Morg: Heyo! This is another story of mine that is getting super close to being finished.

Ikuto: Are you just ending all of them?

Amu: Please do.

Morg: Not quite yet. Plus, I have others to write still.

Ikuto: Oh.

Amu: Dang it!

Morg: What are you angry about? I don't own you.

~At the Water's Edge~

The boat along with the others didn't take long to show up after Daichi did, which wasn't at all surprising since there was no way that the bird would have flown so far away from Kukai. It wasn't so much that Ikuto wasn't pleased to see their friends and his boat again. It was more that he was a bit annoyed that their time alone on the island had been cut short so quickly.

"How did you find us?"

Pulling out of his pouting by Amu's voice, Ikuto turned to see Nagi and Rima pulling themselves up onto the beach. He watched as Rima smirked as if she knew everything. Ikuto somehow didn't doubt that she did.

Reaching into the water, Rima lifted Ran so that Amu could see her fish. "They led us straight to you."

Moving down the beach, Amu allowed the waves to cover her so that she could greet her fish. They were brilliant and she loved them a lot. "You're all just so smart."

The small fish rubbed against her cheeks and her hands in return.

Amu returned to the beach just in time to see Kukai, Yaya, Kairi and Utau joining them on the island. "Where's Tadase?"

Smirking, Utau pulled herself up until she could collapse onto her back and enjoy the sun for a bit. "Left him locked in the bathroom. That kid is an idiot."

Snorting, Ikuto turned his laughter into a cough. He really didn't want to draw Utau's attention back to himself. Oddly enough, she didn't even glance in his direction. Which was nice and also unnerving. "So what now?"

Scratching the back of his head, Kukai turned to look out at the ocean. "We've been through hell and back on this little voyage of ours. It would be wise to turn back now."

"Why do I hear a but coming on?"

Grinning at his best friend, Kukai flashed Ikuto a thumb's up. "Because I was just going to use one! We've been through some really dangerous stuff but turning around now sort of feels like giving up."

Kairi looked up at Yaya from where he sat on the beach. "I for one would very much like to use the Tear."

The admission was done so quietly that they all almost missed it. That was, until Yaya was squealing and tackling Kairi backwards into the sand and covering his face with kisses.

Amu couldn't help but smile at them. "It has been quite the journey."

Looking at the pink haired mermaid, Ikuto couldn't help but grin. Something about seeing Amu happy made him feel happy as well. "Then maybe we should keep going."

"It'll get more dangerous."

Nagi's warning was a good one.

Rima simply slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. "It'll be worth it since it is for our friends."

Sitting there with her friends around her, new and old, Amu couldn't help but sigh. They were going to keep going. Despite everything within her telling her to turn back, they would keep going and find the Tear. "Then we need to keep heading north."

Saluting, Kukai spun in a circle until he dropped onto the sand. "Then we will! Tomorrow. Tonight I just want to lay here and relax. Let's have a rest before we do more dangerous and stupid stuff."

Everyone laughed at that. However, no one argued with him either.

XXX

The air was frigid. The water was mostly frozen and they were close. They were so very close that Amu could feel the power of the Tear vibrating through her. Despite being used to the cold temperature of the water of the ocean at deep levels, none of the merpeople were prepared for the ice and coldness of the air. They all stayed inside the cabin where it was warmer.

Except for Utau, who stayed up in the top cabin with Kukai. She claimed it was to keep in company, but Amu was starting to suspect that it was something more than that. And if it was, she was glad for them.

"How much further is it?"

The cold had even taken a lot out of Tadase. Unfortunately, he was still an ass a lot of the time.

Shuddering, Amu leaned against the wall of the ship and just shut her eyes. "Close. We're really close. There should be a cave or something. We need to go inside."

Without a word, Ikuto got up to go and let Kukai know what he should be looking for. He didn't like leaving Amu alone, but the sooner they found this place the sooner they could put it behind them. Ikuto didn't like what it was doing to the pinkette at all.

They didn't have to wait long after Ikuto returned before they all heard Kukai calling for them to come up.

Tadase was the first to reach the deck of the yacht. The others were just behind him, but he could see the cave. "There! I see it!"

Amu stared at the dark entrance for a few seconds before sucking in a deep breath. "If we're going in then we should just go in."

"The boat won't fit."

Ikuto turned to look up at Kukai before shaking his head. "No, we won't take the boat inside. Get the inflatable one ready. Can you guys swim in?"
Nagi and Rima looked at each other for a moment before nodding. "It'll be cold, but we can handle it."

Lowering the merpeople into the water and getting the small boat ready for those without fins took time. Time that Amu used to calm herself as much as she could. The last thing that she wanted was for a repeat performance like what happened with the volcanoes. She would have to keep a tight lid on her powers or everything could come crashing down. Literally.

"Ready?"

Turning in the water to find Ikuto looking down at her from his little boat, Amu tried to smile. She wasn't but she also knew that there would be no turning back. "Let's go."

Because no one else would, Amu led the way into the cave. It wasn't so much a cave as it was just a giant cavern made of ice. The light reflecting off the walls was beautiful and dangerous in its own way. No one really stopped to admire it as they made their way further in.

Once they entered the main part of the cave, it was easy to see the small island made from ice. In the middle of the island sat a statue. There was no doubt in Amu's mind as it who it was. "Mirene."

"She's the one that created the Tear, right?"

Nodding over to Rima, Amu swam right up to the island but didn't touch it. No one else got close. "She loved a human and he loved her but they couldn't be together since she was a mermaid. She also had control of the elements like I do. The story goes that when he died, she fled to be alone with her grief. Because she was so sad, she cried a single tear. And that Tear turned into a magical stone."

"A magical stone, huh. Can all merpeople tears do that?"

Utau smacked Kukai so that he'd shut up.

Amu shook her head. "Merpeople don't cry. We don't need to since we live in the water. Her grief was so much that she did. And it is said that the Tear can turn merpeople in humans and humans into merpeople so that they never have to be separated from those that they love again."

The cavern was once again silent as everyone stared up at the statue of the forlorn mermaid.

Studying the statue from where he was, Tadase let out an annoyed sound. "I don't see any Tear."

Sighing, Amu lightly ran her fingers over the edge of the island. "I have to ask her for it. But once a change is made, there is no going back."

The silence hanging over them was heavier this time. It was a lot to think about. They'd come all this way and had been through so much, but that didn't mean they'd all just jump at the chance to do something magical to themselves that couldn't be reversed.

Breaking the silence with a cough, Utau ran her fingers through her hair before sighing. "I would like to change."

Ikuto was about to groan when he noticed that Utau wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Kukai and Kukai was grinning right back at her. That sly dog.

"Are you completely certain?"

Nodding, Utau looked back at Amu. "I want to live as a human. I want to know what it's like. I've been a mermaid. And it's time for a change."

"Father isn't going to like this."

"Father has you to be his heir. He can deal with it."

Tadase decided not to say anything else on the matter. He would be very happy to be king of the ocean.

"Yaya would also like to make a change."

"Yaya?"

Turning, Yaya leaned over the edge of the boat to take Kairi's hands into hers. "Yaya has always loved merpeople and Kairi-koi. Now Yaya has the chance to be with Kairi-koi always. Yaya wants to make the change."

Amu couldn't help but smile at the two. It was nice to see that Kairi had found someone that understood his quiet demeanor. They made a lovely pair and she could really see Yaya loving becoming a mermaid. "Okay."

Nagi and Rima both shook their heads when Amu looked over at the.

"No way," Rima said. "I like my fins."

Nagi just laughed before tugging the girl he loved closer to him. "We are already very happy with how things are."

Nodding again, Amu turned to look back at Ikuto but then glanced away again. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear what he had to say or not. "Then I'm going to go up there and ask her for it. However, no one else can come onto the island. Don't even touch it. If things start to go wrong you have to get out of here as fast as you can."

Ikuto didn't like the sound of that at all. "Why would anything go wrong?"

Swallowing, Amu began to pull herself up onto the ice. Mirene's sad face was all that she could look at. "There may be a chance that she doesn't want to give it to me."

"That's just a statue, Amu."

Once again nudging Kukai to get him to shut up, Utau shook her head. "No, that's not just a statue, Kukai. That's Mirene. She put all of her power into that single Tear. Now she stands forever more holding it and waiting for her lost love."

The fact that the statue was alive with magic changed everything for Ikuto. He suddenly didn't want Amu anywhere near it. And yet, he knew that he couldn't call her back. He couldn't make her do something she didn't want to do. Amu was doing this for their friends. Ikuto knew that if he was in her place, he would do it for them all without hesitation. So he definitely couldn't ask her to not to.

All he could do was grip the oars the boat tighter and pray that everything was going to end up being all right.

.

Morg: So close to the end that it hurts!

Ikuto: This is a terrible place to leave it!

Amu: The end! Nothing else happens!

Morg: No, no. This is not the end.

Ikuto: Good.

Amu: Could be.

Morg: No.