Minho tapped his fingers against the rough book pages as his best friend ranted from across the room. "Key listen, I honestly don't care what the kingdom wants me to do."

"You're father has died. You're mother abandoned us years ago. You are all we have left, and the Kingdom need's a queen. You need to find a wife rather quickly." 

Minho just made a face at him; the book in his lap forgotten as he closed it and dropped it on the table. " We all saw what marrying for the Kingdom did to my father. My mother left shortly after I was born, so excuse me for wanting to wait to meet the person that is right for me." 

Key groaned loudly. "Oh come now. Not with this foolishness. That's not how things work.  People in our position don't marry for love. It's never that easy. Please Prince. There are various eligable women in the Kingdom that would make amazing Queens."

Minho just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Key, I am done with this matter. Now I must get to the dock. My ship is leaving soon."

"Ugh. What is with you and the Sea? Why can't you just be like a normal man and have a birthday party on land? In the huge castle that you own?"

"Not all of us hate getting our hair wet." 

Key just groaned loudly and threw his hands in the air before storming out; making the Prince chuckle before standing up, fixing his coat over his shoulders, and following the older man out. He smiled softly at the thought he'd finally be out in the open sea.

                                                                                ````````````````
 Key was bent over the edge of the wooden ship; his face green as the blue waves crashed and rocked against the ship's hull. He heard the Prince laugh and he glared at how the man could feel a little bit of enjoyment on this contraption from hell. 

Minho walked over to him, and Key glared even harder when the man patted him on the back with a huge smile. "Get your glee and smiley face away from me. You are ruining my hateful mood."

"Good! Come on Key. It's my birthday. At least you can do is pretend to enjoy yourself." Minho grabbed the man's arms and spung him around with a wide smile.

Key groaned and squeezed his eyes shut once the spinning stopped.  "What do you see in this grey god forsaken wet place?"

"The salty sea air. The beautiful sun shining against the bright blue water. The sea gulls squaking. The chance to see dolphins. It's beautiful Key. Why don't you see it?" Key opened his mouth to give a retort but as nausea rolled through him, all he could do was run back over to the edge, and silently curse Minho for laughing behind him. 

"It seems King Triton is in good mood today." One of the crew stated.

"King Triton?" Minho asked curiously.

"The ruler of the merpeople; of the sea. He's in our favor." 

Key just rolled his eyes and cross his arms. "Oh enough with that foolishness. There is no such thing as merperson."  

                                                                               ``````````
Under the sea
"What are you doing Jinki? This is dangerous!"

Jinki looked over at the other merman with a huge smirk on his face. "Are you scared Jonghyun? Because you can stay out here and look out for sharks."

Jonghyun nodded, and Jinki just swam through the hole of the sunken ship silently laughing. "Wait... Sharks? JINKI!" 

He turned toward the silver haired merman and laughed at how Jonghyun was stuck. He swam over and grabbed the man's arm. "How did you get stuck? I have a bigger tail then you do."

"You don't really think there are sharks here do you?" Jinki just chuckled as he pulled the merman from the hole. 

"You really are a guppy Jonghyun."

He just pouted up at his Prince. "I am not!"

Jinki just smiled and pushed through the big hole in the ceiling and his expression grew even more when he saw the glint of metal. He turned toward the other with a huge smile. "Have you ever seen something so amazing in your entire life?"

"Pretty sure you have a dozen of those already."

"I do not!" Jinki frowned and placed the object into his bag around his shoulder. He picked up another object with a small smile and rummaged around in the bag for a moment.

"Do you even know what those are?"

"Does it matter? I bet you Taemin does!" Jinki said with a huge smile before shooting back through the hole and toward the way they came. Jonghyun smiled softly and followed his best friend.

                                                                                     ``````````
"Taemin!" The young boy looked over from his spot on the beach and smiled when he saw the handsome blond merman. 

He ran down to the cave where it was deep enough for the merman to swim and talk to him. It had been weeks since he's talked to the two of them, and Taemin had started to miss them. As he climbed down the last couple feet of rocks he turned to see Jinki sitting on the sand smiling widely. 

The Merman's beautiful blue tail glistened, and his blond hair was swept out of his face. "Long time no see toothpick." Taemin glared slightly at the other merman.

"Hello Hot Head."

"Now now kids." Jinki chuckled. "I came to see if you could tell me what these are." 

Taemin grinned widely as he watched the merman reach into the bag and pull the objects out. He was a young farm boy that one day saw Jinki and Jonghyun sun bathing. Ever since they've become friends; him being the mermen's connection to the human world. 

"Well this is a fork. You eat with it, though I've never actually used one. Just seen my parents using them."

"A fork." Jinki looked at the object with wide amazed eyes, and Taemin couldn't help but chuckle at how cute he was. "And this?"

"That well, it's a snarfblat."

"A what?" Jonghyun asked.

"A snarfblat. It's used to make music." Taemin said with a smile, grabbing the object and raising it up to his lips. "Like this."

"Oh no. The concert!" Jinki exclaimed; rushing to grab everything and shove it back into his bag.

"That was today?" 

"Yes." He snatched the object from Taemin's hand's and swam a little bit away before turning. "Thank you for everything Taemin. I wish it was longer though." He gave a smile and dove under the water. Jonghyun shrugged and followed after him.

                                                                                  ````````
"Father please don't be mad. I made it back for the concert."

"It wasn't just that son. I know you went to the surface again. That's a dangerous place. I don't want my only son snatched up by some fisherman's hook."

"I'm 20 years old Father. I'm not a child anymore."

"You must promise me to never go up there again. Promise me!" 

Jinki sighed but mumbled. "I promise. Now can I please go?"

"Yes, you're dismissed." Jinki bowed and shot out of the throne room.

                                                                                  ``````````
"There. It's perfect." Jinki smiled widely as he put the fork in it's place, but as he looked around him at all his treasures he sighed and his face fell. "Jonghyun, is it wrong of me?"

"For what Jinki?" 

"For wanting more. Looking around here you'd think I have everything, and that there was nothing more that I could need or ask for, but I do." Jinki answered softly; his fingertips softly grazing over the huge object lining the walls of the cave.

"What more do you want?"

Jinki turned and gave the silver haired man a soft smile. "I want to walk on what they call streets. I want to dance, and find out what a fire is and why does it burn. I want to see beautiful women in those elaborate dresses, and I want to see the wonder that all of these amazing things came out of. I want to experience the world above the waves."

"Don't talk like that Jinki. That's crazy talk!" 

Jinki just chuckled. "I guess I'm crazy then." He gave a shrug, before being startled by the sudden loud booming. Instead of asking what it was, Jinki hurried toward the noise. 

                                                                                           ```````````
Minho laughed as more alcohal was opened and poured; music was played louder as the voice got even more drunk. He shrugged off his jacket and ed a couple of the top buttons; leaning on the edge of the boat he looked at his crew and all the other people that were here out on the sea to celebrate his birthday. He was grateful for them; even Key who was still drapped off the side of the boat, green and sea sick as usual. 

The man sighed and wiped his mouth with his cloth before turning toward the birthday boy. Key forced a smile, annoucing. "Present time!" 

"I told you I didn't want anything."

"It's your 18th birthday. I had to do something special." Minho looked at him nervously; knowing full well how dramatic the man could be. 

He looked over at the huge cloth covered object. "What is it Key?"

"This." The man pulled the fabric off the present, to reveal a huge statue of the Prince. 

"Uh, thanks. I think." 

"Oh come now. It's amazing isn't it?"

Minho just shook his head and hugged the man. "Thanks Key. Now dance with me."  

Key paled. "What?" 

Minho just chuckled and pulled the man along to the music. The moon was high in the sky and it was beautiful. The waves gently rocked the hull; swaying to entire different melody. No one noticed the two men swimming up to the boat or the handsome blond one that climbed up and looked through the opening in the edge of the boat. 

"Jinki get down here!" Jonghyun hissed quietly.

"Shh." But Jinki's eyes were locked on the beautiful human that was dancing on the boat. His dark hair and piercing gaze. The human let go of the other he was dancing with and started to play the flute that was in the back of his pants. Jinki was so focused on the handsome man that he didn't even notice the furry creature that was sniffing it's way over to him until it had already seen him. It his nose making him chuckle softly, but then he heard a deep voice and the creature looked up with the name that was called.

"What are you doing over here Boy?" Jinki peeked around the wood to gaze at who owned the voice, and his heart began to beat fast at the sight of the smiling handsome man.

Then lightning crackled and thunder boomed as dark clouds moved to cover the beautiful moon. "Hurricane a comin'!" 

Jinki was knocked off the boat as the waves strength increased. He resurfaced to see lightning strike the sail and burn through the fabric. People began to leave the boat, to abandon ship, and Jinki made sure to see the handsome tall man was okay in the small boat. Then there was barking, and the man rushed to save his beloved hairy creature, and in the process got himself stuck, and as the fire hit the explosives, Jinki watched as the man he just got to see was blown up with the rest of the boat.

"MINHO!" Key gulped as he tried to hold back the tears. How was he supposed to tell every one that their Prince was dead? How was he supposed to go back to the Kingdom that loved the man, and tell them that Minho had been killed in an accident out at sea? He sighed and pressed his head into the wet fur of the dog that the man had died trying to save and allowed the crew to row the life boat away from the burning wreckage. 

Jinki dove into the water and rushed into the middle of the burning boat. He frantically looked through it, and let out a sigh of relief as he set eyes on the handsome human. As the man began to sink, letting go of the wood he had been holding onto, Jinki dove under and hooked his arms around the man's middle and lifted him up to the surface. "You won't die tonight Minho."  
                                                                                         ````````

And I don't own the ideas of the little mermaid, or the members of SHINee (even though I would really like to)