It was another trip to that fantasy ocean for a young ningyo. This time it was underneath an afternoon sky with only a few thin clouds in sight. More lively merfolk swam through this world as well with their fishy companions ranging from common flounders to groups of krill. When Shuichi awakened, he found himself lying on a welcoming, comforting lap. Botan's lap.

"Welcome back," she said.

"Back…? Where was I before?"

"Right. Well, I've noticed that whenever you have to return to the human world, your body is preserved as simple sea foam. Sea foam that only I can keep watch."

"Seafoam? My body…? Wait, are you saying I'm dead? I have to die to look like…?"

"No, no, no. Believe it or not, this is a separate realm, one different from the worlds you and I come from. As a matter of fact, this realm is actually one of my design."

"How so?"

"This is a manifestation of my life and the world around it. Even now, these surroundings are exactly as I remember them."

"So we're basically swimming through your memories."

"More or less. Great goddess be praised."

With that revelation, Shuichi gave himself a 360° tour of this memorable world. Vibrant colors in pinks, purples, greens, and blues mingling with the browns and grays of the earth. Sea life big and small coasting through the water above and below him. Plenty of merfolk live their lives.

"This…this was your world," Shuichi concluded.

"Yes and if we act now, I can show you much more."

"I have so many questions to ask, I…I'm not sure what to do."

Botan could see that her son was rightfully determined to get some answers considering the transformation period he's in so she took action, "I guess another tour can wait. Come. We can talk in private."

Through miles and miles of underwater terrain, the two ningyo made their way towards an open cavern overlooking a small mountain range where only one ray of light peeked through from the ceiling. Despite that, the walls displayed strange carvings that seem to tell at least one story.

"What's all this," Shuichi asked.

Botan regretfully admitted, "It's a bit of history."

"History? Of what? The ningyo?"

"Not exactly. A bit of my history."

"Oh?" Upon closer inspection, Shuichi noticed a couple of markings in the shape of two sea creatures. One of them resembled Botan while the other looked more like a human eel. "What's this one?"

"He is called Hiei."

"Hiei?"

"Hiei was a young…unagi, the child of a human and an eel. We met before my union with Emperor Yoko. He was a wanderer, a loner. Never made much room for friends unless there was some ulterior motive."

"So how did he meet you?"

"I was out alone one day when I noticed him being chased after by a shark. Apparently, he had stolen something from them but I didn't find out about that until later so I swooped in to charm the shark away, offering my catch as tribute. It backfired. Before I could blink, both Hiei and I fought the shark away with Hiei spewing some type of toxin as a distraction. The fight was short but we didn't leave unscathed. Hiei was badly hurt. I brought him here to help him heal. He was reluctant but accepting. Over time, we established something of a partnership. While I was only around for the sake of friendship, he…unfortunately misunderstood me."

"Are you saying…he fell in love with you?"

Botan solemnly looked towards that opening in the ceiling where the sun was dimming its shine due to the upcoming sunset, "If that's what it was then…yes. Around here, it's forbidden to mingle with other creatures once betrothed. That was my status with your father by then…"

"How did it end?"

"I…I waved it off. Cut off my association with him entirely. That was ultimately a mistake. I think what solidified his anger was…you."

"Wait. Are you saying I'm the reason why I'm like this? No wait…you are."

"...I am," Botan regretfully admitted, "Once word got out about your birth and my demise, Hiei sought revenge. He thought of me to be his so you were…"

"...A pawn. He was disappointed that he couldn't have you so he kidnapped me as a means of revenge."

"Yes. Fortunately, the goddess granted you life, new life as a human. Through an associate of Hiei's, you were brought to the human world."

"That still leaves many questions. Just why was I brought to the human world? What about my father, Emperor Yoko? Why isn't he looking for me? Is he looking for me? A friend of mine made the assumption that an earthquake from over a decade ago was the emperor looking for me. Was it?"

"I can only assume that you were delivered on the assumption that you would die on dry land. The associate who carried you must've had some special powers or compassion of their own to turn you into a human child just to survive. As far as your father is concerned, he has great power and influence but not to the point of shattering the earth. Once he found out about your disappearance, he sent search teams all over the many kingdoms to look for you. And trust me, there are many."

"Then why aren't you helping him? If you can see me, talk to me, why aren't you doing the same with him?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love Yoko dearly but you were more important. You were far too young to even process what was happening to you compared to your father. I'm here to help you connect those dots to the best of my abilities."

"And you think exposure to this realm can help me with that? This world of your design as you say?"

"It may not be the reality you may face someday but at the very least, this world can provide an idea. If I can help you bridge the gap between this one and the one you were raised in, then I've done my job."

"Then start with my father. If he's looking for me, surely there must be a way for me to reach him."

Botan took comfort in those words through her smile. Shuichi is definitely the son of Yoko.

With another childish giggle, Botan took charge of her own, "Then follow me! You're going to love what you see."

"Where are we going now?"

"Home. The very palace and city you were born in."

Finally, another clue. Perhaps Shuichi will also get the chance to see his birth father for the first time. That was on Botan's mind as she led the way through the deeper blue waters of the sea. Shuichi learned that because of humanity's growing dominance of the drier lands and neverending curiosity about the seas and oceans, creatures like the ningyo had no choice but to dive deeper into the sea world to avoid danger and detection. While a normal human would begin to suffer from the decreasing temperature and increasing pressure of the water, evolution favored the ningyo, allowing them to adapt to their new environment. One reason is because of the magma flow coming from nearby canyons and smaller cracks in the ocean floor that had distant connections to above water volcanoes from Asia and New Zealand serving as hydrothermal regulators. Shuichi also learned that those same canyons are where deceased merfolk are laid to rest similar to the cremation rituals humans do. In fact, two canyon strips acted as territory markers. The first strip the ningyo passed over marked the entry into the country Shuichi was born into. The molten rock flowed like a river carrying with it cooled stones and boulders that surfed the waves like bubbles in a simple stream and the thermal waters from the open area felt perfectly tropical as the merfolk coasted through them. Numerous jet streams, the size and flow of jacuzzi jets, streamed from the many smaller cracks that neighbored the canyons. The landscape was vastly empty sans a few mossy boulders, a wooden, sunken ship from days of old, and a few clusters of coral reef.

"This is where our soldiers come to train," Botan informed.

"There's soldiers," Shuichi asked.

"Yes. A country is only as strong as its leadership and military."

"In that case, I assume my father must have quite the commanding presence?"

"As second in command after me, he has to."

"Wait, what does that mean?"

"Hm?"

"No offense, Lady Botan, but running a country, the military…well, in the human world, that's mainly…a male thing?"

Whatever sense of positivity Botan had on her face completely disappeared upon that statement, "If you must know, your father was responsible for handling public affairs and law enforcement. It was his duty to ensure the people of whatever changes that befall the kingdom as per my decree so long as it was beneficial to all or majority. As a matter of fact, in order to win me, preparations on his part had to be made both in the north and south. He won me in exchange for his sister. If anything, all your father and I did was to make sure the kingdom was as strong as its leaders. These waters, these seas and oceans were created by a goddess. Therefore, they are maintained by her daughters unless said daughter is unable to do so."

That was surprising. Japan and most of Asia are as patriarchal as any other dry world country, perhaps more patriarchal socially than just about anywhere in the west. To learn that the sea ran under a matriarchal, matrilineal society was something Shuichi had to get used to. That's not to say that it's impossible. Human women typically run the household in terms of finances, family, and maintenance but even that is changing. There are and have been countries run by human women. And when it comes to the circle of life and science, humans are and have been experimenting with the idea of males going through pregnancy and childbirth. If creatures such as male seahorses, betta fish, and clownfish are responsible for birthing and protecting their young while their female counterparts go out to do what they need to do to provide, merfolk doing the same thing could come naturally.

"So…" Shuichi hinted, "what exactly is my role in all this? Say I decide to come home and reclaim my place on the throne. What am I responsible for?"

Botan's perky self slowly came back, starting with a smirk, "You, my son, would be given the same role your father had. Since you're a male, you will be required to prepare the palace for a suitable mate. If the mate is female, she will ascend to the throne as the next empress with you falling second in command. Should you choose a male, the throne will remain with you until a female is produced."

Given the changing state of the surface world in terms of sexual orientation and identity, Shuichi was slightly confused. When Botan said "mate", what exactly did she mean? Did she mean that ningyo are capable of forming same-sex relationships like a gray whale? Did she mean that ningyo can change their reproductive constitution at will like sea bass? Could males get pregnant and give birth too like a seahorse or play a game of insemination tag like a flatworm? How does intercourse and procreation work between ningyo? And here Shuichi thought marine biology was about learning how typical sea life works. Just like the study of human biology, sex and reproduction are contributing factors for life underwater. Way too much to think about for a fifteen-year-old.

"However…" Botan assured, "now's not the time to think about such things. You see that gleaming light down there?"

"Eh…yes. Is that it?"

"It is. That is your home, Kurama."

Even though the pair haven't crossed the second border yet, Shuichi tried to see what he could from afar. If anything, the peak of that gleaming light didn't resemble the shining, golden palace of Atlantica from The Little Mermaid. It looked more realistic, like a submerged star or a submarine beacon. Perhaps the Talokan scene from Wakanda Forever did provide some truth.

"Shall we go," Botan assumed.

Determined to get some more answers and provide a mind-blowing story to tell to his friends the next morning, Shuichi decreed, "Yes. Take me home, Lady Botan."