Shit happened irl ok? between a hole in my ceiling giving me a panic attack, trying to find somewhere else to live, and my mum's cat dying, i had very little motivation. this chapter was also supposed to end elsewhere, but it's already long enough. and boring. next chappie is gunna be way more interesting tho ; )

Also, according to popular opinion, this fic is now declared an Official Mineta Free Zone. sorry for for forgetting tsuyu, i forgot to say she's showing up too. and i'm totally stealing AO3 Rebecca's idea abt an octo shoji

It took about a day and a half of awkward swimming to find anything that could possibly help me. Namely, it was the ocean floor. It seemed to just suddenly appear out of nowhere, which startled me after I finally registered what I was looking at. The lack of food and sleep has made my head feel strange, kind of like I had a bit too much to drink. I still feel energetic though, but that's most likely from constantly feeling exposed. I just can't seem to relax at all. I swim down and see that the seabed suddenly drops off in the direction I came from, and went who knows how far down.

I shudder and swim over the sand, and away from the open water. I don't feel as exposed now, but I still don't want to sleep without something covering me from view. As a human I've had to camp out in the open before, but something in my gut is screaming at me not to do that here. I don't really know how to describe this feeling, or why I'm having it, but I don't feel inclined to ignore my strange new instincts. Besides, I need to find something to eat first. I don't think I will be able to sleep with my belly complaining this much. I sigh and look around again, looks like I'll be swimming some more.

After awhile, the terrain changes again. Instead of flat plains and small hills of sand, there are shelves of rock that are covered in a vast array of things. Strange plants that sway with the slight current, strangely shaped and pitted rocks, and many different kinds of shellfish. The area is also teeming with a variety of fish, many swimming around in enormous colourful schools. I pause, just looking at everything. It's so... fascinating! How do they swim in tandem like that?

There wasn't much to look at when I was in open water, just a school or two of fish that I had to ignore after awhile. I couldn't catch any, and was forced to move on. I was wasting too much energy, and I wanted to keep moving while I could. I look around at all the fish again and smile. I don't think I'll have much to worry about in regards to food now.

Well, no time like the present. My stomach twists again as I line myself up with a particularly large group of green and brown fish (1). I launch myself into the middle of the group, trying to grab the closest one. They all immediately scatter, and I'm left with nothing. Which was expected, but still irritating. I'm just not quick enough yet to catch them, but I don't know what else I can eat that will fill me up. I turn myself around to face the quickly regrouping school, and ready myself for another go. I have to figure this out sooner or later, and I have plenty of time right now to practice.

After countless tries, I still have nothing to show for my efforts. Well, except for a sore and exhausted body. I'm pretty sure I came close once or twice, but close doesn't make up for an empty stomach. Panting, I make my way down to the seabed to rest. The water around me is much darker now, the sun no longer shining through the surface. That means that it's almost nighttime, and I don't have anywhere to sleep yet. With an irritated huff, I look around the rock shelves and take in the scenery again. I got pretty caught up with the fish, and never looked closer at my surroundings. Tilting my head, I maneuver myself closer to one of the things that catch my eye.

I'm not sure what they are at all. They look like a very strange flowers, but do those even grow underwater? They seem to be growing everywhere, with varying colours and shapes. This particular cluster seems to be the most common type. The stem is a translucent brown with a pale yellow centre and white "petals". No, wait, they're tentacles not petals (2). I sniff at one a bit, but don't smell anything. I haven't really smelled anything since being turned, but I didn't really think about that before doing it. Can I still smell things, or is that gone forever now?

Tilting my head the other way, I reach out a clawed fingertip and lightly poke the center between the tentacles. I let out an alarmed squeak, and yank my hand back. The light sting it gave my finger startled me. I freeze and blink, staring down at the strange flower. The moment I touched it, it bent in on itself. The tentacles close in towards the centre, and I look at it with concern. Did, did I hurt it? I cover my mouth and look around in concern. None of the others reacted, so I just hurt the one. I guess I'll just be avoiding these from now on. I don't think I can eat them anyway, since they sting when touched.

I sigh and swim up towards the surface a bit, it will be easier to spot things from higher up. It's getting darker and darker by the minute, and I need to find a safe place to bed down. Maybe I can find a hollow amongst the rocks that's large enough for me to fit into. I look around and see what appears to be a crevice between some rocks, and angle myself down towards it. I start swimming amongst the flowers, trying to get to the place before the gloom sets in completely. I soon find a hole with an outcropping that will cover me pretty well, and is big enough for me to fit. For some reason, though, I still don't like it. I don't know why. I'm dead tired and this is the best I can do for now, but it just feels wrong somehow. I scowl and shake my head, I'm just being silly. It's most likely that I just miss having a bed, but I simply have to get used to this. This is how I'm going to be living from now on. At least until I get changed back anyway.

So I ignore the unhappy feeling in my gut, and curl up on the ground under the rock shelf. Hopefully I can catch something to eat tomorrow. I don't know how long I can stand this hunger.

I have probably been tossing and turning for a few hours, unable to relax with the constant ache of my stomach. So I'm bone tired, unable to even doze off even for a little bit, and will probably feel even worse tomorrow. Will I even be able to catch anything tomorrow? Never mind my lack of skill, will I even have enough energy to hunt? Should I just taste different things and hope it doesn't kill me? What-

"What's that noise?"

I'm pretty sure I heard a soft cracking noise close by, and I'm positive it wasn't made by me. I'm well aware that I mutter aloud when thinking, but I don't always notice when I start though. I often get yelled at or stared at when it happens around others. I didn't notice at first, but I can't seem to speak English anymore. Or any recognizable human language really, not that I know that many. The words are there in my head, but it comes out as various clicks and whistles instead of words. Maybe it's the mer language? Do they even have a language? There it is again!

I quickly prop myself up and look up at the adjacent rock shelf, where the sounds are coming from. It's a bit too gloomy to see, the moon being just a waning sliver, so I have to squint and scoot closer. I have to get about 30 cm from the ledge to see what looks like two large insects about the length of my arm. I can't tell what exact colour they are, but they're probably a dark blue. Both have two long antennae, huge pincers, and long bodies with fanned tails. They seem to have crushed the mussels that line the shelf, and are eating the meat that's inside.

Huh, I must have missed them in my haste to find a place to sleep. I only know what those are because there were some stuck to the bottom of the ship, along with the barnacles that a sailor was removing. The mussels were kept as a snack for the crew while the rest were discarded into the sea. Speaking of which, I could probably eat them and be fine. It would take the edge off at least. How did I forget about that?

I reach out to the closest cluster, and pry a few off the rock face. I notice how one suddenly snaps closed in my hand, but ultimately ignore it in favour of figuring out how to get it open again. I don't have a knife, how am I going to pry it open? Those bugs are crushing the shells with their pincers before eating them, but I don't want to injure myself. I frown down at my hands, and then almost smack myself in the face. I have claws, jeeze! How could I be so stupid!? I quickly pry one open with little difficulty, and pop the meat into my mouth. I assume it's ok to eat it raw, because there's no way I can cook anything underwater. I'll just have to live with it if I get sick later, I need food now (4).

Mmmm, just as chewy and delicious as I remember, if a bit gritty. Probably had some sand in it. I finish off the other two and drop the shells, letting them drop down to the sandy seabed. I need more. My stomach starts twisting even more, once it realizes that I'm finally putting something in it. Before I grab some more, I look at the two bugs with a thought. Could I eat those? They're pretty big, and I assume they have some muscle under their shells. Hmmm. I reach out my hand, going for the one on the right. I hesitate a bit, but then grab the top of its thorax. I gingerly pick it up, almost dropping it when it suddenly brings its claws up. I grit my teeth and ignore it though, it can't reach me with its pincers anyway.

I just hold it and think for a moment, wondering where to start. I could go for a claw, that seems to be the easiest, but I don't want it to get me. I sigh and frown, as my stomach twists again. I guess I can't really be picky, can I? I carefully grab one of the thing's arms, making sure to grab below the claw. I quickly jerk back, and cleanly pull the limb off with a snap. I drop the creature back on the ledge, so I can focus on exposing the meat underneath the shell. I crack open the claw first, since that's the biggest part. The flesh seems to be a light grey colour in the dim light, with darker patches covering it.

Well, time to taste it. It's a bit squishy, but tastes amazing! It has a light, almost sweet flavour, that makes me crave even more. If only I had butter, I think it would go well with it. I make quick work of the limb, simply pulling the flesh off the long, transparent ligaments and popping it into my mouth. Once finished, I scoop the fleeing creature back up. If that's how the claw tasted, the rest of it must be just as good! I dig my claw into one of the soft spaces between the plates on it's back, and pry it off, exposing the succulent flesh underneath. Instead of picking it apart with my fingers, I decide to just bite right in. Oooh, it's soooo good! The texture is a bit different in the tail, but the taste is still the same.

I empty out the bug's shell and, still feeling peckish, eat half of the other one. I'll save the rest of it for breakfast, since my belly is already full. Hopefully I can fall asleep now, I never liked lying awake all night. Too many thoughts swim around in my head and stress me out. I swim back over to my little nook, and tuck the half eaten carcass into the back. I quickly take a look around to make sure I'm still alone, and then curl up on the sand once again. I yawn, and finally start feeling drowsy. Being full is nice.

(1) Ballan Wrasse. if you don't know how to pronounce it, imagine an irish person saying it.

(2) it's an Elegant Anemone

(3) totes a lobster, yum. i honestly don't need to eat it with anything, i just eat it straight

(4) DO NOT EAT RAW SHELLFISH! you could get violently ill if you do. always cook it first.

a concerned izuku is a cute izuku. i totally have this image of him in my head as a chubby toddler just walking up to people and asking if they're ok. cutest thing ever! i am slightly sadistic, why do you ask?

also, because Izuku isn't familiar with most sea life, he isn't going to know the names of everything. in this chapter i told you down here, but i can stop if it's annoying/ distracting