Little Mermaid AU: hanataro as mermaid healer, can’t in good conscience leave Kaito to die

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Hanataro flicks his tail and drives himself through the water, keeping pace with the great ship above him. The seas are rough even at the depth he’s swimming, and he can’t imagine what the humans above are having to fight through; he doesn’t know if they have ways to predict storms, but this one seemed very… abrupt to him.

(Sorcery or nature?)

(He doesn’t know enough about the world above the waves to know.)

He shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t be shadowing these humans and their ship, but…

It’s not like he has anything better to do.

(It’s not like anyone will come looking for him any time soon.)

He twists around, circling back as the ship above heaves, rolling with the waves and–

Something hits the surface with a resounding crash that echoes through the water. It sinks, limp and lifeless, bubbles escaping back to the surface and cloth trailing in its wake.

It…

It looks like…

Hanataro dives. Arrows through the water towards the thing that fell. Carefully curls his fingers around the object and pulls it to his chest–

It’s a human, unconscious and limp, sunlight-pale hair feathering out with the motion of the water, sea-blue clothing fluttering as they move. They’re pretty, Hanataro thinks, tracing the back of one claw down the human’s jawline, then settles his fingers against the spot where a mer’s pulse can be felt.

He feels it, weak and thready but there, which means– which means–

With a curse, Hanataro powers upwards, breaking the surface of the waves and forcing the human’s head above water. Rain pounds down upon them, barely better than being below the waves, but at least there’s air. He adjusts his grip upon the human and stretches out with his magic, pushing power into the human’s body and desperately hoping that he knows enough, that his skills are good enough, that he can help…!

There’s water in the human’s body that doesn’t feel right, sea-water partially filling the human’s lungs and that’s… that’s not right. Human’s can’t breathe like mer can, Hanataro knows.

So he forces it out with a flick of power, ignoring the way the human coughs, water spilling from their mouth, and soothes the irritation left behind.

But still the human doesn’t wake.

And the waves are getting higher.

Hanataro hesitates, tail working to keep them both above the waves; he should return the human to their ship – to their people – but the storm is getting worse and he fears that the other humans won’t be able to do anything for the one he rescued.

(Do they have magic?)

(Can they heal like he can?)

(He doesn’t know!)

A wave sweeps over them. Drives them beneath the surface–

Hanataro slaps a hand across the human’s nose and mouth, preventing the other from inhaling more water. He searches his mind for a solution, knowing they can’t stay on the surface, knowing the human can’t survive beneath the waves, and yet… all he can come up with is awkward half-solutions.

(Humans are not welcome beneath the waves.)

(Oh, why is he doing this?)

(He’s going to get in so much trouble!)

Minute tremors begin to shake the human’s body.

(Oh, what should he do, what should he do?!)

With a curse, Hanataro weaves warmth around the human. Alters the spell the mer use to dive deep and carefully sticks it to the human’s nose and mouth. It won’t be perfect – can’t be perfect, because he’s no genius, no spellmaster to recreate spells on the spot – but it will let the human breathe.

(Mostly.)

(Oh, he hopes he’s not forgetting something…)

With one final glance at the distant shadow of the ship, Hanataro clutches the human close and dives.

(He needs to get the other somewhere safe.)

(He knows just the place.)

---

Hanataro heaves himself out of the water and drops the human on the cave floor with a huff. He dispels the breathing-magic with a flick of one clawed finger and slumps to the floor, body trembling and tail aching. He’s never swam so far so fast with such an awkward burden; the human is heavy and long and unconscious, unable to hold on or keep their limbs in order, and Hanataro had started to struggle towards the end.

Still, they made it. They made it, and now Hanataro can figure out what’s wrong with the other and then fix it and then… then…

He doesn’t know what to do after.

(He should just leave the other behind.)

(Escape before he’s discovered.)

(But the cave he brought the man to doesn’t have a way out except underwater and what if the human can’t swim?)

(What if the human can’t hold their breath long enough?)

(Has he brought the other here only to doom them to a different death…?)

(No… no, he refuses…)

A whine crawls up his throat, sharp-plaintive-aching, and he tucks himself down, head buried in his arms. His body shakes and hot tears crawl down his skin, everything just too much, too overwhelming, to handle.

He gives himself a moment, feeling like he’s about to shake apart, feeling like he’ll never be able to put himself back together, and then–

He takes a breath. Swipes the tears from his cheeks. Forces himself up to crawl closer to the human.

(He has a patient to heal.)

(He can’t afford to waste any more time.)

Hanataro examines the human, running a hand over the other’s face and then around to feel the back of their head.There’s a small lump there, probably from where the human hit the water, and this… this Hanataro thinks he can handle.

(It’s probably no different from a mer getting a head injury.)

(Probably…)

He huffs and shakes his head, trying to drive the doubt from his mind, and concentrates on his magic. Wisps of power slip beneath the human’s skin–

(Darkness!)

Hanataro rears back, scales scraping against rock as he jerks away from the… the dark magic lurking beneath the human’s skin. That’s not–that shouldn’t be–do humans have magic…?

(He’d thought not but… maybe?)

(And why dark magic?)

(That was the domain of harpies!)

He breathes through his panic, watching the unconscious human for any sign of waking, then slowly, carefully edges closer. He prods lightly at the human’s head, testing if the human is faking, then slowly reaches out with his magic to brush against the dark power lurking beneath the human’s skin.

It’s… not as caustic as he was told it was. In fact, it’s almost like it’s…

…trying to heal?

Hanataro frowns and inches closer, slipping his hand beneath the human’s head and stretching his senses out.

It is healing the human, though it’s slow. It’s almost like a… like an automatic reaction. Like a starfish regrowing an arm.

(Can humans regenerate their injuries?)

Carefully, slowly, Hanataro reaches back out into the human’s injury. Presses healing-repair-strength into the wound and–

The dark magic doesn’t fight. Curls around his power and helps instead. It tugs at his power, directing him to other areas, other damage, and together they soothe it all away until finally, finally the dark power subsides, sinking back into the human’s core and Hanataro pulls back. Opens his eyes.

Freezes at the sight of pale eyes staring up at him.

“Oh,” the human breathes, one hand reaching up to brush across Hanataro’s side. “Hello.”

Hanataro squeaks. Throws himself back. Twists around and dives into the pool he’d dragged them both out of.

He flees without a backwards glance.