Working as a marine soldier was hard, Anemone mused. All the things they had to do like saving and helping people, it was tiring but she loved doing so, she loved when she aided in making people's lives better.

She loved the sea too, only when it wasn't storming like the world was doing to end like right now.

Rain poured down soaking her and her companions to the bones, as their boat rocked back and forth from the tides that kept rising higher and higher, as they struggled to keep the poor thing afloat.

They shouldn't have stayed out so long to the sea, Captain Rose had warned them, but even despite the warning they spent too much time scouting the area, because Gerbera claimed she saw something in the water.

There was nothing of course.

And now they were all caught in this storm.

She heard Dahlia curse somewhere close to her, and she felt the need to reciprocate.

She usually wasn't vulgar but the situation was annoying to say the least.

Best they could do was to try and not sink, as they attempted to make their way towards the port once again.

She heard nothing more than Lily shouting her name, as a much too high tide arose and swept her away from the boat and into the cold water.

She'd been turned with her back facing towards it so she didn't see it in time…

And didn't manage to find anywhere to grab onto to stay on the ship.

Anemone fought against the current that was taking her further and further away from the boat.

She was a good swimmer usually, but this was ridiculous.

All she could do was to uselessly fight against much too high waves, as she heard her companions call out to her in the distance.

But the water kept sweeping her under…

She was going to drown…

This was it…

This was how she'd die, taken away from the sea she spent so long serving…

Her companions watched as Cattleya's long quills at the sides of her head perked up and she stopped moving, like she was scanning for something.

The sea was cold and turbulent today, they spent a long time hunting for their tribe, under orders of their leader, White, but even for them, even though they could swim better than any other human and resist the currents, it was best to find shelter, and wait for the storm to pass.

"What's wrong?" Freesia asked, her own white and black quills agitated.

"I think I heard something above us." as a Scanner she had the best ears and eyes, in order to always be alert and know any danger for her group.

"Didn't you say there was a ship nearby?" Lycoris asked. "It might have been the people on it."

"Maybe…" but still she was sure she saw something moving in the water.

With a flick of her tail she moved forward, closer.

She hadn't been wrong about it…

"There's a person there!" she said.

Before anyone could do anything or stop her, she was already heading there, in the distance she heard Amaryllis shout at her and how dangerous it could be.

She knew well the dangers of being seen by a human, but her instinct didn't allow her to ignore people in need, mermaids or humans made little difference.

The others felt the same way, she knew.

Not the first time they saved humans, though she couldn't say otherwise.

So she swam against the currents, her tail may not have been as strong and powerful as her companions, but a mermaid her type knew every wave like every single scale of her body.

The sea held no secrets for Scanners like her.

Where the others acted with force, she acted with intelligence.

She reached out with her arms to the human, once she had a hold of her she pushed her tail so they swam to the surface, she knew well humans couldn't breathe underwater.

And this woman's state of unconsciousness was proof of it.

The tides rode high and were merciless, they were hard to dominate even for a mermaid, but she had to get this person to safety.

She knew on shore there was a place with a small inner cave in the reef she loved to go to when she wanted a moment of peace, away from everyone.

She just had to get there.

It wasn't far from here…

Anemone felt something on her back, someone's hand perhaps as she heaved all the salt water in her lungs out, somehow… she was safe…

But she was so weak and tired… and her vision wouldn't want to clear out…

She slumped back on the rocks moments later, exhausted…

Her eyes closed again.

Completely unaware of the presence next to her.

Cattleya sat on the floor of the cave, her long tail still partially dipped in the water, swinging with worry, her quills raised and alert in case someone got close.

She wondered if she should stay or just leave before this woman saw her.

Would she be grateful?

Would she be scared of her?

Would she try to attack her?

She shook her head, deciding against leaving for the moment, the human was weak anyway, and unharmed as far as she could see.

She probably could defend herself well enough even alone.

Hours passed, and Cattleya stayed at the human's side, to make sure she was still breathing, thankfully she did.

When she began to stir, the mermaid quickly dove underwater, to avoid being seen, but she still hung close, watching her from behind a rock in the corner.

Anemone slowly sat up, still weak and groggy, though she was feeling better than before.

Looking around she noticed she was in a cave in the reef on shore, she knew this place existed, never had the time to see it though.

Did the current carry her here?

Though she couldn't shake the feeling she felt something or someone touching her.

She remembered, in her bouts of consciousness a pair of arms around her, and that hand on her back before…

No, someone must have carried her here.

But who?

Something red caught her eyes, she gently picked it up holding it in her palm.

A scale?

It wasn't possible, right?

She heard from Gerbera about a legend of mermaids living in this area, it had been for that reason yesterday they had stayed out so long. The woman was obsessed with this damn tale…

But this was too much of a coincidence not to believe it…

Thinking about it, they had found scales like this one before, only not of such a beautiful and bright color.

Anemone got up from where she was, looking out at the sea, perhaps there was still the chance the mermaid was still here.

Even if it was wishful thinking.

But no… her eyes didn't lie, the water was rather shallow here, so she could spot this same red color in the shape of a long and sinuous tail.

Too big and colorful to hide well.

Anemone thought for a moment at how to approach the creature that was hiding nearby.

"You can come out, I'm not going to hurt you." she said, not even knowing if this thing even understood her language to begin with.

She felt rather dumb at the moment.

She didn't expect the creature to actually show its face.

And yet…

Two beautiful blue eyes adorned from hair as red as her scales that curled at the edges showed up from behind the rock.

She seemed curious, but fearful.

It wasn't an everyday thing that their species met.

Crouching, she held out her hands that still had her red scale in them.

"This is yours, yes?" she may as well give it back no?

Slowly, the mermaid approached, cautious, Anemone watched as her tail moved in the water. It was alluring.

She was alluring.

Eventually the creature and her were face to face, and Anemone could see her up close.

She had long quills on her head, they were so long they may as well have been antlers, they stood up on alert, and so they did the smaller and shorter ones on her shoulders. Her chest and arms were covered in the same red scales like the one she found near her, and then from her waist down a beautiful and long tale of equal color, with some black scales adorning them.

She was so pretty…

"Here." she held her hands towards her with the scale, briefly wondering if it hurt losing it.

The mermaid looked at the scale then back at her, before gently pushing the hands away with her own clawed hand.

Did she…

"You want me to keep it?" she nodded.

Then Anemone remembered something.

"It was you that saved me, right?" another nod.

When suddenly she watched the mermaid turn frantically, as if alerted by something, and before she could say anything she disappeared below the water, swimming away in the distance.

What…

Then she heard it.

"Anemone!" the voices of her companions called her.

And the mermaid had heard them before she did. That was why she ran.

They must have scared her away.

Still…

"Thank you!" she yelled, if the mermaid had such good hearing compared to her, then hopefully she heard her.

Anemone put the scale in her pocket, she'd keep this as a treasure.

Forever.

"You met a mermaid!?" It was the general reaction of her companions when she showed them the scale.

"See? I told you they were real! I always knew!"

"Yes we know, Gerbera." Dahlia rolled her eyes, more interested in the item in Anemone's hands.

"What was the story again?" Anemone asked, she'd been told many times before, but she never truly believed it.

Even though one of their objectives for being here was to aid people, even mermaids.

Rose had stated, should the voices being true, she would have wanted to establish them as a protected species.

Their duty here was to watch over this ocean, the people who lived here, and its creatures from pirates and poachers. And if there were more of those mermaids, then it included them too.

"Well the story says that a few years ago, the people living here had begun finding dead people on the shores, and these people had scales and long fishtails, from here the belief that mermaids may be living in this very sea." the woman explained. "However no one has been able to find any others ever since, from here the belief that they may have been extinct due to some kind of event that killed them."

And it wasn't that hard to believe, given the only ones found were already dead. Probably it was a miracle that the red mermaid even showed herself to her.

Anemone wondered what happened.

But…

"I know what I saw, and she was a beautiful creature." and the scale was proof of it.

"Also people say that usually the color of their scales is predominantly either black or white, sometimes silver or gold, but never red." Gerbera added, looking at the thing.

"She was red, red and a bit of black. Hair long to her shoulder, red too, and blue eyes. She had really long quills on her head too, while the ones on her shoulders were shorter, her chest and arms were covered in scales, and she had claws on her hands."

Anemone didn't realize the look she had on her face while she spoke.

"She's completely dreaming." Dahlia chuckled, wrapping an arm around Margaret, as the rest laughed with them.

She gave a frustrated growl.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

No, not really, but her eyes didn't deceive her, she was sure.

"I do." Rose stated, her voice elevating above the sniggering others. "No offense, Captain Rose, but that scale could have been of any other fish."

"Anemone knows what her eyes saw, Dahlia, if she says it was a mermaid then I believe her, since we already heard those voices." the Captain stated, at least someone believed her.

"It'd be nice if we could see her again, or any other if there's more. For all we know she may be a single specimen." Gerbera crossed her arms, it wasn't hard to believe if people said they found dead merfolks years ago that she may have been left alone.

"Then all the more reason to protect her. Besides, she saved Anemone, we kind of owe her." even if they would have done that anyway. "You said you believe she understands our language, right?" Rose asked, wanting to know if communication between the species was possible.

"Well when I asked if the scale was hers, and if it had been her saving me she nodded, both times." she was unsure if she didn't want to say anything or if she didn't speak their language at all.

"What if we return to that cave? Maybe she'll return." if it was as easy as Lily said…

"I think she'll just run, like she did when she heard you. She ran away even before I heard your voices, which makes me believe her hearing is so much better than ours."

"What if it'll be only you though, you can try to explain to her our goal, maybe she trusts you." Rose stated.

And she wasn't wrong.

But what were the chances of seeing her again?

Slim at best.

"You showed yourself to the human!?" Lycoris yelled so loud it made her ears hurt. "Are you crazy!?"

She then muttered something about Scanners being too curious for their good.

"I don't want to agree with her, but Lycoris is right, why would you do that?" at least Amaryllis had the decency to keep a lower tone.

"I don't know… she seemed… nice." Cattleya held her shoulder with a hand, lightly tracing her scales, stopping longer where she was missing that same one she left to the human woman.

It'll grow again soon though.

"Humans are dangerous, Cattleya." Freesia repeated what she knew all too well.

After all, how could she forget that damn massacre that left them in so few units?

"She wore soldier clothing, those ones we've seen patrolling the area before, those people with capes." being the good Scanner she was, she told her tribe there were humans she heard were attempting to protect the ecosystem, and aided who needed help.

"Still…"

"I want to believe her, Freesia." the head of their tribe, White, approached them. "It wasn't one of those with the masks, wasn't it?"

Cattleya shook her head. "I haven't seen anything like that, she was unharmed too, though it's safe to assume she could have lost her weapons in the water."

Yesterday's storm had been very harsh after all. Even she had trouble swimming through it, even worse while carrying a human. If she had to tell the truth, she barely made it to the cave, and when she did her limbs and tail were aching from the effort.

Well, she wasn't as strong as the warriors…

"I do agree that humans are dangerous to us, they killed many of our tribe, however, we must remember that not all of them are evil, just like not all of us are good." was White willing to trust them?

"I can't forbid you to attempt to meet again." because the Leader felt that Cattleya did want to. "But please do be careful."

"But Leader White… it's still too dangerous…" Olivia approached her, her black and gold tail swinging.

"I know, but I want to trust Cattleya's judgment on this matter, after all, she too was among those who fought to protect us that day, she knows how much humans could hurt us better than you and I. And it's thanks to her guidance and knowledge we have survived. If she believes this person is not evil, then I want to believe her."

"Thank you, Leader White." but it was true, she hadn't sensed an ounce of hostility towards her.

And she was hardly wrong about something, she'll prove to be right even in this case.

But for now she better let her tired being rest, as she swam to her nest, she felt her companions following her.

"You're not going back to the cave alone." and from her tone Lycoris didn't leave room to argue.

Calmly Cattleya settled herself in her nest, sitting on it, her tail swaying lazily. "That woman may get scared if she sees you." the raven was way too aggressive to be trusted.

"Still, I don't want you to go alone either." Freesia agreed. "What if she won't be alone? And her friends are not as good as she is? Assuming you aren't wrong about her."

"I know I'm not wrong, Freesia, if I had known she was bad do you think I would have stayed and let her see me? You know I'm the first to run when there's danger, it's my first instinct as a Scanner, because I'm not as strong as you warriors."

She was honestly offended that her tribe didn't trust her, after doing all she could to save and help as many of them as possible.

"I trust you, I don't trust them." Freesia sat next to the redhead, and Cattleya knew well where she was trying to get to.

"We just don't want to lose you." Amaryllis did the same, sitting on the other side, as she looked at Lycoris, before the raven moved behind them, laying her head on Cattleya's red quills, with her arms around the albinos, their colorful tails curling around each other.

"I know that, I know too well." after all, it had been her that took care of their injuries too.

Those memories were imprinted on her mind.

"We could just… I don't know… stay at distance?" Freesia offered.

They truly didn't want her to go alone huh?

"There's no point in me saying no, right? You'd just follow me anyway." she chuckled.

Of course they would, they cared too much.

After all that day they were there too, and they were as mentally scarred as she was.

She didn't need to ask them as they stayed to sleep in her nest for the night, as they slept in each other's embrace.