Leira opened her eyes and felt light shine unmercifully onto her face. Fully opening her eyes, she was surprised to find a green, soft material all around her. As she looked up, the girl saw a beautiful golden orb glowing, while a vast expanse of blue welcomed her above. She picked up one of the pieces of the green element and felt its smooth texture. Leira took a deep breath of the clear substance she could feel whisking around her. She decided this place smelled… alive.

She glanced down to her bottom half, surprised not to find a tail there, but human legs. Gingerly, the girl touched her foot and felt a soft tingle race through her body. Ecstatic, she tried to stand up, pushing her new body up from the green- only to fall back down to the ground again.

After a few dozen failed attempts at this, the girl resorted to sitting down, staring at the green in front of her. It seemed to go on forever. While marveling at this amazing setting, she vaguely noticed the outlines of a human woman in the distance. Squinting her eyes to see more clearly, Leira saw a white, flowing gown.

As the woman got closer to her, the girl was able to see her face. It was beautifully pale, and locks of wondrous red hair shaped the human's face. A golden crown was placed upon her head.

Leira couldn't help but notice a strange, familiar feeling on glimpsing this human. It was like she had seen her before, somehow. The girl watched, entranced, as the woman continued to walk towards her.

Soon, she was just a couple of inches away from the girl. Leira gasped as the woman smiled at her and then sat on the ground beside her. Timidly, the red-haired beauty reached her hand out and touched the girl's face. Slowly, Leira found she was moving to touch the woman's hand with her own. When their hands met, the girl felt her body instantly fill with warmth. For several minutes, the pair remained this way, basking in the coziness of each other's touch.

Much to quickly, the woman stood up and gazed sadly at Leira's face, picking herself off the ground and walking away. The girl desperately tried to follow her, but could not. She shouted after the human, begging her to come back-

Leira opened her eyes and felt light shine unmercifully onto her face. As she looked in front of her, she saw the blue waves of the sea crashing onto the grainy substance she was on. Little by little, he girl came to realize, sadly, that the woman was all a dream. She was not real, and never would be. Though, as she opened her eyes fully, she noticed that the setting was not a dream at all. The golden orb still hung above her head, surrounded by azure. Captivated, the girl looked down at her lower half, like she had in the dream, and almost fainted at the sight of it.

She was human.

Two perfect legs lay right in front of her eyes. She rubbed them, trying to make sure her mind was not playing tricks with her. But after rubbing them for ages, she gradually came to realize that they were real. Giddily, she tried to stand up, ready to dance into the golden sunlight-

THWUMP.

Leira fell smack dab on the ground, touching her sore bottom. She tried to stand up again, sure that she would be able to walk now.

Same thing.

Needless to say, he was frustrated. Why couldn't she stand up? That's all she had ever wanted to do, ever since she was a child. Ever since she, Leira finally remembered, had picked up that wonderful story in the library at school. That wonderful book, thrown into that derelict corner with cobwebs and other dust on it. About a prince, and a princess, and a happily ever after…

She found herself standing up again. Instead of falling down however, like she expected herself to, Leira stood, wobbly, feeling the yellow grains beneath her feet, feeling the strange clear substance race around her. She felt like she could take on anything at that moment. Probably even a shark.

The mention of the blue sea brought her back down to the ground at last, and Leira started wondering. Wondering how she could be human, why her parents had never told her she actually was one, how the world she had loved and lived in for so long could keep such a big secret from her. Nautica, her parents- everyone. Even King Triton, for goodness' sake.

But even though she was mad, furious even, at the lies that her world had made, Leira felt conflicted. She wanted to explore this world that she had landed in, but she couldn't bear abandoning her own. All the good times, the places she loved so much. She would be leaving them. She sat in silence as she watched the waves, contemplating and weighing the pros and cons.

The lies were eventually the final draw. The promise of a new world wasn't too bad either. And the picture that she had managed to hold onto throughout the storm. The picture of a family, a family that she might belong too. That was the breaking point. Leira had to find answers.

And, looking at the strange little town in the distance behind her, and the strange boxes on wheels heading to some sort of platform over the green hill in front of her, looked like a good place to start figuring out some reasons for everything that happened.

I'm back!

Finally, after more than three months absence from Leira's world, I have reentered. I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time. I have just had so many problems with school, and friends, and relatives, and numerous other things that I have not worked on this fanfic at all. Again, I apologize.

But I've returned, and hopefully this story will be updated a lot more regularly. I'm sorry for another filler chapter, but the real action, and the real plot of this story, will be happening in the next chapters and forwards. Leira's past, and a little bit of romance, will soon be revealed...

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, read, and just plain stuck with this story. I invite you to check out my other stories as well, including a Harry Potter/Little Mermaid featuring characters from Learning to Stand, to come out soon! And vote on the poll on my profile page, of course.

I hope you enjoyed Answers to Be Found and am looking forward to writing more for the story! Salve!

Coke and pandas are awesome, by the way. Just thought you'd know.