Kaiba shut the engine off as quietly as he could possibly manage and edged out of the car, bending down over the passenger side to lift the urn out of the seat.

He nudged the car door shut with his hip just as the lights flickered on above him, and he froze, seeing Mokuba standing at the mouth of the hallway, looking furious.

"Put those back! Right…now!" Mokuba hissed, eyeing the urn as he crossed his arms tightly. "Care to tell me where you were? Also would it kill you to take a phone?!"

Kaiba stood very still and stared at his little brother, waiting for the rush of rage and dismay that usually accompanied one of these lectures, but he felt nothing other than a gentle bubble of compassion sitting warmly in his chest.
Well…this probably explained Isono's eternal patience, and Seth's resolute affection.
Every time he snapped at either one of them, he was doing it because he couldn't help it.

"Did you scatter them without me? We're supposed to do that as a family," Mokuba continued, his cheeks steadily turning pink with frustration. "Come inside. We need to talk."

He turned stiffly to walk away, and Kaiba stared at the empty space in the hallway, still waiting to feel angry, irritated, or annoyed.
Nothing.
He was calm and collected. Because he knew the source of Mokuba's anger. He understood it all. He understood everything, from his rash behavior of his time on land, to his disgraceful behavior underwater, and Mokuba's anger wasn't permanent.
Their love was deeper than these short outbursts.

Walking into the house, Kaiba steadily made his way up the grand staircase and made a beeline for the mantel, setting the vase down on the marble surface and hearing Mokuba start on him in an all-too familiar way.

"I'm about to go to work," Mokuba whispered, eyeing the dark sky outside, mourning his sleep. "I woke up early, again, to see if I could catch you. Seriously, what's going on, Seto?"

Kaiba chose to sit down on the nearest lounge, crossing his legs elegantly and lacing his long fingers over his knee before he spoke.

"I have your memories," he said steadily, seeing no change in Mokuba's expression. "And memories of our parents, and more memories of Eld—Isono, if you want them. It'll prove to you that your connection to mermaids are real, more real than you can imagine. They're also painful memories, but there are happy ones too."

Mokuba blinked rapidly and hastily moved to sit down beside Seto, his chest heavy with a strange melancholy as he fixated on the tips of Seto's delicate, oval-shaped fingernails. They sat there in silence for a few minutes while Mokuba grappled with himself.

"Can't you just tell me?" Mokuba attempted to crack a smile, but it only came off as a grimace.

"No. They need to be with you," Kaiba replied simply, wishing he could describe it better, but this was really what he meant. The memories needed to be inside his mind completely.

Mokuba glanced down at his knees and shook his head.

"No. I don't need to remember," he said quietly, his voice cracking with emotion. "I have a feeling I know. I get flashes sometimes…and dreams, or nightmares, whatever you wanna call them."

"Pact…weakening," Kaiba muttered, gazing at the top of Mokuba's dark hair protectively. He could cast another one, to make sure Mokuba remained blissfully ignorant. Remembering that Gozaburo murdered their parents in human form out of cold blood was not something he wanted Mokuba to know.

"Will it make me feel differently about Ayame?" Mokuba asked instantly, and Kaiba rolled his eyes.

Yes, probably.

"We weren't fond of humans, so…I don't know how I'd feel if Atem was human," Kaiba said heavily, and Mokuba gave him a sharp look.

"What the fuck are you spewing?" Mokuba spat, giving Seto a hard nudge. "Atem is human right now! He's asleep upstairs with Adina, who is, may I remind you, also human!"

"Human…from the start," Kaiba clarified, his blue eyes dark. "There are too many different values that we abide by as a species—I can't believe I'm fucking saying this shit. I'm leaving."

He stood up and hurried to the foot of the stairs, hearing Mokuba hiss angrily at him.

"Wait! Will you stay for dinner tonight? I left you a phone on the counter by the front door."

Kaiba turned to give Mokuba a stiff smile and a grimace over his shoulder. "…Not sure I can. I have a feeling Mahad will come for me tomorrow morning."

"Wow…okay," Mokuba grumbled, watching his older brother disappear up the stairs, clearly eager to see Adina and Atem.

Kaiba heard Mokuba's disgruntled thoughts following him up the stairs, and he pushed them aside. He understood how Seth felt now. He loved Mokuba with or without his memories, because their bond went beyond their past shared experiences, most of which were traumatic. He could enjoy Mokuba's company now, as the man he'd grown up to be, and accept him the way he was now.
With the little time on land he had left, he would say hello to Atem and Adina before they started their day.

Passing by a pastel pink door heavily decorated with shells glued to paper, Kaiba paused to admire Adina's handiwork. She'd plastered multiple drawings of them together as a family with fins and legs, all of them colored meticulously with rainbow pens.
One even had a teacher's handwriting on the bottom, praising her for creativity. Cute.

He edged the door open and saw her rolled up underneath an elaborate canopy bed. There were strings of light decorating the entire frame, and she had sparkly beads hanging down the sides as a curtain, reminiscent of Atem's treasury closet underwater.

She seemed very happy and comfortable here. Her room was decked out to the max, with a pillow-fort stacked against the reading nook by the large window, and two screens hung on the walls, one facing the bed and one above her desk, which took up the entire length of the wall, melting into a luxurious bookcase, overflowing with stuffed toys and stray books.

Approaching the edge of the bed, Kaiba rested his hand on her tiny shoulder, listening to her even breathing, feeling his arm heat up instantly with warmth and joy.

She rolled over sleepily and mumbled, "…D-Da…a-ddy?"

Kaiba pressed a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, and he bent down to quickly kiss her on the cheek. She beamed and kept her eyes closed, her chubby arm shooting out to grab him by the hand with frightening precision, trapping his fingers in a painful death grip.

"Love…you…" she whispered groggily, and Kaiba smiled, his chest bursting as he bent down to kiss her on the cheek again.

"Love you too, kid. Be good at school and I'll see you soon, okay?"

"…Mmm…kay," she slurred, her chest already rising and falling as she fell back into a deep sleep.

Gazing down at her lovingly, Kaiba took one last look at her angelic face before he left the room silently, searching for Atem's room. He passed a door also decorated with drawings, and Atem's name written messily in Mer with ink and a brush as an attempt at calligraphy, clearly also done by Adina.

Beaming, Kaiba pushed the door open and made sure to lock it shut behind him. He bent down to whisper at the knob, sealing it with a pact, making sure no one would barge in one them later on.

Atem looked like he was in the throes of another erotic dream, his brow furrowed prettily while his legs were half-tangled up in the sheets. A boner stuck resolutely up from between his legs, and Kaiba eyed it greedily, wondering if Atem would kill him if he knew about the pact he'd cast on him in his sleep, essentially giving him erotic dreams about him every time he fell asleep.

It had been a selfish attempt at keeping the romance alive while they were apart.
Now he could test and see if it had worked.

Climbing onto the bed, Kaiba laid down beside Atem and teasingly bumped his nose against his cheek, closing his eyes and wondering if he would be able to sleep like this. He was excited at the thought of Atem waking up and jumping on him.

He rested his hand on Atem's chest, noting that it was damp with sweat, and he curled his fingers into his shirt, grinning. Cute. What dream was he having now?

Daring to slide his hand down lower, Kaiba brushed his knuckles over the hard curves of Atem's tanned stomach and stared shamelessly at his boner. He fought with himself briefly before he gave in and grabbed it with one hand, massaging the stiffness with his palm, feeling Atem tense and shudder happily, his eyelids fluttering like mad while he stayed asleep.

Grinning, Kaiba gave Atem's dick one last squeeze before letting go, and Atem jerked awake, his legs stiffening as he sat up and saw Seto smiling mischievously at him in the semi-darkness.

Atem drew in a sharp breath, wondering if he was hallucinating, and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when Seto dove at him with a fiery kiss, shoving his tongue in through his teeth to pad playfully against the roof of his mouth, sending wild shivers down his spine.

He melted happily into the wonderful kiss and reached out to run his hands down Seto's toned chest, celebrating wildly in his head while his dick ached to be touched. Cold hands came down to give him a tight squeeze while Seto's tongue continued to dance lewdly in his mouth, eliciting sharp jolts of electricity running down his legs in sync with the strong, upward jerks from Seto's fist around his dick.

Desperate for more, Atem lunged forward and threw his leg around Seto's slender waist, pinning him to the mattress, enjoying the hardness pressing up from underneath him as Seto's arms locked around his neck to pull him deeper into the kiss.

Smiling, Kaiba bucked his hips upwards and rolled over heavily, pinning Atem underneath him while the mer-king glared sleepily up at him, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

"W-What are you doing here? And with legs?!" Atem gasped, and he was silenced with another kiss, the air steadily being crushed from his lungs as Seto leaned heavily onto him and raked his hands down the sides of his body, sending streams of fire burning up his chest. Cold hands slid down his backside and landed on his ass, giving it a tantalizing knead, and Atem tensed excitedly, throwing Seto a dark look over his shoulder as he said, "I've dreamt about this…many times."

"Oh, I know," Kaiba replied gleefully, flipping his waistband down and pressing the tip of his leaking erection against Atem's clothed asscheek, grinding impatiently and enjoying the short threads of pleasure snaking up his body as he feasted his eyes on Atem's lewd expressions.

He inched down and trailed his lips against Atem's soft skin, baring his teeth briefly to give it a playful nip before he reached around to give Atem's dick a few encouraging strokes, enjoying the way Atem sank into his grasp, trembling and shaking with lust.

"Please…stop. Just…put it in," Atem growled, and he felt something warm trickle down his crack, followed by a heated thud of something hot and wet, twisting this way and that against his sensitive entrance, causing his stomach to twist violently and his elbows weakened. Lifting his head with effort, Atem dimly registered that Seto was kissing his hole with his tongue, and doing so very enthusiastically, making him wet at the tip and neglecting to touch him in the front while his mouth was occupied.

Letting out a tense sigh, Atem shut his eyes and rode out the stiff waves of a shallow orgasm, glancing down and seeing semen spurt weakly from the tip of his dick….because he'd been masturbating so much every night, he had nothing left to give.

Kaiba noticed this but chose to ignore it. He swept two fingers down Atem's balls, gathering the semen up all the way to his pink, clenching rim, and he raised up on his knees, prodding the hole with the tip of his penis which was leaking with excitement. He held his breath and tried to savor the image before Atem backed himself down bravely on his dick, his heat enveloping his shaft in one, steady motion, and Kaiba doubled over in shock, his body pulsing with ecstasy, hearing Atem chuckle deeply and rock harder against him, causing his head to spin and his heart to clench.

Extremely pleased, Atem flexed and clenched experimentally, his ears ringing as he felt giant waves of pleasure and warmth crashing down on him every time Kaiba thrust forward with vigor, nearly knocking the breath out of him. He curled his fingers into the sheets to try and steady himself against the rough pounding, and lost himself in sheer bliss, listening to Seto's light breaths grazing his ear occasionally when he was given a particularly loving thrust, being filled right up until the hilt, sending violent shocks of lightning down his stomach, landing straight at the base of his dick and building up into another orgasm.

Enjoying himself thoroughly, Kaiba made sure to take his sweet time, grinding himself as high as he could possibly go, loving how his mind went blank and how Atem's hands came groping for his hips in an attempt to pull him closer when they were already deeply connected. His fingertips would slip on his skin and weaken when he received another deep thrust, and Kaiba's mouth went dry when he saw Atem's eyes flutter shut again as he heaved pleasurably, his hole tightening around his dick so much, the pressure became unbearable, and he came in a thick burst, his world spinning as he rode the wonderful high with Atem's shuddering gasps filling his ears.

Atem relaxed dramatically and sagged against the pillows, feeling wonderfully worn out. His balls were aching, and the tip of his dick was chafing from the rubbing, but it was still twitching now and then, as if asking for more. Every odd twitch brought on a pang of lust that gnawed at his stomach, and Atem shivered, raising his head to give Seto a warm smile.

He was met with a fierce kiss again, and their tongues swirled happily together in a tender greeting. It was a few more long moments before they broke apart, and Kaiba gazed deeply into Atem's angular eyes, appreciating his beauty. He sank into the pillows beside the king and winced when his hip landed on a patch of semen.

The cons of human lovemaking.

"What's that?" Atem asked playfully, draping his arm lazily over Seto's chest. "Cons of what?"

"Nothing," Kaiba said automatically, reminding himself to shut up. "Can I get you anything while I'm here?"

"Mmmm…" Atem shook his head and pressed his face deeper into the soft pillow, already drifting off as he mumbled, "…Stay…"

Okay, Kaiba nodded and inched off the wet patch, curling himself up against Atem's body and enjoying his warmth.

It was surprisingly easy to drift off, and Kaiba let out a contented sigh, enjoying Atem's unique scent drifting up around him as he fell asleep.


Atem woke up slowly, wrapped in a wonderfully warm cloud as he opened his eyes and saw Seto's handsome face beside him, and he closed his eyes briefly, his mind humming with joy.

How nice. Seto…was here.
Which meant he wasn't underwater tending the kingdom!

Atem bolted upright and gave him a shake, feeling panic oncoming. "Seto! Did you sneak out? You must go back before anyone notices you're gone!"

Kaiba frowned and groaned into the pillow, his body aching—mainly his thighs, from the rigorous sex.

"Seto!" Atem hissed, glancing frantically out the window and seeing the sun high in the sky.
This gesture of sneaking out to see him was nice, but this couldn't continue!
What if Solomon found out?!

"…Solomon…gave me his blessing," Kaiba muttered, prying his eyes open and using all his effort to sit up, feeling Atem throw his arms around him in a tight embrace.

"He did?! That's good news!" Atem breathed, gazing up into Seto's face which was shadowed with exhaustion. It looked like he hadn't slept in days….

"And then he took it back," Kaiba hissed, his anger returning in a rush, and he clenched his fists, eager to shove the portrait of Elder Iota into that old man's face, as proof of his success.

Atem leaned away and sat back on his heels, frowning worriedly. "He wouldn't give you something just to take it back. My grandfather isn't like that."

"Oh, you don't know what he's like," Kaiba said poisonously, remembering the crushing feeling in his lungs from Solomon's command. "Anyway, I need to head back soon or I might start suffocating if at any moment he feels I'm disobeying."

He grit his teeth resentfully but willed himself to calm down.
Solomon meant well and his command was proof of that.
He'd found his memories easily, within 24 hours.

"….I see. Yes, hurry back," Atem said forlornly, resting his hand gently on Seto's pale forearm, his hand heating up at the touch.

Seto leaned forward to peck him on the cheek, and he got out of bed, heading straight for the shower. Atem followed magnetically, watching Seto shrug off his shirt and step under the water with a satisfied sigh.

"Do you have plans for the rest of the day before you head back?" Atem asked hopefully, also stepping in and running his hand longingly down Seto's toned abdomen, enjoying every sloping plane that passed under his palm.

"…Work. I need a few routers to bury in the sand," Kaiba replied calmly, slowly calculating the depth in his head while he watched the water stream down Atem's delicate chin. "I'll bring you along. Want to come?"

"Not if I'll get in your way," Atem said stiffly, his heart skipping a beat when he watched Seto press soap on his slender thighs to was the dried semen off his pale skin.

"Then stay here," Kaiba leaned forward to graze Atem's cheek with a brief kiss before stepping around him to step out of the shower. He reached for a towel and dried himself off quickly, brimming with excitement to return to the water with an internet starter kit for Seth.

"But then I'll be alone!" Atem exclaimed, his voice carrying through the spacious bathroom. He shut the water off and hurried out of the shower after Seto, watching him hunt for his clothes around the foot of the bed.

"I'll come up and see you," Kaiba said reassuringly, giving the mer-king a firm smile. "With fins. Meet me at the beach and we'll have some fun together."

"I…" Atem's voice caught in his throat as he watched Seto pull on his shirt and pass his hand over his forehead to fix his damp bangs, making sure they fell just above his brow.
Was it his imagination or was something different about Seto?

"You don't want to?" Kaiba asked, catching onto Atem's hesitation immediately, and he gazed hopefully into Atem's beautiful face, seeing his expression changing rapidly, from uncertainty to confusion.

"Of course I want to. I'll be there." Atem nodded, stepping forward to draw Seto into another tight embrace, and he relaxed when Seto's arms came down around his body to hug him tightly. They stayed that way for several long moments before Seto spoke up first, sounding as calm as ever, "Get Kemo to drive you there and back whenever you want. Don't bring Adina unless it's a weekend. It'll be a weekend three days from now, right? Bring her then."

"…Yes," Atem agreed dazedly, his heart thumping in his chest as he listened to Seto's steady heartbeat by his ear, feeling warm and at-ease. Yes, something was definitely different about Seto, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"I'm not sure I'll be back in time for dinner. Expect Mokuba to murder me," Seto continued, leaning away to pick up his shoes from the edge of the bed, hooking his fingers through the tops and striding to the door. "See you at the beach property."

"See you…" Atem said weakly, watching Seto walk out of the room quickly and shut the door behind him with a stiff snap!

Quite stunned, Atem stared at the door before he eyed the bed and climbed back in, deciding to continue napping for lack of anything else to do.

Kaiba hurried down the stairs to the door, half-contemplating stealing a suit from Mokuba so he could be comfortable, but then decided against it, because he was only going to be here for another few hours anyway. Besides, he wasn't trying to get himself recognized as the dead billionaire.
It was better for everyone if he kept a low profile.

He paused at the foot of the stairs, shocked at his own thoughts.
Since when did he give a shit about everyone else?!

Shaking his head, Kaiba pulled the door open and froze when he saw Kemo bowing Mahad in through the gates, and his blood boiled briefly. It was anger, but towards Kemo, not Mahad.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and strode out of the house into the bright sunlight, seeing Mahad freeze in fear and bow so low, his long hair swung down past his shoulders to obscure his face.

"Master Kaiba," Mahad said stiffly, and to his shock, he was corrected casually.

"It's Seto, or don't address me at all." Kaiba said simply, eyeing Kemo suspiciously and seeing the man tense awkwardly and bow as well.

Mahad straightened up and blinked, unable to believe his ears. W-What?

"Any spare chauffeurs?" Seto was now addressing the bodyguard, and the man shook his head.

"Thinned down to two. One for Miss Adina and Master Noah for school, and one for Master Mokuba," Kemo replied quietly, feeling like his skin was burning off every time the older Kaiba looked at him for longer than two seconds.

"Fine. Then you're driving us to headquarters and then to the beach property," Kaiba said, turning on his heel to walk back to the fountain in the middle of the driveway. "Come on. I don't have all day, and I mean it for once."

"Right away," Kemo mumbled under his breath and he jogged down the long driveway towards the garage, leaving Mahad standing dumbfounded by the gates, staring at Seto's slender back.

Sweating, Mahad followed Kaiba apprehensively, wondering why the young prince was in such a good mood today. Had he completed his task already? It had only been one sunlit day and one night.

A blocky black car pulled up around the fountain, and to Mahad's ever-rising shock, Seto opened the door for him and nodded at him, indicating he should get in first.

Blinking, Mahad shook his head and grit his teeth, raising his hand with his palm up, "you first."

He received an odd look from the prince, and Seto sniffed. "Fine, suit yourself," and he climbed in first, buckling himself in and gazing out the window, looking preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Unnerved, Mahad climbed in afterwards and shut the door, wondering if this was Seto's way of mocking him. The car rolled forward, and they sat together in comfortable silence.
Too comfortable. Too silent.

"Did something good happen?" Mahad asked, unable to hold it in anymore, and Seto turned to look at him with his piercing blue gaze, shrugging noncommittally.

"Yes, I saw Atem and spent the night with him. I missed him, so I'm happy." Kaiba explained simply, aware of Mahad's distress at his unusually calm behavior.
They'd been together for longer than thirty minutes and not one insult or rude remark had been passed between them. A record.

"You mated with Atem and it put you in a great mood. Good," Mahad muttered, rolling his eyes, trying not to remember his anger for Seto at the discovery of the prince mating with Atem for an entire moon while everyone thought he was dead.

"Can you carry something back for me? It's a large portrait of an Elder," Kaiba pressed, thinking he'd been nice long enough to warrant asking this favor.

"You found her? Elder Iota?" Mahad asked, startled. The car made a gentle turn off the highway and they entered the city, rolling to a stop at a red light while droves of people crossed the large street in a giant wave.

"I keep saying she's dead. No one heard me when I said that during my shouting match with Solomon," Kaiba shot back coldly, seeing Mahad tense. "I want to bring it back. Just do as I say and shut up."

Mahad nodded and leaned back into the seat, daring to breathe sigh of relief.
Now this sounded more like the Seto he knew. If he didn't know any better, it sounded like Seth had jumped out of the water and had put his mild-mannered voice into Kaiba's mouth.
Terrifying.
Twins were terrifying.

They pulled into a dark parking garage and Seto climbed out before the engine shut off, commanding him to stay in the car with the bodyguard. Unable to protest, Mahad grit his teeth and watched the young prince slam the door in his face and disappear behind a set of silvery elevator doors.

He sat in the stifling silence with the bodyguard and decided to ask, "did something happen to Seto?"

Kemo glanced headily at Mahad in the rearview mirror, frowning in confusion.
No, nothing had happened.

Mahad grimaced and nodded, leaning back into his seat and deciding to observe Seto closer over the next few hours. Perhaps the young prince had issues finding his memories.
Would he become a different merman if he remembered who he was in the past?

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he saw Seto returning with two giant boxes in his arms, and a man following behind him, carrying two as well. The car sank under the weight of the boxes as they landed with a thunk! in the trunk, and Seto climbed into the backseat, looking pleased with himself.

"Beach property. Drive," Kaiba said plainly, folding his hands in his lap, aware of Mahad's obvious staring.

He knew the warrior was judging him, observing him for changes, and he couldn't care less.

The car inched out of the parking spot and Mahad crossed his arms tightly, deeply unnerved by Seto's stable mood. Yes, something had definitely changed.


Author's note:

:O gasp! Kaiba has his memories! What's he gonna do now?