"Kaito!"
The auburn-haired boy turned to look who was calling to him. A blonde girl with brown eyes, ribbons tied in her hair waved to Kaito. The pink shell pendant she wore gleamed in the sunlight.
"Luchia! You're back!" Kaito called happily.
She ran up to him. "Yup, I told you I'd be back after a week!" Luchia smiled. "Hanon and Rina, too, but they're busy with their, uh, friends."
Kaito grinned. "I guess the trio just can't give up their human lives, can they?"
"Trio?" Luchia looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm not telling, I think you can figure that out yourself." He smirked.
"Kaito, you meanie!" Luchia smacked him in the back playfully.
"Hey, stop that! Luchia!" Kaito laughed. "Shouldn't you be getting back to the Pearl Piari anyway?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I have to get back to helping Onee-chan in the hotel, and―" she blinked in disbelief at a clock on the side of a nearby building. "Ack! I'm so late! Sorry Kaito, I have to go!" Luchia hastily waved, and then ran down the sidewalk towards her "home".
"Tadaima, Onee-chan!" Luchia called into the lobby. It felt so good to be back. The familiar smells and surroundings were comforting to her.
"Okaeri, Luchia-san." Madame Taki responded. As usual, she was sitting at one of the dining tables, moving her hands about a green glass orb. However, the violet haired proprietor was nowhere to be seen. Luchia walked over to Taki, puzzled.
"Taki-san, where's Onee-chan?" she asked.
"Nikora-san is in the kitchen" Taki said blankly, continuing to gaze into her crystal ball.
"Arigatou, Taki-san." Luchia replied, and began to walk to the kitchen. However...
"Luchia-san, don't go there, it's dangerous!" Madame Taki cried suddenly. Dumbfounded, Luchia faced Taki.
"Uh...what? How is the kitchen dangerous?" Luchia asked. "I know you have your prophecies, but this is a bit ridiculous..."
Madame Taki's face tightened. "Luchia, I didn't see anything about your fortune, but it is quite idiotic to try and talk to Nikora-san right now"
"Something happened to Onee-chan?" Luchia asked worriedly.
"Hmph." Taki looked as if she was deep in thought. "No, nothing happened. She's in one of her 'moods'."
At this Luchia understood. Nikora had always been a firey person. When she was angry, it felt as if she destroyed everything in her path. Luchia remembered the time Nikora had first exploded at her...and winced at the memory. It was not a pleasant one. Now she knew to steer clear of Nikora in such situations, unless there was no escape. The worst part, however, was these "moods" of hers. When Nikora was in one of her moods, she had an extremely short fuse.
"I-I see." Luchia shivered slightly.
"Oh, Luchia's home? Come on back here, I need to talk to you." Nikora called.
Luchia stiffened. A chill ran down her spine. Just my luck, she thought. It's bad enough she's in a mood, but now she asks me to come back there...
She walked to the kitchen and took a deep breath. Then, cautiously, she stepped in. A warm scent greeted her, and made her realize she didn't eat lunch.
"Luchia! How was your weekend?" Nikora asked, smiling.
"It was ok. Maybe I just have to get back in the 'princess' routine..." Luchia replied. Maybe Onee-chan got over whatever the problem was? She thought hopefully. But just in case, she changed the subject. "Can I help you out with dinner?"
Nikora thought for a moment. "Sure, tonight's menu is croquettes and rice, but I need you to get groceries. Did you get everything you needed to get done finished while you were in your kingdom?"
"I got most of it done, Onee-chan, but I was a bit late to a couple things..."
"Like you were late and managed to perfectly miss dish-washing and laundry and come back exactly when they were done?"
Luchia winced at this comment. She'd lit that short fuse by making one false step. "Gomen, Onee-chan...but I did have to swim a long way...anyways! Where's your shopping list?"
Nikora simply pointed. "Ah, arigatou! Ok, I'll get the groceries as quickly as I can!" Luchia said quickly, grabbing a purse and her pink hoodie.
"Itte kimasu!" Luchia called as she ran out the door.
"Mattaku... why can't I ever be less obvious...?" Luchia asked herself solemnly. She fingered the list in her pocket. Why had she brought it, anyway? Nikora had made croquettes so many times that surely Luchia must have memorized the recipe. But she pulled it out anyway, and read the list to herself. Potatoes, butter, oil, onions, beef, leeks, miso, rice...I guess the ingredients for croquettes and rice weren't all Onee-chan needed in the kitchen...she thought.
A cool breeze blew through her hair. Luchia decided to take a moment to enjoy it. It had not been long since she had been able to enjoy a crisp winter day like this, after all, she'd only gone to her kingdom for a week. But it was one of those blessings she had only discovered when she came ashore. Leaning on the seawall's railing, she sighed, not noticing her grip slackening on the paper scrap Nikora had given her.
Whooooosh.
Another breeze blew through her hair, taking the small piece of paper with it.
"The list!" Luchia cried, chasing it. The paper was as unpredictable in its flight as a feather, making her task difficult. At last, the wind died down and the list flitted towards the beach. As she raced down the stairs, something caught Luchia's eye. Something pearly white, splashing in the water... She wondered if she was seeing things. It looked like a tail...and beluga whales certainly didn't live on the coast of Japan. No, they were Noel's messengers...but why would one of them be here? And that presence was not like that of a mermaid's...so what was it...?
Suddenly someone's hand grabbed her shoulder. Luchia's muscles tightened. Nikora had always warned me about how some human men were creepers...oh no!
"iiiiieeeee!!!!!" Luchia screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling.
"Luchia! Oi, Luchia! Calm down for a second!" her restrainer shouted over her crying.
Luchia sniffed slightly. "Kaito?" she asked timidly.
"I still can't believe how loud you screamed, Luchia. I think you blew out my eardrums!" Kaito joked, and Luchia grimaced at the comment. How embarrasing she'd lost all common sense in front of the practically everyone in town...of course, all they knew was they heard a scream, but...
"Oh yeah! Almost forgot. Did you drop this?" Kaito asked, handing Luchia a scrap of paper. Luchia's eye's widened.
"Onee-chan's grocery list! How'd you find it?" She asked in disbelief.
"I caught it...it was kind of just fluttering through the air, and I'd seen you running after it, so I assumed it was yours." Kaito explained.
"I see..." Luchia mused. A small silence settled on the couple as they walked through the shopping district.
"So," Kaito asked, breaking the silence. "How are you going to work this out with you going back and forth to your kingdom?"
"I don't know...I can't go for whole weeks because of school, I don't want to miss the weekend...and I don't want to miss out on vacation breaks because of my duties!" She sighed. Was she really doomed to always have some kind of work to do? How sad it was that she had to be born this way, when she much preferred "playing around" on land (as Nikora called it) to ruling her kingdom. To add to her dislike, in her palace, she felt alone. Kaito was always on shore, Nikora and Taki-san had to take care of the Pearl Piari, and her friends had kingdoms of their own to take care of. As good as it felt to be truely home, she didn't have anyone she felt especially close to there, so it was a relief to be on land again.
"I guess you're a bit stuck, then..." Kaito mumbled.
Luchia nodded.
"Well, you've got a few more days before school starts up again...but I'm guessing that's still not enough time for a dummy like you, huh?" His solemn face broke into a playful smirk.
"Kaito no Baka!" Luchia said in return.
"Hey, take it easy over there!" Kaito laughed.
The two proceeded to argue as they walked down the street.
"Thanks for helping me with my shopping, Kaito!" Luchia thanked him.
"No problem. I probably need to get going, though. So, Ja-ne!"
"Ja-ne!" Luchia called in return. She turned the corner to the Pearl Piari. Opening the door, she peeked inside.
Not seeing anyone, she called inside. "Tadaima, Onee-chan! Taki-san! ...Anyone?"
She stepped in to see a note left on one of the front tables.
Luchia - I have to run a few errands. I got so fed up with you I forgot to tell you. I'll probably be back before you get home. See you soon --Nikora
She sighed. Putting the bags in the kitchen, Luchia went upstairs to her room. Sitting at her desk, she stared out at the slowly clearing beach. The tide was beginning to come in, and the sun was beginning to set in the winter sky. "Kirei..." she thought aloud. It reminded her of the time she had first met Kaito here, once they were both more grown up. Watching the waves was calming to her. Was it because of Kaito's surfing? Probably, but not just that, something else as well―
There it is again!
Luchia bolted upright as she saw the white tail flip out of the ocean quickly, then dissapear.
Whoever― or whatever that is, I'm not letting it get away. I have to know! Luchia thought, racing down the stairs and onto the beach. She ran into the water, and when it was deep enough, dove under. Her body morphed into her pink mermaid form, and she swam out to the place she had seen it. "It should be around here somewhere..." she whispered. She searched the reef, all the nooks and crannies, and even under loose sand. Yet, it was to no avail― whatever itwas, it was gone now.
Or was it?
Suddenly, Luchia heard a resonating song...she couldn't understand the words, but she recognized one thing― it was being sung in an ancient mermaid language. A language so old that even she didn't know it...
Her curiosity sparked, Luchia swam in the direction of the voice. Further out, deeper in ocean, and with the sun setting, it became hard to see. Now, the voice was perfectly clear, but still impossible to understand. Yet, no one was anywhere in sight...
Sulking, Luchia let herslef sink down into a deep clearing among the coral-covered stones. "I guess I'll never find what that was..." she whispered sadly.
And then, when she least expected it, she found it.
A white mermaid swam overhead, bypassing the clearing. Luchia's eyes widened.
There it is!
Scrambling, she swam upward and out of the clearing, following the mermaid. "Matte!" She called. "Matte...!!" To her surprise, it was waiting for her outside the hole. The two mermaids stared at each other for a moment, aqua eyes meeting glass-like eyes. Then, the white mermaid murmured a few words, and a brilliant light began shining from her pendant. A sound like a bell, soft, yet clear, echoed inside Luchia's head. Then, that voice again...coming from the mysterious mermaid's lips. Luchia put her hands to her ears, suddenly in pain.
Why...does this song...hurt so much? It feels...like...my head's...going...to split...in...two... Luchia thought.
The white mermaid sang one last word, and the light flashed brightly, seeming to envelop Luchia. She shrieked, and then slowly, everything went quiet. As she sank to the bottom of the clearing, her vision began to blur. How...did this...happen...? She thought in the silence, staring up at the white and tan shape somewhere above her. Now, it was all fading to black. Rina, Hanon...I'm sorry...
I'm so sorry...
WHAT?! Luchia can't die! But what just happened then? DUN DUN DUN!
This ends chapter 3 of Shinju no Chi. If you want to know what happened to Luchia, then tune in to the next chapter!
Until next time; Please Rate + Review