Authoress Notes: At last, it's all finished. Sorry for the long delay, I haven't been feeling so well, and Blackrose's been busy this week. School is going to be starting for me soon, and I have to focus this semester. Updates might be a little slower but we both promise to update as soon as we can. All right unto the story! Thank you guys so much for all the love.

MutantEnemy6789: Haha, Seto Freaking Kaiba FTW ^_^! He just HAD to interrupt the romantic moment.

Sailorblaze: ^_^ I had a feeling you'd like that :).

Coka Cookie Cola: Yup, no one messes with Selene ^_^. And yup, you're right about that XD.

Dany14-black8: Gracias ^_^!

Aqua Girl 007: Thank you for pointing that out, he's just on a trip away from the kingdom.

Sunrise Phoenix: XD I would have done the same thing, he's such a jerk sometimes lol.

Disclaimer: We don't own anything.

Plot:( Based on The Little Mermaid) Mermaids are mythical creatures that only exist in fairy tales and myths. A kiss from a mermaid or merman is the most powerful thing in the world. Once they are bonded, the love between them never fades. Yami is a merman prince who rescues a human princess named Tea from almost drowning, and falls in love with her, as she does with him. Even though they are from different worlds, they are willing to risk everything to be together. No matter what the cost. YamiTea JoeyMai SetoKisara

By Night One Way, By Day Another

By VampiressBeauty20 and BlackRoseDragonCK

Chapter Ten

Yami sighed in contentment as a cool breeze gently caressed his face. He was sitting on the soft sand of a high dune overlooking the ocean, watching the sunset with the love of his life. The sky was painted in glorious shades of gold, red, and pink and the ocean was a dark blue, seeming to melt into the gun metal grey clouds on the horizon. The air was cool but not too cold and smelled of ocean and the rapidly approaching night.

The prince's blood eyes wandered down to the beach and he couldn't stop the smirk from curling his lip. Selene, Joey, Tristan, Ryou, and Serenity were running back and forth over the dark gold sand. They tossed a throwing disc back and forth, tripping and shouting joyously in a way that was heartwarming as well as amusing to watch. At one point, Ryou ran into Serenity and they both fell to the sandy ground, the former landing on the latter. Yami was sure that he could see their faces turn as red as the evening sky and chuckled softly as Ryou smiled and helped the girl to her feet.

Tea looked up at him, her sapphire eyes questioning. She looked simply stunning in the picturesque lighting and Yami couldn't resist the urge to plant a chaste kiss on her forehead. The girl beamed and leaned against his cotton-clad shoulder, sighing quietly as his cheek pressed against her head.

"Everything seems perfect, doesn't it?"

The prince smiled. "It does indeed."

Tea looked up at him again...but this time, her radiant gaze was marked with worry. "I wonder what your father thinks about all this..." she murmured.

"Don't worry about him..." Yami replied with a little more edge than he intended. Clearing his throat, he sheepishly added, "He's probably more concerned with whether or not the 'rogue prince' rumors will ruin the reputation of our family..."

The girl averted her eyes and said, "You've given up so much for me..." There was a heavy guilt in her voice, a tone that sent a pang jolting through her lover's heart.

Yami reached out and cupped her chin in his pale hands, raising her head to meet his gaze. A smile twisted his lips as he stared unwaveringly into those pools of liquid azure and whispered, "I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would give up anything and everything...if it meant being by your side."

The princess smiled and they shared a passionate kiss, melding as close as possible to each other. The prince wound his arms around her waist, running his hands up and down the graceful contours of her back. Just as Yami was about to gently push her back onto the sand, however...something jolted through his chest. He grunted and pulled away, pressing a hand over the spot. It felt as if someone had just driven a cold, hard dagger through his heart.

"What's wrong?" Tea asked with confusion, slipping her hand into his.

"Nothing..." Yami swallowed hard, and pressed his fingers hard over the ache in his chest. "Nothing, I'm...fine."

Tea's brows raised with concern and she opened her mouth to further question him...but Selene and Serenity appeared walking up the dune toward them, effectively ending the conversation. The former merman smiled at them and stood up, helping his love to do the same. "It looks as though we have our new disc-throwing champions."

"Indeed," Tea smiled playfully at the redhead. "It also seems that we might have our next couple. You and Ryou seemed to be...'falling' for each other down there."

Selene grinned and nudged Joey's sister gently. Serenity went bright red and began to stammer out denials, but that only made their knowing grins widen. Finally the girl giggled...and jerked with a sudden realization. "Oh, I almost forgot. We're going to need someone to bring the thief food..."

"That's right..." Tea tapped her chin...and smiled in relief when Selene pointed to herself. "Thank you, Selene...you've been a big help to me. You're sure you don't mind visiting him again?"The girl nodded. "Of course. I'll bring food to Bak...I mean the prisoner..."

Then she turned...and walked back toward the castle.

Selene again found herself shivering slightly as she descended down the stairs to the dungeon. No matter how much she told herself it was just a basement made of stone...she couldn't get used to the darkness...the dankness...the loneliness that seemed to radiate from the very walls. She clutched her supplies, a few pieces of bread, an apple, and a canteen of water closer and finally stepped down to the darkest depths of the dismal place.

Clenching her teeth firmly, the girl approached the bars of Bakura's cell, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the shadows. When they did...a gasp came from her pink lips. Bakura was standing, staring out the barred window of the cell. He had changed out of his grimy clothing and used the small basin of water in the cell to clean the dirt and blood from his body. He was wearing a black cotton shirt and black pants and dark boots. His snowy hair slicked into smoother locks and his white skin shown in the dim light, his dark eyes even more piercing than usual. He looked...no she couldn't let herself think that he was actually...handsome.

The thief turned when he heard Selene's soft footsteps. His lips twitched slightly, as if he were about to smile but he caught himself and simply rolled his eyes. The girl returned his coldness, staying as far away from the bars as possible and holding the food within his reach. "Here..." She held out the small plate along with the canteen so he could take it. "Thank you," he said the smirk on his face slowly returning. "You're welcome," she slowly began to walk away when a hand clamped around her wrist pulling her back.

"Let me go," her ocean eyes were fierce with anger. This only caused him to smile even more. "I just want to properly thank you for all the sweet hospitality you've given me," he said gently. She raised an eyebrow, "And how exactly is that?" even though she couldn't speak, he understood every word. "Open the cell and I'll show you what I mean," he teased. The former mermaid rolled her eyes, "You're asking for it, but fine, try anything funny and I'll cut your head off."

Bakura shook his head, as she reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a small key. Slipping into the lock, she let the door swing open, as he slowly stepped out. "Now that wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" he said. She blinked a couple of times before he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. His fingers ran over her pale skin, a deep red blush forming on her face. Her hands pressed themselves on his strong chest, he was slightly taller than she was but that didn't matter.

The thief's hands snaked tighter around her waist and he crashed his lips against hers in a deep, fervent kiss. She was slightly hesitant at first, but returned it. Sparks flew and fire burned from the contact. Her heart began pounding from inside her chest, as she thought that everything she was experiencing now was nothing more than a dream. But when Bakura's lips began to descend upon her neck, placing fluttering kisses along her skin, she shivered in a spine-tingling pleasure that she'd never felt before. A warm sensation began burning through his veins, something the thief had never felt in his life.

The castle was beautiful at night. The sky stretched out like a sea of obsidian, seeming to melt into the ebony ocean. It was dotted with tiny diamonds, interrupted only by the full, pallid moon. Shadows blanketed the land, making cliffs and trees look like grotesque shapes in the blackness. The air was chilly and the prince was glad that he was in the warmth of the castle walls. In spite of the nighttime splendor however, Yami couldn't quite ignore the unexplained feeling of unease settling on his heart.

Sighing, he forced himself to separate from the window. He sat on the large, four-poster bed, relishing the softness of its dark blue comforter. The bed frame itself was exceedingly elegant with silver posters that curved up in a spiral shape. That elegance mirrored that of the rest of the lavish chamber. The walls were panted a shimmering silver color, the floors a dark grey stone with a few carpets of blue and dark purple. A small, unobtrusive vanity sat against one wall while a plush chair took residence at another. Beside the chair was a small bookcase filled with books on almost every subject. Truly, this room was luxurious...yet the prince could not bring himself to partake in any of its perks.

Yami's hands squeezed the soft comforter, his already pale knuckles growing even whiter with the effort. Something was very wrong inside him...and he couldn't quite decide what. His heart was troubled with a restlessness...an impatience...an almost...primal instinct. It felt as though a ravenous beast were lurking in the youth's heart, desperately trying to claw its way out.

"Maybe it's just that feeling...the one that lovers get when they're away from each other..." Yami murmured to himself...but that didn't seem right. This was something other...something...frightening.

Or..perhaps it was guilt. The more Yami thought about it...the more he felt exceedingly guilty for leaving his family the way he did. It made him feel so selfish...though he didn't regret coming to be with Tea for a second. It was all so contradicting and conflicting, making a headache rise within the prince's skull.

Yami sighed, stood up, and was about to go find someone, anyone to talk his troubles away to...when a sudden jolt of pain shot through his chest. It was like that jolt that had happened earlier that day, only this one hurt so badly that he actually lurched forward. Another fiery pang ricocheted through chest, sending the former merman to his knees on the hard, stone floor. His kneecaps slammed into the unforgiving surface, but he didn't even feel that pain...for he was far too distracted by the agony slowly spreading across his torso. It reached out across his arms to his fingertips, neglecting not one area of skin. Yami opened his mouth to scream, but found he could only manage a strangled gasp.

Yami sunk down, placing his palms on the frigid ground and gritting his teeth. He snarled and hissed, dragging his hands across the stone as if he were trying to escape from the agonizing force bubbling up inside him. He scraped his hands until they were bloody, then grabbed at his head as the pain focused in on his skull. It moved across his forehead like a wildfire, encompassing his mind, clouding all logical though. The youth clawed at his skull and growled, feeling more animal than human.

The darkness was slowly consuming him, making him forget everything about who he was. Tea..Joey...Tristan...Mai...Ryou...Serenity...Mari k...Selene..they were all distant memories shrouded by this incredible pain. He dragged his fingers across his face, trying to hold on to the memories...but they were fast retreating into the black abyss.

Suddenly...everything stopped...and Yami collapsed onto the floor. His body was slick with sweat, his black cotton shirt clinging to his chest and back. His shoulders heaved up and down with ragged breaths, but he was far from feeling fatigued. In fact...he felt good. Yami braced his wounded hands on the ground and pushed himself up. He was steady on his feet, as if...empowered by something.

The youth felt different...energized...impatient...desiring...pri mal. A growl resounded from Yami's throat and he curled his fingers tightly into fists. He wanted to satiate these desires...and he wanted to do it NOW. He turned, walking with speedy, impatient steps toward the vanity...and beheld his new image for the first time.

Yami's skin was pale...even paler than usual, his blood-red eyes actually glowing against their thick black lashes. He had blood on his face from his hands, looking even redder against the sickly white skin. His slickly styled hair had a few more spikes in it, the blonde bangs hanging slightly in those wickedly gleaming eyes. His expression was hard and glaring...but a cruel smile twisted his lips when he beheld his own forehead. There...glowing in all its foreboding, emerald glory...was the Seal of Orichalcos.

Yami snarled and drove his fist into the mirror, shattering the glass into thousands of tiny fragments. The reckless action cut his fist in several places, but he didn't care. It helped to take some of the edge from that animatistic feeling overtaking his mind. Still...it wasn't enough. He had to satisfy the Seal...and he knew exactly how to do it.

A dark smile slowly twisted the youth's harsh expression. His ruby eyes wandered to the ground...stared at those many fragments of glass lying on the ground...and he thought of the many villagers living just beyond the castle...the many souls living just beyond the castle. That was what the Orichalcos wanted...duels...darkness...souls...and that was what the Orichalcos would get.

Yami raised his fist and studied it, watching the blood slowly trickle from his fist down his arm. There was already blood on his hands...what harm would a little more cause? His face contorted with another one of those horrible grins.

"Oh...those poor, unfortunate souls..." Yami murmured in a tone far darker...far rougher than his usual. Then...he let out a grisly laugh that was nothing short of wicked.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Until next time,

Blackrose and VB20