That was all Shuichi needed to hear. His plan was working like a charm. Through the vast ocean, around mountainous sub-terrain, Shuichi led the way back to Tsuran City with Kiyoni in tow. As he checked in, he noticed Kiyoni having a bit of trouble keeping up. Of course she would. Shuichi is a competitive swimmer and a real ningyo. Kiyoni is human and only knows how to swim to survive if necessary. Because of that, Shuichi extended an assisting hand which Kiyoni gratefully accepted. Once the pair caught on to a current or two, the increased speed that came from it made Kiyoni question just where Shuichi gets this inhuman ability from.
"How deep do we have to go," she asked.
"I can't say for sure. Why?"
"Because the sun is getting dimmer. Do you know where we're going?"
As excited as he was, Shuichi was seeing Kiyoni's doubts come to light, "It's intimidating, I know. Unfortunately, due to humanity's willingness to rule both land and sea, ningyo had no choice but to migrate further deep just to avoid danger and exposure. By the time I made it to Tsuran City, the sun was no bigger than the head of a pen."
"That far?! Wait a second, Minamino. I'm not so sure about this. What if…what if Misaki is right?"
"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"
Kiyoni's braids wrapped themselves around her again, this time out of fear, "No but…I am afraid of what may come out of it."
This was something Shuichi wasn't prepared for because he wasn't expecting it. He wasn't afraid to go below sea level because Shuichi was born for it. Kiyoni was different. Much different. Not to mention there was a great chance that not even humans know of all the creatures lurking around Tsuran City which is precisely the point.
"Perhaps…perhaps you don't have to be."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at yourself. You're…glowing…sort of."
"What?" Kiyoni looked down at herself and noticed her tailfin, the draping around her arms, and torso displaying a hint of a warm-toned, bioluminescent glow. If she were to perfect the butterfly swim, she could pass for an illuminated, underwater butterfly if she wanted to.
"Whoa. That's neat."
"Kurama…" Botan called from a distance.
"Lady Botan," Shuichi replied.
"Lady…" Kiyoni realized, "Your mom? She's here?"
"Yes. This is her world, more or less," it was then Shuichi realized that the direction he took was different from the one Botan knew, "Lady Botan? We could…we could use your assistance…if you please."
"I thought you said you knew where you were going," Kiyoni challenged.
"I may have…diverted off course."
"Minamino! You…!" With that, Kiyoni took aggressive action, slamming her fists against Shuichi. Even her braids took part in the action, flicking and whipping at him whenever he was in range.
"Ow…ow, ow, ow…OW! Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I concede! Ow! How…how are you doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"That with your hair?"
"My hair? Eh…I don't know. They just…have a life of their own."
"That doesn't freak you out?"
"Well, of course it does but…I'm used to it. The first time I wore braids like this to school, kids thought I had dead snakes on my head. Was referred to as Medusa until I had them taken out. Not to mention all the times when those same kids kept trying to yank them out. If only my braids could do then what they can do now."
"I don't think that would've been as beneficial as you want it to be. You'd be proving them right in a way. Anyway, I'm sorry. Children can be so cruel."
Kiyoni sighed, admiring the ways her braids moved underwater, "No need to apologize on their behalf. Like I said before, I'm used to it. People are just ignorant. That's all. Besides, seeing this makes me think of Ursula. I am kinda like Ursula. Just…better. Definitely not as evil."
"Indeed. Definitely not evil," in the corner of Shuichi's eye, he caught a tiny orb of light emanating from deep within a canyon. Kiyoni couldn't see it but Shuichi knew and saw that it was Botan providing a beacon using a lantern fish. "On second thought…I think I know how to get there from here."
"You think?"
"Let's go," Shuichi pushed off, taking Kiyoni by the hand.
"Wait! Minamino! What if–?"
"Trust me, Ikeda. I know exactly where we're going." Much obliged, Lady Botan.
Through the canyons, around the mountains, and into deeper territory, Shuichi and Kiyoni made their way towards Tsuran City with Botan secretly leading the way. While Kiyoni had a hard time making out anything within her eyesight, Shuichi saw everything, making sure to keep his companion out of the way. Just as everyone crossed the first border into Tsuran City territory, Kiyoni grew dumbfounded.
"Was that…was that lava," she questioned.
"Yes. We just crossed the border into the country. The second one is up ahead."
"Country? It's a country?"
"Something like that. Look out front. We're almost there."
Kiyoni did look beyond and was amazed. She too expected to see that sun and sea-drenched palace Ariel calls home. Instead the orb of light that hovered over the city reminded her of the sastun that brings light to the citizens of Talokan from Wakanda Forever. It didn't shine as brightly but it was enough to facilitate activity.
"Minamino, wait," she requested, a few feet away from crossing the second border into city limits.
"What is it?"
"What was it like for you, really, when you got here?"
"Honestly…unbelievable. It was one thing to know that ningyo exists but to know that they have an established community was something I never expected. Even more so knowing that I'm their prince."
"How were you treated?"
"Excuse me?"
"How were you treated? It's obvious you went through the city like it's the Shibuya Crossing. Did others see you? Speak to you?"
"No. Again, this…realm is of Lady Botan's design, made from her memories. We'll be invisible to others but they won't be to us. So if you're afraid of getting the gaijin treatment, you don't have to be. Are you ready?"
Kiyoni had to think for a moment. Here she was thousands of feet deep underwater with the sun hardly noticeable from above. On one end of the horizon was a sunken ship from the days of Christopher Columbus and the like. Old, decayed, filled and covered with whatever sea life is able to fit in, bearing torn rags displaying either the crew or country it came from. On the other end of the horizon, more mountainous terrain and perhaps a predator or two minding their business. In front was only the border of Tsuran City and Tsuran City itself.
"Yes," Kiyoni confirmed, taking Shuichi's hand, "I'm ready."
The two teenage merfolk glided through the entrance gate hand-in-hand as if they were royalty or two people looking to make a name for themselves in a new world. Kiyoni was a bit disappointed to see that the patron goddess of merpeople didn't exactly look like the orisha goddess that rules her home. However, that didn't matter. What did matter was the indescribable view of the metro area. What mattered was the colonial landscape that merfolk created. What mattered was the ways in which bioluminescent fish provided light to the city including the tower where firefly squid made their home like moths and gnats surrounding a street light. Once Kiyoni made it to the shopping district, she wanted to observe and grab every trinket she could her hands and braids on. A beautiful robin's egg-like stone perched on a cherry blossom-shaped nest on a fancy gold band assumed to be an engagement ring caught Kiyoni's eye. She tried it on when no one was looking and instantly fell in love. Barrettes made of seashells were on sale as well and we're uniquely designed for anyone to use. Kiyoni admired herself in front of a mirror, using a few of those barrettes that joined her crustacean friend in a high-positioned ponytail with two braids draped over the forehead. Yep, this was the girly girl side Mei talked about that Kiyoni displayed without shame.
In an open area similar to the rendezvous point of the Hachiko statue of Shibuya, a group of Maori-like mer were seen executing a haka dance to honor the union of two of their own. Instead of stomping their feet as on dry land, these mer put their tailfins to work. Unquestionably different from the norm. Not far from there, a family of four mer were out for their seemingly daily stroll. The youngest two were just as playful as energetic, human children. By the looks of things, the family was expecting a fifth member in the coming days. Thing is, it wasn't the mother who was going to give birth but the father.
"Wait," Kiyoni whispered, "Ningyo can do that?"
"Apparently so," Shuichi answered, "Sex and gender doesn't really matter here as much as it does on land."
"Coooooooool… I wonder what you would look like if you were pregnant."
"Please don't put that idea in my head or yours," Shuichi pleaded.
"Sorry." Kiyoni wanted to laugh but the sound of a warning horn in the background changed her mind, "Hey, what's that?"
Shuichi heard the horn too and thought it was for another whale migration. It's a bummer that it wasn't. Instead, the warning came from somewhere closer, something approaching.
"Make way for the emperor," announced a guardsman.
"The emperor," asked both Shuichi and Kiyoni.
"Your dad, Minamino," Kiyoni clarified.
"Well, that saves us a trip to the palace at least," Shuichi commented.
Yes, a royal procession was on the way through Tsuran City, parting the crowd through the metro area. As the guardsman led the way, four, husky merpeople performed their job in transporting Emperor Yoko to wherever he was going to go much like the days of old Japan. The imperial carriage was magnificent. Structured out of whale bone, outlined in pearls and fossilized tentacles, adorned in colored barnacles, shells, and raw, precious stones such as moonstone and opal. Much like the empress's throne, the door also had the head of the goddess carved on it. Through a thin veil made of the stomach lining of a whale, anyone who decided to take a peek inside would see at least an outline of the emperor. At least, Kiyoni tried to but was pulled back.
"Ow! What was that for," she winced.
"You were about to run into him," Shuichi directed.
Outside and coasting along the right side of the carriage was the royal advisor to the throne, Yomi. His waist-length dark hair flowed through the water like pure ink, held back by a pair of ears that were about as wide as a hand fan. Back then, Yomi used to hate the way his ears looked but as he grew older, he had come to realize how much of a gift they were from the goddess. Because of his hyper-sensitive hearing, Yomi is quick to acknowledge the wills of the people of Tsuran City and is able to inform the throne about it. That's why he has the ranking that he's earned. Because of that ability, Yomi spends a great amount of energy just to narrow down all that he could hear. In exchange, Yomi is rarely seen smiling, presenting himself as calm or aloof.
"I wonder who's that guy," Kiyoni said.
"His name is Yomi," Botan answered, drawing Shuichi's attention.
"Yomi," Shuichi repeated.
Botan nodded, "He's our advisor. Whatever is happening in Tsuran City, he could easily catch its current."
"That's…impressive."
"Yes. Thing is I could never get him to smile every once in a while. The last and only time I did was when…well…when you were born."
"Eh, Minamino," Kiyoni called, "Who are you talking to?"
"Lady Botan," Shuichi pointed out, "She's right here next to me."
Kiyoni glanced over and saw the other ningyo who were just as attentive as she was, "Where? Which one?"
"She's… I see. Only I can see her."
"What? That's not fair. I wanted to say hi."
"She says she can see you and is actually waving at you at the moment. She also likes what your hair can do. It's unique from what she knows."
"Really," Kiyoni asked, her hair forming the shape of a question mark.
Shuichi couldn't help but laugh, "Whoa! Okay, I'm impressed."
Once Kiyoni noticed herself, she got a little giggle out of it too, "Sugoi! Okay, how about this?"
Her braids shifted from a question mark to a heart-shaped frame around her head and torso as if she was posing for an anime scene complete with four fingers forming the shape of a heart. An applause was the response.
"I like her," Botan stated, "She's peppy."
Shuichi agreed, "That she is."
"Hey," Kiyoni suggested, "Do you think we could follow them?"
"Should we?"
"If I know where they're going…" Botan assumed, "then yes. I wanted to take you there anyway. I think you'll find something very…insightful."
"Lady Botan says yes. I think it's where she wanted to take me anyway."
"Race ya," Kiyoni challenged, following the emperor.
"Oi! You may be the better go-kart driver but you're definitely not the better swimmer.
"I take offense to that!"
Just as Botan thought, that royal procession was on its way to a section of the city-state away from the metro area but still within the country's borders. Along the oceanic floor, Shuichi noticed a small group of crabs settling in for the moment and rockfish feeding from coral while sea urchins migrate. Hair was nearly caught within the tentacles of an octocoral that rolled in like tumbleweed. Botan informed her son that whenever a ningyo comes across a decaying octocoral, the tentacles are converted into combs and hairpins and are given to loved ones or significant others as gifts.
"We're here," She announced.
"What's here?"
A cavern that was in the same distance from the metro as Tokyo to Shinagawa City was found hidden quite well within the surrounding landscape. Humans could easily miss this due to the amount of green that was seen around. It led to a series of smaller caverns where a few of them provided above surface openings. When Yoko departed from the carriage, he was just as stoic as his advisor who bowed before him. Yoko hated going to this part of the country but he had to give himself some comfort. His widow, their son, and his son's companion all watched from a suitable distance.
"That's your dad," Kiyoni proclaimed.
"That's him," Shuichi confirmed, "Emperor Yoko."
Carrying lanterns filled with firefly squid or comb jellyfish, Yoko and Yomi swam through the largest opening of the grotto which was more of an underwater gate that had a waterfall for a door. Like before, Yoko still rode the wave of grief but kept it together as a royal should. That hair of his moved oh so perfectly and regal. Half of it was down, leaving the other half loosely twisted and pinned together by a hair pin made from an octocoral. While his hair was on the silvery-blue side, his tail was of a deep, silver gray. Once washed by the waterfall, the mermen emerged from the pool as humanoid men, their lower limbs in the colors and scales of their tails.
"Wait…" Shuichi marveled, "What is this place?"
"We've just entered the catacombs," Botan answered.
"The catacombs?"
"Whoa!" Kiyoni shuttered, "D-did you say catacombs?"
"Yes. Lady Botan says this is where statues of royalty past come to be honored."
"Okay…I may be a little scared now."
"Oh, no." Botan assured, "This is where we ningyo do the most interesting thing."
Shuichi did his best at resolving the issue by taking Kiyoni by the hand, "Just trust me, trust us. It'll be worth it."
And it was worth it once the party of three emerged from the water. Both Shuichi and Kiyoni were amazed to go the pedestrian route once again despite where they came from. As with other ningyo, when one becomes a biped, everything from the waist up remains unchanged with those with extra or extended bronchial fins converting to sleeves of scales. From the waist down, their limbs take on the colors of their tails, leaving nothing resembling genital identity in between. Tail fins take on the form of human feet but remain webbed. During the swimming competition, Kiyoni never really noticed Shuichi's figure. Now that she's standing next to him, the opportunity was available and beneficial. The combination of a slightly defined abdominal section with a noticeable V-cut along the lower torso were enough to bring a slight rush of heat to her cheeks. Seems all that swimming really does something to the body.
"Yabai…" she marveled, "So wait. Ningyo can develop legs too?"
"Apparently so," Shuichi replied, noticing himself, relieved over the lack of exposed genitalia, "Well, not exactly." This is quite the turn. If procreation within the ningyo community doesn't work in the traditional human sense, just how in the world does ningyo procreate? Better yet, that poses a question for digestion and waste management.
Botan teased while taking the lead, "I told you this was the interesting part. Follow me."
"No way," Kiyoni observed, "Hey, Minamino. Remember when we learned about the Tomb of the Emperor? From Chinese history?"
"I remember brushing over it."
"Why does this place look like it?"
While this subaquatic statuary didn't look as elaborate as the tomb of China's first emperor, it looked more like a museum. That's because it was in a way. With a statue of the goddess in full form as a welcoming symbol, her children stand behind her frozen in time in sculptures made of either limestone, moonstone, and raw obsidian. Over time, those that were made in the former two had hints of algae on them due to water leaking from above.
"There he is! I'm going to get a closer look," as Kiyoni went into fangirl mode, she moved towards her target of admiration. Once again, Shuichi thwarted her plans with another grab of her arm.
"Ow," she shouted, "Okay, pull me like that again and I will–"
"Will you calm yourself? That's my birth father for crying out loud."
"Okay and he's godly hot. What's the problem?"
"Now you sound like Misaki. Can't you see what he's about to do?"
"Yes. I'm not blind. Why are you so worried? You said it yourself that he can't see or hear us," and with that, Kiyoni took her leave, wanting to get a close-up view of this godly hot ruler.
Meanwhile, Shuichi displayed a look of chagrin which Botan noticed.
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy from you," she jested.
"Me? Jealous," Shuichi countered before catching up with his guest, "I know nothing of the sort."
Botan found the whole thing humorous, "You're jealous. Like mother, like son."
Yoko scoured through the statuette graveyard acknowledging each and every ruler who came before him as a thank you for their service. Behind him was Yomi whose only job was to keep watch and bear light using the same firefly squid torch that was now given an electric charge from its holder. Not far behind them was Kiyoni and Shuichi in that order. Along the way, Kiyoni noticed something worth noting.
"Hey, Minamino. This actually could be a representation of your family tree."
"Looks like it," Shuichi affirmed.
"It is," Botan informed, "You come from a long line of rulers and nobles. Each with their own stories."
"Other than my father, do I have other relatives?"
"Remember? Your aunt was exchanged for me. Ayame is her name. She's the current empress of a smaller sea up north."
"The Sea of Japan?"
"The Sea of Japan," Kiyoni repeated.
"Yes. Apparently, I have an aunt who's the empress up there. She's my father's sister."
"Shut up! That's so cool."
By the time Yoko arrived at the statue of his dearest love, he sank to the ground to formally acknowledge her. Botan was seen standing in full regality with extra pearls accessorizing her hair and arms looking down at her people in a nurturing light. It was as if she was an underwater angel sent from the goddess herself.
"Well, Ikeda…" Shuichi hinted, "if you want to have an idea of what my mother looks like, she's right there."
Kiyoni took advantage of Shuichi's offer, getting a closer view. Long, flowing hair, rows of pearls overtaking the breasts, a meticulously-detailed fin with hints of marbleized opal. How in the world was anyone able to create such an elaborate figure? That's what Shuichi wanted to know.
"Having a statue made in our likeness is one of the first things to be done upon succession," Botan said, "Don't worry. Your father is having his done I believe."
"Will I…will that happen for me as well," Shuichi wondered.
"Yes. Upon your ascension, you will have one just like everyone else here."
Another item on the list for Shuichi to consider. Addressing the public, enforcing the law, having to deal with a merman who doesn't know how to have fun, a statue made in his likeness, choosing a mate who could become the next ruler. That's just one side. Then there's the national swimming championship, finishing junior high to make way for high school, diverting a schoolmate hellbent on exploitation for popularity, and…confessing some possible feelings to someone who's completely oblivious at the moment in favor of a current emperor who is just as unaware. So much to think about for a fifteen-year-old.