Here's the update, as promised! Merman AU requested by Izi Wilson

Be sure to drop request in the comments and I'll see what I can do! ^^

"Hiro, slow down!" Tadashi fretted, thrashing his tail to catch up to his speeding little brother.

"How can I?" the younger merman asked, darting back and forth between the occasional fish that got in his way. "Today's the day!"

"I get that you're excited, little bro," Tadashi replied, dodging one particularly rude school of fish, "but do you really have to swim so recklessly?"

"Stop worrying, you worrywart," Hiro snorted and brushed off his brother's concerns. "Fred said your scales would fall if you worry too much."

"Will not!" Tadashi defended, speeding up until he was next to his brother. "Gotcha!"

"Don't think so!" Hiro grinned triumphantly as he lunged up and dodged his brother's strong arms. "Come on, you have to do better than that to catch me!" He darted away, racing for the castle.

"HIRO, LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?" Looking to the side, a few seconds too late, pain erupted in his abdomen as a speeding something hit him dead on. Choking out a shocked breath, he plummeted to the ocean floor.

"HIRO! Are you okay?" Tadashi fussed, swimming down to look over his little brother. "What happened?"

"Not sure," Hiro coughed. "Who was it that called me?"

"That would be me," a familiar voice said sheepishly. The brothers looked up and both sighed in understanding. Fred was grinning at them guiltily. He swished his orange tail and propelled himself next to the brothers. "You okay, little guy?"

"Fine, I think," Hiro mumbled as he rubbed his still throbbing stomach. "What hit me?"

"Oh, this?" Fred laughed, holding up his little treasure. "This is a thingamajig."

"Ohhh," the brothers breathed in awe, moving closer to examine the object in their friend's hand. "What's it do?" Tadashi asked, poking it warily.

Fred's face fell slightly as he looked at his toy. "Uhh, not really sure," he shrugged. "Picked it up onshore after one of those boats crashed a few days ago. It's definitely not a ball," he said jokingly.

The thingamajig in Fred's hand had two sides that looked the same. It was made of the same shiny and hard stuff that always sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The two sides were rounded with a weird square cut out of it. The outside ends were open, which seemed really strange to the merpeople.

"Is it a human utensil, maybe?" Hiro asked, cocking his head as he examined the strange device before him.

"Maybe," Fred said cheerfully. "Hey," he exclaimed, "Since today's your special day, you can have it!" He shoved the thingamajig in his younger friend's arms. "And don't worry," he reassured Tadashi. "Pretty sure it's not dangerous. I mean, I've been whacking it around nonstop for the past few days and nothings happened to me yet."

"That's reassuring," Tadashi sighed. "Come on," he muttered, grabbing his awed little brother and his distracted friend. "We should go, it's starting."

Tadashi and Fred made their way through the crowd of merpeople that were bustling around in the king's large court. The solid gold pillars were decorated with magical pearls that lit up the room. Large seashells covered the pearls as decorations and shades.

"Fred, you know you don't have to sit here, right," Tadashi pointed out. "I mean, as the king's son, you can sit with him and oversee the ceremony."

"Nah, too official," Fred drawled. "It's better to just hang out with you and your bro. Besides, dad has Wasabi helping him."

Tadashi snorted at his lazy friend, but he was thankful. His parents had died a long time ago, and he never made any real friends other than Hiro. Fred running into him and becoming his friend was totally unplanned. As much as his friend bluffed, Tadashi knew he was just keeping him company.

"That's true, I guess," Tadashi shrugged, straining to look over all the merpeople by him. "Oh, I see him!"

The doors opened and Tadashi watched with pride as his little brother gracefully darted past them. He caught Hiro's eyes and flashed his brother a quick thumbs up and a reassuring smile. Hiro smiled slightly before turning to face the front.

Their friend and royal court advisor, Wasabi, swam out and positioned himself by the throne. Although he kept his expression neutral and controlled, he shot Hiro a quick comforting gaze before hardening his gaze. "Now presenting," he spoke forcefully, "Our king, King Stan."

The crowds cheered as a strong, well-muscled merman with flowing white hair seated himself on the throne. The orchestra of fish played their soft symphony as the people of Atlantis applauded the presence of their king.

"Now, as you all know," the King started, "there is yet another child that is coming of age today." He looked at Hiro and smiled warmly. "Hiro, come forward."

Tadashi could see his brother tremble with excitement as he lifted his head and drifted over to the King. The older brother smiled proudly as he clapped loudly and whooped happily as his brother approached their ruler.

"Hiro," their King began, "you are one of the strangest children I have ever had the honor of meeting." He chuckled as Hiro flushed a deep coral red. "Of course, we mean this as a good thing, right Wasabi?"

"Of course, sir," the green tailed, stoic faced merman replied.

"After all," the King chortled, "it's not everyday a fourteen-year-old comes of age."

"Thank you?... sir," Hiro muttered, "I worked hard to get here today."

"I'm sure you have," the King smiled kindly. "Now," he said louder, "you all know the requirements of this ceremony. The child must prove himself or herself worthy by completely several complicated and tricky tasks. Hiro has proven himself ready to go to the surface world with his completion of his last task." In a lower voice, the King mumbled, "It feels like just yesterday I was conducting your brother's coming of age ceremony." Hiro flushed again and looked down, mumbling a quick voice of gratitude.

"Hiro, as King of Atlantis, I am proud to give you this amulet, signifying that you have come of age and can survive in the ocean on your own." He looped a small red conch amulet around the young boys neck, a color matching the boy's tail. "Although he is young, he has proven himself worthy with his training and his skills displayed in any situation he may face. Congratulations, child."

"Hiro!" Tadashi yelled happily. Fred followed in suit and yelled out his little friend's name. Soon, the whole crowd was chanting his name, making his face flush a deep red yet again.

"They're cheering for you," Wasabi mumbled low enough that only Hiro heard him. "Good job, kid. I'm happy for you."

Hiro beamed and lifted his conch up sheepishly. The crowd went wild with cheers and claps of joy.

"Settle down, everyone," the King laughed cheerfully. "Now, Hiro, you can venture out of the safety of our kingdom at your own risk. Do you wish to make your first trip out today?"

"Yes," Hiro replied confidently.

"Very well," the King nodded, "Wasabi, set up the lights for-"

"With all due respect, sir," Hiro cut in shyly. The crowd gasped. Wasabi stopped writing on his board and stared at the child in shock. Even Tadashi and Fred paled. Nobody interrupted the king. Unless they had a death wish.

However, the King only smiled and gestured for the newly of age child to speak. Hiro nodded gratefully, then said, "Although I am of age by name, I still feel as though I would fair better with the company of another."

The King's eyes twinkled in understanding. "You wish to take someone with you," he summed up. Hiro nodded sheepishly in reply. "I have a feeling I know who this 'somebody' is," the King chuckled. "Very well! Tadashi!"

Slightly embarrassed from the stares that trained on him as soon as his name was said, Tadashi swam over the crowd towards his brother and his king. As soon as he reached them, he tipped his head and opened his arms out as a respectful bow. "My king?"

"Your brother wishes for your companionship to the human realm," the old man said with a raised brow. "You have been to the surface many times before. I trust you to take care of your brother. Do you agree to comply with his wishes and accompany him?"

Tadashi glanced to his side to look at his brother. Hiro looked away in embarrassment. Although they were always together, Hiro was always too prideful to admit he needed help. Asking for someone to help him in the human world was as loud of a plea for help as anyone could make.

"Of course," Tadashi replied solemnly, turning to face his king. "I will guard my brother with my life."

"Then it's decided," the King of Atlantis nodded. "Tadashi, you will join Hiro in his first venture to the surface tonight. Now, go pack anything you may need for the trip. It may be days before you find your way back to us."

"What were you thinking?!" Fred exclaimed, darting over to the brothers. The King and the crowd had left, leaving Fred, the brothers, and Wasabi. "You know it's dangerous up there! I mean, last time you almost-"

"Look, I know it was kinda hasty," Tadashi quickly interrupted, "but there's no way I'm letting Hiro go alone."

"Sorry for causing so much trouble, Dashi," Hiro mumbled lowly. He sat on the steps leading to the throne, looking down at his new conch. Every of age merperson had one. Tadashi's received his a few years before Hiro. It was light blue, matching the color of his tail. Fred and Wasabi also had theirs, but knowing them, Fred probably lost his and Wasabi no doubt had his made into a plaque and placed on his wall.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Tadashi reassured his brother. "You saved me the trouble of following you," he joked, hoping Hiro would crack a small smile and show his adorable tooth gap. It worked.

"Not gonna lie, but that was kinda rash, Tadashi," Wasabi said nervously. Now that he was no longer "the king's advisor," Wasabi was timid and quiet spoken. "The real him," Fred liked to call it. "I mean, you haven't been up in what, a few months now? Plus, it's always risky going up in pairs. What if someone sees you?"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Tadashi laughed reassuringly, slinging an arm around his friend's neck. "Besides, I've made tons of trips up, a break for a few months isn't gonna keep me from going back to the surface, especially if it's Hiro's first trip."

"I guess…" Wasabi sighed. "Just, promise you'll be careful, okay? I mean, last time you-"

"I know," Tadashi interjected lowly. "We'll just go up and come back immediately. Right, Hiro?"

"What?" Hiro asked, gaping at his brother and friends. "But, every time you go up, you stay for days! That's not fair!"

"There's no arguing this, little bro," Tadashi said warningly. "We'll look around a bit, but we're coming back down right after. Got it?" Hiro grumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms in frustration, but otherwise stayed silent.

"Dude, you're gonna love it up there," Fred laughed. His eyes glazed over as he reminisced, "There's this pretty light in the sky and everyday, before it turns to night, the water swallows it. Then a smaller white glowing ball with a bunch of super tiny lights fill the sky! Sometimes, the humans have parties on their boats and it sounds so fun when-"

"Okay, don't make him want to stay longer," Tadashi groaned, already scared of the look of curiosity and adventure that filled Hiro's face. "Come on, little man. We gotta go back home now."

"Right," Hiro sighed. Waving goodbye to his friends, he called back as he swam away with his brother, "See you guys after we come back!"

"Why can't we stay longer?" Hiro asked as he and Tadashi darted between schools of fish. "I mean, it's my first time going to the surface, I should be able to stay longer."

"You'll have plenty of opportunities to go up more in the future," Tadashi replied. "You're too young to go up for too long. It's dangerous at the surface, little bro. Fred may make it sound like fun and games, but there are all kinds of dangers!"

"Yeah, I know," Hiro sighed dejectedly. "We could get caught in fishing nets, or trapped onshore. Or worse, seen by humans."

"Exactly," Tadashi nodded as he and Hiro slowed to a stop. Seeing how disappointed his little brother looked, he smiled slightly and flicked Hiro's head lightly. "Hey, cheer up kid," Tadashi laughed as his brother rubbed his forehead furiously. "Excited? You're going up as soon as we tell Aunt Cass about this!"

"Oh yeah, totally!" Hiro grinned, revealing his little tooth gap. "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life!"

"Alright, I got two orders of seaweed salad, hold the clams on one, and a side of fried sea stars!"

"That's us!"

"Enjoy your meal, sir!"

"Hey, Aunt Cass," Tadashi called cheerfully, dragging Hiro over with him. "We're back!"

"Tadashi! Hiro!" The purple tailed mermaid zipping around the café stopped and pulled both brothers into a tight hug. "Welcome back! How was it? I'm so sorry I couldn't go, it's just that the fish in this area really won't give me a day off!"

"It's fine," Hiro grinned. He lifted his conch proudly and showed it to his aunt. "Check it out, Aunt Cass!"

"Oh, my," she gasped. "Hiro, it's beautiful! I'm so proud of you!" She tackled her nephew in another tight hug. "Now, I'm sure you most likely interrupted the king and told him you want to go with Tadashi to the surface tonight, right?"

Hiro looked down embarrassedly and mumbled something incoherent. Tadashi laughed and ruffled his brother's hair. "You can read him like a book, Aunt Cass."

"Not just him, you too young man," she wagged a finger at him warningly. "Knowing you, you didn't even stop to think before you said yes."

"Guilty."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that," she sighed. "Just be careful! After what happened last time-"

"Yes, Aunt Cass, I'll be sure to keep this knucklehead out of trouble," Tadashi cut in hastily, wrapping an arm around Hiro's thin shoulders and giving his brother a playful noogie.

"And you!" Aunt Cass sniffed, crossing her arms angrily. "You better both come back to me safe an sound, got it? Or so help me, I will gather your bubbles and ground you both for eternity!"

"Yes, Aunt Cass!" the brothers answered simultaneously. After years of hearing her empty threat, it became more of a habit than an actual response. They both knew their aunt was joking (for the most part). She was just worried about her boys.

A bell interrupted them. Aunt Cass turned and sighed. "I need to get back to work. Be careful, you two! Hiro, listen to everything your brother says!"

"Yes, ma'am," Hiro mumbled disgruntledly. He obviously still wasn't happy with Tadashi's decision to stay for only a bit.

"Tadashi, keep your eyes on your brother," Aunt Cass continued. "Make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."

"Yes, Aunt Cass," Tadashi nodded. "Come on, Hiro, we should get going if you still wanna reach the surface before day break!"

"Oh, right, the light in the sky!" Hiro swam around eagerly. He gave his aunt a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "LoveyouAuntCass, seeyoulater!" he said hurriedly. He darted away before his aunt could register what he had said. Yanking on his brother's arm, he huffed, "Come on, Tadashi, we're wasting time!"

The older merman laughed and gave his aunt a hug. "See you in a bit, Aunt Cass."

She kissed his cheek and smiled. "You two have fun!"

As the brothers swam away, Hiro waved back and yelled, "I'll bring you back a gift, Aunt Cass!"

"Excited?" Tadashi asked, nudging Hiro as they swam out to the open ocean.

"Of course!" Hiro exclaimed, doing loops of joy as his brother rolled his eyes. "I've been looking forward to this since you brought me that toy trident thing last time!"

"That was five years ago, Hiro."

"Which shows you how long I've been waiting!" Hiro twirled around his brother impatiently. "How much longer do we have to swim before we can go up?"

"Just a bit further," Tadashi replied cheerfully. "We gotta make sure we choose just the right place after all."

"Hmph," Hiro grumbled, crossing his arms and swimming back and forth impatiently. They brothers swam in silence, until Hiro quietly said, "Hey, Tadashi…"

"Yeah, what's up, little bro?" Tadashi said absentmindedly.

"… What happened last time you went up?"

Tadashi fixed his gaze ahead, refusing to look at his curious younger brother. Hiro tilted his head questioningly, noticing his older brother's jaw tighten.

The boat was in flames. Falling, flaming debris rained around him as he fervently darted back and forth between the deadly rubble. All he had wanted to do was grab a little something from the ship as a present for Hiro. He never expected this to happen…

"Nothing," Tadashi said slowly, swimming a little faster. Hiro rushed to catch up, surprised by his brother's sudden gain in speed. "Let's just say… I made a mistake."

"You?" Hiro blurted. "You messed up? But you never mess up. I'm the one responsible for making messes not you," he said jokingly.

"I know, I know," Tadashi chuckled. "And I usually get you out of those messes."

"Exactly," Hiro huffed. "Don't go taking my job, big bro."

"Whatever you say," Tadashi snickered. Looking around, he grinned at his little brother and nodded his head up. "We're here."

"Holy TritonholyTritonhoLYTRITON!" Hiro squealed, fully ready to spring up to the surface.

"Hold up, little brother," Tadashi laughed, catching Hiro around the waist before he could rush off. "First, rules."

"Ugghhhhh," Hiro groaned, rolling his eyes and slumping his shoulders in boredom. "Do we have to?"

"If you pay attention, we'll go up faster," Tadashi laughed. Hiro nodded quickly and gestured for his brother to proceed.

"First," Tadashi chuckled, "Do not leave me sight." A nod.

"Second, if any humans show up, duck down immediately underwater." Nod.

"Third, no going near the shore." Another nod.

"Lastly, never, I repeat, never talk with a human."

"Got it," Hiro replied solemnly. "No humans."

"Perfect," Tadashi said cheerfully. "If you follow those rules this time, we might come back sooner."

"Alright, can we just go already?" Hiro started swimming in circles. "The lights are gonna disappear by the time we get up!"

"They'll still be there, I promise," Tadashi chuckled. "But you're right, we should get moving. Lead the way!"

Hiro squeaked excitedly. He swam forward swiftly, barely giving any thought to the open sea around him. Tadashi kept up easily, letting Hiro have a little space to himself. After all, it was the kid's first time going to the surface. Tadashi wanted him to enjoy his first experience.

Every merperson out there would all agree: the first time past the waves would always be the best one. Tadashi could still remember his first time out of the ocean clearly. Perched on a rock and looking out to the distance, he still remembered the feeling of the wind on his bare skin, watching the waves ripple as the glowing orb lit up the sky, seagulls crying their song…

Not paying attention, he didn't notice that Hiro had stopped swimming (by almost crashing into him). Surprised, Tadashi swam over carefully, placing a comforting hand onto his brother's shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Hiro looked down unsurely. They were so close to the surface. Tadashi could see the waves that beckoned to him, telling him to join the surface world. They were only a few strokes away from breaching the water. "What if… what if I don't like it?" Hiro asked quietly. "Everyone keeps telling me about how amazing the surface is, and how magical their experiences were… but what if I'm different? What if I'm some weirdo that doesn't understand how amazing it should be? How am I supposed to explain to everyone that I'm a big flop that couldn't enjoy his first trip up?"

"Hey," Tadashi said firmly. He lightly hit his hands around Hiro's face, ignoring his brother's cries of indignation as he pulled his face forward to look him in the eyes. "There's no rule that says you have to like the surface. You could prefer staying underwater your whole life, and that's fine! Take Aunt Cass, for example. Why do you think she opened that café?"

"But… but what if… what if that's not the only thing I'm different in? I mean, look at me," he pushed away from Tadashi's hands. "I'm fourteen and I'm about to go to the surface. Don't you think that's weird? Even in our standards?"

Tadashi knew exactly what was bugging his little brother. Throughout his whole life, Hiro was never… like the other kids. He was smart, smarter than your everyday octopi. Tadashi didn't know how many times the teachers at his school would send Hiro to trim the seaweed gardens as punishments for talking back to them. At this point he was practically a profession gardener (added to the list of other things the kid learned himself). He managed to skip through the classes everyone else had to take on surface safety because he already knew everything. Hiro enjoyed skipping class and exploring the ocean floor, looking for sunken treasures and other gadgets from the human world (another reason he was punished often). Tadashi knew that being the youngest merman in a school of 18-year-olds and coming of age before them all must be very stressful. He smiled and ruffled his brother's hair playfully.

"Don't worry, little bro," Tadashi laughed. "I've always known that you're a weirdo. If you don't like the surface, then that's your choice. No one can tell you how or how not to react. It's up to you with what you want to do. If you don't like what you see beyond our waters, then that just means your true passion is somewhere else out there. You just gotta work harder to find that passion, and when you do, you'll know you've lived a complete life."

Hiro perked up a bit after his brother's speech. "Did you find your passion, Tada-nii?"

"I know what my passion is," Tadashi chuckled. He flicked Hiro's nose lightly, laughing when his baby brother wrinkled his nose up in annoyance. "My passion is taking care of you."

"That sounds boring," Hiro sighed sympathetically. "You must be a really boring person if that's your passion," he snickered teasingly.

Tadashi grabbed Hiro, giving him a gentle noogie as Hiro squawked angrily. "You'll find it one day, little bro," he whispered into Hiro's ear. "And when you do, you'll know."

Hiro looked at Tadashi unsurely, but smiled. He took a deep breath and looked up. "I'm ready," he mumbled.

"Together," Tadashi chuckled, holding his hand out. Slightly unwillingly, Hiro grabbed his brother's outstretched hand. Tadashi swam up slowly, gently pulling Hiro with him. Hesitant at first, Hiro slowly started picking up speed, eyes followed the dark blues and blacks that surrounded him. No, he scolded himself. Look up.

Tilting his head up, he gaped in astonishment at the large, blurred white orb that shined on him. As they swam closer and closer to the surface, the orb grew, shining through all his doubts and worries.

This is it, Hiro sighed contently to himself. I need to keep looking up. No more being scared, no more being worried. I need to look up and find my passion.

His head broke through the waves first. Taking a deep, slightly frightened breath, he grabbed onto Tadashi's arm tighter, looking around in shock. It was a weird feeling, not having the water constantly surrounding you. Instead, a small warm breeze wrapped around his bare shoulders, sending a chill down the young merman's spine.

Tadashi chuckled when Hiro glued himself to his side. "Come on," he jerked his head lightly, gesturing his brother forward. "Lemme show you my special spot."

Tadashi led Hiro towards a small cove. The sides of the rocks were filled with beautiful shells and anemones. The water was just deep enough for them to swim around without worrying about getting beached. Excitedly, Hiro dashed forward, splahing happily in the shallow water. "This is great, Tadashi," Hiro exclaimed. "How'd you find this place?"

"Found it with Fred the first time we came up," Tadashi explained. "No human's found it yet, so we kinda claimed it as our own." Smirking, he grabbed Hiro's arm and dragged him over to a large rock. "That's not the best part."

"What, what's the surprise?" Hiro asked curiously.

"Anytime now," Tadashi replied cheerfully. "Ah, now, watch, in five, four, three, two…"

Right on cue, the waters turned pink and orange as the glowing orb Hiro had heard about slowly rose from behind the waves. It's warm light chased away the shadows over the waters, casting a welcoming glow on the surface. The sky slowly turned from black, to purple, to blue. Hiro watched in fascination, eyes fixed on the ever-changing colors that surrounded him.

"It's called the Sun," Tadashi whispered.

"It's beautiful," Hiro breathed. "Amazing!" He hoisted himself up on the rock, with a little help from Tadashi. "And this happens every day?"

"Yup," Tadashi laughed. "Every time it turnd from night to day."

"That's amazing," Hiro sighed. "Humans are lucky they get to see this stuff every day."

"I'm sure that's what they would say about our palace, too," Tadashi said teasingly. "Now, come on. Let's look around a bit before we head back. Wouldn't wanna waste your first trip."

Nodding excitedly, Hiro dove off the rock and back into the waves, joining his older brother. He couldn't wait for whatever he would see next.

If you guys don't know what the thingamajig Fred had was, it's supposed to be an open ended wrench LOL

Comment and follow! Send requests if you have any :)

Also, quick reminder, each story will have a continuation, these aren't one-shots lol

Also, NO SHIPS *just throwing that out there*