Meeting Him

She had been watching him.

A chance occurrence. A once in a lifetime moment. A total accident. Destiny…

Down in the depths of the mysterious fathoms, a whimsical girl was trying to find adventure, with no help from her coward best friend of a fish. Sure, she considered herself daring, due to past endeavors, exploring shipwrecks, escaping from sharks as well as any other possible dangerous aquatic creature, and the occasional search for rare treasure.

Flounder knew Ariel was going to be the death of him, but really, this stunt she was pulling at the moment was really pushing the exaggeration to reality. It had been another long day of exploring, and they had just managed to escape to the safety of Ariel's secret grotto, without the nosy Sebastian finding out, when a large ominous shadow had moved over the ocean's surface creating an eclipse of a shadow over the grotto.

Ariel was instantly mesmerized. Flounder knew that doe eyed look as her pupils began to dilate. That look of wonder only meant one thing: trouble. Flounder's fins quivered at the sight of her rising from her infamous rock.

"Ariel…Ariel…what are you…I don't think we should be doing this. What if we get caught! You know you father…"

"Oh flounder stop being such a guppy. I'm just…going to go look…is all…" A convincing smile was given before biting her bottom lip in excitement and darting out of the grotto.

Oh no… For once Ariel got something into her head, it would absolutely stay there until she had investigated to the fullest. But Ariel was his best friend, and so he would stick by her no matter what. Although, what with her swimming at break neck speed towards the surface, it was kind of hard to keep up with the spitfire; with such small fins it was a surprise that he wasn't left in her trail of bubbles.

Meanwhile…

Just a few feet more! She chanted to herself. The surface was so close and she absolutely had to know what that shadow casting object was. To be honest, she had a pretty good idea as to what it was. In fact she had seen several of the like. They were called ships, and on these ships, there were the most fascinating things called "humans." These humans were a sight because although they possessed the same upper half as a mer, on the bottom half, they possessed two tails that could "walk." She had so many questions that she had wanted to ask them. Maybe she could see one tonight…

If she only knew….

Slowly breaking the surface in the rocky waters, the sea princess lifted her water heavy bangs out of her eyes, in a paused awed motion. Widened ceruleans stared on at the ship before her in amazement. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. True, she had seen ships before, but this one was vastly different. It was made out of a substances, of which the likes she had never seen.

She had to get closer. Dropping back under the waves, the redhead torpedoed straight toward the ship, in curious fascination. For a few moments, she simply swam along side of the ship as it lazily glided along. Music was playing, and she could hear the jolly conversations of what she thought were the humans on board. Her imagination and curiosity combined were simply murder. How could she ever hope to possibly resist such a temptation? She really didn't know, but it was ok because today was not the day for resisting indulgences.

Steeling her determination, she made her way around to the side of the ship where she spotted a ledge only a few feet below the deck. All she had to do was climb the little ridges that led up to it. Then she would have a perfect view of what was happening on deck. Hopefully, she had the upper body strength to pull this little feat off. No! she could and would do this! Nothing was going to stop her from discovering the wonders and mysteries of human kind.

Ok…so it was a lot harder than it looked. While in the water, her tail was her greatest asset, out of it she found herself incredibly handicapped. Her long tail was now dead weight which she had to deal with once she lifted herself completely from the water. Her muscles strained and screamed against her in protest. Her arms ached from having to carry all of her body weight, but still, she carried on, rung after rung, until she pulled herself up until she collapsed on the small perch she had found. A few deep breaths and she had soon forgotten the ordeal she had gone through in the wake of the excitement that was now overcoming her.

Pressing herself as close as she could to the ship, shyly she began to sit up as far as she could so that she could peer up through the space and on to the deck. Immediately, she shrank back. So that she was covered up to her eyes.

There before her was a human. A male human about her age. And truth be told…a very attractive human. She had never seen anything like him before. Her once surprise widened eyes, softened into a wistful, content gaze. Studying him was effortless, and she felt compelled to call to him.

But what on earth was he doing and what in all of the seven seas was that thing floating about him. Surely that could not be a human! In actual reality, he was mopping the deck, as was his nightly chore, and it was morph who accompanied him.

But really she could care less as to what he was doing. He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, and he had unknowingly cast her under his spell. Messy chestnut brown locks that fell into his eyes, blue eyes as deep as the ocean, and a build that attracted her like no merman had. He even wore this strange piece of jewelry that hung from his left ear. He was fascinating, and she felt like she could gaze at him forever, without the shadows of boredom ever creeping upon her. Half of her wanted to call out to him, just in the hopes that he would look at her, notice her, but the other half was cautious and reserved. He was a human after all. So she contented herself just to watching him…

Leaning against the mop, the human, stopped his odd little exercise and wiped his brow turning to the weird little floating blob.

"Well, I think we're pretty much finished, eh morph?" The handsome teen gave an amused soft grin towards the whimsical little being before laying the mop down. The delightful blob gave a few excited chirps, giving its consent.

Ariel backed away hurriedly when she heard the patter of his footsteps against the deck approaching the rail where she sat hidden on the other side. But fear paralyzed her, so she tried her best to pin her herself as close as she could to the side of the ship in hopes that he wouldn't see her. One more soft thud was heard dangerously close and Ariel was sure that he would be able to hear her heart pounding against her chest.

A wistful sigh was breathed directly above her, and so Ariel assumed he had not discovered her location. Pure adrenaline rushed through her veins at the thought of how close he was to her. She would be able to hear him speak…

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

His voice. It was soft, mature yet retaining a boyish quality. It was enchanting, and out of all of the voices in the sea, she thought his was the most charming. If only he would speak again. A small chirp was heard above her, followed by a slight chuckle.

"The stars, I can't help but look at them and wonder what's out there. I guess it's why I loved traveling so much. Each new place we visit is so unique and has so much to offer. It's just…I don't know what it is morph, but, it feels like I'm missing something. Like, I keep searching, but in truth, I have absolutely no idea what it is. Know what I mean?"

Ariel felt her breath hitch. It was like he had just spoken the innermost feelings of her heart. She had searched the oceans, uncovered its treasures, both natural and foreign, even began searching the surface in attempts, to quell that longing deep within her heart, and still she was left found lacking. How could he possibly know that she was missing that special something too, and for his part he sounded as though he had traveled to many places. If only she knew…So it could be reasonably assumed that whatever she was looking for wasn't on land either. But then, where was it?

"Guess not huh?" Oh, he was speaking again.

"But, I have a feeling I'm getting close. It's like I can feel it, like I'm skimming the surface. It's like I'm not supposed to find it, like, it will find me, no strike me…like…like…"

"Lightning!" A foreign voice broke the calm atmosphere just as a blinding flash and a booming crack literally impacted with the ship. The force was so great that it threw the unsuspecting mermaid flying into the air only to crash unceremoniously back into the dark waves. Quickly recovering in the water, Ariel wasted no time in shooting back up to the surface. What was that…lightning…oh no! The beautiful mermaid princess was quite familiar with the subject. Lightning was a terribly dangerous thing that caused many a ship to sink. And by the looks of the bright lights coming from the surface, this ship seemed to be no different.

Popping through the surface, Ariel's eyes widened in horror. The entire ship had erupted into flames that leapt and seemed to consume everything. Frantically, she backed away from the ship in hopes that might be able to see what was happening on deck. To her dismay, she could only see shadows rushing about madly, as they tried to secure the life boats, and secure their survival. Where was that boy? She couldn't make out his figure among the many strangely foreign looking ones.

Her other senses were failing her as well. Her nose and lungs burned with the inhalation of excess smoke. She even had the putrid smell resting on her taste buds as well. The only sense that seemed to still function was her hearing, but even that wasn't giving her the results that she so desired. All she could hear were cries of frenzy. Minutes passed and still there was no sign of the boy. She began to get really worried when she spotted what she assumed was all of the lifeboats and yet he was absent. Where was he? Then she heard panicked cries of "Jim! Where are you?!"

Jim? Was that his name? Was that the name of the breathtaking boy who had stolen her breath? Regardless of what his name was, she had to find him. His very life could be in danger. But then again, what could she do? She wasn't exactly helpful on land. She would have to do her best to search for him from the water. Quickly, she dashed all about the boat dodging sinking debris in hopes that she would at least catch some sight of him. But, despite all of her abilities, and searching she could find no trace of him.

That meant…he was still on the ship.

At that very moment the whole ship quaked violently, and Ariel couldn't help but be tossed about the waves. No matter the struggle, she had to find him. She couldn't let him die. Ariel's eyes widened in horror as she saw the figure of the boy she was so enamored with sent flying through the air and crash helplessly into the tumultuous waters. Hastily, she dove underwater knowing that she would be able to reach him faster, where the wind and the waves could not deter her so much. Besides, most of the debris was still floating on the surface. However, she saw no sign of him. Her heart raced in clenched fear. Where was he! Why couldn't she find him! Rising to the surface once more, she frantically looked about her. Wait a minute, there, among the smashed pieces was Jim's unconscious body. But no, he was sinking! Desperately, she dove once more and torpedoed toward him as fast as her fins could take her. The one thing all merpeople knew about humans was that they could not survive under water for long periods of time. They required the surface's air.

Reaching him in record time, Ariel tried dragging him back up to the surface. It was a vain attempt. He was too heavy. His clothes were weighing him down. Quickly, she stripped him of his jacket, and tried again. Success! Without thought, she let the discarded article of clothing sink to the ocean's floor while she grabbed him by the shoulders and swam with him rapidly toward the surface.

Breaking the white capped waves she spared him a worried glance. He was unconscious. That was definitely not a good sign. Still, she couldn't give up. Being sure to keep his head above water, Ariel made the long slow journey to where she knew land was located. In all of the chaos, she had lost sight of the life boats that were accompanied with his ship. It was up to her to save him. Right now, she didn't even want to think about what would happen if Sebastian or worse yet her father knew of what she was doing right now. All contact with humans was strictly forbidden. But they weren't here, and she wouldn't let this boy die.

It was several hours later when dawn was about to break that Ariel had finally dragged Jim onto shore. He had remained unconscious the entire time, and so the mermaid princess was becoming very worried. She hadn't noticed how the death bringing waters had now calmed into the tranquil cerulean blue glass, and she didn't seem to mind that she had beached herself next to an unknown human, who could very well be dangerous. She didn't even seem to notice how unconsciously she had placed herself as close as she could to his sea worn body.

Meanwhile, flounder watched quietly in the surf. Despite, the impossible trouble they would get into if anyone found out about this, flounder couldn't bring himself to say anything negative to the downtrodden mermaid.

"Is he…dead?" She had no idea what to look for, but his continued lack of response was slowly breaking her heart. Tears sliding like tiny rivers down her face, Ariel collapsed on top of his chest softly weeping. Her attempts to save him had been all for naught.

But wait, a second later, his chest convulsed, causing salt water to be extracted from his lungs. And while he was not opening his eyes, his breathing had begun to even out. Hope sprung up in her in leaps and bounds.

"Oh please, please wake up," She whispered gently stroking his face, coaxing him back into the world of the living. Excitement built in her, as his heavy eyes began to flutter open groggily.

"Ugh…" A groan escaped his lips as his eyes adjusted to the light. But wait; there was something on his face. His hand reached to feel it, and he found it was surprisingly soft. And now that his vision was clearing…there was eyes, big bright blue eyes. It was…it was…a…a girl. His vision sharpened and he found himself gazing into the eyes of the most beautiful girl he had seen in the entire galaxy. Still, foggy, he enjoyed the feeling of her touch, and continued to stare on in wonder. A gentle smile graced his lips.

"Who…who are you?"

Hey! It's me! Just a reminder this isn't a retelling of the little mermaid. It's a whole different kinda story. Oh yeah, please review! I would like at least five please. Your comments are always appreciated. Next time, they talk! I know I can't wait either lol! Till next time!

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