The Merman and the Prince

Chapter 15

I leant against a tree as I watched Akashi talking to a group of men and women who made up the council who ran the small village on Teiko. Two days had passed since I had found out about Akashi and his people. I had been shocked at the start but then I had become excited. Where there other merfolk here? At that Akashi's smile had faded. I was the first merman he had seen in over fifty years. My people had fled for deeper and safer waters and didn't have contact with humans at all. That had been the biggest blow to me. I was all alone. After that I had spent a lot of time by myself, thinking of my future and the people of Teiko. Some were the children of merfolk others the siblings. They all had the smallest trickle of mer blood running through their veins. Not enough to become targets for the hunters but enough to give them healthier and longer lives. I was shocked to discover that Akashi's crew had also lived as long as him. They had been on the ships when he had been taken to the other mer tribe when he was a baby.

Akashi's laugh echoed around and I watched as he clasped hands with one of the men, his smile huge on his face. He was himself here but in the outside world he portrayed a heartless pirate. He had so much blood on his hands, had endured so much pain to save his people. I found my heart reaching out to him. I wanted to hold him and preserve that smile. I loved both sides of him. My pirate prince.

"Kurochin."

I turned to see Murasakibara walk over to me, as usual he had a bag of sweets in his hands. I was shocked to see a group of perhaps ten children following behind him, each of them munching on candy. As they stopped before me he reached in and grabbed a sweet vanilla one and I gladly popped it in my mouth.

"The kids wanted to ask you something."

I turned to the children and one of the ones in front, a tall boy perhaps nine years old with black hair pipped up.

"Are you really a merman?"

I nodded my head and they all gasped.

"Can we see?"

I raised an eyebrow, not sure of what they wanted.

"Your scales. We want to see them!"

I turned to Murasakibara who spread his hands in apology.

"You're like a shiny new toy Kurochin."

Looking at the children, their eyes wide and hopeful on their faces I sighed.

"Why not? Let's go down to the water."

"Yay!"

They cheered and swarmed around me and Murasakibara, almost herding us down to the beach. Two little ones grabbed my hands and began chatting about my blue hair. I met Akashi's bemused gaze and smiled back, shrugging my shoulders as we headed away. When we reached the beach the children stopped, looking at me in anticipation. With a flourish I stepped into the water and reached down, scooping up the water and splashing it on my face and arms. A collective gasp ran around them as my hair took on its glowing hue and the scales formed on my arms and cheeks. They rushed forward, hands fluttering over my arms and legs and I was knocked off balance and toppled into the water with the children. Naturally what followed was a water fight and the beach was filled with giggles and squeals as we chased each other around. Those villagers working nearby and fishing in the bay smiled as they watched us.

"Look it's the Kaijo!"

I turned to see one of the kids pointing at another ship that was sailing through the small passage way and they began to yell and wave. I could see some figures on the deck waving back and the boy who had first talked to me grabbed my hand.