By the end of another school day, the topic surrounding Shuichi's stint with the swim team concluded in his favor. After performing his experiment in front of his parents, the concern was still there but it wasn't strong enough for Shuichi to turn in his resignation. That's just fine. The next round of competition was in a couple of days anyway. On second thought, while father and son were busy, Shiori went out to the nearest convenience store to pick up a bottle of lotion where it was laced with newly-purchased salt just for Shuichi to use. Shuichi found it ridiculous but allowed it since it came with the best intentions. No way was the Minamino family going to go through another embarrassing moment in public. Fed, studied out, showered, and exhausted from the day, Shuichi finally turned himself in for the night.

When he woke up, the sounds of the underwater world occupied his hearing once more. This time Shuichi found himself within the lush marshes of a coral reef, surrounded by the pinks, greens, and earth tones of moss and anemone and families of clownfish building their home sweet homes.

"Hey," Shuichi noticed, observing a young clownfish swimming by his face, "Is that you, Nemo? Haha."

By the time he sat up again, his aquatic self had slightly evolved. The tail and fin were a solid, gleaming emerald green with prominent scales in a prismatic blue and pink finish. Those scales felt just as real as they did in the waking stage and when Shuichi guided a hand against the grain, the slit was no deeper than a papercut.

"Amazing," he marveled, "That was nearly painless."

Upon looking up, Shuichi noticed that the skies weren't as bright as before. In fact, it was nightfall with only the light of a full moon serving as a beacon.

"Wait, nightfall? Then how can I see everything so clea–? Right. This is a dream."

"Do you believe that," a feminine voice questioned from afar.

"Hold on… It's you again. Show yourself! Please?"

Gentle, playful laughter echoed throughout the oceanic-like space. Definitely the voice of a young woman. It was almost to the point where Shuichi felt a little scared.

"Hey. I said come out," he timidly demanded, "No more hiding."

The reverberation of amusement continued for a time, multiplying in quantity and increasing in volume until Shuichi could no longer take it, covering his ears to mute the noise.

"Ahhh! Stop! Stop it, please! Enough! ENOUGH!"

And then, silence. Familiar silence. Whether it was human or sea creature, Shuichi's heart received its rightful dose of adrenaline, quickening its pace. He knew that one false move could have Shuichi leaping out of his skin and bed since he was dreaming. Still, he prepared for it anyway.

"Okay. If she's behind me, she's attempting to scare me. That's all it is. A scare tactic and…she's faceless. Because of that, I should have nothing to fear. She doesn't have a face to show emotion so…I, too, should show no emotion. Here goes."

Shuichi did turn around with his eyes closed and an expressionless face and attitude. Whoever this mermaid is will not have her way in frightening this dreamer. However, once Shuichi opened one eye, he was greeted with a cheerful, "Hi."

"Ahh," he screamed, hiding behind the very reef he slept on.

The mermaid kept watching, "It seems my patience has been rewarded."

"P-patience? What patience, wait…you…I can see your face."

Indeed, the mystery mermaid did have a face and a beautiful one at that. Opalescent skin, coral pink lips, lilac purple eyes, and hair that blended in with its surroundings.

"I've waited a long time for this moment," she said.

"Moment? What moment? Wait, what is going on? Who are you and…are you the one who calls me Kurama?"

The mermaid slightly giggled and confessed, "I've waited a long time for this to happen, to finally establish the communication we missed out on ever since you were born."

"Wait, you're not making any sense. Who are you? Why were you waiting for me? Am I supposed to know you?"

"...Fifteen years ago, I took part in one of the greatest moments of my life. Unfortunately, it was the last moment of my life. The great goddess of the seas called for me before I could ever become what I thought was blessed to be. A mother. The pain grew worse the moment news of a kidnapping occurred. The sad thing about it was…I know who's responsible and why. As I ascended to the heavens, I observed the aftermath of that kidnapping and arrived within the goddess's celestial waters with a goal. I pleaded with her to grant me the opportunity to watch my son grow up, protect him whenever and however I could. My prayers were answered. For fifteen years, countless tides, I watched from those heavens my one and only son grow up amongst humanity. My husband grew a sense of disdain towards the humans for their seemingly careless treatment of the oceans and waters that surround them and they are partially blamed for my demise but I was optimistic. There aren't many who would do this but I'm grateful for the creatures who brought you to the humans and the humans who raised you. They've given me hope that someday humans and sea creatures could work together to preserve both worlds…with you serving as an example."

"Forgive me but I'm still lost. Who are you and what am I to you exactly?"

The mermaid gently approached Shuichi, encasing his face in her motherly hands and with a matching smile said, "I am Botan. Empress of this very ocean, wife of Yoko, the current emperor, and mother of its first born prince, Kurama. That's you. It is so…wonderful to finally meet you…my son."

Shuichi was rightfully shocked. Him? A prince? An ocean prince?

"No," he denied, breaking away, "No. That can't be possible. It's impossible! I may be a decent swimmer but I refuse to believe it's because I'm…I'm…"

"A ningyo?"

"Yes! That and…this is a dream! I know anything could happen in dreams but none of this can have ties to reality. Absolutely not."

"Which brings me to ask again," Botan teased as she swam around her son, "Do you believe that?"

"Yes! Wholeheartedly, I may add. This isn't real, you nor your story are real. I'm not really a prince, I'm not really in an ocean, I'm not freaking out–!"

Botan to the rescue, "Oh no. Okay…breathe…breathe. I had a feeling this would come about. I understand it's a lot to take in but it's the truth. Everything I'm saying is true. This may be our first face-to-face meeting but we've had encounters before."

"Wait. We have?"

"Yes. I think there's one memory you have that's been quite prominent in your young life, yes?"

"You must be referring to my near-death experience five years ago. Wait, if what you say is true, then where were you on that day? Oh, that's right. You were dead."

"Well that's a rude but roundabout thing to say to your mother. And you're partially wrong. I was around."

"Really? Where? Because from what I remember, I nearly drowned that day."

"But you didn't and I was the reason why. Remember. The goddess granted me the ability to protect you whenever and however I could. The day she tested me was the day of your accident. Think Kurama. Think deeply into what happened that day."

Shuichi did think about it. He remembers riding that bike all around the port waiting for his parents to meet him once they were off work. From there, he got tired, sitting along the pier watching the waters react to the current activated by nearby freight and fishing boats. By the time the distant, late afternoon/early evening horizon was empty, Shuichi heard noise. Alerted, he first looked behind and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. There were still plenty of fishermen and freight workers occupying the area. The noise called out a second time which brought Shuichi closer. To reel him in, a small seashell appeared, floating in the water. Shuichi tried to catch it but the waves kept pulling it away. By the time he was in arm's reach, his other hand slipped, momentum taking the upper hand in his aquatic descent.

"I remember everything," he admitted, "That shell, the fall… Are you saying you were responsible for that?"

"No," Botan said with the quick answer, "I honestly have no idea of the one responsible but it was nothing but an opportunity in disguise."

As Shuichi struggled to swim, all he could see was his flailing arms reaching for the surface. It provided a great distraction for Botan to save the day. Her ethereal self held her son in her arms which caused him to essentially float. In a calm state, Botan awakened the base of Shuichi's abilities with a maternal kiss on the forehead, opening his gills for the first time. As Botan faded away, Shuichi was left with a choice. Swim to the surface or have some fun with this unusual ability. His parents chose the former.

"So that was you," he realized, "You saved me."

"I did it for two reasons," Botan stated, "To appease the goddess and to show you that you were more than what you thought you were. Make that three. Because I'm your mother and it's my responsibility."

"It's…it's no wonder I…no longer fear the water."

"Nor should you. Kurama, you're in the middle of a transformative period in your life and if possible, I'd like to help you through it. It's why I'm here. It's why we're here."

"If that's the case, then why did you scare me half to death before?"

"Because you were looking at things with your human eyes, hearing me with human ears. From my end, I've been speaking to you and watching you as clear as a bubble. Unfortunately, you were still in a fog."

"So you mean to tell me…" Shuichi asked as he looked at his scaly and webbed hands and arms, "this is real? Is this what's going to happen to me?"

Botan couldn't help but bask in her motherly aura. She displayed her pearlescent hands and arms and grazed Shuichi's cheeks, "Yes, my son. You'll reach your full form before you know it."

Upon close observation, Shuichi developed an idea of his maritime future from Botan. Fully formed tail and fin? Check. Scaly sleeves with matching, webbed hands and claw-like fingernails? That's possible to come. Gills around the collarbone? Check. What was missing? Webbed ears, scales along the breasts since Shuichi is a male, anything resembling a human nose, and defined fins for better hydrodynamic swimming. His future in a…seashell.

"I have…" Shuichi divulged, "so many questions to ask. I don't…I don't know where to start."

"Let's not dive too deep into this just yet," Botan offered, "We have too much to go through and so little time to do it. For now, all I want to do is show you some of the freedoms that come with what you are. I can even…show you the home, the empire of your birth."

"The empire? Lady Botan, please? I just want to understand what I am and the world that comes with it."

Excitedly, Botan led the way, "Then you'll have to follow me. Haha! I promise you'll have a grand time."

"Wait," Shuichi followed, "Wait! Where are we going?"

"I told you. The place of your birth."

"The place of my birth?"

As the two ningyo cruised through the waters with the speed of a dolphin or killer whale, Shuichi was amazed at just how such velocity was achieved by his own kind. While the use of a tailfin is helpful for swimming short distances, ningyo travel by body surfing whatever current they can catch that is going their direction. In that moment, the tail and bronchial fins serve as gliders, much like a flying squirrel, lemur, or fish or even a sea turtle. Colonies of coral reefs were seen both below and around them like the walkways of an urban neighborhood. Clownfish, anemone, angelfish, eels, starfish, blowfish, yellow tang, barracudas each minding their business as if it was another day while the subjects that could be placed higher on the food chain swam past, through, above, below, and around them. To Shuichi, it was like flying in an airplane at just enough of an altitude to see a city below. A wonderful sight indeed. It was even more amazing the vision required to view his surroundings. Despite it being nightfall, everything in sight was crystal clear and seemingly more in contrast than during the day. Pathways of reefs transitioned into underwater walls and mountains with even more sea life such as octopus and squid, indicating a change in depth.

"Be careful," Botan warned, "Smaller predators have a tendency to attack us."

"Are you referring to creatures such as barracuda?"

"Come again?"

"Barracuda. They're…a bit long, have sharp teeth…"

"Oh, you mean the pointer fish. Yes, I've heard stories of creatures like those attacking us and that's what I meant. There was a ningyo who came home with an injured torso from one of them. Bothersome is what they are. Oh, look over there. Aren't those a sight to see?"

Sure enough, a school of jellyfish made their appearance as the pair were approaching a mountain. The comb jellyfish to be exact. While a few of them swam in the forefront, the majority were coming up in what looked like a collection of shiny, bluish, prismatic lanterns after coming out of a tunnel. Given the distance, the merfolk will be safe by the time the jellyfish make their way through. Nevertheless, they really caught Shuichi's attention. The jellyfish displayed at the aquarium was but a mere tease compared to the ocean.

"Are they harmful?"

"As opposed to humans, no," Botan informed, "A sting from them will be unbearably itchy at best."

That was a shocker. From what Shuichi knew of jellyfish, they can do a lot more harm to humans. What Botan was referring to sounds like nothing more than a mosquito bite or a bee sting.

Moving along, Botan led Shuichi towards an empty, peaceful field full of seaweed and grass. The endless currents of the surrounding waters combined with waves of reflecting moonlight turned this open glebe of green into a maritime promenade the way the blades harmoniously danced with each other. Shuichi admired it all, wishing either Kuronue or Kiyoni or both were near to see it, themselves. Who knew there was such a beautiful world underwater? Also, is this still a dream?

Those two questions would gain some merit once a familiar sound grazed Shuichi's ears, "What was that?"

"Uh oh. What's the matter?"

"...I hear something. Can you hear it?"

Botan tried to tune in but was unsuccessful, "I'm sorry but no. You'll have to fill me in."

"It's…something…"

The sound was faint but the echo was its lifeline. It also sounded ghostly; at least what Shuichi believed ghosts sound like. The fields below were still empty but underneath the darkness of night the green of the grass and blues of the ocean were losing to the color black the further Shuichi tested his vision. The more he concentrated on the sound, the more he focused on its message if it had one. At first, the noise sounded like the Japanese vowel, "a". A bit more careful and he picked up the Japanese character, "sa".

"Lady Botan," Shuichi called again.

"Yes?"

"Eh, I learned humans sometimes refer to us as sirens. Creatures who lure victims by song to their demise, most of them by water. Do we have that ability?"

"There are those that do," Botan confirmed, "One of our first outings your father and I had together was attending a performance hosted by some really talented ningyo from another part of the world. As far as luring in humans, it's a possibility. It looks as though you want to check this out."

"May I?"

Botan noticed it immediately. Shuichi really is the son of Yoko. The innocently curious, adolescent guppy fish look he had in his eyes was similar to the ones Yoko had the day he proposed to Botan. The look that became the reason her son is with her now.

"Sure," she confirmed with some childish interest of her own, "Let's go!"

Shuichi led the way with the mysterious melody seemingly on repeat, ending only on "sa". The closer he got to the source, the more rhythmic the notes became, following an "A-B-A" type of pattern, leaving Shuichi to wonder what this truly was about. Approaching a group of seaweed bushes, Shuichi found the source and was shocked to find out what it was. Sleeping peacefully and perched along a small rock was another mermaid.

When Botan managed to sneak a peek, she was just as surprised but intrigued, "My, my. She's beautiful. It's been awhile but I have seen others like her before."

"Wait. You know her?"

"Me? Goodness, no. You seem to."

That made Shuichi blush a little, "She's…this is…my classmate. She's my classmate."

Yes, indeed it was Kiyoni and she was just as piscine as Botan. However, as Botan and Shuichi have deduced, not every ningyo is the same. While Botan's color palette is about the love child of angels and rainbow trout, Kiyoni's is all about the evening skies. Vivid, sunset shades of pink, purple, and orange accents adorned a tail of shimmering peach. Matching scales made a strapless, butterfly wing-shaped top across the bust and torso. Pinkish to tangerine shading lined the eyes only to come together to create a complexion-pleasing peach on the lips. The tipped ends of a few of her braids were shaded from brownish orange to brownish green to blend in with the seaweed Kiyoni was surrounded by. Given how calm and relaxed she was, those extensions probably served as feelers or tendrils, scoping out any danger that may swim by, hence their color. The braids that weren't colored played host to a noticeable collection of bubble-like beads similar to a bubble nest created by betta fish and frogs. A chain of them formed a bit of a tiara-like pattern along Kiyoni's hairline, giving her the appearance of nobility or a sea fairy. Tiny seashells that were washed into the sea served as barrettes, giving the hair some weight but not much. One noticeable difference between the teens was their fins. While Shuichi's fins were green and protruding like a shark or dolphin, Kiyoni's was more whimsical, matching her torso in terms of sleeve style and color; extending from just beneath the shoulders to her wrists. In short, Kiyoni was the combination of a salmon and goldfish in mermaid form.

Botan made a mental note, "Classmate… Is that what you call her?"

"Yes. We attend the same school."

Getting a closer look, Botan observed the way Kiyoni slept as the latter switched from her side to her back, arms perched above the head. Who or whatever she is must be someone significant if Shuichi was this involved.

"It's nice to meet you, classmate. Kurama, she's beautiful."

"No! No." Shuichi corrected, "She's not…no, that's…that's not what I call her as in that's not her name or what others call her."

"Oh. Then what do you call her?"

"Her name is…" Shuichi really didn't want to go into detail because he found this moment quite awkward, "She is called Kiyoni."

"Oh. Oh, that's much better. 'Kiyoni' sounds much better than 'classmate' haha. Is she a ningyo too? Must be if she's here."

At this point, Shuichi's original assumptions about his situation being a dream came back to light. There's no way Kiyoni's a mermaid…right?

"She's human," he stated, "Purely human."

"But…that can't be right. If she's human, then she wouldn't be here. And yet, here she is!"

"Then it's confirmed. This is a dream. …This is a dream…!"

"No. I swear this is… Unless…"

"Unless? Unless what?"

Botan answered in an eureka like tone, "The psychic link."

"Excuse me? Psychic link?"

"Well…" Botan informed, leading Shuichi to a suitable distance away from Kiyoni, "It's similar to the characteristics you described about what humans call sirens. It skipped my generation but that talent does exist and a few of your ancestors on both sides have it. Ningyo with this trait have the ability to create a psychic connection with whomever they choose. Stories have been told about creatures like us who have done so with humans. That trait is partially to blame for the concerning amount of humanly-created vessels these oceans are full of."

"Interesting. So what does it have to do with Kiyoni? I don't recall choosing to link with anyone."

"It may not have been intentional but it happened. Perhaps it could happen with a song, a look, a special touch or action. How I wish I had more time to teach you everything."

"Did you say a look?"

"Yes. Mind you, we do venture out to the surface every now and then and sometimes we do attract the attention of humans."

"Let me think…" Shuichi recalled all of the times he had a stare down with Kiyoni from their first meeting to that big one at school, "No…"

"Uh oh. It concerns me when you look like that."

"I think I know how it happened."

"Oh?"

"I asked her to catch me in a lie by reading my eyes. I assume the link was made then."

Botan giggled like a schoolgirl. Underwater or not, this was a familial moment.

"You find something amusing?"

"Oh, nothing. Just me bearing witness to simple courtship, that's all."

"Courtship? Wait, I never said anything about cour–!"

"Oh, my prince. You indeed have your father's traits. Don't worry. The link isn't permanent. So long as you and the other party are on the same wavelength, the link will last."

"So you're saying we…are on the same wavelength?"

"Obviously, the sounds she was emitting were enough to get your attention. I couldn't hear them because…well, I think it's obvious. I can see her because you can. So I think we can assume the answer."

Shuichi sat on that response. A psychic link with a classmate? And Kiyoni is none the wiser. All that's left now is to make a decision on what to do next.