Mermaid and the Samurai ch 13

The small caravan traveled all morning and noon until finally they've arrived at their destination: Atlantica's border shore line.

Eventually, they gang turn and saw the seashore just a few yards away.

"We made it!" Sebastian said excitedly.

Though it was bittersweet they knew Ariel had to return home.

Before she began towards the water, she turned to her new friends, "Why don't you both come with us and meet my father?"

"No Ariel." Jack said to her gravely, "Aku's wrongs must be righted. My quest upon this world must continue."

"I'd love to lass,  but I can't." The Scotsman looked a bit sheepish. "I've got my duties to me clan, not to mention the wife-"

"Oh, alright." she said a little sadly, "I wish you all the best of luck."

"But, hey, we'll be with you in spirit, lass!" He punched the mermaid in the shoulder, and though it took her a few moments she heartily punched back.

Ariel each gave them both a kiss on the cheek then began to run to the shoreline.

Finally, she is almost home. Once in the sea, neither Aku nor his minions would use her for blackmail against her kingdom.

"From now on it's gonna be smooth sailing!" Scuttle said happily.

Suddenly there was a rumbling sound and the entire beach became overrun with beetlebots with Fett leading them.

Sebastian glared at Scuttle, "You had to jinx it!"

Immediately Jack and the Scotsman prepared to fight.

"Ariel, Sebastian, get in the water!"  

Mermaid and crab quickly begin to run towards the seashore. But Ariel suddenly cried out and fell face forward as a horrible burning sensation over her legs and feet.

"Ariel!" Jack cried in concern.

Confused, the Scotsman looked over the horizon and all the color literally drained from him, "Lad - the sun!"

It was the sunset, marking the end of Ariel's year with legs; this time her fin returned without need of water.

"No!" she wailed in despair.

"Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha ha ha! You're too late!" Aku's  voice echoed from all over.

Scuttle yelled over the noise, "Let's go! We gotta get her to the water!"

"Not so fast!" Fett called to them.

He shot out a net and it hit Ariel, keeping her from moving forward.

"Get to her lad!" the Scotsman said as he countered the blow of some bots, "Before the buffoon in the helmet does!"

Don't take another step!"

The group looked up and saw Aku appear.

"Aku!"

He turned to Fett. "I certainly see why you're the best bounty hunter in the various galaxies. All that have proceeded failed but you! You have captured the youngest of the Sea king's daughters."

He'd been monitoring the group for days now, yet waited for just the right moment to make his dramatic entrance. That and he wasn't going to let his potential victim escape so easily.

The space bounty hunter nodded curtly, "She's all yours."

Ariel's eyes grew wide with terror. Frantically she tried pulling herself towards the water with her arms even with the net limiting her movement.

"Your efforts are in vain, merchild," Aku leered at her, wrapping his enormous claw around the terrified mermaid.

She was screaming and crying, trying to escape, but she couldn't.

"Arielle!" Sebastian yelped, putting his claws on the sides of his face in horror.

Jack saw her face go stark white, and he yanked his sword from its sheath.

"If you harm her, Aku, I will–"

Aku glared over at him, "I'm not finished with you yet, Samurai! I will return! Right now, I have a mermaid to take care of."

Jack jumped to get a good swing at the demon but just as he'd reached the claw holding Ariel, Aku vanished.

"Come back and fight ye two faced monster!" The Scotsman yelled as the villains disappeared along with Aku.

It was bad enough the villain were trying capture an innocent person but now the creep had just cheated on the deal he'd made with a naïve young mermaid!

Jack tightened his grip upon the sword's handle then let out a scream of grief, plunging the blade into the ground.   

Scuttle shook his head, "That's just wrong."

"That they took Arielle and we couldn't do anything about it?"

"That too, but also that the Scotsman called that guy names!" Scuttle replied, "I was gonna do that first!"

Sebastian glanced at his feet, thinking,  "I must get to the Sea king, he must know about this!"

Jack simply remained where he was, letting the pain of failing to protect Ariel consume him.

"I will find you, Ariel…" he whispered, "This I promise you."