Alright, new story time! I hope this one goes better than my other stories ATM.

Picture of mermaid Momo on my profile page!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach (by Tite Kubo) or The Little Mermaid (story by Hans Christian Andersen, animation by Disney)

Chapter 1 – The Youngest Princess

In the deepest parts of the great oceans laid an underwater utopia hidden from human eyes. The waters in the depths were unfathomably clear, allowing all to see as if they were in the shallows. Buildings were intricately carved out of crystalline stone of every colour, the seaweed creeping up the sides making them seem more ancient than they were. Fish from the tropics swam through the many sea anemones anchored to the sea floor, their numerous tentacles swaying in the soft current.

In the centre of this underwater marvel stood a proud castle made from precious sapphire stone and adorned with the pearls and shells of great oysters. The many spires that rose up were ensnared by silky tresses of green kelp. This was the home of the great sea king, ruler of the underwater utopia, and his seven daughters.

The seven princesses were considered the most beautiful of all mermaids, but the youngest one was considered the most beautiful out of them all. She captured the hearts of all who heard her lovely voice and saw her enchanting dances. But she found the life of a princess unsuitable for her insatiable curiously. She longed to be able to one day walk on the land of the humans.

"Momo! Where are you going?!"

The youngest princess of the sea king turned around at the sound of her friend's voice. Momo was fifteen, due to turn sixteen in the next month. Her midnight black hair cascaded down her back, interwoven with seaweed and pearls, the symbol of the royal family. Her dark brown eyes glittered with mischief and excitement and her periwinkle tail swished impatiently. She placed a finger up to her lips.

"Shh Tobiume! Else father will catch us!"

"You mean catch you!"

Tobiume was a pink river dolphin and Momo's oldest and dearest friend. She was her familiar of sorts; every mermaid and merman had a marine companion from birth.

"I'll only be gone for a minute," Momo said unconcerned. "You worry too much Tobiume."

Tobiume snapped her narrow beak in agitation. "Momo, you only have to wait one more month before you can go and flitter on the surface water without getting in trouble."

The pink dolphin was referring to the privilege all merchildren gain when they turn sixteen and enter adulthood. It is during their sixteenth year that they are allowed to rise out of the waters to experience the world above. Momo's six other sisters, each a year older than the last, have all journeyed out of the safety of the depths to the mysterious other world. Each came back telling the rest of the wonderful sights they saw and sometimes how they were almost seen by a human. And each time the stories were told Momo's yearning to experience them herself grew.

"I'm one day older than when I tried yesterday. I'm onl-"

"Momo!"

She winced at the all too familiar voice that shouted her name. She meekly looked up at her father who had swum over and was staring crossly down at her.

"Hello father. Pleasant day isn-"

"Momo Hinamori," he boomed. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times-"

"The surface is off limits until I reach my sixteenth year," Momo finished for him. "I know father and I think you've told me a thousand times too."

"Then you should learn to listen."

"But father! It's only a month till my birthday! Why can't I go now?"

"Because it is tradition that has been upheld since the times of our birth and I will not have you disregarding it because of your curiosity. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes father," Momo mumbled.

Her father nodded her head and swam back down the corridor he originally came from. As he turned the corner Momo stuck her tongue out at him only to hastily slip it back in her mouth when Kouukin, her father's walrus familiar, stuck his head out and gave her a reproachful look. He disappeared a second later.

Momo huffed indignantly, sending a tuft of hair floating upwards. She started to swim down the other end of the corridor, towards the town. Tobiume trailed after her.

"Where are you going Momo?"

"Well since father wants me to wait, I'm visiting Rangiku and Rukia."

"You tried to go up again? You're still so impatient Momo-hime!"

"Don't call me hime Rangiku!"

Rangiku laughed and lazily swished her tail, accidently swatting Rukia in the face. "Whoops. Sorry Rukia! Anyway Momo's still a hime. Hime-chan, Hime-chan!" she sang, knowing that it would annoy Momo.

Momo crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's so hard being a daughter of father. I have to "set a good example" all the time. I want to go up now!"

Rukia flapped her hand in a dismissive way. "It's only exciting the first five times or so. I mean those humans have two stump things instead of a tail. How weird is that?"

"And the human females were so much clothing!" Rangiku added. Right now she was wearing what she called a "modest" purple scallop shell bikini top. It just managed to cover her endowed bosom.

"Really?" was the only word that came out of Momo's mouth before she started to space out, dreaming about the upper world for the umpteenth time.

"She's got that look again Tobiume," Haineko, Rangiku's grey seal, said.

"Good. That means she'll stay put for a while," Tobiume stiffly replied.

"If she doesn't close her mouth soon a jellyfish will swim in," noted Rukia's beluga whale, Shirayuki.

Okay, let's see if I can get at least 5 reviews!