Author's Note:
Wah-oh, it's part two! I don't really know what to say, so enjoy!
-Sugar
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After swimming for more than a full day, the two friends arrived at a trench.
"This is where it said she lived," Mirio remarked, glancing down at the flyer in his hands.
"There." Tamaki pointed to a faintly glowing cave on the opposite side.
They swam over to it, halting just at the entrance to peek inside.
A mermaid bustled around, jars clinking together as she held them in her arms before placing them on various shelves. Luminescent purple seaweed grew on the ceiling, throwing the cavern in a warm magenta light. Shelves and tables were scattered haphazardly around, overflowing with objects ranging in size and shape.
Mirio confidently swam in, giving powerful flicks of his tail while Tamaki trailed after him, keeping the movements of his own tail fast and small. Mirio sent a ping in the mermaid's direction, getting her focus enough to turn around.
Light periwinkle hair floated around her head, perfectly framing a round, cheerful face. She appeared to be the same age as the two mermen, which surprised them.
"Hi!" she waved, swimming up to them still holding an armful of jars. "How can I help you?"
"Would you know how to turn a merman into a human?" Mirio asked.
A jolt went through her body in reaction to Mirio's question. Some of the jars fell out of her grip and slowly sank down in the water around her. Tamaki bent to pick them up, but the mermaid paid no attention to them.
"That kind of stuff . . . ? It's complicated," she muttered. "It's not the most legal thing either . . . ."
Mirio slumped, having let his hopes grow for his friend.
"But it's not impossible!" The mermaid's demeanor changed back to bubbly and bright. "I hear of it happening quite a lot on the black market! You're lucky I'm not a crab in the muck when it comes to following rules like that. Is it for you?"
Mirio glanced at Tamaki. "Not quite. It's for my friend here."
The blue-haired mermaid finally looked at him. Tamaki offered her jars back to her, a sheepish look on his face.
"I see," she said, accepting them. "What do you plan to do with a pair of human legs?"
Tamaki blushed, floating backward a bit and fidgeting with his hands before answering. "There's this girl on the island—"
"A GIRL?!" The mermaid barreled into him, dropping all her jars now in order to take hold of Tamaki's shoulders. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?!" She shook him a little hard, her loud voice pinging around in the water.
"Uhh—" Tamaki began, made extremely uncomfortable in his situation.
"You're in love!" she practically sang, finally leaning back out of his face.
"Hey," Mirio clicked, putting a gentle hand on the girl's arm, having noticed his friend's distress.
Unfazed, she turned to him, clasping her hands together. "And you're the wingman-best friend! How adorable! I have never been so excited to help a customer before!" Finally she backed up, exiting the boys' personal space. "I'm Nejire Hado. It's a pleasure doing business with you!" She extended a hand to Mirio, who shook it, smiling.
"I'm Togata Mirio, and this is my friend Amajiki Tamaki."
Tamaki waved as Nejire's eyes turned to meet his at the mention of his name.
"So let's see," she signed, releasing Mirio and fully turning her attention to his friend. "You're trying to impress a human girl, so you're going to want to look pretty human. Come with me."
She led them deeper into the cave and around a bend that had been invisible from the outside. This room was far smaller and darker compared to the main one, and Tamaki needed a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. The merpeople could naturally see in the dark, but even this was proving difficult for him.
Nejire swished her tail over a patch of algae growing on the floor. The disturbance in the water around it caused it to glow a deep blue, somewhat raising the light level in the room.
"So you want to turn into a human." Nejire leaned forward, her face pensive as she held her thumb and forefinger to her chin. The blue glow of the floor eerily underlit her features. "Have you met this girl? Like actually talked to her?" she asked.
Tamaki swallowed. "No, not yet."
"So you won't want a potion. Those don't tend to last." She turned from him and went to a shelf on one of the slanting walls. Nejire selected a chest from the shelf and pulled it down. She then turned to a small table near her, clearing its surface with a swipe of her arm before setting it down. Trinkets slowly floated down to the floor below, the algae glowing even brighter to mark where they settled. The mermaid opened the chest, rummaging around for a minute, occasionally placing an object on the table next to it.
"Aha!" Nejire lifted a necklace out of the chest, her eyes glimmering at her find. It was a simple cord with a single shell intricately tied to the center of it. "This should do the trick," she said, closing the chest and swimming back up to the boys. "Just put it on and you'll have legs! You'll also be able to speak to the first human that touches you, so make sure it's her."
"Awesome!" Mirio said, studying the necklace. "How much for it?"
Nejire faltered for a moment. "You're right. I'm really not supposed to sell this . . . my mother . . . . How much do you have?"
Mirio gripped the bag that was slung around his shoulders. It held the combined majority of both his and Tamaki's savings, which, to say the least, wasn't much. Tamaki had tried to insist that Mirio didn't have to help him in payment, but they both had to admit, something as rare and challenging as turning a merman into a human was going to be pricey at minimum.
The blond merman held out the bag to the mermaid, allowing her to take it and peek inside. She frowned and looked up at Tamaki. "You like this girl?"
He nodded, vigorously.
"You're going to treat her right?"
"Of course!"
She flexed her gills. "It's settled then. I'll only take half your money for it."
Mirio's eyes shone in the blue light. "Really?"
"It's for love." Nejire leaned back, clasping her hands together and waving her caudal fins. "I wish someone could do that for me . . . . No matter. I will want it back though."
"What?" Tamaki asked.
"You see," the mermaid said, running her fingers along the side of their bag, "there's a bit of a catch to the magic."
Tamaki and Mirio both stiffened, wondering what new obstacle they would have to overcome.
"The magic only lasts for one full cycle of the moon," she continued, glancing back up at the men before her. "Once your time is up, you won't be able to use it anymore. I would like to have it back by then, so someone else might enjoy it."
"A moon? That's it?" Tamaki asked, growing nervous. Well, more nervous than usual.
"Yes. Put it on, thirty days later you can't have legs anymore. That's how it works."
"But—isn't there something a little more . . . permanent?" Tamaki asked.
Both Nejire and Mirio looked at him.
"You want to be human . . . forever?" Mirio asked.
"I just want to be with her!" Tamaki said, suddenly defensive. "I don't care if I'm a merman or not, I just want to be able to meet her and talk to her. Geez, guys, I don't even know if she likes me back!"
"Tamaki." Mirio pulled him a length away from Nejire, who suddenly became very interested in studying the coins in their bag. He turned his back to her, hunching his shoulders so it would be more difficult for her to make out his hand gestures. "What if you do decide you like her? Is that going to be it? Am I going to lose you?"
Tamaki's gills flared. He hadn't thought of it like that yet. "No! Of course not! I can still visit . . . sorta. Besides, it's not like you'll be alone. You get along with everyone—"
"But you're my best friend, Tamaki," Mirio put one of his hands on Tamaki's shoulder, looking into his eyes in earnest. "I want you to be a part of my life."
Tamaki swallowed, his gills gently pulsing. "Isn't it a little early for talk like this? We don't even have a solution. I could get up there and she's already wed to someone else."
"He's right."
The two of them jumped at the clicks and pings breaking the silence of the cave. Nejire had, in fact, been watching them.
"You have a month to figure this out," she said. "It's useless to fret now."
"A month . . . ." Tamaki echoed.
She playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, that's plenty of time! You're already head over fins for her! That's like, a third of the work. Woo her with your charmingly awkward personality! You'll be a couple of kissy gouramis in no time!"
Tamaki blushed at the image, turning to hide his face in his hands.
Neijire swam back to her table and poured out the coins, counting them up and dividing them in half. She swept one pile back into the bag along with the necklace, thrusting it into Mirio's hands. "Now go!" she said, pumping a fist up in the water. "Find love!"
Tamaki peeked out from under his fingers, watching as she somersaulted in the water.
Nejire paused for a moment, pointing accusingly at him. "Whatever you do, don't. Lose. The pendant. That's the only rule. Bring it back when you're done, and I won't say anything. Deal?"
Tamaki nodded, seeing Mirio clench the bag around his shoulders a little tighter in his grip.
"What would happen if I took it off?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the bag. "Would it end early?"
Nejire waved a hand. "You can take it off and turn back into a merman anytime, it won't affect anything. But I'm serious about you not losing it. Try not to take it off too much."
"Okay," Tamaki agreed, returning his eyes to hers.
"Is that all?" Nejire finally asked, cocking her head.
All? I'm completely changing my life . . . .
"Yes," Tamaki said, allowing a small smile onto his face as he nodded. "Thank you so much."
"No problem." Nejire beamed.
"Nejire?" Mirio asked.
The mermaid turned, looking at him questioningly.
"Have you ever been human before?"
She offered him a small smile. "Not yet. Maybe someday when I'm older." She grinned wider and patted Tamaki's shoulder. "Be sure to tell me all about it when you bring my pendant back to me! Give me some pointers for how to blend in. Or maybe I shouldn't blend in. That would be fun. Seeing all those land people and being like 'Hi humans!' Do you think they would stare at me? Would they kill me? Isn't it exciting just thinking about it? Are you excited? I'm excited for you. Are you going to tell her you're actually a merman or keep it secret? Ooh, I already can't wait to hear how it goes!"
Tamaki's back hit the wall, a nervous smile on his face as the bubbly mermaid pushed him farther back with each question radiating off her flying hands. "Uhh, sure."
"Come on, Tamaki!" Mirio pinged, already near the entrance back into the main room. Tamaki sheepishly ducked around her to follow after his friend. "Thank you!" Mirio called behind his shoulder.
"My pleasure!" Nejire clicked back.
The two exited her cave, beginning on the long journey back home.
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"Ready?" Mirio asked, holding the necklace up for Tamaki to see.
The black-haired merman swallowed, shaking his head.
"Come on, Tamaki. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Everything."
Mirio frowned. "Okay, maybe you have a point. Let's just run over the plan one more time. Sound good?"
"Yeah."
The two friends were about half a mile from the shore, just able to see the edge of the black rocks leading up to the island. The sea was darker than usual today, which only reflected on Tamaki's mood. He didn't like the way the surface of the water moved above their heads, but Mirio assured him he had nothing to worry about.
"You're going to swim towards the surface and put this on. Then you're going to meet her and confess your feelings! You show her how awesome you are and maybe take her out or something, and then boom! She'll love you back. Guarantee."
Tamaki chewed on the inside of his lip, eyeing the shell hanging on the necklace. "How should I say it? What should I tell her? I can't exactly confess to having been watching her for almost two months!"
Mirio tapped his chin. "True . . . . Just tell her that she's really pretty and you like her a lot and you want to get to know her. Simple as that."
"Simple . . . . Should I tell her I'm a merman?"
Mirio put on his thinking face again. "Maybe not right away—although lying is never a good idea. Maybe just wait to mention it? Nah, you should tell her."
"She'll just think I'm crazy."
"Then take off the necklace and show her! It's not that hard."
Tamaki mulled over his friend's words in his mind. They were slightly comforting, sure, but he couldn't help but feel near sick with how nervous he was. Him? Alone? In a completely different world with his crush? That just smelled like disaster to him, and every nerve in his body was screaming to swim away.
And yet, his heart . . . it had different feelings. Tamaki thought of your angelic face and how your voice carried over the water into his ears. He longed to join you on that beach, clasping your hand in his and intertwining his voice with yours.
"You can do it! You can do it!" Mirio chanted before him, snatching Tamaki out of his thoughts.
"Alright, I'm going."
Mirio flipped in the water, unable to contain his excitement. "Good. She'll be there in a few minutes, right?"
Tamaki nodded.
"Make sure you get there first. And don't let anyone else touch you until she does."
Tamaki nodded again.
"Don't forget to come visit me!" Mirio teased. "I want to meet her too! Good luck!"
Tamaki took the necklace from his hands, finally turning away from his friend. He swam out into the rocks, just as he'd done nearly every day since he'd first caught a glimpse of you. He took one last look at his friend, who was already little more than a speck in the distance.
Tamaki glanced down at his tail for what would be the last time in . . . a moon? Hopefully. He liked his tail. It was a deep indigo that would sometimes look almost black when the light shifted off of it. Purply-blue frills came off the sides, shifting with the motion of the water. He was sad to see his tail go, but he knew it wouldn't be for forever. He took a final deep breath of seawater, slipping the necklace over his head, ready for what the next month would ensue.
Actually, he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready at all.
A burning sensation erupted in his tail, making Tamaki's back arch in shock. It felt like his scales were being individually sucked back into his body as pale skin the same shade of his top half began to spread along its surface. It began to split in half; muscles and bones reworking themselves, shrinking and expanding and duplicating. His lower region suddenly went completely numb, as if he'd been severed at the navel. He went still, just floating in shock, wondering if it was over until a new sense of feeling flared through him.
The water he was encased in was suddenly cold, so cold Tamaki couldn't take it, curling in on himself and trying to wrap his arms around his chest. He tried taking in a breath, and at first, it worked, but then his gills laid flat against his neck, fading flush into his skin. He could feel his lungs growing within him, expanding to fill his chest cavity. The newly adjusted organs burned, aching for air which he could not provide. A small stream of seawater flooded his mouth, making him spit it back out again at the overwhelmingly salty taste. He needed to get to the surface. Why had he done it so far away?
Silently cursing himself, Tamaki tried to kick his way up. His new legs felt clumsy and weak; nothing compared to the powerful tail he was so used to. He began to use his arms, eventually finding a rhythm that successfully brought him closer to air. But it wasn't fast enough. His vision was already fading, his pulse throbbing in his ears. Finally his head broke the surface, allowing him to suck in a breath before a wave crashed over his head, pushing him back down. Tamaki couldn't take it anymore, using the last of his strength to desperately try to cling to a rock near him. He missed in his exhausted state, and another wave pushed him closer to shore, his head colliding painfully with one of the black rocks.
Deprived of oxygen, more exhausted than he'd ever been in his entire life, and now with a horrible, stinging pain encompassing his skull, Tamaki finally slipped into the darkness that had been calling his name.
To be continued . . . .
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Author's Note:
Sorry, not sorry ｡◕‿◕｡
-Sugar