Disclaimer: I own neither "K-On!" nor "The Little Mermaid."

Okay…I'm going to admit that I wrote the first four chapters half a year ago when I watched the movie, so now the story may delineate dramatically from what I wrote before. However, I felt guilty for starting something that I didn't finish, so this is my loyalty to readers.

Tastychainsaws: I don't know any of the references you're making, probably because I can't stomach horror or hard-rock music? I'm just making stabs in the dark. Um, the mermaids in my story are not topless, sorry. That's actually very crucial to my next chapter, so I can't change that. Hopefully I can manage to still twist it to your liking, although I tend to swing towards profound fluffiness. And ah yes, I love those animal costumes, especially how their eyes seem unfocused and slightly terrifying.

-.-

"The Little Mio"

Chapter V: Welcome?

It was her angel. Ritsu was sure. In fact, the girl looked even more breathtaking than the last two times, because before, Ritsu had been distracted by a storm and the grogginess of a concussion. A disarming smile broke out onto her face.

Mio herself let out a soundless swoon before she was distracted by the large sheepdog trying to lick her face.

"Satoshi!" Ritsu approached Mio, shooing her pet away. She kneeled before the fallen angel, holding out one of her hands, "Are you okay?"

Mio quickly nodded and took the small hand offered to her. She noticed that it was a little odd that her hands were larger than her Prince's, but the jolt of contact was enough to make her face flush. Mio bent her head down and stood up with the help of her Prince.

Ritsu had a similar reaction from the contact, but she managed to blurt out, "I-I'm Ritsu. I live here with my friend. How did you get here? What are you doing here? Do you know who I am?" Ritsu wanted to ask so many questions, but it was utterly confusing. "Er, wait, what's your name ehehe?"

The species-crossed lovers were still holding hands as Mio opened her mouth to respond. "…" Mio shut her mouth in shame, forgetting the price of her current legs.

"Did you lose your voice! ?" Ritsu asked worriedly. The surfer could never forget that song.

Mio nodded sadly, yet energetically to affirm Ritsu. At least Ritsu didn't assume she was just plain mute. Satoshi was circling the two, tongue lolling out happily.

"That's terrible!...Are you sick with something?" Ritsu queried further, disappointed that she wouldn't be able to hear her angel sing at the moment. Yes, she was the type of girl that would have asked on the spot, only just after meeting someone.

Mio's brow scrunched at this, not sure how to answer. She felt Ritsu's fingers loosen and then reapply pressure to her hand, almost like a caress. Mio nodded hesitantly to this, but her facial expression was at odds.

Ritsu seemed to comprehend this enough to not push the subject, and she said with a grin, "Well don't worry, you'll get better in no time. And besides, I can do the talking for both of us!"

Mio found that statement to be a little presumptuous, but she still smiled back shyly with appreciation. Ritsu nearly fell over, heart lassoed by a red string. It was one of those teary smiles that made a girl look so young, SO cute and Lolita. Ritsu had to bite back laughing like an old lecher.

She let go of the silent girl's hand, thinking she had probably spooked the stranger out for all the invasion of space. She ushered for her mysterious angel to follow her, but turned abruptly back around when she felt hands clutching at her back. Mio had fallen over from trying to walk—not having practiced—but fortunately her Prince caught her in the nick of time. Mio's arms were thrown around Ritsu's elegant shoulders, and the mermaid-turned-human stared up at those gold saucers, little flecks of orange and green enhancing the richness. All the sunken treasure chests of the ages could never buy Mio over now. She was sold.

Ritsu was convinced that this girl was an angel. Why, the girl felt so light in her arms, certainly not composed of human flesh! Or maybe Sawa-nee-san needed to lose some weight. Or maybe Ritsu's adrenaline was pumping her blood and muscles to maximum output. More pressing though, was the delight feel of the angel's generous mounds against her. Gah, Ritsu you're a pervert! She backed away from the embrace, watching her angel stumble a bit before straightening.

"Can you not…walk?" A red-faced Ritsu asked, thinking it was absurd to ask.

Mio openly shrugged, before realizing that that was probably very strange to humans. She would have gawked at a mer person who couldn't swim. She took back her shrug, shaking her head furiously. She would just try it, just like she had tried standing. That wasn't too hard. Ritsu eyed her warily, as Mio set her brows in determination before taking a cautious, balanced step. And then another and another. It was rather—fun—to Mio, and as it became easier, she took off into a sprint on the sand, leaping and skipping with the gayest of smiles. Mugi was at the shore, dancing at the sight of her friend trying out her new body. Yui was pecking at a piece of gum stuck to her webbed feet.

Ritsu sweat-dropped at the spectacle, debating if she had perhaps picked up an escaped asylum patient who needed her meds. Afterall, the girl was wearing a trashbag for attire, though to be honest, the girl still looked disturbingly attractive. The paparazzi would love that: "The aloof Ritsu Tainaka takes in a beautiful mental patient!" Ritsu's gut instinct that the girl was an angel still held, because the angel could have relied heavily on winged transport instead of her legs. Also, angels were always depicted as wearing togas or robes of sorts, and the trashbag sort of had that appeal. Ritsu shook away her stray thoughts, deciding it best to bring the girl to Sawako's attention. Ritsu would not only prove her angel existed, but Sawako would be better with logistics. Where exactly was this girl's home?

Ritsu called out, "Hey, um—" She didn't know what to call the girl, having gotten no answer. "Why don't we go inside? The humidity is still pretty high today, and I think it may rain soon." Ritsu looked up to heavy clouds moving into this region.

Mio nodded along. She ran up to Ritsu, taking the surfer's hand believing it to be a common gesture. Ritsu couldn't help the confused blush that took over her face staring at their intertwined hands. Ritsu had never blushed so much in her life, and it was rather painful in a delightful sort of way. This girl's behavior was atypical to anyone she had ever met. Normally, Ritsu would have smoothly slipped her hand out of a girl trying to hold hers, but she couldn't bring herself to offend this girl, her angel. To Ritsu's horror, she might have enjoyed the gesture too. The surfer began to walk them towards the house. Satoshi ran ahead of them. Mio made a discreet wave to her sea buddies.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Mio shook her head, eyes twinkling mysteriously.

"Where are you from?"

Mio pointed behind them, out into the vast ocean. It wasn't very helpful to Ritsu.

"Across the Pacific Ocean? Asia? You look really Japanese, more than me…but you understand English so well. You must be highly educated!" Ritsu had her free index finger up as if she discovered something. The silly surfer had let it slip her mind that she had heard the angel sing before in English…

Mio nodded along agreeably. She was the youngest princess of King Akiyama, so she had the best tutors of the underwater nation. She was also known to be the most studious of her sisters.

"So what are you doing in LA LA Land?" Ritsu asked. Mio looked confused. "SC?" Same thing. "So-Cal?" Again. "EL-AY?" Ritsu should really be more specific. "Los Angeles?" Okay, this girl was definitely not from this world. "HERE?" Ritsu pointed to the ground beneath them.

Mio blushed embarrassingly at this, not knowing the names of any of these human lands. Her shame was as tangible as a young girl who had skinned her new jeans.

"No, no, no!" Ritsu shook her head violently, not wanting to make the girl feel bad. It would make Ritsu feel ten times worse.

Mio felt reassured again, and she simply gestured her free palm at Ritsu.

"Whasat? W-atashi…?" Ritsu murmured. The angel had come for her? Fortunately, Mio's studies were extensive enough to know this language passed on from her royal heritage, so she nodded at Ritsu's utterance. "EHHHHHHHH! ?"

Ritsu decided to keep her face forward until they were in the house, not wanting to give away more. Would Sawako be mad at her? Was she really bringing in some psychopathic fangirl from Japan? Would Sawako's predictions about her angel be true? A painful knot began to form in Ritsu's stomach. She opened the screen door from the back to her house. Ritsu was buried deep in thought, so she didn't spot a leering Sawako standing at the wet bar. Not mixing any drinks. Sawako preferred the simplicity of canned beer at all times of day.

"Well, well, care to introduce me to your new friend, Ri-kun?" Sawako looked predatorily at their joined hands and then at Mio.

"Ah, uhm, Sawa-nee…" Ritsu dropped their hands immediately, which made Mio frown cutely. "This is…uhm…I don't know?" Ritsu rubbed the back of her head. This was not a good start.

"You mean you just brought a complete stranger into our home?" Sawako lifted a brow. They must be really eager to screw around, but why was this girl wearing a trashbag…?

"Yes, I mean, well, not quite." Ritsu was tongue-tied. She didn't know how to describe this situation. She opted for Sawako just being able to figure it all out, "She's, you know, that girl. From the night of the storm."

"Oh really?" Sawako's lifted brow raised even higher. "Why don't you let the poor girl speak for herself?" Sawako returned staring at Mio.

Mio fidgeted, never enjoying being the center of attention. She wanted to hold Ritsu's hand again, but she was afraid the human didn't want to anymore. She sighed dejectedly.

Ritsu peered over at her angel, feeling sorry for the girl, "She lost her voice. I bet it's hard for her to communicate exactly what she wants."

"Well surely you have a name," Sawako said directly to Mio this time, which made the girl flinch slightly. Sawako found this amusing. "We can't just call you 'girl' all the time. Let's see here—Christina? Jennifer? Sarah? Lauren? Joanne?" Sawako was trying to spout out the most frequent names she came across in her life.

"Sawa-nee, I think she's Japanese."

"Oh right, now that you mention it, she definitely has the complexion and features. A real Japanese doll, princess!"

Mio nodded to this last statement, throwing off both humans in the room.

"Wait, Princess?" Sawako tried.

Mio quirked her head as if in response.

"You want us to call you Princess?" Sawako gaped. Was this girl in a trashbag really some foreign princess? Japan didn't really have princesses anymore? Was it the language barrier? Was this girl really high maintenance? Full of herself?

"Or would 'Hime' be better?" Ritsu offered.

Mio lit up at this, forgoing her nerves to take hold of Ritsu's hand with both of hers. Even if her Prince's hands were small, they felt safe and strong. She smiled adoringly at the flustered surfer.

What a princess, Sawako snickered to herself. "Where did you find ah, Hime, Ri-kun? I thought you just went to the beach. You were gone for maybe ten minutes."

"Ano…" Ritsu felt her Japanese coming out more, perhaps being near her angel, "—she was sort of just beached on the sand. Hime," Ritsu turned to face Mio, "—you were really disoriented when I found you. You were hardly able to walk before; are you okay now?"

Mio nodded to her audience, starting to miss her voice. She didn't like talking with most people, but she wanted to say so many things to her Prince.

"That's very peculiar," Sawako murmured. She wanted to discuss more of this girl with Ritsu, but not with her around. "Well, she must feel uncomfortable with the sand still on her body, so why don't you let her shower, Ri-kun?"

"Oh, that's a good idea, Sawa. Yosh, let's get you cleaned up," Ritsu was about to lead Mio away.

"You're not going to join her, are you Ri-kun?" Sawako baited.

"NO!" Ritsu squawked, appalled. "I'm just showing her the guest bathroom…"

"Well let me grab some extra clothes for her," Sawako couldn't help eyeing the trashbag again. "Hime looks like my size way back in high school. The good old days…" Sawako trailed off to her own room, leaving the two alone.

"Gomen!" Ritsu clapped her hands together, bowing to Mio. "Sawako likes bullying people, and she's intense to begin with. Actually, we rub off on each other, so be careful that I don't pick on you too, ahahaha!" Ritsu allowed her hand to return Mio's grasp, and they headed to the nicest guestroom.

Upon reaching the bathroom, Ritsu assumed that Mio could take care of herself from there. "Sawako will bring you the spare clothes. That's a clean towel there. Everything you need should be here," Ritsu was about to make her exit, but she felt Mio's hold yet again. "Nani—"

Mio looked lost, eyes darting all the over the place. She had read about humans bathing, but mermen didn't bathe! They were naturally clean creatures! Where was oil and dirt in a world of water?

Ritsu was very tempted to ask if the angel wanted her to join, but she stifled that thought. The surfer couldn't believe she was having these sorts of thoughts! She wondered if this was what typical teenagers had to battle daily. "Do you not know how to work the shower?"

Mio responded in the negative. Ritsu went on to show the frightened girl how to turn the faucet on and off, how to control temperature, how to activate the head, and how to plug the drain in case she wanted to soak. Ritsu asked at the end if Mio was comfortable with everything. Mio responded by beginning to lift the trashbag over her shoulders, not accustomed to the modesty of covering her bottom and temporarily forgetting that she was without her seashell brassiere.

"MATTE!" Ritsu held the bag down on an unknowing Mio. Ritsu was too wound up to say anything more, so she just ran out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Mio didn't understand Ritsu's outburst, so she started to lift her dress over her head again. It was fascinating for her to remove clothing, because mer people never changed. She loved how unique and colorful human clothing could be and how they changed their apparel everyday! She neatly folded her plastic dress and placed it on the toilet lid. She understood that this device would be where she left her waste, another strange occurrence. Under the sea, mer people just released anywhere! Mio decided that she wanted to try both the head and "soaking" as Ritsu had put it. As her eyes strayed all over the bathroom, she caught her reflection in the mirror and instinctively covered her breasts. There was never a need to take off her shells undersea, so she rarely looked upon them. They seemed to have gotten bigger recently, and her nipples were very alert from all the interaction of the day. They tingled not so unpleasantly against her arms, and Mio stepped into the tub before she could dwell on the sensation.

First she showered off the sand on her body and made use of the bottles labeled "body wash"—self-explanatory enough for her—and then two bottles that confused her "shampoo" and "conditioner." She actually read the instructions on the back—Mio being probably one in a million of people who read them not out of boredom—and she deduced that they were hair products used in sequence. When she was all finished with the bathing part, she filled the bath and soaked.

Meanwhile, Sawako and Ritsu were discussing their strange guest.

"What if she's here to murder you out of fangirl rage! ?" Sawako screeched theatrically.

"No way, did you look at her? She's harmless!" Ritsu rebutted.

"Just because she may have been the girl who saved you, she could still have ulterior motives. Did she tell you why she was on our property?"

"…She just pointed at me," Ritsu said sheepishly.

"That makes me feel a lot safer," Sawako bit out. "But man, I guess it's nice to know you have preferences now. And lofty ones at that! Freaking royalty. Hime-sama, hah. She's so delicate and fair, breasts that ka-POW on such a frail build. Maybe I can sign her on to model lingerie…" Sawako began plotting.

"Who said I prefer her! ?" Ritsu choked out. "And don't whore her into that business! She sings like no other. If she would be forced into any show-biz, it'd be idol!"

"Hard to believe you the way you're speaking up for her. Also hard to believe that she sings considering she DOESN'T SPEAK."

"It'll come back. I sort of understood that she's got some type of illness, not contagious, I think, er…"

"We don't even know if she's a runaway or juvie. She doesn't even look 15…we have to go to the police about this."

"NO, no…let's just wait it out a bit. You know the press will be all over this if we bring her in, and can't we just try trusting her for a bit? If she is a runaway, she may have sick parents. C'mon, we both know parents can be really twisted…" Ritsu's voice demurred.

"…" Sawako wasn't cruel enough to argue Ritsu on this. She just needed to know, "How can you trust this girl so much? You're usually so indifferent to people. You can schmooze it up well with high society—I trained you well there," Sawako glowed with pride, "—but you never give people a second glance."

"I don't know, Sawa. I think…I would have reacted the same way in any circumstance. When I first saw her, I just had to know her—"

"Biblically—"

"Be quiet! Look, let's say she were in school with me. Grade school…so you can stop getting all hentai. Oh sure, I played with the other kids, but no one or group ever held my interest for very long. I could imagine myself openly staring at her. 'Jiii~iii~iii~iii.' Like right next to her desk. Even if she ignored me, I would be happy to just look. I'd try talking to her. I think she'd be scared if she didn't know me to begin with. I think she's scared of new things. I think she's scared of you…" Ritsu ruminated this to herself. "Maybe she wouldn't really talk back to me. So I'd try to scare her, just to get a reaction. Eventually I'd find a crack, find a way to get in. She's already letting me in now, and she's so interesting to me! I can tell she's really reserved, but she has these loud moments—"

"Need I remind you that she doesn't speak?" Sawako interrupted.

"Gosh, that's not what I meant! She does things like skip wildly through the sand or suddenly take hold of my hand," Ritsu schooled her blush, becoming used to the sensation. She would control those attacks. "—and she saved me in a storm. She's a crazy foreigner girl who saved me in a storm. That's loud, Sawa, loud. Like bass drum boom."

Sawako sighed. She wasn't going to say anymore on it. It was evident that she could do nothing to dissuade her young charge. The determination on Ritsu's face; it was like the brat was growing up. Growing up to be an imbecile maybe, but Sawako couldn't protect Ritsu forever. Sawako felt like this Hime character was hiding something, but she'd let Ritsu fight this one.

-.-

"Do you think the humans will spot us?" an anxious voice croaked out.

"Nah, they never really come by this area," a flippant voice said.

"Then WHY, birdbrain, are we in this spot observing! ?" the now frustrated crab clapped its claws.

"I wanted Mugi and you to have a large enough temporary home. Comfort is the essence of the quality of life," Yui held her wing up high. The crab and flounder were currently in an old boat, filled with water from the recent days' rain.

"I will just crawl out and peer at the many transparent parts of the house," Nodoka huffed, getting out. "Move Mugi-san if she grows distressed as well."

"Be careful, crabby! I hear people have a great appetite for your kind," Yui warned ominously.

"I've allowed Mugi-san and myself to be transported by you to this house. I think my life is already endangered by predators," Nodoka said brashly. She made quick time of crawling a good distance away.

"Yui-chan, you wouldn't!" Mugi looked at Yui in horror.

"Ehehehe Mugi-chan, I only eat human food. I will not eat something that talks, because I love to talk. So never lose your voice," Yui declared.

"Does that mean you will feed upon Mio-chan?" Mugi wondered.

"NEVER! Mio-chan's Prince will have my head. Don't you know, he wants to eat her?" Yui wiggled her eyebrows, leaving one open to the idea of suggestion. It was never clear with the seagull.

"Hm…" I wish Mio-chan's Prince was a girl, thought the flounder.

-.-

Your dream will come true, Mugi.

I noticed in the movie that King Triton doesn't appear until the very end. It would be convenient for me to follow that cop-out, so please don't ask for him. Ui Octopussy will make more appearances soon.