A/N: Another request finished up :D Next is ElisexZyra…which I'm still working out, but it's been a productive week so far, so I'll get on it and try to finish it quick. As always, feel free to send requests, hit favorite/review, yadda yadda yadda…You guys know how this works now.

Cheers!

P.S. Listen to 'Under the Sea' from the Little Mermaid while you read. Just trust me on this.

***
In a small inlet, away from the hustle and bustle of the towns and cities, a young Marai woman floated on her back, staring at the clouds as they went by. Contrary to popular belief, the ocean was not a quiet place; it was filled with sounds and movements that you could never hear above sea level, always busy with life unseen. The sea and quiet were never truly one in the same.

So the young Marai took these quiet moments wherever she could, listening to the way of world she still had not yet fully experienced. There were sights and sounds and colors that painted the world a different hue, and her eyes hadn't even seen the entire work yet. It only made it that much better that she had found someone to be her guide.

Without feet, Cassiopeia had a latent ability to sneak next to people without being seen, the swish of her tail nowhere near as heavy as a foot to the forest grass. So when Nami was swimming in relaxed circles, enjoying life as she always did, the sight of Cassiopeia suddenly standing above her with a smirk caused her to flip in surprise and dive underwater. When she broke the surface, she saw Cassie now had a less-than-amused look on her face, having been splashed with water by Nami's tail.

"Oh my gosh!" Nami swam to the edge of the water and pulled herself out, trying to dry the water from the snake woman's face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were there and I was shocked and-" A finger to her lips cut her off, but there was no hiding the look of apology on her face, like a child caught in a forbidden act. "Now, I'm going to move my finger," Cassiopeia explained. "And when I do, all will be forgiven, understand?" Nami nodded to the best of her ability, and when the finger left her lips, Nami exhaled the woman and hugged her, her olive branch of peace after her mistake.

Really, as she took in the feel of both skin and scales, Nami would never understand how Cassie put up with her. Cassiopeia was a mature adult, who drank wine and listened to classical music, and was more attractive than half the humans Nami came across. Nami, however, was still trying to understand why people covered themselves in whale barf(Cassie had explained to her that Ambergris, which was produced in whale stomach, was a common ingredient in perfumes). She was young and curious, and desired to see every inch of this new world. They were opposite in every sense of the word, yet somehow this drew them together.

If they had any true similarities, it was loneliness. Cassiopeia had never explained why she kept to herself, but simply told her that no one trusted snakes. Nami came from the ocean, just like Nautilus, and somehow they were put into the same basket. She didn't carry an anchor and threaten to drag people to the bottom of the ocean, but they were born from the deep, and that meant neither of them could be trusted. So she explored the world alone, wide-eyed with curiosity and fear. And it was that curiosity that led her to accept Cassie's offer of companionship one the loneliest of those lonely, curious days.

"If I may ask," Cassiopeia began, once she pulled away. "What exactly brings us all the way out here?"
"I," Nami said proudly, "am going to teach you how to swim."
Cassie gave the woman the best 'you are insane' look she could manage. "Snakes don't swim, Nami. We've been over this."

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me." When Cassie still appeared apprehensious, Nami continued, "When I was sitting alone on the beach that night, unsure if I wanted to stay or not, I trusted you when you told me there was more to the world than the people in it. You can do this Cassie, but you just have to trust me." Nami still hadn't forgotten the day she watched the moon reflect off the water. She'd been crying, feeling stupid that she had even considered leaving her people, and even worse when she realized she would be returning a failure. She began to move towards the water when a voice she had never heard before asked, "Leaving so soon?"

Warily, Cassiopeia eyed the inlet behind them, with Nami sure she would say no. But somehow, whether it was trust or faith, she nodded her head. "Please just…don't let me drown."
"Promise!" Only vaguely aware she was putting Cassiopeia's life in her hands, Nami slid back into the water and held out her hands. "We'll go slow, just take a deep breath and…walk?" Maybe swish was the right word; she wasn't sure. Nevertheless, Cassie sat on the edge of the bank, gingerly lowering herself into the water until her stomach below was submerged. Nami's hands clasped tightly around the woman's waist, sliding her tail under Cassie's to help carry the weight.

As she expected, Cassiopeia could float, but couldn't control her body. Despite the fact Nami held on tightly, she eyed the water with a look of fear, something the Tidecaller had never seen in her eyes before. "I really, really don't think this is a good idea-" Cassie began, only for Nami to kiss her before she could finish. When she pulled away, the roles were reversed; she was calm, and now Nami was shaking.
"Are you the one that doesn't know how to swim now?"

Words deserted Nami's mouth. She had been waiting to do that for a very long time, and now that she did, her tongue swallowed itself. She pointed to her staff a few feet away. "I need…need get that." Cassiopeia laughed and nodded, growing used to the cold water little by little. With the other woman firmly in her grasp, Nami carefully used her tail to push herself towards her staff. "You know, this actually kind of nice," Cassie admitted, relaxing the death grip she held around Nami's waist. "I'm usually the one carrying other people."

For a moment, Nami considered holding off on her staff, just flitting above the water with Cassiopeia. There was something oddly interesting about sharing a small body of water with someone. But she knew that she couldn't hold on forever, and besides, if her plan worked, it would be much more fun than simply skimming the water. The key word however, was 'if.' Nami had never channeled this spell for so long; there was a very good chance she would drain all of her mana, and then some. If that happened…Nami could wave goodbye to both land and sea.

When she reached the staff, she took one hand off of Cassiopeia's waist and held it tight, raising it above the both of her heads. "Take a deep breath," Nami cautioned. "This will be a little weird, but it'll be fun once you've gotten used to it." From the tip, she launched her Aqua Prison- a 'bubble' according to the landstriders- into the air, and it came down upon both of them, locking them inside.

Carefully, Cassiopeia touched the end of the bubble. Even when she pressed her hand against it, it held firm. "Is this the surprise?" She asked, slightly confused.
"Almost," Nami told her, pressing her staff outside the prison. It pierced the bubble, but the structure held firm, not letting an ounce of water get inside. "Now hold onto me really tight." Cassiopeia did as she was told, and Nami's body temperature rose, being so close to her in such a confined setting.

"You're burning up," Cassiopeia noticed, seeing as Nami was now sweating. "It doesn't make you…nervous, being so close to me, does it?"
"What? No, not… no way, absolutely not. I… I'm babbling, aren't I?" When the serpent nodded, Nami felt her face flush. Without returning her gaze, Nami held the woman tight and, without so much as a countdown, pulled herself backwards, tilting the bubble underwater.

If Cassiopeia had been scared at all, she didn't show it. She simply pressed her head into the crook of Nami's neck(Something that made the Tidecaller even warmer, even while tilting 360 degrees) and waited for the movement to stop. The inlet was surprisingly deep, and the bubble stopped only a few feet from the bottom. Once they did, Nami smiled at the sight of Cassie in genuine awe. She carefully moved around the bubble, oohing and ahhing at the colorful fish and underwater plant life.

After the sights were taken in, Nami explained, "The bubble will move with us, just like if we were in open water. I know legs and your tail are different, but the principle is the same." Moving next to her, Nami pointed to a school of fish a few feet away. "While I swim with my fin, you're going to swish your tail just like we're on the ground, except you'll go up and down instead of side to side. The wave you make will push you forward."

After a moment for each woman to put an arm around the other's waist, they began to propel themselves- Cassiopeia with some difficulty- slowly forward. It was initially difficult, but after a few minutes, Cassiopeia was moving with the grace of a Marai- a baby Marai, unused to its fins, but a Marai nonetheless. She wasn't as necessarily aerodynamic without actual fins, but then again, neither were humans. What interested Nami, however, was Cassiopeia's face. To see Cassie smirk was uncommon, to smile was rare, but to see her laughing- laughing as if she'd never had such joy in her entire life- that was what made this lesson worthwhile.

After a while, simply moving and swimming were just the beginning; they did everything short of put on a nautical play. They clasped hands and spun in place, tails swishing like a spinning coin. They pressed their bodies together and flipped, the bubble following their action, even repelling them off of hard surfaces. Even the fish, initially frightened, began to venture closer to the bubble, even join them in their underwater aerobics. And through it all, there was never a moment there wasn't a smile on either woman's face.

It was in the middle of this reverie that the first pangs of mana starvation began to hit Nami. It started in her gut, but traveled to her side and up her arm, and by the time they were tired and taking a moment to rest, Nami's body was becoming racked with pain without warning at odd intervals. But to tell Cassie this-to end the underwater heaven their relationship had built- was something she wasn't ready to do. So she put on a smile and soldiered through, re-invigorated by each kiss Cassiopeia would sneak onto her cheek or neck when she thought Nami wasn't paying attention.

After a while, they held each other, fin and tail propelling them slowly across the water. The pain was no longer shooting, but consistent, yet Nami's smile never faltered. She was good at it too, because the first words out of Cassiopeia's mouth were, "When can we do this again?"
Nami gave the slightest of chuckles, but explained, "I don't normally hold the bubble for this long. I'd have to rest a bit before I could do it again."
Instead of being sad, Cassie nodded, "I wouldn't want you to overdo it just for me." Oh, if you only knew, Nami thought, but kept her smile consistent.

"Though if you still have the energy…" The serpent began, pulling her tutor closer. Nami shuddered, having become very familiar with that voice in the past few weeks. "I wouldn't mind trying an adult activity in a new locale, if you're interested." Something about that voice switched something on inside Nami, and she found herself pressing her body against Cassie's. "I don't…" There was no fighting the fatigue anymore. "I don't see why not…"

Probably assuming Nami was just being coy, Cassiopeia smiled and kissed her on the lips. She had learned long ago how that her talon's could be both a violent and sexual weapon, so she dragged them lightly across Nami's body, causing both a gasp from her throat and an arch in her back. It almost took her mind off the pain. Almost.

For five glorious minutes, there was just Nami and Cassiopeia, Nami's arms wrapped around Cassie's neck, and the serpent exploring every inch of the Tidecaller's body. But no sooner than that 300th second, Nami felt consciousness begin to escape her. Not yet, she pleaded with herself, trying to find some untapped reserve of mana from within herself. Just one more…

Her vision faltered. First she heard Cassiopeia call out, "Nami? Nami, are you okay? Nami?" But then, worst of all, she heard the rush of water.

.***

Nami's unconsciousness was not formless. A single thought would break through, then vanish into the abyss: Please let Cassie be okay.

.***

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that Cassiopeia's seductive face and her worried face were different like night and day. The moment her eyes opened, the serpent threw her arms around her, holding Nami as if she could disappear at any second. "Are you alright? You passed out and then the bubble burst and-" Another first, Cassie was frantic; she was seriously afraid that she would lose Nami.

"I'm fine," She said, pulling herself to a sitting position, tail dipped into the water. Something was bothering her, and it wasn't until she realized the obvious- that they were not underwater- that she saw the problem. "How did…you get me out of the water?"
Calming herself down, Cassiopeia managed to put on a smile. "I swam you back to shore."

Nami thought she misheard her. "You carried me to the shore?" Looking carefully at her, she began to see the proof in her story: Her body was soaking wet, and she looked both out of breath and barely conscious- not unlike Nami.
"I didn't say it was easy, I just said it happened." Sliding next to her, they were silent for a moment, watching their tails swish in the water. "So the problem here, is that you can breathe underwater, and I can't. And you can't just make a bubble all the time, because it's dangerous."

Nami nodded, already aware of where this was going. She enjoyed this relationship, and wasn't looking forward to seeing it end. Instead, Cassiopeia lowered herself into the water, now a natural. After turning to face her young love, Cassie held out her hand, giving Nami another of her quickly-losing-rarity smiles.

"Well, I guess I better learn how to hold my breath, shouldn't I?"