"Shizuo, I hear there's a circus in town." Tom brought up during their break.
The blond dressed as a bartender lifted an eyebrow. "So? What's that got to do with the job?"
"Our client wants us to meet him at this circus performance. Says he'll get the money by the end of the show." Tom explained "Besides we get to see the show for free. I've heard it's something a man should see at least once in his lifetime."
"Is it really that great?" Shizuo asked not in the least interested taking a puff of his cigarette.
"Apparently she's an amazing performer. Not sure if all of it is real though. It's an exclusive performance that seems to always be sold out quite quickly." Tom recalled from a flier.
"When is this performance?"
Tom smiled sheepishly. "…Today"
"Let's get this over with." Shizuo grumbled not liking the short notice. "You owe me lunch."
The performance was being held at the aquarium using the tank where the dolphins made their performances.
"Of course." Tom chuckled.
It was a ten minute walk that didn't last very long. When they made it to the dolphin tank they were welcomed by the three dolphins swimming within the tank. They made squeaking sounds but they were much more urgent than usual.
Tom frowned "Strange, aren't dolphins a bit more playful?"
The dolphins seemed to be swimming in one specific spot as if they wanted Tom and Shizuo to take notice of. Shizuo turned his gaze realizing there was something shaking on the ground wet and scaly.
Shizuo took a few steps forward to get a better view at what was there.
"Shizuo where are you going?"
"There's something over here." Shizuo answered.
At a closer look it wasn't an 'it' he was looking it.
It was a 'she.'
What first made him make a double take was her dark red hair splayed around her pale form. She was wearing what looked like a corset for a water stage decorated in glass beads and graceful metallic patterns all over the piece. Her eyes were closed as if she was writhing in pain at the lack of water. What made her different from different women was the fact she had a scaly, metallic blue tail rather than a pair of two legs.
She was clutching her neck so desperately as if she was having a hard time breathing. Her ragged breathing was loud like she was dying.
Rather than looking like a mystical creature of the deep.
… How could he describe it...
It was like watching a flopping fish out of water. She didn't belong on dry land.
"She looks like she's in pain." Tom noticed. "Maybe she needs an ambulance."
Instead of an ambulance, he thought, she looks like she needs water even more.
Shizuo stepped closer to the young woman looming over her slender form. He reached a hand towards her around her middle and hoisted her over his shoulder.
Without warning, Shizuo had easily repositioned her in his arms to throw back causing Tom to yell.
"Shizuo WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
But it was already too late, he already lifted had the so called mermaid into his arms ready to fling back into the dolphin tank.
He took a step back and threw her small body over his shoulder. To the naked eye all a person could see was a flash of red hair and green scales being thrown up high and then falling into the tank with a loud *SPLASH*
"Shizuo, do you know what you just did?"
"I put her back in the water." Shizuo answered not seeing anything wrong with his actions.
"You threw her back in like a fisherman would." Tom shook his head at Shizuo's lack of delicacy. "What are the workers gonna say if they saw how you treated her."
"She looked like she needed water." Shizuo protested. "Because she's a mermaid right?"
"That's still not how you treat a person even if she is a mermaid." Tom sighed.
But there was a tinkle of laughter coming from the tank.
Shizuo looked up just to make sure it wasn't the dolphins laughing, but instead he was sprayed with water by the dolphin trio.
"You little shits, does she mean that much to you?" Shizuo grumbled pulling the blue sunglasses off his nose. He used the hem of his button to wipe the water off the lens. He ignored the dolphins following Tom to gods knows where, but there was something oddly strange about this 'mermaid.'
When he had picked her up, he noticed a small detail that bothered him.
Underneath all those scales, he could distinctly feel that behind the tail...
She had two legs.
Sometimes dolphins were way too playful for their own good. She thought to herself.
How could she have fallen out of the tank so easily?
It was a mystery to even her.
She sighed wondering how she was going to get back in the tank with the other dolphins. With how heavy this tail was it was difficult to maneuver around with.
She had heard voices, both seemingly male.
One was rough and the other more calm and collected.
She could feel warm arms around her making her feel strangely warm inside.
However, she never expected a blond bartender would be able to throw her singlehandedly into the tall tank. She only had her eyes open for a split second when she found her self airborne about ten meters above the tank before making a gigantic splash into the tank. The relief to her lungs was fast acting that allowed her to make logical decisions.
"Miss, Boss wants to see you." One of the workers said.
The red head nodded and swam towards the surface near the ground the boss was standing at. But there was something different about this man. He didn't look like her usual boss, he looked more like Mafia or Yakuza than a circus ring master.
He wore a white suit with a black button up and he seemed calm and collected. He bent down to her level and extended his hand.
"It's nice to meet you ningyu-san. My name is Shiki."
She observed his body language deciding whether this man and his two bodyguards would be a threat to her.
They were obviously dangerous in a sense, but they weren't all bad.
She revealed an innocent smile to the men that should have been considered heartbreaking if it weren't the fact they were gangsters.
She accepted Shiki's handshake with her own. Compared to her cooler temperature Shiki had a much warmer presence.
"I just came here to warn you, you see there seems to be people following you. You father wanted me to give you this." Shiki explained handing her a box. She in return frowned not sure what he meant by following her.
There really wasn't anything special about her. She had other sisters who were much more note worthy than her.
"We're not too sure either." Shiki answered. "But in case something happens, he says to use it."
She nodded slowly not sure what her father .
Shiki smiled "Well good luck with the show."
She waved goodbye sinking back into the water awaiting her time before the big show.
After the show she hoped she could thank the man in person. But would he ignore her? Would it bother him?
All these negative thoughts kept swirling in her mind.
"Eek, Eeek" The dolphins tried to communicate in a rushed and urgent tone.
She frowned, most people wouldn't be able to understand what they were saying but to her it was crystal clear.
They were screaming DANGER.
She had a cold feeling that someone was behind her, but when she turned around there was no one there except her and the dolphins.
"Little sis! Are you ready?" One of her elder sisters yelled from the bleachers.
She turned her head at the sound of her sister's voice. She gave a thumbs up indicating her response.
But what she had failed to realize that another strange character had shown up watching from afar with that trademark smirk on his face.
The man murmured devilishly toying with his blade. "Well then ningyu-san"
"Let the show begin."
I keep changing my mind, but I decided to drop Disarray Of Fairytales and start over from scratch.
Review or comment on what you think and I'm almost done the chapter for To Be Used By Her.
Oh below this author's note is I guess a little cliffhanger to the next chapter? So keep reading to the end.
Thanks for reading:)
"Why the sudden interest Orihara?" Shiki asked backstage. "It doesn't seem like you."
Izaya on the other hand was amused at Shiki's question. "Really, I think she's the perfect candidate."
"For what exactly?"
The shady informant smirked watching as Shizu-chan took his seat in the bleachers. "I'm just curious about the rumours of this so called mermaid."
The young man paced around while fingering his blades.
"If my guess is right" Izaya mused "Then it won't be long until I finally break this stalemate."
Shiki watched as the Eskimo chuckled to himself in an almost crazed way as if the excitement was unbearable. Things were becoming dangerous when ideas ran through this young man's mind. But even Shiki could understand what 'stalemate' Orihara was talking about.
"You mean Shizuo Heiwajima."
It wasn't a big secret that the two hated each other's guts and they were set on killing each other.
"If things go well I won't even need to lift a finger." Izaya laughed at the irony.
"I still don't see why you're so interested in her." Shiki couldn't follow this sociopath's thinking but that didn't faze Izaya.
"The answer is simple really," Izaya smiled in that disturbing way as if he knew the end of your demise and pointed to the blond bartender in the crowd.
"She's the only person alive who can kill that monster."