It's funny how sounds like a slap can be suspended in such enclosed spaces. It just hangs over your head with no signs of leaving. The growing red mark on Kirkland's shocked face added to the hanging silence. With his fingertips just barely touching the stinging area, full realization of what I had done set in. A plethora of emotions ran through him, anger and betrayal being the most dominant. His thick eyebrows furrowed together as his face contorted into a snarl.

Before he could even make a sound, I raised my voice at him. My cold mask returned, but my tone so obviously didn't match it. "Arthur Kirkland, you absolute empty-headed Marlin! Obviously your brain is as big as a plankton or you wouldn't have even thought that asking me to stay on your ship was a good idea! Honestly, Kirkland, you don't even like me, let alone keeping me onboard. Or has the entire 'sell the mermaid for easy profit' scheme been completely forgotten? Adding to that, I have no reason to trust you other than you haven't killed me so far."

Sighing, Kirkland struggled to keep himself levelheaded. Strained, he started, "Natasha, please, let me explain-"

I never gave him the chance to continue, striding out of the cabin as fast as I could without running. Kirkland followed after me, continually attempting to start a sentence, each time being interrupted by an obstacle as I made my way to the Merperson refuge. Never have I felt more relief than when I slammed the door in his face.

All of the mermaids were in their cells, at least half of them were still asleep. Hurrying back to my room, I secretly hoped that Lovino was still asleep so I could brood in peace. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side. Lovino was awake and alert after the door slammed. Looking at me, his expression went from annoyed to concerned. Instead of signing immediately, I tore off the clothes that Kirkland had given to me what seemed like years ago. Plopping into the tub that seemed smaller than before, I let the water soak into my skin.

It wasn't until I felt Lovino shaking me that I became aware of the situation. "What happened?" He asked, his hands rushing through the words. Shakily, I replied, "I realized how stupid I am. I am and always be a mermaid, and no human could change that." I bumped against him, resting my head against his sturdy chest. Wrapping his arm around me, he stated, "I don't care if you look like them or if you look like us. I have and always will love you from the depths and back." He rested his head against mine, gently rubbing against me. The display of affection warmed my core as I returned the gesture, wondering what the human equivalent would be. Despite the specimens we had met so far, they were truly an interesting species.

As the days went by, I became closer to Lovino than we had been before. He eagerly listened as I told him and the others of the adventure I had while looking for them. Of course, I left out choice parts about the Captain, but it didn't seem vital to the story. Shortly after I finished, Oliver commented that I should apprentice for the city's Storyteller. "The way you tell stories is wonderful. It feels like I've been traveling with you the whole time," he beamed. Returning the smile, I promised to talk to the current Storyteller as soon as we returned home.

Oliver's compliment raised my spirits considerably. Due to Merpeople's longevity, the position of Storyteller was seldom open. However, the Storyteller's apprentice would often be chosen depending on competence. Knowing that the Prince's mate thought I was competent enough to be an apprentice was comforting to say the least. For the last few days of our journey, I held my head high with pride. It seemed to rub off on Lovino, who seemed to be excited about seeing our dull home again. After everything that had happened, all of us could use some dullness in our lives.

Finally, the final day came. The ship stopped and the six of us left walked on two legs for the last time for a while. Standing on the top deck, Arthur stood there with Peter. I stepped forward, being the only one who communicate with him. Taking a breath, I started, "Captain, we give you our sincerest thanks. Despite our differences and a difficult start, you have helped me save my mate and kin from certain death. I only wish that we had been able to save your kin as well. As a gesture of our thanks, Princes Gilbert and Oliver have decided to trust your ships. That is, you and Captain Carriedo no longer have to worry about attacks from Merpeople. If needed, we will even assist you should the winds or tides be unfortunate."

After my speech, Arthur gave a humble bow to Oliver and Gilbert. Looking me in the eyes, he asked, "Are you sure that you wouldn't like to stay with me, Natasha?" The sadness in his eyes made my heart ache, but the emotional connection I had with him had faded. Should the bite be too shallow, it would heal without scarring and sever the attachment. Struggling to find my voice, I nodded. "I apologize, Captain, but I belong under the waves, not above them." Directing my eyes towards Peter, I allowed them to see a small smile. "Perhaps we will meet again, under better circumstances." The small child grinned through tears he had been struggling to hide. Stepping away from the Captain, I took my place with the others at the edge. On a nonverbal queue, the six of us gracefully dived into the water below with synchronized movements. Feeling the free water brought tears to my eyes.

Resurfacing with the others, Oliver gave us another queue. As we had planned in secret, the six of us sang a farewell song to the crew. Even to my ears, it was beautiful. The crew above us crowded around every possible area to see the performance. As our harmonized voices ended, the crew started to applaud. We took our bows and dived underwater, showing off our shimmering tails to the crew above. Following our memories, the six of us made our way to the city. Stealing a glance behind us, I looked at the place where the ship had been. Regret had lodged itself in my heart, a small part of me wanted to go with Arthur. Turning my attention to Katyusha and Lovino, I ignored the feeling. With our home in sight, a smile crept onto my face. Despite everything, there was nowhere else that I would rather be.

-

I really hate putting author's notes in my stories, but I have to say this. The next chapter will be the last, and it will probably be fairly unsatisfying. I'm fairly unhappy with how this came out, so I'm going to end it sooner rather than later and rewrite it under a similar name. Thank you for being patient with the updates and for the inspiring comments that you've left. This was my first fanfiction and I've since put up a few more as well as some oneshots. If you ever need to contact me, my tumblr is asking-miss-belarus, and I'm pretty good about answering asks fairly quickly. I'd love to take some requests, and I actually have a few more fics being planned, though length has yet to be determined. I really appreciate everyone who took their time to follow and comment. Thank you again for your patience and staying with me for so long.