Pearls from Tears

It was another new day.

They had been lucky. The weather had been lovely these past few days: bright sunshine, gentle breezes, and soft ripples across the sea.

Bruce and Miaomiao had talked for a long time the night before. He had explained some terms from human society and given her a brief introduction to his family.

In particular, the elderly butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who was supposedly an excellent cook and could make especially delicious cookies, had struck a chord straight in the Little Merfolk's heart.

"Bruce, Bruce, how do you say 'fish'?"

"Fish."

"What about 'grilled fish'?"

"Grilled fish."

"And 'the sea'?"

"Sea."

"What about 'flames'...?"

On the beach, Bruce was trying to teach Miaomiao some common English words.

Faced with something new, Miaomiao quickly showed her curiosity. She asked Bruce about everything around her: how to say this in English, what that was. Bruce never grew tired of her questions, patiently answering each one.

Bruce discovered that Miaomiao was actually a very clever girl with a good memory. He only needed to repeat each word slowly once or twice before she could repeat it in exactly the same tone and remember it.

That was quite a discovery.

Bruce had not lost himself in this seemingly peaceful, cozy life on the island. As Bruce Wayne, he could accept living on an island like this, setting aside his identity as a billionaire and his lavish, extravagant lifestyle. But as Batman, he could not abandon Gotham.

So, beyond securing the basic necessities for survival, Bruce had not been idle these past two days. He had kept trying to find a way to contact the outside world.

With no materials at hand, even Batman could not conjure up a new communicator out of thin air. He trusted that his family was searching for him, too, and had tried lighting a smoky fire. But perhaps the little mermaid had swum too far with him; there had been no response at all.

Perhaps he should find a way to build a raft.

And there was also...

Bruce looked at the girl playing with a crab by the edge of the beach.

Miaomiao possessed powerful abilities, but at heart, she was an innocent girl who had never encountered human society. She had almost no wariness toward the outside world and even now still believed the "elders" had cared for her.

Then there was her beautiful, dazzling fish tail. Once someone discovered a pretty, adorable young girl with a mermaid's tail straight out of a fairy tale, certain people would see her as a precious collectible they simply had to possess.

Even if the girl was pure and kind and never used her abilities to hurt anyone, that would not stop malicious people from seeking her out.

To many people, being different, beautiful, and rare was itself your original sin.

He could not simply leave Miaomiao out there on her own.

"Bruce?"

Finished playing, Miaomiao came over carrying today's "lunch," only to find Bruce looking at her thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Miaomiao." Bruce hesitated only briefly before deciding to ask the little mermaid directly. "Would you like to come home with me?"

"Come... home? You mean, me? With you? To your home?"

"Yes. Come back to Gotham with me, to Wayne Manor." There was a barely perceptible note of hope in Bruce's voice. "Would you like that?"

Home...

After following the prophecy to this world, Miaomiao had searched for a way back, without success. She had also tried to find the Merfolk here, but had found no trace of them.

She had already accepted her fate: far from home, living alone in another world. The Merfolk were born of the sea, their hearts drawn to freedom, never bound to any one time or place. She did not feel lonely or sad.

But when Bruce said he wanted to take her home, Miaomiao suddenly could no longer hold back that faint ache in her heart. It was like a child who had been bullied away from home, who had not cried when others mistreated them, only to have someone show concern once they returned home. Suddenly, that tiny sense of hurt would surge up, as unstoppable as the tide.

"Miaomiao?"

Bruce watched as a mist suddenly veiled the girl's already watery eyes. It quickly gathered into crystal-clear droplets that fell inexorably to the ground.

"Miaomiao, don't cry. If you don't want to..."

"No, no, no! I do!"

Afraid that a slow response would make Bruce misunderstand, Miaomiao shook her head and nodded in turn, without even stopping to wipe the tears from her face.

"That's wonderful..."

Relieved, Bruce moved to comfort the crying girl, only for his expression to change as his gaze landed on something-

"Miaomiao..."

"Yes?"

For once, Bruce's voice sounded hesitant and strained. "Your tears..."

"Oh, I forgot!"

Bruce's reminder made Miaomiao remember something. She hurriedly lowered her head and began fumbling through the sand. Before long, she had found three or four lustrous, perfectly rounded objects glowing with a blue-violet sheen...

Pearls.

"Oh, this is my first time crying pearls! So this is what it feels like."

The girl's voice was full of wonder and delight, a stark contrast to Bruce's expression.

"Miaomiao."

Bruce closed his eyes briefly, making sure he had not seen wrong. The tears the girl shed had truly transformed into beautiful, dazzling pearls the instant they fell. Judging by her reaction, she seemed to have long taken this for granted.

Miaomiao admired the results of her first time crying pearls, marveling that, as expected of her, even her teardrops were bigger than everyone else's. Every pearl they formed was perfectly round and utterly beautiful.

"Bruce, these are for you."

Bruce could barely keep his expression steady. Looking as though he had a toothache, he accepted the pearls formed from the girl's tears. "Thank you."

This was not the first time Bruce had accepted a pearl from Miaomiao. The blue pearl she had given him before was a good deal larger than the ones now in his hand. But this time was different. These were a girl's tears.

A girl just gave me her tears as a present?

Why does this feel so awkward?

Bruce had always used science to explain everything around him. Now, at last, he felt a faint sense of absurdity, as though reality had slipped out of reach.

"Is this another one of your abilities?"

"You mean Pearls from Tears?"

There was nothing to keep secret about that. It was an innate trait of the Merfolk; they could all do it.

So, when Bruce nodded, Miaomiao answered him directly.

"Yes. All our brothers and sisters can do it. It's an ability we're born with."

At the words "brothers and sisters," Bruce's gaze darkened. Were there others like this girl, "Little mermaids" created through experimentation?

"Then, where are they now...?"

"They... aren't in this world anymore."

"I'm so sorry..."