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Shirahoshi shouldn’t be here right now.
This cave was dark and damp and utterly terrifying. Anyone or anything could sneak up on the Mermaid Princess here. She could be mauled by a Sea King, bitten by a venomous snake, or, worse, be captured and enslaved by a horrible human. However, the tiny bunny girl in front of her needed her help. (And oxygen. Probably. Hopefully.)
Shirahoshi found her on her morning swim to the surface. Every day, as the sun rose, she’d take a peek out of the water, at the place where the sky meets the sea, watch the clouds meander through the atmosphere, consider the utter freedom somewhere out in the world that was just waiting for her (it was so very tantalizing. She couldn’t just leave safety under the waves.) She’d make sure all her people would see this sight one day.
Her routine was unprecedentedly interrupted when a teenage Mink fell from the clouds and into the princess’s gaze.
She wasn’t conscious.
She wasn’t conscious!
The Mermaid Princess didn’t know what to do. Did the girl need blood? Her blood was red. It might work! Had she drowned? Was her heart beating? How far had she fallen? What happened to her? Could she be saved? Her many unnecessary questions were answered whenever the tiny girl fluttered her eyes open with a groan not befitting her size.
She’d swam her over to a cave, (an oyster she didn’t know would contain an pearl) only hoping her grasp was gentle enough. But the girl was fine… except for the fact that they were both now in an extremely dark and spooky cave. (Shirahoshi could only hear the cries of her own mind now, did not notice the bunny girl bouncing off the walls, admiring every stone and stalactite.)
“I’M SO SORRY!” The mermaid was sobbing now. She hoped that no giant tears spilled onto the bunny girl’s body.
“Huh? What for? You’re the one that saved me, right? The name’s Carrot, by the way. Who are you?”
“I- My name is Princess Shirahoshi of the Ryugu Kingdom! If you hurt me, there will be a price to pay!”
“Shirahoshi, huh? Why would I hurt you?”
(She couldn’t help but notice that this girl didn’t care about her title, just who she was. She didn’t see whatever it was that made the Mermaid Princess so… desirable. She enjoyed being spoken to like any other person.)
“I-I don’t know!”
And the bunny girl laughed. It was an electric cackle that tingled in her heart, her throat. It was a sound that could accompany a journey across the world’s expanse. It was almost a melody that could dry her tears, make her understand how dehydrated she really was (for adventure, for love.)
Shirahoshi liked this girl.
“Hey, you’re a mermaid, right? What species are you? Where are you from?”
“I… I’m a smelt-whiting mermaid, and as I said, I reside in the Ryugu Kingdom of Fishman Island.”
Carrot’s eyes reflected the stars of an unfamiliar sky.
“You’re from Fishman Island? Really? That’s SO COOL! What’s it like there? Can you show me around?”
“I’ve lived there my whole life, so I don’t really know what’s cool about it. It’s got unique flora and fauna, sure, but on land, there’s so much more to explore. I’m sorry, I know that’s probably not the answer you wanted. I could certainly get you an escort, though!”
“I still think you’re talking it down. I’ve heard Fishman Island is an incredible vacation spot! I was actually trying to get there just now! I want to explore the land under the sea!”
“I’ve never heard of a route to my country that cuts through the sky.”
“About that, I probably shouldn’t have tried to take a bird… but because I did, I met a really cool mermaid in an awesome cave, so I don’t regret it!”
“Who was the mermaid?”
“You.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. I should have guessed, I just didn’t want to assume, and-“
“It’s fine! Everybody says dumb stuff sometimes! Even me! Especially me, now that I think about it… but that might just be my own bias.”
Both girls blushed, basked in the next few seconds of awkward silence.
“A-Anyways, you took a bird here?”
“Yeah! I caught one on the last island I was on, but I suppose it couldn’t support my weight for long.”
“What are birds like? I’ve never seen one before.”
“You’re never seen a bird before? No way! Have you been living under a rock your whole life?”
“Well, I’ve seen them in books, but I presume they are an experience enjoyed most in motion… and I have not been living under a rock.”
“Huh. You’re right, by the way. I’ll have to show you at some point.”
“I’ve been living in a locked room. I can only imagine that’s much more comfortable.”
“IT’S THE SAME DIFFERENCE! Also… wait, actually?”
“Yes… I’m sor-“
“Have you ever been- like- anywhere?”
“I’ve been around Fishman Island, and I take morning swims to the surface. That’s how I found you.”
“What about outside of the island? Have you ever been on a real adventure? Isn’t there anything you want to see out there?”
“I’d like to see a fir tree someday-“
“A TREE? No, no, that won’t do.”
“Are they hard to find?”
“We’ll have to aim higher than that.”
“We? I-I’m sorry, you must have made a grammatical error…”
“Nope.” Carrot smirked, “Look, I’ve been all sorts of places. I’ve traveled through an archipelago made of sweets. There are so many interesting things to see out there! You can’t just settle for a tree!”
“An archipelago made of sweets? Really? Can I go there?”
“Yeah! Though it is the territory of the Big Mom Pirates, I guess…”
“B-but Big Mom’s known to be brutal to those who sneak onto her territory! What kinds of monsters did you find there? That must have been terrifying! Did you know what you were getting into?”
“Yep! But on an adventure, sometimes you don’t know.”
“Doesn’t that scare you?”
“Sometimes. But I think it’s worth the risk, and I think you do to! The unknown can be beautiful!”
And it was. Shirahoshi hadn’t noticed because it was so dank in here, but the rabbit Mink had brushed her body around its edges. So when she lit the area using static from her paws, the mermaid realized it was covered in crystalline crevices, reflective rocks. Carrot’s face was lit by the crystal. The sight was electric and oh-so enamoring. They’d discovered something beautiful.
“So come on! Let’s find new places together. Go on an adventure with me!”
Sure, Shirahoshi had her excuses. (A family she’d miss, a kingdom she’d leave behind, a protection she’d lose.) However, all of them seemed irrelevant when faced with the bunny girl with stars from an unknown sky burned into her eyes. (Her family would be fine, her kingdom would grasp the sun again, the unknown was so much more entertaining.) The mermaid princess was never one to act on impulse, but this time, she couldn’t resist, refuse the tantalizing pull of the place where the sky meets the sea (a sparkling cave with room enough for two.)
Shirahoshi is exactly where she should be right now.
“I’d like that.”