AAAAAAAAnd here is chapter 3! I told you I'd get it out this weekend and here it is. Bazooomba! Give it a read and see what's up with our freckled child.
I'd like to think my beta reader heichousheadphones ( ) for taking time from their busy day to help me with my horrible grammar and for also helping me go through the thinking process while writing this little fic. They have really been supporting me this whole time and I appreciate it. I sometimes send chapters for beta at super odd hours.
I don't own Haikuu! nore do I own the Little Mermaid.
Without further ado, let's read chapter 3!
Is This Love?
The next morning Tadashi woke with a high fever and an aching body. Tsukki had been right about him catching a fever from the cold. He had hung round the beach for a while after seeing Tsukki off and came home to a very frantic mother.
Since Tadashi's incident with the three bullies his mother had become quite a worrywart. She was none to pleased to see her 17 year old son arrive home soaking wet and chilled to the bone. She had immediately corralled him to the bath then off to bed after a cup of warm soup. Nonetheless Tadashi had still woken up with a fever.
His fever passed after a few days rest and Tadashi was eager to make his way to the beach to see his Tsukki when the sun is at its highest. After a bit of deciphering, Tadashi had guessed that Tsukki was likely to be at the beach between 1pm and 3pm.
Tadashi was currently restocking the shelves of his mother's bakery with a batch of freshly baked bread. The heavenly scent of the bread hung thick in the small shop as he busily placed the loaves of bread on the display stand.
It had been a little over a week since he had met with Tsukki. Tadashi had gone to the beach nemours times in search of the merman but always came up empty. Perhaps it was bad timing. Tadashi hoped that Tsukki wasn't avoiding him. Tadashi was sure after that night Tsukki also would want to meet again. Was it only him who felt something special?
"Hey, Tadashi," Yachi hummed as she placed a tray of cherry turnovers next to the tray of bread Tadashi had been pulling from. "Your mother says to put these on the display case by the front window."
"Oh, um yeah. When I am done here I'll do that," Tadashi replied as he eye the tray of cherry pastries.
"You doing okay? You seem kind of spaced out. You don't still have a fever, do you?" Yachi asked with a hint of worry.
"No, I was just thinking," Tadashi brushed off with a laugh.
"Don't tell me you're still thinking about that merman again, are you?" Yachi sighed as she rolled her eyes.
Yachi, being Tadashi's best and only friend beside Tsukki, had heard about Tadashi's adventure at the beach. She had scolded him for getting so wet and insisted he had dreamt it all up again. That, from the cold, he had caught a fever and dreamt up meeting the merman.
"It was really nice seeing him again… I thought he was excited to meet with me too," Tadashi hummed. "At least, that's what it seemed," he sighed as he wondered why Tsukki had not returned to the beach.
"Jeez, Tadashi. The way you talk about this guy it's almost sound like you're in love with him," Yachi joked with a small laugh.
Tadashi went dark red at that remark. 'Me? In love with Tsukki?' his mind wondered.
"Don't be silly, Yachi. Tsukki and I are just friends," Tadashi insisted, his face resembling a strawberry.
"Just friends, huh?" Yachi teased. "You swoon over him like a love sick school girl, Tadashi."
"That's not true! I just think he is really cool, is all," Tadashi spit back. "He's really brave and, he is super cool and collected all the time. His amber eyes shine like the moon whenever he looks at me…" As Tadashi spoke his face become more and more flushed.
"Oh, Tadashi, you are so hopeless," Yachi joked as she gave her best friend a small nudge. Part of her wished that Tsukki really did exist, for Tadashi's sake.
"What!?" Tadashi spat as steam practically billowed out of his ears. "I'm not in love!" He insisted sharply.
"Whatever you say, Tadashi," Yachi sighed with a shake of her head. "I'm going to go and see if your mother doesn't have anything else she needs us to put out."
"I'm not in love," Tadashi stubbornly grumbled under his breath as Yachi exited into the kitchen.
With his chores done for the day and his mother's shop closed for the evening, Tadashi found himself sitting yet again at the top of the cliff looking out over the ocean. His arms rested crossed on the railing as he looked out over the sea. The sun was setting, not much different from the day he had met with Tsukki.
His conversation with Yachi played over and over in his mind.
Was he in love with Tsukki? How was he to know if he had only met the merman twice now?
It was true that his mind was occupied by the man, and any time he thought of Tsukki he felt warmth, happiness, and longing fill him to the core. Tadashi wanted nothing more than to be with Tsukki. To get to know Tsukki better and for Tsukki to get to know him.
Was this feeling love?
With a slight twist of his hips, Tadashi swung his satchel around before he stuck his hand in to dig out his sketch pad. He turned to the last page he had sketched. It was one of him and Tsukki sitting on a rock in the ocean gazing up at the stars as fireworks reflected in the ocean surrounding them. Tadashi had taken extra care to use the expensive colored pencils his mother had bought him for his birthday to sketch out the reflection of the fireworks in the water as well as coloring in Tsukki's beautiful midnight blue tail. Beneath the sketch read Tadashi and Tsukki watching fireworks at the Summer Star Festival.
With a sigh, Tadashi ripped the sketch from the pad of paper. Placing the sketch pad in his satchel, Tadashi folded the paper several times. He placed the folded up paper between his lips as he fished out a glass bottle from his bag. This particular glass bottle was of a clear deep blue that reminded Tadashi of Tukki's wonderful scaled tail. It was also of a peculiar shape, almost resembling a fish. It had cost him twice as much a normal bottle but he wanted this sketch to be place in a special bottle since it would be the first sketch he would toss into the sea after meeting with Tsukki.
Tadashi pulled the bottle from his bag and slipped his sketch into the bottle. He then placed a cork stopper into the opening of the bottle. With the sketch safely sealed in the bottle he looked it over. With a satisfied nod he held the bottle close to his chest.
"Oh, Tsukki. Where are you? I'm so sick of waiting for you. Please don't make me wait any longer," Tadashi whispered as he shut his eye tight, his every thought going into this wish.
He then did something he had never done before. He lifted the bottle to his lips and give it a small kiss.
His lips now occupied with a soft smile, he held the bottle out over the cliff and dropped it into the water. Tadashi watch it as it fell and disappeared into the waives.
He imagined Tsukki opening the bottle and smiling as he looked over Tadashi's sketch of them. Tadashi's heart swelled at the thought.
"Perhaps this is love," He whispered a sad sigh.
The next day Tadashi found himself hurriedly rushing here and there as he helped Yachi open the bakery.
To their delight their old teacher, and his partner the Young Ukai, were currently visit the small shop.
"It's good to see you two doing honest work," Ukai hummed happily as he gave Tadashi a rough pat on the shoulder.
"When I came the other week, your mother said you had caught a fever," Takeda said as he addressed Tadashi. "You're all better now?"
"Y-Yeah. It was just a small fever," Tadashi insisted as he bagged the two men's goods.
"He fell asleep at the beach and nearly froze to death," Yachi explained as she playfully shoved Tadashi.
"I did not," Tadashi pouted.
"Tadashi, falling asleep at the beach can be dangerous. What if the tide came in?" Takeda gasped.
"The tide did come in. He came back soaking wet," Yachi explained wildly.
"Tadashi! If you're not careful, it could have swept you away," Takeda scolded.
"That's what I told him," Yachi nodded.
Tadashi shrank under the duo's attacks.
"Ah, lay off it, you two," Ukai defended. "Can't a guy nap at the beach without being interrogated?"
"Yeah," Tadashi added with a nod. He then shrunk yet again when Yachi and Takeda shot him sharp looks.
"What were you doing at the beach so late anyways?" Takeda asked as he studied the freckled boy.
"Oh well I…" Tadashi began as he tried to think of an excuse.
"Don't tell me you were looking for mermaids again?" Takeda joked. As a child Tadashi was famous for his obsession with the mythical creatures.
"Mermaids?" Ukai chortled.
"Yeah, Tadashi used to want to become a mermaid when he was younger and often went to the beach in search of them," Takeda explained as if Tadashi and Yachi weren't there.
"Hey, I remember once, I thought I saw a mermaid in the cove," Ukai hummed as he thought the memory over.
"What! Really!?" Tadashi gasped.
"Yeah… I think it turned out to be a clump of seagrass," Ukai finished with a shrug. "It was after I had thrown back a few beers, so it's hard to say."
Tadashi visibly deflated.
"Ukai, that wasn't very nice," Takeda scolded.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Ukai apologized as he received a sharp jab from Takeda. "But hey, ya know what," Ukai said as he pulled Tadashi in close.
Tadashi blinked as he curiously leaned in to hear Ukai out.
"I know where you can get yourself a mermaid tail," Ukai whispered into Tadashi's ear.
"You do!" Tadashi all but shouted as he pulled back in shock.
"Ukai!" Takeda warned, not wanting him to pull the freckled boys leg too much.
"No, No! I'm serious," Ukai insisted. "There is a guy who lives in the woods who know magic! My Gramps told me all about him."
"Ukai, the woods are dangerous," Takeda sighed.
"Tadashi can't go into the woods! He'd be eaten alive by wolves for sure," Yachi shrieked.
Ukai ignored the two's warning as he looked Tadashi in the eyes.
"Gramps says this guy can do anything you want. Says he'd never believed it until this guy turned an obnoxious bloke at the bar into a newt," Ukai spoke in a dead serious tone. "If anyone can give you a tail, than this guy can definitely do it."
Tadashi's mind began to run at a mile a minute as he took in what Ukai was telling him.
"Ukai! Please stop filling Tadashi's mind with such lies," Takeda hissed as he gave the man a sharp tug on the arm.
"What, it's all true. Gramps swears by it, and gramps doesn't lie about things like magic," Ukai insisted.
"How do I find this guy?" Tadashi asked, breaking the two bickering men's concentration.
"Tadashi, you can't be serious," Yachi squeaked in a hushed panic.
"According to my gramps, he goes by the name 'The Great and Powerful Warlock' and if you seek him out, his path will appear to you," Ukai explained vaguely.
Tadashi looked to the counter with a hum as he thought this all over.
"No, no, no!" Yachi hissed as she gave Tadashi's shoulder a shake. "Don't you dare even consider it!"
"Don't take him seriously. It's obviously a lie," Takeda sighed.
"I swear it's true. Gramps never lies about magic. It's bad luck to do so," Ukai insisted yet again.
"Tadashi," Takeda said addressing the freckled boy. "Don't listen to him."
Tadashi looked from Takeda, who was giving him a raised brow stare, to Ukai who nodded insisting that his tale was true.
"Oh, um… yeah," Tadashi sighed as he looked the two men down. "D-Don't worry. I won't do anything rash or crazy," he insisted.
"You better not," Yachi squeaked from beside him.
With that, the two men let themselves out. Takeda apologizing for the ruckus and Ukai insisting that it was all the honest truth.
Tadashi's mind raced as he considered Ukai's tale.
"No, Tadashi Yamaguchi," Yachi scolded as she studied her freckled friend. "I know that look and you are not going to go looking for some strange man who lives in the woods!"
"But Yachi..." Tadashi hummed, finding it hard to stand up to the frustrated girl.
"I said no!" Yachi snapped as she turned on her heel and headed toward the kitchen, almost tripping over nothing twice.
Tadashi's eyes followed her as she disappeared behind the kitchen door.
That night, after finishing his evening routine, Tadashi lay comfortably in his bed as he gazed at the stars and moon from out the window. The story he had heard from Ukai still hung heavy in his mind. He had heard stories of a man who lived in the woods who granted wishes to those who could afford it. Most of the people in the village agreed not to talk of the warlock for he had been known to curse those whom he did not like.
'But if he could give me a mermaid tail then I could go to Tsukki,' Tadashi's thought. 'I wouldn't have to wait for Tsukki to come to me.'
'But you don't have any payment, Tadashi,' he thought solemnly. 'Well, maybe I can bargain something with him. There must be something I have that's worthwhile to a warlock.'
Tadashi looked around his room. It was quite sparse. He had the bed he was laying on, a desk with a chair, a side table with a lamp, a dresser with some cloths and various sketching supplies.
Tadashi sighed. He had nothing a warlock could possibly want.
'You don't know that, Tadashi. You've never talked to a warlock before. Perhaps you do have something he could use,' Tadashi's mind insitered.
It was true. Tadashi had never met with a warlock before so for all he knew the man could be itching for a nice desk or a bright lamp, just like the ones Tadashi owned.
'It wouldn't hurt to go and meet the man,' Tadashi decided on.
If he was able to give Tadashi his own mertail than he could surely reunite with Tsukki. The idea of seeing Tsukki again filled Tadashi's heart with warmth.
He longed for the feel of the merman's touch upon his freckled cheeks. The yearned to hear Tsukki's cool, calming voice. He wanted nothing more than to gaze into Tsukki's brilliant amber eyes.
"Just you wait, Tsukki. I'll be coming to you this time," Tadashi hummed with a smile as his eyes looked up to the moon.
So there we go! Chapter three is all over. I hope you enjoyed it. Looks like maybe our little Tadashi will find a way to his Tsukki. Can't just sit around and hope for someone to find you! I wonder who this worlock is!? Will he be able to help Tadashi? Is he really such a bad guy? Is Tadashi even going to seek him out!? All that and more will be answered in chapter 4 so stay tuned!
I know this chapter was a bit short. I said I would release one chapter a week but I may release chapter 4 out sooner. Possibly tomorrow or Sunday if the weekend allows and if not then possibly Monday. We'll have to see if I am feeling nice or not.
Speaking of nice, thank you all for the kind review and kudos. It really is good to know so many people are enjoying this small fic. Taking time out of their busy days just to read this. I really appreciate it!
Please, if you have time to spare, do leave a review or kudos. I do like to hear what my readers think.
You can also find me on tumblr under Pastaprincess if you're into that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Anyways! See you all next chapter!