In the days following, with a new mermaid group, it was clear how much more advanced we were, even though our suits didn't offer two-way communication yet, but Lauren said they were working on it. We didn't participate in the “mermaid games”, as it would be unfair, but we did meet up with our dolphins, Lauren being the favorite for Moana and Jaylo.

With pain in my heart we approached the moment it was all over again. I wondered if I could just refuse to take off the suit, and live here in the bay. Lauren understood it very well. She'd had that thought with every improved version she had been testing. She promised me though that things would only get better, she had so many new ideas for more improvements. With the way things were going, Sheila had proposed a huge investment in the mermaid business, and I would probably be the most likely person to demonstrate the new developments.

There was one more thing that Lauren believed was important enough for me to be patient. She had a close friend, a surgeon, who could improve the artificial mermaid pussy, and make it a true body part. For herself it would be rerouting her intestines to the front of her body, pretty much what she had now, but with her own organic material. Similarly, the vaginal entrance would be moved, rather than extended, the way it was now.

For me, it was similar with the intestines, but a real pussy would be constructed, using my own body parts and skin. In a way, it would be easier than a typical gender changing surgery, simply because there was more room, the way the new vagina would be positioned. And with the way things would be moved it'd leave a void inside my body, which could become something like a womb. The possibilities there could be numerous, but it would take time.

Lauren's biggest problem to make the mermaid suits more commercial, was to come up with an easier, less permanent way to reconstruct the crotch area. Most people would just want to be a temporary mermaid, like the groups here, and right now the new plumbing, like Mercedez had for example, would take weeks before it would come off. But again, she had ideas to fix it, and it would sell, because it opened up the chance to have sex as a mermaid.

So, after all mermaids had their pictures taken at mermaid rock, both Lauren and I had had a last session of mermaid sex with Mercedez, we took off our suits and became human once more, although we knew, Mercedez included, that we'd never be the same again.

Lauren left, with our suits, but with a “see you soon” rather than a farewell. Mercedez was asked to work with the director of the camera crew, and help to turn the hours of footage into a twenty minute marketing documentary. And thus, I was alone for most of the day, for the first time in weeks.

I spent it at the beach, snorkeling again, like I had done weeks ago. But I was a girl now, dressed in a sleek bathing suit, eyed by many men and women alike. I got in a deep enough part of the bay, and suddenly was surrounded by my four dolphin friends, Bella specifically nudging me, and checking my flippers, where my tail should have been. We played a few games, but it was tough with the limited time I had underwater. Eventually they wanted us all to jump, which was impossible for me in my current form. But, with their help, between Bella and Izzy, my arms around their dorsal fin, they took me along for a superfast ride. I was thankful that I was still mermaid enough for them to take me with them.

I kissed them all goodbye, telling them I'd be back again the next day. I was in a much better mood, because I had the feeling I'd never be alone again. And back at the beach there were multiple people who showed me the pictures and videos they had taken of me, jumping with the dolphins. One photo particularly was amazing and they texted it to me, and I was going to get it printed and framed for Mercedez.

It turned out to be a thank-you present, a goodbye present, as a call from Sheila a few days later suggested I “come home”. I was needed in my new job as a mermaid suit tester. Before I got on the plane I received a doctor's notice that explained I was in a transition phase, which should get me back in the country. But first, Mercedez's goodbye gift was a video, close to what was the final cut, and it was amazing. She looked amazing in it, and so did I, and if I were a casual female tourist, with a slight interest in mermaids, I would want to sign up for the Mermaid Bay experience right away, so well done it was.

It wasn't that simple, getting back in the country, my face and my gender not matching with what was in my passport. I had the letter, but it was signed by a foreign doctor and was therefore not trusted. It took hours of embarrassing tests before they concluded it was indeed me under there. And they wrote a derogatory remark in my own passport about being a woman, trying to pass as a man. But at least they let me in, despite them having it all wrong.

Seeing Sheila again was all that mattered, and she was just as happy to see me again, having tried for hours to pull her sides of the strings. She first took me to my new home, our home, as she called it. And we spent a wonderful night together, getting reacquainted in our beautiful bed. She used a delicious strap-on to test my mermaid pussy, and we both came multiple times.

The next morning we took the two hour drive to the mermaid facility. We caught up on everything that had happened, and I gave an almost minute to minute account of the new mermaid suit. She actually had to stop when I went into detail on mermaid sex with Mercedez, so I could take care of her wetness in a safe way.

It was good to see Sue again, and of course Lauren, who seemed to glow. It only took fifteen minutes before she confessed she was pregnant, without a doubt from Mercedez. It also changed her plans to reconstruct her mermaid pussy, at least until after her child was born. Which meant I was going to be the first person on record with a “natural” mermaid crotch. As soon as possible, so that I would be ready when they finished the Mark IV suit in just a few months. Interesting side note, in my short time as a mermaid I had actually worn all three types of suits leading up to this new model.

In the afternoon I met Dr Mendoza, a brilliant surgeon, in her gender specialized clinic. She did a number of tests, including one where a tiny camera was inserted through the skin in my crotch area. My real skin, as she was careful not to damage the artificial skin.

And eventually she drew up a plan for my surgery, which was a bit different from what Lauren had told me before. For one, it was not just my crotch area. Mermaid skin, essentially an improved version of what they used for the mermaid suit, would be used around my hips and butt, and between my legs to the front, essentially forming a bikini bottom with soft scales. Underneath she would reconstruct my crotch area very much in a way I had now, but by using my own body material. My own muscles, my own nerves, my own manhood and my own intestines.

Due to the fact that my vagina would be guided alongside the outside of my intestine, using my own skin and material from my penis and scrotum, it should give me a pleasant feeling when penetrated and enough length to fit a dolphin's snake-like penis. Just in case I had an interest in that. That left quite a void that would be filled with the same air-gel, as she called it, that would be inside the tail, around my legs, when wearing the suit.

As Dr Mendoza explained, the gel could absorb air through my “bikini bottom”, good for maybe two or three minutes, and an air hose would be guided through my intestines and stomach, all the way back to my throat, allowing me to “breathe” underwater, even in my human form. And when I would wear my tail, the extra absorbed air would click simply into that hose, and provide enough air for half an hour more. No more external hoses fitting through my nose.

She made it clear that after this surgery I would no longer be a human that could become a mermaid by pulling on a suit. Instead I would be a mermaid, that with a human form could live among people, but the purpose of my body would be to live as a natural mermaid. The long term goal was to make the tail permanent.

Once I was healed, a second surgery would redo my breasts, and fill them with gel, providing more air again, absorbed through what looked like a matching bikini top.

It took a week still to prep my body for the surgery, during which I had to stay in bed, connected to an IV, and without any solid food. She was stimulating my manhood back “to life”, so she would have more material to work with. In the end I was just happy to finally go under.

It was good that she told me the surgery was a success, after I woke up more than twenty-four hours later, because it didn't feel good at all. But after a few days I was allowed a little solid food again, and when I had to relieve myself for the first time, it was truly a wonder.

I still had to sit awkwardly on the toilet, but not different from when I had my artificial crotch, but I didn't have to use leg muscles or anything to push out my deed. It worked exactly like before my mermaid period, yet it came out from my front rather than the rear. As a matter of fact, my buttocks were no longer separated, it was solid and smooth now, my shimmering scales soft and beautiful.

Every day I had to push in a penis-like dildo of about a foot length, to keep my new canal open as it healed and settled in my body. Then I had to push a much thinner “snake” through the dildo, that went several feet deeper inside me, and I could feel it touching my prostate even, which gave even that part pleasure.

At some point I was allowed to swim in a pool, and the water pressure, combined with my own breathing pushed air from my air-gel all the way up through my throat, and I could swim underwater for three minutes, without even trying. Then, while floating on the surface for a minute, I recharged again. I couldn't wait to get my tail.

That had to wait until after my breast surgery, as well as the more advanced suit being in its final stage of development. I wasn't sure how I felt about the large size of breasts that they would give me, bigger even than Mercedez had, but as inconvenient as it would be as a human, as beneficial it would be for a mermaid. With lesser gravity underwater it wouldn't bother me, but the larger size would give me at least another ten minutes of air. Even in human form.

A month later, after everything was said and done, I was very aware of the effect that my large rack had on men, and some women. Eyes were more often aimed at my cleavage than at my face. And walking in my silver “bikini” got me many wolf whistles, and they had no idea even that I was walking “naked”. But swimming was the best, and I managed to stay underwater for more than fifteen minutes.

Sheila couldn't get enough of me, and sex with her was amazing. The way she sucked my incredibly sensitive breasts, while she took me with her largest strap-on, hitting an even more sensitive spot, had me cumming hard, while she screamed out her own orgasm. She had her own surgery scheduled, but it would be different from mine, as her mermaid pussy would lead into her human womb.

And then, finally, my new suit was ready. Lauren, very pregnant by now, had me put it on by myself, as she explained that the air-gel was once more lighter and more absorbing. It was interesting how the suit had not only a perfect opening to fit my mermaid pussy, but also two openings that would let my own breasts through. A waterproof solvent sealed me into the suit in those areas. I did not have to deal with air hoses other than “clicking” the tube that was part of the tail into the tube that was part of me.

There was no longer a full size mask covering my face, just a small mask that protected my eyes and that would close off my nostrils underwater. But, I should be able to eat, kiss and “make out” underwater, which was much more realistic than before.

I think I said it before, but that first drop into the water, even though it was a regular pool, gave me that “homey” feeling again, like I knew I belonged there. I was a much more sexy vision now, my heavy breasts spilling out, rather than being “flattened” as was done in the previous suit. Obviously, I had experienced my new way of breathing already, but I had so much air now, I could stay underwater close to an hour.

There were many sensors in my tail, and the first few weeks quickly got boring, from all the tests they were performing on me. Luckily, Sheila had the chance to spend the night with me a few times. And finally I was transported to the gulf coast, very close to home. As a matter of fact, by night I was often home, although in the pool, not in our bed.

I never swam alone, most of the time a diver named Tina was swimming with me, making sure nothing bad happened as she continued monitoring my sensors. She was sweet and funny and in awe of my abilities. But, exactly six weeks after I put the suit on, I had to give up on it. They were tweaking it slightly, based on all of the testing, while I was getting multiple physicals, to make sure my legs and all my new plumbing were in good shape.

There were worries about the strength in my knees and upper legs, and I could indeed tell I wasn't very strong there, when I tried to walk again. I had to wait for four weeks, doing strength training, before the next test session would start. In a way this was good, as Sheila had her crotch surgery, and became officially a mermaid. I stood by her and helped as best as I could with her recovery. She was going through similar phases as I had before, so I knew in the end it would work out.

When she was finally allowed to swim, we swam together, and I saw the pleasure in her face, as she “breathed” underwater, without any hoses or masks needed. This was the first time she experienced the air-gel, and she concluded, as I had, that it was worth the changes to her body. In a few more weeks her breasts would be expanded, just like mine, although she'd never get as much gel there as I have.

It was time for me again to get in the modified suit. All sensors were gone, but they had added an extra tail move to give more speed, controlled by the muscles in my knees and upper legs. This way, every human muscle would be active in moving my mermaid body.

I was in for a six month session, with regular checkups, but no more real-time monitoring. I was surprised however to be “rented out”. It was multi-purpose, I'd make significant money for the company, while demonstrating the capabilities of our new mermaid suit to a larger audience.

If I had any reservations about being exploited like this, the wondrous looks on the faces of little girls as they saw me swim inside an aquarium, made it all worth it. And so were the questions from older girls and young women. Any questions on being a “real” mermaid, I diverted to MM Bay, where anyone could sign up to swim like a mermaid. And we were working on more partnerships with suitable candidates in the US.

The latter was really needed, as after a month in different aquariums MM Bay was forced to start a waiting list, to make sure that people could book a mermaid session in the week that they stayed in the hotel. At least our efforts were paying off.

My second month was in a SeaWorld-like park, where I trained with dolphins to participate in a series of shows. The fact that I could jump along with them was apparently so impressive that photos and videos were used for advertising purposes, and soon every show was packed to the brim. I felt more like an animal than a human. Having said that, the dolphins enjoyed my company, and we played many games, some at the expense of the trainers.

I'd gotten used to the taste of raw fish, qualifying me even more like an animal, but it made things easier during shows, as food rewards were used to entice us to perform. Since I didn't need as much as I received, I shared with the dolphins and they became close friends.

One male particularly liked me more than a friend, and in a private moment, thank God not during a show, he took a hug for more than I intended, and the next thing I knew I was belly to belly with him, and I learned that I could indeed fit a full-size dolphin penis. And Dr Mendoza had done a perfect job on me, as the deep penetration made me cum right with him. Twice. The first time when he “scratched” my pleasure spot, the second time when he filled me with high pressurized seed, in a way no human will ever experience.

From that moment on the two males had their way with me, whenever they could. And my body betrayed me, as I was incapable of resisting their advances. The rush of being taken, at high speeds, often upside-down, made me even feel more of an animal, the need to mate, to procreate, taking over my human inhibitions.

Eventually they separated me from the guys, adding me to a pool with a pair of older females that didn't view me as an intruder, probably thanks to the fact I had shared quite a bit of food with them. At least I got some sleep now, although they nudged me at the strangest moments to play a game with them.

The experience however made it easier for me in my next stint, four weeks in a huge aquarium with an enormous amount of fish, plenty bigger than me. People still couldn't get over the fact that I easily stayed underwater for more than an hour. I think that triggered my next job, in a private aquarium, where I had many visitors, girls and women of different ages, but all with a mermaid tail, or even a suit.

I spent plenty of time teaching them. How to swim with a tail, how to conserve air, what muscles to use, and a lot of “what not to do's”. But the main thing was making them realize how superior my suit was, and directing them back to the factory, to buy their own, though still not better than mine. But it was the air-gel that made the difference, even with the way the air was led to their noses. Five to ten minutes in free-style underwater was worth every dollar of the significant amount they had to put down. It made me realize how lucky I was, a full-time mermaid at no cost to me.

Finally I was brought back to the lab for a total checkup, and the knowledge that my next assignment would be relatively light. And I was no longer going to be by myself, because there was Sheila, in full mermaid mode.

She was more beautiful than I remembered, having missed her for half a year. No, let me rephrase that. She was the most beautiful being I had ever seen. Her curves were defined but not exaggerated, her tail was long and sleek, her moves perfect like they'd always been. And her hair was silver. Not covered with a silver fabric, like with our first mermaid suits, no her own hair was long and silver and very mermaid-like.

And I was not. I felt clumsy next to her, on my human legs. The only good thing about that was the proof that after six months every muscle in my legs was still active, and walking had been easy, just unfamiliar. The latest tests were successful and I was about to be cleared for a whole year of mermaid-hood and possibly longer. Just had to wait for the latest upgrades.

So I slid in the water with my lover, my mate, and embraced her, wrapping my legs around her tail, as we sank underwater. As we kissed we found each other again. Six months separated didn't mean a thing if you were in for life. But, there were a few things that she needed to know. And as we surfaced, I told her. The good parts and the not so good parts.

I explained that so often I was looked at as an animal, and nothing remotely human. But also, how easily I had accepted that I was an animal. Eating raw fish during feeding time, but also chasing some myself, and killing them with my teeth. It wasn't always pretty. And I told her how I lived with a group of dolphins, part of the attraction, performing for an audience. And I told her about the raw sex, being taken by the two male dolphins over and over again. I had no choice in it, couldn't have stopped it, then didn't want to stop it. How I had become addicted to the long penises inside me, the pleasure points they had touched, and the continuous orgasms I had experienced. I had become an animal, being fucked until I'd be pregnant, forgetting I could not. And I was saved, not because of my human intelligence, but because a caretaker took pity on me and separated me from the males.

“It wasn't quite like that”, Sheila stated, and explained how one researcher from the factory was there to see how I was doing, and she talked to the caretaker. But it generated some worries, some confusion, and eventually a brand-new idea.

And as I was still belly to belly with Sheila, I suddenly felt something poking at my slit, and I felt something slide into my elongated pussy. I gasped, as it was a similar feeling like when I was taken by one of the male dolphins, but when I tried to look, Sheila held her arms close around me, as something coming from her body took me deeper. The addictive feeling took control of me again, as I started anticipating what came next. I wasn't disappointed.

The snake inside me went all the way, as deep as it could, and then shot its load. By then I was on the verge already myself and I came hard, the animal I suddenly had become again. As the intruder slowly pulled out of me, Sheila gave some room between us, and I saw a dolphin penis disappear back into her own slit. When it was finally completely back inside her, she said, “I hope you liked that!”

So, instead of air-gel in the extra room inside her crotch, a mechanical-organical contraption was mounted inside her. She could use a muscle to release it, at which it slowly extended to the fullest length. Her muscle could hold it there, while a different type of air-gel, filled with fluids from her pussy rather than air, emptied out through the hollow penis, in essence ejaculating inside me. Then, as her muscle released, it slowly wound up again, inside her body, getting ready for the next time. “We figured it would add an extra oomph to our sex life”, she finished. What an understatement, I thought.

I had a choice. To get one of these snakes myself. Or to give pleasure back to the snake. It didn't take long to make a decision. I was male once. Used to penetration. Yet, I had embraced womanhood. Mermaidhood. And being penetrated. That was my life now, and my future. And I wondered what they could do to make it even more pleasurable.

It was an organic vibrator, that's the best way to explain. With a minimal invasive surgery it was mounted deep inside me, at the far end of my vaginal sleeve. The snake that reached that far would “push” the button, and would start a vibration in the last foot or so of my sleeve, stimulating the intruder into releasing its seed. There were no batteries involved, the device was connected to both my bloodstream and my nerve system, in essence powered by my own heart, as it converted the energy into vibration.

It wasn't without its faults, but that's the risk when you're a pioneer. Sometimes, in the bathroom, doing a number two, the pressure could trigger the vibration, making me cum half of the time. A fault, yes, but not one I thought they should fix.

And the same, brilliant team, led by Lauren, had improved my tail once more, even though I thought it was perfect already. But I took the extra length that gave me more power, more speed. I took the extra air it provided me, as I set a record with a full hour and twenty minutes underwater. But most of all did I take the nerve endings that were built in my new skin, did I accept the initial pain of losing the top layer of my own skin just before I pulled on my suit, and waited a painful week as my body healed itself, my nerves connecting to the artificial endings of my mermaid skin.

The risks were clear. It could be very painful if I would ever want to get out of the tail again, but I knew I wouldn't. The rewards were even better, as I could feel every touch on my skin, I could feel it when even one scale was out of place. It hurt even, losing one, but it was relatively easily repaired again, by pinching in a new one, similarly to how my first scales were pushed in my breasts, so long ago.

Not until Sheila and I mated again did I completely understand how sensitive I had become. Her hands on me, our breasts and tails pressed together, aroused me, so much better could I feel her. And boy, was she in for a surprise when her snake triggered my internal vibration, and the sensation set her own internals on fire, courtesy of our brilliant team.

Only now did I learn that she had made the same decision as me. She had been the first to receive the new nerves, the first to accept that most likely she would never set foot on earth again. She would be the first mermaid to give birth, to my child, they guaranteed it was my seed that had been used to impregnate her. We would be the first mermaid family, at least that we knew of. We couldn't be any happier.

Or maybe we could. Sheila had sold her home, and with the money available to her she was funding a village. A mermaid village. Right in MM Bay where everything started I don't even know how long ago. The hotel had agreed to building the village in a quiet part of the bay, mostly underwater. In return the mermaids who lived there would make daily appearances for the tourists, and some shows together with some of the dolphins. The hotel had officially changed its name now to Mermaid Bay, having long waiting lists of mermaid lovers.

Sheila and I would be the first inhabitants but the village would be open to anyone who could afford the half million dollars for the Mark X mermaid suit, as the ultimate suit was now called. The one we were wearing. The one that was practically permanent, unless you went for the complicated surgery to remove the suit and separate old and new skin again. The one that guaranteed that all mermaids would look perfectly female, even though it was worn by a male. The one that would pay one hundred thousand towards the village for every suit sold. The one that had already reached over fifty orders, with inquiries coming in daily.

We named the village Lauren Town, after the genius who invented most of what made these suits the best. The air-gel, the mermaid crotch, the snake penis and the vaginal sleeve. She was now working on a new type of tail. One that would fit her daughter and that would grow with her as any other body part would. I had no doubt she would figure it out and eventually move her lab to our town, once she was ready to settle herself. Sheila and I would get that tail for our own children, so they could be a mermaid from birth. The mermaid's future was bright!