Haruhi blinked as she opened her eyes. It could be sometimes hard to tell the difference between night and day in her world, but she always knew when it was day or when it was night, and right now it was day time and time to begin a whole new adventure.

She stretched her arms, flipped her green tail and managed to swim off towards the window of her room and looked out. All around her, other merpeople were coming out of their homes and swimming past, off to do whatever it was they had to do that day. If any of them happen to see her, they would immediately bow their heads in respect since Haruhi was their princess and deserved their respect.

Haruhi often wished she wasn't given special treatment because of her status. She'd rather be treated like any normal merperson. She soon shook those negative thoughts out of her mind and swam for the nearest exit she could until she found herself outside, swimming around in the beautiful ocean. She looked up towards the sky and thought she saw the thing she was told was called the sun starting to come up.

She was about to go and swim up towards it when she heard a little voice behind her.

"Haru!"

Haruhi turned around as a little mermaid with a yellow tail swimming up to her followed by a baby mermaid with a pink tail.

"Hi Natalie," said she said. She liked Natalie a lot since she was still too young to understand protocol when it came to addressing her and just treated Haruhi like a normal merperson, "How's your baby sister?"

"Madison's fine," said Natalie looking at the baby.

"You're both getting so big," said Haruhi.

"Where are going?" asked Natalie.

"Up," said Haruhi pointing above.

"Up?" said Natalie, "Momma says up is bad."

"Well now for you yes but when you're older I'm sure she'll let you. Just do me one favor and don't tell your father I went up," said Haruhi as she went and started to swim up towards the surface. She said that since Natalie's father was a member of the royal guard that was always trying to keep her from going to the surface under order from her father the king who was very protective of her.

"By-by Haru," said Natalie as she and Madison watched her swim away.

"By-by, I'll be back soon," said Haruhi as she swam away.

As Haruhi broke through the surface of the water, she gazed out onto the near-by beach, where humans were playing and laughing and having fun.

'Why couldn't I be a human?' she thought. 'Then maybe I'd have a chance to be normal…' her thoughts continued down the same path as she absent mindedly brushed her beautiful long brown hair with her fingers.

Than something on the beach caught her attention. She swam closer to get a better look.

On the beach she saw two bobs of red hair that covered two identical mischievous faces.

She glances between the two, trying to find a difference when she saw it. One of the boys' smiles went from mischievous to kind while the other ones' never wavered from his expression.

'huh' she thought, slightly fascinated by the two boys.

She laid on a nearby rock, watching them for hours, thinking on how these two human boys were so different from the rest.

Once what she remembered to be the sun, that started to set, she started to panic. 'I'm ganna be late for dinner!' she yelled in her mind, as she started to climb off the rock when it happened.

She and the kinder human that she'd been watching made eye contact. She could feel her heart skip a beat, but quickly broke contact and slipped into the ocean.

She swam away as fast as she could, her adrenalin going at super speed. She hoped her father wouldn't be too mad at her for being gone all day. As she got closer to the bottom of the ocean she heard, "Princess."

She looked over and saw her father's royal guard nearby. Among them she could see Natalie and Madison's father Kao.
"Here you are," said the captain swimming up to her, "Your father is looking for you; he's worried."

"Yes I know, that's why I was coming back," said Haruhi.

"Where have you been?" asked the captain.

"Uh, just out exploring," said Haruhi.

"I hope you weren't exploring anywhere your father doesn't want you to," said the captain as he and the other royal guards started to escort her back to the palace. Haruhi merely bit her lip.
Soon they were back inside the palace where the captain immediately led her to her father's throne room. There they found the king Ranka who really looked more like a mermaid then a merman sitting on his throne. His long hair waved in the water, and his long light red tail had a pearl necklace draped around it.

"Haruhi here you are!" he said swimming towards her, "I've been so worried about you.

Where have you been all day?"

"Uh just out exploring Father," said Haruhi.

"Where?" asked Ranka.

"Uh…," said Haruhi.

"Haruhi, don't lie to me," said Ranka.

Just then they heard someone clear their throat. Everyone turned and looked at the entrance where they saw Kao.

"I may know where you daughter went to today your majesty," he said, "My daughter's told me she kind of went up."

"Up?" said Ranka, "You mean you went up….,"

"Towards the more of the area where the dolphins play right?" said Kao.

"Uh yes that's right," said Haruhi.

"Oh really is that all? Well I hope you had fun," said Ranka, "Now dinner."

He swam off towards the dining room while the captain swam off on his own. Haruhi swam up to Kao.

"Thank you," she said.

"It's all right, I know my daughters really like you and I'd like to make sure there's no awkwardness between us," said Kao.

"Well I really like your girls too. Say hi to them for me," said Haruhi.

"I will princess," said Kao bowing his head and swimming off.

Dinner was the same as usual. Quiet. The only noise was the sound of the waves crashing high up above them.

"So...Haruhi… How was your day?" Ranka asked, breaking the silence for a light conversation.

"It was… um… Good I guess." Haruhi replied, hoping the conversation from going any further.

Ranka nodded. "that's good to hear. So did you do anything besides exploring?" He said, continuing the conversation, much to Haruhi's disappointment.

"nope" She replied simply.

"Haruhi… You should really go out more, and interact with our people" Ranka said, sighing.

Haruhi looked up at him. "Ranka, you know I don't like too. They never treat me like a normal merperson. It's annoying with all the royal protocol." Haruhi explained.

Ranka didn't reply for a while, but when he finally looked back at his daughter, his eyes were watering. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME DADDY!" Ranka cried, swimming over to his daughter and pulling her into a big hug.

Haruhi's eye twitched at the sudden affection her father was giving her. She calmly pushed him off of her and swam to the nearest exit.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" Ranka cried.

"I'm just going for a swim, I'll be back soon!" Haruhi yelled back, swimming out of the castle and off in a random direction.

"Where am I?" she wondered, as she came up to a mysterious cave. Haruhi swam a bit closer, her curiosity taking over.

"Fish Of The Sea, Waves And The Tide, Do My Bidding, Surrender Your Life" A woman chanted, from inside the cave.

Then something called flames started to burn inside the cave. Haruhi swam back a little, in fear, for having heard the horrors of what flames have done to her people.

The woman looked in Haruhi's direction, having heard her swim a few feet away.

She grinned devilishly and swam towards Haruhi.

"Hello Dear" the woman exclaimed.

Haruhi's eyes widened. Now looking at the woman up close, she could see what she truly was.

A witch of the sea. She was an Octo-woman, half octopuses, half human. They're said to be one of the deadliest creatures of the sea, but also, one of the cleverest. They're also said to be very powerful when it comes to magic.

"H-Hello" Haruhi stuttered back, trying to hide her eyes under her long brown hair.

"What brings you here? You're so far away from home. Don't tell me a beautiful princess like you is running away" the octo-woman said.

"No! I was just out for a swim." Haruhi exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said in a fake apologetic voice. "I'm Éclair by the way." She continued, bowing slightly at Haruhi.

"I'm Haruhi Fujioka." Haruhi replied, with a sigh.

" Oh I already knew that. I know everything about you Miss Fujioka. How you want to be a human, how you wish you could be normal, blah, blah, blah." She said, rolling her eyes at the end.

Haruhi glared at Éclair. "So? What's wrong with having dreams?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. But… What if I told you, I could make your dreams come true?" she said, swimming behind Haruhi, while playing with her hair.

Haruhi paused. 'Can she really make me a human? And a normal one at that? … But what if it's only a trick?' Haruhi thought. She sighed 'Well I guess we'll just have to see' she looked at Éclair.

"What's in it for you?" she questioned.

Éclair grinned, tugging on Haruhi's hair. "I want your hair…"

Haruhi didn't know if she should be creeped out, or weather to burst out laughing.

"That's it?" She asked, smiling slightly.

Éclair nodded. "I always been envious of your beautiful long hair, and I want it.

Haruhi turned around. "Deal" she said extending her hand to make it official.

Éclair grinned evilly and took Haruhi's hand.

Haruhi gasped at the sudden feeling. It was like she was one with the ocean and the sky, all going through her in one sudden rush and then…

Black.