Blue Submarine no. 6 doesn't belong to me.

AN: This chapter has a lot of stuff happening so there will be a lot of jumping around. Please bear with me.

Sweet Whisper

If only she had her camera to take a picture of this moment. She really hoped Amy hadn't come home to check on them and ruin this fragile alliance. That would be embarrassing. Never in a million years did she think she would be chummy with the young commander, let alone be hugged by him and thought of as kin.

Marina stood there in Verg's embrace for a few minutes before her lungs demanded more air. "Verg?," Her voice came out muffled against his chest. "Mommy can't breathe."

Immediately, she was released from his grip and she took a grateful gulp of air.

Verg smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry, sometimes I forget my own strength."

"No worries," She said, rubbing her aching ribs. "Alright, lets get back to work. I don't want you to leave this house until you know exactly what you're going to say to her and the confidence to say it." She sat back down. "Lets take it from the top."

"!Dios mio," Freeda exclaimed, in her native tongue. "Its so beautiful."

"Is it a real diamond?" Estella added.

"You bet it is." Mayumi replied, showing off the gold band on her finger. Perched in the center was a square diamond that sparkled from the overhead lights.

"How did he propose?" Rin asked, bouncing with excitement.

Mayumi blushed. "We were spending the day at the beach. I wanted to leave before it got dark but he kept talking me into staying. He said he wanted to see the sun setting in the water. Boy, you should have seen it. The sky was like a painting. Pink, purple, blue and gold. It was so beautiful. We watched it for a while and then he took my hand, got down on one knee, and proposed. It was so romantic."

"I bet it was," Freeda sighed, thinking of her own husband.

Toko made a retching sound. "How sappy can you get?"

Estella was about to tell her off when she noticed the chef's assistant in the corner of her eye. "Hey, there's that guy you were talking about earlier," She said in a hushed tone. "I'd say he was cute if he weren't so creepy."

"What do you mean?" The others asked.

"Hello, the guy has weird skin and hardly talks." Estella hissed. "Not to mention the fact that he hasn't removed his sunglasses the whole time he's been here. Hello, we're in a sub, nobody needs sunglasses. Not only that, but when he talks to you he acts like he wants to get away as soon as possible. He's strange."

"Maybe, you scared him off with your foul temper," Freeda grinned.

Estella stuck out her tongue playfully.

Mayumi frowned, studying the man. "Something does seem off about him."

The others nodded solemnly. They had noticed how he skulked about the sub. Like a rat in the shadows.

Mayumi continued to watch him as he moved some supplies.

She felt on edge in his presence. He was too aloof. Too formal when he talked and Estella was right, he never took off his sunglasses. Not once. At least not when she was around.

And when he smiled it was tight-lipped and cursory. If she didn't know any better, she would say he acted like he didn't want to bring any attention to himself. Almost as if he was….hiding something.

"Ready to win over your future girlfriend?" Marina asked. She had made Verg repeat his speech over and over again until she was satisfied that it would work. It had taken all day and they had truly bonded during their time together.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Verg replied nervously. "I hope I don't slip up. You know I only have one shot at this."

"You'll do fine," She reassured him. "Come on, I'll walk you to the water." She took his hand and led him outside as the sun began to dip below the horizon, yelling 'Tallyho!' at the top of her lungs.

Once they reached the beach, they caught sight of Katsuma and Delphine splashing each other and giggling in the shallows. The two waved as Marina and Verg approached.

"Hey you two," Katsuma said cheerfully as the two finally reached them. "What are you scheming?"

Marina gave him an impish smile. "I'm playing matchmaker."

"Oh crap," He said in mock horror. He looked up at Verg. "She got you under her thumb, huh?"

Verg nodded.

"Have either of you seen Mutio lately?" Marina asked, ignoring Katsuma's question.

"I think she's with Mother out there," Delphine informed her, pointing out to sea. "That's the last I saw of her before we came up here."

Marina thanked her and then turned to Verg and started checking him over to make sure he didn't have anything in his teeth or hair that would ruin the potentially romantic evening. All the while she gave him instructions. "Alright, don't overdue it. Let her make the first move and whatever you do, do not do that tongue thing. Capeesh?" She looked him in the eye and smiled. "Good luck."

Verg gave her a quick hug to the shock of Delphine and Katsuma then dove under the waves.

Marina watched him go clasping her hands to her chest. "My baby is growing up." She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.

All three watched the water and silently hoped that everything would work out.

Verg swam through the inky waters, searching for Oceana. Where Ocean was, Mutio would not be too far away.

Thanks to his cat-like eyes he had no problem seeing in the gloomy depths.

He spotted the lady in question hovering above a deep canyon. She glared at him as he reached her. "What do you want Verg?" She snapped.

His status did little for her anymore.

Verg ignored her rudeness. He was used to her hostility. "Where is Mutio?"

"What do you want with her?" She swam lazily in circles around him.

"I need to speak with her."

"Haven't you done enough?" She scoffed.

Verg remained undeterred. "Please, I need to tell her how I feel about her."

"Oh," She snorted. "Judging by the way you've treated her in the past, that isn't much."

"I need to tell her I love her." He reasoned.

"Love her?" Oceana hesitated, caught off guard by the sudden confession. "What if she doesn't love you back? What if she despises you?"

Verg straightened up with a determined look. "Then I will leave and never come back to bother her again."

"But we need you to lead us. Our creator chose you himself."

"Amonyushuu would be a fair and compassionate leader. She would do a lot better job than I did."

"You would leave your home?"

"If it means making Mutio happy than I will do it."

Oceana studied him. Searching him for any sign of deception. "Very well," She nodded in approval. "I will let you speak with her."

"Where is she?"

"Down by the canyon's edge," She motioned her head.

"Thank you," He began to descend.

"And Verg-," Her tone was dangerous.

"Yes?"

She swam a little closer to him so that he could see the seriousness in her eyes. "If you hurt her again, I promise I will break every bone in your body. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," He gulped.

She smiled and swam further out to sea.

He took it as a sign that she was finished with him and swam towards the spot she had indicated.

Marina sat on the beach watching the setting sun.

The other two sat beside her. Delphine resting her head on Katsuma's shoulder.

Marina was thinking about nothing in particular when she felt a pair of eyes watching her. She turned her head to meet Katsuma's steady gaze.

"What's up?" She asked, a little annoyed at the sudden attention. "You keep staring like that and I might catch fire."

"You never told me how you ended up here."

She sighed. She had been dreading this conversation. Better get it over with. She leaned back on the sand and began her story."My uncle decided I should get away from home for awhile so I was sent on his yacht for a tour of all the new cities. I guess someone suggested going to the Antarctic to see the glaciers or whales or something because we ended up out here. I was standing on the deck watching the waves when it happened"

"When what happened?"

Marina sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs as if shielding herself. "I had just finished talking with the captain, when one of the crew came out with my trunk and threw it overboard. I yelled at him and he…he said I looked like my mother." Goose bumps formed on her skin. "He said some things about the day my parents died that he could only know if he had been there." Her voice cracked. "I think he- I think he was the one who did it. Caused the explosion."

Delphine set her hand on Marina's shoulder to comfort her. "What did he look like?"

"I don't remember much about him but he had an attractive face and short, shaggy brown hair. I thought he was kind of creepy though because it felt like he was always watching me. He never said anything either. He wore sunglasses all the time so I could never see his eyes. I can't really remember, but I think his skin was a weird olive color." She shuddered at the memory.

It did not go unnoticed.

"What did he do to you?" Katsuma felt his temper rising. He did not like seeing his old friend so anxious.

"He hit me over the head with something blunt." She mimed the action. "It may have been a metal pipe. I don't know, I couldn't see it. Whatever it was it hurt bad." She rubbed at the scab on her head in remembrance. "Really bad."

Katsuma growled deep in his throat. How dare he. That impudent little-

"Did he say anything to you?" Delphine asked, her face etched with worry.

"He told me 'I intend to finish the job my dear'. He said something else too that made him laugh. Something about the stuff I had brought." She shook her head. "I can't believe he went through my stuff. That creep. After that, he threw me overboard and then you found me." She looked over at the two and smiled weakly. "That's it. That's all I can remember. I may be a good swimmer but I wouldn't have survived for long if you hadn't shown up."

"Where do you think he is now?"

"Last I saw of him, he was in a life boat heading towards another ship hiding behind a glacier. He must have planned the whole thing. As far as I know he hasn't been caught and my family thinks I'm dead."

"I swear if I ever get my hands on that creep-" He was stopped by Delphine's hand on his shoulder. She shook her head, silently telling him to drop the subject.

Marina just placed her chin on her knees and stared out at sea.

Verg found Mutio perched on the edge of the canyon with her legs dangling over the edge.

Her back was to him, her head hung low. White and silver hair floated lazily in the current. She hadn't noticed his arrival.

The bikini Marina had given her drifted beside her. She had torn it off earlier in frustration and sadness.

Verg paid no attention to the discarded fabric. His eyes narrowed taking in her features.

She looked different somehow. Her body resembled Marina's now more than her siblings. More curvy and fuller in the chest. Her pink gills were missing too. What had happened to them?

He also noticed that, every so often, a convulsion would wrack her body. Was she scared? Cold?

Verg realized with a start that she was crying. Why was she crying? All the words he had wanted to say to her died on his lips. "Mutio, whats wrong?" He asked softly.

Startled, Mutio looked up at him and hastily rubbed at her eyes.

"Nothing, nothing." She answered as dispassionately as possible. "I'm fine. I-I'm very happy for you both."

Verg knitted his brow, perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard you tell Marina that you loved her."

Verg sat down beside her. "I wasn't telling her I love her. I was just practicing. She was helping me find the courage to tell someone else how I really feel about them."

"Oh, I see." Mutio murmured, thinking he was talking about someone on the shore. She got up and began to swim away. "I think I'll go visit my sisters now."

She was halted by a gentle yet firm hand on her wrist.

Feeling her temper rise, she turned to glower at the offending hand and then up at him. "Let me go, Verg."

He stared back at her with a somber expression. "Not until you hear me out, okay?" His speech was long forgotten. He would have to improvise. "I need to tell you something."

. She really didn't want to talk to him right now but he seemed determined. "Fine, I'm listening."

"I want to thank you for saving my life. If it weren't for you and your sisters, I would be dead now."

"Your welcome." She turned to leave but was stopped again.

"Please, let me finish. I also wanted to apologize for everything I've done to you." He hung his head in shame. "For the longest time, I've tried to get Papa to be proud of me and tell me he loved me. But each time I failed, I took my frustrations out on you and the others." He gently stroked the small scar on her ear. "That was really wrong and stupid of me to do and not a day goes by where I didn't wish I could take it all back. "

"He never did show you any affection did he?" Mutio asked softly.

Verg shook his head. His ears pinned back. "It doesn't matter now." He felt a lump forming in his throat. "Mutio, I'm so sorry I hurt you. You were trying to do the right thing and I was too stubborn to see." He was finding it harder to speak. "I know I don't deserve it but please….please-."

Without warning, he wrapped her up in a tight embrace. His head brushing against hers.

She wrapped her own arms around him to comfort him as his body quaked with sobs.

The next two words were spoken very softly but she heard them clear as the water surrounding the two. "-Forgive me."

She cupped his face in her hands and made him look at her. "I already have."

His ears perked up and he smiled modestly. "Thank you. Thank you so much. It means the world for me to hear you say that."

She cocked her head. "It does? Why?"

Verg looked away. "Because I love you." He said softly.

"Love me?" She repeated.

He nodded, finally meeting her eyes. "I realized it too late but I do. Every time I see you smile, I feel that everything is right with the world and when your sad, I want to wrap my arms around you and comfort you." He took her hands in his. "I know it sounds stupid but I want to be there for you. I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life. I love you Mutio and nothing is ever going to change that."

Mutio stared up at him in complete astonishment. "But-but why me? I'm different from the others. My eyes are-."

"I think you have lovely eyes." Verg whispered.

"But they're red." She argued.

"Red is my favorite color."

Her mind reeled at that bit of news but remained stubbornly unconvinced. "The others are so beautiful. You could have any one of them." She indicated her chest and torso. "Look at me, my body has changed. I can't swim or hunt as fast as before. I stand out even more now. Why would you want someone so unattractive?"

He took in every detail of her body but could not find anything but beauty. "I don't care if you are different from the others. I still think you're beautiful."

He thinks I'm beautiful. She blushed slightly but it quickly faded. "I'm not obedient or as respectful as the others. I've been nothing but defiant to you and kept you from getting Papa's approval. How could you love that?"

Verg smiled and shook his head. "No, you didn't keep me from winning him over. I love you because you did everything it took to stand up for what you felt was right. Even if it meant defying me or getting banished. You stuck up for what you believed in and tried to find a peaceful solution to the war against the humans. I've been nothing but mean to you in the past yet you still stayed by my side. The others wouldn't have done that for me. That's what I love about you. You are a true friend." He put his finger to his chin. "Now that I look back on it, you've shown very admirable qualities. You would make a wonderful leader if given the task."

Mutio was at a loss for words so she just floated there, letting all this new revelation sink in.

Verg took her silence as rejection. I can't blame her though. He thought sadly. I'd feel the same way if I were her. He studied her for a moment longer and then sighed. "I think I should go now. I've kept you long enough."

His voice had snapped her out of her thoughts and she watched him, dazed, as he swam away. Out to sea.

She reached out to him. "Wait, that isn't the way home."

He paused. "I think it would be best for everyone if I left."

Shocked, Mutio swam toward him. "You can't leave. We need you. You're our leader."

"Amonyushuu can lead." He began to swim away again but was stopped by a gentle hand on his wrist. He turned to look at her.

"Don't go," She whispered, her tears mixing with the salt water. "Please, don't go."

"Why not? I cause nothing but pain and misery. Everyone is better off without me."

"Because." She blushed again. "I love you too. I've loved you since we were both small."

"What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm a monster in every sense of the word. What is there to love about me?"

"Remember that day when we were young and you gave me that fish you had caught?"

"Yes," He nodded. "You were all by yourself. You looked so miserable and lonely."

"I was sad because the others had been picking on me again. They would steal the fish I caught and tease me with it. They called me a freak because my eyes were different than theirs and my markings were brighter. They were jealous of me. I swam away to be alone and I saw you out fishing. It was your first time and the fish kept getting away-." She giggled at the memory. "But you kept trying and you finally caught one."

Verg smiled too. "I remember that. It took me hours to get that puny little thing. I was so proud of myself. I was going to show it to Papa so he would be proud of me."

"But you didn't. You could have given it him and been praised but you gave it to me instead to make me feel better. You didn't have to do that for me. You might not think it had been much now but you made me feel special. Like I mattered. You gave me the courage to stand up for myself. I'll never forget that day. It was the day I fell in love." Her face saddened. "Then something happened to you and you became bitter and angry and violent. I don't know what had happened but I became afraid of you. Afraid of what you had become. I thought I had lost the little boy I loved." She continued with a look of hope spreading across her features. "When Papa died and you mourned for him, I saw the old you. The one I had fallen in love with." She held his face in her hands like the day their creator died. "I thought I would never get the old Verg back. I never want to lose you again."

Verg put his hand to his heart. "I promise you, I will never become that monster ever again. I'm going to become the leader that everyone has hoped I would be and prove to you that I am worthy of your love."

For a moment, she just looked into his golden eyes with affection. Then, ever so slowly, she leaned in and kissed him.

He was momentarily caught off guard but returned the kiss.

It was shy and a little awkward but to him it was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

The subject had soon changed to a happier one and after chatting a little longer with Katsuma and Delphine, Marina had retired to the house.

When Amonyushuu came home, she found the human sitting at the kitchen table staring sadly at a photograph in her hands.

"What are you looking at?" The cat-girl asked, peering over the young woman's shoulder.

"Just some old family photos," Marina replied, straightening the small pile on the table. "Wanna see?"

"You bet." She took a seat and picked up a photo of a teenage Marina standing next to a man with a muscular build. He was wearing some kind of suit with ornaments on the breast. The hair on his head and face was mostly black but with some gray mixed in. She noticed his beard and moustache were impeccably trim. Judging by his stance and clothing, he must be a very important person. His steely blue eyes held an air of superiority. "Who is this man standing next to you?"

Marina leaned over to get a better look. "That's my Uncle Gallagher. He's an admiral for the U.S. Coast guard." She smiled fondly at the picture. "He might look like a stick in the mud but at home he's quite the prankster. Why else would I call him Uncle Gags."

"What are you wearing in the picture?" Amonyushuu asked.

"Cap and gown. It was my high school graduation. I remember being very happy to leave. I hated the math classes and gym. Dribbling a basketball and trying to get it in the hoop is not my forte. I was always too clumsy." She pulled out another picture from the pile. "Here's a younger me and my aunt Sylvia in her garden."

Aunt Sylvia was a slightly plump woman with brown hair tied in a bun. Her smile was warm and caring. The Marina in the picture looked about Amonyushu's age. Both were standing in front of a large garden full of flowers of every color, shape, and size. "She's a botanist and has made it her personal goal in life to breed a perfect blue rose." Marina explained. "So far, she hasn't succeeded." She allowed Amonyushuu to study the picture and admire the flowers in the background for a few moments longer before showing her the rest. "This is me and my cousins, my aunt and uncle at their wedding anniversary, me holding a tiger cub at a game park, me in a swimming competition. I never could win higher than a silver because my breasts always slowed me down… Me celebrating my twenty-first birthday-." She paused, staring at the next picture. It was the one she had been looking at when Amonyushuu came in.

"What's wrong?" The cat-girl had picked up on her friend's distress immediately.

Reluctantly, Marina handed her the picture.

The picture was of a young couple in full wedding garb. They were smiling lovingly as they held each other close.

Both, Amonyushu noted, had long black hair like Marina. The woman's being curly and tied into a bun on the top of her head. The rest hung down over her shoulders.

The man's hair was straight and tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

The man's eyes were sky blue and the woman had dazzling emerald green eyes which matched her necklace and wedding ring perfectly.

They looked awfully familiar.

"Are these your parents?" Amy asked tentatively, unsure of how her friend would react.

Marina just nodded sadly. Her eyes focusing on the table.

"They look very happy together."

"They were. We all were," Marina leaned on the table, her eyes getting a distant look as she reminisced about her childhood. "I remember we used to go to the beach a lot when I was little and play in the surf. We would look for cool seashells to take home with us and write our names in the sand. Sometimes, we would build a sandcastle and decorate it with things we found on the beach." She smiled at a particularly pleasant recollection. "The earliest memory I can think of is when I was really young. Maybe three or four years old. We were watching the water, when I spotted a seal watching us in the waves. I pointed to it and asked what a dog was doing out in the water. My dad said it was a seal and he was watching the little Nereid on the beach. I asked him what Nereid meant and he said it was a beautiful lady who lived in the sea and liked to play in the waves. He said it described me perfectly and started calling me his little Nereid from that day onward." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Those were the happiest days of my life."

"You miss them don't you?"

"Terribly. I've tried to move on with my life but it isn't easy when you see their faces every time you walk through the house. I always dream about the day they died around this time too. My family doesn't understand just how painful it is for me. For once, I just wish they could feel the same way I feel. I want the grief to end. Just make it all go away."

"When did they pass?" Amonyushuu asked. She tried to choose her words carefully so as not to make Marina even more upset.

"Tomorrow marks the twelfth year that they've been gone."

"I'm sorry." The cat-girl wrapped her arms around her saddened friend. Her next words were spoken with some hesitation but quickly became anxious as she continued. "I know we aren't related by blood but you could live here with me and Verg. We could be your family. You wouldn't have to be sad all the time because we'll be here for you to talk to. We'll make the bad dreams go away. We know how it feels to lose someone we loved." She looked up at Marina, beseechingly. " I don't want you to leave. Verg is so much happier with you here and so am I. Please stay here with us. "

Marina looked down at the cat-girl's big sad eyes and smiled. A genuine, warm, smile. "I'd love to."

The coast was clear. Everyone was either eating, in the gym, or talking in the conference room.

Carefully, Mayumi made her way to the grampus and climbed in.

"Where are you going?" Came an all too familiar voice from behind her.

"Marina is one of my closest friends." She answered her soon-to-be husband. She didn't even look over her shoulder as she started the grampus. "The sub is going too slow. I know she's alive. I can feel it. I've got to go save her. She'd do the same for me."

Hayami leaned on the pilot's seat. "You're not going-."

Mayumi looked at him, her mouth open to protest.

"-Not without me."

She smiled. "Strap in and hang on. Let's see how fast this bad boy can go."

The grampus exited the launch bay without anyone being the wiser. Except one.

Ash stepped out of the shadows carrying a small duffle bag. He climbed into another grampus and grinned, not quite believing his luck.

He was well aware of Hayami and Kino's involvement in the ending of the war.

He started the engine and strapped himself in.

The chimeras would not be too happy to see the man who killed their beloved Papa.

Chaos would erupt as soon as the two stepped foot on the sand.

They would be so preoccupied, they wouldn't even notice the second grampus.

His grin broadened. Perfect.

When they broke the kiss, Mutio rested her head against Verg's chest.

Together they floated there in each other's arms, enjoying the other's company.

Verg was thinking about the future, when he detected a faint sound. He turned, ears swiveling, searching the dark waters for the source. "Do you hear that?" He asked.

Mutio listened too.

Yes, there was something definitely out there. Out in the deeper waters.

Verg released her from his grasp and swam further out.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go check it out." Verg answered. "Stay here."

He swam a ways and looked back to make sure she wasn't following. She wasn't to his relief. From this distance, she looked like a tiny minnow.

He looked back out to sea and scanned for any sign of movement.

There.

He couldn't quite make it out but something was coming towards him. A dark blob against the blackness. He watched as it got closer and started taking shape.

It was still too far out but he could recognize that shape anywhere.

A grampus.

If it was coming, then Blue Six couldn't be too far behind. Ready for battle. But why?

His eyes widened in realization.

Marina. She had set them up. That traitor.

He hurriedly swam back towards shore.

Mutio sensed his distress as he reached her. "Verg, what is it? What's wrong?"

"It's a grampus. Headed this way. Marina lied to us. She was here on reconnaissance all along. We have to warn the others."

She stared at him in disbelief. Marina wouldn't do such a thing. Would she?

Both swam back to shore as fast as they could.

Katsuma and Delphine were still sitting there when they arrived.

They noticed Verg's anger immediately.

"What's going on? Did you two get in a fight?"

Verg didn't even stop to explain as he headed back to the house. He yelled over his shoulder. "Mutio, you and Delphine go back to your mother where it's safe."

Katsuma caught up with him. "What's going on?" He demanded.

"Marina betrayed us." Verg snarled. "She befriended us just to lull us into a false sense of security."

"What makes you think that?" Katsuma asked, not believing him.

"There's a grampus headed this way. Blue Six won't be too far behind. They'll kill us all if we don't do something. I'm going to get some answers from her even if I have to break every bone in her body."