"Who Am I?"

Chapter 8

*Danny's POV*

It wasn't until dusk when Sam decided to get off of me. To be blatantly honest, I wouldn't have minded had she stayed there forever. Like iron bars, the bond between us was strong and unbreakable. From that moment on, I vowed that as long as I lived, I would do anything for her. I would give anything, even my life, to protect her. By some miracle, she had the same longing feelings for me that I had for her. It was an even bigger miracle when Sam transformed into a mermaid. Although I still wouldn't have left her either way, Sam's new tail enabled her to live in the ocean alongside me.

"It means we an be together, Danny, but more importantly, you can finally leave this place and journey the ocean. You can discover who you are, and I'll be with you all the way." She had said.

"Yes. Who am I?" I wondered to myself for the millionth time.

"There's nothing holding me back from venturing out into the ocean."

I turned to look at Sam who had fallen asleep already. Her head was resting in my lap. The end of her tail was just barely wrapped around mine. I smiled and pulled her closer so that her head was now on my chest. I also made sure that our tails were still partially in the water so that we wouldn't dry out over night. At that moment, I decided that I would spend the night here, and then leave in the morning. With Sam still laying on me, I gently stroked her hair. Soon, I began to get drowsy. I leaned back against the rock ledge and let out a big yawn. It wasn't long before my heavy eyelids fluttered shut, and I finally fell asleep.

~~~~~Line Break~~~~~

*Still Danny's POV*

At dawn, I woke up and stretched my arms. Sam was still fast asleep in my chest, so I tried not to stir around that much. I was laying on my back as still as I possibly could. Gently, I placed a hand on Sam's back and rubbed it. In her sleep, Sam snuggled up to me and smiled. I smiled in return and continued to rub her back. A few minutes later, Sam yawned and stretched. She looked up at me with her tired, yet beautiful, violet eyes, and smiled softly.

"Morning, Danny."

I smiled back and gave her a hug.

"Hey, Sammy. Did you sleep okay?"

Sam nodded and hugged me back.

"I slept perfectly. Your strong, silky chest makes the best pillow."

I blushed slightly at the compliment.

"O-oh…r-really?"

"Mhm."

Sam nuzzled her head back in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her body and held her close.

"So, Danny, are you ready to go?" Sam asked.

Hesitantly, I bit my lower lip. I took one of my long, white bangs and twirled it around my finger nervously.

"Um…"

I'll admit it. I was scared. I had no idea what was out there or what we would find. Mostly, I was afraid of leaving the cove. The day I would leave this place was inevitable, but that only made me more nervous. Sam noticed my apprehension and placed a hand on my cheek.

"It'll be okay, Danny. Just relax."

"How can you be so sure, Sam?"

Sam leaned her head up and kissed me softly on the lips.

"Because, Danny," She began after we pulled apart. "I'll be with you the entire time. As long as we're together, you'll be fine. I promise."

I smiled softly at her and nodded.

"Thanks, Sammy. Well, I guess you're right. Let's get going."

I slid myself off of the ledge and into the water. It definitely felt great being in the ocean again. I leaned my head back and wetted my dry, crusty gills.

"Ready, Sam?"

I reached my hands out, ready to catch her if I needed to.
"Don't worry, I'll get you if you fall."

Sam looked at me nervously, but then she nodded and pulled herself in. As soon as she fell in, I wrapped my arms around her. Sam refused to let go of me. Her arms were around my waist, and they never gave way.

"I told you I'd get you, Sammy. I'll never let you fall."

"Danny…"

Sam smiled and nuzzled my neck softly. In return, I held her closely to me and loosely wrapped my tail around hers. Once I did that, I saw Sam's face redden with embarrassment.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Danny, u-um…your tail…it's…"

"It's what?"

Sam pulled her tail away from mine. Confused and slightly hurt by this show of rejection, I frowned and looked down sadly.

"Danny?"

"I'm sorry, Sam."

"N-No, I don't mean it the way you think I do, Danny. It's just that's how…well, remember how the Atlantian book mentioned mating…?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah and…?"

"W-Well, um, don't you recall what it said about how mer-people mated?"

Instantly, I remembered everything, and my face became as red as hers.

"Oh! Oh, Sam! Jeez, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay, so don't beat yourself over it. And please don't think that I don't love you. I love you very much, Danny, but I know for a fact that neither one of us are ready for that yet."

I nodded in agreement.

"Y-Yeah, you're right. And again, I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."

Sam gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't know any better, so it's not your fault."

Gently, Sam took the locket in her hand, which I had around my neck, and opened it.

"I bet you that they're out there," Sam continued. "Your parents, that is."

"Maybe, but…but what if they don't want me, Sam?"

"Don't think like that, Danny. That's not true."

I looked up at her dumbfounded.

"How can you be so sure?"

Sam smiled.

"Because there are just some things I know that I can't explain. Have faith, Danny. Focus on the here and now instead of "what ifs" and worries. Besides, I'm not going to let you live the rest of your life not knowing who you are."

"You're right," I agreed. "Whether they'll still accept me or not, my birth parents may very well be out there. I have to know if they're still alive."

Sam took my hand and pulled me closer to her.

"There's only one way to find out. Come on, let's go. There's no time to waste."

I hesitated once more when she pulled me away from the ledge. Although I had made my resolve to leave this place, I was more worried about Sam.

"Sam, wait. What about you?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"This IS your home, Sammy. You're from the land. How can you leave your life as a human behind so easily? Won't you miss anything?"

Sam sighed.

"It's not hard to leave when I have nothing to lose."

I wrapped my arms around her yet again and tried my best to console her.
"I'm an orphan, remember?" Sam continued. "I live alone in a big, empty house. And friends? Forget it. At school, the students treated me like an outcast because of my look. I hate to say it, but I won't miss a damn thing from my human life that I once had. I'd rather be HERE, with you and where I belong."

"And I won't ever leave you or make you feel isolated like you were in the past," I replied. "I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks, Danny," Sam said with a smile. "Now, come on, we should go now."

I nodded and smiled back softly.

"As you wish, Sammy. However, there's still one other problem."

"And what might that be?" asked Sam.

"You need to learn how to swim with a tail now, Sam."

"Oh, right. Well, I'm sure that it won't be that difficult, especially since I have a handsome, strong merman to help me." Sam whispered dreamily in my ear.

I blushed and looked down nervously.

"O-okay…well, um, it's easy once you get the hang of it. All it takes is a little getting used to. The tail is a lot stronger than legs. Not only that, but it's also trickier to control. Here, let me show you."

~~~~~Line Break~~~~~

*Sam's POV*

It took me a few hours, but I finally figured out how to swim around with my new tail. At first, Danny had to keep one arm wrapped around my waist as he swam alongside me. By doing so, I didn't have to worry about sinking to the bottom or being swept away by the unpredictable ocean currents. After a while, I realized that I didn't need Danny's help anymore. I, however, didn't say anything or let him know that I didn't need his assistance. Danny's arms around my body made me feel safe and secure. Every time he had his arms around me, I felt invincible.

"So, Sam, how does it feel? I mean, swimming with a tail. Is it getting any easier?" Danny asked.

"Um, y-yeah," I stuttered. "It's not that bad. Now that I've been swimming for a while, it's easy."

"Want me to let go?"

I shook my head.

"N-No! Don't let go!"

Danny smiled.

"I'll never let you go, Sam. I promise."

He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I, like an idiot, started blushing again.

"And you said you weren't nervous." Danny remarked with a smug grin.

I only glared at him and rolled my eyes. Deep down, though, I knew he was right. Being with a guy in an actual relationship made me scared as Hell. Considering how fast I fell for him, I was worried our relationship was moving far too quickly. There was no turning back, either. I couldn't go back on land anymore, not with my new fish tail. I looked up at Danny. He seemed so confident as he swam elegantly through the ocean waves. I noticed his hair, which was longer than I originally thought, kept getting in his face. Each time it did, Danny would grow more annoyed.

"Danny, stop."

I forced him to a halt, and then I swam behind him.

"What are you doing, Sam?"

Luckily, I had one of my green hair ties around my wrist. I pulled it off and gently grabbed a handful of Danny's silky, white hair. Carefully, I tied his hair back in a simple ponytail. After doing so, the ponytail rested in the middle of his back and stayed put.

"There. Now your hair won't fly in your face anymore."

Danny smiled.

"Thanks, Sam."

"No problem. Now where are we?"

Danny looked around.

"I'm not sure. We're very far from the cove, so I don't recognize any of our surroundings."

"What surroundings? I don't see anything at all! In every direction, I only see open water."

We continued swimming through the ocean in the same direction. Clutching the locket still strung around his neck, Danny gave me a determined look.

"I know that they're out there. Somewhere. Maybe my natural instincts can lead us to where we need to go."

I rolled my eyes.

"Or they'll lead us in circles…" I muttered.

"You know, your lack of confidence in me is kind of insulting, Sam."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Danny. I just don't want us to get more lost than we already are."

"We won't get lost."

"Can't we just look for somebody and ask for directions?"

"That isn't necessary. I'll get us there in no time." Danny replied.

"Get us 'where', Danny? Do you even know where you're going?"

"Relax. We'll get there soon."

"Where is 'there'?"

"Atlantis, Sam."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Danny, Atlantis is a lost, undersea kingdom hidden somewhere in the deep depths of the ocean."

"Yeah, I know, and we're going to find it. We don't need anyone's help. I know that we can get there on our own in no time at all."

"What is it with men and asking for directions?"

"Don't worry, Sammy. I know what I'm doing. You just have to trust my-"

" 'Natural instinct'. I know. I heard you the first time."

Danny cocked his head slightly and flashed me yet another one of his goofy grins. I sighed and did a face palm.

"Danny, you're crazy if you think we're going to just stumble upon Atlantis on accident because of your natural-"

I wasn't watching where I was going, so I found myself bumping into something. When I looked up, I couldn't believe what I saw. A huge, towering gate made out of gray stones seemed to go on forever to the right and left. In front of the gate were two guards clothed in heavy armor and brown leather. Both of them had navy blue tails, just like Danny and me. One guard, the one I accidentally rammed into, pulled out a long, golden trident and pointed it at me.

"Who are you outsiders?" he demanded.

A second later, the trident charged up and began to glow with a terrifying, amber aura.

"And you said my natural instinct wouldn't get us anywhere." remarked Danny