Part of Your World

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The product of a deeply disturbed and terribly twisted mind.

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A Sengoku Basara fanfiction by Rike-sama.

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Summary: Motonari is a merman. Motochika is a pirate. Both spend their life surrounded by water and yet they could not be more different. One fateful day they meet. The rest is history.

Pairings: Moto², potentially others.

Rating: Rated P for Pirates! ...fine. Rated M for language, mild violence and suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: Fair use, bitches.

Author's Note: I have a near limitless pool of story ideas but generally lack the drive to actually do anything with them. This is one of the ideas that would not let me rest until I finally caved and wrote it down. There will be romance and there will be drama, but mostly there will be glorious, glorious crack. Lots of it. So read and enjoy, but remember not to take this thing too seriously - it's a parody more than anything else.

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Chapter 01: Love at First Sight

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Once upon a time...

These are the words you are certain to read in every fairy tale, just as night will eventually give way to day and the sun is certain to rise in the east.

There is a pattern: a protagonist finds themselves in a bit of a predicament, and often there is an antagonist to be blamed for it all. Though faced with many a test and trial, the protagonist will eventually triumph and earn their happy ending. The wolf is slayed, the witch shoved into the oven, the wicked queen dethroned. Sometimes there is a wedding but even when there is not, they all live happily ever after.

Except for the wolf and the witch and the wicked queen, naturally.

The protagonist of this particular tale is a little merman by the name of Mori Motonari. Surely he would be quite displeased indeed to hear his story likened to a fairy tale, but there is no denying that it fits the pattern. His current situation was unpleasant to say the least; untangling himself from it would certainly require quite a bit of work. And for it all, there was one man and one man alone to be held responsible.

To be fair, that man is not the villain of this story - regardless of what Motonari would have you believe - but even if this little detail deviates from the basic formula, there will still be tests and there will still be trials. And after all is said and done - who knows? - there might even be a happy ending befitting of a proper fairy tale.

But don't get your hopes up about that wedding.

Before we figure out what exactly is so horrible about the predicament that Motonari has found himself in and who exactly this mystery man is, let's rewind a little to a point in time where things had not yet gone to hell in a handbasket.

x-x-x

Ever since the Great War had claimed his home, life underneath the surface had not changed much for Mori Motonari. Each day, he went through the motions, following the very same routine that had been set for him by none other than King Hideyoshi's trusted advisor, strategist and right-hand man, a sickly young merman by the name of Takenaka Hanbei.

To be honest, it was beginning to get a little tedious.

He was tired of waiting for a change in his situation, and yet wait was all he could do under Hanbei's watchful gaze. Motonari liked to think that he was every bit as brilliant as the white-haired merman - perhaps even more so - but while Hanbei was in a position of power, the same could not be said for Motonari. Even if he was part of the royal court in the eye of the public, he had no real influence on the important decisions and was denied access to any truly crucial information.

Hanbei had seen to that, very carefully limiting Motonari's options and finding ways to subtly restrict his freedom. Clearly he recognized the threat that the manipulative brunet merman could potentially pose to Hideyoshi's reign if left unchecked. In the beginning, being treated as such a force to be reckoned with had pleased and even flattered Motonari, but such sentiments had not lasted long. Now he felt little more than annoyance when his thoughts strayed to Takenaka Hanbei.

Still deeply lost in thought, Motonari lowered his coral comb. Absentmindedly he traced its brightly coloured surface and the inlaid pearls, marvelling at the excellent craftsmanship. It had been one of many generous gifts offered to him by a secret admirer brave enough to court the infamous Mori Motonari and yet not brave enough to sign his letters with a name. All Motonari knew was that he was dealing with a man - that much was obvious from the nature of the gifts and the content of the letters.

Either way, it mattered not. Motonari currently had no interest whatsoever in romance and very much doubted he would in the future. He had only bothered to keep the gifts because Hanbei had made gaining access to the fortune of the Mori Clan almost an impossibility and as a result Motonari rarely got the opportunity to spoil himself.

Takenaka Hanbei...

How he detested that smug little snake and his insistence to block Motonari at every possible turn. The strategist had done nothing but make life difficult for Motonari in the most infuriating ways. And worst of all, Hanbei simply refused to succumb to his mysterious illness and finally pass away like Motonari's schemes demanded.

Sometimes, he wondered if Hanbei was faking it. But could one man really be so shrewd?

Irritated that his thoughts had once again managed to circle back to his greatest adversary, Motonari found himself grateful for the interruption to his pointless brooding when someone knocked on his door frame.

"Enter."

In place of a proper giant clam door, Motonari's quarters had only been outfitted with a curtain made of small shells and colourful stones to give the illusion of privacy and lull him into a false sense of security. It went without saying that he had yet to fall for such an obvious ploy to catch him unawares. Expectantly, Motonari turned his head and watched the curtain part to reveal his visitor.

As usual, Otani Yoshitsugu moved very slowly, crawling forward on his eight suction cup bearing limbs. With his upper body swathed in long strips of seaweed to hide the outward signs of his illness and his face mostly obscured by a grotesque mask, even Motonari had to admit that he looked nothing short of menacing.

As Yoshitsugu approached, Motonari caught the merman's curious gaze straying to the comb still held so delicately in his hands. Those dark eyes were gleaming with far more interest than Motonari was comfortable with. Regretfully, Yoshitsugu was aware of Motonari's monetary plight; he knew he would not squander what little funds he did have on something as frivolous as an expensive comb.

Poseidon only knew what conclusions that twisted mind was currently arriving at.

Very deliberately, Motonari set the comb down and slid it out of sight. Then he turned to face Yoshitsugu more fully.

"What do you want?" he asked. Blunt and to the point, but no more brusque than usual.

Yoshitsugu stopped advancing a couple of paces from Motonari's location. His tone was courteous and quite charming when he spoke but Motonari knew better. It was all a front to hide the man's manipulative and treacherous nature.

"I merely thought to see how you were faring today. Must you always suspect that I harbour some hidden agenda or untoward intentions when I come see you?"

Motonari did not even deign to honour that farce of a question with a reply. Instead he merely raised his chin a little and threw Yoshitsugu a haughty look.

"Well then, now that you have ascertained that I am indeed alive and healthy, I suggest you be on your way."

A raspy, painful sounding chuckle was Yoshitsugu's reply.

"Now, now, Mori. There is no need to be so dismissive."

One of the pearls constantly spinning in a circle at Yoshitsugu's back floated forwards, hovering over his upturned palm. His eyes gazed so intently at the object slowly twirling above his hand that one might think all the answers to the universe lay hidden within its opaque depths. Casually, Yoshitsugu continued talking.

"If my estimation of the time is correct, the royal court should be convening for another council of war as we speak..."

Motonari said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Yoshitsugu said: "You do not seem surprised. Then I take it this time there was no unfortunate... error, shall we put it, and news of the meeting properly found its way to you?"

Last time the council had gathered, Motonari had received no prior notice. It had been made to look like an accident but Motonari knew that the information had been kept from him quite deliberately. Falling victim to such a childish prank had been a blow to his pride and the entire incident was still a sore subject for him. Yoshitsugu was clearly fishing for a reaction - some irritation, or some embarrassment perhaps - but Motonari kept his face blank.

"Indeed it has. Now if you will excuse me... I still fail to see the point of your visit, and I do have a meeting to attend. I'd like to finish making myself presentable."

"Ah, I do not think you will need to bother with that..."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid you will not be attending today's meeting," Yoshitsugu said, the floating pearl travelling in a high arch towards his other hand as he spoke.

Now he had Motonari's attention.

"I beg your pardon?" Motonari said, eyes narrowing.

"It appears the scouts have spotted a suspicious human ship loitering about in our waters-"

"And how pray tell does that concern me?"

"Patience, Mori," Yoshitsugu said, his tone chiding but with a strong hint of amusement underlying the reprimand. Yoshitsugu was enjoying this, the bastard. "His Majesty wished for the level of threat to be assessed by a person whose judgement on such a matter can be trusted, and Hanbei has selected you for the task. As such, your presence will be required elsewhere today. The kingdom's security may be at stake."

Motonari was fuming, his tone clipped as he spoke.

"So that was the point of your visit? To tell me that I will be oh so conveniently missing another meeting? Then why not simply say so instead of wasting my time with your idle talk?"

"I was not lying when I said that I wished to see how you were faring, my friend. Between your duties and mine, we do talk so seldomly... It truly is a shame."

Motonari sneered.

"As touching as your sentiments are, I'm afraid my duties demand my attention - as I am sure yours do as well. So if you would excuse me now..."

Yoshitsugu inclined his head, seemingly unaffected by the open contempt in Motonari's tone.

"Of course... Just one last thing, then I shall leave you be. There is an escort waiting for you at the gate; they will guide you to where the ship in question has last been spotted."

Motonari nodded sharply, then gestured towards the door, rudely dismissing his unwelcome visitor.

In response to such impatience, the seaweed covering Yoshitsugu's mouth twitched slightly. His mirth was audible in his voice when he said: "Very well then. I will be eagerly awaiting news of your return. Be safe, my friend. I would be saddened greatly if anything... untoward should happen to you."

And with these ominous words, Yoshitsugu finally took his leave.

x-x-x

Decked out in full battle gear - it was always best to be prepared - Mori Motonari made his way through the castle's corridors at a quick, irate pace.

The unexpected events of this morning had made him furious. His anger showed in every sharp movement of his fins and the deep scowl painted on his usually blank face. Internally, he was cursing both Takenaka Hanbei and Otani Yoshitsugu in turn, one for putting him in this position and the other for being so insufferable.

There was nothing at all that could have made his day any worse than it already was. Not a single thing.

At least Motonari thought so until he heard an irritatingly high-pitched, girlish voice calling out his name.

"Motonari! Oh, Motonari! Wait up!"

Motonari grit his teeth and stubbornly kept going, pretending he hadn't heard her. The mermaid hot on his fins put on a remarkable burst of speed and darted past him, blocking his path.

As he had feared, it was the Oracle.

They were about the same size, with similarly fine-boned features and very delicate hands. Even their hair was cut in a similar fashion, adding to the effect and allowing them to convincingly pass as siblings should the need ever arise. If his tail had not been green and the Oracle's not a pinkish salmon colour, people might even have confused them for each other from afar.

Tsuruhime was her actual name, and she ranked rather high on Motonari's list of people he could not stand the mere sight of. Said list contained every single person he had ever met, with Takenaka Hanbei having the questionable honour of being right at the top.

Heaving a heavy sigh of defeat, Motonari came to a halt in front of the Oracle. It was obvious that she would not let him leave unless he acknowledged her and listened to whatever mind-numbing drivel she was going to bore him with this time.

"What do you want?" Motonari asked none too kindly, prompting Tsuruhime to give him one of her infamous pouts.

"Must you always be so abrasive? Why, I'll have you know that it's no way to treat a lady!"

"Which lady? I only see a spoilt brat, wasting my time."

Tsuruhime crossed her arms over her chest with a glare that was a far cry from her usually cheerful, bubbly attitude.

"See, that is exactly what I mean! Why any woman would want to put up with such treatment for any amount of time let alone the rest of her life, I really do not know!"

"Rest assured, I find you equally as distasteful," Motonari said, internally rolling his eyes at the idea of himself being tempted into a relationship with anyone, ever. "Now, if you have nothing of value to offer me, get out of my way."

Having grown impatient, Motonari didn't wait for Tsuruhime to respond; instead he took it upon himself to try and circle around her.

He didn't get far.

With the same speed she had displayed earlier, Tsuruhime made a grab for Motonari's arm, invading his personal space to keep him from leaving.

"Wait, wait, wait! The truth is, this is important! I had a vision about you this morning, and I need to tell you that-"

Tsuruhime's predictions had an eerily high accuracy rate and it was always a good idea to hear her out when she was willing to share, but Motonari wasn't listening.

Right now, he was busy feeling highly uncomfortable with having anyone so close to his person, unused as he was to such contact. A shudder went through his body and he wrenched his arm from Tsuruhime's grip, pushing her away in the process.

"Get away from me! I do not have the time to listen to your mindless nonsense!"

Tsuruhime gaped, stunned for a moment or two. Then she gave a haughty little sniff and turned up her nose in the very same contemptuous manner that Motonari was prone to.

"Fine then! Go! See if I care!" she shot back.

Motonari sent her a withering glare - she responded by sticking out her tongue - and without ever finding out what exactly Tsuruhime had been about to tell him, he was on his way again.

In retrospect, he really should have listened.

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Just as Yoshitsugu had promised, there was an escort waiting for Motonari when he finally arrived at the gate.

It was a group of soldiers, dressed for battle just like Motonari was. Some faces he recognized and some he did not, but in either case it did not escape his notice that none of the men had been part of his army when he was still the Lord of Aki.

Their loyalties lay with King Hideyoshi exclusively, not with Motonari.

A pity, but of course Hanbei would never willingly give Motonari a chance to conspire with his former soldiers in private. At least not without planting a spy amongst them, that is.

Motonari approached the group and received a more detailed report of the situation. Shortly after that, they departed, one of the soldiers taking the lead, two flanking Motonari's sides and two more guarding his back. Their destination was the surface, where they would search for signs of this mysterious human ship and hopefully confirm if it was a threat to the kingdom or not.

The closer they got to the surface, the warmer the water surrounding them became. It was only now that Motonari realized just how cold it was deep down at the very bottom of the ocean, where King Hideyoshi's castle was located. He had never noticed before.

When a mermaid or a merman came off age, they gained the right to swim to the surface - but only once. After that, it was forbidden to break the surface without express permission from the King.

Motonari had never made use of that right.

As a child, he had soaked up all stories and legends about life on the surface very much like a sponge soaks up water. The idea of beings that spent all day in the sun wandering freely on these strange things they called feet had fascinated him. Often he had found himself wondering... what would it be like, to be part of that world?

But then he had been named successor to the Mori Clan and with that new title had come a whole slew of new responsibilities to be placed upon his young shoulders. The Lord of Aki did not have time to daydream about such frivolous matters. The Lord of Aki had to plan, he had to scheme, he had to manipulate.

And with time, Motonari's interest in the surface world and its odd inhabitants had waned.

Now, as they drew ever closer to their goal, his fascination returned full force. There was a bright, shining light casting its rays through the water's surface, warmer and more welcoming than anything Motonari had ever experienced before.

The sun.

It had to be the sun.

Motonari found himself swimming faster, weaving his way through the group of soldiers until he had passed them. Ignoring a shouted warning, he put on one last burst of speed. One last, powerful beat of his tail and he broke the surface.

For the very first time in his life, Mori Motonari drew breath.

And before he could properly savour that first taste of air, said breath was promptly stolen from him once more.

The sight that greeted Motonari was magnificent. Absolutely breathtaking. Never before had he seen anything more beautiful. It was the sun, in all its wondrous glory - proudly sitting there like a gem in the clear blue sky and shining more radiantly than anything you could find under the sea.

Motonari had to avert his gaze, unable to look directly at such brilliance.

Even then he could still feel the sun, its warmth gently caressing his face like the mother he had never known.

It was in that very moment that the unthinkable, the unimaginable happened.

Mori Motonari fell in love.

He barely had any time to process that thought before all hell broke loose.

An unexpected wave hit him and dunked him back under. As soon as he was submerged completely under water again, he realized that something was wrong.

The soldiers were crying out in alarm and yelling for him to retreat. Motonari hastily opened his eyes to try and figure out what the threat was and where it was coming from, but his vision had not yet recovered from gazing at the sun for so long. He could barely see anything, so his only option was to pick a random direction, hope for the best and expect the worst.

What happened next was not quite the worst thing that could have happened. Indeed, some may even argue that it was the best thing that had ever happened to Motonari. But when Motonari felt himself getting hopelessly entangled in what had to be a man-made fishing net, he very much believed no fate could have been worse.

The net closed around him, pushing dozens of flailing, squirming fish against his body. Motonari struggled and he fought, but it was a futile effort. The net was expertly made; there was no escape.

For the second time that day, Mori Motonari broke the surface - this time unwillingly.

x-x-x

"Looks like we got a big haul this time, Cap'n!" came an excited shout.

It was a man's voice, originating from a big, sturdy ship made of reddish wood. Its most striking feature - even more striking than the demonic looking figurehead - was the humungous cannon that had been mounted on top of it. All things considered, the vessel looked much more like a mighty fortress than a mere ship.

Several burly men in various states of undress were up on deck, their faces weathered and their skin bronzed by the sun. A number of them were busy attempting to reel in a huge fishing net, their faces twisted up in grimaces of exertion.

"Aye, it be a big haul indeed," one of the men hissed out between gritted teeth. "I reckon we be goin' t' need some help here, Cap'n!"

"Be there in a minute," another man yelled back.

He handed off the steering wheel to someone else before jumping down onto deck to lend the struggling men a helping hand. His build did not fall short compared to that of the rest of the crew, but with his silver hair and purple eyepatch, he still stuck out like a bit of a sore thumb.

Chosokabe Motochika was his name, but at sea he was only known as the White Sea Devil of the West.

"Avast, men! Together now!" he commanded, grabbing onto one end of the rope. "Heave-ho, heave-ho...!"

And with joined forces, it didn't take much longer for them to pull the net with all its contents over the railing and onto the ship.

It was then that the routine task of fishing took a turn for the extraordinary.

They had all heard the stories and the legends - in seedy, smoke-filled quayside bars where the rum was cheap and the women cheaper still, the kind that Motochika's crew visited when they were on shore leave. After a mug or two, the old, retired sea dogs there liked to spin their yarn and tell tall tales of their past glory.

One such tale was that of creatures with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish. Creatures as elusive as they were beautiful. And dangerous, too, leading lonely seamen astray with their angelic singing voices. Legend had it that many a ship and its crew had found an untimely end, blinded and intoxicated by a mermaid's song.

And now such a mythical creature had found its way into their net.

Sitting there amongst the squirming fish was a being the likes of which none of them had ever laid their eyes upon.

With unblemished porcelain skin and dark, wet hair clinging to finely chiseled features, the creature was beautiful enough that it would have turned heads even without its tail. The scales of green and gold and aquamarine glistened in the sunlight, almost making the appendage glow.

It was breathtaking.

Slowly, Motochika's eye traced an admiring path from the very tip of delicate looking fins all the way along that glowing tail to womanly hips and a narrow waist. His gaze lingered perhaps a bit too long on the place where smooth skin gave way to scales right underneath the creature's belly before continuing its journey upwards.

The sight of a man's chest gave him pause. Never had he heard of a male mermaid, though he supposed if they were real and not just the product of fantasy, they did need to reproduce in some way.

Finally, Motochika's gaze completed its journey, landing on the creature's face.

Their eyes met.

There was both a fire and an indescribable coldness in the creature's dark brown eyes, its face set in an expression of haughty contempt. It glared at Motochika, somehow managing to look down upon him despite its position on the ground.

Unexpectedly and perhaps a bit belatedly, a wave of giddy excitement hit Motochika.

A mermaid.

They had caught a real, honest to god mermaid. Well, technically a merman he supposed, but that didn't dampen his spirits in the slightest.

The creature tensed and glared harder when a broad, toothy grin spread across Motochika's face, his single golden eye glinting devilishly.

And then Chosokabe Motochika spoke his very first words to Mori Motonari; words that neither of them would ever forget.

"...now that's the catch of the day!"

Author's Note: I deeply apologize for Yoshitsugu's creepiness, Motonari's sun fetish, Hanbei's refusal to die (Kidding, I adore Hanbei), Tsuruhime's girliness, Motochika and his crew's terrible pirate lingo as well as the misleading chapter title. I promise there will be romance eventually, but just not quite yet. Patience, my friends. We'll get there.

Thank you for taking the time to read this thing, I hope you enjoyed it and if you've got any comments, suggestions, questions, complaints or requests, I'd love to hear from you in a review or a private message. Flames are okay too, there's plenty of water in this story to douse them with. ;D

To be continued.

Eventually.