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Denki wanted to fish, Midoriya had informed him that some of the flowers and mushrooms he had picked in the fairy field were poisonous to humans, but actually made good bait for fishing. The shore was littered with fishermen who caught anything from minnows, to crabs, to swordfish longer than his torso. He had spent the better part of two days at the docks, attempting to rent a rowboat or hitch a ride with another party. However, nobody wanted a bard who had nothing but song to offer. And since Midoriya’s knowledge had not been published, his bait was even viewed as a good bargaining chip.
Realizing that humans were much tougher to barter with than the creatures he’s met, he went to the local inn, named Lurkers Lagoon, and played a song for the owner. He then asked to play at her inn’s tavern that night, just one night so he could scruff up enough coins to rent a rowboat. The owner, a voluptuous tall blonde named Yu Takeyama, agreed. Her husband, who was one of the bartenders at the tavern named Shinji Nishiya, was tasked with keeping the party alive while Denki played. Denki made more coin that night than any day prior. By the time dawn was on the horizon, he had three satchels of gold, silver, and copper coins. He was given a warm cup of ale, a small loaf of bread lathered in butter, and boar stew. It was the nicest meal he’s had in the seaside town. Once he ate, Yu gave him a key to one of the bedrooms and told him to rest. Denki had never been so full, so content, so happy. When his head hit the pillow, he slept for a day straight. Upon realizing he slept a whole 24 hours, Denki barged into the lobby and begged for forgiveness. Yu simply smiled and patted his head, saying she was honored to have had him play in her tavern before he made it big. She then gave him a little extra coin, pointing down the road to a lovely bathhouse.
“Once you catch your fish, bring them to our chef, we’ll butcher them for you. Then, head to the bathhouse down the road. A nice soak in those herbal waters will heal all your exhaustion and wash away all that fishy smell!” Denki lit up and nodded, bowing to her.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Denki’s smile lit up the room, the whole lobby seemed in awe of his aura. With that, he turned and ran out, smiling all the way to the docks. He paid a small dockhand two silver to rent his boat, a solid piece of craftsmanship that would last in mid-deep water, but could probably not withstand the rocky waves of the vast open. He disembarked from the docks after stripping his many layers of top, the sun beating down despite the autumn chill nipping in the air. After leaving his vest and beaver cloak in the hands of a cabin boy, who he paid one silver to keep his belongings safe in his meager living quarters, he rowed out in his white tunic. The sun cooked his flesh by midday, turning it caramel with a pinkish undertone. Denki had caught three fish by noon, two rainbow trout and one tuna. Denki found that free floating made fishing easier and only anchored when he caught something. Which is why he wasn’t all that shocked when a huge weight yanked on his lure, nearly causing the boat to tip. He immediately dropped the weighted bag and began to reel in whatever snagged his hook, his face turned red with how much force he had to use.
After two minutes of heaving, Denki could make out bright gold scales with black stripes. He took a closer look, not recognizing the pattern, before realizing the further he looked up, the more peachy the flesh-like skin looked. And then it computed, that WAS flesh. He hauled one final time, lugging a net onto his tiny rowboat. In the silver lined netting was a-
“Are you a mermaid?” the creature turned, its long blonde hair covering its face. Slim hands parted it in the middle, showing a very unimpressed face dawning a mustache. Denki looked down and did not see breasts, but pecs, and noted how the scales and fins shimmered in the sun, “merman, sorry,” the creature huffed, spritzing Denki with sea water from his gills and mouth, “pft, PFT, hey!” he screamed. The creature huffed again, “I didn’t set the damn net, keep your temper, I’ll get you out,” Denki went to his satchel and got out his knife, cutting the silver braided nettings with vigor. The tinsel-like strands made it harder to cut, but Denki eventually got frustrated enough to use his unchecked emotions and manifest angry strength. The netting cut after a few more minutes, and Denki gently propped the net on the floor, “There, now you’re free,” he smiled softly at the man.
Before the creature could respond, a cannon boomed and Denki found his boat being rocked to the side, the cannonball had just missed.
“You! That is our catch, leave it alone!” Denki looked and saw a huge ship with the royal sigil on it. At the foot of the ship’s bowsprit was Captain Burnin. She was King Enji’s right hand, she was Captain of his Navy and one of his top advisors. If she caught this creature, then it was ordered by the king. In the eyes of the law, Denki would be a traitor. Denki turned, panic in his eyes.
“They’re going to kill you, go! Swim!” He tried to push the creature off the boat, but the man just held him close. The creature kept Denki close to his chest, covering his free ear with his hand. The creature’s long nails sent shivers down Denki’s spine. He closed his eyes, ready to be dragged under the depths for a crime he didn’t commit, when he felt the creature’s chest thrumming. He cracked his eyes and saw the assault on his rowboat had stopped, the crew dazed and moving like zombies. Before he knew it, the ship had turned around, as if commanded by a mysterious force. Once the ship was far away, the creature uncovered Denki’s ears and let him free. Denki looked at the man, who simply smiled at him, before diving down into the depths.
Denki, deciding that was enough fishing, began to go back. Considering in a day’s time, he will be a marked man, he may as well use the last of his connections. So, he docked, got his stuff back, took the fish to the inn’s chef, and went for a soak. He spent what he thought was his last night as a free man drinking, eating, and playing his lute. He went to bed at dawn, ready to wake up in a cell. But, it never happened. No posters of his face, nobody searching for him, one of the knights even tipped his feathered helmet to him on his morning patrol.
It was as if his interference with Captain Burnin never happened.
He stayed in the wharfside town for three days, playing at the inn and going about his day. Never once did it seem like he was a wanted man. That is, until Burnin walked into the tavern. She was out of uniform, but her bright green hair was hair to miss. She was with members of her crew, talking to Yu, Shinji, and the other bartender Shinya. Denki froze as all of them looked over to him simultaneously.
“There he is!” Yu shouted excitedly, bounding over and grabbing his hand. She dragged the poor boy over to the table, and Denki could feel his heart thrumming in his chest and air catch in his throat, “this is Denki, he has been the reason we’re raking in so much money these past few days! His songs are to die for, Moe!” Burnin looked and smiled, clapping a strong hand on his shoulder.
“So YOU’RE the one everybody’s been talking about?!” she laughed, “you got the whole seaside itching to hear you sing! Say, I’m hosting a birthday party for one of my crew! Would you provide the singing? I need someone fresh!” Denki blinked, looking at her owlishly before slowly nodding. She smirked and smacked his back again, forcing him to tumble face first into the floorboards with her force, “Awesome! The boat leaves at dusk, tonight! Wear your best! The crown prince will be there!”
And just like that, Denki found himself in the middle of the shopping district with Yu using him as her personal fashion doll. She ended up buying him a pearl encrusted, baby blue and gold embroidered corset, a fluffy off the shoulder blouse with bishop sleeves, a new pair of navy trousers with gold embroidery down the seams, brown knee high riding boots, and a red rose and gold hair pin. If Denki had to guess, it cost her ten gold at minimum, but she insisted it was ok since he had raked in so much money. She even spared some gold to get him an actual quality lute casing, made from wyvern leather. She got him dolled up, adding a little bit of eyeliner and braiding the sides of Denki’s hair, getting most of it off his face. She left his bangs out, dusting his mostly exposed upper chest and shoulders with an expensive glitter dust to make him shimmer. Denki looked like a noble, like he would belong, and staring at himself in the full length mirror at the inn made him rethink the current situation. For some reason, playing for dragons and dark mages was a lot less scary than playing for a prince.
Denki looked like a demigod as Yu stuck the hairpin in the hair tie keeping his braids together. She marveled at her work, knowing once the ship saw him, he would bring in more money than she could’ve ever imagined. Denki tied the new leather casing onto the trouser belt loops, keeping his lute safely on his thigh. Denki made sure to keep the pendant tucked into his new blouse, the chain glittering lightly as a carriage sent by Moe carried him to the docks. Once he got out, he was greeted by the sight of many upper ranked seamen. He gulped as he made his way forward, Moe catching sight of him before he could get too far.
“Is that the only bard you hired?” a snobbish knight with blue hair asked, “this gathering boasts some of the highest ranked military officers, and you hire one bard?”
“Commander Iida, please, you haven’t heard him sing,” Moe countered as she approached him, “Denki, please allow me to introduce you to everybody,”
Denki was given too many names at once, his nerves jumbled as everybody boarded the boat. He was just getting settled when trumpets sounded, and suddenly, everybody was bowing. The prince had entered the boat, a boy around his age, with split colored hair and heterochromia. He had a nasty scar over his left eye, and otherwise porcelain perfect skin. He was wearing a similar blouse to him, just tied tightly, hugging his broad shoulders. He was also wearing a blue and gold vest, with ruffles along the neckline. His hip dawned a sword of the finest metal, the hilt wrapped in well worn leather. Once his entrance was made, Moe went to the head of the deck and tapped a glass. She gave a half hearted speech about commemorating the crewmate’s birthday, giving a hearty laugh as the crew all jabbed at the mate. She then thanked many of the nobles and high ranking officers for coming, bowing in respect to the prince. Once that was out of the way, she gave the signal to raise the anchor and allowed the party to commence.
Denki took that as his cue to start to strum. Lightly at first, noting how polite conversation was starting to jumble into more chaotic banter. After twenty minutes, and a few pints of ale, Denki picked up the pace. His strumming got quicker, to the point where others took to the main deck to dance. Song by song, the pace quickened, until it was a full on party on deck. Denki was starting to feel the vibe, his own music making himself dance around with the others, lyrics belting from his vocal chords before he could even properly think them through. His heart was pounding by the time he was done, Moe coming over to give him a few minutes to drink and eat something. He tied his lute back into its casing and went to the snack table, noting the prince was just standing there.
“Pardon my intrusion, highness,” Denki bowed dramatically with a giggle before straightening out. He noted how the commander from before seemed to glare him down. The prince seemed to glance at him before looking back down at his flute of champagne.
“Your voice,” he said monotone, “it’s beautiful,” the prince announced before looking back up. Denki had grabbed a small cup of juice and a small plate of fish. Denki turned red and smiled timidly, finding the compliment quite striking and blunt. He appreciated such honesty, even at the cost of some mild embarrassment.
“Such high praise, many thanks, highness,” Denki smiled sweetly before beginning to dine on the fish. He barely got two bites in when a drunken crewmate came over and swung a muscular arm around Denki, swaying him back and making him drop his plate with sheer force.
“Come on, bard~ Keep going~ We want to hear that voice of yours~” Denki tried to gently lift the man’s arm off his neck, but the sailor hugged his neck tighter.
“Sir, please release me,” Denki politely commanded, but the sailor started to drag him back to the dance floor. That’s when he saw a blur brushed past Denki, and suddenly the sailor was on his knees holding a gash on his arm.
“He said to release him,” the prince’s voice was icy and devoid of remorse, his sword dripping blood. Iida was at his side, his sword also drawn and aimed downward, ready to behead the sailor if he dared to defy the prince.
“Your orders, Prince Shoto,” his voice was stern. The prince, Shoto, seemed to think it over for a moment. He was about to give his command when Denki stepped in.
“Highness, may I speak?” Denki intervened, Shoto looked him over before nodding once, “may you have mercy, just this once. ‘Tis a party, after all, he must’ve been too merry with spirits,” Denki spoke sincerely and politely, “had he been of sober mind, he wouldn’t have acted so barbaricly. Especially in your presence,” murmurs echoed across the ship, the party halting as Moe came to the front.
“Your highness, please,” she pleaded as she got on one knee and bowed her head, “he is my crew, I will punish him accordingly! You needn’t do anything, he will be dealt with,” Moe looked up with a serious fire in her eyes. Shoto nodded, waving his arm, a signal that meant Iida could disengage and sheath his sword.
“You have convinced me, his punishment is in your hands. Commander, be thankful that Denki stepped in, lest your crew be beheaded,” Shoto whipped his sword swiftly, the blood splattering on the ground and leaving the blade clean, before sheathing it. He then turned to Denki, putting his hand out, “please, allow me to escort you back to the snack table. You did not get to finish eating,” Denki flushed red, but nodded, gently taking Shoto’s hand as they went back to the table, Iida flanking them. Shoto and Iida stood near Denki as he ate, assuring nobody disturbed him again. Once Denki had his fill, he bowed as a show of thanks.
“Many thanks, highness. Please, allow me to grace you with a song,” Shoto smiled briefly, nodding as he followed Denki back to his spot. Just as he was about to strum, lightning crashed near the ship. Thunder destroyed their ear drums as clouds rolled in quicker than anybody could’ve predicted.
“Storm off the starboard quarter!” a man yelled from the nest, swinging down. Moe immediately went into captain mode, standing straight.
“Batten down the cannon hatches, trim the sails, secure the passengers!” The crewmates that weren’t merry with wine immediately swung into action, taking most of the guests to the crew quarters for safety. Shoto was dragged by Iida before pulling free, noticing how Denki was helping some of the drunken guests get to their feet.
“My priority is with my subjects, I will help Denki,” he commanded as he ran to help Denki lift one of the drunken men onto each of their shoulders. The sober men all saw this and aided in the rescue of the drunkards, each of them carrying one man. Everybody was thought to be secured when both Shoto and Denki heard a little girl crying, “the Baron’s daughter,” Shoto whispered. Denki immediately located her under the snack table, running over just as a big wave hit the deck, nearly dragging him overboard. He took one of the ropes that had come loose from the main mast and tied it around his waist. The table had been swept away by the wave, leaving her exposed near the edge of the ship. Denki ran, grabbing her and making his way back to the crew’s quarters when another wave hit the deck. Denki wrapped his arms around her tightly, bracing and turning his back to the wave. The force pushed them overboard, but Denki was quick to grab his hairpin and stabbed the side of the ship, assuring they didn’t crash into the water. The pin cracked the wood, giving Shoto and Iida enough time to come and assist.
They were there in a second, Denki lifting the girl up so they could grab her first. The knot around Denki’s waist came loose as he began hoisting himself back up when the ship suddenly tilted, the wood splintering from under him. Shoto almost fell had Iida not caught him. But neither could catch Denki, and Shoto watched as Denki’s body crashed into the water. Iida managed to wrangle him inside, despite his desperate attempt to back out and try to save Denki. The only thing that gave him comfort was the baron’s daughter handing him the hairpin; she had managed to grab it before it followed Denki into the water.
Meanwhile, Denki’s body was being ragdolled in the waves, slamming into the ship multiple times. He was knocked unconscious not long after hitting the water, his pendant glowing pure brilliant white. The light echoed, sending waves of light throughout the sea. That’s when a familiar creature saw his body, snatching it and bringing him back to the surface. He waited, watching for a few moments before Denki coughed up water, before swimming away from the seemingly abandoned ship. The creature worriedly looked down every now and then at Denki’s bruising cheek and red and purple spots forming around his chest. By the time he got back to his cove, Denki had begun to wake up, but the creature did not want him awake.
The creature hummed softly, brushing his head, lulling Denki back to sleep, while two more sets of eyes watched them closely. He beckoned the two forward, and out swam a woman with short purple hair and a lanky boy with black hair and deformed elbows.
“Father, a human?!” the girl exclaimed. The boy looked at Denki’s face, seeing the marks.
“He is injured,” the boy observed. The creature brought Denki to a flat rock that acted as a dock of some kind in the middle of the water.
“This is the human who saved me from the king,” the creature spoke softly, “come children, the healing song,” he stuck his arms out, ready for his children to join hands with him. They each took each other’s hands and began to sing in a lost, foreign tongue, Denki’s body glowing. The bruises and small gashes from the wood slowly disappeared. Denki once again started to wake up, but the three hushed him. The boy left and quickly came back with a weighted net, tightly woven so that it was almost blanket-like. The girl followed his lead and got a knapsack, filling it with sand, and gently putting it under his head. The three assured he was actually asleep before they themselves turned in for the night.
When dawn broke, Shoto immediately ordered every vessel on the water to be on the look out for Denki. Posters of his face were everywhere, every sailor along the coast knew his name and face by noon. Sitting in his study, clutching the hairpin, Shoto felt something he had never truly felt before: worry. Iida noted the mundane sadness in Shoto and could not fully blame him, Denki was the first person to make Shoto smile in a long while. Meanwhile, Denki was just waking up, his eyes fluttering open and meeting the blank irises of the boy. It startled him, and Denki nearly fell into the water had it not been for the girl there to catch him.
“Where-where am I?” Denki questioned as he looked around.
“You are in my cove,” the man said as he approached, both the boy and girl giving Denki space, “I am Hizashi, I am the Siren King. These are my children, Kyoka and Hanta,” Denki nodded to both of them.
“So, not a merman, sorry about that,” Hizashi chuckled.
“Sirens and merfolk look similar, the difference is in our ears and hands,” Mic showed his hands, “merfolk actually have webbed hands and normal ears, for sirens,” Mic pulled his hair away and showed a finned ear, “it is the opposite,” Denki nodded.
“Thank you, but, I’m afraid I don’t really know how I got here,” Kyoka and Hanta swam up to him.
“Father rescued you from a shipwreck,” Hanta explained, “your skin was tattered from the wood and waves,”
“You also had bruises and red marks,” Kyoka added, brushing his chest. Denki shivered and turned red, covering his chest and clavicals.
“Probably from that one crewmate grabbing me too hard,” Denki whispered. The three all huffed water from their noses and their eyes hardened, “no! No, it’s not a big deal! The prince and the captain dealt with it! Please, don’t be mad!” that seemed to ease the three.
“Tell me, what is your name?” Hizashi asked as he swam over to the beachy area of the cove, where Denki noticed some fish were cooking.
“I’m Denki, Denki Kaminari,” he smiled and tipped his head, “a humble bard,” Kyoka smiled and Hanta seemed to have sparkly eyes.
“Ooo~ Can you sing!” Denki gulped and brushed his hair, rubbing his neck.
“I don’t know if my singing is any good in comparison to-WAIT!” Hizashi came over with a bowl full of fish and put it in the water, allowing it to float, “the reason the kingdom doesn’t know me as a traitor! It’s because of you!” he gestured to Hizashi, who nodded.
“I made them forget your face, told them to turn around, and forget they ever caught me. I couldn’t allow someone so kind to be labeled a traitor, that kingdom needs more people like you. People with heart, soul, kindness,” Hizashi deboned a fish using his long nails and gave it to Denki. Denki shook his head, trying to give the fish back, but Hizashi held it to him.
“Please, you’ve already done so much!” Denki pleaded, but Hizashi huffed again, ripping the fins off the cooked fish before splitting it in half and feeding it to Denki. Denki didn’t argue as Hizashi forced the fish into his mouth, nor did he argue when Kyoka and Hanta seemed to follow his lead. After demolishing most of the fish, the trio finally ate themselves, “why did you feed me first?”
“Sirens always feed their weakest first,” Kyoka explained biting off the head of a fish. Hanta nodded, basically swallowing a minnow whole.
“We are a dwindling species, all must survive if it means not going extinct,” Hanta smiled as he cleaned up the dish and went to swim back over. Hizashi sat on the rock next to Denki, starting to braid his hair.
“We do our best to defend those whom we cast into our pods,” Hazashi explained, “I got a pretty gnarly scar after defending my two eggs from a barracuda,” Hizashi moved his hair and showed Denki a jagged scar running shoulder to opposing hip on Hizashi’s back, “and even then, the barracuda still managed to slice my son,” Hizashi went back to braiding Denki’s hair, “we do our best to protect our own, you are one of us,” He tied off Denki’s french braid and put his hands gently on Denki’s shoulders.
“Yay! A new brother!” Kyoka smiled brightly, hugging Denki’s leg, “you won’t believe what an absolute snorefest that one is,” Kyoka pointed to Hanta, who instantly swam over and dragged her into the deep. But, because she was hugging Denki’s leg, he ended up dragging both. Denki yelped at first, but began laughing when the two played easily with him. They even showed him a certain seaweed that gave him underwater breathing abilities for a short while. The three swam in the cove for a while, until the sun began to set once again. After another hearty feast of roasted fish, Denki decided to repay the trio.
“May I sing for you all, I don’t think my lute made it with me, but I can sure sing,” the three all seemed delighted by the idea, nodding and waiting patiently. Denki gulped a few times, wishing to get his bearing for such phenomenal singers.
“When thunder claps and seas grow strong, who else we think to swim. Beneath the waves, in the coves and caves, a siren could do its whim! The chorus of the deep echo their words, their commands as strong as starlight. So, whether friend or foe, just so you know, they may be ready to fight. They protect their weak, and family they keep, the pod grows ever strong. Don’t test their lines, you’ll not be fine, lest you fall prey to their beautiful song~” he gestured to Kyoka and Hanta, “heirs to the sea, the kids of a king, Kyoka and Hanta lay true! They seem so sweet, until they eat, when fangs bear laughter in tune~” he then gestured to Hizashi, “And once above all, he protects his young, Hizashi the mighty king! You never know his spell, from once you fell, all you can do is hear him sing~” Denki bowed, all three clapping at him.
“I can see why the human prince is madly in love with you,” Hizashi compliments, and before Denki could question it, he pulls out a poster, “the prince has been searching for you since he awoke this morning, I can only imagine the absolute joy he’ll feel once he sees your safely returned,” Hizashi got a knapsack and gave it to Denki.
“I will tell him you saved me,” Denki commented, but Hizashi shook his head. He tied the knapsack filled with the water breathing seaweed around Denki’s chest.
“He may think we charmed you, just know that we are YOUR friends, Denki. If you are ever at harm in our seas, we will be there to give you ease,” Hizashi hummed softly, making Denki collapse into his chest, “sleep well, dear friend,” Hizashi delivered Denki to the beach, assuring it looked like he washed up before heading back to the ocean.
And when Shoto went on his daily patrol of the shore on horseback, he found the unconscious Denki laying beautifully, his feet getting brushed by the waves. Shoto immediately got off his horse, checking Denki’s pulse and breathing before lifting him up and carrying him back to the horse. He clutched Denki close the entire ride to the palace, unaware the amulet tucked into his tunic now had a light blue ‘x’ in the middle, like the sirens were marking a spot for treasure.