Hey, there, guys! Wow, this story is sorta-popular! So I'll keep uploading the chappies. Just read this until Eternal is back on track, m'kay? Alrighty. Here is chapter two of MKA.

~Cel

Chapter Two: Just Remember the Good Things

Hundreds of miles away, nestled deep within the beautiful and thriving Great Barrier Reef, four young fish children chased each other in a game of tag. They wove their way through huge, healthy coral outcroppings, past older fish out for a stroll, who remarked how kids were so very cute these days. Their shouts of delight echoed in their beautiful world, as well as multiple sneezes. There was a long-nosed butterflyfish boy, who was shouting the loudest and boasting his speed and how he was winning. A peal-pink flapjack octopus sped after her companions, a determined look on her face. A brown seahorse boy galloped through the reef with his best friends, but was constantly jettisoned backwards with each forceful sneeze. And at the center of the pack was a small clownfish boy, his bright orange eyes alit with joy and innocence, his crippled fin fluttering as he chased after his friends.

"Free!" Tad yelled out as he tapped the rock that the group had decided was going to be the base. Nemo and Pearl groaned as Sheldon galloped up, panting and trying to keep up with his companions. Tad, who even himself he described as "obnoxious" (though he hardly even knew what the word meant), snickered loudly.

"Now I get to pick who's 'it'. Hmmm," he pretended to be thoughtful about it, then pointing his fin at the panting seahorse boy. "Sheldon, you are it now. You have to get us!" Tad laughed, if not a little meanly. Sheldon pouted before another sneeze erupted out of him. He was propelled a few feet backwards. It took him a minute to swim back up and issue his complaint to his rather bossy friend.

"Tad, c'mon! You know I'd lose, like, right away! I couldn't catch you guys!" Sheldon said, but Tad looked defiant.

"Hey, Tad, I'll be 'it'." Nemo offered, raising his good fin up. Tad rolled his eyes but gave into his friends' requests.

"Fiiiine. Nemo's it!" He announced to his little group, before demanding Nemo to count. Happy to comply, the little clownfish counted to ten while his friends got a little bit of a head start. Then, he was racing after them, his fins working quickly, pushing his plump little body gracefully through the water. In the back of his mind, the part that wasn't focused on trying to tag his friends before they swam around the reef and tagged the base, he thought about how, just a couple of months ago, playing tag wouldn't have been possible with his crippled fin. But thanks to one fish who knew what it was like to have a crippled fin, he was able to swim just as fast as all of his friends, and joined in all of their games. That fish had taught him how to swim properly, using his tail and good fin to keep his balance and how to precisely work his little fin to keep him upright.

Nemo knew that he would never be able to thank Gill enough. The old, toughened veteran had taken the scared child under his fin and taught him the ropes. He'd protected the boy, and vowed to get him out the tank that he was trapped in and back to his beloved father. Gill had even gone so far as to risk his life for the boy.

He had launched himself from the tank to defeat the psycho little girl that was literally shaking Nemo to death. Then, the brave Moorish Idol had one last plan up his fin. He'd used the mirror that Nemo was resting on, suffocating, to launch the boy into the spit sink, down the drain, and into the ocean, where he'd finally found his father and gone home. But that was the very last Nemo had seen of his friend, of his mentor. The scarred fish was lying on the dripping wet tray, wincing with pain and telling Nemo to tell Marlin that he said "hi". What if Gill hadn't made it off of the tray in time? As far as Nemo could remember, the dentist man had hit his head badly on a large square thing above the chair in the middle of the room. And the little psychotic girl named Darla who was bent on shaking Nemo to death was in hysterics. What if the poor Moorish Idol had just lain there? What if he'd suffocated in silence until he was so starved for the oxygen-rich water he couldn't live without, that he quietly slipped away, right there on the tray that had scarred him so badly and made him a cripple?

Nemo stopped chasing his friends, slowly gliding to a halt and staring at the blue coral beneath him. He blinked furiously, tears coming to his ginger eyes at the thought of his tough, hardhearted, beloved mentor dying. The three other children noticed that Nemo was no longer chasing them, and they turned around. They saw the poor clownfish just floating there, staring at the ground and looking like he was about to cry.

"Hey, Nemo," Pearl said, turning around and swimming up to her friend. Her gentle pink eyes looked into Nemo's, seeing that they were full of tears. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing guys. I think I got some sand in my eye." Nemo said cheerfully, pretending to wipe away an irritating grain of sand from his eye. Pearl looked back behind the two boys behind her and shrugged.

"Okay. Well, c'mon, come get us, Nemo!" Pearl exclaimed, playfully shoving Nemo and whirling around, swimming quickly after her friends. The young clownfish shook his head, trying to push his troubling thoughts to the back of his mind. He took off after his friends, trying his paramount best to have as much fun as he could and not let his thoughts turn to the Idol…

The night in the coral reef was quiet, except for the gentle patter of rain on the surface far above. There was the occasional muffled crash of thunder in the dark, tempestuous skies. However, this didn't really bother the fish so far below, in the beautiful blue waves (except for the really little ones). Nemo and his father Marlin were just settling down to sleep. Nemo was still heavily troubled with his thoughts about the Moorish Idol he had befriended, and even had come to love. He knew that Gill would always protect him, no matter what, even if his own life was in danger. But Nemo couldn't bear the thought of the tough, hardhearted fish dying. Gill had so many plans, so many dreams. It just wouldn't be fair if his life was ended so abruptly. It just wasn't fair.

"Nemo, son, what is the matter?" Marlin asked softly, swimming over to his distraught son as he rested in the corner of their anemone home. Nemo didn't look up at Marlin, furiously trying to hide his tears. "Son, you barely ate any of your dinner, and you've been so quiet. You didn't even want to talk to Dory. Usually I get a full-detail commentary on your day. Did one of your friends upset you?" Marlin continued, looking thoughtful. "If it was that boy Tad, I've been meaning to talk with his father, Bill. That boy is obnoxious, and if he's said –" Marlin continued sternly, but when Nemo sighed softly and sadly, Marling ceased talking. He looked down at his son with absolute worry, his heart sinking. Nemo was never usually like this! He was a happy, bouncing eight-year old with a relentless energy and avidity to explore and learn new things. He wasn't mopey or easily distressed.

"Dad, it's not my friends. Do you remember Gill, the fish I told you about that helped me when I was in the dentist office?" Nemo said quietly, finally turning to his father. Marlin's bright orange eyes were soft as his nodded to his son.

"Yes, son, I do." He said softly, encouraging Nemo to continue. The young clownfish hung his head and sniffled quietly.

"W-well, I miss him, Daddy. I miss him a lot. He was a really great friend, and I'm really scared that he died. He saved my life, but…but the last time I saw him, he was laying on the tray in the dentist's office." Nemo sniffled again, his lower lip quivering and his eyes flooding with tears once more. He struggled to compose himself, but his little body began to tremble with sobs. "Daddy, I don't want him to be dead. I wanna see him again." Nemo cried, burying his face into his father's side. Marlin hushed his boy gently, rocking him tenderly in his fins. He let his poor boy cry into his shoulder. Marlin stroked the back of Nemo's head, holding his son close.

"Son, it's okay. It's going to be okay. Hey, from what you told me about him, Gill is a very tough fish. I'm sure he made it right back into the tank. Heck, he may have even made it to the ocean, him and those friends of his!" Marlin said brightly, the first thing he could think of to cheer his boy. Nemo sniffled and looked up at his father. Marlin offered a consoling smile, placing a fin on top of his boy's head and ruffling his dorsal fin. Nemo giggled, sniffling and smiling tearfully up at his father.

"You're right, Dad. Maybe he's coming right now!" Nemo said, immediately clutching to this newfound hope. Marling nodded, but then took his boy in his fins, looking into his eyes. Oh, those eyes, just like his mother's…

"You must remember also, Nemo. If…If Gill didn't make it, then he will always be watching over you. Remember that you're never alone." Marlin said softly, holding his son's lucky fin gently. Nemo blinked, looking thoughtful.

"Like Mommy? Gill would be with Mom?" Nemo said quietly. Marlin nodded, his heart wrenching as he remembered his beloved Coral, his dear, cherished wife that had died far too soon.

"Yes. He would be with Mom. And remember that she's watching over you, too. I'm very sure that she's very proud of you, son. You are so brave, and you're such a good boy. But you must remember also that, even if Gill didn't make it, then the best way to remember him, and Mommy, is to think about the good things that they had done. Mom watched over you when you were just a tiny little egg. Gill watched over you when you were in the tank. If you remember the good things about them, and remember their love, then they will never truly be gone." Marlin said gently, offering his son a smile. Nemo smiled back, embracing his father tightly.

"Thanks, Daddy." He said, nuzzling his father with love. Marlin smiled, then withdrew and looked down at his son.

"Do you think you could get to sleep tonight?" Marlin asked his son, who nodded. Marling leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to his son's forehead in a goodnight kiss. The two clownfish then lay down on the soft, cushioned divan at the base of their anemone home. Marlin almost immediately dozed off, his gentle snoring filling the silence around them. The rain continued to patter gently on the surface far above Nemo's head. The young clownfish boy remained awake for a few more minutes, staring at the gently sweeping tentacles of the anemone as the currents wafted through the reef.

Could his father be right? Could Gill and the Tank Gang, the fish he'd befriended when he really needed someone, be heading this way right now? Nemo knew that Gill was incredibly smart, and he had a sense of vigor and craftiness that Nemo had never seen before. But…then again, Gill was crippled, and being out of water so long could make one extremely weak. The dentist had also hit his head, rather hard, on that rectangular thing above the chair, and had gone out cold. What if he hadn't seen Gill in time to help him? What if he had woken up to see his prized Moorish Idol, lying cold and stiff on the dripping wet dental tray, and his niece in hysterics?

Nemo shook his head, closing his eyes. He couldn't think about that kind of stuff anymore. If Gill really was gone, then Nemo would do as Marlin had asked – he would only remember the good things about the aged, scarred Idol. Shutting his eyes tight, Nemo willed for sleep to overcome him. At least tomorrow was only a half day at school – Mr. Ray had a meeting with the district administrator, and then he had a dinner date with Mrs. Ray (the entire class had giggled). He would some more free time to explore the reef, and look for interesting to attempt to satisfy his ravenous curiosity. With this thought in mind, Nemo fell into a fitful and restless sleep for the remainder of the stormy night.