Eclipse

Chapter 22

The Next Day: Eclipse's POV

"Hey, how are you feeling??" I asked Akihiko. He smiled slightly and rubbed his head.

"I'm okay.. a little tired but, I'll be okay for a swim." He said, making me smile. I nodded, giving him a hug as Grant walked over.

"Alright you two, eat and drink something. And then we'll go."

Mini Time Skip

I smiled excitedly. I haven't gotten to swim in a while. I might be a human but I loveddddd becoming a mermaid and going down to visit Grant. We all went to the water, Grant and I obviously going first. Akihiko watched in amazement as our legs transformed to tails. I giggled, forgetting how strange it could feel.

Grant plucked a scale from his tail, rubbing the sore spot before tying a string around it and giving it to Akihiko and explaining to him how to use it. I watched and waited patiently, laughing at Akihiko's reaction to finally getting the magic to work. 

Once we dunked ourselves under water and away from the shore, Akihiko flipped a few times, trying to get used to the new buoyancy of the tails. He spun into me, knocking us back and making me laugh.

"Sorry! I just, how do you use this thing!" He said, making me keep giggling as I grabbed his hands and helped him. Grant smiled faintly and led the way. After Akihiko got the hang of swimming, the trip wasn't to long. And it helped the Grant was good at creating waves and currents with his tail to speed us along.

Once we finally reached the underwater city, Akihiko looked like he'd choke on the water, if it weren't for the fact we could breathe it now. I patted his back as he followed us quickly to where Grant's dad lived. As soon as we knocked and the door opened, Akaashi grabbed Grant and pulled him inside.

"Woah- hi dad-" He said, Akaashi letting out an overly concerned breath. Akaashi said hello to me, giving me a tight hug as well before curiously looking at Akihiko. Grant looked at me and Akihiko with a small smile.

"Why don't you show Akihiko around while I talk to my dad?" He said. I nodded, grabbing Akihiko's hand and dragging him out of the building. I of course first showed him the archives where Grant and I have spent countless hours reading and... maybeeee or maybe no pranking other merfolk with the glowing fish. 

There wasn't a ton in the city honestly, so I took Akihiko out of it to show him other wonders down here. I wanted to show him the Loch Ness Monster. On our way, I was tackled by someone. And not playfully either. I grunted as I hit a bed of sea flowers... I was glad it was that instead of a coral bed. Where I have indeed fallen in and it hurts, a lot. 

Once I opened my eyes, I saw a mermaid look down at me with a grin. No, she wasn't a mermaid. She was a siren. Grant had warned me about them. She had fire red hair, Akihiko looking like he was trapped by the tail from several eels holding onto him. Agh... Curse Sirens and their abilities to charm creatures.

"I saw you come from the mer-city. And I saw you with the prince." She said with a grin, flipping her tail at me. I narrowed my eyes at her as she sighed.

"Look I really don't wanna hurt either of you. I'm not my dad. But I am pissed at the prince. So if you could be so kind as to tell me where he is now?" She asked with a smile. 

"Why would I tell you?"

"Because see those eels holding your friend?? They're electric. I can ask them to wrap around him higher and higher until his brain is fried."

"He is innocent."

"Yeah, but the prince isn't."

"What did he even do?"

"Tsk, he hurt my dad."

"....Can't you be more specific than that."

"I could. But I don't want to." She said with a smile. I blinked a few times before saying.

"...Is your dad named Satori Ushijima and Wakatoshi Ushijima???"

"..How do you know??"

"Uhhhh. I've. Heard of them." I said with an awkward smile. The siren raised her brows with curiosity before shaking her head.

"Never mind how you know them. Now just tell me where the prince is."

"I dunno where he is."

"You're lying."

"So are you."

"What?"

"You won't hurt my friend."

"Oh yeah? How do you know."

"Because, I can tell you've Never harmed a creature in your life." I said. The siren looking at me a bit confused.

"..And how would you know that."

"Because people who have no issue hurting other living creatures, no matter how big or small they are, don't act like you. If you really wanted, you could have done a lot worse to us. Plus. Those aren't electric eels." I said, the girl huffing at me. She hissed slightly and the eels let go of Akihiko and swam off.

I smiled and got up from the flowerbed, rubbing my back as the siren watched in silence. She seemed irritated before swishing her tail.

"...I'll find the prince myself..!" She said in frustration, swimming off quickly as Akihiko swam over to me.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a worried look. I nodded with a small smile.

"I'm okay, you?"

"Yeah I'm fine. So... how did you know that the siren wouldn't hurt us??"

"Because I've seen people who hurt others. They don't look that innocent." I said, Akihiko shrugging and looking down at his tail. We both made sure his tail wasn't injured before deciding it best we go back to the city and see the Loch Ness Monster another day. 

While swimming back, there was a dark shadow cast over us. I looked up, squinting to see that it looked like a ship. I stared at it moving for a bit before smiling excitedly.

"Hey! That's Kuroo and Kenma's ship!"

"Who??"

"The pirates Grant talked about."

"...Aren't, aren't pirates mean."

"Not these ones. Plus, I'm friends with them and they're friends with my dads. C'mon, let's go catch them and save Grant the trouble of tracking them down later."