,

"It's sunset. Where is she?" Hinata shuffled back and forth as the rest of the crew where dismissed to their bunks or night watch after a few obnoxiously loud sing alongs.

Daichi stared off to port where he expected the woman to be but have no silhouette be visible in the dark. He nodded slowly, letting his head drop with a sigh.

His hand let out a muffled slap as his hand came in contact with Hinata's fabric layered shoulder.

"Go to sleep. I'll tell the watches to keep an eye out for her. I'm sure she's fine."

~~~

She was not fine. If the slimy and slippery palms meant anything, the fact that she was unable to see more than streaks of blue light streaming from above her and that her chest was burning from the carbon in her lungs, that were just yearning for fresh air. The various pairs of well gripped hands held tightly on her limbs and torso as they pulled and dragged her down into never ending darkess.

Her chest felt heavy and her legs felt numb and cold. Gasping for air, (Y/N) choked when the surrounding space that filled her lungs was too heavy for her to breath. She coughed and wheezed but it couldn't be helped. She couldn't breath.

"Stop exaggerating. If you relax it won't hurt." the voice was one she knew. Smooth and sharp.

"Kuroo." she growled, throat raw and painful.

(Y/N) couldn't see, salt water burned and blured her vision. Her hands went to her stomach, now noticing the absence of her sweater she felt more mobile. But cold.

Her arm pushed through the chilling water as she did her best not to gag on the liquid in her lungs. Her hand went down to rest on her numb thigh, but the familiar feeling of the fabric of her sweat pants was gone.

She gasped on the water, she still couldn't see, but feeling the slip of her leg made it seem too real.

"What did you do to me?"

Kuroo laughed the sound rung through the area making (Y/N) aware of the small space she was enlosed in along with what seemed to be tunnels running in multiple directions.

And as if his laugh being a warning, (Y/N) heard muffled movement sound from behind her. "You."

Keeping her eyes down she turned her head to the space behind her. Her chest moved quickly as she breathed in the water.

"How dare you? How dare you drag me down here and force this upon me?"

Beside her, the appendage moved in circles not seeming to want to stop.

"How dare we?" She heard Oikawa's voice ring, "this is who we are! You're going to need to accept that."

A push of water was felt at her shoulder and his voice was suddenly going straight into her ear.

"You're going to need to accept that, because you're one of us too." he whispered.

(Y/N) swung her head. Forcing it to bang harshly against the mermans. He wailed and screetched like a banshee, causing everyone in the area to cringe from the pain.

"Oikawa. Enough." Ushijima's voice was harsh, but much more gentle and caring, like a mother scolding her children.

"Futakuchi, get some food. Terushima stop, she can't see." Ushijima's voice commanded orders and (Y/N) could hear the movement of several Mers around her.

"Let me go. I want to go back to my ship."

Bokuto's voice rung through the water from beside her.

"No can do birdy. Your stuck here with us."

~~~~

"Three days?! Where the hell is she?! I need my XO, I need my First Mate!"

When Hinata was worried he thought he was freaking out. But seeing Daichi run around port looking around every corner as the rest of the crew took shore leave.

"Daichi?"

He kept running around asking people and screaming like a headless chicken.

"Daichi?!"

"Hinata not now we need to find (Y/N)-"

"Daichi!"

The man stopped and swallowed, shoulders shaking.

"Hinata?"

The small red head walked around his Captain, who's head was tilted down, and placed a hand on his crew sweater. He noticed the stress that was held in his forehead created wrinkles and a frown to add.

"Hinata? What if we don't find her?"

~~~~

"And if they don't find me? What then? Will they give up?"

(Y/N) was left alone. Only one of the men showing every hour or so to see if she was still living.

Bokuto would talk with her the most. Often just explaining and/or telling stories.

"Ya, Mers tend to stay alone. Only really with other people if a problem shows up or something. Oh, like you, you're a problem!" He munches on the food that was originally for (Y/N) before rising up from the rock she sat on.

"Well, almost day three, the sun's coming up you can see it from down here." He looks at her still poking a the meal in front of her.

"You're eyesight good?"

She nodded.

Bokuto sat back down.

"You want to go back?"

She nodded again, a pain resting where her heart should be.

"Find someone who loves you. That's all you need."

She felt like crying. Her chest hurt at the thought of it.

"I don't have someone like that."

"You do." He said.

(Y/N) looked at him brows furrowed before shaking his head and waving his head through the chilling water around her.

"What do you mean-"

"When a human becomes a Mer. They give up on the one who loves them. They feel empty and pained. But can't leave because that special person. They give up on them don't love them anymore and it hurts more than anything."

(Y/N) reached up for Bokutos hand and held it gently.

"If I get up there. And you want to come back. I'll be there. You can look for me."

The man smiled and squeezed her hand like a lifeline before coming to float in front of her.

"Okay. I'll consider it. But first," he looked into the dark water behind him and pointed.

"Someone must need you right about now."

You slowly tired from the rock you sat on and laughed a little. Letting your shoulders shake as water filled your lungs.

"My eyesight must not be fully normal."

Bokuto sighed and shook his head, his hair flowed in the water in a mix of contrasting shades.

"Go."

You swam for the anchor that had dug into the sandy sea floor.

~~~

Daichi sat on the bowsprit. Letting his legs hang off the sides. Hinata was off with the rest of the crew leaving Daichi to wallow in his stress. The boat rocked and he watched the waves bellow his gently crash into the hull of the ship.

"Daichi!"

"I'm going insane."

"Daichi!"

"She's been missing for three days. Why do I bother-"

"DAICHI WOULD YOU PLEASE LISTEN!"

He heard the actor chain clank as the metal hit against itself repeatedly. His heart book seeing the woman who was in the water, crew sweater gone, and tail attached to her hips.

"Daichi, Help."

Her hand reached up through the net above her and placed on top of the man's shoe.

"(Y/N)?"

She felt her heart pound at the sight of the man. Sun behind his head, creating a perfect silhouette of his body. The thumping of her heart traveled from her chest to her hands, so noticeable that she swore he could feel it through his shoe.

The smile on Daichi's face made his face ache, the sun burned his skin. He breathed heavily and shook from nervousness. He twitched and almost fell over as he reached for the woman's hand.

"(Y/N)!"