A Pirate's Mermaid 1

Hiro has never believed that mermaids existed. That is until he finds a real one while he is out sailing with his brother and a crew of pirates. Hiro and Carrie the mermaid end up having a strong friendship that might turn into something more. However, the difference of their worlds will clash. Will these two get through it?

Rated T for mature themes

Characters: Hiro Hamada, Tadashi Hamada, Carrie Francess, Robert Callaghan, Lauren, Lilly, and Zack Francess, Amy Collins

Pairings: Ciro (Hiro/Carrie)

Author's Notes: This one shot came to my mind after hearing for the Halloween episode that Hiro was going to be dressed as a pirate. I know for Carrie she would be a mermaid. So that's why I wrote this story. To be honest, I was not expecting this to be long. So, there will be several more chapters to this one shot. I hope you guys enjoy this first one. I must admit, I am liking this one. Also, I do plan on writing for the Big Hero 6 series of Carrie be in them. So be on the lookout for that.


There is an old sea tale all sailors have been told as soon as they get their first boat or even go on their first voyage. This tale was called The Mermaids. Some believe it, others think of it as some made up story just to scare the wits out of the new recruits. Regardless, there were many stories that linked to these creatures.

One young lad wasn't about to believe the mermaid tale. It may have to do with his high intelligence. Ever since he was small, he had shown high level of IQ that impressed his older brother. However, after their parents were killed during a pirate rampage, the two boys were forced to become pirates themselves. The captain of the ship took them in after he found the brothers trying to sneak food for themselves. He was kind enough to teach them his ways of being a pirate.

However, the boys did wish for a better life or away from being a pirate for the most part. It had been years since the two have been out at sea and living as pirates. One morning, they were helping the other crew members put more supplies on the ship. "Let's hurry it up, lads! There will be a storm a'coming tomorrow!" The captain, an elderly man who seemed rough on the outside but was not so bad on the inside, demanded.

The older brother, Tadashi Hamada, let out a sigh and wiped his sweaty brow. He was 19 years of age and had a well-built physique that came in handy of lifting heavy things. He was a handsome lad, with black hair that was short and neatly trimmed, and dark brown eyes that were slanted to show he was half Asian. His father was Japanese while his mother was English. He took out a green bandana his father gave him so many years ago to wrap it around his forehead. He hated when sweat got into his eyes. This day was going to be a hot one. The captain did say there was a storm coming very soon.

"Hey Hamada, where's that shrimp brother of yours?" One of the pirates questioned and a few others snickered.

Tadashi continued to do his work before replying simply, "He went off to get a few more things for the captain."

"Right. It makes me wonder why the captain keeps him. You actually do work. Yer brother doesn't do much."

"You'd be surprised of what he can do." Tadashi said, as he kept up his pace. The other pirates have never really cared for him or his younger brother. Besides, he wasn't about to let anyone know of the secret the two kept.

The captain himself had a hunch but he allowed the boys the privacy they needed. Besides, the younger Hamada had way more use than he gave credit for. Due to his very high intelligence, he was always able to come up with a plan whenever other pirates or the law was going to catch them. And he found out about treasures from other people that he kept within his mind.

However, he never wanted any of the credit. Instead, he told the captain to keep it a secret. Not to mention, if any of the pirates found out about this, they would certainly try to use him or even sell him for a high price. The captain, a man named Robert, had no issue with this. He had come to care for the boy like he was his own son. The captain did have one child, but he hadn't seen her in ages.

The pirate crew kept at their work and Tadashi looked out into the city they were currently in, "You better hurry, Hiro."


Meanwhile, within the tavern, a slim boy no older than 14 with messy black hair, dark brown eyes, wearing red and purple trimmings clothes was sitting by himself at the farthest table away from prying eyes. Because of his somewhat small size, he was able to slip into this building without anyone noticing him. And he was here on a personal business by orders of the captain. He leaned back against the wall and kept darting his eyes about at the crowd in hopes that the one who was supposed to meet him will be here. The longer he stayed here, the more nervous he became.

This tavern was full of drunk sailors and pirates alike. It wasn't very safe, especially for a boy like him. Hiro had the ability to fool anyone if needed to be. He can make himself seem meeker to make others feel bad for him. Or he can put on a fake bravado just long enough for him to slip away. Regardless, he rather not make confrontations any more than he needed to. Furthermore, trying to deal with a drunk person was never a good idea.

It wasn't long until someone in a cloak came walking up, "Ah, are you the one who was asking for me?" the cloaked figured questioned in a low voice.

Hiro raised an eyebrow, "That depends on who you are." He finally said, making sure to keep his slightly deep voice also at a whisper so no one would hear them.

"You're Captain Robert's lackey, are ye not?" The stranger questioned as he continued to keep his hood up.

"Yes."

"Good. Then I guess I can tell ye a place where ye might get yersome pretty penny," The man raised his head a bit and Hiro could see this old geezer had gray eyes, "But be warned, laddie, for this place ain't safe for sailors or pirates or even…good looking boys like yerself."

Hiro narrowed his eyes at him. Was this old man for real? He didn't think he was that good looking to be honest, "Whatever fairy tale you're going to tell me, it won't scare me." He finally said, and he folded his arms.

With a serious glare on his face, he kept leaning against the wall to show he meant his word. He never believed any of those tails. He's been sailing for a long time and hadn't come across these so-called legends. For the time being, to avoid any further delay or possible anger from this man, he will humor him for now.

The man smirked, "Feisty ain't ye? It won't matter none. Since ye must know, there is an island out on the ocean to the north that has riches you wouldn't believe. There are gems the size of yer head, boy. Gold that come from trees even. It's a place any pirate would love to go sailing to. Everyone calls its Rich Man's Island."

Hiro waited for a moment before saying the most obvious, "But, it's guarded."

The man chuckled, "Ah nothing gets by ye, young man. Yer right. Ye see, any sailor who has tried to get to that island have never been able to come back. And those have had were barely able to escape with their very lives."

"Why is that?" Hiro questioned, he was a little curious after all.

"Haven't ye heard? That island is in the waters of those…things." The old man said it so softly Hiro was barely able to even hear him.

"Things? What things?"

"Oh, creatures that lie deep within the waters of the ocean. They are said to be beautiful creatures that can stole any man's heart. However, do not be fooled, for they are considered evil. They use their lovely singing voices to lure a man close and when they get too close to the water, they snatch them out of their boats and drag them down to drown them. For that part of the ocean is called Mermaid Sea."

Another pause and Hiro resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Mermaids? Was this man even for real? He wanted to say what a bunch of crap he was spewing out, but he had to remember he was hear on Captain Robert's orders. The man must have seen the doubt on his face for he kept going,

"This ain't no sea tale this old dog is blabbering about. It's fer real. I should know, fer I was almost dragged down by one of those creatures meself."

"You're serious?"

"Oh yes. I was with me crew when we went sailing for that island. But we ended up being surrounded by those mermaids. Mermaids? Ye might as well call them sirens considering they are more of a devil in a sea then anything. Though there have been other tales that some of the men may still be alive since those things like to play with them."

Hiro let out a sigh, "Look, I can see this is sort of a way of yours to warn us, but I only came here to deliver anything about treasure to my captain. I'm not here to listen to an old man talk about a sea tale."

The man shook his head, "Ye younglings are so stubborn. Fine, don't say I didn't warn ye. As I have said, the island is to up in the north. When you are getting close, you will see a graveyard of ships. My only warning is, if you hear any singing, try to cover yer ears, boy. Those mermaids like to sing to draw out sailors to their doom. Though ye may be okay since those sea creatures have a thing for handsome boys."

Hiro winced as the old man started to laugh, "Right. I'm leaving." He stood up before walking out of the tavern at a brisk pace.

"Ye will soon understand, young man." He heard the man call after him.

He really didn't know of what to make of that old man's story. If he wasn't going to believe in mermaids, what made the Rich Man's Island any more real? He might as well ask Captain Robert himself. Upon arriving back at the ship, his older brother Tadashi was there to greet him,

"Hey there, Knucklehead. How was your mission?"

"The usual. A creepy old man told me a story of how mermaids are guarding an island." Hiro replied, shrugging his shoulders as if this was daily for him.

"I see. Captain Robert is in his quarters." Tadashi said, and he and his brother headed for their captain's office.

If Hiro was going to be honest, he was expecting the captain to think what the old man said was not worth it. However, he was surprised when Robert was willing to check this out, "We will set sail earlier tomorrow morning. Good work, Hiro. I knew I could count on you." The elder man said while clapping his hand on Hiro's shoulder before walking outside.

Hiro glanced back at Tadashi, who in turned shrugged. At Captain Robert's word, the ship sailed before dawn. There have been warning of a storm coming since the days seem to get hotter with each passing hour. Because of this, most of the crew wore nothing but their pants and sometimes vests to keep their backs from getting sunburned.

But the storm had yet to hit, though no one dared to say or even think it. The weather can get nasty in a second if one person were to even have a thought of there being no storm. Hiro was sitting up in the crow's nest, peering out on the ocean, a distant look on his face. He bit into an apple, as he felt comfortable in his own thoughts for the time being. With the day being so hot, he was wearing just his purple vest and loose white pants.

"Hey Hiro, you doing okay?" Hiro heard his brother question, and he turned his head to see him come up to join him in the crow's nest.

"Sure, I am. Why?"

"Just curious. It's been a real scorcher." Tadashi let out a sigh and took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweaty face. With it being so hot, the older brother was also wearing just a green vest and pants.

"That's why I'm up here. I'm hoping to at least cool off." Hiro replied, and he turned his gaze back to the ocean.

Tadashi sat across from him. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. That is until, "So, do you think there are really mermaids?"

Hiro turned his head to see if Tadashi was joking. Seeing the serious look on his older brother's face said otherwise and he gave him a look, "Are you kidding me with this?"

"No. I have been thinking about it and who knows. There might be mermaids out there."

"Get real. And you call me a Knucklehead?" Hiro scoffed, and he bit into his apple.

"Why do you say that?"

"They aren't real, Tadashi."

"Again, why do you say that?"

Hiro glared at Tadashi. His brother had a small smile on his face as if he was challenging him. Fine, if he wanted it to be that way, "Because, there have been no real records of these so-called mermaids. Sailors and pirates make it up just scare little kids or other sailors and pirates in hopes of getting the money for themselves. It's simple when you think about it."

"So, what you're saying is, because no one has ever proven to have seen them, they aren't real?"

"Exactly. Glad you figured that out." Hiro said sarcastically. To be honest, Tadashi may not be a genius like him, but he was still very intelligent. Why was his brother asking about mermaids anyway?

"Come on Hiro. You don't know if they aren't real."

"If I haven't seen one, they don't exist."

"And what if you were to see one?"

Hiro sighed, "Maybe, just maybe I might retract my statement about them being real."

"Wanna bet on that?"

Hiro whirled his head to look back at Tadashi. The older Hamada was smirking at him. There was a challenge in his dark eyes, "Are you serious?"

"I am. And since we're going to a place that there might be mermaids, I might as well see where this goes from here." Tadashi sometimes had this kind of fun with Hiro. They were brothers after all, and neither ever backed down from a challenge.

Hiro didn't speak for a long moment. Finally, he gave him a smirk, "Fine, if I win, we don't talk about mermaids again and you have to wash the deck for a month."

"Okay, if I win, you have to admit they are real and wash the deck for a month." Tadashi challenged right back.

"Deal," The two brothers shook on it, "What brought this on anyway?" Hiro finally asked, and Tadashi shrugged,

"I have my reasons."


The storm hit but it wasn't as bad as everyone thought it was going to be. It rained with some thunder and lightning but nothing too discouraging. By the time the ship was nearing the waters of Mermaid Ocean, a dense fog fell over them. It gave off a sort of chilling feeling to the crew members. Hiro was glad that hot sun was no longer beaming down on him harshly. But this fog was starting to make him miss it.

Captain Robert ordered the pirates to keep the ship steady and continue. The island wasn't going to be reached until at least tomorrow. The fog only seemed to get heavier and this unsettling feeling was getting worse.

Hiro wasn't spared from this. He didn't like this fog. Not one bit and he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. From where, he didn't know. He kept looking over his shoulder only to see there was no one was behind him. Every time this happened, he would sneak up into the crow's nest. Tadashi was busy with the other pirates to even go up there with him.

From such a high point, the young boy still couldn't see very much thanks to this blasted fog. Though he saw something dark in the waters up ahead, "Could those be?" As the ship got closer, the dark figure was starting to become clearer, "Holy ocean, it is."

Hiro rushed down from the crow's nest and was by Captain Robert's side in a tick tock, "Captain, I think I see a ship wreck! Off the starboard."

Captain Robert and a few others walked over to see for themselves and they could see the boy was right, "Let's be sure to avoid the wreckage, men." Robert ordered, and the pirates obeyed his word.

While everyone else went back to work, Hiro stood at the side of the ship. He recalled what the old man said about this. If they were nearing the Mermaid Ocean, they would come across a graveyard of ships like this. It was apparent that something bad happened here. Was it really mermaids? He shook his head. No. There was no way he was going to admit that. Besides, he remembered his bet with Tadashi. If he gave up now, he would have to swap the deck for a month.

He sighed while running his fingers through his thick black hair. He was so busy staring at the long-lost wrecks of ships, he didn't notice there was a figure in the water. This figure made sure to stay well out of sight with only its pink eyes peering up at the boy. When it seemed, he would look their way, they quickly used the fog to dive out of sight.

Hiro had enough looking at such a depressing sight and he turned before walking towards the bottom of the ship. He was feeling tired as well as lousy. He needed a nap.

That night, with most of the crew, except for a couple to keep a night watch, were sleeping, Hiro came walking out on the ship's deck. To be honest, he couldn't sleep very well. This place was giving him the creeps and rightfully so. He really wanted this quest to be over and done with. He could see how empty and quiet the ship was without any pirates bustling about. He would have enjoyed this had it not been for the thick fog and unsettling atmosphere.

"Next quest, we sail to a part of the ocean that isn't so…creepy." Hiro muttered to himself and he walked to the starboard side of the ship. He leaned against the rail and looked down at the ocean below him. He barely can see the black waters lapping against the side of ship. It was so quiet that even the ocean seemed to stand still.

He looked back up at the sky and he barely could see it through the fog. His face scrunched up to show his displeasure and he muttered,

"It's official, I hate fog."

That's when he heard a soft giggle. Hiro frowned before looking behind him. There was no one there. Besides, every person on this ship was male. Whoever giggled sounded female. Not to mention the laughing was coming from the ocean? The boy shifted his gaze back to the waters below and at first, he saw nothing.

He took this time to see that before, the waters were still with barely any ripples. Now he can see there were some disturbance with the ripples hitting against the ship just a tad. It certainly didn't take him long to know that there was something in the water. Did that mean that there was a…

"No, give me a break. I must be more tired than I thought." Hiro shook his head. He was not going to admit. There was just no way. The ocean was probably just acting up for no reason. That tended to happen.

He laughed to himself, "To think I was going to admit that there was probably a…" He trailed off when his dark brown eyes met the pink eyes of a creature in the water not so far away from him.

He stared, and the creature did the same thing. It was so dark and foggy that he couldn't make out who or what that was. At first, he would assume it was just the trick of the water or his imagination getting away from him. But when he blinked, the pink eyes were still there.

"What the…" he wanted to say and in a second, the eyes were gone. However, he could see the water being disturbed once again. Something was in the water.

"Who's there?" he called as loudly as he dared. He didn't want to wake anyone up. Nothing answered him, "Okay, I think it's time I go to bed. This is weird."

He was about to do so when he heard a faint, "Wait!" He paused and there was a soft gasp coming from the water. Was there really someone in the water? He leaned over the rail and tried to look for whoever was in the ocean.

What happened next pretty much threw away any logical thoughts inside his mind. A girl popped up right from below him. She had light blue hair with pink eyes. But that's not what made him stare. She was honestly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. The way her hair fell over her shoulders, her pink lips turned up into a radiant smile. He didn't know what to think or do.

"Hello there." She waved to him.

Hiro didn't do anything. He only kept staring at her. She seemed to have noticed that she gave him a playful smirk before splashing water right up into his face with accuracy. When the salty water hit him, he coughed and wiped his face.

The girl was still in the water, that playful smirk still on her beautiful face. She even looked his age, "You…you are…"

"A mermaid. Yup. You got it." She nodded and to show she meant it, she dove into the water to show off a dark blue tail. She resurfaced and almost laughed at the pure look of dumbfound upon the boy's face.

"But how? And…oh great Tadashi is going to gloat forever on this. No wait! I have to be dreaming this whole thing!" Hiro was trying to think of a way out of this.

"Hate to break it to you, but this isn't a dream. This is real. I'm real." The mermaid girl said, that little smile still on her face. It was if she was relishing in this moment.

Hiro shook his head, "But wait, if you're a mermaid, shouldn't you be singing to lure me to the ocean and drag me down like everyone says mermaids do?" he questioned, as he was now very wary of this mermaid.

If this wasn't a dream after all and she was a real live mermaid, what if she pulled the stunts that every sailor and pirate have been talking about. The girl's smile faded to a deep frown, "There are those who do that. I know of one. But I am not like that. Believe me. I only followed your ship because I…well was curious of you."

Hiro now understood all those uneasy feelings he was being watched. It was this girl who had been looking at him the whole time. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to trust her just yet, "How do I know I can trust you?"

The girl gave him a look as if he had insulted her, "If I was really going to lure you into the ocean, I would have done it by now. Most mermaids who do those things start singing the moment they see a ship. I haven't done that."

Hiro was beginning to see she had a point. She hadn't sung a note and he was still here talking to her. There were no mentions of mermaids talking to sailors before they start singing. Though, maybe she was lying just to put his trust up. Noticing him contemplating about this whole ordeal, the mermaid girl let out a sigh,

"I understand you still aren't willing to trust me. I guess if I was in your place, I would think the same thing. But trust me, I don't want to drag you into the ocean. I don't want to do that to you." The girl looked to the side as if she had said something embarrassing.

"But how do…" Hiro began but the girl cut him off,

"I will say this, you need to be careful. I can see where you're heading and the ocean that surrounds the island is very dangerous. While I am considered a peaceful mermaid, there are others who aren't. I have been following you and making sure you don't alert any other mermaids."

Hiro frowned at her warning, "I'm still not sure if I can trust you."

The girl took off a necklace from around her neck and glanced back up at Hiro, "Then take this. My necklace will keep you from falling under the spell of the mermaids' lullaby." Without another thought, she tossed her necklace up to him. Hiro gasped and managed to catch it. He saw it was a pretty pink, purple, and blue seashell. He glanced back down at the girl below,

"Why are you doing this?" He finally asked.

She gave him a sad smile, "Let's just say I don't want you getting hurt. Anyway, I have to go. It was nice meeting you." She was about to dive when,

"Wait, what's your name?"

She paused in surprise. She saw that he was genuinely curious. Her smile grew stronger, "You can call me Carrie. What's yours?"

"I'm Hiro. Hiro Hamada." At this point, he was starting to think maybe he can trust her. At least for now.

"That's a nice name." She beamed, "Remember what I said. Keep that necklace on you at all times."

She waved before diving into the ocean water. Hiro watched her go and he wondered if maybe he will see her again. He didn't know how long he had been standing there. It only took him a minute to realize that he would have to fess up to Tadashi that there was indeed a mermaid. He looked back down at the shell necklace and he slowly put it on. He felt a little silly with it one but there was strange warm feeling overcome him. It was as if the necklace was giving him a sign that things will be okay. He could only hope.


Carrie swam straight to her home on the ocean bottom. She really hoped no one noticed she was gone. To be frank, she wasn't even supposed to be going to the surface. She only did so because she was mildly curious of the world above. Her older sister Lilly wasn't too happy of hearing her do so and neither were her parents. After all, a lot of her kind had been murdered from humans.

It was one of the reasons so many ships were left as wrecks because any human who dared come this way would face their watery doom. Carrie hated that most of the merfolk wanted to kill the humans. Her cousin happened to be one of them. Her parents and sister were one of the few who would rather just leave the humans be.

The young mermaid went to the surface to look around the wreckage since she was curious of what humans were like. She had been doing this for several weeks when she saw a ship come up. She hid whenever she could since she didn't want those humans seeing her. She had watched the crew and saw most of them looked unfriendly. However, one of them caught her eye. It was a human boy, who didn't appear no older than she was. She was only 15 after all, and he seemed about that age, maybe even younger.

What she couldn't help but notice is that he was that despite only seeing him from a distance, he was both cute and handsome at the same time. The way his messy black hair fell over his face, and his smile showed he had small gap between his front teeth. His dark brown eyes that showed he was highly intelligent. She was fascinated by him that she kept watching him. She would expertly hide away into the ocean whenever he looked her way.

She knew that she was playing on dangerous grounds, or in her case, waters if she were to ever be spotted by the other humans. Yet she kept coming back. The boy seemed friendly and funny as well. Once she saw the direction they were heading, she decided that she must help him out. She didn't want to see him get hurt or killed by her fellow merpeople. The thought alone scared her.

She could only hope he will keep the necklace on and take her word on what she said, "I will go check on Hiro tomorrow." She whispered to herself.

She was just coming up to her home when a face popped up in front of her, "Well! Look who's back!" Carrie managed to stop before colliding with the other mermaid, "Where have you been, Cuz?"

"Move out of the way, Amy, I don't have time for you." Carrie said, glaring at her cousin.

Amy was Carrie's cousin on her father's side. She was also one nasty mermaid. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail while her red tail fin had a bit of a nasty green look to it. Her high-pitched voice can be heard from everywhere. The two have never been on good terms for as long as anyone can remember. Amy had always been jealous of Carrie and took it upon herself to give her a hard time whenever she could.

"Oh please. Where are you going every day? Your family keeps asking that, you know." Amy sneered unpleasantly at her cousin.

"That would be my business. Good bye." Carrie made way to get by Amy.

"Are you playing at that graveyard of those ships? Hoping to see some humans or something?"

"Again, that's my business and I have the right to keep it private."

Amy rolled her eyes, "Boy, you're no fun. I was just wondering where you were going that's all." Carrie only glared and without another word, she swam by. This time, her cousin didn't try follow. Though she kept her eyes on her, "Next time she goes, I'm following her." She said to herself.

Carrie let out a sigh. Just as she reached her home, a light brown-haired slightly heavy weight mermaid with a light orange tail fin appeared in the doorway, "It's about time you came back. Mom and dad are very worried."

"Oh hi Lilly!" Carrie waved to her sister.

"Where in the world have you been?" Lilly scolded and before Carrie could speak, her sister cut her off, "No, let's get inside have mom and dad know too."

"But Lilly…"

Carrie was forced inside, and Lilly swam her directly to the main room of where their parents are. Her mom, a gorgeous dark-skinned mermaid with wavy dark brown hair and green eyes with a purple tail fin was waiting patiently. A tall muscular merman with blond hair and brown eyes and green tail fin was not far from his wife. They were Zack and Lauren, Carrie and Lilly's parents. Once they saw their daughters enter the room, they glared at their youngest.

"Caroline, where on earth have you been?" Lauren was the first to question.

"Nowhere. I've been swimming around." She lied. She wasn't going to tell her family about the human boy she met above seas. There was no way they would allow her.

"Are you sure? Lilly went out to look for you and you hadn't come back for hours." Zack asked, as he frowned at his daughter in concern.

"Yes! I can reassure you that I was just swimming around at the bottom of the ocean. I tend to get lost in thought. You know that." Carrie wanted to go to her room and avoid any more questions.

"As long as you're not going to the surface. You know it's dangerous up there." Lauren pointed out, causing Carrie to sigh in aggravation.

"I know, I know. I swear I wasn't going to the surface. Now can I go to bed?"

Carrie was afraid her parents would refuse but luckily, it seemed they were both too tired to argue, "Very well. Good night dear." Lauren hugged her daughter before allowing her to say night to her father and she swam off to her room.

Lilly frowned. She noticed Carrie's necklace was missing. To be honest, she had a feeling her sister wasn't telling the truth. Carrie, in the meantime, had plans to go up and see Hiro once again. She didn't know how far they will go. She only wanted to keep him safe no matter what.