Ninorielle von abgemeldet (The little Mermaid) ================================================================================ Kapitel 2: –For Sale Ad: “Giving away tiny sail boat. For free.”- ----------------------------------------------------------------- The country prince Sho lived in was small, but at the same time it was the most developed country all around. Its people were living in wealth, hygienic standards were high, everyone had chance for education and high-technology was widespread within the kingdom. With the growth of living standards and more political democracy, the monarchy slowly lost in importance and influence. People were convinced that a monarchy wouldn’t care at all about the needs of the common people. Even though his parents were not quite delighted with the idea, the prince was incited to change the reputation of his family through his studies about politics and the people themselves. Sho stroke with two fingers the area between his brows, desperately trying to dissipate the headache forming in his head. “Aiba?” The tall man turned to him, tousling his black hair and beaming a smile that could even dazzle the sun. “What’s up, Sho-chan?” Squinting his eyes and deepening the frown, he scratched at the back of his handsomely cut, brown hair before speaking up. “There is a squirrel sticking on the back of your shirt.” He pointed to the shirt forming small circles with his index- and middle-finger. “Nah, don’t you think that I would get it if a squirrel crawled on my neck?” Aiba laughed. “Well, apparently you do not.” Sho replied dryly smiling. “Oh, look! Do you see the pink rabbit?” he pointed awkwardly into a random direction behind Aiba. Sometimes, (Well, rather often) Aiba was a bit dense not saying stupid. But he was Sho’s best friend. He might be a bit too light headed (Well, more often), too idiotic sometimes (Well, far too often) and not even a laughing owl would react on his lame jokes, but he was everything Sho had. They grew up together, and Sho knew, he could always count on him. Aiba would always be there and cheer him up when he was stressed for another time by the 5 women his parents make him meet twice a week to finally choose a bride and to marry off. Although he did his best at following his parents’ wishes and customs, Sho would never get along with those arranged meetings. By now, the prince felt that his political duties were more important than marrying a girl who probably didn’t even like him but who would be affected by his wealth. The life of a prince being all busy with politics and caring for a proper image was hard and severe, but with Aiba close to him, he came off being himself and turned into ‘Sho-chan’ again. Now, though, it was half-private, half-political. They were at the opening ceremony of the new rescue centre for tortoises (unknown by his parents, they wouldn’t allow it at all and rather put him into some nun chuck-training he’d never need anyway). Aiba who sat next to him grinned from ear to ear. He was clapping his hands excitedly with a small tear blinking in the corner of his eye. Aiba has been fascinated by tortoises ever since he could remember. And as far as Sho knew, Aiba was also very involved with the protection of these animals. Sho wondered when his friend put on that hoodie sweater, a pink rabbit staring out of its kangaroo bag (Wait, wasn’t there one earlier?) when suddenly a small hand grabbed his trouser leg. Being jolted out of his thoughts, he faced a little girl. “You Prince Sho?” The girl asked with big wide eyes. Sho answered her with a shy nodding intimating her to follow the ceremony again. Being totally overwhelmed by her luck, the girl decided to tell the prince one last thing before she kept quiet: “You the nicest, prince. We admire you!” Even though he did not show it, Sho felt deeply affected by the girl’s words. Those indicated that he was tracing the right path. In these moments, Sho truly enjoyed it to be a prince. The ribbon-cutting ceremony went on without any disturbance and the cold buffet was opened. Aiba was about to throw himself into it when a loud helicopter sound stirred from above. The caused gust it brought with it whirled around paper plates, cups and several food and drinks through the air. Some lettuce leaves were flying straight into Sho’s face despite his attempt to dodge them. Sho cursed himself for having skipped his soccer training. Wiping the stranded lettuce out of his face, he recognized the far too familiar, black helicopter. Sho sighed deeply disappointed. But before he could run, 2m tall hulks of bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses jumped out of the helicopter and before they could even protest, Sho and Aiba were caught in a firm grip, being dragged into the helicopter and back home. Sho was forced guided by a bodyguard to his mother’s chamber. Being arrived, he tried to throw a death glare at her, but either she really didn’t notice it or she simply ignored it. “Ah? Honey, where have you been? You didn’t go to your Kabaddi practice, did you?” “You might excuse my disappearing mother, but I deem the rescue centre for tortoises more important than being beaten up by five men in slips.” Sho tried to stay respectful. “Hahaha, Honey, turtles are too slow for Kabaddi. But I forgive you. I actually called for you to show you the new painting I bought in Paris. It is so pretty, neh?” She pointed to a huge painting on the wall, showing random strokes and uneven circles in a colorful manner. Sho was deeply convinced he’d draw better. “May I remind you that you did not ‘call’ me? You kidnapped me to show up something which looks actually like the work of a 3-year-old having eaten too many candies. Furthermore, you demolished a zoological and political important party!” “You’re right, Sweetheart, I should get a golden frame for it.” Sho decided it was useless to continue talking to her. “Honey, just do me the favor and go at least to your Kin-Ball course starting in 25 minutes, yes?” “Yes, mother”, he turned on his heel, walking away. At least the teacher for Kin-Ball knew that Sho was rather made for literature and politics, letting him read several newspaper-articles or teaching him some rhetoric (thanks to him Sho could express himself very well by writing secretly the speeches of his father and by now he was able to spell ‘floccinaucinihilipilification’ out loud in super speed). But his parents have always been superficial like that, spending money on useless stuff. Just like this wonderful suit they bought for Sho’s birthday. It was vertically striped in red, white and black. Sho thought he looked rather funny than respectable. He protested hardly, reasoning that the suit he got last year would still fit fine. Aiba snogged Sho on his cheek, saying that he looked like a huge, tasty candy-cane. Sho wasn’t laughing at all. The incontestable highlight of his birthday was a tiny sailboat. Not to mention that Sho didn’t liked sailing at all, he got seasick just seeing a boat. Unable to get his parents’ proper attention, he was forced to sail out, proving that he was a man (which he couldn’t prove with alcohol, as –Aiba told him, and he was rather comfortable without the memory- he started to dance swan lake with a very tired swan after 2 shots of Tequila) and showing what he learned during his sailing lessons (which he actually used mostly for looking up political Terminologies in English. On land.) It was predictable that it would become a disaster and the fact that Aiba was assuring him he would pray for him didn’t ease Sho’s mind at all. He closed his eyes and hoped that everything would simply go fine. Admittedly, he often failed at things –especially stuff somehow connected with ‘sports’- but his Fortuna was (almost) always on his side. The prince sighed in relief when a warm breeze blew tenderly into his sails, bestowing him with what looked like a nice start into the open sea. He looked back at his family and friend, waving happily at him as he followed where the wind took him (after all he had not really a choice). The little sailboat was taking him further outside the sea until he was only surrounded by water. It looked all the same, no matter where he turned to. Slowly, he really didn’t know where he came from and when the panic kicked in, he suddenly felt the well ousted nausea coming up. Sho got sucked by his earlier luck. Not helping his seasickness at all, fortune decided to leave him for good when a strong wind blew into his sails, driving him further outside. The silent ocean started to roar up, bringing the little ship into a heavy sway. Sho fought the urge to vomit and tried to get his boat into his grip again (well, he never had from the start though), too bad he had no idea how. He fumbled with some strings and instruments that were placed in there next to the ridiculous huge birthday cake (Sho hated cakes in general, but that one in particular made him feeling totally pissed). His panic increased when nothing seem to work and his little sickening boat was still rocking into the unknowns of the wide ocean (or maybe he was already there, he didn’t know). At the sight of a huge wave coming directly in his direction, he felt his nausea overpower him and with a heavy crush of the said wave on his boat, resulting in things being thrown wildly around. With all of a sudden, Sho felt an stingy pain in his left leg. Like fortune was totally mocking at him, he recognized that his left leg was cut by the cake-slice. With the attack of another huge wave, the boat was finally turned over like a nutshell and he got knocked off hardly. Like a dream he felt his heavy body sinking down. Sensing that he was close to death, he remembered that Aiba still hadn’t paid him the shirt the tall man spilled all his hot chocolate over. But this was really nothing he should reflect about in that situation. Sho was following his messy thoughts, when he felt being pulled up and having reached the surface, he noticed his lack of oxygen. Sho breathed desperately. He was totally dizzy, and he still couldn’t order his messy mind. As soon, as he opened his eyes he saw the profile of a woman. ‘Damn, another potential wife my parents want me to meet!’ But taking a second look, he felt the face quite unique. Well, saying she was beautiful would be far too exaggerated, but somehow, Sho was fascinated by her cute charm. Sho would have liked to look a bit longer at her, but his eyelids became heavy and unconsciousness was overrunning him. When he woke up later at the beach, he couldn’t remember anything. He was at a daze that he was still alive, to that on his well-known beach where he used to play with Aiba in his childhood. Still too much in awe, he clearly could feel that his body was strange. His left leg stopped bleeding. Sho traced softly with his fingers along his collarbone and neck, trailing finally to his mouth. He couldn’t pin-point it; he didn’t know what it was. Something he didn’t remember clearly, but his mind seemed to do anyway. Sho noticed that bulge under his trousers. It took him two minutes to get that it was actually moving. With all of a sudden, he jumped up. Warily, he fumbled into his trousers until he reached something hard. He kept poking it until he got pinched. Pulling a grimace he fetched a small turtle dangling stubbornly on his finger out of his pants. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)