"…but surely woman rose from the frothy sea, as resplendent as Aphrodite on her scalloped chariot."
― Margot Datz, A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids
Kougyoku hid beneath an underwater out-cropping, peeking out her head to spy on the dark shapes that meandered across the ocean's surface. She'd never been so close to shore, her king all but forbidding such proximity. But the dark blots came further out to sea than they ever had, and she'd followed their trail back to the coast in her curiosity, hoping to learn more. Surely Kouen would understand…
A muted splash drew her attention back to the area above her where she saw something descending toward the ocean floor. Had they spotted her?! Or were they just drawing up water? She'd heard the creatures above the sea did need water to survive, though she didn't know how something with such large holes would hold it.
Kougyoku gaped in horror as a small school of fish swam into the trap, their tiny screams carrying with the current as they were hauled up toward the surface.
They would die!
Oh, what should she do? Her brothers would say it wasn't her place to rescue a bunch of small fish that weren't even palace servants. They were nothing more than occasional food and that a princess was above such heroics.
They would also say her heart was too big for her own good.
She darted out from her hiding place, racing to get to the fish before they breached the surface. Clutching the ropes, she swam down with all her might. The net held fast as she pulled down while another force pulled up. If only she could reach her hairpin…but letting go would give her a serious disadvantage. She had barely enough strength to hold on with both hands, let alone just one.
Muffled noises came from above the surface. The dark shape on the water sent out-of-place vibrations through the current, making her dizzy. She watched as a smaller dark blot detached itself from the larger. This…is a vessel of some sort, she noted in the back of her mind.
The smaller shape dove into the water, bubbles surrounding it and obscuring her view. When they cleared she found…the most odd creature she had ever seen.
It almost looked like it should have been a mermaid, but instead of a tail it had two…legs. At least, she assumed they were legs. They didn't look like any crab or lobster legs she had ever seen. But its long violet hair was pulled back into a tail, swirling in the wake of its dive, and as it stared back at her she noticed its eyes were warm gold. Like the volcanoes that created pockets of heat in the freezing depths of the ocean. Gold hoops hung from its ears and a small knife was gripped in one hand. Its cheeks were puffed out like a blow fish and around its waist and legs was a funny sort of cloth that reached almost to its feet.
She didn't know whether to be delighted by this funny-looking creature or horrified. Actually, she almost felt sorry for it because the poor thing didn't have any fins. Almost because it began to swim toward her.