The Hopeless Mermaid

"Happy birthday Makoto Naegi!" A loud shout filled the luxurious yacht as fireworks were released into the dark sky. The young prince was celebrating his eighteenth birthday today with his royal friends and ship crew.
"This is for you, Prince Naegi." The Prince of a neighbouring kingdom, Byakuya Togami, said to him, leading him over to a large object covered by a large sheet. "From myself and my dear Fiancée, Celestia Ludenberg." He said regally, pulling off the large sheet to reveal a life size statue of Makoto. He was taken aback by it, not expecting something like that from Byakuya.
"Oh wow. Thank you." He smiled and bowed, Byakuya returning the bow. He smiled and walked off to greet other guests, leaving Makoto to stare at the statue.

Just away from the ship, a young mermaid surfaced. She awkwardly brushed her short black hair out of her face, looking up at the boat. She'd been drawn up by the fireworks, and was in awe. She was always in awe of human things. Another merman swam up to join her, her closest friend Kiyotaka Ishimaru.
"Whoa." He said in awe, still looking up at the boat and the fireworks. While he was temporarily distracted, Mukuro decided to swim closer. "Hey, wait!" Taka called to her, swimming fast to catch up to her. She managed to climb up part of the boat, sitting where she could see on to the deck while still remaining hidden. She was watching everything going on with interest. She'd never seen a human this close before. She was instantly drawn to one in particular, Prince Makoto. He smiled brightly and danced around to the music being played on board the yacht. One smile even seemed to be shot her way despite the fact Mukuro was certain she couldn't be seen. It sent her heart beating like crazy, and she quickly found herself falling back into the water with a splash right next to Ishimaru. "Mukuro-san?" Taka asked, waving his hand in front of her face once she has resurfaced. She had a dreamy look on her face, staring in the direction of the boat. He'd never seen her like this before.
"I think I'm in love..." she said softly, still watching the boat. She didn't even flinch for a moment. Taka shook his head, forcibly turning her head so she was looking at him.
"Love? Girl, no." He said with a hint of sass in his voice. "You've known this guy for barely a minute. You don't even know his name. No way are you in any kind of love." He told her, folding his arms. She didn't seem to be listening to him, turning back to stare at the boat.

The party was in full swing with no sign of slowing down when a large crack of thunder could be heard. There had been some thunder and sign of an incoming storm, but nobody had paid attention. Now there was no ignoring it, especially with the large waves crashing into the side of the ship. The storm was coming fast, and it had become dangerous to be on that ship which was showing signs of sinking and burning.
"Prince Makoto!" One of the crew members called, getting the attention of the prince. "This way." He shouted, leading the prince over to a lifeboat. A few other nobles were already onboard, ready to evacuate the ship. He shakily climbed aboard, the lifeboat being lowered into the water as soon as he was on. He wasn't even that secure, wobbling about. One large wave was all it took to send him tumbling into the water. The boat was pushed away, and Makoto was pulled under.

Mukuro had been watching the storm, but the moment she saw Makoto fall into the cold water she sprung into action. She swam down after him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She pulled him up, feeling his body go limp in her arms. She held him tightly, looking for something she could put him on to make it easier to take him to land. The ship he had been traveling on was being turned to a shipwreck right before her eyes, but she wasn't afraid. She'd seen more incidents like this than she cared to admit. She eventually found a piece of debris large enough to support his body weight, swimming over to it and placing him on top of it. She checked to make sure he was still breathing, even though he was clearly unconscious, before deciding it would be best to take him to a beach not that far away. She was unaware that the beach was part of his own kingdom.

She pushed him on to shore as the sun rose, sighing quietly. She'd been swimming all night, and was starting to feel tired. She smiled softly, finally able to admire him up close. He was really cute.
"What would I give to live where you are? What would I pay to stay here beside you?
What would I do to see you smiling at me?" She began to quietly sing, her beautiful voice causing Makoto to stir. His eyes opened, looking up at the girl in front of him, rendered speechless by her beauty. "Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun? Just you and me, and I could be part of your world...!" She sang, not even realising he was waking up. She could've stayed there forever, but the shouts of other humans caused her to retreat back to the safety of the cool water.
"Naegi-sama!" Makoto looked up, seeing two castle workers running over to him. He looked around the beach, noticing the mysterious girl was gone. Nowhere in sight. He stood up quickly, gagging and almost vomiting. He'd stood up much too quickly.
"Where is she?" He asked, looking around a little desperately. He wanted to find the mysterious girl who had saved his life that he felt an instant attraction to.
"What do you mean?" One of the castle workers asked, reaching Makoto. He held the young prince up, seeing he was unsteady on his feet right now.
"There was a girl. She saved me, then disappeared." Makoto said. He knew he hadn't hallucinated her, he would've been dead if she hadn't saved his life, but she'd disappeared in the space of ten seconds. He sighed when he realised she was clearly not here anymore. "What about the others?" He asked, leaning on the castle worker.
"They arrived earlier this morning, your highness." The castle worker told him, starting to lead him off the beach. He nodded, going with him. He was relieved they were safe, sure, but all he could think about was that girl.