Arthur

It has been over a week since we had been told to prepare for war.

"Marvellous," I smirked observing my new uniform that graced my form. My hand softly touched the collar of the outfit before it moved to my shoulder. It was completely healed and I wondered why Sakura had not approached me to remove it. Was she still uncertain about the risk of the wound or did she forget? . . . No, she could not have forgotten; the patch was bonding us; pain, joy, nervousness. At first it was an odd feeling to sense not only my emotion but now I could not deny that I was content to have the patch on my body: to feel closer to her. Nonetheless, I came to the decision to inquire after her. A small glimmer of hope sparkled within me; perhaps she did not want to separate the bond with me and that thought accelerated my pulse.

Of course during the last interaction with Antonio – in front of the King's door – I had been injured by the twat and caused the mermaid to heal my wound again. It was a small scratch from his sword but her eyes were filled with worry. There had been no need for another of her magical patches.

I opened the door and stepped outside with the urge to knock on Sakura's room.

"Admiral Kirkland."

As if she had read my thoughts – although I am certain that she noticed the change of my pulse due to our bounding – the petite women stood in front of me and my room. And I was left speechless for half a minute. Sakura was dressed in a beautiful dress, her hair styled in a chignon with a red flower. To say that she looked pretty was an understatement. She was stunning. I was glad she did not wear Natalya's clothes which she had received after she was found by Feliks. And thinking about that incident made my blood boil; she was on their ship, injured after she had been tortured by pirates who had endangered the prince. I was raging and if I was capable of confronting these culprits – and I would do anything to find them – I would be the last person they would see in their life. Their actions had not only caused her to be unable to walk for days. She was left with a scar.

"S-Sir?"

And again, it was her soft voice that gained my attention. My eyes caught hers and I could not stop my voice from stuttering. "Y-you look stunning."

She stared at me; her face's colour mirrored mine. "T-Thank you," she whispered. It left me smiling. As seconds passed, the intensity in her eyes did not cease.

"Admiral Kirkland?" The black-haired asked again. "I wanted to see if your wound from last week has fully healed."

I frowned as she addressed me again with my title and ranking. Before I was promoted to be an Admiral, she had called me Captain – which I normally did not mind at all but hearing it from her did vex me. We were bonded and those addresses were dissociating our acquaintance – which has developed into friendship and I could not deny that I wished for more.

"Please, use my given name," I told her softly, my face holding a gentle expression. She gaped, before the red colour adorned her adorable cheeks again.

"Oh, please forgive me."

It was almost a whisper but I heard her nonetheless.

"And for your request, the wound has healed completely," I informed her, "although I have one question, considering the patch."

The petite mermaid nodded, motioning me to proceed. "I have no injury that could cause me to bleed or kill me. . . All my wounds have been taking care of by your magic," I mentioned, bracing myself for my question. I hoped to see the reaction which I longed to see. "So why is the patch still on my shoulder? It has been over a week."

My heart leapt, seeing that her eyes widened and her breath was stuck in her throat. She had not been prepared for my question and it had left her startled.

"I-I," she stuttered, "need to observe your vital functions a-and wounds."

The ground seemed to be more interesting than me as her eyes diverted towards the ground. "If you are hurt in a battle, I could help you instantly," she added, closing her eyes. "I would be worried."

Sakura murmured the last sentence in a voice that I could barely hear. But I had listened all of her utterings and the part of her worries was not left unheard by my ears.

To hear that someone you care about is worried about your well-being. . . It is a wonderful feeling. Since the first moment I had seen her, I knew that she was a unique creature; not only her kind but her character, her caring, her loyalty and determination of protecting – and not only for the prince. At first I was uncertain if such a marvellous creature would even care for me. She had denied me her name and tried to avoid me, which left me desperate – although I did not clearly show it. She resembled my stepmother; They had some features in common but not all. I had always been protective over mermaids or sea creatures; yet, she was the one I did not wish to carry back in the ocean. I did not want for her to return and the prince had explained that she had a position in his castle. She was needed and her task of saving him was part of her destiny. Whether it was the ocean or any bloody castle . . . I did not want to let her go.

Regardless of her distant formalities towards me, I was now certain that she cared enough for me to inquire after my health even though she was aware of my healed injuries. I had seen her in embarrassing positions – on the island where she was relieving herself and needed my assistance – and I still felt the need to be closer to her than before. For some days I knew that it was not only protection I wanted to provide her. I was craving for her affections, just the way I felt for her. In spite of her role of the prince's bodyguard: I wanted to be with her, no matter where; I would engage myself in the Borussian military forces only to be able to see her adorable smile and beautiful eyes. And I was quite shocked to realise that my dedication for her was so strong . . . I had fallen in love with her.

Without thinking of her words – she was speaking at the moment but I had forgotten everything around me – I stepped forward and enclosed her in my arms. I embraced her lovingly, something I had wished to do for several days.

"You do not need to worry about me," I affirmed softly, "I am always worried about you." My arms around her formed tightened. Her head lay softly against my chest. A feeling I will always remember.

"Please pardon my impulsive action but . . .," I breathe and quickly kissed her head. I needed to tell her . . . before I would find myself on the battlefield. "I-I – "

"Kirkland! Prince Gilbert wishes to talk to you!" A militia officer shouted. I knew he did not like me and that was the cause for his absurd disruption. If Sakura had not been present, I could not have held my temper from rising. I was fuming but something inside of my heart told me to calm down. My eyes focussed back on the mermaid in my arms and her shiny irises stared into my soul. It was her doing . . . she was calming me. However, as I eyed the obnoxious officer, my glare intensified and I muttered an "Understood" before stepping down the stairs.

"W-wait . . .," Sakura called softly, approaching me with a shy smile, "I want to accompany you . . . Arthur."

I stopped abruptly. She had used my name with such a sweet voice . . . It would make me the happiest man alive to wake up next to her for the rest of my life . . . My focus was on her, observing her radiant – but flustered – face. "Sakura . . ."

"I will need to tell them that the patch functions as a communication tool. We are able to talk during the war," the smiling mermaid said, "I observe your heart rate and pulse and am able to heal you, if you get hurt in the process."

"How can one communicate with it?"

"If you focus on the patch and the person you would like to speak," she replied.

A small smile formed itself on my mouth, realising that I had just done that minutes ago and she had standing in front of my door when I had wished to talk to her while focussing on my patch. "Indeed."

We remained silent during our walk towards the prince's office. While we exchanged some glances, I could feel my racing pulse as she took my hand; her soft hand that had once saved me from meeting death.

[A/N: I am tired and it's pretty late, so I think there are some grammatical mistakes (although I have noticed that a lot of the older chapters have grammatical mistakes :'D) but yeah :'D. Either way, have some Asasaku (or Asakiku) :D I really love this pairing *screams in the background: OTP! OTP!*, so yeah :D. While Iggy needs someone to calm him down, Sakura needs someone to admire her openly (and obviously) because she had only received negative reaction from humans. And Iggy has a mermaid complex xD (yes! My justification for using this pairing in this story ~)]