IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE BIRTH BY SLEEP CAME TO AMERICA. IF YOU HAVE PLAYED THE GAME, FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THE BLATANT MISTAKES CONCERNING CANNON. IF YOU HAVEN'T, NEITHER HAVE I, SO DON'T WORRY, THERE SHOULDN'T BE TOO MANY SPOILERS...I HOPE...

"Eddie! Wait for me!" I called, attempting to swim faster. My older brother, Edmy, merely chuckled and turned, "Hurry up, Ani! The sea turtles hatch at daybreak!"

"Don't leave without me! I wanna see it!" I yelled in a pout, jutting out my bottom lip and clenching my fists as I pumped my tail faster in an attempt to catch up. It of course didn't help that I was trapped in his wake of bubbles, but at long last, we reached the shore.

I poked my head up, looking around cautiously. No one was around. Grinning slightly I swam closer, diving under to propel myself before shooting surface-bound again. The sun's bright rays just began to peak over the Far Side, temporarily blinding me.

And then I saw them; hundreds of little turtles crawling towards us clumsily, all muttering in high-pitched voices. I giggled, waving my arms, "Come on, turtles! You can do it! Crawl! Crawl! Crawl! Crawl!"

Maybe if I had been paying attention to my surroundings more I would have heard Edmy's gasp, or seen him dive under the water. Or even the three figures slowly making their way down the beach. But I was only five at the time, and too busy cheering the freshly-hatched turtles on to be bothered by such signs of possible danger.

Until it was too late.

Hearing a soft trio of chuckles I ceased my cheering and turned to the left to see two boys and a girl standing there in peculiar human-shells. My eyes widened and I froze for a second before realizing they were smiling. It was the same kind of smile Aquatta had sometimes when Ariel and I got in trouble and no one else would look at me. What was that word Ed used again…? Oh yeah, reassuring.

So I gave a shy smile and swam over, looking them over. The boy on the right had spiky brown hair that almost looked like my dad's. The girl had short blue hair. And the other boy, the one that first caught my attention, had a swirl of blond hair. And so, being only five at the time, I pointed to this last boy and said, "You have hurricane hair."

As the other two chuckled the boy tugged at a lock of his blond hair with a slight frown, "…I suppose you could call it that…"

"And what's your name, little girl?" The girl asked kindly, bending over to see me better. I smiled and brought up my chin proudly, "I'm Anya Twilight, princess of the Jade Kingdom!"

"Really? Well, it's nice to meet you, Princess. I'm Ven, and this is Aqua and Terra." The boy with Hurricane Hair said, pointing first to himself, then the girl, and finally the other boy. Terra smiled, "So what brings such an important mermaid up to the surface?"

"Well, my mommy says that it's the job of the Jade Kingdom to make sure all the nanimals are happy and peaceful, and today we get to watch the baby turtles come into the ocean! I wanna raise one, but Eddie says they have to learn it on their own…"

"Eddie?"

"He's my brudder! Edmy Twilight, Crown-ned Prince of the Jade Kingdom!" I said proudly, "He WAS here, but when he saw you guys he probably ran off to go get daddy. Can yous keep a secret?" I added in a loud whisper, leaning closer to them. Ven nodded, Aqua giggled, and Terra smiled, so I continued, "For a Crown-ned Prince he sure is a scardy-fish! He NEVER goes on any adventures with Ari and me anymore…he says he'd rather stay home and do things we're supposed to…but usually he'll just sit around making music anyway." I giggled loudly at that before gasping suddenly, "Homigosh! The turtles! I gotta lead em back!" I made to turn and swim back before turning back to Ven and looking him in the eye, "Now you gotsta promise to come back next hatching, okay? That's in five years. Promise?"

The three of them exchanged looks before Ven nodded and extended his hand to shake, "Promise."

FIVE YEARS LATER

I sat atop a nearby rock, looking around excitedly for them. It had been five years since I saw them, but I could still remember Ven's Hurricane Hair, Aqua's sisterly smile, and Terra's deep laugh. They were what got me through….

…Well, Auntie's death wasn't something to think about right now…

Seeing Aqua walking over I couldn't help but grin, "I told you they're real…" I muttered to myself, looking eagerly around for the boys.

But it was only Aqua.

"Aqua…where's…?" I asked worriedly, images of Auntie's body being slammed against a rock flashing through my mind. Aqua didn't smile like I remembered. She looked up at me with water in her eyes, "…Gone…Ven…He lost his heart…"

"No….No, you don't mean that! NO that wasn't supposed to—He PROMISED! He PROMISED, and now—NO!" I reeled back on the rock, feeling water drip from my own eyes. I didn't understand the motion, only that it made my vision blur and my anger rise, "You humans only cause death when you're around us! It's NOT FAIR! We're supposed to live in HARMONY!" I screeched. I don't know at what point I left, but next thing I knew I was speeding off in a random direction.

And then I was in front of Aunt Ursula's palace.

I was always her favorite niece. She hated Mom, but loved me. Maybe she could help me….?

"You poor, sweet child. Merfolk and Humans can never mesh nowadays…" Aunt Ursula said sympathetically, one tentacle rested on my shoulder as she fixed a platter of seaweed salad for me. I sniffled, "I wish I could become human…then I could have tried to save him…"

"You know, sweet cheeks, I happen to know someone…in the outside worlds, that is…who might be able to help you. But with a price."

"Name it. I'll do anything, Auntie."

"You may never enter Atlantica again…at least, so long as you're completely intact…"

I glanced at her face for a moment before closing my eyes. Ven's bright, friendly smile flashed in my mind, and I shook her hand, "Deal."

Pain. Utter pain. I couldn't breathe. I lost my fin and couldn't swim. Was this why human's couldn't enter our world?

And then the pain was gone, and I took deep breaths. Looking around, I found myself in a large glowing bubble. Ursula tsked, looking me over, "It would never do to have you drown now, sweet cheeks. Why, you're already half-way there!"

Using the side of the bubble for support I attempted to stand, looking at my limp hair with a frown, "So strange…"

"Do you want me to reverse it?"

"No! I have to find a way! I have to…"

Ursula grinned, "Then let's get to it. You'll need some clothes, before you go up. Women are considered indecent without them, you know." With a snap of her fingers and a short spell I was suddenly covered in an odd material. It draped over my arms to the wrist, tight at the shoulder but much wider as it progressed. The torso was covered save for a low v that dipped to my bellybutton, covering my chest on either side. The rest of it flowed down my new legs, ending at my feet.

She looked me over before nodding, snapping her fingers once more. The bubble began to slowly move away as she spoke, "It will take you ashore. Find a man—Ikxe. He will look after you."

"Thank you, Auntie!"