Two days have passed since Atemu's baptism and knighting. Atemu just had a silent discussion with his Dark Magician friends and with Mako, who had heard of Atemu's successful battle against an evil force. Together, they decided that the time has come to reveal the Prince's origins to a certain pair of human men, who Atemu came to know as the greatest of friends. Tristan and Joey were outside the castle, chatting with each other and Atemu approached, with his three other friends behind him.
"Hey Atemu, what's up?" Joey greeted in his usual cheerfulness. Atemu smiled at him, and Mahaado stepped forward.
"Greetings Joseph." He said, bowing politely. Then he looked at the two men right in the eye, and said in a gentle voice, "I want to thank you and Tristan for being such good friends to Atemu."
"Hey, no problem Mahaado." Tristan replied sheepishly.
"I'm glad to know that you trust each other," Mako said in a serious tone, "because, well, there's something that Atemu has been meaning to 'tell' you." Joey and Tristan were surprised at hearing this from the fisherman, and Atemu stepped up to write on Joey's palm.
"Meet me at the beach at nighttime," Joey read"I want you to meet my family." Joey looked at his friend, obviously dumbfounded. "Uhh, okay. We'll go." was all that Joey said.
"Good," Mana said, "We'll see you then!"Nighttime came quickly and the group arrived at the beach, and Atemu started writing.
"They'll be here soon." Joey read, "Mako had already told them of the plans, and they agreed to come. Look closely once they arrive, you might be surprised to find out what they are." Atemu then walked toward the crashing waves and waited. Joey and Tristan watched, expecting to see a small boat or something like that. Boy they were in for a big surprise, just like Atemu silently described. Four Deep Dwellers approached the shore, swimming as fast as their tails can carry them. They called their friend's name, and Atemu embraced them, tears in his eyes.
"Are those…" Tristan gasped, "…true merfolk?"
"They're Deep Dwellers, aren't they? I've heard about Deep Dwellers, but I never actually thought that I would see some in the flesh." Joey said in amazement.
"Yes, my friends, these are Deep Dwellers." Mako explained, "the four of them you see is Atemu's birth family." The eyes of Joey and Tristan widened in surprise at this revelation.
"They're his birth family?" Joey exclaimed, "But how is he possibly related to them in that way?" Atemu looked up at his friends and pointed to them. The elder merman, Solomon, looked up towards them.
"Ah, so you must be my grandson's new friends." Solomon said, and he gave a small smile. "Pleased to meet you."
"Uhh hi," Joey said, suddenly nervous, "it's nice to meet you too, uhhh…"
"Please, call me Solomon." said the elder merman, and then he pointed out to the three younger Deep Dwellers, "These are my other three grandchildren, Ishizu, Marik, and Kisara." Each one nodded in acknowledgement at the mention of their names.
"Hello to you too." Tristan said, "But I'm still confused. How is it possible that you are related to Atemu by blood?" That was when Mahaado stepped forward.
"To answer your question," he said, "I believe there is something Mana and I must show you." The two men were confused at first, but then Mahaado and Mana started glowing. They floated over the sea, and to the amazement of the two humans, the armor and clothes on their bodies vanished, and just as quickly their cream colored skin returned to their usual dolphin patterns, their fingers became webbed, and their legs became tails once again. Mahaado and Mana, now Dolphin Folk, dove into the water, then each resurfaced.
"Ahh, it feels so good to be in the water again!" Mana sighed happily.
"You…you…" Joey stammered, shocked at what he had seen, "You're true merfolk too? Why didn't you tell me from the start?"
"If people saw us in our human forms, who would believe us if we told them?" Mahaado reasoned, "But that's beside the point. What Atemu was trying to tell you is that he is not born as a human." Again, eye became wide with surprise and the two men looked at their best friend. Atemu almost seemed to have a look of shame at the fact at what he used to be.
"Atemu…" Joey gasped, "You mean to say that you…" before Joey could finish, Atemu wrote the answer to his question. "Yes, I used to be a merman. A Deep Dweller like my Grandfather and my siblings, specifically. But now I have become the human you see now, and unlike Mahaado and Mana, I will never change back again." Joey was stunned. His friend was once a merman? Atemu had his head bowed downward, as if he couldn't bear to look at him after what he revealed. "Atemu," Joey said, placing his hands on Atemu's shoulders, "There's nothing to be ashamed about. Besides, I think Deep Dwellers look really cool." Atemu was amazed at what he heard, as was Marik.
"Really?" Marik said, hopeful, "You mean… we're not ugly to you?"
"Nope, not at all!" Joey replied. Marik was beaming soon after that. "Of course, Atemu, you're as good a person either way. I have a question though. How did you manage to become a human?"
"He got some help from a Sea Mage named Pegasus." Kisara explained, "He and Pegasus had been friends for a long time, so Pegasus cast a spell to change him into a human." Kisara's expression saddened. "This magic comes with a price, however. It usually cost tons of pearls, but Atemu was offered to pay an alternative price: his own voice." Joey and Tristan gasped.
"So that's why you were mute!" Tristan said, and Atemu nodded.
"Even though he'll never be a merman again, the magic wouldn't last." Ishizu explained, "The only way he can remain human permanently is by winning the heart of the one he loves the most."
"And that's Tea, right?" Tristan asked. Ishizu gave a single nod. The two men looked at Atemu, who was blushing at that moment.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Joey asked, "Since you can't change back into a merman and all, we want to help you stay a human, permanently. And not only that, we want to bring you and Tea together. I can tell just by looking that you really love her." Atemu gave a small smile, but that smile faded as soon as he started writing on his palm. "Thank you Joey. I want to tell her how much I love her, but I feel so nervous. And since I don't have a voice, I don't know how to confess to her how I feel. Hmmm, why not give her a gift?" Atemu was a bit confused at Joey's suggestion. How can a gift win his Lady's heart?
"Of course!" Tristan said, "Joey, that's a great idea!"
"It is?" Joey said dumbly.
But Tristan continued, "Atemu, you could give her something that is a token of your love, and you can have the words you wanted to say written on its container. That way, Tea will know how you feel about her!" Atemu's eyes widened, and then he smiled, for he felt inspired. At last, a way to tell her how he feels!
"Guys, that's a wonderful solution!" Joey read, "Thank you, both of you! I'll go to the Marketplace right away!" And Atemu started running. "Wait up buddy! We wanna come too!" Joey yelled out, and he and Tristan started running after him. Solomon sighed.
"I only hope their plan works Mahaado." He said.
"So do I." Mahaado replied. I need to tell them about what happens if Atemu fails. Mahaado thought gravely, What they don't know might kill him.
The Marketplace was bustling with lights and people, as many shops were eager to sell their wares. What should be the perfect gift for Tea? Atemu thought as he looked around, They're all good, but I want to give her something special. He soon spied a jewelry stand, and saw a certain little something displayed on the back. His smile grew at the sight, and he nudged Joey.
"Huh? Oh, did you find something?" Joey asked, and Atemu nodded and pointed to the perfect gift. "Whoa!" Joey said in awe, "Hey Tristan, take a look at this!" Tristan came, and he too was awed by that certain something.
"That's perfect!" he gasped, "Atemu, you really got good taste! Let's go get it!" Atemu nodded and they approached the shopkeeper.
"Why hello there!" the shopkeeper, a middle aged woman, said sweetly, "You must be Atemu, Dragon Knight of Exalted Action! To what do I owe this honor?"
"Atemu want to buy one of your jewels, miss." Joey explained, "It's going to be a gift for Princess Tea." The shopkeeper clapped her hands in delight.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" she said, "Which one do you have in mind?" Atemu pointed out that certain something, and the shopkeeper's smile grew brighter. "Oh! I can already imagine the Princess wearing this! You made an excellent choice!" she took the item off of the stand and that was when Tristan spoke.
"Can you customize the container? Atemu wants to make it special."
"Definitely!" said the shopkeeper, "Atemu, write down the words you want to say on this parchment." Atemu took the pen and he wrote down those special words. He poured his heart into those words, hoping that Tea would understand how he feels about her. "Awww, that's so sweet!" the shopkeeper said, "I'll transfer it to the container right away and you'll be all set!" As she went to work, Joey place a hand on Atemu's shoulder.
"I wish you luck buddy," he said, "Sweep her off her feet!" Atemu nodded in thanks to a dear friend.
The moon was shining high in the sky, illuminating the gardens. Seto was wandering around there, silently plotting ways to win the heart of the princess. It so happened that he looked up and saw said princess sitting on a bench, looking at the stars. She's alone. This could only mean…Atemu's not with her this time! Seto thought, Finally, now's my chance to be with her for a change! The blue eyed knight made his approach, and when he was close enough, Tea looked up at him.
"Oh, hey Seto." she said.
"Hello Tea." Seto replied, "You don't mind if I sit by you, do you?"
"Uh, no, not at all." Tea said, "Why do you ask?"
"Well," Seto said as he took his seat by the princess, "I just wanted to look at the stars with you for a while, that's all." She looked up at the stars again, but she blushed as her mind was elsewhere. More and more, she was thinking about one certain young man. Atemu… was all she could voice in her head.
Meanwhile, Atemu was walking alone in the gardens with his special gift in his hand. He looked at the small rectangle box and blushed. My Lady, I hope you accept this token of love from me, he thought, and I hope you feel the same way I feel for you. He smiled at the thought of this, and he continued walking. All he needed to do now is to find his beloved. So far, there was no luck, but then he looked around a corner, and saw her. Ah, there she is! he thought happily. But just as he came half way down the path, he stopped dead in his tracks and his smile faded. Sitting right by her was his rival, Seto Kaiba. An expression of shock spread across his face. What is Seto doing here? Atemu thought, but as he stood, Seto began a conversation with Tea.
"Tea, are you thinking of someone right now?" he asked.
"Yeah," Tea said, blushing.
"Well, who is it?" Seto asked, getting closer. Atemu was dismayed. He watched, wondering what her response would be.
"I…" Tea stuttered, "I… uh…" She then shook her head. "Oh, I don't know!"
"You don't have to hide it from me," Seto replied, "You know that I am your special someone." Tea looked at him, a blush still covering her face. To Atemu, that action was the knife that thrust into his heart. He remembered all the things that Seto said to him.
"…what makes you think she actually loves you back? What makes you think she loves a voiceless man like yourself? I highly doubt that this is the case."
Tears began to flow down his eyes. This… he thought, This can't be! No…!
"You still can't answer?" Seto said, and he cupped Tea's chin in his hand, "Well, maybe this might help you remember." Slowly he leaned towards her, eyes closed, his lips ready to meet with her own. Yet for some reason, she did not want that potential kiss, and she felt like resisting. But Atemu did not realize this, and his heart shattered more and more. No! Atemu thought, shaking his head. When Seto's trembling lips were about to meet with Tea's, Atemu could bear it no longer. NOOO! The tears cascaded, and everything seemed to slow down as he turned around to run, dropping his gift in the process. The clattering sound of the gift landing on the ground and the sound of Atemu's feet as he ran grabbed Tea's attention, and she looked up before Seto even got the chance to kiss her. Seto, denied the kiss, also looked up in time to see Atemu run away. Just before he disappeared behind the corner, Tea could see that Atemu was crying, and her own heart felt a stab of pain to see him that way. She pushed Seto away from her.
"I'm sorry Seto," she said, "I need more time to think." And she stood up and began to walk away.
"Take your time, my sweet." Seto said, "I'll be waiting for the answer." As Tea was leaving, Seto began to smirk. So Atemu saw me with my precious princess. he thought, Looks like getting him out of the picture will be easier than I thought. Tea continued to walk until she reached the little rectangle box that was lying unharmed on the floor. She picked it up, and she was stunned. The box was a golden yellow color, but what really amazed her were the words that were lovingly written on it.
For Tea, my Special Someone. With undying love, from Atemu.
Tea blushed an even deeper pink, and she slowly opened the box. Inside was a beautiful pendant, with golf chains holding pink and white pearls in between a length of chain. In the very center was a small scallop shell, tinged with a pink hue. Tea was amazed as she realized what all this meant. I am Atemu's…special someone? she thought, He loves me? Somehow this revelation brings her joy. And as she thought of how sad Atemu looked, her heart ached. Why does my heart hurt so much?
Atemu did not know how long he ran. All that he could think about was his broken heart. At last, he reached a lonely beach, and he sank to his knees, crying. The images of the figures revealed in Pegasus' curiosity shop reappeared in his head.
"Suppose she gives her heart wholly to another man? If that should ever happen, that will act as a herald… for your funeral!"
It was just like Pegasus had warned him, and Atemu cried even harder. Tea had given her heart to Seto. Just thinking about it breaks Atemu's heart even further. His days are now numbered, and even though it was quiet now, it won't be long before the sea would begin to call him. Soon he would enter the ocean, sink downward in drowning, and then his body would turn into foam on the sea and he would die.