Note: Originally I was supposed to post this next week, but today's my birthday, so here's a treat! I need ideas for Chapter 6 though. Anyways, thank you for commenting Nostalgia's My Best Friend and Cyberfire22 for reviewing, I'll do my best and not cave in to Biology class!
Umi's POV:
"Umi, did you find a possible candidate for your partner?" my father questioned me immediately when I woke up.
I absentmindedly nodded, still thinking of Arashi. But I regained my senses after realizing what I did.
"N-no, dad. Not one," I stammered knowing this was a lie. Maybe, just maybe, I did like someone.
"What?" my dad questioned, "Not even Armik?"
"Especially NOT Armik," I said, with distaste on Armik's name.
"I don't get why you wouldn't like such a handsome and kind fellow," dad questioned, his tail scratching his chin.
Kind? I thought, He's a dirty-minded, arrogant jerk. I don't see how he can be kind.
My dad left me alone to my room, still wondering why I found Armik distasteful and decided to talk to my mother about this situation.
I just flitted around my room, sighing in a content manner. At least, until I noticed Ai watching me from the window. Ai definitely knew something was fishy, she swam in and began to question me.
"Umi, why have you been acting so... Cheerful?" she questioned suspicions rising.
"Oh, just because he's wonderful," I absentmindedly said while caressing my tail contentedly.
"Who? Is it... a guy?" Ai giggled upon hearing me speak my mind out. Realizing I told her, I was horrified.
"NO! I didn't meet anyone, I didn't mean to-," I snapped, unable to finish the sentence.
I could feel my cheeks burning, which only fuelled Ai's suspicions.
"You, you like someone, do you?" Ai giggled. Finding no way out, I decided to give in. I could tell half the truth.
"Y-yeah. Sort of. Well, I'm j-just interested in h-him," I answered, still trying to hide my embarrassment.
"Ooh! Who is he? Who is he?" Ai giggled uncontrollably.
I didn't want to answer her question, but I didn't have much of a choice. Besides, it's just a name... How could her knowing hurt?
"Well... His name is... Arashi," I said looking at the floor trying to hide my face. By now, my whole face was crimson red and I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach.
Ai giggled, seeing my embarrassment. "Ooh! How does he look like? Is he a Milotic?" she chirped slyly.
Ugh, I thought, she hit me with that question real hard. Do I trust her enough to tell her?
I slowly whispered to her, "Ai, can you keep a secret?"
"Sure! C'mon, I'm your best friend!" Ai impatiently snapped back, apparently getting more curious by the second.
"F-fine, well... He's... He's the Prince of the Gyarados tribe!" I struggled, trying to get the words out.
Ai gasped.
"Umi! You? And a Gyarados?" she remarked.
"Please don't tell anyone!" I quietly snapped at her.
Ai quieted down, "So, Arashi's a Gyarados?"
I nodded, "But, he's so much nicer than Armik. He was so kind and compassionate."
Ai seemed to have regained her composure.
"So... Is he cute?" she asked, unable to contain her laughter.
"AI!" I childishly yelled, unable to control my face, which was beet red by now.
"You should tell him how you feel!" Ai chirped back excitedly.
"Um... No?" I answered, "I said I was interested in him, I just want to know more about him."
"Then why does your face and tail tell me otherwise?" Ai slyly retorted.
I found my face blushing and saw that my tail was involuntarily twisting itself into a knot.
"Oh, all right! All right!" I gave in, "Maybe I do like him more than just as a friend. But what if he doesn't return those feelings?"
"What if he does?" Ai slyly countered with a big grin on her face.
"Oh, knock it off! I don't wanna go too fast. He might get scared or something," I snapped back defensively. Ai cheerfully giggled and swam out, leaving me alone in my room.
Finally, some privacy, I thought.
Just then, my mother entered my room. My mother's personality was much more better than my father, she was also as beautiful as beautiful can be. She had silver hair instead of the usual red we Milotic had, and her scales and tail were golden so that whenever they reflected sunlight, it would give her a golden glow.
"Umi, my child, I'm worried that you still haven't chosen a partner. You know you can't rule this tribe all by yourself right?" she asked me worriedly.
"I know mom, but I don't want to rush love. I want to wait until my special someone comes into my life," I told her despite knowing that that special someone has already come into my life.
"Okay, dear. I'll try to convince your father," she lovingly told me.
"Thanks, mom!" I graciously answered.
She left me alone as she swam out.
I decided to go out to the secluded coral bed. I swam about enjoying the pleasance of the beautifully-colored corals. Some corals even looked like what the land-dwellers called "flowers". I found them beautiful and pretty.
I looked out at the sky, from under the sea, it looked magnificent. As magnificent as Arashi... Suddenly, I jerked upright, I remembered I would meet him later!
I have to look my best, I thought, I can't just let him see me like this. I frantically looked around the coral bed for more fragments of the beautifully shaped and colored coral. Then I heard a stifled laugh.
I swam towards it immediately to find Ai.
"What are YOU doing here?" I angrily questioned.
"I've been watching you ever since you left the palace,' she giggled.
I sighed. The last thing I wanted was her finding out why I was frantically searching around for coral fragments.
"Why were you looking for coral fragments?" Ai asked slyly, "Meeting someone?"
I tried to hide the fact that I was meeting him, Arashi, tonight. "N-no," I stammered.
Ai just giggled and gave me something, a coral-fragment. It was blue and shaped like a rose.
"Try this, it looks good on you," Ai advised.
I did put it on. I put it on my right antenna and it did indeed look good. The blue rose-like rock was beautiful as it contrasted with my red hair. "Thanks Ai," I thanked her.
"You must really like him if you really want to look good in front of him," Ai giggled.
We swam over to her humble abode to check if anything else looked good on me.
"Listen Ai, please don't tell mom and dad about tonight," I pleaded.
"Oh, don't you worry," Ai answered, "I'm your friend, I promise I won't ever tell a soul."
I was blessed to have such a good friend. After arranging my rose, err... coral and brushing my scales so that they gleamed, I thanked Al and went home. I was ready for tonight, all I had to do was wait.
Arashi's POV:
I was still thinking, or maybe dreaming about Umi, until I was rudely woken up by a roar.
"ARASHI!" I heard my dad roar. I sighed and got up. "Where were you yesterday?" he questioned raising one of his eyebrows.
"I was out training, I... found a sparring partner," I lied.
My dad chuckled, "Woah, an' I thought you were jus' goofin' off. That's mah boy!" I chuckled sheepishly with him.
"Say son," he asked, "Ya got ya'y eyes on a girl yet?"
The first thing that came to my mind was Umi. I quickly brushed off the thought.
"No dad," I lied again.
My dad looked disappointed. "Well, you better hurry son, If you don' find one, I'm guessin' Ikari'll do jus' fine as yerr partner," he warned.
Ugh... Not Ikari! She was cold, ruthless, and mercenary. I doubt that she'd love me for it not my rank of prince.
He left me alone and I sighed. I didn't want my dad to rush love, but for him, the sooner the better. I decided to go out and see Kip. Kip was busy biting off a barnacle when I arrived and when he saw me, he lost his focus and didn't notice that the barnacle came off causing him to knock himself backwards.
I chuckled at his silly antic. We both spoke to each other about the other day which reminded me of Umi. I smiled thinking about tonight. I didn't notice that Kip stopped talking and started to grin mischievously.
"So, what are you thinking about?" Kip asked directly to my ear. This broke me out of my trance.
"Nothing in particular," I lied.
Kip then smirked and continued to press me.
"Yesterday you said you met someone," he questioned, blocking my way out like a predator would do with prey.
"Yeah, why the sudden interest?" I snapped back.
"You failed to answer my question last night," he cornered.
"Which is?" I pretended not to know.
Kip triumphantly fired away his questioned, "Was the one you met, a she?" I started sweating.
"Y-yes," I said looking downward.
"I knew it!" he cheerfully yelled while swimming around me.
"What's the lucky girl's name?" Kip asked, his curiosity peeking out.
I slowly muttered, "Umi." I could feel my face turning hotter as I said her name.
Kip suddenly gasped.
"Umi? She's the Princess of the Milotic Tribe!" Kip warned me.
"So," I retorted, "Just because I'm a Gyarados, doesn't mean that I'm not meant to be with her."
Kip was grinning after those words came out of my mouth.
"Ooh, so you DO like someone!" Kip excitedly said, hopping on a rock he was standing to show his excitement.
I yelled, "HEY! I never said that I like-" I was cut off by Kip chanting, "Umi, Arashi swimming in the sea, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
By now I collapsed from shame.
Kip took me up and told me, "Hey Arashi, don't be embarrassed. Everyone runs into that situation, y'know."
I covered my face.
"Just tell her how you feel," Kip told me.
"I'm just interested in her, NOTHING MORE!" I snapped back regardless of my stomach feeling giddy.
"So, you planning on meeting her?" Kip asked.
"Actually, I'm meeting her tonight," I silently told him.
"Ooh! A date?" Kip chuckled. I blushed and was unable to answer him.
"Oh c'mon buddy. I was just kidding, let's go get ready for your date," he said with emphasis on the word "date".
I went over to his house, he lived all by himself in the outskirts of the Milotic Tribe.
"What do you think girls like?" I shyly asked Kip.
"Woah, stop right there, don't tell me that you're planning on getting her a gift, are you?" Kip suddenly interjected.
I slowly nodded.
"If you didn't like my suggestion of telling your feelings to her then you're definitely not going to like the result of giving her a gift this early," Kip informed, "You just want to take it easy out there, just be nice to her, but not too nice, it kinda gives you away." I nodded, not really listening.
Oh Umi, I thought, if you only knew my feelings for you. I think your pretty amazing and-
"AND don't go daydreaming about her too much when you see her, though I think that's clearly impossible for you as I can see you're doing it now." Kip yelled snapping me out of my thoughts.
I slightly blushed when he caught me. What was wrong with me? Why do I feel that way around her?
Kip just laughed and asked, "You never told me how you met her..."
I told him the story, though everytime I mentioned Umi's name, I feel all weird and sick. I never knew the reason and quickly dismissed it.
"Aww... I shouldn't have left and hid. I should have stayed and watched that awkward scene," Kip said, still picking on me.
The sun soon started to slowly set. I grinned as I thought about meeting her in the beautiful moonlit ocean.
Note: Thanks for everything, your reviews are enough to make this birthday the best one yet( despite the fact that there's a typhoon here)! Here's also something though...
Daily character interview. Today, let's interview Ai.
Interviewer: What's your favorite color, and why?
Ai: Well... Uh... Red, of course! I mean, it's MY color too and that's usually the color of hearts right?
Interviewer: Hmm... I see, what do you prefer doing most at your spare time?
Ai: Ooh! I like to hang around with Umi, she's really sweet and naive at times though but, boy has she got a temper. Either way, it's so easy to read her and we share a lot of secrets. Ehehe... Even those she's afraid of sharing with me.
Interviewer: How did you meet Umi?
Ai: Umi's really shy and impatient, but she can be sociable when you get to know her. I met her the first time she exited the palace by herself, she got lost and I was the one who found her, she was silent at first but we soon got know each other, I got shocked when I learned she was the princess. I helped her back home, she's been my closest friend ever since.
Interviewer: What's the meaning behind your name? Does it have a meaning?
Ai: Yes, my mother named me after some chinese character 愛, which means "love". Well, I am heart shaped and I do have a knack for listening to romantic stories.
Interviewer: Here is our last question, knowing about your name, have you ever found true love?
Ai: I still haven't found one, I'm still waiting for my prince. I know there are several choices but... I'd rather not rush. I don't want to end up making a mistake.
Interviewer: That's all, thank you very much for giving us some of your time. Please do enjoy the rest of your day.
Ai: You're welcome. I'm proud to have been interviewed anyway.