~Prologue~

TOSHINORI

I was fifteen the first time I saw one. And the first time I saw one, I couldn't believe it. For surely what I had seen was nothing short of a fairytale. It was just like the ones from the stories. Just like the ones right out of your taboo dreams. She sat on the rock in the light of the dying sun, brushing her hair with a comb made of bone. She had a lean, slender body, pale in tone, and dappled with silvery watery droplets that made her skin sparkle in the harsh afternoon sun. Her hair was long and golden, plastered to her pale, well-sculpted face with flawless features, and extending downwards into liquid gold pools over her oddly flat chest. Her human torso disappeared into a long fish tail that was as green as the very water she had smoothly slid out of to bask in the dying light of day.

However, it was when she started humming that I realized that there was one thing that set her apart from all the typical ones of legend. Her voice was deep. It had been a known fact by sailors that the sirens had smooth, deep voices, but this one's voice was far too deep. It was only then I realized that this siren was not female…but male. Yet he was still just as beautiful, nonetheless.

His soft voice began to climb higher in volume, and soon it echoed so loudly that it drowned out all other sounds around me. No longer could I hear the cry of gulls, the distant murmur of fishmongers, the far-away call of Nana as she tried to coax me home with the promise of dinner, and the waves crashing endlessly upon the shore. For I was surrounded by the beautifully haunting melody that filled me with delight. The sensation I received in response was comfortingly numbing. It enveloped me like a warm blanket, calming me to a point of a drug induced haze. And I no longer had control over my own movements.

All I wanted now was to be closer, closer…I wanted to hear it more, more…and louder too. I wanted this merman to take me into his arms and sing me into a dreamless, stone dead sleep. I wanted to touch him…to feel his smooth skin and silken gold hair…to be close to him for eternity so I would never have to stop listening to his beautiful voice…

I was walking through the water towards the rock where he sat, in the dead of winter, completely unresponsive to the freezing numbness of the icy ocean water. I couldn't feel anything but the burning desire inside of me now.

I was knee deep in water, but I didn't cease to go. I was so close I could reach out with my long arm and run my fingers through his golden hair.

And then the world went silent. The singing stopped. And I froze. He could sense me, I knew. His webbed ears twitched and slowly he turned to face me, phosphorescent green eyes bore into mine.

And he hissed- a sound harsh and horribly ear piercing.

"I keep forgetting my singing draws people to me…" he said.

His voice was shrill…at least shriller than you'd expect, but somehow it still had that melodic smoothness, and I continued to move towards him.

"Sorry sailor, but I'm vegetarian, yo. So, I won't be eating you or seducing you further than this...damn…I really should listen to Shota and not sing so casually so close to shore…"

I was climbing up on the rock now.

"Hey! Wake up, Sailor!" the beautiful merman shrilled. But all it sounded like to me was more music to my ears.

Suddenly, I heard a splash, followed by a loud hiss. Before I could even think twice about what was happening, another body- this one cold, wet, and slimy, slammed into me, hitching my breath, and knocking me off the rock and into the freezing water. My back painfully scraped against some sharp rocks underneath the surface. My eyes went wide, a strong, heavy form slammed into me, and another mercreature loomed over me. This one was much more animalistic than the first. He bared sharp teeth, and dark hair framed a pale, scruffy face with eyes blazing wide and crimson. Sharp claws dug into my shoulders, and he rounded on me, snapping his teeth and slapping a sandpaper tail against my bare calves.

It was only then I had realized what had happened, and I wriggled and protested, pleading, "Wait! Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean any harm! I wasn't going to—I lost control of my—"

Without loosening his grip on me, the dark-haired merman called to the other in an alarmed series of dolphin-like clicks and cries. I continued to plead and protest to no avail. The merman clawed and tousled me, his sharp tail tearing against my skin, a stinging sensation filling the wounds as salt from the ocean water seeped in.

"Toshi! Toshi!" I heard several voices off in the distant, and it did not take me long to realize that my paternal figures were flying down the beach towards me.

"One of those wretched creatures has Toshi!" Nana exclaimed.

"I'll shoot it!" Mr. Shimura added.

No! It was my fault this happened! I can't let them hurt the merman! Even if he is trying to maul me right now!

I hissed in pain as a clawed hand tore more burning red gashes into my skin.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him! Let go!" I cried. The creature would not relent, giving me no choice but to fight back.

Through a painful effort of writhing and pulling, I managed to pry him off me. After getting a firm grip on him, I flung him away and he crashed into the shallow water with a mighty splash.

Immediately, I scrambled up, despite the searing pain I was in and made a b-line towards the beach. I glanced over my shoulder, wide blue gaze fixed for a moment. The merman slowly pulled himself up and clung onto a small rock, heaving, and watching me with blazing red eyes to make sure I didn't get too close again but making no move to attack me. Thank God…

I sped up.

That was when Mr. Shimura's gun went off.

NO!

A violent hiss and another splash cut into the air. I stopped and whipped around. There was a flick of scarlet tail, and the merman was gone, followed by a trail of blood. All I could do was stare in horror.

"Toshi! Toshi, my dear, thank goodness you're alright!" Nana sprinted across the beach and embraced me tightly. I returned the gesture for a fleeting moment, but then I stiffened again, and she let go. "oh, but you're bleeding! We'll get that taken care of right away."

Mr. Shimura joined her and I immediately averted my gaze.

"You have to be careful, son! How many more times must we warn you about those sea demons!?"

"Why did you shoot him, Shimura-san?" I half-demanded, blue eyes ablaze.

"He was attacking you, boy. He would've dragged you to the depths and devoured you if I hadn't."

"But you shot him after the fact!" I exclaimed, "He didn't try to attack me again after I broke free and ran off! It wasn't his fault! He was just looking out for his friend. It was my fault, I went too close."

"They're just creatures." He said.

My glare intensified.

Mr. Shimura let out an exasperated sigh. "Always the Samaritan, aren't ya, Toshi?"

"Who else is gonna be if not me?"

"Just be more careful next time." Nana tried to help the situation.

"And if it helps anything, I think I missed anyway." Mr. Shimura added.

"No, you didn't! There was blood, you hit him!" I exclaimed.

"Even so, it still missed the mark. Probably got him in the shoulder, I'd imagine."

I sure hope that's all it did. I thought bitterly.

A warm, gentle hand touched my shoulder, "Come on, Toshi," Nana was speaking again, "Let's go home now. You've had a scare and could use some nice dinner and a warm bath."

Without any better choice, I relented, and my surrogate mother figure led my limping form away from the beach and towards home.

-xXx-

SHOTA

"Shota! Shota!" Hizashi's voice rang clear across the water and he was swimming towards me again. I glared daggers at the dumb blonde, clutching the bloody shoulder that had gone from a searing sting to heavy numbness. He came around the back, keeping an arm around me for support.

"Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing. You can let go." I tried to shrug him off, but he wouldn't relent.

"You're bleeding! We gotta get you to Chiyo-sama before a shark smells the blood and comes after us! Come on!" he tried to urge me along. At this point I shoved him off me. He fell against one of the rocks.

"Woah! Hey! What's with the cold reception?"

"What were you thinking, idiot?" I demanded through gritted teeth, "How many times have I told you not to sing so close to shore?"

"I know, I keep forgetting, I'm sorry."

"You keep getting way to close to humans, and you know it. You could've been the one that got hit by that bullet. You're lucky I was there to take that shot for you and to defend you from that boy."

"I get the point, Shota. Just…please calm down. You're gonna overexert yourself."

"Stop being so reckless, then, Hizashi, and this won't happen." I said, continuing to glare.

In a fluid motion, he moved forward and embraced me. I stiffened.

"I really am sorry." He murmured, "Now please, let me take you to Chiyo-sama so she can patch you up."

I huffed. "Fine."