Under the stars is the sparkling, heart pounding sound of the "sea beat"

Prologue

                      A coincidence
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  A small girl stood in the silent but powerful waves of the ocean. Part of her brown hair was bundled up into tiny ponytails at the side and she wore a pink cardigan with a purple checkered skirt. She remembered that her parents warned her not to go out into the sea late at night but something about the way the waves lapped at her feet just seemed... enchanting. 

  To the left, it was the sea. To the right it was the sea. Nothing could be more comforting than the notion of peace, quiet and the sound of the ocean.

  The moon was shining and the stars were blazing, a perfect night sky on a perfect day. 

  The girl in the sea then noticed another detail which she had left out : a single, solemn star floating about. 

  Its glow was radiant, reflecting the soft glow of the moon. The star sparked something in the little girl's heart, beckoning her to take hold of it. It seemed to multiply when she picked it up. No, it didn't multiply, she merely did not notice the other stars drifting on the surface, forming a trail.

  Children are rumored to be rather curious creatures, and this one proved it. She edged her way to pick up each star in her tiny hands till she could hold to no more. Desperate to keep all of them, she stuck them into her pockets, her cardigan, anywhere that could hold her treasures. 

  Luckily, the line of stars stopped at a cavern before she ran out of space. Was this here before, she asked herself. Maybe her earlier expeditions were not as throughout as this one, that was why she failed to notice the cave. 

  Peeking inside, she recognised the same glow the stars gave out. That prompted her to investigate further, and so she did.

  Gently setting down the mass of shiny objects on a flat rock at the side, she waded into the cavern.

  When the little girl came to a bend in the cave, she saw the silhouette of a person with twin ponytails on the walls. But that was not the only thing she saw. There was the shadow of a large tail.

  Could it be? The child's imagination began to wander, down to the depths of an old , lost legend. It was said that mermaids used to roam freely between the land and the sea. But a terrible disease struck, forcing the mermaids into hiding. The reason is unknown to this day.

  Excited, she ran into the opening of the cave to find another girl around her age. Her blonde hair was tied in twin tails and she wore rather perculiar clothes which she didn't know the name to yet. The blonde girl seemed shocked at her arrival as she was frozen in place.

  Their eyes interlocked, and the brown haired girl felt something stir inside her. Hearing the gentle, rhythmic crashing of the waves led her to one conclusion. This was the sound of the "sea beat" , the sound of their hearts reflected against that of the ocean and the starry sky.

  "Hello! My name is Kasumi! Nice to meet you!" The brunette flashed a toothy grin and extended her hand. Knowing that her counterpart was a mermaid did not bother her a single bit. Mermaids are cool, she thought.

  The other girl mumbled shyly, "I'm Arisa... " Having someone else in her presence must have disturbed her quite a bit. 

  Kasumi must have not sensed the other girl's unease as she continued energetically without missing a beat, "Are these stars yours? I found some floating at sea just now and they're very pretty!"

  That seemed to have softened the mood as Arisa smiled and replied, " Really? I made these myself! I think I made a bit too much, that's why you were able to find them."

  " Hey! So did you hear that sound just now when we met? It was all sparkly and heart-pounding! The 'sea beat'! You know, when you feel all sparkly inside and..." Kasumi rambled on, attempting to explain her thoughts so that Arisa would get it.

  Arisa didn't, but enjoyed listening to Kasumi's explanation. 

  "Um... Can-can we be friends? Not that I'm that lonely! But..." Before Arisa could say another word, Kasumi clasped her hands with Arisa's, eyes wide and sparkling.

  

  " We're friends now, then! ...Wah! Did you hear that? I just heard the 'sea beat' again!" Kasumi exclaimed, looking at her newfound friend. Arisa seemed to agree this time, clutching onto Kasumi's hands tightly.

  At that moment, Kasumi thought of a great idea. Without saying a word, she took the silver star-shaped necklace looped around her neck, and broke it into half.

  "Here! Take this! This will be like our proof of friendship... or something!" Kasumi chuckled, presenting the other half of her necklace. Arisa gladly took hold of it.

  

  Then silence ensued, each girl not sure of what to say. Arisa opened her mouth to say something, but her expression turned from joy into shock. There were suddenly loud noises of rushing water, the typical ones you would hear at a waterfall.

  "L-look out! The tide-!"

  Kasumi didn't have time to react. She, along with the countless stars Arisa made was swept up in the rising current. She felt her head collide with something hard and after that, nothing.