Beneath The Surface

Chapter 3: The Beauty Of The Ocean

Levi was already saddened enough, losing Armin was a worser punishment than death.
Christa slowly approached the Captain, "you can't think like that...WE can't think like that, if we do then it'll surely happen." Christa calmly said.
Levi raised his head, confused, "We? What did you feel towards him anyways?" He asked.
Christa's cheeks were bright red, "I-it was platonic! I admire him and I have great respect towards him!" Christa tried to cover up the fact that she had feelings for Armin.
"But he's probably safe on another island, but we have to think of a way to find Armin and get back to civilization!" Christa encouraged the Captain, but deep down, he was still saddened.

Meanwhile...

I was having so much fun with Annie that I couldn't imagine leaving her world.
Annie kept reminding me that it's not safe for me to be here.
It's been 3 days and I was supposed to leave 2 days ago, but I know why I'm still here, it's because Annie couldn't imagine me leaving either.

Annie brought Armin to a large gateway but this gateway had no doors or anything.
"Where are we? Where does this lead to?" Armin looked over to a soft smiling Annie.
"You said you wanted to meet other merpeople right?" Armin's smile widened with excitement and quickly swam towards the entrance.
Annie rolled her eyes and smiled at the excited boy, quickly following him inside.

Armin couldn't stop smiling at seeing the merpeople.
He also felt extremely nervous about going up to talk to them since Levi raised him on the ship without socializing with anybody.
Armin looked around to see not only the beauty of the ocean, but what made the ocean beautiful.
Taking notice of couples of same-sex and different-sex, and small merchildren playing around.
"Hey, you alright?" Annie snapped Armin back into reality.
"I'm alright...it's just that for so many years I've never been in a place where people had...actual fun..." Armin looked down sadly.
Annie looked at Armin's sad filled eyes.

"Well look on the bright side, at least try to enjoy your time here while you still have the chance." Annie smiled at Armin.
Armin smiled, "I guess you're right" Armin laughed a little.
Annie's eyes gleamed from hearing Armin's laugh, except that she tried to hide it but failed at doing so.

She slowly backed away from Armin but was instead pushed back from someone bumping into her by accident.
Annie was pushed and landed on Armin's chest, Both Armin and Annie's eyes widened.
They both looked into each other's eyes.

Armin was feeling many different types of emotions, he was happy, nervous, and felt something that he's barely ever felt in years.
Annie wasn't sure whether to be nervous or happy, she's always felt empty since her parents passed away years ago.
But something lit up inside them that was more than happiness.

They both felt love...

The two of them started leaning towards each other...until...

"Annie!!" Two male voices broke up their moment.
Armin and Annie both looked over to see a tall blonde haired merman who is more muscular than Armin, and another merman with slick back dark brown colored hair.
"And who do we have here?" The blonde merman said, in a rather seducing voice.

"It's kind of rude not to introduce us to this cute looking merman.." Annie glared at her blonde friend.
"Guys, this is Armin, Armin these are my...idiotic 'friends' well one of them is more of an idiot than the other, Reiner and Marcel." Armin looked at the two mermen sort of awkwardly.
"And any friend of Annie's is a friend of ours" Marcel kindly smiled, Armin felt more comfortable around Marcel then with Reiner.
"Pleased to meet you two" Armin said.