Note: Whew! I said this before and will say it again: It's not easy to work on multiple fanfiction at the same time. Especially since there's so many other things to do with them. Good thing is I finally got the latest chapter of Blue Eyes White Mermaid done! Last time, Kisara was poisoned by some spiral sea snakes. How will Seto save her? Read and find out!

Chapter 25: If It Means I Can Be With My Lady

The whole earth seemed to tremble, even under the sea, as the Dragon Bone Tower collapsed to the ocean floor and filled the surrounding waters with clouds of sand. But the Dragon Knight Champions, the royal Deep Dwellers and the Dolphin Folk mages escaped the destruction of their foe's stronghold, and sped upward toward the surface. Indeed everyone was waiting for their return from above. Tristan was the first to notice the swelling of the surrounding water. "Hey look!" he exclaimed.

"It's not the Dragon Bone Tower, is it?" Duke asked. Right at that moment, Ruby and Great White resurfaced.

"The Dragon Bone Tower has been destroyed!" Ruby confirmed.

"And the Dragon Knight Champions are on their way!" Affirmed Great White.

"Great White, you better move aside or you'll be flung into the air!" Ruby warned. Indeed the swelling got much bigger, ready to toss the man-shark like a toy. Realizing that the victors are directly under him, he swam like a maniac to avoid a spectacular spill. In an instant the heroes burst through the water.

"THAR THEY BLOW!" Mako exclaimed in excitement from atop his Fortress Whale. All at once, all who took part in the war cheered in triumph, now knowing that they had emerged victorious. Tristan and Duke immediately urged their dragons to fly to their friends.

"Your Highnesses!" Duke shouted as they made their approach, "You've done it! You won!"

"Wait!" Tristan noted, his smile fading into concern, "Something's not right." He jumped off his Thunder Dragon to meet his friend. "Atemu, why the long face? You and the others have kicked Bakura's butt down there! You should be celebrating."

Prince Atemu bowed his head in sorrow. "It's true Tristan, we may have defeated the Great Claw of Tiamat… but we might soon have our greatest casualty." When he saw the confusion in the eyes of Tristan and Duke, he simply turned his head toward where Seto was. The two of them gasped in horror at what they saw.

Cradled limply in Seto's arms was the youngest Deep Dweller royal, already feeling the effects of the poison.

The light of the full moon painted the sea with its silvery light, but at the beach by Castle Aria there was no time to admire its beauty. Prince Atemu, his fiancée Princess Tea, and all their other friends stood worried as they waited for the arrival of Bahamut's High Priest. All the while Kisara slipped in and out of consciousness, and her breathing became more strained as the venom began to overwhelm her. "Hang in there." Seto tried desperately to reassure as he splashed seawater upon his beloved, "Shadi is coming soon."

Mokuba looked down at the white mermaid in utter disbelief. "She'll make it, won't she Big Brother?" he asked not for the first time since they arrived at the beach after the war. Again, Seto gave no answer. The Dolphin Folk mages, who had once more assumed their human forms, could do nothing but watch the sad scene before them. They had no healing magic that can remove any sort of poison, so it was no wonder that they were feeling so helpless.

"I can't believe something like this could happen!" Mako gasped.

"None of us could." Admitted Solomon, his eyes betraying his fear.

"Damn it! Where is he?" exclaimed Marik, who was well on the verge of tears. "My younger sister is dying, for crying out loud!"

"Calm down Marik." Ishizu stated, "Shadi will be here any minute." But still, even she couldn't hide her tears. As powerful as it was, not even her own healing magic can help to neutralize the venom of the spiral sea snake… it just wasn't powerful enough.

"Joey!" called a voice down the path. The sandy blonde turned in the direction of the voice.

"Serenity!" he exclaimed. Indeed, his little sister was rushing to the beach. Not far away from her were the four cute monsters, Kuriboh, Thunder Kid, Happy Lover and Scorch. And right behind them was the High Priest of Bahamut.

"We got him as quickly as we can!" Serenity replied hurriedly. "I only hope it's not too late!"

"Shadi!" King Akunumkanon cried, as the High Priest entered the beach "Thank the gods you're here!"

"Please! You must help our daughter." the Queen sobbed, "If anyone can save her, surely you could!"

"Right." Shadi replied kneeling toward the white mermaid. "Let's have a look." Gently he lifted Kisara's head and examined her, looking down her throat and checking her pallor. "This is not good. I heard she was poisoned during the battle, but to see her like this… Seto, can you tell me exactly what happened?"

Seto swallowed hard. "Right after we defeated the Great Claw Bakura, he summoned a pair of spiral sea snakes with his dying breath. Kisara was bitten by one of them…"

Shadi stared in disbelief, and then grew sad. The news was not good. "A spiral sea snake… this is much worse than I thought. These sea snakes are very rare, so much so that there is no medicine to counter their venom."

"But you have the power to remove the venom and save her… don't you?" Atemu asked.

"… I'm afraid not." Shadi answered sorrowfully. "I have many mundane and magical cures to remove many kinds of poison… but spiral sea snake venom is too strong a poison to be overcome by any of them. Sadly, for that reason… Princess Kisara has only one night to live. When the sun rises to its full height tomorrow morning, she will draw her last breath."

The words were like a knife to everyone who heard them. Mokuba gasped in shock and burst into tears. Immediately afterwards, the cute monsters started bawling in grief. In fact, not a single eye was dry. Tea buried her face into her beloved fiancée's chest. Atemu looked ready to break down at any moment. Joey, Tristan, and Duke all stared in dismay and Mai covered her mouth with her hands. Likewise Serenity covered her face, unable to bear the heartache. Mako just bowed his head in sorrow letting the tears fall down his cheeks. Even Ruby and Great White cried. The royal Deep Dwellers and the Dolphin Folk mages were no less affected. The queen clutched on to her husband's shoulders, as if she had suddenly grown weak herself. The very thought of losing their youngest daughter was too much for her to bear. Ishizu and Marik hugged their grandfather as tightly as they could, hoping that it was all just a nightmare. They all knew too well that it was not.

But out of all those present, it was Seto who was struck the hardest. The bad news was like a knife to him as well—a knife that stabbed him mercilessly into his heart. The pain was so strong, he felt as if it would kill him. "No! It… it can't be! Shadi, tell me it's not true!"

"I am very sorry." Shadi replied sadly, "There is nothing I can do."

"NO! I WON'T ACCEPT IT!" Seto exclaimed, the tears steaming down his eyes. "KISARA CAN'T DIE NOW! I NEVER EVEN GOT A CHANCE!" All at once the blue eyed knight rose to his feet and ran, his sobs echoing in the night air. Everyone stared as he disappeared around the side of a cliff.

"Seto…" Mokuba murmured.

"Son?" Akunumkanon stated, grabbing the Prince's attention.

"What is it Father?" Atemu asked.

"Please go to him. He needs you."

Atemu nodded, and broke the hug with his beloved. Then he too broke into a sprint, intending to follow his former rival.

Seto sat down with his back on a rocky wall facing the ocean. He bowed his head and continued to cry. It can't be happening! He thought, It just can't be happening! There's no way! But he knew deep down that it was true. His special someone was going to die. It was too much for him to bear. At that moment, Prince Atemu came around the corner.

"Seto?" he stated. The blue eyed knight did not answer. The Prince stepped toward him and sat down. "I know you are hurting right now. I understand. Ever since we were small, I was always there to protect my sister from the dangers of the sea." He bowed his head in sorrow. "For once, I have failed to do just that. Now it will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Seto faced his comrade in arms. "Atemu… I remember what you told me way back when. About matters of the heart."

"When a situation occurs when you are about to lose your special someone, compare the heartbreak you will feel for her in contrast to the heartbreak you felt for Tea."

"I've thought about those words since your sister got bitten. Now that I made the comparison, I can finally see the difference. With Tea, the heartbreak was nothing more than a dull throb. I was able to move on quite easily after that. But with Kisara…" Seto broke down into uncontrollable sobs. "… The pain in my heart is unbearable! With my special someone on the brink of death, it feels as if I were dying too!"

"So you understand now," Atemu stated, "that your love for Kisara is true." Seto nodded. The Prince put a hand on the grieving knight's shoulder. "Then you have every reason to cry. The more you love someone, the harder it is to say goodbye." For a few moments, no more words were said as they both let their tears flow down. Finally, Atemu asked, "Would you like to be alone for a while?"

"Please." Seto answered. So Atemu stood up and stepped away. Just before he went behind the corner, Seto stopped him. "Wait! I was wondering. A spiral sea snake bit you too. Why aren't you affected by the venom like your sister?"

"To be honest, I don't really know." Atemu admitted, "Maybe it's because Slifer was protecting me with his divine power. Or maybe… it's because I'm no longer a merman." Suddenly a familiar roar of four dragons echoed ahead. Out came Seto's four Blue Eyes White Dragons. Azure, Azrael, Djibril and Ibris emitted a low growl in sympathy. "Oh! By the way, I had your dragon friends come so they will keep you company."

"Thank you." Seto simply replied. And with that, the Prince returned to his friends, leaving Seto with his four dragons to mourn. The five of them watched the waves crash onto the beach. The blue eyed knight thought of her special someone every time the waves receded. It wasn't long though, before something washed ashore. Azure was the first to see it and she immediately let out a short roar. "What it is Azure?" Seto asked in a melancholy tone. The dragon roared again and his eyes then widened when he saw what was on the beach. He approached the object and picked it up to get a closer look. It was an oyster, with its shell closed tightly. He was surprised. How did this oyster manage to find its way here? He sighed. "It doesn't matter… an oyster can never bring back Kisara." Still, he couldn't help but feel curious as to what was inside. He took out his dagger and stuck the blade between the shells. Slowly, the shells pried apart. Finally he opened it to see what was inside. His eyes widened in astonishment.

Inside at the very center was the one thing he had been looking for: a lavender pearl!

"A-Azure! Azrael! Djibril! Ibris, look!" Seto gasped in excitement, "There it is! The lavender pearl I was looking for! Now Pegasus can help me! Now I can finally become a Deep Dweller!" But then he stopped. Once more the image of Kisara filled his head. She was the main reason why he wanted to be a Deep Dweller in the first place. And now she was going to die. "What am I thinking? Without Kisara, there's no point in being a Deep Dweller." Suddenly it dawned on him. All at once, the fires of hope lit up once again in his heart. He immediately mounted Azure. "Let's go my Blue Eyes! Back to ocean! The healers don't have anything to help my beloved—but maybe Pegasus might!"

The lights that decorated the undersea cave leading to the curiosity shop served as a beacon of hope for the blue eyed knight and his four Blue Eyes White Dragons, all of whom were swimming as fast as they could. And thanks to the grace of Bahamut, he had no need for the magic water lily to help him breathe underwater. Upon their arrival, the Sea Mage's polyps began to stretch out towards them at the entrance, attempting to grab them. "Pegasus!" exclaimed Seto, raising his sword as a threat to those polyps, "Are you in here? I need your help!"

Sure enough, the eel merman swam up from the shadows, and the polyps shrank down further as if sensing their master, thus releasing Seto and his dragons. "Ah Kaiba Boy!" Pegasus replied cheerfully, "I've been expecting you! And oh look! You've finally found the lavender pearl I wanted!" Seto swam off Azure's back and held out the pearl in question.

"Yeah, yeah, it took me long enough to get it." he muttered, "Now let's get down to business already!"

"Of course." The Sea Mage replied, taking the pearl and adding it to his display.

"And by the way, about my wanting to be a merman-" Seto began.

"I know." Pegasus interrupted, his voice growing serious. And even his smile was absent from his face. "It's about Princess Kisara, is it not? You don't have to tell me what happened to her… I already know. I knew something terrible was bound to unfold upon that sweet princess, with those spiral sea snakes… and when sunrise comes, death will come for her. Just as it came for my own beloved."

"And that's why I seek your aid Pegasus, and not for me to become a Deep Dweller. I believe that you have something that will be able to save her! So please, help me! As much as I hate to admit it, you're the only chance I have left!"

At first, the Sea Mage gave no reply. Then he smiled confidently and chuckled. "You've come to the right merman! I know just the thing that can save your Lady!"

"You do?" Seto gasped, "Well then get on with it! We don't have much time!"

"Not so fast Kaiba Boy! It's not for free, even for you." Pegasus added, "Normally, it would run to an even thousand pearls. But on the account I'm such a pushover, I'll give you an alternative price, just as I did with Atemu Boy."

"And what's that alternative price?" Seto asked.

"Something that is truly precious in your eyes, something that you have for many years…" he paused in suspense and looked beyond Seto's shoulder. "…Something with one eye as blue as the deep ocean, and the other eye… Mother of Pearl." Seto slowly turned around to look at his favorite Blue Eyes White Dragon. She roared as if to confirm the eel merman's words.

"Azure…? You want… Azure?"

"That's right Kaiba Boy." Pegasus answered, "She is your dearest companion, is she not?"

"You… you must be crazy to think I would give Azure up to you!" Seto protested.

"Well, seeing as how much you love that Blue Eyes, it's no surprise you won't give her up easily." Pegasus once more became stern. "But seriously, you might want to consider this. Who do you love more?" There was a look of confusion written on Seto's face. "There's the lovely mermaid princess, who is dying from a very potent venom… and there's your precious Blue Eyes White Dragon, named as the payment for the cure. You are about to lose one of them this night. Which of these treasures are worth keeping? Which of them are worth saving?"

Apparently, Azure gave a roar to her friend and swam by the side of the Sea Mage. Then she stared intently at the blue eyed knight. Seto couldn't believe it. "Azure… you really want to go through with this? For her?" The Blue Eyes nodded. It was then that Seto closed his eyes, and shed unseen tears as Kisara's words echoed in his mind.

"If you really love her, are you willing to make a tremendous personal sacrifice at any time so that both of you would be happy?"

"A tremendous personal sacrifice… for the sake of true love…! I finally understand what it means! Now I really know… how much Kisara means to me!" Seto faced the Sea Mage before him, his lips trembling. Azure had already made her decision, and that was all he needed to make his. "Pegasus… I accept the deal! Take Azure! If it means I can be with my Lady, take her! I WILL NOT LET KISARA DIE!"

"Splendid!" Pegasus praised, "Now let's get this set up now shall we?" And with that, he sped to his natural cauldron and began to mix the ingredients. As they watched, Seto turned toward Azure. He stared deep into her eyes, realizing that it was probably for the last time. Azure growled in reassurance. "Azure. You love Kisara just as much as I do, don't you." Seto muttered, and before he knew it he embraced his dearest friend and cried. "I-I'm going to miss you! I promise… I'll take care of my Lady for you. I'll take care of Kisara… for both of us!" Both he and his dragon savored the moment for as long as they could. Then they parted and Azure swam to Pegasus, who had just added his final ingredient: his own blood. The potion was finished. He took the clear shining liquid in a glass bottle and gave it to the blue eyed knight. "There you go Kaiba Boy. And since I've polished up my skills on this batch there won't be as many unpleasant side effects as before. Now listen carefully, she must drink this potion before the sun rises to its full height from the horizon. If she doesn't, she will surely die! Now hurry! Time's a wasting!"

Seto nodded in determination, and quickly mounted Azrael. "You heard him! Quickly! To the surface!" And with that, the three Blue Eyes White Dragons sped out of the curiosity shop toward the surface. All the while, Azure let out a low roar to say her final goodbye.

"Ah, don't you worry dear Azure." Pegasus reassured, "You and Kaiba Boy will meet again someday."

Back in the Realm Above, the colors of the sunrise loomed over the horizon. For everyone present on the beach, it was the moment they have been dreading. Even as they watched, Kisara's scales were drying up at an alarming rate, and they were becoming rough under Shadi's hands. And it was becoming a struggle just for her to take a single breath. Soon the morning will come, and the Blue Eyes White Mermaid will slip away from life to death. Not a single eye was dry. Suddenly, Mokuba heard something in the distance. He looked up and sped toward the crashing waves. His eyes widened in surprise. "Guys! Look over here!" Astonished at the tone of the boy's voice, the whole crowd looked beyond the shore. There, in the distance, three Blue Eyes White Dragons rose out of the ocean and were now flying towards them. And on the back of one of those dragons was a certain blue eyed knight.

"It's Seto! Why is he over there?" Mai gasped.

"Hey! Hold on!" Tristan stated, "Something's not right here! There's only three Blue Eyes! Where's the fourth?" There was no time for a discussion though as all three dragons made their landing on the beach. Immediately Seto leaped off Azrael.

"Kaiba! Where in the world have you been?" Tea asked.

"No time for questions Princess! Where's Kisara? She's not dead yet, is she?"

Upon hearing her name, Kisara opened her heavy eyes. "Seto…? Is that… you?"

"Yes, it's me!" Seto replied, once more taking her into his arm. "Happy Lover! I'm going to need your help!" The cute little monster squeaked in confusion. "When I give the signal, you work your healing magic! Got it?" Happy Lover looked at Kuriboh and the little monster nodded to his friend in encouragement. So he flew over just as Seto took out the bottle.

"Hey, what's that?" Joey asked.

To which Seto replied, "The one thing that can save her!" He uncorked the bottle. "All right Kisara, I want you to drink this." Gently, he lifted the rim of the bottle to her lips, and when she began to drink, she grimaced. "Easy! I know it tastes bad, but don't spit it out. I won't let you die!"

Atemu got a good look at the potion that his little sister was drinking. "That potion looks awfully familiar…" Suddenly he let out a gasp of shock. "Wait! Can this be?" Right at that moment, a certain memory returned to his mind… the memory of his gruesome and painful transformation.

"What is it Atemu?" Tea asked in concern.

"Yeah, what's up?" Joey asked likewise.

"That potion my sister is drinking!" the Prince exclaimed, "That's the same potion that made me human in the first place!" He had just barely finished his sentence when his baby sister had consumed the very last drop of the potion. The blue eyed knight quickly wrapped his arms around her.

"Now hold on!" Seto instructed, "And whatever you do, DO NOT LET GO!" Kisara's eyes shot open and she gasped. Soon her breathing became much faster in hyperventilation. Everyone stared in shock as her tail began to flail about—them suddenly grow rigid and bend in several places with an agonizing crack.

"Get back! NOW!" Atemu exclaimed, dragging his friends away to safety. Good thing too, because the scales of Kisara's body were popping out like porcupine quills. It was not long before she was lying in a pool of her own blood.

"What's going on with my little sister?" Marik shouted.

"The same thing that happened to your big brother!" Mahaado answered. Soon, the webbing and the fins began to snap from her hands and arms and even her tail. The moment the tail stretched apart and ripped neatly in two, the Deep Dweller mermaid princess screamed in agony. Tristan felt sick to his stomach watching the transformation unfold.

"DON'T LET GO!" shouted the blue eyed knight. Even with his armor, his body was crisscrossed with several cuts inflicted by the scales of his beloved. His blood mingled with hers on the beach, staining even the water around it. Then finally, the magic began to wind down, as her finned ears curled back and became round and her head fins split into several soft strands. The fins on her back broke away into a limp heap just as the last of her scales popped away. Remarkably, there were no wounds upon her body in spite of the blood; it was completely unharmed by the dramatic change. By then, her gills had disappeared completely. "NOW HAPPY LOVER!" Seto commanded, and instantly, the cute little monster flew toward the couple. Using all his power, Happy Lover shot his healing beam over them.

By the time the sun rose to its full height above the horizon, it was over. Atemu, Tea and all their friends stepped toward the lovers. Mokuba couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. In fact everyone was amazed. Seto was panting with exhaustion over the effort of holding his true love steady. As for Kisara… she was equally exhausted, but she was still alive! But there was something else. In the place of azure-white scales, she had smooth flawless cream-colored skin. It was extremely pale, but it was obvious that it was a healthy shade, if not beautiful. As for her shimmering tail… it was gone! And in its place… a pair of long slender legs, the prettiest legs the whole group had ever seen. Duke had a nosebleed right on the spot. After all Kisara was naked.

But more significantly, she had become the same thing that her eldest brother was now: a human.

Note: Now that's what I call a twist! Either way, Kisara was saved! But now comes the hard part for Seto: confessing his love for her. The story is almost finished! In the next chapter, get ready for some sweet romance... and a little miracle on the side. Until next time!