The Beginning

Cold.

Pain.

Water.

The unfamiliar yet terrifying feeling of being unable to breathe.

A glimpse of light in the darkness and the first stirring of hope.

I fought out of the darkness that was closing around me and willed the water to carry me up and burst into the light, sucking in a desperate gasp of air as my head broke the surface. I floated on my back for a moment, just breathing deeply. Finally I let my body sink back into the water as I raised my head to look around. the sun was just barely above the horizon, the stars still vaguely visible in the brightening sky.. A faint shore line winked in the distance, almost hidden by the sunlight reflecting off the water. The ocean whispered in my ear and I knew that that distant shore was part of a long stretch of land that extended from the continent.

At least I was close to where I needed to end up. Drawing in another deep breath, I tried to swim forward and nearly sank under the waves. Sputtering I scolded myself silently. Human legs were nothing like my tail. Before I had always waited to change until I was nearly at the shore. This time was different. My clothes were already growing heavy, and the shore was quite far away.

I sighed and stroked both of my arms through the icy water. The ocean answered my silent plea by swelling up around me in a strong wave and I felt a current tug at my toes. Then I was speeding towards land, the water carrying me in a firm yet gentle embrace. I couldn't keep this up for long, our kind weren't supposed to alter the currents very often because it messed with the temperature of the ocean around it.

By the way, if you happen to be reading this, I apologize for dropping you into the middle of my story but it couldn't be helped. At this point I was in quite a potentially deadly situation. It might seem really foolish to place all my hopes on one person but there was nothing else I could do. However, I will explain all that later.

My name is Mizu Augustina Coral Oceania. I am the youngest daughter of King Kaiyo Oceania, ruler over all the oceans of the world. And I am a Ningyo, more commonly known as a yokai, or a mermaid. How I ended up like this is a long story, and unfortunately I don't have a lot of time right now. The most important thing is I have been cursed. And I have three months to break it, or my home, my people, will be destroyed.

My feet hit something and I was knocked out of my thoughts. Looking up, I realized I had reached the beach. Releasing the ocean with a silent thanks, I stumbled to my feet. The sand felt oddly abrasive against my skin and I shuddered, pushing the pain away as I stumbled forward, water sloshing around my thighs. Wind cut through my soaked clothes and I shivered, wrapping my arms around me in a vain attempt to stay warm.

Thankfully no one was around as I exited the water and I let out a sigh of relief as I recognized the land around me. I had actually been to this beach before, a small semi private strech of sand only a few minutes away from a tourist town. There should also be someone living there that I could contact. The problem would be if they would be willing to help. Walking past a small screen of trees, I found a strech of black pavement and followed it, seeing buildings come into view after just a couple of steps. The sun was just starting to creep higher in the sky and I heard people moving around nearby, getting ready to begin the day. A door creaked open nearby and I cursed, looking around quickly to orient myself.

Not wanting to have to explain my appearance, I walked faster, ducking behind a small cafe and darting up the stairs along the back wall. Reaching a closed door, i hesitated for a moment. I had visited before, but this would be completely different. This is a much more dire situation and there were many reasons that this would be a bad idea. Shaking my head as I pushing my doubts aside, I knocking firmly on the door.

"Hold on, be there in a minute!" I felt myself relax just a little at the voice that yelled from inside the building. Footsteps sounded and I looked up as the door swung open. "Sorry, I was in the middle of something, what can I..." the woman's voice trailed off as she stared at me.

"Aunt Hayami, I need your help."