Chapter Text
He was the man
Of Makoto Tachibana's dreams
A beautiful smile
And a great pair of fins.
"Do you what you're going to do after you graduate Makoto?" Rei asked as we were walking home. I was walking with my two best friends Rei and Rin. Rei was the most smartest guy I knew and Rin had shark teeth...enough said. The question itself didn't bother me just the looming ominous future waiting a head. I didn't know what I was going to do. It almost didn't seem real. I knew for certain that I wanted to help people. I had this silly dream once that I could be a fire fighter. Maybe...it was still possible. "Do you even have to ask Rei?" Rin commented sharply as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You know Makoto is going to be a fucking saint, shoot, he even might be the next Pope." I blushed. I didn't think I was all that good. "Rin, Makoto isn't even Catholic."
"Yeah well a saints a saint...so maybe a nun." I waved my hands hoping this conversation is short lived. "I don't know really what I'm going to do yet," I said looking at the setting sun. "All I know is that I want to be positive and be with you guys as long as I can." It was quiet for a moment till I heard Rin's deep chuckle. "What a fucking nun." Rei rolled his eyes and I laughed along with him. I wanted to be with my friends and share these laughs together. The thing about fun is that it seems to go by so fast that all you have to remember it by is the sweet feeling it leaves in your body. "Well ladies this is my stop." Rin bared his shark teeth and reached his hand over his shoulder. "Bye Rin! Have a good night!" He scoffed but I could tell he was touched that I cared. "Bye Rin...don't get in trouble." Rin flipped off Rei and we waved goodbye till we couldn't see him anymore.
After Rei left to go home I decided to go by the pier near my house. It was were I always went to clear my head. The sound of the waves crashing, the sky and it's beautiful colors. Something about it made me feel tranquil. The sand crushed beneath my sneakers as the sky was a pretty orange and pink. I sighed. Maybe the future won't be so bad. That's the scary thing...not knowing what the future holds. I then tripped over a huge object. "Holy cow!" My whole body turned into a pretzel on the ground. Thank god no one saw that. Then something caught my eye. "What the-" I had to blink a couple to make sure what I was seeing was real. He- he had...a...tail. "Oh my Lord!" I covered my hand over my mouth. No one was here to witness this...merman! Mermaid? I'm not sure. My clothes were covered in sand and my book bag was flung over my shoulder so I had no clue where it was. I could only see the back of his head, he had black hair and his frame was small. His tail was a pretty light blue, almost gray. It looked the soapy water after you wash dishes. Oh no...is he ok? I crawled over to him. I tentatively and apprehensively flipped him over. His skin was surprisingly smooth and very soft. Please be ok. I wouldn't know what to do with a dead mermaid. I gasped. He was...beautiful. Really Makoto? Beautiful? I shook my head and bent my ear to his chest to make sure he was breathing. His chest fell and rose against my cheek. Poor guy. How did he end up all the way over here? His bangs were plastered over his forehead and he had full lips that were slightly parted. He looked...peaceful. I smiled at him. I knew I was freaking out internally because my whole life adults told me, "Mermaids don't exist, monsters, none of that exist." Rei was usually that person who told me that. So now I felt like you know what Rei and said adults, Ariel is real so you can just go home...or not whatever makes you happy. I glanced over back to his shiny tail and noticed he had a hook speared into his fin. "Oh no." The water splashed against my knees and I lightly grabbed the slimy fin. He was probably in a lot of pain. I quickly took it out, it was pretty big for a hook and it was rusted. I wanted to punch who ever put this in him. I clipped the hook to my belt loop. His fin know had a massive rip. I wanted to cry. He probably was scared and now he's washed up on some shore. Then he jolted up screaming which in turn made me scream. His big blue eyes were filled with fear and he started chocking violently. I gripped his shoulders, trying to show him that he was ok. "You're ok now." Hopefully he understood English. He stopped screaming but he was breathing heavily. "You're ok now." His breathing started to slow down and I placed my hand where his heart would be. It was beating fast, I could feel each erratic thump. "Who are you?" He asked slapping my hand away. "I'm..." I never thought in a million years I'd be having a conversation with a mermaid. I'd expected more singing. "I'm Makoto...wait! You can speak English!" I said excitedly. He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "I'm talking to you now aren't I? Geez...humans..." I felt really dumb right about now. I insulted him not even three minutes in. "Do you know where you are?" He bit hip lip and looked back at me. His eyes were really beautiful. They looked like the ocean, big and blue. "Yes...I don't remember much though.." He looked at his tail and noticed the hook was missing. I pulled from my belt loop and showed him. "I took it out, I'm sorry that this happened to you." He looked shocked and his mouth formed a 'o'. He then grabbed the hook from me and studies it carefully. He had long fingers that wrapped around the sharp edges. "Careful." I thought of Ren and Ran when they play with safety scissors. How innocent he gazed upon what hurt him so badly. "Thank you." He said giving it back to me. "I'm Haru...I'm running away from my home." He looked sad and played his fingers. He ran,well, swimmed away from home? "I'll make sure you're safe from now on...can you...like be on land?" Hopefully The Little Mermaid was based on fact. He turned his body and tried crawling his way up from the water. I got up and studied his movements. "My friend told me that once a mermaid is dry then he grows legs," He grunted as he tried pulling himself to the dry sand. I helped him by grabbing his hand. We were...holding hands. "But he also likes crushed coral on his food so I wouldn't trust him completely." He was now on the the little mound of sand. He flipped over and rested his arms on his sides. I got my book bag and dusted the sand off it. I then put the hook in there so no one else can get hurt from it. "Why did you help me? Aren't you scared?" He sounded like I should have been. Like he was unworthy of helping. I don't know why I did it. It's just it my nature...he looked like he needed help so I did. "You looked like you needed saving, I'm sorry if I offended you." I grabbed a towel from my bag and wrapped it around his now up right body. He was shivering. "No-it's ok...you're just the first overly nice human I've meant." His cheeks were flushed and gripped on tightly to the towel. "It's almost night time," I said noticing the sky was getting darker. I didn't want to leave him here alone. I wondered what he was thinking. "Just leave me...I'm ok." His lips were blue and his teeth were clanking against each other. No way was I leaving him. Then I saw a flash of light. It looked like a mini fire work show. I laughed excitedly. The light stopped and I didn't see his tail, but two thin, pale legs who belong to a very naked man. I blushed deeply. "Woah it worked! Your friend was right!" I covered my hand in front of me so I only saw the top half of him. "It work..." He whispered, he ran a finger over his leg. He looked so happy and it made my heart well up in my chest. "I'm finally free." He tried getting up but he failed miserably. I tried not to look...it was so hard. I took of my shirt and without looking at him I held it in front of him. "What's this?" He asked taking it in his fingers. "A shirt. You put it on over your head." He placed it over his head and it looked like a big dress on him. I was more broad and much taller then him. Woah. I was taller then him. I looked down and he reacted to my chest. I was around six feet and I felt like a giant compared to him. He looked up at me and felt my whole face heat up. He looked really cute in my shirt. Really Makoto! You just meant him don't go falling in love with him! "Wrap the towel around your waist." I picked up the towel and he folded the towel around himself. His shivering has gone down. I looked and noticed that his left foot was all bloody. It was probably the fin with the hook in it. "Can you walk?" Instead of answering me he tried walking a head but failed miserably. "Damn it. I thought it'd be easier." He grumbled, dusting sand off of him. "Can I carry you?" I asked before even thinking. I covered my mouth, hoping I didn't sound to eager. "Why? Are you taking me to your reef?" Gosh why did he have to be so adorable! "Um, to my house which is like my reef, but yeah." He stroked his chin. He could stand up right just fine but the actual moving of the feet proved to be a problem. "Will you use me for experiments?" I couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious. "No...I just want to help you." He pouted and eyed me up and down. I felt nervous and I bit my lip as his eyes came back to mine. "Ok... I trust you. But you have to promise me Makoto that you will show me your human ways like teaching me how to walk and I will grant you one wish for helping me." I tried to contain my excitement. Wish? Mermaids can do that? I had so many questions running through my head. How do I keep it from mom and why did he run away from home? All I knew right now was I didn't want him to go away. I was intrigued my him. I needed to help him. "Ok Haru," I liked the way his name sounded on my tongue. "I will help you." He nodded. He looked like he had a million questions as well. "Alright...do you want me to carry you now..?" I was pretty awkward but he didn't seem to mind. He came over to me and he wrapped his arms around my neck. My heart fluttered in my chest. Here we go. I picked him up and he weighed almost to nothing. His legs dangled over my arms and he gripped my neck tightly. "Don't let go." I won't let you go Haru. I looked into his blue eyes, wishing I could swim in them. I will never let you go. My bag was over my shoulder and I could feel his body under my bare chest. It was like carrying a rag doll. Man, Rei and Rin were going to lose their minds. Do I tell them? I mean how can I keep him a secret? I don't want Haru to get in any trouble because of me. "I can speak 16 other languages besides English," Haru said bringing me back from my thoughts. "Hmm..that's cool." From judging Haru I could tell he was shy and mostly kept to himself. I wanted to know what he was thinking. He looked like he was lost in a different world. "I can also speak dolphin." I bit my lip from chuckling. So he was thinking about dolphins. He had a serious expression on his face and was being cool about this whole thing. His warm breaths tickle my neck. His skin feels more and and more feverish. Can mermaids get colds? I tighten my grip on him and I realize he's... a sleep. I kiss his fore head with out even thinking. I hope he didn't feel it. I'm so stupid sometimes. We're getting closer to my house and I'm praying mom and dad and the kiddos are sleeping too. The street lights turn projecting white light. The sky is officially dark. I climb up the steps and fish my keys from my pocket. What a day. I try ignore Haru's soft hairs tickling my earlobe as I adjusted his weight under my fore arm. I unlock the door and it's dark inside. I let out a relieved sigh. I shut the door and hurry into my room. I don't turn on a light but I have my Orca Whale night light I bought from sea world years ago. I lay Haru down gently on my bed and hastily comb through my messy drawer filled with crap (not crap to me cause it's sentiment but Rin thinks it's crap) and I find my night light and plug it in. I remember Haru's foot. I need something to clean it. I go onto my bathroom and get a wash cloth, rubbing alcohol, and some bandage. I knell beside my bed and pick up his ankle. I rubbed the now wet wash cloth gently against his feet trying not to wake him up. He starts to snore so I think I'm good to go. I cover him up in blankets and stare down at the merman. I hope his foot doesn't her infected. I feel his head and he's pretty warm and clammy. Oh great I have a sick mermaid on my hands. I bite my lip an rest my forehead on his, dosing off to the sound of his breathing.