One Shots To Live

The Ocean

The sea, the ocean, is full of mysteries, everyone knew that, but just a few were brave enough to go and look at it to a close distance, getting in that cold water with their full of body and enjoying the sensation of relax that it gave.

He too had those feelings for some reasons, he didn't know why but it was as if the ocean called him.
"Xiao..." It said to him, like the voice of a siren, one of those sirens that his companions talked about on the ship he used to work on, he was a pirate, or better, he wanted to be a pirate, while he was actually the prince, he was known for his wisdom and charm, nothing he actually cared too much about, he just wanted to explore the ocean and its secrets, that attracted him quite a lot, the idea of discovering it all, that's why he was more on that ship, through the sea, than at his castle.

Dreams don't last forever, they say, but he didn't believe that, who knew him well could've said that he had a great mind full of immagination and he had a strong will, which made him never give up on the things he cared about, in this case his research of the unknown in the ocean.

And even at his birthday, like a true adventurer would, he celebrated on his ship, fireworks in the sky, the waves hitting the ship, songs and dances all over at the surface of the sea, it was beautiful for him, even if his butler insisted to go home and reign on the throne he always rejected him and that idea.

They were at it again, the same discussion even at his now 20th (?) birthday, just when he was about to reject that offer again clouds obscured the sky, panic everywhere on the ship when some thunders, followed by some lightings, was heard, a storm was coming, the sea got agitated too, increasing the dimensions of its waves, as if wanting to devour even that ship like it did with others. No matter how much everyone tried to make the ship stable, the ocean had the best, making it crash against a rock, everybody was now swimming in the sea, swimming for their dear lives as they tried to grab a piece of wood or something to keep themself safe, but not him, he went down in the abyss with some of the things that were on his ship.

His life was over, he could feel that while now going unconscious and drowing in that still beautiful ocean, while he started to thing about how he regreted to not know everything about it, though after some hours he heard a melodious voice singing for him, which make him go conscious again, now coughing out the water that was in lungs.
Was he immaging things? Did he really heard a voice or was it just a dream? He couldn't tell, but he knew that now he had a new reason to live, finding who sang that melody was his new reason to live.

He searched everywhere, withouth results, everyone thought that his 'experience' of drowing made him crazy, but he didn't want to surrender, he searched for days and days, now also beginning to give up too. Untill a boy came into his life, the boy had long blonde hair and golden eyes, his butler told him that boy didn't talk and he also acted weirdly around the castle, using things such as a fork like a brush for the hair, maybe having had a similar situation to his and being too traumatized to start acting like that, but Xiao still treated that boy nicely, taking him to walks around the city, the castle and on a lake at late night, were he tried to talk with the boy, trying to guess his name, after some tries a small voice whispered into his ear.

"Aether..."

"Aether?" Xiao repeated surprised, turning around to search where that voice was coming from, though he couldn't find it so he just shrugged, noticing how the boy next to him was smiling and nodding happily, for a moment he felt at happy too for the first time in days, or weeks, he still didn't realized that he was more than happy, maybe he was in love, though to be honest it seemed like being on a date, but he couldn't date someone as the same gender as him, could he? Then, why was his body leaning to kiss the other? It felt right for him, his body was on autopilot, but just when they were about to kiss a wave, he thought, made them fall into the lake, and he just focused to check if Aether was fine, now not thinking anymore about the almost-kiss.

Later in the evening he found himself thinking about Aether, was he really in love? He though to himself while taking a walk outside to clear his head, but soon he heard the same voice that saved him just many days ago, he turned to see where it was coming from, and he saw a beautiful woman singing, now mesmerized by her and her voice, which was the one he heard the day he almost drowned.

He had to marry her. That was the only thought that came into his mind once he saw her, and soon the next morning everyone in the realm knew about that already, even Aether, that just as the two where about to marry tried to stop them, but withouth success, in fact he soon become like shore on the floor, just in front of everyone's very eyes, Xiao was confused, his brain working in slow motion, but he understood what was happening, he felt pain in his heart, his mind being a mess, now not knowing anymore if that smiling woman next to him was the right one anymore, as she was amused by what was happening, but he couldn't stop everything just in that moment, so he just married that woman, even if he knew he would've rejected that decision.

He shoke his head. Wasn't he admiring the fish in front of him just a moment ago? That's right... He was in a aquarium and zooned out again, just like he usually did when staring at something related to the ocean, though he didn't know why, and that time he zooned out more than usual...

Whatever, he sighed and continued to look in front of him at the various and particular fish swimming in the other side of the glass, though he felt someone staring at him, he turned around, finding a boy, with long blonde hair tied in a high ponytail and golden eyes, staring a little but too much in his opinion.

"Sorry to ask but... Do we know each other...?" Xiao's voice echoed in the room, as he pronounced those words carefully, not wanting to surprise the boy, that was honestly pretty in Xiao's eyes, he could sweat that now that he was thinking about it that boy was rather.. Familiar, he couldn't put the finger on it, but he just felt that.

"Aether... I'm Aether, sorry for staring, it seemed that you were really interested in those fish." The boy answered, and once again Xiao felt a familiar sensation in that answer, were the heck did he heard that name from? Again he couldn't tell, but he knew that he heard that before, somewhere...

Maybe in another life...

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Author's note

Hey there, here I am again, this time I was inspired by 'The little Mermaid', though I know I wasn't really loyal to the original version, but I wanted to add my personal ending, not to mention that if you search online you can find that in the true ending the little mermaid becomes water, so I wanted to use that end to add also my personal 'touch'.

I decided to focus on Eric's pov, since in the original story and movie it focuses on the little mermaid's one, while I tried to make it sound loyal with the original (like I said before).

Maybe I could start a serie like this? Maybe with also the little mermaid/Aether's pov? Idk tbh

This is all for now, have a nice day/night

<3