It was just after noon when You had made her way through the forest and to the outer edge of the village, and after a confusing trek through a residential area she wasn't familiar with, she found herself at the central square. The location itself was mostly quiet, with the few people present either shopping at the stalls outside larger stores or sitting on the stone benches surrounding a well in the centre most part of the square. The small number of children in the area seemed content to stay near their mothers rather than run and play in the square.

You almost wanted to sit and rest for a bit; she could feel her headache coming on again, and her feet ached as well, a mix of all the walking she'd been doing as well as the fact that she was walking on rough ground with bare feet. She ultimately decided against it, justifying that it was more important to find her father first, and that she could rest after that. It wasn't that far anyway, and You knew the area closer to the docks a lot better. It would be fine…

Yet as she took a step to continue on, she found herself growing woozy. A jolt of pain shot through her head, causing her to wince and her vision turned white, and for the first time all day, You was suddenly aware of how she hadn't eaten or drank anything since before the boat had left for its halted voyage. The stress of the long day was finally catching up to her.

Taking another step, this time toward one of the benches as she revised her decision of not stopping to rest, she began to waver, feeling as though she were about the collapse. The world around her began to blur in both sight and sound, her head filling with white noise. You thought she heard her name being called, but it was lost in the haze. She took another step.

Again, she thought she heard her name, though a lot more urgent sounding, however she couldn't be sure as her legs finally gave out beneath her, and her world turned black.


When You regained consciousness, the first thing she noticed was that she was inside a building, resting on a bed, as opposed to outside lying on the ground. There was also the smell of fish in the air, though having lived by the sea for as long as she had, You could ignore that. She could feel something cool resting on her head, and when she reached up to touch it, it felt damp. She concluded easily enough that it was a wet cloth, but decided to leave it in place. She noted that her headache had faded considerably, most likely due to her finally getting some decent rest.

She lay there, internally debating getting some more sleep - whoever had brought her there probably wouldn't mind, and more rest could only do her good - or getting up and continuing to find her father. The longer she took to get back, the closer he'd get to just declaring her dead and moving on without her. You winced at the rather harsh thought; obviously he'd be torn up at the idea of his daughter being dead, but grief wouldn't keep him on the island. He'd still be a professional and get his job done, and probably as quick as he could so he could go home and tell her mother...

Her thought process was broken by the creaking of stairs, and when she turned her head, You found herself looking at a familiar face, a rarity in her line of work.

"Ah, you're up," the young woman said, putting down the tub of water she'd been carrying next to the bed, "And you're looking better now. At least you've got some colour back in your face." The newcomer took the damp cloth off of You's forehead and began soaking it.

"Kanan," You croaked, her voice hoarse from lack of water. Kanan Matsuura was the daughter of one of the fishing families in the village, one that specialised in diving for fish deeper in the sea that fishermen couldn't catch with their nets otherwise. Being one of the few girls in the village around You's age, she'd spent a fair amount of time with Kanan during the week the crew had been staying in Uchiura.

The young woman looked up at the sound of her name, giving You a small sympathetic smile. As she placed the cloth back on You's head, she said, "Hold on a sec, I'll get you some water. Then we'll talk." You could only nod in response, though Kanan was already leaving the room. While You tried to return to her thoughts in the meantime, she couldn't quite focus on them, finding them a confusing mess. She focused instead on the sounds of Kanan moving around downstairs.

She could hear thuds and clinks - cupboards and glass, most likely - and footsteps, which then transitioned into the creaking stairs again as Kanan reappeared in the room, holding a glass of water. When You moved to try and sit up, Kanan put her hand gently on the girl's chest to stop her, saying, "Nuh uh, you're still resting. Here." She moved the pillows You was lying on, propping them up so You could sit up without actually doing so.

You pouted, feeling frustrated at her position and beginning to feel almost babied. "But, my father, I need-" Kanan held up her hand, preventing You again. She handed her the water and said, "Don't worry about that. I already sent one of the shop assistants to go tell him you're okay when I found you. He'll be here soon."

For the first time that day, You found herself feeling pure relief. She let out a deep sigh and shifted, burying deeper into the pillows. As she began drinking from her water, Kanan said, "We were all worried about you, y'know. When the ship came back and your father said you'd fallen off when it got caught in that storm. He was pretty frantic, kept begging every fisherman with a decent boat to send out search parties to look for you, even though everyone else kept telling him to wait till after the storm had passed."

You winced; she already knew he'd be worried about her disappearing, but to actually hear it from somebody else still made the news sting. "I tried to get back as quickly as I could," she mumbled into the glass.

"And clearly, pushing yourself is what led to you passing out in the middle of the square," Kanan scolded, cuffing You over the head, though the playful smile on her face indicated she wasn't entirely serious.

"Hey! You can't assault your patient!" You complained, laughing as she buried deeper into the pillow while dodging another swipe from her friend. An evil smirk spread on Kanan's face as she held her hands up, poised in claw shapes as she said, "Nobody would ever know."

Despite You's attempts to play along and bear a horrified expression, the over exaggerated act simply made her snort and break out in laughter again, and Kanan quickly found herself doubled over and laughing as well, though she tried to muffle her giggles in the sheets of the bed. Their gleeful cries went on for a couple minutes, till You felt her sides begin to ache and her throat grew parched again.

"Well," Kanan sighed once she'd finally calmed herself down, "at least you're safe now. And clearly you're feeling a lot better." You could only nod in response as she proceeded to chug down the remains of her water, leaving a brief silence to settle while she did so.

"Hey, I was wondering," her friend started, taking the glass off of You once she was finished and putting it on the floor next to the tub of water, "where did you actually end up after the storm? You didn't wash up on the shore by the docks, but you clearly managed to make it back here on your own from wherever you were."

"I just washed up on the beach," You answered, deciding to leave out the bit about being saved by a fairy tale creature that logically shouldn't exist. However she then realised that her answer left much to be desired when Kanan's eyes widened in surprise and she said, "Wha- but the beach is on the other side of the island. How did you wash up there when the ship left from this side and didn't go anywhere near there?"

"Uh...currents?" You tried, only for Kanan to then frown, suspicion in her eyes. Fortunately for You, before she could begin stammering out other excuses and before Kanan could begin the interrogation You knew was coming, they both heard the door downstairs slam open, making them jump. In an instant, the new arrival was shouting loud for the girls to hear, "You! Are you here?!"

"Father!" You shouted back, and they'd barely heard the groaning of the stairs before he burst into the room. His tired looking face broke into a huge grin and relief shone in his eyes as he saw his daughter, alive and well, before him. You's own expression was identical to her father's, as she burst from the bed into his arms.

"Oh sweetheart, you're okay," he mumbled, repeating it even, while You seemed to be mumbling something of her own that was lost in the man's heavy clothes, yet the tears falling from her eyes spoke clear enough for her.

Kanan smiled at the scene before her, her suspicions put aside for now. Gathering up the tub of water and You's empty glass, she left the newly reunited father and daughter alone; her exit went unnoticed.


After determining that You was fit to move, the duo left for the inn by the docks where the crew had been staying while stationed in the village. It was during the walk that You's father explained that he wished to stay in Uchiura for a few days longer, partly to ensure You was well and truly back up to full health - which she insisted that she was, though he then insisted that she take it easy for a day or two more just to be certain - and then partly to restock some of their supplies, both for the crew and for their delivery. The storm had apparently swept away much of their cargo, and with the captain's first priority being to find You, he hadn't gotten around to arranging more supplies. An arrangement that You definitely didn't approve of.

"Wai- you didn't even split the crew to deal with that? Like, some of them could focus on restocking and some of them could help you with the search party?" You scolded, putting her hands on her hips while her father scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I know, it was stupid-"

"Of course it was, you're still running a business, you have to be professional." She pouted as she came to a stop, switching her stance and folding her arms instead while also drawing herself up to her full height, trying to make herself seem taller in the midst of the semi-argument that'd broken out.

"I know, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I just- I panicked," her father sighed, looking downcast, "I thought I'd lost you." She softened at that, her expression shifting to a concerned frown as she said, "I know. Sorry."

"Hell, it's not like the crew helped either; they were just as freaked as I was about you fallin' overboard. Nobody was thinkin' about the delivery, just about gettin' you back safe and sound." You rolled her eyes, mumbling, "You're all hopeless." Though she wore a soft smile as she said it.

The old man chuckled, "Yeah we are. But hey, that's all done now, you're safe now; let's go meet the boys, show them all you're okay, yeah? We'll celebrate for tonight! But you're not drinking."

"You never let me drink anyway," You laughed, to which he laughed in response, and they both broke out in a run, racing each other the rest of the way to the inn.


The party held at the inn was a boisterous one, filled with cheering and singing and much drinking - though true to her father's word, he made sure You didn't get a drop. Before that was the crazy reunion she had had with the crew, with each individual either sweeping her up into hugs or simply crying that they were glad she was safe.

All in all, the entire day had left You feeling exhausted, even with the extended rest she'd had at Kanan's house, so before the moon was even high in the sky, she left the party and headed to her room. Yet when she got there, aside from getting changed into a fresh pair of sleeping slacks - she'd been wearing her old, now worn and finished ones the entire day now - she chose to look out the window at the sea rather than immediately going to bed.

The ocean outside was black due to the darkness, aside from the bright white streaks of the moon's glowing reflection. Contrary to that morning's storm, the waves were calm, lapping gently against the island's edge. It was almost as if the storm had never happened. While the idea of something so powerful and vast suddenly deciding to kick up a frenzy and destroy whatever it could was terrifying, You still loved the sea.

She loved how peaceful it could be, like how it was right then, late at night. And she loved how it was still so mysterious. It still held so many secrets that people didn't know about, and for some people, that could be terrifying, but for You, it just meant more adventure. Being able to explore and discover the unknown…

It was as she let out a relaxed sigh, relishing the quiet and the rhythmic sound of the waves against the island, that she heard a splash, separate from that of the waves. After an initial cursory glance over the waters didn't reveal anything, she almost put it down to stray wave hitting a rock. Then she heard it again, and then a third time, and then she was practically hanging out the window, searching for the source of the noise.

She almost felt stupid doing it, and part of her kept trying to insist that it was just the waves, maybe even a fish skimming the surface of the water. But then the other part of her wanted to believe…

A shape- a person emerged from the water, nothing more than a silhouette in the darkness. As they moved through the water however, the light from the moon caught them, and You found herself grinning. At the same time, the figure seemed to notice You, and then Chika was waving, both hands in the air and her excited laughter almost being carried by the waves or the wind to You's ears.

"It was real. This morning was real...right?" Even as You waved back, she was hesitant; on the one hand, she was nervous, uncertain. Still ready to brush everything about that morning off as a hallucination caused by a head injury or a dream while she was unconscious. She was certainly feeling tired enough that she could probably convince herself she was still dreaming.

Yet the other part of her was still so curious about Chika, and perhaps their bonding moment on the beach had warmed her to the mermaid, after her initial panic. Maybe she wanted to see her again, whether to reaffirm that she was real and finally silence that hesitant side of herself, and maybe…

Maybe You wanted to see Chika again because she genuinely enjoyed her company, because she wanted to spend more time with her. Dare she say it, but despite being from two completely different worlds, maybe You believed that they could possibly be...friends?

As her waving grew more firm, a determined smile grew on her face. As Chika disappeared below the water again, You made her decision.

"I will see you again, Chika. I promise," she whispered, hoping that the wind would carry her words to her new companion beneath the waves.


Chapter 3 is finally here! It took a lil while longer than I was hoping. :'D But that is partly due to real life, but also, partly due to the fact that I wanted to make this one a bit longer than the last two have been.

Minimal Chika this time around, which also means minimal interaction between her and You, but hey, I've included Kanan. :D And hopefully, there should be more Chika next time, especially since You will actively be looking to see her again.

Speaking of characters, I should probably say, without actively spoiling; as far as I have planned, not everyone in Aqours is gonna appear in this fic. The way I've got it figured out so far, one other girl from the group will appear in this, and another might get a mention as being part of the world, but not an appearance. I will admit that things are possibly subject to change, but as the plan goes so far, that's what's happening. Just figured I should bring that up now that Kanan's made an appearance.

Also, I hope the inclusion of You's father wasn't too intrusive. Given that You's main focus so far has been getting back to him, I did want to write their reunion, but I'm also worried that that felt very quick? Let me know and I could possibly fix it? :'D

Other than that, I don't think there's anything else major I feel I need to mention.

So with that, I hope you enjoyed. Concrit is always appreciated. :D

Fufu x