Money. For Yibai's family money was nothing but an issue - with a University job and his bright mind one could say that Zhang was ought to earn more than he transferred to the bank account... Nope. Ayu, whether she liked it or not, had to be frugal. It was hard for a student who was preparing to apply to university, considering all the textbooks, admission fees, and other expenses that awaited her. For a long time, she was growing her food, saving money on utensils and home products, and mending her old clothes just to make ends meet. It wasn't easy. At school, Ayu was the one without the newest phone - she couldn't go with others to grab some ice cream after a hard exam or buy herself this cute pair of summer shoes she saw in the shop exposition. Zhang wasn't drowning in luxuries himself, but he lived mostly in a University motel and he was never home, so Ayu couldn't say exactly what his daily life looked like... And she couldn't talk with him about their financial status. He was always getting quiet and grumpy each time she brought up that subject.

And now he was away for the second week when the postman brought more bills. Some of those were overdue. Some Ayu saw for the first time in her life - yet Zhang was silent each time she tried to call him. That's true that she was still forbidden from visiting cities and bigger settlements, perhaps her grandfather thought she'd be asking him to allow her for a trip to East City... He was strangely defensive about his decision but to the point of avoiding talking with her? She couldn't figure it out. The reality wasn't going to change anyway, there were bills to pay, Zhang was away and Ayu didn't know how could she make money to pay it all. She couldn't borrow it, she wasn't able to sell plants she created or vegetables she grew to gather enough funds on such short notice. It felt so useless... The last thing she needed was legal troubles and more attention to the poor Yibai's household. People were talking already behind her back. They said that she's an alien and she brought trouble for a kind man that generously brought her home after her parents died. Even her family left zero contact or information about her race or home planet... Or maybe she was a weird hybrid? Suspicion arose and Zhang was never there to deny it.

Anyway, regarding the money issue... Lately, people were talking about how there was sunken wreckage lost underwater near the East City. It was a curious incident Ayu has heard about. The newspapers and radio kept telling how the recent raging storm had tossed some decade-old pieces on the coast. Old boxes and crates, a handful of old coins, a rusted ship's rudder... Seemed that the ship sank there years, decades ago. It was near the small bay close to East City, but far enough for Ayu to safely venture there one morning without breaking the visiting-the-cities prohibition. To add importance there, there was a gossip that the ship was carrying museum exhibits and other treasures in secret - it only made treasure hunters excited. Though the enthusiasm faded when people realized that the said bay was known for its wreckages and hunted waters. Stubborn hunters were gathering everything that was found on the beach, avoiding the sea. Some bold souls did try diving... The media knew nothing more about that. Antique shops were buying stuff found on the beach for a pompous sum of money. Ayu heard about it too, and if Zhang was too busy to respond, she had to take this matter into her own hands.

After a few days, when things quietened a bit, Ayu decided to have a look at the hunted beach. Not that she enjoyed the idea of fishing out the remains of wreckage, but she was desperate. Was it morally wrong..? Here she was at dawn, standing on the empty beach. Nothing remained in the white sand, people efficiently dug through it in search of the smallest bolts or coins. As she suspected, she would need to take a bath in seawater... Was it her imagination or someone was watching her? Rubbing her arms together Ayu walked towards calm waves. The sky was clouded and despite the current season, the world seemed cold. The rising sun painted everything grey, even the water looked murky and unwelcoming. There was a shiver dancing on Ayu's spine when she fastened her belt and wrist protectors. Diving in the water could be tricky, and the extra weight of her clothes would secure her in place. It will be cold and unpleasant... But she had to find something. Anything. With the first step towards the sea, Ayu felt the hair on her body standing up. A gentle wave washed against her ankles, soaking the training shoes and teasing her with the coldness... Brrr. Squeezing her eyelids shut, Ayu took another step letting herself be embraced by waves. Water reached her knees, then the waist and arms... It was cold, the sea current was carrying sand and fragments of seashells that brushed against her skin and clothing. The young woman persisted. Soon enough the tip of the green-haired head disappeared underwater and the beach was empty once again.

Ayu learned accidentally about her unusual ability. When she was eight she fall into the forest pond and without knowing how to swim, the little girl was sure to drown... Yet she didn't. Since that tiny mishap, she had no chance to use her skill of underwater breathing - but now it came in handy. Who would have thought? Naturally, the first body's reaction was to choke on water that poured right into the windpipe. Ayu held her ground, doing her best not to swallow but breathe in the seawater - the cold water rushed through her mouth and nose, down the throat... But it disappeared right before it could even reach her lungs. Instead, the air had filled her chest, and leftover water ran down through the pores on the sides of her body. One, two, three breaths like that, and after Ayu stabilized her breathing enough, it was time for sightseeing.

Slowly she opened her eyes, and a little ball of energy in her hand lightened up the murky water around. The sound here was muffled, distant, and faint, the vision was obscured and the pressure started to grow - but Ayu decided not to give up so easily. With each step, her body felt lighter underwater, half-jumping, and half-walking through the underwater area. The number of stones and floating seaweeds grew, and Ayu felt the countless number of tiny life signatures. A school of tiny fish ran away when they spot her, swiftly disappearing in the fluffy, brown bushes of weeds. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a moray, diving into their hideout under rocks. The light here wasn't so scarce, but she didn't have good enough eyes to see in this dim place. It was her first time admiring the long stalks of seaweed, growing here like trees softly rocking in the current. Ayu smiled to herself, slightly adjusting the brightness of her Ki - the little ball in her hand was mimicking a lightbulb, letting her see her surroundings more clearly. She had a clear goal... And there she saw it - a rotting plank covered in metal sheets with rust eating on the merchant navy sign. But she needed something else, something she could bring with herself on the surface and a piece of the board won't be worth much.

Her search continued. She started to find more and more pieces and bits that could guide her to the wreckage, but looking for a sunken ship in the unclear water wasn't easy. Ayu found a well-preserved crate but breaking the wood uncovered a family of eels that were unimpressed by her actions and fled, leaving her confused and feeling a little guilty. Another piece of metal seemed to come from a steering wheel, but it was in very poor condition. Finally, there was something that looked like a crate but turned out to be a broken lid. Something was behind it... Ayu spotted a black, half-rotten skeleton that startled her at first. She jumped, blinking, looking at the dark bones in some places adorned with green underwater moss and decay. That... Wasn't expected. But if the ship sunk, the crew most likely met a tragic end. Joining her hands for a short moment Ayu prayed for the soul lost at sea before continuing her search. Using very little force she bounced off the nearest rock, looking around for anything that would catch her eye. More crates. More rocks. As the sun was climbing on the horizon peeking from behind the clouds, above her the light reflected on the sea surface gave a charming impression of glimmering stars. Under the sea, everything was so mysterious... Creepy. Beautiful and charming, but also dangerous. Ayu knew that if she won't be careful enough, the current could sweep her from her feet and she won't be able to reach the coast on her way back.

Something reflected light on her left. Ayu blinked, gazing in awe at something rectangular nested on the rock formation nearby, next to the curtain of seaweed. There was her treasure chest! With silver shining claps and a solid-looking lock on the old black wood. Finally! She was soaked for hours and the chill of the sea reached her bones... Ayu swam toward the chest, but a sudden movement, a spark of an angry presence, and a push and pain happened at once. She opened her mouth in an inaudible groan of pain, dark rose blood danced in the water before it completely dissolved. Ayu held tightly her forearm now decorated with three long cuts. Salt was burning her wounds. Something shoved her away and slashed her without mercy, angry, defensive, determined... Swinging her legs she placed herself in an upright position, increasing the volume of light and frantically looking around. She felt that energy, but it moved too fast to track. A cold panic and the sense of danger hastened her pulse. Where was the aggressor? Ayu glanced at the treasure chest - the only logical solution to the current situation was to grab it and bolt toward the beach. Yet... The shadow danced behind the seaweed curtain and a pair of boney, sickly grey arms extended from behind the green veil and placed long fingers on the chest's lid.

A... Mermaid? No, it wasn't a fairytale mermaid... Ayu watched in horror the creature that attacked her. The upper, somewhat feminine humanoid body had this grey slippery skin with patches of dark scales. Rows of sharp shark-like teeth in a wide mouth were dangerously bared, like in a deadly smile of a predator gazing at their prey. The long tangled hair mimicked kelp, but for Ayu, it looked like a lion's mane. She saw the membrane between fingers, sharp, curved claws, and pure black eyes. Lots of fins and a long, twisting tail of a fish... The mermaid wasn't breaking eye contact with her, guarding the treasure chest and looking at her with clear, murderous intent. Does it mean that she was right and the crates hide something valuable? Monsters usually guard the treasures, but Ayu was no warrior to get into a life and death fight. If getting what she needed means killing the guardian... No, no, she couldn't do it! But she was desperate to add some extra funds to her family's income. Otherwise... Her future won't look so bright.

Opening her mouth meant nothing because every sound ended up being muffled and incomprehensible. What's more, the mermaid wasn't eager to find any agreement between the two of them, because she rushed at Ayu. The girl quickly jumped to the side, but claws brushed against her leg, tearing both the fabric and skin. The first wounds were just starting to regenerate and now other slashes... Despite breathing underwater Ayu was at disadvantage. Her body wasn't adapted to the combat or even moving here. She couldn't fight back, she couldn't swim as fast and she didn't like the thought of ending as fish food. Mermaid circled her slowly and then abruptly struck again with her teeth bared and claws prepared, aiming at her face. Was she done for it..? That was exactly when Ayu realized something that should have been obvious to her from the very start.

That plants underwater were like any other plant.

Tips of her fingertips lit up gently and the lines and rows of kelp shot at the mermaid, entangling her with the use of green mass. A living net restrained the tail and arms, twisting around the limbs and neck. Just in time, but the struggling creature was unexpectedly strong - her frantic fight against seaweed freed one of her hands. Maybe Ayu was on mute here, but even the muffling water couldn't stop the inhuman, full of hate snarls and screeches. With a swift movement, she left a bloody gash on Ayu's cheek. There was no time to waste... The girl moved away as quickly as possible, adding more and more kelps to keep the mermaid in place. It was a heartbreaking sight, to see a creature fighting so desperately and so intensely - she did not doubt that she'd break free. In a frenzy the mermaid shifted her focus on the plants, ripping them and tearing them apart, trying to escape her prison as soon as possible. Using her teeth and claws, the stalks and leaves were cut as easily as paper. Ayu had to be quick, otherwise...

With the help of the plantlife, the young woman grabbed the chest. It was heavier than she thought, but not enough to be unable to lift. Now, to leave this place... More and more stalks entangled the mermaid before Ayu was able to focus on the kelp under her feet. It helped lift her and moved her quickly towards the shore, letting her use the impact of being pushed to cover more distance than expected. Landing on the underwater rock, she send into the water a cloud of sand before another stalk of seaweed wrapped around her waist, pulling her in direction of the shore. The fact that Ayu was at least two hours away from the beach wasn't helpful, but now she was racing with time instead of searching around. Who'd be faster? If she reaches the beach first, she'd be safe, if the mermaid destroys all the seaweed around and catches her... No, no, that can't happen. She felt her energy still in the same spot, so the last net of tangled kelps was keeping her occupied. That didn't mean she was feeling comfortable. Ayu was too far from the shore to let her guard down now. Her shaking hands were pressing the chest tightly when the stalks and underwater vines pulled them quicker. And faster.

With each moment she was closer to her freedom. The area underwater started to be less full of weeds, leaving only seashells and rocks around. It was easier to see her surroundings and Ayu felt the current changing to the familiar push-and-pull sensation of waves. And just before she could see the sky above, the mermaid broke free. With alarming speed, the creature swam towards her, tracking her like a raging predator with an unspoken grudge. The girl frantically hastened her moves. There were not enough plants around to fight... Some skimpy kelps that could help her in pinch, but otherwise, not much. Why does this world follow the fairytale logic, placing a guardian next to every treasure or princess held captive?

Finally, Ayu's head broke through the waves and she started coughing when pure air flew toward her lungs. The beach was right there. Patting her throat to breathe easier and holding her prize, she ran toward it, fighting against the current. As the water was now only reaching her arms, she felt a burst of energy. H-how did it happen so fast? The loud splash of water and piercing shriek behind her meant what she feared. Now pale Ayu turned around to see a face that didn't know mercy. With a vicious strength and desperation mermaid followed her - but Ayu wasn't going to give up just yet. Hearing her heart beating in fear, the girl still acted. Enlarged and hardened by her Ki seaweed rushed towards the creature one last time. As the young woman was still moving closer to the shore, the dark green and brown kelps chained down the mermaid. The water was now around her waist, Ayu dared not to turn her back towards the creature. The sound of it screaming, hissing, and growling was enough to terrify a grown man... Mermaid struggled in anguish, looking at her and extending her grey, trembling arms in the girl's direction. Now she looked pitifully sad, so much that Ayu's heart started to ache. Why would getting a treasure chest lead to this situation... That was her way of surviving in this world, she didn't hurt her, but why was she now feeling so bad..?

"Givvve 'ack..!"

Ayu froze. The cold waves washed against her thighs, but she was unable to move. Fear and the primitive instinct of fleeing for her life melted away in an instant. Her yellow eyes met the pure-black gaze and now she saw there not anger, but only unspoken sorrow. Ayu was cautious, but the presence she felt was honest in all the emotions she sensed. And the creature was in pain. Not the physical one, as she could not bring herself to leave even a scratch, but the distress in her soul was agonizing. The Ki she felt emitted such a complex whirl of emotions, that she wasn't able to move, let alone understand what was happening.

"Givvee..." the croaky voice lamented in pain. Was it water running down the face she saw or were those tears..? Mermaid was fighting against the seaweed, but she was at her limit, still pushing through and struggling to reach her. Even when they both knew that the outcome was now clear - Ayu simply needed to walk towards the shore - she kept following her. But... Why?

"W-what do you-" Ayu opened her mouth, but then she heard a quieted wailing. The soft and babbling cry came from inside of the chest, and amidst all the chaos and struggle to escape, she failed to sense a tiny presence she was holding all this time. Ayu gazed at the crate and her face turned pale even more when she delicately opened the lid.

A child.

Baby. A tiny creature with pinkish but greying skin was nested on the bed of seaweed and scraps of fabric, lovingly wrapped in a blanket made of sailcloth. The upper body was vaguely resembling a human infant, yet the little clenched fists had a membrane between the fingers. The scales all around the body and a twisted fishtail were obvious signs that it wasn't a child belonging to any surface species. Messy, kelp-like hair was tied on top of the head with a leather strap adorned with a polished shell. Chubby grey cheeks and shining black eyes were adorable, like in the case of any cute baby and race didn't matter here. The baby was crying softly, the gentle cooing was underlined with fear and worry. Tiny teeth in a half-open mouth looked sharp, but the baby itself was laying there defenseless, unable to move with the stubby childish-like arms and a small tail. Too young to do anything, on the mercy of the predator who captured them...

Ayu fell to her knees.

Tears were running down her face, lips trembling as she was unable to say anything, simply holding the chest with her shivering arms. It all made sense, too much sense... The guilt poured all over her soul and it felt like the sin she committed was too heavy to bear. There was no justification. Ayu started sobbing. She never meant to steal the treasure... That would be a lie, the young woman came here looking for something to be sold - but she expected old coins, a fragment of a figurine, maybe jewelry if she'd be lucky enough. And blinded by her own desperation, she almost separated a child from their mother. Everyone used what they could to survive, right..? Even if it was a mistake, it just felt bad. Disgusting. She knew now why the mermaid was so vicious and desperate... How she made an empty treasure chest a cradle for her baby to protect them from harm. What has Ayu done..?

No. She took a deep breath, tenderly and with guilt looking a the baby. They must have been so scared... There was no use crying and whining for her now. Ayu wiped her warm tears. Time to fix it. She has to apologize and be grateful that no worse damage was done. She didn't expect to be forgiven, but it didn't mean she should not amend her mistakes...

On weak legs, she stood up. During the revelation, the mermaid was watching her attentively, and perhaps because of Ayu's current state, the rest of the hostility and grudge disappeared. Despite everything, she didn't throw herself at her. The vines and stalks of underwater weeds let go of the mermaid when Ayu stopped before her, without any hesitation putting the chest in her arms. Where it belongs... Now even more tears dripped down and were swallowed by the sea when Ayu put her arms around her shivering self.

"I'm sorry... I'm s-so sorry..." she wept, lowering her head. With a trembling hand, she tried to get rid of the tears that were blocking her vision, while simultaneously searching for words to form an apology... What could she say? What should she say? But before she was even given a chance to speak, Ayu felt a cold touch when a boney finger wiped tears from her cheek. When she blinked, she only saw a splash of water and ripples wrinkling the surface of the sea. Mermaid and the baby were gone, back to the depths of their home.

The girl was standing there in cold water for a long time, the wind and whisper of the waves keeping her company before she turned around. She reached the sandy beach, gathered her belongings, and left with a heavy heart. This day will stay in Ayu's memory for a long, but she failed in the end... She almost did something detestable and she never located even the smallest piece of treasure, which could have helped her pay the bills. She clearly remembered that she didn't find anything that she could use, going back home empty-handed.

So... Why did she find a pearl in her pocket?

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Weighted Clothing Equipped
Power Level - 9,296
Word Count - 3,824