You know what I find ironic? Sometimes people call my chapters short when it's like 500 words less and then when I look at their stories their chapters are even shorter...hmm...x3 Has this happened to anyone before or is it just me? Are you used to the chapters being this long so much that when they're not, they're now short? xD Anyways, thank you very much to Hanashi o suru (puns~ *heart because you can't use the less/more than sign on here*), greenwings33, VeridianSoul (well I don't want to make it look like the ANs are longer than the chapter x(...I think I'll just answer them in parentheses...), Will of the Abyss - AllenxRoad (omg another puuuun I love you guys~ *heart* oh and pssst, you're giving away my secret -3-), and the Usagi-Twins (my bad xD don't worry a certain someone keeps on blowing it already -_-) for reviewing! I really appreciate them! ^w^
Millions of questions were swimming around in Allen's head as he swam alongside Cross to a safe place to stay. The main subject Allen's thoughts were surrounded on was the bag of human blood Cross had. The first question Allen had wondered about was how did human blood heal him? Only mermaids' blood could heal! Not to mention it was a human's blood. Where could Cross even have gotten human blood if he never went to the surface? Then again, how else could Cross know about the surface so much besides that book? Maybe...was that the reason Cross was banished from the kingdom?...is it because he went to the surface? Still, Allen found it hard to open his mouth to actually question his suspicions. But if he had a human's blood...does that mean that he killed a human?! None of this makes any sense!
"Master...!" Allen mumbled, resisting the urge to cover his mouth. He didn't really mean to say anything, it just slipped out.
"What?" Cross growled, agitated that they lost their home to mere sharks.
"Um..." Allen stumbled over words he wanted to say. Think, Allen! Just ask him something else! "...can you...teach me magic?" Allen asked innocently. Cross glanced back at Allen curiously.
"Magic? Why would you want to learn that?" Cross growled.
"...so I can...cook fish like you do! It tastes better than raw fish..." Allen explained slowly. Cross gave him a suspicious stare before looking ahead of him.
"Sure, but that's all I'm teaching you." He muttered.
"And light corals?" Allen questioned.
"Yeah yeah." The man grumbled. Allen felt overjoyed at that, finally he'd be able to have his own underwater human house! He just couldn't wait! His mind wandered back to the question he was going to ask Cross before. He didn't want to make his master upset, because then he wouldn't teach him magic. So, for now, Allen put his questions on hold and followed Cross to a large rock in the water. It was so large that it protruded out of the water.
"It's...a rock." Allen stated the obvious.
"No shit." Cross replied and Allen puckered out his lips in a pout. He looked away and saw something...shiny. He looked at Cross, who was too busy observing the rock to notice, and then swam towards the shiny object. He really liked shiny things, they were just so...bright. Tilting his head to the side, he saw that the shiny object was actually a glass orb. Inside the orb were different mechanisms that flashed. Allen dug in the sand until it seemed comfy enough and sat on the cushioned sand, staring at it. "Oi, idiot apprentice, what are you doing over there?" Cross called.
"Just looking!" Allen called back and looked at the orb curiously. What was weird was that it gave off the feeling that someone was watching him. It then flashed and the merboy squeaked and ducked in his small hole. Cross gave his apprentice an odd look and shook his head, deeming Allen not-so-sane. Allen's eyes sparkled with curiosity and he poked it, quickly retreating his hand back. What is it? He wondered and crawled out of his hole to get a better look. Cross started swimming over as well and stared at the object just as curiously as Allen had.
"What the hell is it?" He asked from behind the boy, making him jump.
"I don't know..." Allen replied, poking it. Cross furrowed his eyebrows and looked farther out into the sea. Then something flashed, catching his eye. He swam over to it and saw that it was the exact same orb that Allen had found.
"What the hell...?" Cross mumbled and looked around, noticing a lot more of the orbs were spread out everywhere.
He was suspicious of these orbs indeed...we should leave them alone...they're obviously made by humans. Cross thought bitterly and started swimming to where Allen was at. Allen, however, thought differently and picked one up. "Put that down!" Cross scolded. Allen frowned at his master but dropped the ball. It was then that the orb flashed a blood-red color and something came out of it, enveloping Allen in the substance. He shrieked and Cross swam over as quickly as he could, pulling out a knife to slash the net. He quickly cut Allen loose and said mermaid swam as far as possible away from the object. He watched as Cross started to draw a line in the sand.
"Stay as far away as possible from this line and don't go past it!" He commanded. Allen nodded his head at Cross' words; although, he was still curious about the orbs. What was their purpose? Cross watched as his pupil stupidly found entertainment of swimming around the rock, most likely determining how wide it was. Allen then paused and looked up, gaping at how tall the rock was. He couldn't help but stare up at the surface with curiosity. What if the rock was even bigger outside of the water? Allen felt the urge to climb up on the rock. The man sighed and swam over. "If you're that curious, then go." He murmured. Allen blinked and looked down from the surface at Cross.
"Hm?" He hummed.
"Don't play dumb, I know you want to look. I'm just warning you...don't get too involved with those humans." Cross said and touched the rock as well. Allen resisted the urge to smile and looked up, slowly swimming towards the surface. He paused at the very top and started to wonder if the air was different from the air that he had breathed from before. What if the air over here was exposed to some sort of toxin? Just in case, Allen lifted his hand out of the water.
Nothing happened.
Cross snorted with amusement at Allen's hesitance. He was already banished from his kingdom. He can't possibly be punished any worse than he has been. Cross told himself. His breath hitched in his throat when Allen had actually swam through the surface. He would never admit it, especially in front of the brat, but he really did care for him; even if Allen was an ignorant brat, he still cared. The boy had served as some sort of company over the years; Cross had been so alone when he was first banished from the kingdom and even more so after that incident. Allen took away a bit of the loneliness Cross felt in his heart and the mermaid was sure that Allen had even saved his ass a few times.
"Eh, Allen? What are you doing over here?" Allen stiffened when he heard Komui's voice. He looked over to see that the scientist was in a small boat. He looked down at the water and put a finger over his lips. Komui gave the boy a bizarre look, but didn't question Allen's actions. Allen swam towards the huge rock and around it curiously. His lungs felt so much more freer on the surface... "What is he up to? Why won't he talk to me?" Komui questioned himself. He started to slowly paddle over to the boy, who was curiously touching the rock. Then he felt like something was...off. He looked down below him and recognized a red figure swimming beneath him. "What the...?" He pondered. Whatever the animal was, it was headed straight for Allen.
"It's not as big as I thought it'd be..." Allen whispered to himself. He still wanted to climb on top of it though. The next thing he knew, he felt a hard tug on his fin and squeaked, being pulled underwater. Looking down, he felt relieved to see that it was just Cross. "What's wrong, Master?" Allen asked.
"Did you not see that human up there?!" Cross shouted. Allen winced at his harsh tone.
"Human? What human?" Allen asked. "You mean that merman on the boat?" He added. Then he gasped as if he suddenly realized something. "Oh! That's right! merpeople don't go to the surface! But...he looked just like us...why is that?" Allen wondered the last part honestly. Why did humans look like merpeople? Cross shook his head and swam away, directing Allen to come with him. Allen sent the shadow of the boat a longing glance before following his master to the base of the rock. There, he had found that Cross had carved out a small cave. How? Allen had no idea. Allen took shelter inside the rock and found that it was oddly cold. Cross seemed to think the same thing.
"What I'm about to do is what I'm going to teach you. Doing this helps you...cook in a way." Cross explained. Allen made sure to pay careful attention as Cross started inhaling a lot of water. Allen tilted his head and watched curiously. Then, the redhead opened his mouth and slowly blew out a...bubble. Allen's eyes widened significantly as the bubble became bigger. His jaw dropped...that looks so amazing...how does he do that?! And how does that help with cooking? He wondered. More questions buzzed around in his head.
"...how?" Allen muttered, staring at the large bubble floating around. Cross then pulled out a small candle holder and a candle and gently placed it inside the bubble, which seemed to be strong enough to carry the objects. Allen's interest was officially piqued. Cross then took out a small mechanism and placed his hand inside the bubble. He ran his thumb over it quickly and a small fire erupted onto the string of the candle. "...wow..." Allen said, struck with awe. At that moment, Allen felt more than a little excited to learn magic.
"It looks easy but trust me, it's not. As for the corals, that relies more on your energy, which I'll explain later. Remember, you're the one who wanted this training so don't start whining if it's too rough for you!" Cross spat. Allen nodded his head determinedly.
"I can do this!" He said, so full of determination.
I can't do this...
Allen thought as he gulped for air in the bubble that Cross had created for him. He had been practicing the technique for hours and he didn't even get that far. He watched as a bubble the size of a cricket floated around his head. Creating a bubble was much harder than it looked. Allen swore his lungs were on fire. He had to have Cross create a bubble because he couldn't even breathe anymore. A merperson's lungs functioned a little differently. Not only did they have lungs inside as human's did, but they also had gills on their necks that were covered by skin. When they were underwater, their skin would absorb the water (which was why their skin was usually really smooth) and the gills underneath the skin would filter all of the oxygen out and send it to their lungs. Even breathing underwater was difficult for him now.
"I never said this would be easy." Cross commented as Allen had collapsed on a sponge bed they fished out from a corral reef. Allen refrained from snapping at his master with a smart comment.
"I...know that..." Allen said hoarsely. The two of them were silent as Cross blew bubbles out of his...pipe...thing...Allen had seen a few humans with the same pipe, but smoke was coming out of theirs. Is it any different from what Cross is doing? It's weird really...humans and merpeople are actually so much alike...so then why do we hate each other? "Master...?" Allen murmured, breaking the silence.
"What?" Cross asked halfheartedly.
"Why...do humans hate us?" Allen asked and sat up, looking at his guardian. Cross blew out colorful bubbles and they popped in his face, giving off a very disgusting smell. Allen hated it when Cross blew bubbles in his face, it was really annoying.
"Jealousy." The redhead replied. Allen raised his eyebrows curiously.
"Jealousy?" He questioned. The adult sighed and relaxed into the sponge chair he was sitting on.
"You probably won't get it. They're envious of our abilities. Humans can't perform magic, they can't breathe underwater, they're not as beautiful, and they're not as strong as us. We are superior to them, yet at the same time, we are them." Cross explained. Allen found him slowly tilting his head to the right.
"We...are them?" He questioned. Cross stared at Allen for a long time before closing his eye.
"When you get older, there is another type of magic a mermaid can learn. Mermaid's magic is much more powerful than a merman or merwoman's. We can use our magic to shape shift our tails into human legs. You never really know if the person you're talking to is a human or a mermaid in disguise." Allen gaped at Cross' words. Mermaids could shape shift their tails into human legs?! How could they even... "You're different though." Cross added, cutting Allen's thoughts short. Allen narrowed his eyes at the man. Was Cross keeping something from him?
"What do you mean?" Allen asked.
"Think about it, Allen. You were already banished from your own kingdom. What would be the point in telling you that you couldn't go to the surface? There is no greater punishment than being banished from the greatest merkingdom in the world. The merpeople do not believe in the death penalty like humans do. Why do you think I'd tell you to stay away from the surface?" Cross questioned, actually curious to hear Allen's question.
"Because...you said humans would kill me...and that they're dangerous." Allen replied.
"Truly, it is because you are cursed. Though really, it isn't much of a curse, moreover a gift. You remember, don't you? The night your father was murdered? Do you remember what he did to you?" Cross asked. He wasn't there when it happened, but by the look of the scar on Allen's face, he had already figured it out. Allen touched the scar on his head and averted his eyes.
"He...he...struck me..." Allen whispered. "But it was an accident, right? Wasn't he trying to strike the thieves?!" Allen asked, now panicking. Cross shook his head and sighed.
"He meant to strike you, Allen. Mana knew what would happen, he knew that you'd be framed from this. This is what he wanted...he wanted you to get away from the mermaids and mermen that would soon despise you. He wanted you to create a new life on the surface. That's why he cursed you. Only silver tailed mermaids know how to curse people. You were too young back then to really know what he wanted so I decided to take you in until it was time for you to go." Allen's eyes widened horrifically at Cross' explanation. "Really, in my opinion, you're lucky to have been cursed. Another advantage of your curse is that you can easily attract a human's kindness. The only downside of it is that the sharks can sense your blood and find you." Allen held his hand over his heart.
You...wanted to free me, Mana?
"I...am...supposed to leave...? But what about you?" Allen asked. True, Cross was tough on him like no guardian could be, but that didn't mean he didn't care for his master. Even though every time the topic was brought up, he'd think about the horrible gambling he'd have to do to earn pearls for the man...he still cared for him. He was still special and he always would be. Cross chuckled, bringing Allen out of his thoughts.
"Why are you asking me that?" Cross questioned and swam away. "I can understand if you'd want to leave now that you know...but I wanted to train you before you left on your own." He muttered.
"Master..." Allen mumbled with awe. His master could really be a kind person sometimes...then realization hit Allen like a brick wall. "You...you've been to the surface, haven't you?" Allen asked. "Why...why did you leave then? Can't you create yourself some legs too?" Cross groaned at Allen's questions.
"I can, but I'm not like you. I can only be a human for so long." He briefed. Allen paused and took his chin in between his thumb and forefinger.
"You said...that silver tails can..." Allen trailed off, staring at his tail. Cross stiffened at Allen's words. "Maybe I can-"
"No! I am never going to the surface again!" Cross snapped, causing Allen to flinch. After realizing that he'd lost his temper, he sighed again and leaned back into his chair. "This may come as a shock to you, but I used to be in love...with a human." Allen's eyes widened and he sat up to stare at Cross bewilderingly. What did he say...? Am I just hearing things? "She was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. We actually talked a lot and she was the reason I ever walked on land." Cross informed, glaring at Allen as if to dare him to say something smart.
"Why did you leave her?" Allen asked softly.
"She was a mermaid hunter." Cross grumbled. Allen gasped and held his hand over his mouth. A mermaid hunter...? Why...that's just so...cruel...master loved her so much...is that why he usually chooses female mermaids over males? Allen knew the last question was stupid and completely off-topic, but he wondered it anyways. "You know that book in my room about the truth of mermaids? Don't act like you haven't read it because I know you have." Allen winced. He didn't know Cross had a copy of that book...the only book he read in Cross' room was the one about the land...he still read the mermaid book nonetheless, even if it didn't belong to Cross.
"...yeah...but what does the book have to do with her?" Allen was almost too afraid to ask.
"It has everything to do with her. You'd understand if you knew who she was." Allen could tell that Cross was under a lot of pressure talking about this topic from the way he was blowing bubbles from his pipe.
"Who is she? Why did you leave her? What is her name?" Allen asked; he was just so confused. Okay, so he didn't see what her name had to do with it, but he was still curious about who she was. He only read one article so he probably wouldn't know her name...
"Her name is Anita."
Oh my god guys I apologize for all the puns I 'accidentally' wrote in here x3 Yay cliffhanger? I really had a hard time ending the chapter so I hope it isn't too bad...I was thinking later about having some fluffy Laven moments so if you have any ideas for those, I'll gladly use them!...yeah, that's all I needed to say...right...thanks for staying with me even though I've left you all off on so many cliffhangers! x)