I don't own Mermaid Melody or any of it's characters.
Wow, I haven't posted anything in a long while! Anyways, this is for Jewelieishness' birthday (happy b-day!!) since she loves the couple in this fic. She's been such a sweetheart when it comes to reviewing and I want her to know how much I love her. Anyways, please enjoy, this is set right before Lucia, Rina, and Hanon meet Subaru.
Enjoy!
Purple Ice Shavings
"I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue, and it's to the starboard heave-ho. Look out, lad a mermaid's waiting for you, in the mysterious fathoms below."
--Disney's, 'The Little Mermaid'
Night came fast that day, the beautiful bright sun disappeared to the west and let loose a vast collection of bright and dazzling stars. Caren sighed, her amber eyes locked up at the silver pinpricks in the dark, clear sky. A cold wind blew over her, stinging her eyes enough to make her pull her head back into the cabin she and Subaru were in. Getting her head back in was a bit harder then it was to get it out, the recent snow storm had packed the white ice up five feet and right up to the edge of the window. So Caren had to move her head in just the right way to get it back in. Tilting her head to the right, she slipped her head back through the window and shut it behind her.
"What time is it?" Caren asked as she turned away from the snow riddled window.
"Eight-thirty," Subaru answered with a slight sigh of his own.
Four hours. They had been stuck, snowed in, the cabin Subaru called home for four long, boring hours. Caren had come over earlier to deliver a strange looking rock she discovered while swimming around in the ocean and decided that the blond haired boy would like to research it for it was something that the Purple Pearl Princess had never seen before. But just before she left, the sky threw down a harsh snow storm. Subaru insisted that she stay, saying it wasn't safe to venture out in such a storm. Of course she wanted to stay! He was one of the cutest guys she had met, ranking second place to a man she had spotted on an oil rig a few months ago. She agreed but a half an hour later, when she tried to leave, the door wouldn't budge. A quick look out of the window confirmed Subaru's worst fear: they had been snowed in.
"What do we do now?" She flopped down on a nearby red armchair and slouched down with a pout on her face.
Subaru turned his attention back to a collection of papers and objects Caren didn't recognize. "Wait for help."
"Wait? How much longer is this going to take?"
Subaru didn't have a TV, a radio other then for transmissions considering weather, or even some kind of phone. Caren hadn't been doing anything for the past few hours but stare out of the window in hopes that the snow would die away and she would be able to slip out. Bored out of the mind, she played with the idea of wiggling her thin frame through the window even though the wet snow could possibly send her back into her mermaid form, something she didn't need Subaru to see. Turning into bubbles in the middle of the frozen snow did not sound fun.
Subaru placed his right eye over a microscope and turned a black knob with his left hand. "Maybe they'll come in the morning. I'm not sure."
Caren blew the remaining air in her lungs out of her lips, and upwards, slightly moving the dark purple locks there. Flat out, her mind told her that Subaru was far too boring for her, while her heart confided that he was just the opposite she needed and perhaps she should get his attention another way…
Oh Caren don't think that way! She giggled inwardly and closed her eyes as she envisioned it. Then, like an old movie, the images came to mind:
"Oh Subaru," Caren said in her dirtiest, most suggestive voice she could mange.
Again Subaru kept his attention on his studies, only giving her a hum from his chest. She stood and removed the wool knitted hat from her hair, then her puffy light purple jacket, exposing her skin tight t-shirt and blue jeans. Taking a step forward, she kicked away the heavy boots and approached him in mauve socks.
"Subaru," she whispered, batting her eyelashes.
"What is it C—"
His voice cracked when he finally broke away from his work and allowed his crystal blue eyes to roam over her well-developed figure. An instant flush devoured his face as a bit of saliva escaped his mouth.
"So Subaru," she stepped forward and stood before him, her hands on her hips and weight set to the right, "what are we going to do while we wait?"
"I-I-I—"
She giggled and suddenly straddled him. "Why are you stuttering?" She threw her arms around his neck, bringing him forward. "Don't tell me that this cold has gotten to you."
"N-no." The blond blinked, his mouth agape.
The dark purple haired girl leaned forward and brushed her pump lips over his. "Good."
Their lips met in a heated kiss, t—
"Caren!! Caren!"
The image disappeared from her mind like a bubble popping underwater. "What?" she asked automatically, her mind still clinging to the tantalizing visions that plagued her mind.
He cocked a dark blond eyebrow. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," she said with a small giggle. Did he really have no idea of the thoughts dancing through her twisted little mind?
"A-alright." He blinked, confused.
An awkward silence entered the room, the two young teens still looking at one another and asking thousands of questions. She couldn't let it go on like this! She needed a break from the man! Her mind searched for something, anything that would allow her to leave the room for just a few minutes.
"I'm going to take a bath," Caren announced as she stood. Well, it was the only thing that seemed reasonable in her head.
"Okay." Subaru turned away from the disguised mermaid and returned to the work laid out on the table.
She twitched; honestly the young woman had expected more of a reaction out of the older man but with no energy to fight, Caren bypassed him and entered the bathroom on the other side of the room. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against the wooden door and released a deep sigh. Why couldn't she get his attention? Was he really that stupid when it came to women?
Who cares? Caren walked away from the door and to the bathtub right across from it. She plugged it, and turned the knobs until water spilled out from the silver faucet, then stepped away from it. As the water heated, Caren stripped down to nothing and saw steam rising from the water. Now nude, she searched through the nearby cabinets underneath a sink complete with mirror and pulled out three large towels.
Good, the pipes haven't frozen up yet. She thought with a wide grin. Finally she would get a chance to relax.
The steaming water rose up an inch or two beneath the rim of it, and she shut the water off. Taking it slow, Caren slipped into the water and changed from a human to a mermaid within a minute or two. She inhaled through her nostrils as the warm water touched every inch of her, heating her body within seconds and sending euphoria through her body. Relaxing, she rested her head against the back of the tub.
"This is great," she moaned. Much better then the cold waters outside.
She could get used to this.
xXx
An hour after soaking, scrubbing, and repeating, Caren relaxed in the soapy water, disliking the idea of leaving the still warm waters. Changing into her clothes would be the worst, the chilled air would make goose bumps and hair raise on her body for at least another hour or two. Perhaps if she snuggled up with Subaru…
A blush came over her face, spreading from cheek to cheek. How could his skin feel? It appeared smooth, even though he was out in the snow most of the day it didn't look damaged at all. Would his hair be soft? Oh and his mouth…hot and ready for whatever she had planned. Lips so perfect and gentle all over her body and—
No, she couldn't think of things like that now! Shaking her head to remove the thoughts from her head, Caren double checked for bubbles and seeing none, she moved out of the bathtub. She sat up on the rim of the bathtub and quickly dried her tail with a towel she had chosen. Moments later, her tail transformed into two thin, human legs and she stood to dry the rest of her body.
Then, with a loud click that sounded through out the cabin, the lights shut off.
Without warning a scream erupted from her lungs and echoed through the wooden framed home. When the holler ended, Caren smacked her hands to her lips and blushed. Why had she screamed? Nothing bad had happened, the lights just went out; the ocean waters were darker then this.
Please don't come in, please don't come in. Caren repeated mentally as she wrapped a towel around her body that rested just above her knees and around her bust. The towel clung to her body as she shivered. Damn it was cold!
The door swung open and there stood Subaru with a flashlight in hand. "Caren! Are you alright?"
Out of something like a comedic sitcom, the two stared at one another: Caren clinging to her towel that covered everything important and Subaru standing in the doorway with a flashlight and growing blush over his face.
"I'm sorry!" Subaru covered his face and looked to the right, the flashlight still lingering on the would be mermaid.
"Get out!" Caren screamed at the top of her lungs as she clenched the towel in her hands to ensure it would remain where it was. "Get out!!"
"Of course!"
Subaru dropped the flashlight and slammed the door behind him. The bright light from the green stick lit up the tile floor of the bathroom, and outlined Caren's legs. She thanked the heavens that he hadn't entered a moment ago when she was a mermaid, as much as transforming into bubbles out in the snow seemed terrible, bubbles on top of dirty bathtub water didn't seem inviting either.
With a groan escaping her, Caren grabbed another towel and continued to dry herself off, even though she held a towel to her body a bit closer then before.
xXx
Subaru entered the living room and sat down on his usual 'study' chair, something he could find even in the dark. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, then rested his chin on his right fist. His blond locks shifted all around with his movements, only resting when he did.
"I cannot work under these conditions," he muttered. "No lights, no warm water, no heat…what am I to do?"
I must protect Caren. He closed his eyes and grabbed his forehead. No matter what, I have to make sure that she leaves this place without a scratch on her.
xXx
Caren emerged from the bathroom, dressed as she had been before and as much as wearing dirty clothes bothered her, she really didn't have a choice in the matter. She entered the living room and blushed when she spotted Subaru sitting in the same chair he had been in before. He spun around in his chair when she came into the living room and the minute his eyes landed on her he blushed.
"I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "I didn't mean t—"
"No, it's alright," she interrupted. "Just don't let it happen again."
"Uh," the blond twitched, not expecting that comment, "okay."
Silence came to the two again, once more with the man and woman looking at each other, amber to crystal blue. What was this? Caren knew that she had a bit of a crush on the scientist, but what was his reason for staring back at her? Did he feel the same way she did? And if he did, why didn't he say anything?
He coughed. "Please don't open the refrigerator and if you have to, do it quickly. We need to keep the food as cold as we can until the power comes back on."
"…Yeah." Caren walked over to the chair she had been in before and slumped into it. The minute her bum hit the soft cushion, her stomach flipped and growled. When was the last time she ate? She had been stuck here for four hours, and she hadn't eaten breakfast so…
"I'm so hungry," she said as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
Subaru broke away from his work and studied the girl. "We can't make anything; the gas and electricity are out."
"Oh."
Each person paused and Caren wondered if Subaru was thinking about her or about what he was going to eat. His light blue eyes wandered upwards as he raised a dark blond eyebrow and clenched his chin. She bit the inside of her cheek and focused on the strange boy she found so intriguing.
"I think I know something we can make without appliances," he said with a smile.
"Hum?" She sat forward. "What?"
Without answering, Subaru stood and walked into the kitchenette. There he grabbed a large bowl, two silver spoons, and a dark yellow container in the size of an animal Caren had never seen before. That in hand, Subaru moved to the window where Caren had stuck her head out of, opened it, and scooped the bowl down. Snow gathered in the bowl and just before it reached the top, the man dragged the bowl in and brought it back to the counter.
The dark haired girl stood. "What are you making?"
"Something to eat." Drawing a wooden spoon from a nearby drawer, he stirred the snow and mixed in the strange dark yellow substance. "It won't really warm you up but it's better then eating nothing."
He stirred his mixture for a moment or two, then brought the bowl over to her. Subaru set the bowl down on her lap and handed her one of the two silver spoons. Caren took the spoon and scooped up a gathering of the snow concoction. She raised an eyebrow at it, but shoved it into her mouth anyway.
The moment the blend touched her tongue, a thousand different flavors exploded in her mouth. The wetness dissolved instantly, leaving the seasons she had never tasted before to linger about her. She swallowed the majority of the snow but the taste remained in her mouth and it made her want to go back for a second bite.
"W-what is this?" she asked with a pleased giggle.
"Honey snow," he answered, a smile plastered on his face. "You learn to make new things when you're stuck in the snow all day.
Caren dug her spoon back into the snow and began eating again. Subaru joined in a minute later, and before either one thought about it, their spoons hit the bottom of the bowl, scrapping for more. Subaru fell back when he finished and sighed, as did Caren. She didn't know how hungry she was until she had started eating and now she was happy she gave into her needs.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
She blinked, hiding her light brown eyes for a few moments. "A bit," she said as a twinge of warmth came over her. The warmth cascaded like a wave over her, and tired every inch of her body. Her muscles relaxed at the new sensation, and before she knew it her eyelids grew heavy with the ache for sleep.
"Well," he took in a deep breath, "we should head off to bed then."
Her eyes snapped open at that comment. "What?"
"I said we sh—"
"We?" she repeated, her eyes growing wide.
"There's no sense in one of us going to a freezing cold bed." Subaru blushed once more as he explained himself. "If we both go back to bed then we'll stay warm."
What was she to do? She had never been in a situation like this! No matter how suave she acted with men when she was around her friends, she had no idea how to act or what to do when she was alone. Why couldn't she summon her feminine, sexy, side when she was around a guy she liked?
After debating within her head, Caren raised her head and locked eyes with the blond boy. "Um, alright."
"O-okay then, follow me."
The dark purple haired girl watched as Subaru turn away and then walk over to a door she hadn't seen too well before, it stood near the kitchenette, hidden in a corner of the cabin. She followed, taking careful and light steps but she didn't know why. Slowly she approached, and soon she stood behind him as he popped open the door and stepped in, his feet making the wooden floor creak.
"We'll have to sleep in our warm clothing," he said. "Get into the bed and I'll get more blankets."
"Alright."
Taking his orders, Caren marched over to the queen sized bed and pulled down the dark green comforter there. Ignoring the burning sensation in her stomach, she crawled underneath the covers and shivered; Subaru had been right, the covers were stone cold even with her many layers of clothing, perhaps she should have dried her hair a bit better.
Subaru returned a minute later with a collection of blankets in his hands, each one looking larger and fluffier then the one before it. "I found a few!"
Caren sat forward. "Do you need help?"
"No!" The scientist took a step forward and wobbled about, the weight of the blankets too much for him. He hobbled to the right, then the left as the blankets tipped with each one of his uneven movements, threatening to fall from the pile.
"Subaru!"
Caren jumped from the bed and sprinted over just as the blankets began to topple over to the right. She dove forward and caught the covers as Subaru fell to the right and landed on his backside with a hearty oof.
"Are you alright?" Caren asked as she peaked around the layers of covers in her arms. Subaru had yet to get back on his feet, he remained still, clenching his teeth together as his hands balled into fists.
"I think," he muttered between clenched teeth. "You?"
Her cheeks warmed; no one had ever really asked that question outside of her ring of mermaid friends. "Fine."
"Good."
Subaru pushed himself off of the ground and rubbed his backside a bit. Caren, still blushing, turned away to give him his privacy and distracted herself by tossing the blankets and comforters over the queen sized bed. She walked around the bed, straightening out the covers so that they laid down flat as they should. As Caren finished organizing the bed, Subaru sat down on the right side of the bed and kicked off his boots.
"You've got thick socks on right?" Subaru laid down on the bed, his head digging into the fluffy pillow there.
She looked down at her feet and saw heavy mauve socks looking back at her. "Yes…why?"
"You can't wear your boots to bed and you have to keep your feet warm."
"Oh." She hadn't thought of that.
She slipped her boots from her feet and then sat on the left side of the bed, her right leg hanging off of the edge while her right stretched out on the bed beside Subaru's relaxing body. Should she lay down now, or what a few minutes? Oh she didn't know what to do! What would Noel do at a time like this…wait, never mind, she never would have gotten into a bed with another man but the situation called for it! Didn't it?
"Getting into bed?"
Caren snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head a bit. "Oh…yeah I am. Why are you being so pushy?"
"Oh I didn't mean t—"
"No it's okay." Caren waved her right hand up and down. "I'm just nervous."
"N-nervous?" he blushed at her words and motioned his eyes downwards for a moment before bringing them back up, and staring into Caren's tea colored eyes. "Why would you be nervous?"
"I don't know."
Forgetting what she said, she crawled into bed and snuggled underneath the sheets without another word to the boy. She felt him shift around a bit, as if he were looking for a spot that would bother the overlay of blankets and clothing against his skin. Caren quickly did the same, and brought the blankets up to her neck. Her body warmed under the thick blankets and within a few minutes, she fell into a deep and welcomed sleep.
xXx
Subaru jolted awake and sat up, clenching the sheets between his fingers as he panted through the freezing air. Instantly, a cold slapped him in the face and sent shivers down his spine. He turned to the sleeping body beside him and saw that she had kicked most of her sheets down in the middle of the night. Had she grown cold in the middle of the night, or hot? Shaking his head, Subaru leaned in a bit closer to her. Such a strange girl Caren was, ever since their first meeting over a month ago he had found himself dreaming of her and thinking about her.
"Caren," he scolded with a playful smile.
He reached down and pulled the blankets up to Caren's chin. The dark haired girl sighed, whether she was happy or sad he could not tell but he didn't mind as long as she stayed with him. Now alone, he took the time to study her pretty face. Her large eyes caught his attention when they had first met, and the color of them kept him looking into them. He didn't know how to describe them: a crystal amber color, light brown, tea colored, he could just keep going. If only he could see them now…
She's more beautiful then the aurora australis.
His thought ran through out his head and a blush developed over his face. He buried himself back underneath the covers, certain that his blush would wake Caren if he wasn't careful. But after a minute or two passed without incident, he peeked out from underneath the sheets and spotted a still sleeping Caren. With a sigh Subaru cuddled back into his bed and fell asleep before he could utter another thought.
xXx
"Oi Subaru! You in here?"
Caren fluttered her eyes open at the sound of another male's voice. Sitting up, the covers fell from around her as she turned to the bedroom's door. A man stepped in, dressed in a large orange jacket covered in snow and purple earmuffs covering the sides of his head.
"Subaru!" the man called again. "You awake?"
The blond stirred and sat up with a yawn. He stretched his arms upwards, a crack followed a second later. "What is it?"
The man chuckled, his lips a bright red from the chill. "We dug you guys out an hour ago! I got sent over here to check up on you!"
"Oh." Subaru blinked. "Sorry, I'll head off to work right now."
The man left the room as quickly as he had entered and a moment later Subaru heard the front door shut. Now alone, Subaru slipped out of bed and ran his arms up and down his jacket sleeves; it was so cold outside of the bed! Caren's mind snapped out of the sleep-like state that still lingered over her when she felt the man get out of the bed. She stretched again, her moving arms up towards the ceiling as he had done when he got up.
"Where are you going?" she asked as her fingers wiggled towards the wooden ceiling.
Subaru stepped over to a nearby closet and pulled out a pair of earmuffs which he placed over his freezing ears. "Work."
"Already?" Her lower lip pouted out. He wasn't going to spend anytime with her at all? Was she just good for someone to sleep beside when it was too cold?
"Yeah." He turned back to the Purple Pearl Princess and gave her a gentle smile, one she hadn't seen on his handsome face before. "I'll see you later Caren."
Without another word Subaru left the room and began his decent through the living room and out where his partner had gone. Caren narrowed her eyes, jumped out of bed and slipped her shoes on. Subaru wasn't going to get away that easily!
"Wait, Subaru!"
Caren ran out of the room and followed Subaru out of the front door. Her feet fell into the snow and if it weren't for the thick boots and socks on her feet, she might have transformed into her mermaid form. The snow beneath her crunched as she ran, Subaru only a few feet in front of her.
"Subaru!"
He stopped in his tracks, and spun on his heel. "What is it?"
She ran forward and stood in front of him, her breath leaving her mouth in white puffs that resembled clouds. Faded blue met a whiskey colored eyes, each one asking questions the other couldn't answer. Could she do it? Do what her gut demanded of her?
Yes she could.
Caren took a step forward and pressed her lips against Subaru's cheek. The redness that had stained his lips formed on his face, spreading from cheek to cheek. Caren pulled away a minute later with a light dusting of pink on her face.
"Well," she grinned, "I'll see you later, Subaru!"
Giggling, Caren ran away from the confused boy and down to where the ocean met the drifts of snow. The snow continued crunching underneath her weight, hushing the giggles that left her mouth. She hid behind a large collection of glaciers down the hill, well out of Subaru's crystal blue eyes. Not wanting to waste another second, Caren dove down into the water near her. Her legs locked together and became a tail; scales formed a moment later along with her seashell bra. Her hair changed color as did her eyes and her transformation ended.
"That's better," she said, bubbles escaping her mouth.
She kicked her tail and floated up towards the surface. Bypassing a patch of ice, Caren's head popped out of the water. Her eyes scanned the area and there, a few hundred yards away stood Subaru, speaking with a coworker as he stood before a towering orange crane. She watched as he pointed to a hill of snow, and when he finished speaking, he turned and faced the ocean.
Was he looking for her?
Caren dunked her head back under the water and chuckled. She had made an impression on him, whether he liked it or not. Grinning, Caren maneuvered her tail once more and sank into the deep waters of the Antarctic Ocean, the smile never leaving her face.
Oh yes, there was still much more to do with that strange blond haired boy.
R&R please!