Wammyman: Greetings readers, and welcome to the first chapter of my first non-crossover fanfic. It's actually loosely based off of my favorite fanfic "Mama's a Mermaid" by AuthoressSama. I hope you enjoy it. R&R please.

Chapter 1

Rina laid flat on her bed exhausted. There were papers and notebooks spread across the floor. She was burnt out from helping the other mermaid princesses defeat Mikeru, then having to cram for her finals soon after. The exams themselves used up a lot of her brain cells. How Rina did on them didn't concern her too much. For pass or fail, she would still most likely graduate.

Now that the finals were over, Rina had more important things to worry about. She was concerned about her boyfriend, Masahiro. He was a rather charming young man. Masahiro enjoyed boxing, riding motorcycles and of course, having Rina by his side. However, there was one little secret that could destroy Masahiro's and Rina's relationship. Rina was a mermaid, and although she wanted to tell Masahiro the truth, she couldn't. For if a mermaid willingly reveals her identity to a human, they will be reduced to bubbles. Keeping this a secret from her beloved tore Rina apart inside.

"What am I going to do," she thought, "I love Masahiro, but I can't keep seeing him if I'm going to return to my duties as princess." Rina sat up in her bed.

"Maybe a swim will help clear my mind," she sighed.

So the young mermaid left her room and strolled through the halls of the hotel she called home. In the lobby, Rina came across her best friend Lucia. She was rubbing her forehead with one hand, and had an aspirin in the other.

"Hi Rina," Lucia greeted.

"Hey Lucia," Rina sighed in sadness.

"Man," Lucia went on, "those finals were hard."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Rina kept walking. Lucia grabbed Rina's shoulder. She looked Rina right in the eye and asked, "Rina, what's wrong?" Rina looked away.

"I just don't know what to do," tears started to fall off Rina's cheeks, "I want to be with Masahiro, but I can't ignore my responsibilities as princess. Lucia, what made you take a chance with Kaito? How do you know what to do with your life?" Lucia turned Rina around and wiped her tears with her free hand.

"I listen to my heart," Lucia gave a warm smile, "as we struggle in life, deep down we know what the right thing to do is. Rina, you're a very good person, and you deserve to be happy. Just do what your heart tells you to do." Rina smiled, "Thanks Lucia." Lucia grinned back, "Your welcome, and remember, you can always talk to me."

"Well," Rina said at the door, "I'm going out for a walk. Night Lucia."

"Okay, goodnight Rina," Lucia waved. And with that, Rina was out of the hotel.

The outside world seemed peaceful at this time of night. Stars shined brightly in the sky, the air was cool, no wind was blowing and the waves by the beach were calm and gave off a soothing sound. With a breath of the air and the waves in her ears, Rina had already felt a little better. It was then that Rina headed for the end of one of the docks and checked to be sure that no one was nearby. Once she knew the coast was clear, Rina dived into the ocean. She lost her clothes and legs, then grew a green fish tail. This was Rina as a mermaid.

The waters had a slight chill in them tonight, but Rina didn't care. For now she was going to swim and let her emotions fly free. Since there wasn't a fish to be seen, the mermaid had the sea to herself. Rina swam in zig-zags, loopty-loops and twirls. At one point she even leaped out of the water, and into the air. For a moment, Rina thought that she could soar through the clouds. That is, until she plummeted back into the ocean. Then for some reason, Rina couldn't help but laugh at the moment.

After finishing her swim, Rina crawled back up to shore. She sat where the waves could still brush against her tail. This mermaid didn't want to be human again just yet. Knowing how late it was, Rina assumed that no one would see her like this. So, still in her mermaid form, Rina took a deep breath and began to sing.

Meanwhile on a nearby road, a young man was riding his motorcycle. And in his hand there was a little pink bag. Once the man spotted the hotel that Rina lived in, he parked his motorcycle near it and removed his helmet. He clutched the hand that held the bag and said: "Come on Masahiro, you can do this."

Suddenly, Masahiro heard a beautiful voice from behind him. The voice sang, "Nagareboshi negai o kaketa, nanatsu no hikari mitsukedashite, hanarebare ni natta juerii sutaa, unmei to iu kizuna o shinjiteru." Masahiro recognized that voice.

"Rina," he thought, "what's she doing out here?" So then Masahiro scurried over to the beach where the voice originated. Before Masahiro set a foot on the sand, he saw Rina as a mermaid.

"Rina," he shouted, "is that really you!?" Rina broke out of song and her body became frozen. She was speechless as her life flashed before her eyes. Just as she felt her soul slip away, a touch on the shoulder brought her back to reality. She turned around to see Masahiro right behind her.

"Rina," he said, "I know that was you singing. And I'm pretty sure that's not a costume, am I right?" The mermaid nodded nervously. She choked on her words as Masahiro digested his discovery.

Finally, Masahiro concluded, "so you're a… a mermaid." Then Rina blurted out, "Look Masahiro I'm sorry. I mean, I wanted to tell you but…"

"It's okay," he put his hand over the mermaid's lips, "I understand. If someone else found out about this you'd turn into one big science experiment." Rina brushed off Masahiro's hand.

"No, if I told you I was a mermaid I would've died, that's why I kept it a secret."

"So when you said you would have to go back to your home town…"

"I meant my palace," Rina finished.

"Palace," Masahiro repeated.

"Yes," Rina answered, "look, Masahiro, as long as I'm being honest with you I should tell you that I'm not just any mermaid. I'm the mermaid 'princess' of the North Atlantic Ocean, and someday I'll have to go back and guide my people to create peace in my kingdom."

"Well," Masahiro said overwhelmed, "looks like you have a lot on your plate."

"I do," Rina bent her head down, "now you know why we can't be together."

"Good-bye Masahiro," Rina attempted to dive back into the ocean. But then Masahiro grabbed her arm.

"Rina, why are you leaving," he asked.

"Because you've seen what I really am," the saddened mermaid replied.

"A beautiful young woman," Masahiro grinned. Rina's face turned bright red.

"You mean, you don't mind that I'm a mermaid?"

"Of course not. I knew there was something special about you since the day we met. And I was right."

Rina's red face reduced to a blush on the cheeks. She giggled in relief that her beloved one still loved her. Then she remembered her responsibilities.

"But I still have to return to my people," she sighed.

"Someday you'll have to go back," Masahiro corrected, "not necessarily anytime soon."

"That's true but..."

"Rina," Masahiro cut her off, "I love you. I love you more than anyone else I know. I'll take whatever time I can get with you and wait as long as I have to for you to come back to me." Then Masahiro dug into the pink bag and pulled out a small black box.

"What I'm trying to say is," he opened the box revealing a golden ring with a shining diamond, "Rina, will you marry me?" Rina's mind flooded with mixed emotions. She didn't want to leave Masahiro, but she couldn't neglect the North Atlantic either. Then she remembered Lucia's advice. So the mermaid cleared her mind, listened to her heart, and then answered: "Yes."

Wammyman: I hope you enjoyed it. Those song lyrics were provided by: .

Please review!