A/N: And how special Lloyd's scales are is finally starting to be revealed :3
Raine and Genis floated in the cage, surrounded by jeering mermaids. Genis clutched at Raine, trembling slightly, and she gently brushed a hand through his hair. This was similar to how they had been treated on land...It seemed no matter where they went, they could never escape it.
"Citizens, we have found elves pretending to be mermaids in our midst. The law states that any outsiders found in our waters are to be killed," a voice called, and the two of them looked up. A mermaid with long blonde hair and a golden-yellow tail floated there, addressing the crowd. Another mermaid floated next to him, with a jet black tail. Genis suddenly gasped.
"Colette!" he cried.
The male mermaid glanced at them, scowling, then motioned to the guards outside the cage. "Remove their artifacts."
The guards reached through the cage, pulling off the necklace and bracelet before they could do anything. Immediately they choked, but as they curled over, Raine slipped one of the scales to Genis. They put them in their mouths, remaining hunched over, and instantly felt their breathing ease.
Genis lifted his gaze slightly, catching the mermaid's gaze. His scowl deepened, before he turned to Colette.
"Don't you think it would be best to kill these intruders?" he murmured to her. She glanced down, gazing at them blankly, then lifted her hand. The water suddenly began to gather up, becoming spears that pointed at them.
Without even blinking, she thrust her hand down, the spears rushing at them. Raine gasped and grabbed Genis, hugging him close in a desperate attempt to protect him.
There was a sudden angered cry, and the two of them looked up in surprise as a mermaid threw themselves between them and the attack. They lifted their hands, a sudden barrier appearing around the cage and deflecting the attacks.
"Lloyd...?" Raine mumbled, staring at him.
"What are you doing?" snapped the mermaid, glaring at Lloyd angrily.
Lloyd gazed at Colette, then gritted his teeth. "You bastard! What did you do to Colette?!" he demanded.
"Impudent whelp! You dare to speak to me in that tone? I am your ruler!"
"I don't have a ruler!" Lloyd snarled, suddenly shooting at him. There was a ripple in the water, and suddenly he held two blades. The mermaid lifted a barrier just as he attacked, but Lloyd didn't pause, instead continuing to hammer at the barrier.
"Lloyd, watch out!" Genis suddenly shouted, and Lloyd glanced back as Colette lifted her hand, more spears shooting at him. He easily dodged them, and a quick flick of his tail sent him flying towards her. He grabbed her, dragging her back with him and turning to face the mermaid.
"You think that will stop me? She is of no importance to me; I will simply kill you together!" he snarled, power suddenly flying at them.
Lloyd dived, pulling Colette with him and just dodging the attack. He gave a growl, trying to figure out how to help Raine and Genis as well as protecting Colette and fighting this weirdo.
"Lloyd!" Sheena called as she and Zelos finally arrived, before staring at the scene before her. She gazed at him a moment, before frowning. "Why are you fighting Yggdrasil, Lloyd? He's our leader!"
Lloyd glanced back at her, then shook his head. "I'm not from your world, Sheena," he replied, then turned back. "Though if you're what Martel called a brother, I'd hate to see what her friends were like."
Raine and Genis stared, then looked at Yggdrasil in shock. "The Goddess Martel's...brother?" Raine murmured.
"Don't speak so casually of her!" snapped Yggdrasil. He gave a quick motion, and suddenly Colette started struggling, trying to get out of Lloyd's grip. He tried to keep his grip, but she managed to get a hand free and lifted it, the spears appearing again.
Lloyd gritted his teeth, clutching her tighter, and his hand brushed the necklace. He suddenly blinked, almost seeming to feel what was wrong.
"Genis! Throw the necklace I gave you!" he yelled down suddenly.
Genis blinked then turned to Raine, motioning to a single scale. She frowned but removed it, surprised to find it was actually an entirely different necklace. He turned, thrusting it up, and Lloyd easily grabbed it. He glanced up at Yggdrasil, meeting his gaze squarely, before releasing Colette briefly and slipping the necklace on.
She screamed, writhing in pain. The spears vanished, and she twisted, clutching at the necklace. The black scales seemed to fade, becoming a pale pink. Finally she relaxed, slowly opening her eyes. She blinked, looking around in confusion, before smiling as she saw Lloyd. She tried to say something, then frowned when she couldn't.
Lloyd quickly soothed her, taking her wrist and quickly swimming back down to the cage before making one sword appear and easily cutting through the bars. Genis floated up to him, grabbing his wrist, and Lloyd took Raine's hand before turning to Yggdrasil.
"They are mine. I'm taking them."
Yggdrasil glared at him. "You won't get far when you're drowning!" he snarled, sending a wave of energy to him. It hit him, passing through him, and he stiffened as he waited for the effect. Nothing happened, however, and he looked confused.
Yggdrasil, however, suddenly seemed to realise something. "No...no, you can't be.." he mumbled.
Lloyd looked at him in confusion, then decided to take advantage of the distraction and suddenly shot away, clear of the crowd within seconds. He quickly went to the surface, still swimming but allowing the others to get a breath.
"Are you alright?" he asked them.
"Yeah, we're fine," Genis grinned.
"I knew you'd come," Colette said happily, hugging him, then seemed surprised to be able to speak.
"Don't worry, it's because you're not a real mermaid. If I knew how to unblock it, I would, but Kratos didn't tell me how."
"Lloyd," a voice said suddenly, and they turned. Lloyd relaxed a little as he recognised Sheena.
"What are you doing here? Won't you get in trouble if you're with me?" he asked, confused.
Sheena gazed at him. "...You're not a mermaid, are you," she said finally.
Lloyd hesitated, then shook his head. "Not like you. I'm half-human."
Raine looked at him in shock. "You're half-mermaid?" she demanded.
"Yeah. I'll explain later," he replied.
Sheena continued to gaze at him a moment, then sighed. "I believe you can change our world, Lloyd. Like I said before, most of us are tired of living in a world where we are constantly at war with the humans. I know I said before that there are other half mermaids, but as I said, they are increasingly rare and hardly ever realise they are human. None of them can truly be a bridge. You, however, are different. You've been raised as a human, but you also understand mermaids. I believe you could be one we've waited for all these years."
Lloyd took this in, then gave a smile. "Well, I don't know if you should be putting your faith in me, but I'll do my best. For now I just want to get my friends back home."
"I'll help," Sheena offered, holding out a hand. Genis easily slipped over to her, and she gave a hesitant smile.
"Hunny~! Where are you going?"
Sheena groaned as Zelos appeared beside them, easily matching pace. "Don't tell me you're coming too, you stupid moron," she sighed.
"Aww, I can't let my honey go off by herself! I must say, Lloyd, you're daring rescue was very heroic. The stuff of legends, you could say!"
"Thanks, I think?"
"So, where are you going?"
"To the surface," Sheena replied shortly.
Zelos blinked. "You know that's forbidden, right?" he said finally.
"Of course. But I'm trusting Lloyd," she muttered.
Zelos considered this, looking at him, then gave a grin. "Well, I've always wanted to see what the hunnies on the land look like! I guess I'll tag along!"
"Thanks for your help, Zelos," Lloyd said, grinning.
Zelos winked. "How about I take a lovely lady off your arm?" he suggested. Lloyd hesitated, glancing between them, but Colette gave him a quick smile before drifting over to him. He gave her a smirk, and she gave a smile in return.
"We'll be faster if we dive, but if we need to remain above water for your friends..." Sheena said.
"No, it'll be okay. Genis, you guys need fresh scales. Colette, you won't be able to speak, but don't panic."
Raine quickly passed Genis his necklace, and he slipped it on before putting a scale in his mouth and giving one to Raine. "Ready," he said.
The three of them quickly dived, putting on a burst of speed. Without the slower Raine and Genis, they made quick time, getting three quaters of the way back in one day.
Sheena quickly directed them to an island, and the group went over to it. Raine, Genis and Colette were happy enough to clamber out, Colette's legs soon returning. They dried off their clothes while Lloyd organised what Sheena and Zelos should do.
"We'll be fine in the water for the night. If there's a problem, then don't hesitate to leave without us," Sheena said.
"Alright, but be careful. I don't want either of you to get hurt," Lloyd replied.
"Don't worry, I'll protect her," Zelos grinned as he dived under.
"Somehow, I'm more worried about him than you," Lloyd sighed.
"I know how you feel. Anyway, we'll see you in the morning," Sheena said before also diving.
Lloyd pulled himself up onto the beach, making sure he was fully clear of the water. He lay back, staring up at the sky. Mermaid life was a lot different from what he expected...and now that he actually knew what had happened, it seemed rather sad. He didn't like to think that his friends had ancestors who had been kicked out of the water, and went crazy because of it in Genis and Raine's case.
He felt the familiar tingle that had been absent the last few days, and his legs returned. He stood up, grunting at how odd it felt after having been swimming for so long, then wandered over to the others.
"Do you need me to help with anything?" he asked as he joined them.
"I think we're pretty much done, actually," Colette said with a smile as Genis put the rabbit over the fire.
"Yup. We'll just finish cooking this little guy and then we can go to sleep," Genis added with a grin.
Lloyd nodded, straightening expectantly. Genis' cooking was the best, after all, and it looked like everything was going their way.
A/N: So yes! Lloyd's scales can counteract Yggdrasil's! (Which is pretty lucky, right? :P)
And Zelos randomly tags along for the ride...Not that I'm sad about that, I just feel that it was too rushed and I wish I'd added a little middle bit for him. Or a better explanation. Or something :(
Review?