The perspective switching is killing me. I've never done it before. This is like, giving me vertigo or something. Ugh. Hello! Welcome back or welcome to Above and Below, chapter 4! I'll be honest, I don't think this is my best, but I worked until it was midnight and I was tired, so! Haha, sorry. I hope you enjoy it! I will see you all next time! Remember, Review!
"So, again, let me get this straight." Zen started. He was kneeling on an assortment of driftwood, tied together with thick branches of seaweed. The sun beat down on his back harshly, he was going to be seriously burnt if still even alive by the time he got back to Clarines. At each rise and fall of each wave, Zen was certain he'd slip into the sea and the Sharkman would just continue on. Leaving him to drown, or worse, at the mercy of the red-haired mermaid who insisted upon coming along. "You're telling me you can hear the Sea, and you obey her every order?" The Second Prince of Clarines continued, addressing the Sharkman.
The Sharkman sighed. He was pulling the driftwood forward a good three meters ahead to make sure his tail didn't smack the board, a trail of seaweed tied to the board wrapped around his palm. His brown hair looked lighter in the sun, and his fin occasionally broke through the surface to swish side to side. "Yes." He extended the word, annoyed.
"And the Sea wants me to live…why? I mean, not that I'm not grateful or anything." Zen clutched to the edge of the board nervously as they rose on a wave. His fingers stung against the overpowering salt. The air tasted of it, smelled of it. Zen loved the ocean, but this was the ocean he never wanted to see. This was the ocean that was calm, but calm in the way an executioner was. This ocean was a cold murderer, and it would be very thorough in its work.
"I wasn't told." The Sharkman responded. His head dipped through the waves instead of lifting and falling with them. Zen guessed it was nicer to breathe water than air with gills.
"And you're okay with that? You're fine with just blindly following orders?" Zen asked, incredulous. As the Second Prince, Zen made sure all of his orders were given with reasons-unless they were too personal. Then he only told his aides, who fabricated a believable story close enough to the truth or just did it themselves.
"The Sea is never wrong." The Sharkman said, then vanished under the swell of a wave.
Zen frowned and looked to the red mermaid. She swam behind him, looking despondent and unhappy. She was extremely beautiful with the sun alighting her features. Her red hair flickered like an underwater flame. Her green eyes caught the light of the sun and sea and shimmered. Her scales glistened and shimmered. Her fin opened and closed easily. She kept her head above water, occasionally for long breaks though she would keep it underneath. "Why are you coming? I thought you hated me." Zen asked her. He was desperate to forget the kiss-the wild, uncontrollable urge that had grabbed him and forced him to move. He felt awful-he was never one to put his hands on a women without her permission first. Not to mention as well, that was his first kiss. And he hadn't even been himself, hadn't been in control. Her lips felt soft and amazing, salty like the sea, but they didn't sting like the actual ocean's salt did. Guilt ate him alive. He wanted to apologize, but he did remember the way she had been singing to him before it happened.
"I do hate you." She responded after a moment. "But I want to see the land. I've never been near any human places Above Surface, besides their ships."
"Oh." Zen could understand her curiosity there. After all, he was tempted himself to ask more about the mers underwater world. What was that fabric she was wearing? Did she live in a cave like the one she had trapped him in? What was that crystal that changed colors-and did she rely on it for light?
After a second, he realized he was aiming all of his mental questions towards the mermaid instead of both of his escorts. He shook his head and clutched to the board again as he rose on another swell. "Are you sure he's okay with you coming?" He nodded to the Sharkman.
The mermaid shrugged. She had gone under the swell, which had put her next to him instead of behind now. "He hasn't said anything yet, and it isn't as if he doesn't know I'm here."
Zen hummed and slumped down on the board. He was sitting crisscross, and he wished he could slip into a more comfortable position. He had been like this for the past three hours. If they kept going at this rate, they would be on the ocean for days.
He scanned the horizon, but of course there was nothing. Absolute nothing. He took a steadying breath. Zen lowered his gaze down instead to the top of the board, counting the random little specks of salt that he could see.
"Are you afraid or something? You seem shakier here than you did in the cave." The mermaid asked.
"What? Oh, no. I'm fine." Zen glanced at her. He wasn't sure he should share, he didn't think he could trust her. But at the same time, he felt an urge too.
"You're not." She dipped her head through a wave, her fin breaking the surface as she did so. It fanned out against the sunlight, sending little droplets all along Zen's body. He shivered, the sun warm but the breeze cold. "You're acting as if a shark's hunting you."
The Sharkman turned, obviously he hadn't been paying attention. "Did you call me?"
"Oh, no. We were talking about sharks. Great Whites and the like." The mermaid called.
The Sharkman nodded and turned away again.
"Do you have a name? Other than Sharkman, I mean." Zen ventured.
"I do."
There was a silence, the only sound the sea as it rose and fell.
"What is it?" Zen prompted, finally. He wasn't even positive the Sharkman would respond.
The Sharkman glanced back, then looked away. "I'm Obi." He said.
Zen blinked. "Alright. Obi. And you are…?" He looked at the mermaid.
She met his eyes. "What's yours? I know your title, that's all."
"I'm Zen." Zen found it odd that he hadn't been properly introduced to either of them yet.
"Zen." She repeated.
An odd chill he blamed on the breeze ran down his spine. "And yours?" He asked again.
"I'm Shirayuki." She stated.
"Shirayuki." He repeated. He liked the sound of the word.
"Hold on, Zen." Obi called faintly. He ducked under as a wave a bit bigger than the rest swelled in front of him.
Zen plastered his upper body down to the board, clutching it tightly. His board felt like it was turning vertical for a second, but there was a sharp pull and he powered over the top of the wave, sending up a large spray of white water. He landed back down harshly. He groaned, pushing himself up and trying to blink the salt out of his eyes.
"This is taking a long time." Shirayuki said, resurfacing.
Obi looked back. "Miss, I'm sorry to say it's because of you."
Shirayuki's tail faltered, and she fell behind for a moment. She caught up easily, however. "O-Oh. I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't go then."
Obi lifted his shoulders-a motion Zen could barely see because of the water. "I was going to let you come along for a while, but I will have to send you away at some point."
Zen wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone with the Sharkman. But then again, Obi had proven himself more trustworthy than Shirayuki had. Obi hadn't attacked with those odd magical pearls-another thing Zen was dying to ask more about. At least Zen knew he stood somewhat of a chance against Obi. Then again, Obi could always simply plunge him into the sea.
Zen shook the thoughts away. He wasn't exactly safe with either of the fish-folk. He brushed his hair to the side, letting it plaster to itself so it wasn't against his forehead.
Shirayuki looked thoughtful. She looked up at Zen, and for a second Zen thought she was going to ask him for advice. But then she dipped underneath a wave, and resurfaced facing Obi. "I'll stop coming with now, then. I need to start heading home-or after the pirates."
"Are you going to kill them?" Zen blurted. He strongly disliked the pirates, but he wouldn't wish a watery grave on them. It wasn't as if they had targeted his people or anything.
She looked at him a little bitterly. "Yes. I've apparently been ordered to by the Sea." She looked at Obi.
Obi ran his free hand across the top of the water benevelonetly. "She never ordered you." His voice was soft. "She only wanted you too."
Shirayuki shrugged. "Might as well be the same thing."
Obi flipped onto his back to look at them. It was odd to see a shark tail working upside down. His eyes were a dirty gold in the sunlight. They looked smaller than usual. His skin didn't look as pale as it had underwater and in the dark cave. His hair stuck to the sides of his head. "It's not. The Sea has her orders, those must be followed. Some of her wants don't have to be, however."
"Are you saying I shouldn't sink the ship?"
"I'm saying it's ultimately your choice." Obi responded instantly. He flipped back to his stomach and ducked under another wave.
Zen sighed. He didn't understand how the Sea could communicate. It was an entire body of water, after all. But then again, if mermaids actually were real, so many other things could be.
Shirayuki began to lag. "Um, I'll just go then."
The Sharkman lifted his hand in a wave out of the water in acknowledgement.
Zen twisted as the Sharkman refused to stop. He watched, unsure if he should wave or not. Shirayuki stopped following, she began to tread the water instead. The ocean immediately worked to pull them apart, and she disappeared behind each wave. "Bye, Shirayuki!" He finally called.
She didn't respond. Instead, she lunged out of the water completely. Her tail glistened in the sunlight, and the sea seemed to reach up with her. She bent backwards, her hair fanning out wildly. A trail of water seemed to follow her, the salt catching the bright light and shimmering. Her hands broke the surface, and when her tail vanished with hardly a splash right into a wave, she didn't resurface.
"You might want to hang on." Obi said.
Zen turned and grabbed the board, expecting another larger wave. Instead, however, the water swelled up underneath him. He yelped and clutched tighter. In front of him, Obi lifted his arms up. It swirled around the Sharkman's waist, holding him upwards. Then he leaned forward, and the two waves broke through the surface, powering them forward at the speed of a fast ship. The wave loomed over Zen's head, and he worried it would roll over on top of him. The board rattled and shook as the wave consistently pushed at it.
He ended up kneeling, his boots stuck into the wave and sending up a spray. "Uh, Obi?" He tried to call. However, he was so focused on keeping the board steady underneath him, he couldn't really bother to raise his voice.
Parts of the seaweed tie began to unravel quickly under his hand. He tried to lift his knee to pin it down, and that's when the board snapped in half under him. "Obi!" He shouted as he plunged back into the depths. He kept his eyes closed, so all he could feel was a hard thump over the back of his head, and the world immediately went black.
"Are you alright?! Hey, can you hear me?! Oh, Yatsufusa, can you help me carry him?" The voice was low, but feminine.
Zen groaned. His head was spinning, and all he could taste was salt water. His arm twitched when he first tried to move it, but it responded well on the second try. He pulled it forward, hot sand dragging through his fingers. He pressed his palm down and pried his cheek away from the beach, blearily opening his eyes.
A seagull cawed nearby. There was a gentle lullaby of the sea as it rocked back and forth over the sand. Shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Zen couldn't feel the sun on his back, but his clothes had turned stiff and crispy from its heat.
"Are you alright? Let us help you." The voice said again. Warm hands gently wrapped around his back, pulling him up to his knees.
Zen blinked, his eyes feeling crusted together. When he managed to actually open them, he realized he was staring at a smooth field of golden sand. Far in the distance, a cliff rushed to met the sea. Waves collided against the land and burst in a million little droplets. He lifted his head, although the motion made him wince. But he managed to see the shoreline-houses resting over a line of carefree beach grass. There was the seagall who had cawed, plucking at a piece of washed up seaweed closer to the grass. Zen turned his head to the right.
The women who was brushing sand off of his front and off his arms had long, dirty blonde hair. Her eyes were the rare color of purple you see in sunsets occasionally. She had two red earrings that caught Zen's eyes. Her outfit was a skirt that went just past her knees, and a purple shirt. A white jacket covered the length of the sleeves. "Can you stand? My goodness, what happened to you?"
Good question. Zen thought. "I…" His voice was hard and dry. He cleared it and started again. "I…I was thrown…overboard." That was all he could get out without his voice cracking. That had happened at first, then…something about a red-haired mermaid? It was a little fuzzy.
"Overboard!" The women gasped. She turned and looked up at her companion. This was a male man with a scarf wrapped around his head. He wore well-loved white pants and a purple shirt. He studied the horizon, lifting his hand to block the lowering sun from shining into his face.
"Who tossed you overboard?" He asked. This man must have been Yatsufusa, the one the women had asked something of earlier.
"P-Pirates." Zen managed.
"Oh, dear. Alright, you can tell us more later. After a good night's sleep, and a good meal, and water." The women grasped him by the underarms and stood. He was taller than her by only a little. He tried to press his weight into his feet, and managed to stand for only a heartbeat before his knees began to shake. They gave out suddenly, and Yatsufusa had to lunge to catch him.
"Whoa, there. Easy now." Yatsufusa twisted and hooked his arms under Zen's knees. With a heave and a slight jump, he hoisted Zen onto his back. While Zen had been taller than the women, Yatsufusa was a little bit taller than the Second Prince.
Zen's head was swimming again. He protested meekly, but it came out as such a low stutter neither of the people could hear him. They didn't know who he was, obviously. But then again, Zen could have been in a different country for all that he knew. At least they spoke English.
He stared at the sea, the sun in his eyes. Yatsufusa started to walk, the women right next to him with her hand on the back of Zen's head worriedly. But Zen's focus was only on the shoreline. It rushed forward, then retreated, leaving various trails of bubbles and causing little sand dollars to pop. The sun was slowly lowering, but he wondered about what had really happened out there.
He remembered a mermaid with a beautiful green tail, and gorgeous red hair, and the most amazing eyes he had ever seen. He remembered the feel of her salty lips against He remembered being completely surrounded by blue light, the surface far , and a flush of gold running through her expanding and contracting fin. Then he remembered sparks flying, literally, as he used a chain to deflect a spear. He remembered a slippery and powerful fin slapping his back, and the hissing of something burning. He remembered a crystal that changed color, and sharp, golden eyes. He remembered the feeling of soggy driftwood, and of a mad rush of water. That was about it.
Was it all a dream?