Chapter Text
The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, casting a soft and pale glow over the darkened ocean. Atsushi Nakajima, a young merman, swam in the quiet depths. His long, silvery tail swimming through the water with ease. He loved the stillness of the ocean at night. It was his escape, his sanctuary, where no one could reach him. The world above the surface felt so far away, and for the moment, he was safe.
But safety was an illusion.
The first sign that something was wrong came when the water suddenly felt...well, wrong .
A disturbance in the calm currents. Atsushi stopped swimming, instinctively tensing, his sharp senses alert. The air above the water had a strange tension, as if something was coming. A boat’s engine roared, faint at first but growing louder by the second. The deep, mechanical sound reverberated through the water.
Atsushi swam deeper, as far as his body would allow, but it wasn’t enough. A net snared him from behind, wrapping tightly around his torso. He struggled, his webbed hands clawing at the ropes but it was futile. The net was too strong and too tight. Before he could break free, the boat’s lights blinded him.
The humans had captured him.
“Got him!” one of the voices shouted from above.
Atsushi let out a panicked hiss, twisting violently to escape. But the humans were quicker. They pulled the net with an unyielding force, dragging him upward, breaking through the surface of the water.
His world shifted from the cold, soothing depths of the ocean to the harsh brightness of the surface. He unconsciously gasped for air (something he should not have been doing), his body disoriented, his vision clouded by the bright lights of the boat. He heard the familiar sound of a camera clicking—humanity’s obsession with capturing everything.
A metal pole came into view, pressing against his chest. He recoiled from it, desperate to escape, but the humans only tightened their hold. His tail slapped against the water in an attempt to break free.
“You’ve got a real catch, huh?” one of the scientists remarked with a chuckle. The man’s voice was gruff, but there was an edge of excitement in it. “This one’s going to be worth a fortune.”
A fortune .
The words echoed in Atsushi’s head like a death knell. He had heard rumors of his kind being sold—mermaids and mermen brought up from the depths, captured by greedy humans, only to be sold for millions.
A million yen. The price of his life, his freedom.
The world went blurry as they pulled him onto the boat, harsh hands grabbing at his arms, lifting him onto a metal table. The ropes cut into his skin, drawing blood. Atsushi fought back, thrashing as much as he could, but his strength was no match for the combined force of the humans.
One of them, a young man with messy brown hair and a bored expression, stepped forward, raising an eyebrow as he watched Atsushi struggle. His clothes were unremarkable—a plain button-up shirt, dark slacks, and a lab coat. His gaze was distant, almost too calm for someone witnessing such a chaotic scene.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty one?” the man said, his voice low and calculating.
(Atsushi thinks that this man is odd. He didn’t seem like the type of person to say that phrase. It’s like he’s only saying it because he’s in a public space and he has already established this personality of his as his true personality. But who was he to care for any of that unnecessary information? This human can drop dead for all he cares.)
Atsushi glanced at something attached to the man’s clothing. It was a nameplate and it read Osamu Dazai.
Atsushi hissed, baring his teeth in warning. The human didn’t seem afraid.
“Leave him alone!” a young woman (her eyes blue and black hair in twin-tails) shouted as she stood nearby, though her tone was more out of concern for the merman’s well-being than anything else. “You’re scaring him.”
“Let’s just get this over with,” a man with black hair and white tips said, ignoring her. He turned to a blonde woman researcher. “You check the nets and the equipment. I’ll make sure the specimen’s intact for the research.”
Atsushi’s heart raced as the human approached, pulling out a small syringe and looking at him with something akin to curiosity. He struggled harder now, panic flooding his veins. He cried and whined, thrashing once more. The ropes tightened around him, but his body wouldn’t stop moving. He had to get away.
The human reached for his wrist, but before the syringe could make contact, Atsushi slammed his tail into the man’s legs with all his might. He heard the man grunt in surprise before stumbling back. The scientist lost his footing and fell to the deck.
“Fuck! How dare you–” The man stood up and was about to attack the merman, until someone spoke from behind him.
“Enough.” It was deep, calm, but filled with authority. Atsushi froze, turning toward the new voice.
A tall man appeared, stepping from behind the others. He was dressed in a dark suit with a matching tie, his presence sharp and unsettling. His hair, messy and unkempt, framed his face in a way that made him look like someone who couldn’t be bothered by the trivialities of life. His eyes locked onto Atsushi’s, and the merman’s breath caught in his throat.
There was something in the man’s eyes, something that made Atsushi pause. It wasn’t greed. It wasn’t disgust. It was… curiosity.
Atsushi shivered under the man’s look.
‘I’m scared’
“Mori-san, boss, what are you doing here?” One of the scientists asked.
The man, named ‘Mori’, turned to the younger scientist who had tried to attack Atsushi. “Get the tank ready. We’re moving him to the facility.”
The scientist blinked, taken aback, “Boss, we haven’t finished the tests.”
“I said, get the tank ready,” the man repeated, his tone now firm, carrying an undeniable weight. He wasn’t asking for permission.
Atsushi felt his heart pounding in his chest. They were going to keep him. He wasn’t sure whether it was the strange man who had arrived or his own sinking realization, but somehow, the world felt more hopeless than before.
~
Later that night, in the sterile research facility,
Dazai Osamu stood in front of the tank, his hands in his pockets, watching the merman float within the glass walls. His gaze softened as he observed the creature before him—Atsushi’s bright, golden eyes flickered toward him, full of anger and mistrust.
"You're not like the others," Dazai murmured, almost to himself. The room was quiet, save for the hum of machinery and the soft, rhythmic sound of Atsushi’s breath.
Atsushi glared at him, but didn’t speak. Dazai took a small step forward, not wanting to spook him further.
“I’m Dazai,” he said, his voice gentle, almost apologetic. "I’m just… here to observe. I won’t hurt you.”
‘It’s him.’ Atsushi’s tail flicked beneath the water in agitation. He didn’t trust this human, not in the slightest. Not after everything.
Dazai leaned against the glass, staring into Atsushi’s eyes. There was something about him. Something that made Dazai pause. Maybe it was the look of fear, or the quiet resilience in his gaze. Whatever it was, it made Dazai feel something stir in his chest.
“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Dazai whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
But Atsushi wasn’t listening. His thoughts were too far away, lost in the ocean of memories of his life before this nightmare began.