Memories of the Beautiful Past (STORY COMPLETED, NOW MAKING SIDE STORIES)

Claude x Diana Mermaid AU

By dawn, when all the fishermen brought in their nets, they would sometimes see a young lady, wearing a simple white dress, walking down the shore. She would observe them with a dreamy look on her face, as if longing for something. The fishermen would happily greet her, but never stay long enough to have a conversation with her, as they all had families to go back to. 

They didn't know, nor will they ever find out, that this young lady was actually a mermaid. Her name is Diana, and she was born from the sea the fishermen fished from. Diana is a descendent of the Goddess Atargatis, which meant that she had the ability to walk on legs whenever she went ashore. However, within 72 hours of being on land, she must return to the sea, otherwise she would perish. 

This rule never bothered Diana. She would go ashore and walk along the beach, the marketplace, the city hall, and the heart of the city, where festivals are held. Diana found life on land much more interesting than life in the sea. Though she had numerous sisters, they were cold-hearted and often shunned her away. They were nothing like the friendly humans in the city who would greet her with a smile and invite her to have a drink with them. Diana's magical powers allowed her to learn their language and have conversations with them. 

At night, when she would return to the sea, she often did so sadly. She felt much more at home on land than at sea. One night, she spotted a conch shell nearby and held it to her lips. 

"I wish to stay here," She whispered. "I wish to stay here and find a lover of my own, a home of my own, and children of my own." Diana left the shell where she found it and entered the water. Once she reached a point where her entire body was submerged, she felt her lower half turn into a long, silver tail. 

***

One day, a young man was walking along the beach when he picked up a conch shell. It was the same shell Diana left behind. He placed it next to his ear and was surprised when he heard Diana's wish. This young man was Claude, and he was oddly intrigued by this. Every other conch shell he listened to, all he heard was hollow sounds of wind. However, this particular conch shell carried the message of a young woman. He wanted to find her and return this shell to her. 

At night, when Claude was done working, he walked to the beach and wanted to admire the stars and moon. He couldn't take his mind off the conch shell and the message he heard, as he has never encountered something like that. Claude almost fell asleep when he suddenly heard a young woman singing. It was the exact same voice he had heard in the conch shell. He immediately jerked awake and started searching for the source of this voice. 

Not far off stood a beautiful woman wearing a white dress that seemed to reflect the light of the stars. She was singing a quiet melody as she was stepping into the waters. 

"Wait!" Claude cried. "The sea is too dangerous at this time of night! You can't go in right now!" 

Surprised, Diana twisted towards him and saw a young man running towards her. How peculiar, Diana thought. It was the middle of the night; all of the people should be in their houses by this time, how come this man was still out? 

"It is about 2 AM, how come you're still outside?" She asked him. 

2 AM?!?! Turns out Claude had actually accidentally fallen asleep on the beach. However, he didn't mind since he got to meet this woman. 

"Ahh.." Claude scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. "I wanted to spend some time on the beach after work, but turns out I had accidentally fallen asleep. I feel ashamed." 

Diana let out a slight laugh. "You're a funny one." 

"Why were you walking into the sea?" He asked. 

"The sea is my home." She responded. 

It was now Claude's turn to laugh. "I think you're the funny one, miss...?"

"Diana."

"Miss Diana. I'm Claude." 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Claude." Diana said with a smile. 

Claude then asked her about the conch shell he picked up during the day. Diana suddenly had an uneasy expression.

"Oh... that..." She didn't know how to explain this to him without telling him that she is a mermaid. Because of her abilities, conch shells are able to record the voices of descendants of Atargatis. 

Seeing Diana's uneasiness, Claude said, "If you don't feel comfortable with telling me, that's alright." Was it possible that Diana isn't a human? He thought to himself. Even if she wasn't, Diana had no trace of malice within her. If she wanted to hurt Claude, she would've already done so, since no one else was around at this time of night. Diana is kind-hearted, he thought. 

"I'm going to go back now," Claude said. "But, if it's alright with you, could we meet up tomorrow afternoon?" 

Diana beamed with happiness. "Yes! I would love that."