Chapter 1-Seeing the Impossible

It was a beautiful day in the middle of July. The thermometer read 95 degrees farenheit. Of course the water cooled down the people at the beach. Except one. A couple hundred yards from shore, there was a reef. The reef had a big rock-like coral peice sticking out on the surface. On it sat a teenage girl. Well she wasn't a girl, persay, she was a mermaid. She usually watched people play in the water always wanting to join but never being able to. This mermaid had silky pink hair that reached the beginning of her tail(lower waist) and a blue green tail. Her hair wasn't always pink though. When she was underwater, it was brown like the rest of her family. It only turned pink when it was dry. And it was. The breeze made the mermaid's hair dance around her. She had somewhat of a bikini top, for privacy. Around her neck was a shell necklace, made of the most beautful shells. She also had a scale bracelet, made of shiny fish scales. Her hair was held back by a starfish barret.

A sudden scream caught her attention. The mermaid saw a girl had swam out too deep and was in too deep. She happened to be only about a hundred yards away. The mermaid dove into the water and swam towards the frantic girl and pulled her towards the rock. The girl grabbed the rock and thanked her savior, but when she saw the tail she was speechless.

"I know this is a shock, but at least your safe right?"

To the mermaid's shock, the girl was friendlier, and more curious then she seemed, "Yeah, thanks. My name is Tenten."

"Nice to meet you Tenten. My name is Cherry Blossom. Where I come from Tenten means 'friend'(not really)."

"Really but Cherry Blossom?"

"Yeah, it's mythical plant with pink leaves and a hard brown roots."

"I know, but here, we call it a Sakura tree and it's not a myth. It's a real tree. If you live in Japanese waters why isn't your name Sakura?"

"Well merfolk, can speak every language known to man and aquatic animals. So my mother wanted to name me Sakura, but my father refused so they named me Cherry Blossom. You can call me Sakura if you want though."

"Thanks I will. So what are you doing up here?"

"Well, I like to watch the humans play together. I like to watch humans fall in love. I've witnessed this many time because merfolk are immortal. I'm only 16 though. We can die from sickness and injuries to major organs. I've always wondered what it would be like to have legs."

"I guess it's okay. I mean you can walk on them and sit on them. I guess I take my legs for granted. What's your tail like?"

"Well, it allows me to swim faster then humans do and I can disguise myself with it. I just cover my upper body and my tail blends in perfectly. With the water that is."

"Why do you watch humans in love?"

"We don't have love where I live. The fathers pick who their daughters are to marry and a son talks to the father of a girl he wants to marry."

"I guess it stinks being a girl."

"Yeah, but we don't have to go to war or anything."

"War?"

"Yeah, my father is the head of my tribe and we are currently at war with the merfolk near the Great Barrier Reef."

"Oh."

"But I know that love exists. My brother found true love with a human girl, but that was like 100 years age. I have to prove to my people that love exists. Well technically I don't but I want to. That way I can marry who I want. If I can prove that love exists then my father will let me become a human. We kinda have this bet."

"Is that what you want?"

"Yeah. Why do you think I come to the surface every day?"

Tenten shrugged. Sakura's hair suddenly turned pink, "Whoa! Why did your hair color jsut change?"

"Oh it turns pink when it's dry. When it's wet, it's brown like the rest of my people. So will you help me?"

"What?"

"Find love?"

"I guess."

"TENTEN!" cried an unfamiliar voice. The two girls looked at the stranger swimming towards them on a surfboard.

"Oh no!"whispered Tenten.

"What?"asked Sakura.

"The lifeguard. Neji must have thought I was gone too long and got the lifeguard. Get down." Tenten pushed Sakura down behind the rock so the lifeguard couldn't see her.

Sakura looked at the lifeguard from behind the rock, her emerald eyes burning with passion. He was a handsome teenager with black hair to match his eyes. He had shorts the color of dark water(navy blue) on, "Tenten, are you ok?"

"Yes Sasuke."

"Neji was worried about you."

"I figured as much."

"I saw something pink with you while you were out here. What was it?" Sakura's eyes widened. She quickly and secretly handed Tenten her necklace, which was made of pink shells.

"This." Tenten, help up the necklace for the boy named Sasuke to see.

"But it looked bigger."

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Well if your ok, I'll go tell Neji."

"Thanks Sasuke. I'll be in shortly. I just like the view from here."

"Ok." Sasuke paddled away.

Sakura came out from behind the rock. Tenten handed her back her necklace, "Thanks Sakura."

"No problem. Who was that?" Sakura placed her necklace back around her neck.

"That was the lifeguard, Sasuke. His parents are making him take this summer job because he doesn't get out much and he's a grouch. He isn't too happy about it either. His father said it would look good on his college resemay."

"Resemay? Lifeguard?"

"Yeah, a lifeguard is someone who makes sure people don't drown in the water at beachs and pools. A resemay is a piece of paper that says what extra things you did before college. College is a type of school."

"Oh. Tenten, Sasuke is the one who will prove that love exists."

"What?"

"What?"

"Sasuke is the most popular and cutest guy on the beach. He already has a girlfriend named Ino, but I don't think Sasuke likes her very much. He just uses her for his I'm a big macho man look."

"Well Ino means 'pig'(not really)."

"Besides, what about you tail?"

"Well if I dry it, it came become legs and as long as I keep it dry, they will stay like that. Except at midnight. At midnight I need to be a mermaid."

"Why?"

"It's always been that way. Besides it's not like I can help it. If I don't become a mermaid before midnight, my father will be alerted and probably send a tsunami to bring me home. It's his way of making sure that I am alright"

"Ok, so tail at midnight."

"Oh and here take this." Sakura handed Tenten a sea shell, "I will call you on that tomorrow and tell you where I am. Uh could you bring something for me to put on because when I get legs, there's gonna be nothing on them."

"Got it. But how will I talk to you?"

"You know how you can hear the ocean through shells. Well they can hear you. Don't worry, you'll know. So I'll call tomorrow before sunhigh. See ya." Sakura drove back under the water while Tenten swam back to shore, shocked that she had just had a decent conversation with a creature thought to be mythical.