So it turns out I'm writing this story really quickly and will be updating weekly without any conflicts (Maybe even bi-weekly)
Yay for that, and enjoy this chapter!


~o~

Chapter 2:

The sun had settled beyond the horizon, tucking the world in with the dark blanket of night by the time Haru made it back to his home. It was no surprise that Sasabe-san met him with crossed arms and flicking red tail when he made it back.

Sasabe had been the child caretaker of the kingdom for a few years now, he'd been responsible for each of the children and would be until they were old enough to take care of themselves. Of the "elder" merfolk who cared for the children, Sasabe Goro was the most sympathetic towards Haru. He knew his situation well and Haru may have learned to take advantage of that.

"Haru we had an agreement." Haru hung his head while the other young merchildren watched in anticipation of his scolding.

"I'm sorry." The elder merman sighed and tugged at his hair in aggravation.

"Sorry's not good enough, Haru. You know how dangerous it is out there! Especially for…especially for someone like you." Haru felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment. Someone like him. Right. The merman shushed away the other children and took Haru's hand, leading him to sit on a small rock that was tucked away from the cove full of children. Haru was old enough to know that this meant he was in for an earful.

"Haru it's not that you're not old enough or fast enough to go off like that but there's just more danger in it for a young prince. We can't even imagine what the humans could get away with if they ever caught you- let alone any of us. You're the only heir to the throne." Haru felt angry tears brim his eyes.

"But I don't want to be! I just…I just want to be free. Why do I have to be a prince?" The young boy scrubbed at his eyes with a little fist. Sasabe exhaled deeply and gave Haru a look that made his stomach churn. Pity.

"I know you don't want to be. I know that it's hard, but this is your birthright. You will eventually grow to appreciate it, just like your father-"

"No!"

"Haru…"

"No! I just want to swim free, I don't want to be a king. I don't want to take the throne! Why can't I just be free?" Haru bawled like…well, like a child. Because that's what he was. A child with the weight of his kingdom on his shoulders who was being crushed under the weight.

"I'm sorry Haru, but there's nothing to be done. That still doesn't make it okay to go off for so long, especially at night! What if the tide carried you too close to shore? What if one of the night hunters like a shark found you…gods your father would have my head." Haru felt a sudden sting of guilt, knowing that he already went too close to shore and met a shark-like friend of his own.

"I won't do it again. I'll be back on time I promise." The blonde caretaker looked into the teary young royalty's eyes with a frown.

"I can't let you go off again, there's too much risk Haru." Haru felt his heart stop, everything felt cold.

"No…please." Sasabe glanced away, unable to watch the child's heart break. "No! Sasabe-san don't! Please, I promise to come back on time! I won't go too far, I promise, please!" Haru was screaming now and his tears were flowing freely. "I need to swim…I can't be free! Please!"

Sasabe was guilt ridden and torn between the safe thing to do and the kind thing to do. He didn't have the heart to take away the one thing from the young prince that made him happy, that was just too cruel. He reached out and tried to shake Haru from his tantrum.

"Haru, Haru alright! Alright I'll let you swim out again!" Haru stopped thrashing and rubbed his teary eyes with his scraped forearm. As the tears settled on the skin he watched the wound heal quickly; at least the healing properties of his tears was a plus. The little prince sniffled and rubbed his tears some more.

"Really?" Sasabe groaned and nodded, knowing that he would probably come to regret this decision.

"Yes, BUT- there are new conditions. If you ever come back after dark again you are banned from swimming out anymore." Haru nodded in agreement, his face lighting up in excitement. "And I know you like to swim with the dolphins and they like to race at the surface, but no more surface. It's been too busy this summer with the boats and humans. I need you to promise me, you will not go to the surface." Haru groaned.

"But Sasabe-san!" Sasabe looked into the little blue eyes with a new, stronger resolution.

"Promise me or you're not allowed to go at all." Haru rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I promise I won't go to the surface."

~o~


"I'm going to the surface." Haru stated matter-of-factly to his closest and most trustworthy friend. Green eyes widened in horror.

"Whaaaat?! Haru you know how dangerous it is! You can't!" All of the children had gone home by this point and Haru had gotten permission to have Makoto sleep over so he could confide in his friend in the safety of his own room.

"Yes I can." Haru protested as Makoto grabbed his shoulders, looking him square in the eye.

"Haru, don't! I don't want you to get hurt!" Haru smiled a little.

"That's why I wanted you to come with me." Makoto looked as though his heart had completely given out, his face pale and his tail losing the strength to carry him. Makoto sank to the sandy floor of Haru's room.

"Absolutely not." Makoto insisted, but Haru pulled him off the floor and onto his thick bed of seaweed.

"You know, I already went to the surface today." Makoto was flustered, he had no idea what to do.

"Why Haru? Is that why you were late? What happened?" Haru bit his lip and looked away, this was going to be the hard part to explain.

"I…I made a friend." Makoto's mouth was agape.

"Another clan of mermaids in the area?" Haru shook his head.

"Not…quite."

"A dolphin?" Haru shook his head again and Makoto's eyes widened in horror of the realization. "No…" Haru looked down and nodded very slightly. "No! You didn't! How could you? A HUMAN?!" Haru put his hands up to his friend's mouth.

"Shh! Not so loud! It's okay though he was really nice! And he seemed like he was our age!"

"Haru you could have DIED!" Haru rolled his eyes and flopped back on the bed.

"No I wouldn't have! He was nice, we're going to go swimming again tomorrow, he's really fast. I wanted you to meet him too…"

"You're crazy! You're trying to get us all killed!" Haru looked up at Makoto angrily.

"Will you stop? They're not all dangerous!" Makoto narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Try telling that to the merfolk who have lost their families to humans. They're ALL dangerous! If just one person finds out then they'll all find out and come to find us. It's happened before, it will happen again." Haru crossed his arms indignantly.

"He's nice. I'm not in danger." Makoto flopped back on the bed next to him, his light green tail flicking back and forth in the water, causing little ripples in the otherwise still water.

"I wish you weren't so stubborn." Haru chuckled.

"You know humans can swim as a job? Like…they grow up to become real swimmers! How weird is that?"

"That's pretty stupid, and they get paid to do it? I could do that!" They both laughed at the

absurd thought of humans growing up to do something they've done their whole life.

"You know, if you just like swimming with your human because he's fast I'll get faster. I'll train to be better so you're happy swimming with me instead."

Haru looked over at his friend, whose green eyes sparkled with a hint of rejection.

"I wanted you to come swim with us." Makoto quickly shook his head.

"I can't…" Haru sighed and swirled his shimmering blue tail around in the water.

"It…it makes me feel free Mako." Makoto silently looked over at the friend he'd had since birth.

"He makes you feel free? Your human?" Haru laughed a little at the thought of Rin being "his human."

"Yeah. I think so." Makoto sighed and stretched his arms up along the fluffy bed of seaweed and tangled his fingers in the sprouts.

"I guess I can't stop you then."

Haru smiled and remembered the flash of sharp teeth he couldn't wait to see tomorrow.

"I guess not."

~o~


Hope you enjoyed this week's chapter! As you might be able to tell, I've put a bit of a spin on the whole "Haru feeling free in the water" thing and made it more of "Haru feeling free when not being a prince/when he's with Rin" Which will become more heavily apparent in upcoming chapters.

Thank you for reading and let me know what you think so far! Updates soon ;D

-Chayin~