Heyo! How are you guys doing? Sorry that it has been a while since my last update, but I imagine that you will find over the course of this story that I am neither swift, nor am I a regular updater. I just do as best as I can. It's summer now, which will actually mean that I will be writing less, seeing as all I do at school is write to get away from the boring lectures. Online classes are sort of a joke.
Anyway, I just wanted to reassure you all. I will continue this story, no matter how long it takes me to write it, so long as you continue to read it. Some of the best stories out there have just ended half way because the author gave up, or became interested in something else. And I really fucking hate that. So, let it be said, that as long as you review, and let me know what you think, no matter how long between update, or how hard it is to write, this story will continue until the end, no matter what.
Slowly, Allen came into awareness. First, he realized that he was floating, but the water didn't feel quite right. Next, his sense of hearing came to him, and he thought that the ocean was oddly quiet. Then his sense of smell kicked in, telling him that the normal scent of many, many fish was surprisingly absent. Finally, he opened his eyes, and waited for his vision to clear.
Once his eyes had adjusted, Allen felt his blood freeze in his veins. Slowly, dread settled into the pit of his stomach, the scene around him instantly reminding him of what had transpired before he lost consciousness.
He was in luke-warm water, somehow contained within a space barely big enough for him to move in. He reached out a hand and touched the hard, clear surface, recognizing it as the same as the glass held by sunken ships. He knew from experience that he could break it, but in this tiny space, there way no way he'd be able to get enough leverage to do so.
But it was what was outside the glass barrier that left him feeling panicked. He was clearly inside the ship, the four walls on the other side of his prison being made of the same substance. There were various pieces of furniture and other things that he couldn't identify, none of which made him feel any better.
Those humans had captured him.
Silently, he berated himself for his weakness, certain now that Master Cross had been right, that Men were evil, heartless creatures.
At the thought of his mentor, Allen's racing heart calmed a bit, the edgy feeling slowly being replaced by a deep despair. He had no idea if he would ever see home again. Would his friends worry about him? Would they resent him for being unable to produce the children that their people so desperately needed?
Allen shook his head.
'No, I can't think like that. It isn't over yet. I have to look for a way out…perhaps I can reach my magic now?'
Tentatively, he reached out with his mind, trying to touch the light at his core. It was definitely there, and he felt the force reach out to soothe his frayed nerves. He smiled faintly, sending a silent prayer of thanks to Neptune for allowing him to access his power once more. However, he knew it would not be enough to escape the ship alive.
He reached out once more, this time calling for the immense power he'd felt earlier, the strong, ancient magic used for mating. He could feel it there, lurking just beneath the surface of his soul, but it would not answer his call.
Allen huffed in frustration. He would just have to wait for an opportunity to escape to present itself, then.
He wasn't sure how long he was in there, since there was no sunlight to judge by. But, after a while, the structure moved yet again, revealing the face of Lah-vee.
The man seemed surprised and delighted to find that his prisoner was awake and turned around to say something, which Allen couldn't hear through the glass. A shorter human made his way around the red-haired man and walked straight up to the glass, coming face to face with the trapped merman.
This human appeared to be older, his face sagging and his back slightly hunched. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and his head was mostly bald, save for one oddly positioned bit of hair that stuck up in the back.
The little man simply peered at him for the better part of five minutes until Allen got fed up with the staring contest and stuck his tongue out at him, uncaring of the consequences.
The old man jerked back a little in surprise, and Lah-vee fell to the floor. At first, Allen thought he'd hurt himself, but then he saw that the red head was laughing, though he couldn't hear it through the glass.
'I wonder what his laugh sounds like…'
The little old man glared for a moment, then turned and said something toward Lah-vee that made him immediately stand up and move closer. They spoke to each other, every once in a while gesturing toward Allen, and eventually, the old man nodded and left. As soon as the older man disappeared through the room's exit, the smile fell from the red head's face, to be replaced with a distant indifference that made Allen shiver.
Lah-vee then looked toward Allen, though it seemed like he was refusing to meet the merman's eyes. He watched, and seemed to be waiting for something to happen, as if he thought Allen would try and attack him from inside the little box they'd stuck him in.
After a long time of Lah-vee simply standing around, (Allen assumed it was because he'd been told to keep tabs on their captive) Allen started to get bored.
'Perhaps I can trick the human into letting me out?'
Slowly, without really knowing what he was going to do, Allen reached out to tap on the glass.
Lah-vee just cocked his head, but made no move to interact with the white haired youth.
Allen pursed his lips and tried again, rapping on the hard glass more firmly this time. When he still didn't get a response, he huffed, and stuck his tongue out, hoping to get a similar reaction as last time. To his chagrin, nothing happened.
'He was so chipper before…maybe that was an act?'
Eventually, the old man returned, with others in tow. A young, blonde man walked in and immediately started examining Allen. The old man came in after him, quickly followed by a very annoyed Cah-n-dah. As soon as the dark haired man entered the room, it felt as though the temperature had dropped several degrees. The obviously unhappy human narrowed his eyes at the poor merman and placed his hand meaningfully on his weapon before he moved to the corner of the room.
The tall blonde and the elderly man quickly fell into a conversation, which Allen assumed was about him. Then, they seemed to come to some sort of agreement, and all the men converged on the glass box. Cah-n-dah fell into a fighting stance, while Lah-vee and the blonde moved around to the sides of Allen's prison and began fiddling with it.
'No way…are they going to let me out?'
Sure enough, they swiftly lifted the top of his cage off and set it down. Allen started to sit up, but was forced to stop when a very sharp, very deadly sword came to rest at his throat. Allen's head was just above the somewhat stagnant water, so he heard Cah-n-dah say something, but huffed when he realized that his magic from earlier had worn off, and he could no longer understand the human's language.
Allen closed his eyes, once again reminding himself that he had to use his lungs, and made a grab for his magic. He forced it up, toward his ears, but this time sent some of it toward his mouth as well. When he felt the faint popping in his ears, he opened his eyes again and looked at the men around him.
"I don't think it understands what you said." The blond man spoke up.
"Perhaps mermaids don't speak?" Lah-vee suggested.
Allen snorted, drawing looks of surprise from all around.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I am clearly a merman, not a mermaid."
The men just blinked in stunned silence for a moment, apparently caught off guard by Allen's mastery of speech.
"So, you can talk!" Lah-vee exclaimed.
"Of course I can talk. Now, would you mind letting me go? I have very important matters to attend to elsewhere."
"Oh, no, that isn't going to work. We aren't just going to set you free," said the blonde.
"No, we wont. Don't try anything funny, or I will run you through quicker than you can blink." Cah-n-dah added.
Allen sighed. Clearly, he wouldn't be able to charm his way out of this with the long haired man around.
"Well. Since it seems as though we will be seeing a lot of each other, we may as well be civil. Care to introduce yourselves?"
"Don't tell him your names! Mermaids can use them to ensnare their prey before they devour them." Cah-n-dah snapped.
"Devour? You think I'd want to eat you? That's…probably the most disgusting thing I've ever heard, to be honest. Merfolk don't eat meat."
"Oh?" the old man spoke up for the first time. "Then what do you eat?"
"Kelp and seaweed, mostly. And, just for your information, your names cannot be used against you in such a way. That's nonsense."
"Don't believe a word this wretch says." Cah-n-dah growled.
"And why, exactly, would I be compelled to lie to you, seeing as your weapon is at my throat, Cah-n-dah?"
The room was silent for a moment, until Lah-vee burst out laughing.
"It's pronounced 'Kanda'."
"Lavi!"
"What's the harm? He hasn't tried to do anything yet."
"And I assure you, I wont." Allen shook his head and continued. "I want nothing to do with humans, I just wish to return to the ocean."
"You want nothing to do with us?" Kanda all but shouted. "Then why the hell would you attack us?"
Allen flinched. He had a point…
When Allen refused to speak anymore on the subject, Kanda huffed in annoyance.
"Right. Well." The blonde cleared his throat. "Might you tell us your name?"
"I'll tell you, if you tell me what you are planning on doing with me."
"Oh, just some scientific tests, nothing to worry about. We are trying to find a way to lengthen life, and mermaids-ah, excuse me. Mermen are blessed with longevity. Tell us, what is the secret behind it?"
"Secret? There is no secret. We are just made to live longer than humans."
"Pity. I suppose we will just have to keep you here until we figure it out then. Please, enjoy your stay."
Allen was then shoved roughly back into the water and the top of the glass container was replaced.
As he looked at their faces from the water once more, he shivered. No matter how politely they talked, no matter how often they smiled, all the humans had one thing in common. Their eyes held a cold indifference, and a vengeful light that told him he'd been wrong all along.
Humans were heartless.
They were monsters.
To My Reviewers:
AnimeFreak4261- Hehe, thanks for your kind words. As for Allen getting legs…you will just have to wait and see. ^_~
sweetkakes35- I am happy that you think it is unique…Thanks!
EvangelineRose2412- ^_^ Did you like it?
xenawp532- Poor Allen…he just can't catch a break, can he?
lazycookies- I'm sorta kinda addicted to your reviews! Thanks for sticking with me!
Belletiger- Hehe. Poor Allen-chan. ^_^ He will find better days…eventually.
Erin Bast- I lyke turtlez.
Meyumi-Here's more for you!
Hard Candy- El español no es sin embargo mi lengua materna, yo ha dominado el uso de los traductores del Internet.
Yuerai- Yeah, the roles being reversed is nice, every now and then. ^_^
ForgottenPassword- I am glad you like it so far. Hmmm….what would Lavi do with a passed out mermaid, huh. *pervy smile*
i1love1yaoi-No, don't die! I updated for you!
[blank]-Kanda is mean, but that's okay. He's hot when he's angry.
neko-san- I am glad you like it! Don't be sorry! That's what online translators are for.
Hascuko- I'm glad you like it!
Animeloverx175- Yay! Thank you!