The waves were getting pretty strong. "The tide must be coming" Michiru thought to herself. She swam a little more purposefully, yet still taking the time to admire the scenery beneath her. The coral reefs, the schools of fish saying hello; to which she would give a friendly nod to; the seaweed moving with the current. The ocean was her home and she loved every part of it. It was getting a little darker as dusk approached. She quickened her pace, she wanted to get to her destination before the sun set. She came close to shore and broke the surface. Pulling herself onto a large rock, she sat down, the scales on her tail reflecting a show of light onto the sand in mesmerizing beauty. Seagulls cawed in the distance and the tide splashed over her head sweeping into shore with a power that would have sent a human under effortlessly. Not a mermaid like Michiru. Not a graceful amphibian of the sea. And certainly not a princess, daughter of Poseiden. She sighed contentedly.

Admiring all around her, she looked to the right and watched in the far distance the boats docking for the end of the day. Her father and sisters hated the humans, catching their people and eating them for dinner. How rude and barbaric, they thought, what if we did the same to them? Luring them in with our song and catching them to feast on, they wouldn't think to highly of us now would they? The irony was many the legends that mermaids did just that. Perhaps not the eating them part, literally at least, but to lure them under, feed on their souls, use them for sex, then leave them to die. Fisherman had long referred to mermaids as "dangerous sirens of the sea" and legends warned them not to head to far out after dark lest they be captured.

In truth it mattered not what time of day they came near, if a mermaid truly wanted to she could call anyone in with her song and they would be helpless. Not that it mattered, most mermaids lacked the desire to do such a thing, the few times it had happened in the past few hundred years it was mostly the curiosity of how powerful their song was to a human, or innocent desire to be with one ending badly, as humans can't breathe underwater forever, even with a powerful mermaid charm. They were creatures of the land as merfolk were creatures of the sea. To defy nature long enough would have dire consequences for either, her father would warn her as a young girl.

Michiru came here every night. The atmosphere put her at ease and she would curiously watch the silly humans in the distance to learn more about them. They seemed so strange in some ways, and yet similar to the merfolk. She looked down and saw a lobster on her tail. She giggled. "Yes, I suppose I should head back soon. I'll catch up with you, I want to stay a little longer" The lobster crawled of her tail back into the sea and swam away.

She looked up at the shore and saw a boy walking across it. She froze. Michiru was a fair distance from the shore, but if she was seen there would be dire consequences. Humans had long discounted the merfolk's existence as legend, mostly because her father had forbayed anyone of Mer decent from approaching a thousand feet from the shore long ago, eons before her or this boy's time. Not that Michiru cared to listen to her father's law, Nobody ever learned anything without exploring she would think to herself.

She slipped off then ducked behind the rock, her head peeking out ever so slightly so she could still see the human. She should have swam as deep and far as quickly as she possibly could she thought. But she was intrigued. She had never seen a human this close before and couldn't peel herself away. She stared in awe and wonder.

A voice called over the distance "Haruka, what the hell are you doing all the way out there? Your brother and I are heading back to town, if you want a ride I suggest you get your ass back here" "In a minute, I'm coming" Haruka called back. "Haruka.." Michiru whispered to herself. Haruka looked over the ocean. Michiru froze and held her breath, hoping beyond hope the handsome lanky boy hadn't seen or heard her, she could only imagine the punishment her father would give her.

But her fear was unfounded, Haruka turned and ran back to the docks. The sun was setting onto the ocean as Haruka grew further and further from Michiru. She sighed dreamily. Once there was no one in her sight any longer, she swam home as quickly as she could.

Once she reached the palace cave, her father swam out from her crowded sisters. "Where were you Michiru? I was worried sick, you are my youngest daughter, Only 16, a baby!" He punctuated the end and her sisters murmered in agreement behind him "So many things can happen to you in the vast ocean, many of your sisters have been eaten by unfriendly sharks or been caught in a typhoon beyond my power" His eyes grew mistly and his expression pained, "Lest we ever forget Utena… " Michiru bit her lip and ran her fingers through her wavy hair. She knew all too well the story of her sister Utena.

Young and naïve at 14, even younger than Michiru, Utena was similarly as curious as Michiru. She was swimming through the ocean beyond the kingdom's border when a very large box jellyfish with a vendetta against her father attacked. She swam as far away as she could until she reached a far away shore. There she saw a human girl her age. Exotic and beautiful with long wavy purple hair, she was enthralled. She swam back often, and though cautious her father and older sisters thought it cute her innocent crush on the human girl, and saw no danger as even if the girl did tell, no one would believe a 14 year old girl claiming to have met a mermaid. They became best of friends. Eventually though, nature showed it's ugly side. Natural sexual attraction gave way to the uncontrollable urge, the Siren Song. Utena called her into the sea. When the humans found of her existence through searching for their missing child, they killed her brutally despite the cries of her lover. War raged as the Merfolk and Fish grieved the loss of their sweet and innocent tomboyish princess. Rightfully disgusted at the humans, they wanted them to suffer as they had. It only ended when an agreement was made. One Michiru had never agreed with when told the story of so long ago. Utena's lover was sacrificed and killed by the sea people in return for the human's safety.

And her father made the law about Merfolk nearing the shore to prevent another tradgedy, as well as in anger at the loss of his beloved youngest daughter. A position which Michiru now held the burden of. Teary at remembering the story of her deceased sister she never had the chance to meet, Michiru cried out to her father "I would never end up like Utena, I'm smarter than that" She swam away angrily to her room. Though nobody would dare speak ill of her sister, in front of Poseiden especially, the older of her sisters would sometimes reminisce lovingly of her, and of her trademark intelligence level. "A lovable idiot" they would say, tears in their eyes "The most lovable and painfully stupid" laughing still, pain in her eyes, her sister had told her "She asked me if the Trident was our brother" "When she was young?" Michiru remembered giggling "No, it was a few days before her passing" she spoke softly

Michiru buried her face into her pillow, sad at remembering the story that haunted her as a child. But also remembering the cute boy who was so close to her earlier. "I'm not like her, I wouldn't talk to him or even let myself be seen. I wouldn't reveal myself to a human" she thought to herself. She flicked her tail as she remembered the pretty boy's name "Haruka..." she said out loud, the giggled and flipped over onto her back

As the day broke, She left the palace as soon as she was awake and ready. "What's the rush darling" her father called out with a boisterous laugh. Michiru laughed nervously, "No, just going to meet a friend" One her sisters smirked and retorted "A friend huh, to wake the princess of slumber this early, he must be quite the charmer" Michiru responded evenly "It's not like that" before turning and swimming away, unwilling to wait longer before darting out. Poseiden laughed once more, "She is around that age isn't she?"

Michiru had never made it to the shore this fast before. She panted as she pulled herself onto the rock. She knew her chances of seeing Haruka were slim, but she didn't care. She just wanted desperately to see him again. Luck appeared to be on her side however. He walked across the beach and sat at the edge of the water wind blowing his dirty blond hair back. Michiru was so close she held her breath to keep from being heard, which was easy, breathing above water was simply habit, as long as her tail was underwater she could breathe with her gills. Haruka smiled as the wind blew harder, and leaned back on his hands. In that position Michiru could make out something she couldn't before. Breasts . She gasped.

Haruka opened her eyes and turned quickly behind her to see who was there. When nobody was to be found, she looked out at the sea. She made out aqua hair just above the surface. "Who's there" Haruka called out uncertainly Michiru lifted her face above water, terrified. "How long have you been there?" Haruka called, smiling coyly and not sounding disturbed in the least. Michiru reaslized she must've thought she was human. She tried to play cool. "Ah, not long" She giggled nervously and clung to the rock. "You must've been there for a while, and in this strong current too. I've never met a pretty girl that strong" Michiru felt the blood rush to her face. Haruka continued "Come in, I was just about to have lunch, I have extra if you're hungry" She smiled warmly towards Michiru. "Umm.." Michiru had no idea what to do. She was as good as caught.

"How good are you at keeping secrets?" She couldn't believe what she was doing "Uh, what, why would you ask that?" Haruka looked confusedly at her "If you saw something you wouldn't believe, would you tell?" Michiru asked, her heart pounding hard in her chest. "I suppose it would depend on the circumstance" Haruka answered thoughtfully.

Michiru swam ever so slowly to the shore, looking down. When she reached the edge she looked up at Haruka and smiled nervously before allowing her tail to rise above the water. Haruka froze, her eyes wide, stunned. "The rumors are true" she breathed "the crazy old fisherman was right, the sirens do exist and show up to lure you to the sea" "No!" Michiru cried "I would never do that, I just wanted to see you again, I would never use the song on you!" Tears streamed down her face, looking down Haruka tentatively crouched to her knees, before wiping the tears from her face "You don't look like an evil seductress, you're too cute and innocent looking" Haruka smiled "I guess maybe you aren't all like that" Michiru looked up at Haruka "None of us are, we only use the song when we're in love, it's a mating ritual, but it's too powerful to use on humans, they become hypnotized" Michiru looked down again "Nobody is trying to hurt anyone. But then humans got scared and started attacking us for no reason, one of my sisters was even killed simply for an innocent first love" Haruka looked at Michiru "It was over a hundred years ago anyone claimed to see a mermaid, how old are you?" Haruka looked in amazement "I'm only 16" Michiru replied "But some of my sisters were alive then, we live for a very long time, especially royalty like me" She looked at the mirror in her bag "Our powers keep us eternal"

Haruka had edged in closer, fascinated and enthralled with the beautiful creature and the fascinating details of her kind. She was an inch from MIchiru's face, and whispered "Tell me more" Michiru blushed again "Only if you tell me about humans" Haruka looked in surpise at her "You don't know about humans?" before Michiru could respond Haruka spoke again "Well it's not like you could grow legs and come talk to us or anything" She laughed at her own humor then stopped abruptly "wait, can you?" Michiru laughed this time "No, I don't think it works like that"