. He let the warm liquid burn down into his lungs and gagged at the flavour, but still managed to take a few more more drinks without completely puking.
The last thing he wanted was to have to take his uniform to the dry-cleaners.
With a small sigh, he was about to start the engine of his car, and patrol the streets like he usually does every afternoon, but he stops when he feels his pocket vibrate. He fumbles to get out his phone, then he looks at the caller i.d and notices that it is Rei who is calling.
With a slide of fingers he answers that phone.
"Hello." he says, trying to sound not-tired.
"Rin! Come quick! Hurry!" Rei shouts from over the phone. This causes him to almost drop his phone AND spill his coffee, so he grunts in frustration at his friend's sudden outburst.
"Dammit Rei! What the hell do you need?" He says with a growl.
"Come to the laboratory! And make it quick! You HAVE to see this!"
He was about to protest, but before anything could come out of his mouth, the call ends. He slams the phone down and throws his back, mumbling to himself, "Not now."
He was on DUTY, Rei had known that!
But Rei had sounded pretty urgent.
He decided to screw it, and go.
What harm could it do anyways?
"Glad you made it!"
Rei looked like some kind of mad-scientist. His hair was sticking up in random positions, and it looked as if he hadn't showered in days.
It smelled like it too.
"Yeah, well I'm here. What's all the fuss?"
He looked around, and people were gathered around the entrance of the small building, reporters walked around, with their big, clunky cameras. Must've been a pretty big deal. It looked as if the WHOLE town had decided to come to the labratory.
Where they giving out free samples or something?...
"We discovered something that is going to change the WHOLE FACE of marine science! In fact, it's going to CHANGE LIFE ITSELF!" Rei jumped up giddily and yanked Rin forward, and motioned him to follow.
He was led into a small science lab, and he was too busy looking at all the weird sciency stuff to listen to Rei go on and on about some thing that was going to make the world change.
His eyes bounced from one thing to another. There were weird, gooey things in little containers. There were oddly coloured fluids in stabged-shaped glass beakers. There were PILES and PILES of books that held foreign formulas and other stuff that was way too advanced for him (He was pretty smart but still). He oggled everything.
"Are you even listening?" Rei said, snapping back to face him.
He flushed and cast his eyes downwards.
"Sorry, I got a little side-tracked..."
Rei just shrugged and mumbled something about fish. They walked on.
"Hey Rin, I want you to meet someone." Rei said, stopping.
He looked forward to see a tall, slender man coming towards the both. He had shaggy brown hair, and his face was stained with ashes and soot. He was wearing a fireman's uniform, too.
He was definitely a fireman.
"Rin? Is that you?" The man said, his green eyes light up.
He was surprised at hearing his name, but then he finally made the connection. He remembers the man's face, and quickly realizes that he knows him.
"Oi! Makoto!" He says with a smile. He hadn't seen his old friend in a long time. He can't say much has changed, appearance wise. Maybe it was the ashes that covered his face that made him look different.
"Oh, you two know each other?" Rei asked with an amused expression on his face.
Makoto nodded his head, "We go way back."
He chuckled and added, "I guess you can say that."
Rei was about to add something, when the doors of the laboratory opened wide and a person with a sort of space-suit ran in.
"AM I LATE?" the person said from behind the huge helmet.
"Um, Rei, do you know this guy..." Makoto begins. Rei smiles and lets out a small chuckle.
"Take off that mask, Nagisa. You're scaring people."
He freezes for a second and asks himself why that name seemed familiar.
But before he can put two and two together, the person yanks off the mask and a mess of blonde hair spills out. Along with rose-tinted cheeks and bright eyes.
Then he remembers.
"Rin! Makoto!" Nagisa beams and practically pounces onto the two. He rubs his head on both of them and smiles.
Yep, he notes, nothing has changed.
"Alright, alright. If you three are done with your love-fest then I would like to show you why you are all here in the first place."
The three spin around to face Rei.
"I have made a discovery."
"We have that part figured out." Nagisa whines, impatiently.
"You three are the first I'm showing. Be patient."
"Follow me," Rei says.
And so they do.
It was a small, dark room. Hardly any lights were on. It was also pretty hot in there.
But that's not what he cared about. He was currently staring at the large box that was right in the middle of the room. It was covered in a large black sheet and small thump thump sounds came out from the box.
"You've all heard of mermaids right?" Rei asked, he checked to see for any sign of humor or joking looks, but he found none, all he found was pure and utter seriousness. Which made him gulp.
"Oh come on Rei! What's in the box?"
"Something that is going to bring me much fame and fortune."
Rei's hands aimed for the black sheet, and was about to tug at it to reveal the mystery creature behind the box but he was stopped when the door to the room opened.
"What are you doing in here!" A man's voice yelled.
"Um, sir?" Rei gulped nervously.
"I told you to let NO ONE see this beastly creature!"
"But, sir-"
"NO BUT'S! GET THEM OUT AND FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS!"
Rei looked down, clearly ashamed.
"yes sir." he said dully.
His friend looked at them sadly, and shook his head, "Sorry guys. I really wanted you guys to be the first to see it..."
Nagisa spoke up, "It's okay Rei-chan! We don't want you to get in trouble! We'll leave!"
Nagisa tugged on both his and Makoto's arms and they were suddenly now in the bright laboratory.
But be dammed. He DID NOT come all this way for nothing. No he was even more curious to see what was behind that black curtain. He declined Nagisa's offer to go to lunch by saying that he needed to get back to work, but he knew what he was really going to do, he was going to see what was behind that curtain.
So he sneaked back into the laboratory. He was glad to see that no one was there. He walks down the same path that Rei had shown them, and finds the door to the small room. His hands reach for the doorknob, only much to his dismay, the door was locked.
But that's when he realized just who exactly he was. He was Rin. He was Rin the police man.
And he knew how to pick locks.
He just needed to find a bobby pin...
Oh wait, he had a pick locking kit.
Yeah, he knew that thing would come in handy some day!
With his slender, careful fingers, he easily got into the room in a good two minutes. If that didn't beat the world record he didn't know what did.
He walked into the dark room,and only the sounds of his heartbeat and small puffs of breathes could be heard.
Until he heard the noises coming from the box, they sounded like... splashes.
He neared the box, and clutched the black curtain in his hands. There was no going back, so with a mighty yank, the curtain fell to the floor.
He didn't know what he expected.
But he didn't expect for his eyes to be met with the most beautiful deep blue gemstones that he ever saw.
He stood there, in awe.
The creature looked right into his eyes.
And he felt hypnotized. He couldn't move, speak, and he couldn't even think.
It stayed there, watching him with its shining eyes. Then as if by boredom, it broke its long gaze and swam to the top of the small see-through aquarium.
He still was unable to move.
A tail.
That thing had a tail.
It was long, and it looked mighty strong too. The tail had scales that shone with the deepest blue that no jewel could compete against.
He remembers Rei's words, "Do you believe in mermaids?..."
No.
Its long dark hair covered its eyes and it swam back towards him. And pounded on the glass.
He jumped back, startled.
It seemed to say, "Get me outta here"
He was now quite aware on how fast his heart was beating.
Without thinking, he layed his hand on the glass, and the thing, swooped down and looked the hand through the aquarium curiously. It cocked its head and then, did something that only made his heart race faster. The creature placed its hands on top of his own hand, so that their hands were paralleling each other's.
He was unable to move again.
The creature's hand was just like his, only his own was bigger. He looked up again only to find the thing staring straight at him, like it was peering into his soul.
And it probably was.
He stared at the creatures silky hair that swayed with the water, and he was mesmerized by how its tail flicked and moved along the water.
A mermaid.
Rei had found a fucking mermaid.
He suddenly felt light-headed and very dizzy, and he wanted nothing more than to get outta there and forget he even saw the damned mermaid.
He jerked himself away from the tank and as he was bout to turn around and high-tail it away from there, he heard some more pounding noises. He turned his head to the tank once again and was met with the eyes again. This time, they were filled with abandonment.
Please don't leave
He felt his pulse quicken.
It's very lonely in this stupid box.
"Yeah, well I can't stay here." he found himself saying this out loud.
Why not?
"Because I just can't!"
I'm hungry. I want mackerel. Grilled preferably.
"Well sorry, I don't carry mackerel on me."
You humans are mean. I haven't eaten in a long time!
"That's not my fault."
I don't want to stay here.
"I can't do anything about that."
I'm meant to be free. Can you free me?
Something about that made his heart clench.
"I'm sorry I can't."
He was about to leave and check in at the nearest mental hospital, when suddenly the door yanked open, and inside stepped Rei.
And the mermaids eyes glowed like jewels, and his heartbeat almost stopped.
A/N: Yooo I need some sleep. And cookies. Cookies would be nice.