Chapter 1: The Mermaid Named Rychi
Gino woke with a start. Where was he? He sat up slowly and surveyed his surroundings. He seemed to have washed up on a slab of stone, somewhere in the middle of the ocean. He looked around. Nothing but blue greeted him. Great. This is where he'd spend the rest of his life, which probably was about another few days. He turned his head to the side and ridded himself of the bile and seawater that had gathered in his stomach, and was startled to find he wasn't alone. No sooner than his gaze lowered onto a pair of shining crystal blue eyes, did they grow wide, a gasp following before the otherwise shadowy figure disappearing into the murky depths. He blinked and crawled over to the ledge of the water, wondering if he was seeing things. It was his turn to gasp, however, when he found himself staring into the face of one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. She had rosy skin, and long, cerulean blue hair the color of the true sea itself, fanned out about her shoulders in the water, and a necklace of beautiful miniature shells about her neck. He blushed and gulped, which caused her to smile and giggle slightly. "Uh, hi," Gino stammered, suddenly feeling as if he were back in the palace. "Hi yourself, young prince," she answered, moving to the side of him and resting her elbows on the ledge, looking at him intently. Gino blinked. "You know me?" The girl nodded, adding with a grin, "Who doesn't?" Gino blinked again, and feeling a bit awkward, pushed his bangs back and looked at her. "You saved me, right?" She blushed modestly. "I didn't do THAT much. I found you in the sea two nights ago, and it was all I could do. I mean, who wouldn't have?" 'I know who wouldn't have,' Gino thought grimly, the image of two beautiful, yet sinister looking women, the whole reason he was where he was. "Do you know what happened to me?" he asked suddenly. It was her turn to blink. She then shook her head, causing the water to ripple around her form. "No, I don't, to be honest. The only thing I knew was a shadowy figure, dumping you over the side of a boat, another shadowy figure standing over the other." Gino swallowed hard at the possibility of who those two figures were. It was because he had heard their plan, the two women…
"I need to get back home," he muttered, his eyes flickering with determination. He moved to stand, but was knocked back to his feet. He blinked in surprise, and she stared up at him with wide eyes. "Silly mortal! You're too weak!" the girl said with a soft giggle, and he looked at her strangely for a moment. "What do you mean by that?" She giggled again. "You mean you didn't know?" She pushed back from the ledge, then wiggled a bit in the water, and the tip of a long, almost transparent midnight blue fin became visible. Gino's eyes widened, and he gawked for a moment. With a trembling hand, he pointed in disbelief. "You-You're a-a…" "Mermaid. Yes." she finished, smiling widely at his reaction as she came back to lean on the ledge again. Gino was quiet for a moment. Then, he fell back, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at her plainly. "Makes as much sense as anything else in this world." At this, she giggled again, and he realized something. "Hey-you know me and my name, but you never told me yours…" She nodded. "Many apologies young prince, I am the maiden they call Rychi." At this she dipped her head in a small bow, and he let out a soft laughter. "Please, call me Gino. I'd prefer it." Rychi lifted her head and blinked, then nodded, smiling and blushing. "But of course, young pri- I mean, Gino." They shared a laugh, then he looked about him. "So what course of action do you think I should take now? I need to get back home, and quickly right a wrong before any more damage is done, but as you've said, I'm too weak. So what to do?" Rychi moved into the classic thinking position, her chin resting on her hands, biting her lower lip in deep thought. Suddenly, it struck her. "Oh! Why don't you stay with me? Just for a while, so you can regain your strength." Gino blinked, then let out a soft chuckle. "That'd be a perfect idea, except for the fact that for me to stay with you, I'd have to be able to breath under water, or something to that effect." Rychi chuckled and smiled, looking at Gino as if she knew a secret.
"Aha, but there is a way." He lifted his head and stared at her curiously. "How?" Rychi looked about herself, then motioned for him to come closer. Gino blinked, then scooched towards her. When he was mere centimeters away from the water, she dived back under the dark blue of the water. Gino blinked, wondering what she was up to when she suddenly emerged from the water, and catching his face in her hands, kissed him softly. Gino, caught off guard and not particularly knowing what to do, did what any other man would do in his position: kissed her back. She gently let go, and smiled sweetly at him as he stared back at her in a daze. "Well, that was nice, but what was it for?" he asked, blushing. She grinned again, and not speaking, took one of his arms and tugged him into the water. There was a loud splash, and after wiping the water out of his eyes which surprisingly didn't burn, Gino caught on. He stared at Rychi curiously. "Secret mermaid trick that'll allow me to breath under water?" Rychi chuckled. "Or something to that effect. Now come on! I can't wait to show you the sea…" With that, the grip she had on Gino's hand tightened, and without any further warning, tugged Gino into the depths of the sea.