I Knew You Were Waiting—Chapter Four
by taitofan
Rated PG-13 for sexual situations
Disclaimer: I don't own Mermaid Melody in any way, shape, or form.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! Here's the next chapter—and with this, the next big events can begin to unfold!
To my Guest reviewer: I already have plans for the Priestess and Lanhua's thoughts on the relationship, but thank you very much for the idea! I'll see what I can do. Also, I hadn't really planned on using Sheshe and Mimi, but hey, I suppose I can get them in here eventually!
If you have any CC, please share and I'll listen. Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 01-06-14
Lucia wished she'd been able to sleep better, because she was going to need all of her strength to get through the day. Kaito… Lady Bat… She hoped both conversations went well, but she wasn't about to bet on it.
First up was Kaito, who she hadn't actually spoken to since the surfing competition. She had no idea what Hanon had said to him, but she assumed it could be summed up as, "Lucia is cheating on you!" And, well, it was true. But now she wished she'd talked to him sooner. She hadn't had the courage to face him, even after he knew… How angry was he? Very much, she imagined.
She was pacing back and forth in her bedroom when Nikora called to her, and Lucia gave herself a quick pep talk before she went to face Kaito. She could do this! It was the best thing for everyone! She could face Kaito and apologize!
But when she stepped outside the hotel and saw Kaito smiling at her as if nothing as wrong, she had a terrible sense of dread wash over her.
"Morning Lucia!" He was entirely too happy. Had Hanon not told him after all? But then why would he have asked Nikora to make sure she was there that morning?
"H-hello Kaito." She stood before him, fidgeting awkwardly. Why wasn't he yelling? He should be; she knew she deserved it! She should have just broken it off properly, before any of this ever happened. She felt terrible… And yet, all he did was smile.
"You okay Lucia? You don't look well…" Of course she wasn't okay! She was freaking out and filled to the brim with guilt. How was he so calm?
"Kaito… Why aren't you mad?" She knew she shouldn't be hoping for him to yell at her, but it only made sense. Besides, how was she supposed to drop such a heavy bomb on Lady Bat if she couldn't get her business with Kaito taken care of? "Hanon talked to you, didn't she?"
There. There it was—that wince. Lucia saw the slightest crack in his cool demeanor and she knew that he knew. She wasn't sure if that made things easier though.
"Oh… You mean about that guy who likes you. It's no big deal Lucia. It's not your fault other guys want to have you."
Except it was her fault. She knew what Hanon had seen. She'd just confessed her love, and there was no mistaking that. A wave of frustration hit her at his refusal to see what was happening. She didn't want to hurt Kaito anymore than she already had, but if he was going to pretend like nothing was wrong in the hope she'd come back to him, well, he was out of luck.
"Kaito…" She took a deep breath to calm herself, then gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry." He looked relieved at her words, and her chest tightened.
"I'm glad! I—"
"I'm sorry that it didn't work out between us," she interrupted, determined to get this all out, even when his face fell. "I cheated on you, and I have no excuses. I'm in love with someone else, and I shouldn't have assumed we weren't together anymore just because Hanon told you. But… I'm not your girlfriend anymore Kaito. It's hard to explain, but I don't think we were meant to be together in the first place."
"How can you say that?" The pain on his face was apparent. He still loved her, and she knew it. Part of her wished she could still love him back. The larger part knew that was impossible now. "When we met as kids, that was destiny!"
"Yeah… It probably was," she agreed readily. It only made sense. "But I have a bigger fate, one that started a long time before I was even born. Kaito, I'm not asking you to forgive me. I won't blame you if you don't want to see me again. But please, try to understand that I still care about you. I just don't love you the same way that I love him."
Neither spoke for several long moments. Lucia didn't know what Kaito would say or do next, and though she told herself she was ready for anything, she knew she wasn't. She wasn't ready for any of this. It hadn't been long at all since the time that this boy was the love of her life and she was ready to spend eternity with him. Things were changing so fast…
But she found that she didn't want to go back to the way things had been.
"…It's that guy from the surfing completion, isn't it?" His bitter question brought her focus back to the current conversation, and she nodded.
"Yes." He scowled at her simple, honest answer. She felt her insides twist at such a look being directed at her.
"I was afraid when I first saw him, you know. I told myself I was crazy though, because I thought I could trust you. Guess I was wrong." The feeling intensified at his words, which she'd already known to be true, but to hear him say them… He'd trusted her, and she'd cheated and lied. He was, she thought, much better off without her.
"Kaito, I'm so sor—"
"That's enough Lucia," he snapped, causing her to flinch. Upon seeing her reaction, Kaito sighed and shook his head. "Maybe we can still be friends, eventually. I need some time to think this over… Goodbye." He turned abruptly and quickly walked away, leaving Lucia nothing to do but watch as he quite possibly walked out of her life.
"Bye…"
He didn't hear her, but Lucia hoped that someday, Kaito could forgive her and they could be friends. At least he'd said there would be a possibility… She'd take what she could get.
There was one conversation down, one to go.
"What's wrong, princess?" Lady Bat had picked her up after work, and they were currently on a secluded section of the beach. She'd already explained about Kaito and Nikora, and he'd taken them well, but still… Lucia longed to dive into the water and swim her cares away, but she knew that wouldn't help. She just didn't know if she could do this... But she also knew that she had to, even if it wouldn't be easy. Talking with Kaito certainly hadn't been easy either, but she'd done it. She could do this too!
"…How much do you know about Luciana's death?" He looked at her oddly, and her resolve wavered. But no! He had to know this!
"I know she was murdered when I was locked up. I didn't find out until just before they sealed me and the girls away." His expression was a mixture of sadness and anger. Not at her, but at the memory of learning his lover had died. "Why do you ask?"
"…I know who it was, and why it happened." His eyes widened, and he turned to fully face her.
"How…?"
"Hippo told me," she explained, knowing there was no turning back now. "He was her retainer too, and he was one of the few that knows the truth… The priestess murdered her. I'm not sure who she was, but it was her." Lady Bat shook his head, his expression more pained than she had ever seen it.
"She was the one… She told me about Luciana, then sealed me personally! That miserable witch!" They were silent for several minutes. Lucia didn't know how to comfort him, especially when it was her past incarnation that they were discussing. "…You said you know why."
"Yes…" She didn't want to tell him this. It was going to hurt him so much… "Luciana was pregnant. She was carrying your child."
He went silent again. Lucia expected him to be angry upon learning the news, but something very unexpected happened. He laughed. He laughed hysterically, his expression slightly crazed. It worried her—but she didn't dare say anything. She'd known this would be too much—! But soon the laughter slowly turned to violent sobbing, and this, this she could handle. She wrapped her arms around him, let him cry into her shoulder as she pet his head and whispered little words of comfort. It wasn't a lot, but he calmed down a bit at her efforts.
"You know," she whispered when his tears began to subside, "if Luciana could do it, I probably can too. That's why Hippo told me… I can probably carry your baby too."
"Do you… want to?" His voice was so sad, so hopeful… It was just like that first day on the beach, when she didn't think she could say no to him even if she wanted to. But this time she had no doubts—she did want to.
"Yes, someday. Being a mother sounds… Well, hard, but fun! Mermaids don't get to be mothers, and I guess chimeras don't get to be parents either… If I can do that with you, I'd like to do it." He stared at her in awe, his eyes red and swollen, but still as handsome as he always was. She wanted to kiss him so much… So she wasn't disappointed when he was suddenly upon her, pushing her gently onto the sand and then kissing her with all the passion he had.
That evening wouldn't be the night they joined as one, but both knew that it would eventually happen. Maybe soon, maybe not, but as they kissed and touched, it was in the back of their minds.
They could probably have a child…
They just had to figure out a way to stay together.
"How did it go Lucia?" Nikora and Hippo had waited for her, and the moment Lady Bat had kissed her goodnight and left, they were upon her.
"Kaito doesn't want to see me for a while, and Bat knows about Luciana." They looked concerned for her, but she wasn't as upset about Kaito anymore. She hated leaving Lady Bat when he was upset, but she doubted Nikora or Hippo would approve of him staying with her or her leaving with him. She didn't think she really wanted to stay with Lanhua and Alala anyway. Especially when, as far as she knew, they didn't know about her yet.
"Then he realizes the serious nature of what's happening?" Lucia was tempted to tell Hippo how excited he'd been about potentially being a father, and how heartbroken he was to learn what had happened, but she didn't want to get into it. She was tired, and she was supposed to meet Lady Bat in the morning. She just wanted to go to bed.
"Yes, of course." She didn't know if he believed her, and she didn't care. She wasn't up for a lecture at the moment. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight everyone."
She hurried upstairs before they could say anything else.
"Where do you keep going at night? You aren't really looking for the mermaids, are you?" He wasn't sure why she didn't just come out and say, 'You're seeing a girl!' because that was obviously what she thought. And she was right, but he wondered if now was the time to admit it. There was less than two weeks to go before their agreement came true and Alala could stop being cooped up.
He'd thought about telling them of Lucia, and that they didn't have to worry about the mermaids, but he wasn't convinced that was a good idea. Lucia wouldn't care, but he didn't know about the other mermaids. From what Lucia told him, the Green Pearl Princess wouldn't be a problem, but the Blue Pearl Princess might. And while both of them apparently knew of Kou, neither knew he was Lady Bat. He didn't want to tell Lanhua and Alala about Lucia being a mermaid princess until Lucia could tell her friends about him, but if they didn't know she was a mermaid… If they just thought she was a human…
"Her name is Lucia Nanami." Lanhua raised an eyebrow at the name.
"Lucia? That sounds a lot like Luci—"
"I know," he interrupted. He didn't like talking about Luciana with her. She hadn't thought he should be seeing Luciana even back then, and after the discussion he'd had with Lucia, he didn't even want to think about her for a while. It hurt, and he didn't need Lanhua making it worse.
"It's been decades, isn't it time you gave up on her instead of hoping the pink pearl princess will suddenly love you? Especially after all Michel made us do? Even if she doesn't know about the chimeras, if you got together with her, she'll find out. So why are you hooking up with a human girl just to project your desires?"
He didn't know what he could say to her that he wouldn't regret. He couldn't tell the truth though, not yet. Well, not about Lucia being the mermaid princess at least. He couldn't, however, let her get away with the last part.
"Maybe," he said tersely, "you shouldn't talk about things you don't understand. I love Lucia, no matter who or what she is. And if you can't understand that… I pity you."
It was the nicest he could get, but her eyes still flashed with anger.
"I don't need pity from the guy using some kid to pretend his girlfriend is still alive." He scowled, wanting to say so much… But there was one word that he knew could cut her down… And he was angry enough to not care what he said anymore.
"Jealous?" Lanhua froze, and it didn't take long from her expression to go from hurt to livid. He instantly regretted it, just as he knew he would… But he still wouldn't take it back. This had gone on long enough.
"You idiotic jerk!" she screamed with no regards to the other occupant of their apartment, who could certainly hear her. "How dare you mock me!"
"Lanhua, I'm sorry. But you're my friend. My sister even. I just can't…" She slowly calmed down, though he could tell just by her tense posture that she was still upset. He didn't blame her.
"I know. But you have no idea how hard it is to love someone who won't even give you a chance because he's too busy chasing after a ghost from the past." He didn't think she truly understood. Even if he'd never met Luciana, it wouldn't have mattered. It didn't change the fact that he couldn't love her the way she wanted him to.
"…I think we both need to get some sleep now, don't you?" She looked like she wanted to say more, so much more, but she nodded and went to her room without a word. With a sigh, he flopped onto the couch and turned his head toward the bathroom door.
"She's gone. You can come out now." The door opened to reveal Alala, who's normally cheerful face was twisted with worry.
"Why does she…? How can she not see…?"
He didn't have an answer for her. But he hoped that for Alala's sake, Lanhua would get over him and see what was right in front of her face. Soon.
They'd met early, and there were few people on the beach as they sat in the sand overlooking the ocean. Neither said anything for quite some time, content to merely look at the crashing waves while sitting side by side. Both had a lot on their minds—friends and loved ones who didn't understand being the main concern for them both.
"…When will you inform the other princesses of our relationship?" Lucia knew he meant the fact that she was dating someone who was once their enemy. She knew Rina wouldn't give them trouble, even if she didn't understand, and she thought that Hanon shouldn't—her people hadn't been afraid of the chimeras after all—but she had no doubts that her friend would.
She also thought it was about time that she got down to the bottom of exactly what that reason was.
"Soon. Maybe tomorrow? I really need to clarify something with one of them…" She paused, a crazy idea coming to mind. "Maybe we should go with each other when we tell them."
"Is that wise?" he questioned, frowning slightly. "If the Blue Pearl Princess is likely to cause problems upon learning who I am, won't she be even more upset once she realizes I'll have learned her civilian identity too?"
Oh, Lucia had no doubts about that. But she knew, beyond any doubt, that Lady Bat wouldn't use the knowledge for anything bad. And it wasn't as if Hanon wouldn't know about Kou being Lady Bat at the same time. That evened things out, right?
"Probably. But I still think it's best, if you want to come with me. I'll go with you when you tell Lanhua and Alala who I am, if you want. You know, if you think they won't believe you." His frown turned into a thoughtful look, and after a few moments of thought, he nodded.
"Perhaps that would be for the best. I'm not sure Lanhua will believe you're the Pink Pearl Princess unless you're there to prove it. She hasn't exactly taken my ongoing love for Luciana very well, nor the idea of my dating anyone now. And if you can assure her that you bear no ill will, she might allow Alala to get out before the agreed time…" She nodded with a smile, having heard all about Lanhua's paranoia over being found before. She thought it was silly and unfounded, and if she could change the woman's outlook, she would be very pleased.
"Then it's settled. Who should we tell first?"
"Your friends." He answered without missing a beat. "That way if things with the Blue Pearl Princess go sour, we won't have to waste our time telling Lanhua something that isn't true."
Lucia hated that she honestly couldn't say for certain that Hanon wouldn't cause trouble for the Winged Ones. She needed to get to the root of the problem soon, and get Hanon back to being the kind friend Lucia knew she was.
"All right. Then I'll get the girls to come to the hotel in the morning, and we can tell them then." She was suddenly on her feet, pulling Lady Bat up with her. "That's enough of that though! Let's go have fun!"
She laughed as she ran across the sand, his hand warm in hers, fitting together as if they were made for one another. She didn't stop until they were completely alone as far as they could see, so far off that it was doubtful anyone would wander over to them. With a smile, she let go of his hand and rushed to the ocean, diving in without a word. Her body immediately began to change, and when she surfaced, she was a mermaid again.
It was the first time she'd faced Lady Bat while in her mermaid body, and it was very liberating to be in her true form in front of him. And when she watched his eyes taking in her every detail… She flushed happily and softly splashed at him.
"Come on, change into your real form and we can get farther out so no one comes and finds us." He nodded, and moments later he was in his chimera body and diving in with her. She went back under the water, and together they swam further out from shore. The magical barrier around him—Aqua Regina's magic, Lucia assumed—allowed him to keep up without needing to resurface for air, and they swam until they saw an opening to a cave. Lucia headed to it without a moment of pause, and he followed her without hesitation.
They surfaced inside the cave, and Lucia barely had time to admire the glistening walls or the clear water around them before Lady Bat had his arms around her and pressed their lips together. They were completely alone, so Lucia saw no reason to bite back her moans of delight and his hands wandered over her body, rubbing skin and scales alike. In fact…
"Your clothes are all wet," she murmured between kisses, tugging at the waistband of his skirt. "You should… take them off…"
Of course, she knew very well they'd get wet again when they left to go back, but she also knew he would get what she was hinting at. Sure enough, he managed to give her a concerned look even through his hazy, lustful eyes.
"Lucia… Are you sure? It would be a problem if you couldn't turn into a mermaid and get out of here…" She giggled as she pulled herself completely out of the water and switched to her idol form.
"We don't have to go that far… Not today. There are other things we can do…"
Lady Bat nodded and allowed her to slowly unzip his skirt. He shimmied out of it and his boots, then he pulled off his shirt. Clad only in his undergarments, he turned to Lucia and touched the buttons on her dress.
"If you want me to stop anything I do, tell me. Promise?" She laughed softly and helped him with the buttons.
"I promise."
It would be a very long time before they returned to shore, clothed and happier than they had been in a very long time. They both had a hard time keeping the sweeping grins off their faces for the rest of the day, even when they were inevitably questioned by their friends for their good moods when they parted in the evening. Even the knowledge that they had difficult talks to get through the next day wasn't enough to bring down their spirits. They understood each other even more now, in both mind and body.
And Lucia could safely say that if there were even more intimate things to do with Lady Bat in the future, then she would do anything to insure she was able to stay with him forever.
Anything.