Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Karin swam back down to her treasure trove and started to look through all of the pictures that were hanging on the walls. She went up to the picture with the grass and kids.
"What would I do to be a part of that world?" Karin asked gently stroking the fabric. "He was cute, and nice. I'm glad that he is okay." Karin was remembering her small talk with the young boy.
"Do you really want to know?" A cruel voice broke into her thoughts.
"Who are you?" She asked a dark green eel with one red eye opposite a gold eye.
"I am someone who could help you get your wish. My name is Gin Ichimaru."
"What could an eel do?" Karin leaned toward the eel.
"I can't do anything, but Lord Aizen will be able to help." Gin circled her so he looked in her eye from her left side.
"The sea warlock?" Karin leaned away from the cold fish.
"Yes, he has magic potions and spells that can solve all of your problems." A red flag started waving in her mind. She had the feeling that she was a mermaid all because of a certain spell.
"I'm not too sure," Karin swam further away from the eel.
"Karin, Karin where did you go?" She heard Jinta calling from outside of the cave.
"We have to return to the castle. Your father will be very worried about your safety." Chojiro called beside Jinta.
"Your father, King Yamamoto?" Gin asked gaining the mermaids attention. "He would be disappointed that you saved a human. He does not approve of humans at all, does he?" Karin glanced over to the red-eyed eel and his silver tongue. He spoke the truth.
"Who knows what your father will do? What if he should find out about your hideaway?" Gin began looking along the walls gazing over the pictures, trinkets then back to the kids and grass portrait and turned toward her.
"I wonder if he will permit you to keep these treasures from the surface world?" Gin looked around once again.
"Karin? Where are you?" Jinta called out again. She could hear the worry filling his voice and it hurt her.
"I have to go." Karin said before she swam for the exit. "Please leave my hideaway." Karin requested from the entrance of the cave.
"Fine," Gin swam up to her. "But if you become interested in Aizen's offer, you can find me along the outer reef. I'll see you later, Karin." Gin explained before he left the cave making sure to avoid Jinta and Chojiro.
"So this is where you disappeared to?" Chojiro accused in his Jamaican voice as she rested outside her cave.
"Yes Chojiro, I came straight here." Karin answered looking in the direction that Gin had disappeared.
"Now we need to get you back to the palace before anyone finds out you were gone." Chojiro pushed her toward the palace as the sun began to brighten the waters. Chojiro breathed a deep sigh of relief as they entered the courtyard of the palace.
"Okay, I don't think anyone noticed your absence." Chojiro whispered behind Karin. Her head was turned to the little crab so she didn't notice the merman until she bounced off his chest.
"Byakuya!" Karin shrieked in surprise as she floated toward the ocean floor.
"Karin," Byakuya glared down to her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Where have you been?"
"I was just going out for a morning swim to warm up before breakfast." Karin answered swimming up to look him in the eye.
"I checked in your room last night, and you were not there." Byakuya spoke, his voice going darker and deeper. "Now, I will ask again: where were you last night?" Byakuya glared down to Karin making her feel like a speck of sand.
"I . . . I," Karin wasn't sure how to answer as Byakuya kept his cold eyes on her face. Karin gulped and took a deep breath; it was time to tell the truth. "I was out swimming last night when I spotted these strange lights coming from a ship. So, I went to investigate and then there was this big storm that blasted the ship into pieces. Then there was this boy who had fallen into the water . . ." Karin slowly flitted a little further away as Byakuya's temper began to grow darker evidenced by his frigid eyes. "So, this boy was knocked out and was about to drown until I took him to shore and waited until he woke up this morning." Karin took a deep breath as Byakuya glared down at the small mermaid.
"You did what?" Byakuya whispered with his eyes flashing red in anger and fury.
"I saved a boy from drowning." Karin quickly spoke and darted around a pillar before Byakuya exploded.
"WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?" Byakuya yelled. Karin was surprised that the entire palace was not awake from the explosion.
"YOUR FATHER HAS RULES ABOUT THIS! AND YOU IGNORE THEM! THOSE RULES ARE THERE FOR A REASON!" Byakuya returned to his normal voice but Karin could still hear the same amount of fury. "When your father finds out about this, he will be furious." Byakuya stated turning from the passage.
"WAIT! Byakuya you can't tell him," Karin swam up to him to grab his arm in an attempt to stop him. However, being larger than she is, he was able to fling her from his arm in a swift motion.
"King Yamamoto will find out about this, Karin. I will make sure of it, and you will learn to follow this one rule or else you will never experience freedom ever again." Byakuya coldly declared, breaking Karin's heart even before she was sentenced.
"This is so unfair," Karin whispered to Byakuya's retreating back as tears began to fill her eyes.
"Now, Karin. You knew this was going to happen when you disobeyed your father." Chojiro explained to her. He had to gulp at her tear filled eyes.
"I know, Chojiro," Karin took a shuddering gasp, "but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't let him drown," Karin dashed away from the palace and toward her treasure trove.
"Karin, wait," Jinta swiftly followed after her leaving Chojiro to stare after her in the hall. "Karin," Jinta finally caught up to her outside of the cave at the boulder. She was staring at a slimy eel sitting upon the rock.
"Well, have you thought about my offer?" Gin asked in a voice that sent shivers down Jinta's spine.
"I've thought about it, and I'll go with you to see Aizen." Jinta froze in the water at Karin's words.
"KARIN!" Jinta dashed in front of Karin to block her from the eel. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU CAN'T GO TO AIZEN!" Jinta yelled up to her but she just pushed past him.
"I don't care, Jinta. You heard Byakuya, when my father finds out I'll be grounded for the rest of my life and my freedom will be taken away from me. I can't think of any punishment harsher than that." Karin whispered as Gin started to swim away.
"But, we can do something else. Just don't go to Aizen!" Jinta pleaded with her but she ignored him as she batted him away with her fin.
"Get away from me, Jinta. I'm going to go see him. I'll see you later." Karin answered as she followed after Gin.
"Oh no, I can't let this happen." Jinta whispered as Karin continued off.
. . . . . . . . . . .
"Byakuya, are you okay?" Shunsui asked the steaming merman as he swam through the group.
"I'm fine!" Byakuya growled; a red flag that the noble was anything but fine.
"Tell me what happened." Shunsui blocked the man's path with a hand on his shoulder. Rangiku, Rukia, and Renji gathered around the pair with the noble's entrance.
"Karin did not stay in her room last night. I found her entering the palace just now and she informed me that she had saved a human boy from drowning. Not only that, but she watched him at the shore through the night." Byakuya growled under his breath as he relayed this information to the group.
"Did she say who she rescued?" Shunsui calmly asked making the noble pause in slight embarrassment. Due to his anger from her willful disobedience, he completely forgot to ask about details toward the human boy.
"I never inquired on the boy's identity." Byakuya answered backing slightly away from Shunsui who blinked in surprise.
"You forgot to ask?" Shunsui asked and Byakuya coughed in the uncomfortable position.
"Well, let's go see who she saved. It could have been Captain Hitsugaya." Rangiku explained then led the way back to the entrance of the palace. Byakuya swam ahead of her to show them the way.
"Follow me," Byakuya stated as he led the group to the courtyard. The group only saw Chojiro sitting on the seafloor trilling his legs in annoyance and confusion.
"Chojiro, where is Karin?" Byakuya asked to the little crab.
"She swam off after you left to tell her father." Chojiro answered blinking at the glare from Shunsui toward Byakuya.
"Do you know where she went?" Shunsui asked.
"I'm not sure but you can check a cavern near here where she hides all of her treasures." Chojiro motioned to the direction of the cave.
"She has treasures?" Rukia bent down to the lieutenant.
"Yes, I'll show you where it is." Chojiro answered as he led the small group to the cavern just as Jinta was starting to follow Karin and Gin.
"Jinta what are you doing here?" Chojiro asked the striped fish. "Where is Karin?" Jinta looked back to Byakuya and glared to the merman in deep hatred.
"What's he doing here? Hasn't he done enough?" Jinta pointed a fin to Byakuya but his question was ignored when a slightly more important matter was brought to attention.
"Why is Karin not with you?" Chojiro asked the little fish. He frowned at the crab then shrieked as he remembered.
"She went to go see Aizen!"
"WHAT!" Every merperson screamed in unison and shock.
"Aizen is here?" Shunsui asked and Jinta nodded.
"Yeah, an eel came to talk to her and led her away."
"WHY DIDN'T YOU FOLLOW THEM!" Rangiku screamed to the little fish causing him to back up to the boulder.
"Well, they haven't gotten that far." Jinta peeked over the cavern and the group could see Karin and an eel off into the distance.
"We have to stop her." Rangiku exclaimed as she started to swim after the pair.
"I'm coming with you." Renji answered following after her.
"Shunsui, you go tell Captain Yamamoto that Aizen is here in this world. I'll go with the others." Byakuya ordered of his fellow captain.
"Alright, Byakuya make sure she doesn't meet Aizen." Shunsui explained as he turned back to the palace.
"Brother, I'm coming with you." Rukia stated as she followed Karin with the others.
"I hope we're not too late." Rangiku whispered as they trailed after Karin.
"Are you sure that Aizen can help me?" Karin asked the large eel beside her. Gin glanced back toward Karin and spotted the group of merpeople, crab and fish following them.
"Yes, my dear, and I'll show you a shortcut to get to him faster." Gin turned toward the seafloor where a maze of coral and seaweed made the trail nearly impossible for anyone bigger than a child.
"Just follow me," Gin slithered through the cracks of the coral with Karin following closely behind.
"We can't fit in there." Rangiku paused at the coral and seaweed mess that Karin and the eel had escaped.
"We'll go this way and yell when we come to a place big enough for you guys to fit." Jinta stated as he and Chojiro fit into the holes of the reef.
"Okay, just call us as soon as you can." Rukia yelled down to the maze.
Karin squeezed through another couple of holes before Gin led her back to open waters. These waters were much cooler and darker. She looked up to the surface and all she saw was dark blue with barely a shimmer of light from the sun.
"We are really far below." Karin muttered as Gin waited for Karin at the entrance of a T-rex skeleton with his massive jaws open to reveal a long dark cave to act as the throat and stomach.
"Yes we are, but I assure you. You are completely safe," Gin swam behind her shoulders and urged her into the cave. Jinta and Chojiro exited the maze when Karin entered the cave.
"There she is!" Jinta yelled before he darted toward the surface. He peeked over the plateau and yelled for the merpeople to follow him. The group headed over to them while Chojiro followed Karin into the cave.
"Hello young one," a dark, smooth voice greeted Karin from the shadows. Karin watched an octopus person slink from the shadows.
"Hi," Karin hesitated in the mouth of the cavern. She saw a large cauldron like mound of rock perched in the center of the room. To her left was a mirror made out of a giant clam's shell, and to her right were shelves upon shelves of bottles, and there was even a tongue floating in one of them. At the sight of the tongue, Karin jerked back into the tunnel of the cave.
"Well, will you come in," a man with a long torso, wavy brown hair, and eight black tentacles attached to his abdomen beckoned her with a long finger.
"It is rude to lurk in doorways," the man smiled with venom lacing his voice. Karin gulped and contemplated swimming back home, but Gin cut off her escape as he guided her into the cavern to float before the cauldron-rock formation directly in front of the octopus.
"My name is Aizen," he extended his hand for Karin to shake in greeting.
"My name is Karin." Karin reclaimed her hand immediately after Aizen released it.
"A little fish told me that you are in need of my services." Aizen motioned toward Gin who nodded his head in two slow motions.
"You wish to become a human?" Karin blinked at the octopus man's question.
"Yes, I do want to become a human and see what it's like to live on land." Karin answered focusing on the cauldron so she wouldn't be frozen by the octopus-man's eyes.
"Not only that, but you wish to be with a specific young human. Hmm?" One long black tentacle tilted Karin's chin up so she was staring Aizen in his eyes.
"Yes," Karin answered. Aizen smiled a chillingly victorious grin that made her pause in a slight moment of fear and uncertainty. She was with a man who was not on the side of good.
"Let me help." Aizen stated and kept Karin's eyes trained on his own. He could sense that she was about to run away or cry for help. So he kept her attention when he pulled out a black and white ball from behind his back. The ball rested in his black tentacle as he trained Karin's vision onto the object. She gasped at the ball and Aizen could feel the tension ease from her body.
"You want to play with this object. Soccer, I believe it is called." Aizen made conversation and she nodded only half listening to the man.
"I can turn you into a human for three days." Karin snapped her head back to him with her eyes open wide.
"Really?"
"Really, but there is a price for such a feat," Karin sank down in defeat. She didn't have any type of allowance so she was sure his deal was out of her reach.
"I don't want anything of monetary value." Aizen continued drawing Karin's attention back to him.
"I simply want a small part of you that will hardly be missed." This time Karin did arch her head away from Aizen.
"I want your voice." Karin blinked at him in confusion.
"Why do you want my voice?" Karin asked in further confusion.
"I happen to enjoy the sound of your voice. It would please me greatly if, when you leave, I would be able to listen to it at my leisure." Aizen smiled warmly to Karin.
"But, how will I be able to talk to anyone on the surface? I will certainly need my voice to live up there." Karin asked him.
"There are hundreds of ways to speak to another person without using sound. You can write can't you?" Karin nodded her head. "You can make gestures with your hands?" Karin looked to her hands and nodded her head. "And, if all else fails, you can just use body language. If nothing else, this will definitely get a human's attention." Aizen chuckled at the red spots brightening her cheeks.
"Okay, but you said this would only work for three days?" Aizen nodded and motioned her to continue. "What happens after the three days are up?" Aizen smiled to her once again, and once again making shivers dance upon Karin's spine.
"Your body and spirit stays in the medium where you are grounded. Down here you have family and friends that keep you beneath the water. On the surface you have no one, so when the spell wears off, approximately three days from now, your soul and body will return to the medium where you're grounded: the sea." Aizen explained then his smile disappeared from his eyes. "Should you return in three days time, your soul will belong to me," Aizen stared hard into her eyes and Karin gulped.
"That doesn't seem very fair." Karin glared up to the man. "Leave me on land just to have me return and be your slave." Karin growled up to him.
"You would sell your soul for a soccer ball." A deep memory surfaced to her mind.
"I WOULD NOT!" Aizen and Gin blinked at Karin's outburst.
"You did not allow me to finish," Aizen interrupted her. "I said that you are not grounded in the surface world. If you happen to ground yourself by, oh I don't know, falling in love, then the spell would become permanent and you will have your freedom, your love, and your sport to enjoy to your heart's content." Aizen answered pushing the soccer ball into Karin's hands. At the mention of finding a love, Karin thought back to the boy on the shore and she could feel her cheeks grow slightly warm at his image.
Aizen exchanged a glance with Gin as they both came to the same realization: she had fallen for their trap.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"I gotta get in there!" Jinta cried swimming harder for the entrance of the cave. Just inside the cave, he bumped into another eel. This eel had a gold eye opposite a green one.
"Well, well looks like we have a little clownfish that's lost his way." The eel sneered at the small fish. Jinta glared at the eel and started to feel his temper grow.
"Get out of my way you slimy eel!" Jinta burst past him, knocking him into the wall of the cave in his haste. The eel growled at the boy and darted after him.
. . . . . . . .
"We have to hurry and get down there!" Rangiku exclaimed as they neared the plateau where the entrance of Aizen's cavern lay.
"We're moving as fast as we can go." Renji puffed as his stamina began to falter. It was harder than he thought to swim under the water.
"Well move faster!" Rukia shouted to the red head as she gained more speed to catch up to her brother.
"Maybe you should go on ahead, Byakuya." Rukia suggested and her brother nodded his head. He left the small group in a wake of bubbles as he propelled himself in a much faster speed than the others could make.
"Just head for the dinosaur skeleton at the bottom, that's where Karin entered the cave." Chojiro called out to Byakuya before he disappeared from the group's view.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Well, Karin do we have a deal?" Aizen waved the soccer ball in front of her eyes to entice her.
"Uhm," Karin hesitated following the ball with her eyes.
"KARIN!" Jinta darted up to her and knocked her in the back.
"Jinta! What are you doing here?" Karin asked the fish as he puffed and gasped out trying to catch his breath.
"Grimmjow, I thought you were supposed to be guarding the cave." Gin whispered to the second eel as he, too, huffed and puffed in exhaustion.
"Hey . . . it's not so easy . . . to move . . . so . . . fast under the water." Grimmjow gasped out to the other eel.
"Well, it's no matter." Gin turned back to the little clownfish attempting to talk Karin out of this trap.
"Come on, let's go home." Jinta swam up to her face, blocking the soccer ball and Aizen's gaze.
"But, Jinta, do you know what will happen when I return?" Karin asked as she frowned down to the clownfish. "I'm never going to go outside the palace ever again." Karin whispered in despair.
"That's not true, look Byakuya is right behind-"
"BYAKUYA!" Karin glared at the fish in fury. "Why did you bring him?"
"Listen, Karin you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Jinta glanced back to Aizen who was simply passing the ball between his tentacles, appearing to ignore the two's conversation. "Aizen is an evil person." Jinta whispered into her ear.
"Byakuya came along to help and see that you're safe." Jinta whispered to her desperately trying to guide her away.
"Yes, safety is very important. Just think, the safest place to be is in the confines of your own room. Especially since it's so dangerous everywhere outside; there are sharks, seals, fishing boats ready to pluck you out of the water and serve you on a stick." Gin stated to the ceiling, effectively blocking Jinta's words from Karin. Jinta darted up to the eel's face and glared him in his mis-matched eyes.
"LOOK! It's not like that! That isn't going to happen! Just you wait and see! Come on Karin." Jinta turned back to Karin and gasped at the pen in her right hand with a golden parchment floating above the cauldron at her left hand.
"KARIN!" Karin heard Byakuya's shout echo through the cave.
"Oh dear, you'll be hauled off to jail for sure this time." Gin smirked to the little mermaid.
"Okay," Karin hastily signed her name on the dotted line and the scroll disappeared along with the pen.
"Thank you," Aizen gathered a ball of yellow light in his right hand. "Now if you please," Aizen opened his hand and a hand formed from the light to drift toward Karin.
"What do you want me to-" Karin's voice was cut off as the hand jumped down her throat and pulled out a glowing orb from her throat. She gasped and held her hands to her throat at the sound of her voice speaking from the orb before it disappeared into a seashell.
"That will be all," Aizen threw a green orb to Karin which engulfed her into a bubble. "Now, hold your breath." Aizen laughed darkly as lightning inside the bubble turned Karin's fin into two pair of legs with black shorts extending from her navel to her thighs.
Byakuya darted into the cavern and gasped at the transformation.
"I'm too late." Byakuya growled and glared to Aizen.
"Are you sure you want to challenge me with a human this far beneath the surface?" Byakuya turned back to Karin as the bubble burst and she struggled to move. He grabbed Karin and with a final glare toward Aizen, swam as fast as he could to the surface. He made it to the surface with Karin in a matter of seconds. Byakuya rested Karin on his shoulders as he gave a loud sigh and started toward the nearest land.
"I guess arguing with you would be a waste of time." Byakuya glanced back and received her fiercest glare she could gather at the moment.
"It would be best to get you to shore, then we can decide what to do." Byakuya and Karin swam to shore in silence (as if Karin had any choice at this point).
**READ THIS*READ THIS*READ THIS**
A/N: I feel I should give a warning to my lovely readers. If you happen to be drinking anythin or eating any type of food, then I highly suggest you put those items down before continuing. I do not want to be responsible for any damaged computers or keyboards. Just a suggestion, now enjoy the Omake.
Omake
Grimmjow: I can't believe that worked. *Looking up toward surface where Byakuya disappeared.*
Gin: Well, Aizen did know her weakness.
Aizen: It was far too easy to play with her. Do you think I moved too fast? *Looks to Gin and Grimmjow.*
Grimmjow: No.
Gin: Of course not, Aizen. Your plans have perfect timing. *Retrieves bottle from entrance of cave with his tail.* I have a gift for you.
Aizen: Gift? *Accepts bottle from Gin.*
Gin: Yes, for your hair. If you lather a handful of this lotion into your hair and leave it in for fifteen minutes, then your hair will stay in whatever shape you mold it into no matter what.
Aizen: Thank you, Gin. That's very kind of you.
Gin: You're welcome, Aizen. Let me know how it works out.
*Fifteen minutes later, crash and scream with sound of breaking glass from back of cavern.*
Aizen: GIN ICHIMARU!
Gin: Yes, Aizen.
Aizen: Look what you did to my hair! *Points to hair which is now neon green molded into a spiked mohawk.*
Gin: Oh look at that. *Glances over to Grimmjow who is snickering.*
Aizen: Does this entertain you, Grimmjow? *Towers over Grimmjow who is now bursting out laughing.*
Grimmjow: HAHAHAHAHAH! *Flailing on the sand snorting and laughing.*
Aizen: This isn't funny. *Glares at Grimmjow laughin harder.*
Grimmjow: HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!
Aizen: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *Attacks Grimmjow and chases him in circles.*
**On a continent far away from Japan**
*Beast Boy squints at paper in his hands.*
Beast Boy: Domi . . . gero . . . gato? I can't read this!
Raven: It's in Japanese.
Beast Boy: I don't know Japanese.
*Raven calls books to fall on Beast Boy.*
Raven: Then start studying.
*Beast Boy whimpers under pile of books.*
A/N: Here is the second part of the Little Mermaid. I wasn't expecting this story to be a three part, but here it is. There is one more part coming soon.
A/N2: Send me a review or PM if you want someone to sing "Kiss the girl" when Karin and Toushiro are in the boat on the lagoon. ;)
Let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks for your reviews and thanks for reading.