Disclaimer: All viewfinder work belongs rightfully to Yamano Ayame. Everything in this story is fictional, be it dead or alive. Characters bearing striking resemblances to any actual being belonging to the race of fair folk or supernatural are pure coincidences.
Merfolk were mythical creatures. Half man and half fish, they roamed the depths of the sea, making the vast aquatic land their home. Originally living by the sea as fishermen, these mortals grew weary of facing treacherous waters day after day and pleaded to the gods. The heavenly beings took pity on the weak, helpless race and answered.
However, for everything given, there must be a price. In exchange for the power to rule over the sea, the gods took away their legs, condemning men to a life dependent on water, forever unable to tread on dry land again…
Or that was how sailors told the story.
Closing the book, Akihito snorted. What a crap load of bull.
Like the mortals of the land, merfolk had long since evolved. While the earth's energy was still toxic to their kind, they had learnt to harness its power. It granted them legs to walk on soil for at least an hour, some even able to sustain for a day before they succumbed to the poisonous aura.
Unlike the splendor of such tales, sea folk of this age could barely control the water that they lived in. Calm the waves or summon storms? Only their great leader could summon that kind of crazy energy to do it. Commoners possessed minimal skill, and their small energy reservoirs could do just about nothing, other than shaping small volumes of water. One of Akihito's personal favorite was water spheres. Tiny ones, about the size of what mankind called it a pocket watch. It was handy when he needed to chase away birds swooping down upon him, thinking he was food.
Giving his emerald tail a casual flick at the water's edge, Akihito carelessly tossed the seaman's diary back onto the beach. The book flopped and landed next to the pile of wooden debris, washed ashore after the dreadful evening storm. Curiosity satisfied for the night, the young merman pushed off the small rocky ledge and dived back into familiar waters, relishing in the soft caress of sea foam.
Propelling leisurely just below the blue ocean surface, the scales on the back of his neck prickled. Small trepidations piqued Akihito's interest and with a push of his powerful tail, his rosy face met the cold night ocean breeze once more. It was a full moon tonight and its soft white beams danced noiselessly about on the rippling water surface.
Taking a whiff of the salty ocean air, Akihito stared ahead into the horizons. It seems the serene goddess of the night must once again give way to the vengeful, raging god of the storms. The ominous black clouds were quite far away but the young sea folk knew better. His small emerald scales were prickling even stronger and his chestnut locks dried faster than anticipated. Judging by the growing force of the wind, Akihito estimated five minutes, before the storm would be upon him.
Adrenaline coursed as excitement built in his body. Ever since he was small, he had loved to challenge the deadly waves, riding the walls of water and dodging their crushing blows as they crashed back into the ocean. He could already feel the tremors of the impending waves in the waters.
Grinning, Akihito dived and sped forward, heart pounding with all that it was worth. In less than five minutes, he met the violent tides bravely, his ears thundering when waterfalls of ocean saltwater crashed down upon his body with deafening consequences. Giving an equally thunderous roar of aggression, he leapt out of the waters, and nose-dived straight into the oncoming wave. The feral force made his head spin and the coldness stung his mortal skin. Yet, with all that abuse, Akihito welled up with energy. The anticipation of the next wave, the unforgiving currents and the pure joy of conquering challenge after challenge drove him high, making him feel alive.
Happily riding the next seven foot wave, the cheeky merman poked his head out of the water and glanced about, eyes squinting when the raging winds blew the moisture out of his glassy hazel orbs. A small black triangle invaded his peripherals and he carelessly snapped his head to the left. Distracted, Akihito was slammed into the ocean surface before he could take a good look, leaving the poor sea dweller severely disoriented.
Pain shot up and down his nervous system as he was jostled viciously from side to side, each bruising blow twisting his neck and limbs in almost impossible angles. The agony was overwhelming and his brain threatened to black out, which would surely be fatal for, even if he was a creature who drew strength from water, such vicious weather would ultimately crush his bones. Sensing his peril, Akihito's self-preservation instincts kicked in and he mindlessly struggled downwards, fighting the rocky currents with all his might. Diving down was his only hope; it was the one place where the hands of the storm could not reach.
Taking one last gulp of water, the weakening sea folk pushed through the water barricade with the remainder of his energy, successfully breaking into the silent, unmoving depths of the ocean. Devoid of all strength, Akihito limply relaxed, muscles trembling from his strenuous life-endangering hobby. Extremely exhausted, he let himself be dragged further down into the dark abyss, letting a soft bubble-sigh when his back hit the soft mossy ocean floor.
He would rest.
Just for a little while.
With absolute zero resistance, Akihito allowed pitch black darkness to consume his consciousness.
"Akihito!"
"Nnn…?"
"Akihito!"
Where was that incessant squawk coming from? How annoying.
"Come on Akihito! Wake up!"
Shut up. I want to sleep.
"Damn it. Wake the hell up you stupid fish!"
As if it wasn't enough to shriek down his ear canals, the bird started to peck at his head, pricking dents into the hard flesh.
"Urgh, go away bird brain." With a lazy flick of his wrist, Akihito hurled a small sphere of water, dousing the poor avian.
"B-bird brain? You ungrateful stinkin' fish!" Spluttering angrily, the seagull flapped its wings once to take into the air, or attempted to since water had soaked it useless. "Damn it. Takato! Let's just leave this useless pile of scales here to dry and shrivel up."
Takato? What's he doing here?
Somewhere further away, Akihito picked up a faint familiar squawk of laughter. "Come here Kou. Watch for the humans. I'll take over."
So that was Kou. Figures. Only a bird with a brain of the size of a pea would call him a fish. How awfully insulting.
"Hmph. I hope they make sashimi out of him." Sneaking a last peck at his head, the bird shook the droplets off and with a whoosh of cold air, flew away.
Finally. Some peace and quiet.
A stronger breeze grazed his cheeks, signaling the presence of another bird, this time, much bigger. However, before he could throw another water bomb, feathers smacked right into his face and startling the half-asleep merman right out his sleepy haze. Akihito, now bright and awake, spat the remaining fluff out of his mouth and pushed off the sandy shore, directing a glare of ire towards the heavy pelican.
"What the hel-"
Wait… Sand?
"Figured out where you are yet?" The deep clacking seemed to express amusement. Turning his head to face the seagull, perched firmly on a stray branch sticking out of the cliff, Takato called out. "And that's how you wake a fish up, Kou."
Squawking of indignation sounded from above in answer.
"Don't you dare start it too Takato. I'm a completely different species. How the hell did I end up here anyway? Smacking the elongated orange beak smartly, Akihito thumped at the saltwater submerging his tail, bringing a rain of cooling oceanic essence down on his drying skin. Kou was right, any longer and he would have dried up and died, like a fish. He was lucky only his upper torso remained out of water.
"Beats me Akihito. But, let's talk later. We need to get you out of here quick. It's approaching noon and the humans might come."
As if on cue, Kou started to flap his wings anxiously, shrilly squawking. "Humans alert! Humans alert!"
Giving a quick nod, Akihito moved (flopped) towards the receding waters, taking a moment to soak his dry, sun-burnt arms and body before speeding off from the coastline, seabirds soaring above him.
Safe from the greedy eyes of mankind, Akihito surfaced, propping his arms on a stray rocky formation in the middle of the ocean. Perching on the rock, his bird friends preened before folding their wings neatly at their sides.
"So what's the big deal, sleeping on the beach like that? I knew you were stupid Akihito, but not to this extent." Hopping a few steps back to avoid a waterfall of water, Kou cackled loudly.
"Bastard." Disappointed that his spray of water missed its mark, Akihito brought his head down to rest on his arms before grinning widely. "At least I have a brain of a significant size, unlike your tiny one."
"You don't use your-mmph!" Before the offended seagull could complete his sentence, Takato butted in, smacking the beak shut with his large grey wings. "So tell me Akihito, you didn't happen to play in the storm last night did you?"
The grin widened further when Takato hit the mark, spot on. "You know I can't resist it Takato. The waves were awesome last night!"
"Yes, awesome enough to sweep you all the way to the beach. You could have died, you fool. Even if you didn't die of dehydration, the humans would have killed you for your flesh and blood. You were lucky Kou found you when he went out for his breakfast."
Dropping his smile, Akihito's face took a serious turn. Yes, humans and their greed for a long life. Many of his brethren had been netted like fishes over the last few centuries went mankind started to believe that the consumption of mermaids could grant immortality. What utter rubbish. All because people of the sea could live for a few hundred years, they could just assume ridiculous nonsense like that? In the end, humans still died before even reaching the ripe age of eighty.
Now, the fad was over and his kind, driven almost to the brink of extinction, lived carefully in seclusion, away from the prying eyes of humans. Those who ventured away from the colony to the surface took risks and Akihito liked taking risks. He lived for the adrenaline rush and last night was no different. Despite the fact that he almost lost his life several times in the last few hours, he would never regret his decision to play dangerously.
"Something distracted me yesterday and I lost my focus. All I remember is lying at the bottom of the ocean. The morning currents must have swept me up on shore. And thanks Kou. I mean it." The seagull seemed to puff its chest up, swelling with pride. "But I won't apologize for the soak. You deserved it. Nobody calls me a fish and gets away with it."
Kou deflated instantly and retracted his head, ready to poke Akihito's eye out with his beak. Again, Takato, the wiser of the two, spread his wing and send the flustered bird tumbling off the rock, into the ocean.
Ignoring the gurgles of squawks and frantic splashes, the pelican settled down on his stomach, and started to waterproof his plumage by rubbing his head, already slick with oil, against the fluffing feathers of his wings. He was used to the daily squabbles of fish and bird as was he to the recklessness of his water dwelling best friend, but it never ceases to worry him whenever a storm brewed. It had been mutually agreed between both birds that after a storm, they would search the surrounding beaches just in case something like today happened. "Distraction? Why don't you just admit you finally slipped up?"
Akihito waved his caudal fin out of the water, thoroughly offended, sending droplets of water upon the still preening pelican. "I did not slip! I swear! There was this black blot at the corner of my eye and I just turned to look at it."
"And you were caught unaware, resulting in being tossed about like a certain small aquatic relative. That's called slipping Akihito, or carelessness if you want another word for it." Shaking the droplet from the tip of his wing, Takato rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I didn't hear anything about a ship coming through this area though."
A sneeze drew the attention of both merman and pelican. Successfully climbing back up, Kou sneezed once more. "I've heard about it, the whales were talking about it this morning." Flapping his wings to dry them out, he continued. "It was a cargo ship. No survivors. The sharks were eating the drowned victims that had sunk when the whales passed through."
Akihito cringed, a sentiment echoed by Takato. "Oh, Nasty."
"Yeah, blood was everywhere and the sharks were high as hell." Kou shuddered. "Gory details aside, I heard there are still stuff floating about. Want to go check it out? It's a cargo ship, there's got to be loads of food."
Excitement lit in Akihito's eyes as he pushed away from the rock. It wasn't so much of the food that tempted him but the promise of heaps of mankind's inventions. Their objects had always left him fascinated, especially dull, grey photos and portraits. "Let's go! Last one there is the brainless one." With that, he sped away, leaving both birds to eat his dust, or water spray.
Finally done with his preen, Takato's beady eye traced the ripples of water that indicated the location of the merman below surface. "Does he even know where the ship was swept to?"
Beside him, Kou shrugged. "My point proven. Akihito's brain works like a fish despite the size that he claims it to be."
Another smack echoed through the air as Takato flapped his wings, taking after Akihito.
When they finally got to the site of floating debris, each when about doing their own thing. Kou pecked at wooden crates, sticking his head in through the tiny holes, scrounging for scraps of food. Takato poked about, testing the strength of various wooden splinters and wires for his nest back home. Akihito, being the only one capable of diving, ventured downwards to explore the ship, broken into two like a piece of human toy.
The scent of blood had long since dissipated by the same morning current that had left him on the beach, leaving an eerie feel to the atmosphere. Random human bones, stripped clean of flesh, only increased the spookiness of the place. On his guard in case white sharks still lingered, he swam through the decks, collecting bronze lockets and small photo frames. The interior was like any other sunken ships, mostly wooden furnishings, accompanied by metal frames and complicated engines. Starting from the bottom, Akihito climbed further up till he reached the upper compartment, entering the only unlocked door.
Within, expensive looking wooden furniture floated about while glass and marble sculptures rolled creepily across the polished floor boards. A rich man's cargo huh? In the far end of the room laid a wooden crate. It wasn't an ordinary flimsy crate that usually held Kou's prized food. Rather, it reeked of power and elegance. With six sides, the smoothly lacquered solid oak box tapered slightly at the upper quarter. The metal frames were neither bronze nor iron, but luxurious steel. Oak carvings lined the borders, depicting creatures not known to him, possibly animals that dwelt on land. Finally, an equally decorated metal lock sealed the box shut, its key attached to a hook jutting out from the wall.
Drawing closer, Akihito dropped all the pieces he had just looted upon setting his eyes upon a large portrait hanging strangely perfectly on the wall. It was a painting of a man, exuding great power, grace and confidence all at once. Neither smiling nor frowning, the human's cold emotionless look enthralled him. That man reminded him of an animal he had once read in a traveler's journal. A panther, described as black and sleek, with a body filled with coiled power. The merman knew not what the predatory four-legged creature looked like but he was sure that the image fitted the man perfectly.
Eyes on the attractive masterpiece, Akihito swam closer still, mind barely registering his fingers wrapping around a drifting locket necklace. Unthinkingly, he slipped the accessory over his head so that the gold chain hung loosely around his neck. Bringing his other hand up, Akihito traced the features of the land-dweller with a webbed finger. He had black hair, as dark as the night of a new moon and golden eyes that would put the rare orange moon to shame. Meeting those gold orbs sent a shiver down his spine that almost felt pleasurable. Ruthless and powerful, the gaze was nothing but dangerously predatory, liked the man viewed everything as food and if not, objects to conquer and covet.
Features complemented with a top hat, a simple yet elegant suit and a cane, the complete portrait stirred feelings within Akihito that he had never felt before. Awe, Fear, Reverence and a little of something else.
It was that instant when a sudden sense of compulsion overwhelmed him. It did not come from within but rather, from outside, an external force that compelled him to make the wooden box his, to bring it to the surface, into the cave where he kept his ship loots dry and safe away from water.
At the young age of seventy (in merfolk terms), Akihito had yet to mature and learn of the power of suggestion, a skill that belonged solely to beings who drew strength from the earth, which he also had yet to be introduced to. Vulnerable and inexperienced, he easily succumbed to the force and reached down to touch.
Just a fraction from the polished oak, a deep voice boomed into the wooden chamber, breaking the youngling out of his trance. "You shouldn't touch that Akihito. Can you not smell the sickening stale scent of earthly death?"
Heavy disturbances to the water flow made his sensitive scales prickle, alerting the merman to a presence far larger than his own. Curling his tail, Akihito prepared to flee should the shadow from the doorway prove to be dangerous. Sliding a white head through the door, the familiar jaws of Yama-san greeted the wary sea folk.
Despite familiarity, Akihito remained cautious. "Yama-ossan. You've… eaten, haven't you?"
The white shark chuckled, snapping his jaws shut in a show of non-aggressiveness. "Yes, the seamen of this ship were quite a banquet."
Laughing awkwardly, Akihito visibly relaxed while still keeping his guard up. A great white shark may be relatively friendly when he wasn't hungry but it didn't mean it was safe. Mankind was not the only species who craved the immortal flesh of mermaids.
Drifting slightly backwards, in case the big body of Yama could actually squeeze through the small doorframe, Akihito asked, "So… What did you mean I shouldn't touch it?"
"That is a coffin Akihito, a wooden box to house a dead human body. There is a reason why we sharks do not go near that bag of flesh." At this, Akihito raised a skeptical brow, looking pointedly at the rough, sandy skin that knocked occasionally at the door. "…There are sharks smaller than me that can go through this door. In any case, whatever that is in there is definitely not human. You should have felt it just now, that irresistible urge to obey as it commands. Dead body or not, our kind should not be able to choose when hungry yet none of my starving brethren could get close to it. Even now it compels me to stay away." In demonstration, the flesh-eating creature shifted uncomfortably, causing the doorframe to creak in protest.
"I cannot resist it much longer. Listen carefully, Akihito." Involuntarily retreating back into the shadows, the white shark strained to give his advice. "You must go, nothing good ever comes out when creatures affiliated to water interacts with those affiliated to earth. It is best to leave it alone."
Echoing down the hallway, the deep boom resounded in Akihito's ears. "You must leave it alone Akihito."
As soon as the last echo faded from his ears, the growing sickly sweet compulsion slowly filled his senses once more, drawing panic into the pounding merman's heart.
Akihito pushed his willpower to the limit as he took Yama-san's advice to heart, straining to resist the pull, forcing his reluctant body to leave through the window, all the while clutching the locket tightly to his chest.
Gliding agilely towards the surface where his two friends were still waiting, he felt the insistent call weaken as he sped further away. Akihito breathed a sigh of relief when the final invisible chain of command uncurled from his body, leaving his mind as clear as crystal.
Bursting out suddenly, it took the two birds by surprise. Takato flapped in sharp panic, hovering a safe distance away while Kou simply froze in fright, dropping into the crate from which he fed from.
An audible sigh sounded from above when Takato perched on top of Akihito's brown locks, blunt talons digging into his skull in revenge. "It's just you. What took you so long?"
"In the ship, I… met Yama-san. It took me a while to get back out." Waving the avian off, he knocked at the huge wooden crate, the regular cheap ones, very unlike the captivating coffin back in the ship. If only he had brought it alon-. Suddenly aware of his thoughts, Akihito gave a fearful shake of his head. Even now, the sweet persuasive call still plagued his mind. How far must he be for that terrifying power to leave him alone?
They should leave, now, before he did anything foolish. "C'mon Kou, we're leaving. This place gives me nothing but bad vibes."
Without waiting for either friend, Akihito submerged fully and headed speedily away.
Mildly pecking the still stunned seagull out of his frozen state, a worry line etched above Takato's eyes. Akihito was hiding something from them. Yama would never have spooked his friend that badly. Well, it wasn't new. Akihito ever rarely shared his problems. Sighing once more, he battered his wings twice at his dazed friend. "Akihito's right. We should leave, it's getting late." With a powerful flap of his wings, he too headed back to his nest where his lovely wife sat waiting with his beloved eggs.
Blinking, Kou stared after Takato, only just registering the fact that everybody had left. "Hey! Guys? Don't you want some of these apples too?" When silence met him, Kou shrugged. More for him then.
Deep in the night, when the rest of the world was well, dead to the world, Akihito tossed and turned uneasily in his bed of moss. He felt hot and irritable even when the night waters were as chilly as the wind above. Something was bothering him but he knew not what it was. It was just this gut feeling that he was forgetting something important.
He fiddled with the locket that had created a huge uproar the moment his father noticed it.
Busted!
After getting two earfuls, one from each parent, he had finally convinced them to let him keep it, on the condition that he would no longer explore sunken human boats, lest wandering sharks came across their little boy. Which, of course, had already happened, but it was something that his parents didn't need to know about. It was how he first got acquainted with Yama-san and he wasn't complaining. The old shark always made it a point to look out for him when hunger didn't consume his conscious. Akihito just needed to practice a little caution when dealing with the great white shark.
Flipping to lie on his stomach, Akihito brought the locket up, staring curiously at it. He had no recollection of wearing it; neither could he remember how it came into his possession. However, peculiarly enough, despite not knowing what lay inside the metal container, he had fought to keep it with determination so fierce it even shocked himself. The reason remained unknown. Akihito had simply trusted his guts.
Perhaps this curiosity to see the contents within was the cause of his insomnia. Pausing, Akihito did a double take. That wasn't accurate. This curiosity never existed, only surfacing when everybody was well fast asleep. It twisted and knotted his stomach unceasingly, as if trying to get a message across. Everything about the locket smelled fishy, pun not intended. Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a peek, would it?
Before he knew it, Akihito unclasped the tiny shiny metal, flicking the top open. Stifling a gasp with webbed hands, he stared into familiar hypnotizing golden eyes and immediately, darkness consumed him for the second time in the last twenty-four hours.
Jolting awake by the harsh icy wind bellowing in from the cave mouth, Akihito clutched at his throbbing head. Where was he? Why did he always have to wake in some unknown place feeling like shit? His arms and legs ached terribly, as if he had strained them well beyond their intended limits-
-Hold up.
Legs?
Snapping upright, he felt the smooth planes of two limbs as he stared in disbelief. Now it all made sense. It was no wonder that he had this agonizing headache. His tail had dried up, causing him to assume his human form and naturally, the toxic energy of the soil was necessary to sustain his metamorphosis.
How long had he remained in this form? Without the estimation, there was no telling when his body would succumb to the toxin. Water, he needed water. Judging by the faint sound of waves crashing against rock, there should be quite a fair bit of distance till he reached the ocean. As his head pounded even harder, Akihito forced himself to calm down.
Focus Akihito. Come on. No way of getting to the ocean before your time runs out. Don't panic. Breathe. Next alternative. You're in a cave. Caves have water. There should be some small pools close by.
Staggering unsteadily on his feet, he listened intently for the sound of dripping water. Pinpointing a location, he wobbled slowly, grateful for his adventurous practice on land when his ambitions to sustain his human form for as long as possible prove too great to resist. His current situation only differed slightly, and that was, Takato was not close by to empty water out of his expandable sacs.
Sagging tiredly next to a mini pool of water where drops dripped at intervals from a low stalactite, Akihito drank, savoring the sweet taste as the throbbing dulled and gradually retreated from his head. Recovering sufficiently, he cupped his hands together and splashed his face and upper torso, careful to leave his legs dry. He still needed to get out of this cave, and flopping like a fish out of water was definitely not how it should be done.
Energized, Akihito prepared to leave, to return to beloved water grounds.
Don't leave.
Freezing in his tracks, Akihito shivered when a sweet deep rumble echoed within his head. Spinning around, he detected no other life forms besides the small crabs sleeping under rocks. He must be hallucinating. Shaking his paranoia off, the young merman continued forward, halting in his tracks again when that seductively authoritative baritone sounded once more.
Stop. Turn back.
Akihito felt his body twisting despite the lack of commands from his own brain. He wasn't imagining it after all.
Come.
Step by step, he walked forward on his two feet. This was serious. Never before had he experienced such a compelling phenomenon. In that ship, it was a mere feeling that he had, telling him what to do. This was entirely different. Gut feelings had turned into vocal commands in his head, and whether he liked it or not, his body obeyed.
However, Akihito wasn't so weak as to accept a higher authority so easily. With all his recalcitrant might, he fought against his invisible foe, trying to push the outsider out of his mind. Unfortunately, to no avail. He was much too young and weak to fight someone who was, if compared, an ancient being.
Toes knocking gently against the oak coffin, he shook with terror as realization sat in. He had given in. Dead in the night, he had gone for the coffin, hauling the heavy oak crate up to the surface with strength that he wasn't even sure he possessed (which would explain why he felt so sore). Now, there was no one to blame but himself and his weak resolve.
Kneel.
Painfully dropping to his knees, Akihito tried once more to resist. For his act of defiance, he received a punishing blinding white pain straight into his mental depths, stripping him of his last incentive to disobey as he howled in agony into the night.
Unlock my coffin.
The young sea folk whimpered as arms, that were no longer his, reached over to grab the key on top on the lacquered finish. The noise in his throat grew louder as he slipped the key into the keyhole, twisting it open with a resounding click.
Open it.
Akihito squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't even know what was inside other than the fact that it was dead; a living dead if the voice in his head was anything to go by. No. No. No. His whimper grew with pronouncing loudness as, with a great heave, he lifted the heavy wooden casing.
Expecting something horribly grotesque to jump upon his lethargic self, Akihito, finally back in control of his body, crouched and cringed, waiting for the oncoming attack. When nothing happened, he tentatively opened an eye and slowly unfolded, peering into the wooden box.
The sleeping being in the case was simply breathtaking. It was the human in the portrait and in his gold locket, a perfect, exact carbon copy. As the saying goes, a picture was worth a thousand words. Therefore, the real thing would be worth a million words, wouldn't it? Truth to be told, even with a million words, he would have barely begun to scratch the surface of describing such an ethereal being before him.
In spite of his initial fear, Akihito, with deliberate slowness, reached down to touch the pale sleeping figure, to assure himself that it wasn't a dream. A slight graze across cheeks transformed into something bolder when the unearthly human neither reacted nor stirred. Both hands now mapped out the male's face, tracing the angular contours, the elegant shape of eye brows and the wonderfully soft velvet feel of full lips.
Cocking his head, Akihito began to forget his fear and deadly curiosity took its place. Like a small child who had touched something new, he felt his own lips and compared it with the human's. Unlike the other's smoothness, his own were chapped and dry from the oceanic winds. Unconsciously licking his lips, curiosity drew the final straw. Bending forward, Akihito pressed his own small lips down upon smooth, velvety ones, feeling light breathing washing upon the tip of his nose. Unsure of what to do next, he obeyed his instincts, brushing from side to side with innocent sensuality unbefitting of such a chaste kiss.
Curiosity sated, the young merman abruptly drew away, blushing with self-consciousness. Fingers traveled from the planes of pale cheeks to lightly caress closed eyelids. Were those eyes as golden and as captivating as the ones the pictures portrayed?
In the next moment, Akihito greatly regretted that thought.
Like a switch being flipped on, the being snapped his eyes open, gold shining brilliantly in the dark cave. Curling his lips back into a smirk, the humanoid creature revealed flashing white fangs.
"Hello there, little one."
Recoiling clumsily at the sudden exudation of danger, Akihito ignored the equally sudden return of his terror and daringly squeaked out the obvious. "Y-you… You're not h-human."
Sitting upright, the fanged creature stretched his stiff muscles and popped joints. "Nobody said I was. Your little shark friend did point it out, didn't he?" Turning his head to face the frightened merman, he answered the unasked question that balanced precariously on the tip of the merman's tongue. "What am I? Well, if you can't identify my kind by these here," he tapped lightly on elongated canines, "then you must have never ventured past the beaches, have you?"
Hot-headedness pushed fright out of the way when Akihito picked up on the slight mocking tone. Scowling, the offended merman snarled and bared his own sharp tiny canines.
Stepping fully out of his coffin, the predator simply continued unperturbed. "Without much ado, allow me to introduce myself, young fledgling. I go by the name Asami Ryuuchi," giving a slight bow, he flashed his fangs once more, "and I belong to the proud race of vampires." Brushing dust off his shoulders, Asami's deep, sultry voice of light gratitude continued to echo within the cave walls. "Now, I must thank you assisting me out of that ship. Water and vampires just simply do not mix."
Out of pure courtesy, lesson firmly driven into his brain by his mother, Akihito uttered a meek 'you're welcome' in spite of himself. Vampires? That term sounded vaguely familiar, like a character straight out of the scary stories that his mother used to tell him when he was still little, in efforts to keep him in bed all night.
Weren't vampires the scary creatures that fed on blood, the very life source of all living animals? Cold dread engulfed him as his stomach plunge downwards.
"P-please don't e-eat me…"
"Eat? Oh, so you do know a little about us. Unfortunately, I need one last favor from you." Advancing forward, Asami licked his lips as his eyes glinted hungrily. "I'm a little weak from all that water around my coffin, and…"
Akihito paled rapidly, backing away as fast as his four limbs could carry him as he feared the worst.
"… to have such a delicious morsel, one of the fabled merfolk no less, spread out so vulnerably in front of me…"
Despite his fear, the merman flushed upon realizing his state of undress. It couldn't be helped alright? Merfolk didn't wear anything, so it was inevitable when his tail morphed into legs.
"…you must understand how appealing you look to me right now. Therefore, allow me to thank you once more in advance."
In a whirl of movement, Akihito found himself pinned to the ground with his arms firmly secured above his head, the heavy, muscular body squashing his lithe body immobile. Head tugged to one side by the remaining large hand, his eyes widened by impossible amounts when he felt a tongue running down his exposed neck and vein, pulsing alluringly with terror. "P-please… D-don't…"
"Well then, if you'll excuse my rudeness." Ignoring the whispered desperate pleas, Asami effortlessly pierced through the merman's human skin, drawing copious amounts of blood out, relishing in the pure red wine of life that only a merfolk could give.
"Ah! Nn..gh. H-u…rts!" Pain. Searing white pain. It hurt so badly. Struggling weakly, Akihito pleaded with the carnivore once more. "S-top…P-please…"
Loud groans and whimpers slowly grew softer when the uncaring vampire showed no indication of stopping. Looks could be pretty deceiving. The man he had so much admiration for turned out to be a total bastard. Sapped of his strength, coupled with the exhaustion of drawing too much energy from the earth, Akihito didn't fight when his eyelids drooped till it obscured his sight completely. He was going to die, wasn't he? Unwillingly to go down without at least a show of bravado, the merman drew upon the last of his strength and snarled out with vengeance as he slid rapidly into darkness once more. "I curse you Asami Ryuuchi. Even in death, I'll drag you down into the deepest pits of hell."
Closing the open wound with his saliva, Asami savored the remaining drops of his unconscious delicious meal. It had been four hundred years since he last had a taste of the rich blood of the ocean-dwellers and the quality had not dropped a single bit. Humans weren't lying when they said the flesh and blood of mermaids could grant immortality. It just didn't apply to them due to their fragility.
Soil soaks moisture up, therefore, earth triumphs over water. Vampires rose from the soil and merpeople, from foam. It was only natural that mermaids would be a perfect food source for vampires. Mankind may have been made from clay, but if one bit more than he could chew on, it would only lead to self-destruction, very much like how a balloon would burst if supplied more air than it could stretch and accommodate.
When the race of merpeople was driven almost to extinction by the ignorance of mankind, Asami had thought it impossible to have another taste of such a delicacy, seeing as the ocean could weaken him considerably. Keeping water out of his coffin was a draining task but to chance upon this extremely rare treat certainly made being stuck in a watery tomb worth it.
Lifting his naked prize into his arms, Asami smirked as he remembered the little merman's harmless death threat. He just loved feisty meals. It kept him entertained through his dreary ageless life. With a little training, he could turn his food source into quite a pet. Beautiful and submissive, yet with a little fire that would keep things upbeat. If he did it right, this little one should bring him some fun for the next five hundred years before time ran out.
Stalking out of the cave, he scaled the cliff effortlessly with one jump and bounded seamlessly through the forest that lied beyond the beaches. Placed at the very top of the highest hill in the region in which he lorded over was his mansion. Having slept for two hundred years, time must have robbed his home of the loud chattering of his human slaves, leaving only his dull, stoic, ageless employees. No matter. With this newest addition to the family, he was sure the house would light up once more with life.
Releasing a chilling laugh into the silent night, Asami's eyes glowed with excitement.
"I welcome you into my family with open arms, Akihito."
A/n: Another new story. I know. I'm sorry! I couldn't resist! . Anyway, if you can't already tell *inserts facepalm*, this story is about love between a very unlikely pair, Vampires and Mermaids (or Mermen). This is a product from my weird imagination after learning that vampires cannot cross running water (doesn't apply to most vampires we know today, e.g Twilight, their vamps swim and – the heck?… glitter? I say my theory in this story isn't all too farfetched) right after I finished reading Little Mermaid (the tragedy version) o.O And poof, this whole new theory smacked right into my brain. Whether it makes sense or not, I'll leave it to you to decide. The whole idea centers round a mash of western vampire ideas and eastern elemental concept, so I'll try my best not to confuse you readers… that is if I don't end up confusing myself first. Eep!
Review if you want to tell me my idea is really too far off the ledge, too confusing, plain boring or pure awesomeness. (I'm kidding about the last one btw)
God speed to all of you. ^.^