✦┊the moon to my tide (xiao x male reader)

╰➤ prologue ❞

Y/N's mother was there one second, and just as fast, she was gone, sucked in by the swirling water.

A powerful force of water surged into the peaceful underwater kingdom as Y/N fought to keep balance. He gripped on the first thing he saw—-remains of a building that was once there, but now it was washed away in the sudden whirlpool. Tiny bubbles began to form as the water whirled faster. They made their way up Y/N's nose, choking him. 

"Evacuate, evacuate!" Y/N could hear Her Majesty's shrill call, but was unable to respond to it, as he was fighting against the deadly waves. Suddenly, familiar hands grabbed his waist, pulling him out of the whirlpool and into safety. Thrusting his tail, he finally escaped to safety and turned back just in time to see his mother's sad smile before she was pulled back into the water.

"MOM!" Y/N yelled, as he began to make his way back into the whirlpool. But his cry would never be heard.

————-

"Greetings, everyone. I am Princess Sangonomiya Kokomi. The merpeople gathered here today are who we managed to save, everyone else is lost out there." Her iridescent tail glowed brightly in the darkness of the sea.

As he hovered there, Y/N's heart felt heavy, like it had been taken out, filled with stones, and placed back in his body. He couldn't help but replay the scene over and over again. His mother disappeared in the whirlpool. He got caught in it. His mother saved him. And last but not least, his mother sacrificed herself for his safety. How could this have happened? If only I didn't argue with her. She wouldn't be standing there, outside. We wouldn't have been standing outside. If only I was able to detect the whirlpool. If only--

"...and thus, I must lead a small group to find the Grand Scepter and our lost comrades. Any volunteers?" Y/N's head snapped towards the Princess. He hadn't been paying attention to what she had been saying, but he did hear that part about finding the lost people. Did that mean his mother was alive? Before he could stop himself, Y/N's hand shot up. The Princess turned her attention to him. In fact, everyone gathered there had their eyes on him. Suddenly, Y/N felt a little self conscious, dropping his hand to his side again. 

"I..I want to find my mother." Y/N finally found his voice.

Hushed whispers filled the area. "Can such a delicate mermaid really go on a dangerous mission like that?" One merman asked, loud enough for Y/N to hear. "You're right, she's pretty." his friend responded. Y/N flashed an irritated glare at the him. "I'm not a mermaid." He grumbled. The mermen looked stunned, but didn't ask any further questions. (a/n: eheheh, Y/N is pretty guy)

Princess Kokomi hushed the crowd with a gesture as she turned towards Y/N. "What is your name?" She asked him softly.

"Y/N." he muttered in a shaky voice, nervously combing through his long silver hair. 

"Are you positive you want to do this?"

"Yes. I want to find my mother."

Kokomi nodded and smiled at him. "Alright then, Y/N, your wish is granted. Anyone else? She's turned back to the crowd.

One after the other, several hands shot up to volunteer. Gradually, a small group of 10 mermen were chosen, along with the Princess. "Alright." Kokomi nodded in approval. "We have our search patrol. As for the rest of you, please stay in this cave, do not venture out. I have protected it with a seal." The crowd murmured a confirmation.

"Off we go." The Princess called, before whisking away with a flick of her tail. The search patrol followed shortly.

~~~~~

As the patrol raced across the sea towards their ruined home. the Princess spoke again, breaking the silence. However, unlike her confident, firm voice that she used before, it was replaced with a shaky, unsure voice. "The truth is, my mother and father died in that whirlpool." She took a minute to recover herself. "And without the Grand Scepter, I am not officially a queen. Without a set ruler, the water is vulnerable to a number of things. When the water is vulnerable to an attack, so are we. And if I put my people in danger, am I fit to be ruler? If I'm not fit to be ruler then--" 

"Your Highness. You are fit to be ruler. I saw you stay strong for the people just then. Not only that, but you also came up with a great strategy of survival." A merman with orangish brown hair  cut off the Princess. He had two furry ears on top of his head, and a glittering golden tail. 

(A/N: I don't ship kokomi and gorou that much but I HAD TO ADD THIS, IT WAS CUTE)

What a simp. Y/N thought with amusement, as the Princess grew red with embarrassment. Before she could say anything, however, they arrived at the site. The sight was almost unbearable. Remains of once tall buildings littered the sea floor. The once-glowing crystal palace was now reduced to a fine powder that floated around in the water.

Princess Kokomi's dark blue eyes widened. "This is terrible." She did a hand gesture, and large bubbles began to materialize from the seabed. A particularly large bubble rose up, and Kokomi reached up to grab it. It projected an image.

"What are you doing, my lady?" asked a delicate looking merman with long white hair tied into a ponytail. His tail was an alluring scarlet and gold. Catching himself staring, Y/N quickly turned away. 

The Princess didn't look up, but answered with. "I'm trying to get answers on what happened from the seabed," she paused, eyes narrowing with concentration. "Ah! I have a vague idea of what happened, I have to admit, I'm not particularly good at seabed reading. An ancient sea monster named Osial reappeared, and the Scepter...the Scepter managed to defeat it but..." She frowned as she tried to read the image on the bubble. "But then, when the monster was defeated, it let out a huge shockwave. I think what we expirenced was the shockwaves of Thebes death of Osial." She finished.

(a/n: don't look at me, i don't know wtf seabed reading is supposed to be either, my brain very unusual)

"Is there anything about the people who disappeared?" Y/N asked.

Kokomi turned to him sympathetically. "No, I'm afraid not." She told him softly. Y/N's tail dropped a little. 

Before Kokomi could say anything, another question popped up. "What happened to the Scepter? And how do we get it back?" A tall, orange haired merman asked. He was holding a broom for whatever reason Y/N couldn't think of.

Kokomi squinted again at the bubble, her face mixing into look of disappointment and frustration. "The Scepter. It-it was washed ashore."

A/N:

Sigh, I'm so sorry, I legit cannot stick to one story idea 😔 

But at least this story has a plot...? :,D I hope you enjoy this story idea...will be working on adventures of a gardener now until I figure out more of the plot.