Mermaid

Chapter One

Never once had he slapped her before, and not once had anyone drawn blood from her. She'd even managed to avoid blood tests, and injuries that bled extensively. She quickly covered the injury in shock and anger at his action towards her, and his manager stood stunned that it had even happened. Both manager and charge blinked away in disbelief. Did they see it? Did they see her hidden secret? Had she been discovered? Stupid, savage dirt-walkers! She hissed inwardly, after quickly covering the small wound on her cheek that was seeping with little droplets of bright, shimmering blue on her fingertips.

There was one onlooker in the hall that had been witness to it all. He shook his head and smirked. What interesting things one finds out. He thought as he filed away this new mystical information. The uses of such information could be beneficial and somewhat horrifying. A single drop of blood from such a creature could cure disease, among other things. To bathe in it, some would say, would ensure eternal youth, and to drink it or eat its flesh would guarantee immortality, but honestly that's not really what he was interested in. What he was truly interested in was how in all of the world did her lineage end up on the little island of Japan? How did a Blue-blooded, Mediterranean Mermaid, a descendant of Poseidon, end up in Japan? This deserved his full attention. He wondered even more as to why she was an actress and not a singer, taking advantage of her natural talents, and why was she wasting her energy and anger on such an unworthy piece of human flesh? A land dweller... A stupid, savage, dirt-walker...

The young man chuckled as he watched the little siren leave the arrogant artist's dressing room, stomp past him, and leave the television station.

"Something interesting?" He asked his friend, and band-mate.

The musician smirked. "Definitely something interesting." He told him, turned in the opposite direction, and went back to the dressing room to wait their turn for the interview.

She was so unbelievably pissed off. First she had the encounter with that silver-haired creep, then Shotaro had to be the biggest jerk of the century. Not only that, he'd cut her face with that stupid, gaudy ring when he slapped her. Honestly? She really wasn't thinking of the little sparkling blue line of her own blood, the mark it had caused or the strange red and purple bruise that came with it. The only thing she could think of was, why she hadn't drown him in his sleep when they were children and he'd pissed her off. She hung her head at that thought. She'd never really been angry with him back then, and the thought had never really occurred to her. It was a time in her life when she'd been deceived into believing that anyone would actually love a freak like her.

She sighed and stared at the image in the mirror, trying to decide on how to cover the mark properly. "I suppose my best bet right now would be a bandage." She slathered a bit of ointment on and plastered on a small bandage. It's not like it won't heal quickly. Maybe less than a day or two, and it'll be gone. Wounds never lasted any longer than that, not even the cuts she'd gotten on her fingers when she was young and still learning to cook.

Maybe I should take the weekend off and swim out to one of the smaller islands. She pondered as she walked down the hall to meet with Sawara-san. She nodded inwardly at the thought. She really hadn't been swimming in a very long time, and she really had wanted to explore ever since she came to Tokyo. Now was her chance. A small smile came to her lips from the thought. She would definitely need to scout out a secluded little spot to prepare, and store her things. Maybe take the full weekend for it. At those thoughts, she was finally relaxed and the thoughts of jerk #1, had ebbed away. Well, at least until Sawara-san had asked about the cut, and bruise. Then for the fact that Tsuruga-san decided to show up too. Yes, she would definitely need a weekend excursion.

She obviously wasn't going to tell him the truth on the matter. He could clearly see that someone had slapped her. It baffled him that Sawara-san couldn't see through it. Well, if she wasn't going to tell him, he would just have to wait until she felt comfortable enough to. Being all worked-up over it, wasn't going to solve anything, and would only make matters worse if he made her nervous. So, he pushed the bad thoughts to the back of his mind and decided to just be a sympathetic ear. He didn't know how she did it, but she always seemed to be able to calm him down and distract him from whatever came around to trouble him.

She groaned inwardly when they reached their final destination. Wasn't it enough that he hit me? Why does he have to come here and invade one of the few places that I enjoy being? "What do you want Shotaro?" She hissed a little and he couldn't help, but think how beautiful her voice sounded, even when she was angry.

Once they were out in the hall, being unknowingly observed by her faux fairy prince, she turned on him. "What do you want?"

He reached into his pocket to retrieve the cream he'd bought for her. "I... I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened." He mumbled.

"Why does it matter? I don't need it." She groused.

"It's for the cut. If you use this, it won't scar and it'll heal quicker." He explained as if she were completely stupid, and rolled his eyes. Why does she have to be so stubborn?

She rolled her eyes and removed the bandage. "I don't need it."

He stared at her in shock. "H-How? I thought..."

She glared at him. "You thought wrong, now leave and don't bother me at work anymore. Better yet, don't bother me at all." She turned and walked away leaving a very confused pair of young men.

Ren quickly went to change into his wardrobe for the day, and made his way back to the set. He needed something to distract him. He'd never been so angry in his life. That ass actually hit her! Maybe it would be a good idea to avoid him until I cool off.

"Well?" Yukihito asked.

Ren looked at him a little puzzled. "Well what?"

"Is Kyoko-chan okay?" Yukihito asked with concern.

Ren shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose."

"What a day..." She sighed as she sunk into the deep tub of cold salt water and just let herself unwind. "Ahh... Just a couple of more days and I can truly relax." Her thoughts went back to her planned weekend, before she had to leave for Karuizawa. She needed something to make her stop thinking about that stupid jerk. She was actually a bit excited about spending a nice summer weekend in the ocean. Find a nice little quiet cove. Hide my stuff. Do a little bit of grooming. Find some delicious, fresh seafood. She could hardly wait for the wonderful smell of the ocean breeze, and the way the water would flow over her body.

"One more day..." She sighed out. Tonight she would pack her things for Karuizawa, so that she wouldn't have to bother on Sunday evening. All she would need to do is double-check everything, and set her alarm to wake in time for her trip on Monday.

She sat up in the water and unfurled her tail, flicking the water back into the tub, against the wall. She ducked her head back under the water and breathed in deeply, clearing her gills. The salt water felt so good caressing over them. Indeed it had been too long. Everything felt so dried out. She could hardly wait until she had enough money and jobs to get her own place. The prospect of sleeping in water was very motivational. It was something she hadn't done since she lived with Sho and he rarely came home. Is taking revenge on him really worth it if it keeps him around me? I know I told Tsuruga-san that I didn't think of it anymore, but how can I stop if he keeps bothering me like that? She rolled over on her belly and flipped her tail back and forth, boredly in thought. She sighed. No, I'll think about it later. I don't want him to ruin my weekend. She thought while she drained the tub, and her scales turned to foam, as her legs returned to their human appearance.

She was honestly looking forward to swimming in the ocean. She so rarely did it, only a couple of times since she moved to Tokyo. She never had the opportunity when living with the Fuwas in Kyoto. The lake was several kilometers away and the creek was never deep enough for her to enjoy like that, not to mention the fact that it wasn't saltwater. Before her mother left her there, she was allowed to sleep in the water. That had been almost eleven years ago. She tried once at the ryokan and was scolded for sleeping in the water. Fortunately, she had hidden her tail before they were able to break down the bathroom door. Now she was forced to savor these tiny moments, and hoard them as if they were made of pure gold.

She grinned widely as she dried her body. Well not tomorrow.