Hi everyone! Here is another part of my Kenshin-gumi tales series. I hope everyone enjoys it! This and next chapter sets the story, lots of information but I hope it keeps your interest. I'm still working on my other stories. I hope to have a Update for my other Kenshin-gumi tales.
On to the story!
Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin Or the Little Mermaid.
With a flick of her beautiful blue tail, Kaoru propelled herself through the massive coral garden outside the home in the middle of the kingdom under the sea. Nine year-old Kaoru rushed to meet her sisters who were already gathered around the thin, flowing fins of their grandmother. Their voices rising in song across the garden spoke of ocean storms. The haunting melody of mermaid voices was said to drive human sailors to their death. But the young mermaids knew little of this, singing only for the pleasure of their elder.
And as always, Kaoru was late. All at once her sisters stopped singing and turned as Karou swam up to them. Her grandmother even turned her pearl colored eyes to her as Kaoru wedged herself between Misao and Tubame. The slightly older girls smiled at her while her much older sisters Megumi and Tae frowned at her tardiness while the middle child, Sayo looked indifferent at being interrupted; she was used to Kaoru's lateness.
"Kaoru...late again." Her grandmother said not unkindly as the old woman smiled, her hands clasped in her lap.
Kaoru ducked her head. "Sorry grandmother. I was daydreaming."
"Again." Said Megumi with a flick of her deep green-black seaweed colored hair. At almost fifteen, Megumi was the eldest sister. Her beautiful hair fanned out around her body like sea grass would, her tail and fins were a pale green that almost seemed to vanish against the color of the sea water. They were only given away by the glittering light reflecting off the millions of small scales that covered her. She was a beautiful creature and Kaoru envied and admired her much older sister despite her teenage attitude.
"Were you daydreaming about the surface again little Kaoru?" Tae asked. Tae was one year younger than Megumi. She had a much more angled face with her hair pulled back in two segments behind her head. Her grandmother said that Tae's hair was the color of dry earth; it was something Kaoru had much wanted to see.
Kaoru ducked her head and refused to answer. But it only confirmed Tae's question.
"That's all you ever do, daydream about the surface." Tae said with a smug smile.
"So?" Kaoru snapped. It was all there was to daydream about, for it was the only thing Kaoru had never seen before, life above the water. She had heard so many stories, seen the shadows far above her when the human vessels floated overhead. She wanted to swim up there and poke her head above the water to see what could possible cast such massive shadows, like a whale. But of course it was forbidden for a mermaid her age to swim up to the surface.
"You dream of the surface so much, child." her grandmother said. Six pairs of eyes swung to the elder and the old woman smiled. "All of you dream of the surface...don't you?"
"You bet!" Misao shouted.
"Even you, Megumi, my beautiful dear." Their grandmother turned her pearl eyes to her eldest grandchild. Megumi flushed slightly and crossed her arms with a huff but she couldn't deny that she too lost time wondering about humans and life above their kingdom. The old woman chuckled at the lack of response from the teen.
"Tell us about the surface Grandmother!" said Tubame. Her voice was soft like the whisper of waves rolling across the water. Her hair was dark like Megumi's but she kept her hair held back with a band across her head. Her eyes were dark like the deepest depths of the ocean and her tail was the color of glittering black sand. It was striking against the paleness of her flesh.
Everyone, even Megumi and Tae turned their eyes to their elder with eager looks on their faces. The old mermaid could not refuse such precious faces. Her moonlight white hair fanned out almost the length of her whole body, and it swayed slightly with the soft current that flowed through their kingdom. Her tail fins were large, combined they were much larger than her frail body and as thin as new sea kelp. They and the glittering scales were the color of sea foam. The young princesses pressed closer as the old creature spoke of dry land and life on the surface.
They were stories they had heard dozens of times before, but it always intrigued them. Kaoru's large eyes grew even wider as her grandmother told them about creatures that lived on land, not just humans, but other animals. Animals the humans kept as pets and some that humans would ride. And the concept of creatures that could fly in the air was so foreign to her that she could hardly wrap her mind around it.
"When you turn fifteen, my young princesses, you'll be allowed to go to the surface for the first time." Their grandmother said, and the princesses all smiled, especially Megumi, who had hardly half a year to go before her fifteenth birthday.
Kaoru's smile faded as she looked over at her eldest sister and then to all her other elder sisters in turn. "I have to wait forever." Kaoru complained.
"Don't whine." Tae said, brushing her fingers through the segments of her hair.
"I'm not whining, I'm just saying!" Kaoru snapped back only to be gently shushed with a wave of her grandmother's hand.
"It is hard when you have so many siblings in front of you Kaoru. You may feel you have to wait twice as long as any of them, but remember that each of your sisters before you had to wait fifteen years, and so will you. But they will have stories to fill your mind while you wait dear one."
Kaoru sighed but agreed with her wise grandmother. Misao turned to Kaoru and patted her shoulder. "It's alright Kaoru. Waiting is the hardest thing, but then when we're fifteen we can go to the surface all we want."
"And I'll tell you everything i see." Tubame said.
"Now, back to our singing, girls." The old mermaid clapped her hands and at once the girls sat up straight and in unison their voices rose to travel on the water current.
... . . ...
A little less than half a year had passed from that day but Kaoru could still remember the stories her grandmother told them and the vivid images they panted in her mind. In the middle of their coral garden, the six mermaid princesses were gathered together. All of them surrounded Megumi and they covered her with gifts. At fifteen Megumi had reached adulthood and she would be allowed to go up to the surface for the first time. Her sisters covered her with homemade jewelry Weaved seaweed was wrapped around her wrists and her belly. Shell decorations were placed in her hair. Kaoru had searched far for the most beautiful sea flowers she could find and used seaweed to weave and tie them together to make a small crown to place upon her head. Megumi loved every handmade gift.
Other mermaids gathered in the garden at the center of their kingdom. Their grandmother came and in one hand she carried a bag. The girls parted from their fussing with Megumi to allow the matriarch through. The old mermaid pulled four clams from the kelp bag and made them clamp on Megumi's tail fins. Two on each fin. Megumi yelped when the first clam clamped down but held her tongue afterwards. The clams were a status symbol. They were royalty and as such must endure the pain. Only females wore the clams and they added more as the mermaid aged. Their grandmother's tail fin was lined with twenty clams, ten on each transparent fin.
Then their father, the King of merfolk appeared. His hair was the color of ink but his tail was the color of the brightest red-orange tropical fish. Kaoru watched half with fascination, half in envy as her father tied a necklace around Megumi's neck. It was made with sea gems in all colors of greens. Her father then declared that Megumi was an adult. Kaoru glance around at the crowd and noticed more than one interested face in the sea of merfolk. Suddenly Kaoru realized from here on out the kingdom was going to be swarmed with courting males as each of the princesses became of age.
Kaoru pulled out of her thoughts as the crowd swam away leaving Megumi to pick where she would surface. Kaoru wanted to stay and ask her sister where she was planning to go but the little mermaid was forced to swim away with the rest of her family. They called their good wishes to her as they left Megumi alone and in silence.
... . . ...
"Kaoru can't you sit still?" Misao clicked her tongue as she tried to weave Kaoru's hair into braids. It was coming out uneven because the youngest mermaid could not stop wiggling. The princesses were all gathered together in a rock and coral cave that sat protectively in the center of the residential neighborhood. Their royal father and grandmother lived in a coral tower next to them. Megumi had been gone a whole day. It had been impossible for Kaoru to sleep that night wondering what things Megumi was doing...what she was seeing. And when Kaoru woke that morning and found that Megumi was still not back...it killed Kaoru.
"Sorry." Kaoru muttered as she rested her hands against scales of her tail to keep from twisting her fingers together.
"There." Misao backed up with a flick of her tail "All finished."
Kaoru reached back and felt the rope of braids wrapped around her head. "Thanks Misao I bet it looks great." But before her older sister could reply Sayo gave a gasp as Megumi swam in through the wide window.
"Megumi!" They all said in unison as they rushed to surround her.
"What was it like?"
"What took you so long?
"What did you see?"
"Alright! alright." Megumi said "Give me a moment." The eldest sister pushed past her siblings and rested on a cushion of sea moss that served as her bed. Kaoru was by her side instantly.
"Please Megumi-chan...Tell us what you saw."
Megumi looked down at Kaoru, the youngest of them all and saw the pleading in her large eyes. "I went to the surface." Megumi began and her sister pressed closer. "I swam until I could just see the edge of where the giant land mountains lived. I didn't dare go to where I could see land and I went to the surface and took my first breath of air."
"What was it like?" Tubame pressed her hands together under her chin.
A dark look fluttered past Megumi's eyes; impossibly fast for any of her sisters to catch. "Hard." Was all she said. "Breathing air is hard."
"Well what did you see!" Misao shouted, unable to wait anymore.
"When I got to the surface the sun was just about to peek over the edge of the sea. The sky above was bathed in such warm colors...I can't even describe to you the shades of red and orange...and the creatures in the air." Megumi trailed off as she remembered.
Kaoru tugged at Megumi's fin. "You saw the creatures that fly in the air?"
"Yes...they moved as if swimming in the sea, like a ray… only it was in the air above the sea." Megumi confirmed.
"What was the sun like?" Sayo asked as she settled by Megumi's side.
"Bright...many times brighter than you think it is here under the sea. I stayed above water until the sun climbed so high and it became very warm, then I went back under the water and watched the flying creatures and they fell from the sky to dive in the water...after fish."
"Wow." Tubame breathed.
"I can't imagine that." Tae agreed. "Did you see any humans?"
Megumi shook her head. "No, but I can go to the surface any time I wish now…I'll have a chance to see them soon."
"When you do you must tell us about it!" Kaoru said.
"Yes, yes. I will." Megumi shooed her sisters away from her. "I've been swimming this whole time... I would like to sleep now."
The girls slowly pulled away from Megumi as she settled down. She was asleep the moment her head rested on her arm. Kaoru could only imagine what she was dreaming about now that she had seen the surface. The idea made the wait until she was of age all the more unbearable.
A/n How was the first chapter? A Little strange I think. I couldn't think of a way to start the story other than a throwback to the original Little Mermaid story. I'm excited for when out littlest mermaid meets her Prince! Please review, I know there isn't much in this chapter, but I would like to know if I should keep going with it. Thanks for reading!