Atem swam slowly through the palace hallways, searching for Isis.

He decided to try her private chambers first, so he swam towards the female wing of the palace, awkwardly floating by several groups of giggling mermaids who all stared at him as he passed.

Finally reaching Isis's door, he gave it a gentle knock, and to his pleasant relief, Isis herself answered, her black hair beautifully sleek in the semi-darkness.

"My king," she said politely, bowing and opening her door further. "Thank you for gracing me with an unannounced visit."

"I hope I'm not bothering you," Atem said uncertainly. "I've come to seek your advice regarding Human Attachment."

The mermaid shook her head kindly and floated back to let him in, moving to sit on her plush lounge.

"Human Attachment?" she said, frowning. "Did something happen with a human on shore?"

Damn, Isis was sharp.

Atem hovered awkwardly in the doorway, unsure if he should enter.

Isis had the deepest knowledge of this subject out of all the other merfolk in his court, because she had a half-brother who was half-human. She was the best advisor he could seek in this situation.

"Regarding the human who released me, Seto Kaiba," Atem replied nervously, floating inside to sit beside her on her sponge lounge. "I thanked him, and we had a conversation about love. He kept saying the word love but acted strangely."

"I see," Isis said simply, running her hands through her hair smoothly, looking relieved. "Humans define 'love' differently, which is why we call it Human Attachment, to prevent confusion."

"Right," Atem said uncertainly, wondering if there was anything to be worried about in the first place. "I'm being ridiculous. I'll take my leave now."

"No, no, I'll explain it better." Isis reached out and placed her hand gently over Atem's arm to give it a warm squeeze. "We love each other, don't we? You love me, Mana, and Mahad, just as how I love you, my king. Correct?"

"Indeed. I love you too," Atem replied, frowning, now growing more confused. "So, when a human says this to you, it's a great compliment. I understand now."

"No," Isis mirrored his frown, now looking deeply worried. "Humans rarely say this to each other in passing. They only say it to those they hold dear. Like, a wife, or a child. Their kin. Was the human Seto Kaiba talking about his kin?"

"Yes he was," Atem lied vehemently, his cheeks burning. "His child brother, Mokuba."

"Now that's a different type of attachment too," Isis declared, and Atem felt his head spin.
Maybe he was idiotic for forgetting all that he'd learned about Human Attachment in school.

That had been nearly a millennium ago…so did he have anything to fear or not?

"I'll break it down for you," Isis said hurriedly, sensing Atem's distress. "The least dangerous form of Human Attachment is friendship. The second one you're asking about, is the 'love' humans feel for their kin."

"I see," Atem said, now thoroughly confused if Kaiba had meant he 'loved him' as a friend, because he knew the human most certainly didn't see him as kin.

"Still confused?" Isis said worriedly, smiling sympathetically. "The third most dangerous form of human love, is the one we've explicitly banned…this is the one that gets a mermaid into the most trouble."

"Only mermaids?" Atem said, wondering why dangerous human love only afflicted their female population, and Isis shook her head.

"Only in our kingdom, we've had an instance of two mermaids having shore-relations with a human who felt Deep Attachment for them."

"And what is Deep Attachment?" Atem asked desperately, now regretting having ever asked. "Friendship, love for your mate, and love for your kin. Is there anything further than that? Do merpeople feel Deep Attachment for each other?"

Isis tilted her head thoughtfully, "Unsure. But this type of human love is more potent than even the thickest of blood pacts. This is what makes human contact extremely dangerous."

Atem blinked, slowly digesting her words, his stomach churning.
How could he tell one attachment from another?
Humans were so confusing.
Did humans not love each other in their society the way merpeople did?

Isis was still talking. "If a human were to love a mermaid with conviction, they would do anything. Unthinkable things. Humans are feeling creatures. Perhaps I'm not doing a good job explaining it to you, my lord."

"I think I understand," Atem said shakily, and Isis's hand tightened over his arm while she gazed deeply into his eyes when she spoke, "Perhaps it would help if you visited the mermaids in Confinement."

"Why would I do that?" Atem gasped, backing away slowly and eyeing the door behind him, now wishing he could leave without further questioning. "They've committed unspeakable crimes, haven't they?"

"Yes, but not against us," Isis said softly, swimming forward gently to hold the door open for him. "They've committed crimes against humans…by forcing Deep Attachment onto them, and the humans who were affected died painfully. Pay them a visit sometime, won't you?"

"I…I'm not sure I want to." Atem winced, wondering what good it would do to visit prisoners in his spare time when he could use it to sneak away to visit Seto Kaiba.

"You'll hear their stories firsthand and understand why," Isis said firmly. "Maybe when you're older, we can go together. They can be very intimidating sometimes."

Atem frowned and nodded, reaching forward to caress Isis's hand in thanks before swimming off down the hallway.

Next, it was time to ask Mahad about Human Attachment.
His view would probably be less gentle than Isis's.

Kaiba stared at vials of clear liquid presented to him by his two chemists, and he picked one up tentatively, holding it up to the light for closer inspection.

These glass vials didn't look like they contained anything special. It looked exactly like water.

"This is the purest form," the female chemist said proudly, "We've managed to eliminate the odor too."

"Did you get into a fight, Mr. Kaiba?" the male chemist asked, pointing at the thin bandage on Kaiba's cheek. "Try a few drops of this, maybe it'll heal faster."

"I'll take these with me," Kaiba said gruffly, grabbing all five vials and moving to the door.

He had gotten painful scratches all over his back from the way Atem had pushed him up against the rock.

Two large bruises dotted his knees too, and Kaiba had spent a good while in the mirror examining his still-healing wounds before getting dressed this morning.

Stepping into the elevator, he gripped the vials and sighed.

If each weekly sex session with Atem was going to leave deep cuts on his face and body, he needed to come up with a solution…fast.

If suspicious marks kept showing up on his face, the media was going to start questioning it, and that was the last thing he needed.

As the elevator rose higher, Kaiba gazed down at the clear liquid, briefly wondering if he could save himself hassle of applying it topically, and just…ingest it.

But who or what could he test this on?

The serum had healing properties, so theoretically, if he drank it, it should heal all the cuts on his body…even…back there, because his asshole had throbbed painfully for three days afterwards.

Without a second thought, Kaiba uncapped the vial and tossed it back with ease, making sure it didn't touch his tongue as he poured it down his throat.

The elevator doors opened and Kaiba stepped out, suddenly growing cold all over.

He froze mid-step, wondering if he had just inadvertently killed himself by ingesting the merman's liquified scales, before the feeling passed quickly, and he felt perfectly normal again.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Kaiba walked nervously through the hallway and down a flight of stairs, exiting to the parking garage.

He pressed his keys, seeing his headlights blink from afar, and he hastened his pace, another wave of cold consuming him before fading as quickly as it came.

Ah shit…was he going to turn into fish now?

Shivering, Kaiba threw himself into the car and pried the mirror down from the visor above, carefully peeling the bandage off his cheek to check the cut.

The deep scratch on his cheek had vanished, along with the scab.

There was nothing but smooth skin underneath the bandage, and Kaiba sat up straighter, reaching around his back and pressing his fingers into the places that had been causing him pain for the past few days.

He felt nothing.

Thrumming with excitement, Kaiba started the engine and decided to inspect himself closer when he got home.

"Human Attachment?" Mahad frowned, carrying an empty mesh sack in his arms as he floated through the hallways with Atem at his side. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Seto Kaiba, now would it?"

"You're sharp as ever," Atem praised, his chest tightening with anxiety at the lies he was about to tell. "The human has a brother. A child. And he was—"

"Then it has nothing to do with you," Mahad interrupted, swimming right out the palace gates and pausing to hold his hand up protectively. "I'm out to gather scales from the salons. The drop-off to shore is today. Please stay here, my lord."

"I wasn't finished talking," Atem fumed, hating how everyone was now treating him like a precious object that could be broken at any moment. "Tell me about the most dangerous form of Human Attachment. I believe they also call it 'love'."

"They do," Mahad said, frowning with worry. "That's why we call it Deep Attachment instead."

"Real helpful." Atem rolled his eyes and sighed. "Isis said the same thing."

"Our love is unconditional," Mahad declared, shaking his dark hair off his shoulders proudly. "Humans need a condition for Deep Attachment to happen. We, as merfolk, will love one another because we all share the same ocean, and we live in harmony. Humans war, constantly. They don't feel love between each other without a condition."

"So what makes Deep Attachment different from regular love?" Atem asked curling his fists at his sides, his confusion rising once more. "It shouldn't be dangerous if a human were to love one of us, right?"

"Wrong," Mahad said deeply, and after a moment of silence, he sighed. "Fine. Do you want to come with me to gather the scales?"

"Yes!" Atem said instantly, swimming out through the gates to join Mahad in the open water. "Keep talking. Why is it dangerous then?"

Mahad sighed and swam forward slowly, understanding that the young king's questions about humans were increasing because of his contact with Seto Kaiba.

"Say if a human were to become Deeply Attached to you," Mahad said, wondering how he could explain this in the simplest terms. "For humans, it signifies loyalty, and they will behave erratically, all for the attention of a mermaid, or a merman."

"Like a mating dance," Atem said, and Mahad shook his head again, exasperated.

He stopped above a glittering shell-covered rooftop and gave Atem an appraising look.

"We dance to show our respect for our mates, and to draw attention to ourselves. A human will do anything…even something to endanger themselves…if they were to become attached to you."

"I see," Atem blinked rapidly, feeling relieved. "Thank you. I understand now."

Mahad nodded and dove down towards the salon doors, the empty mesh sack bobbing gently over his shoulder.

Seto Kaiba didn't behave that way, so there was no Deep Attachment between them.

The 'love' Kaiba had meant was the friendly kind.

"What's that?" Mahad shot upwards through the water towards him, his eyes wide with concern, and Atem backed away, startled, realizing his thoughts had been heard.

"I—…The human said he loves me," Atem stammered nervously, seeing Mahad narrow his eyes suspiciously. "That's why I've been asking. My memory on the stages of Human Attachment is rusty."

"I see," Mahad said icily, folding his arms across his muscular chest and gazing off into the distance. "I suppose the human has a gentle side to him. Did he say that to you during the drop-off last week?"

"Yes," Atem said hurriedly, regretting ever having brought this topic up with Mahad, so he lied quickly.

"He said he loves me like a brother. He feels we could be friends."

"I love you like a brother," Mahad insisted, his face darkening. "And I've known you since you were a mere hatchling. He cannot love you like a brother the way I can."

"I understand." Atem smiled nervously, and to his relief, he was saved by two mermaids swimming up towards them carrying the mesh sack, which was now heavy with dead scales.

"Warrior! King!" she cried, and her companion blushed prettily. "What a pleasure! Two nobles instead of one!"

"Thank you," Mahad said darkly, lifting the mesh sack out of her arms without smiling. "Good day. Atem?"

"Good day," Atem said politely, receiving gentle caresses on his arm from the women before he swam hastily after Mahad with uncertainty churning low inside of his stomach.

The more he thought about it, Seto Kaiba's love for him was sexual, and not brotherly.

No matter. He could ask the human today when he rose to shore to deliver the scales.

Kaiba slung his bag full of spare clothes over his shoulder and climbed the rock, feeling strangely light and nimble.

He sat cross-legged at the top and closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths, reflecting on his day.

He had done something incredibly brilliant, or incredibly stupid today, depending on how he looked at it.

I am test subject one, Kaiba thought weakly, wondering if he would start sprouting webs between his toes.

But his cuts and bruises had all healed, and his mind was oddly clear.
This was very similar to how he'd felt after vigorous sex with the merman.

Then maybe his semen has similar properties, Kaiba mused, wondering what would happen if he drank Atem's seed.
Did he even want to try?
What if it was poisonous?

Realizing he'd never gotten a call back from the lab, Kaiba slipped his phone out to send them an email, but just as he did so, he heard a faint splash in the water.

Excited, Kaiba shoved his phone into the bag and peered over the edge of the rock, seeing nothing but dark water underneath him.

"Atem?" he called hopefully, and there was no response other than the light waves lapping at shore.

In the water, Mahad grit his teeth tightly and ignored it. It had taken a lot of arguing to keep Atem from following him to make this delivery.
The human was a bad influence.

He kicked off the rock and swam away quickly, thinking he would tell the king not to pursue a relationship with this human.

Atem was waiting from afar. After having snuck out of the palace, he kept his distance from Mahad, making sure his bodyguard had left the rock before he swam steadily forward. He could see Kaiba waiting for him on the shore, and his skin tingled at the thought of the human touching him again.

He knew he was doing something illegal, but Atem told himself that this was payment in return for the human's kindness.

Once they got bored of each other, they'd go their separate ways.

Excited, he swam forward quickly, wondering what greeting he would give the human tonight.

Several meters below, Mahad thought he felt Atem's presence, and his instincts told him to turn back towards the rock, to double check.

If Atem had followed him to shore to greet the human, he had done so alone, and thus endangering himself. Sighing, Mahad turned and swam upwards again, beginning to feel quite tired.
He was getting too old to babysit the young merman. Atem was fully grown already.
Why was he acting like a fresh hatchling?!

On shore, Kaiba sat back on his heels and gazed down into the water, disappointment swirling thickly in his chest.

Not Atem.

Whoever it was had left already.

Angry and frustrated, Kaiba slid off the rock and his feet touched the sand.

Damn it. Damn it! Atem had promised to come every week!
Why would he make such a promise if he was going to break it?

Now furious, Kaiba gave the wet sand a rough kick.
He had been looking forward to this all day…all week!

Thoughts of Atem were what kept him sane.

Atem hovered beneath the shallow water, hearing all of Kaiba's angry thoughts, feeling oddly flattered that the human thought of him so often.

Perhaps now would be a good time to reveal himself.

He stuck his hand out of the water and waved, still hearing a tirade of thoughts coming from shore.

He doesn't even like me back! I probably scared him off by telling him that I loved him—

Atem rose slowly out of the water and bobbed gently against the waves, seeing the human pacing back and forth on the beach, feeling a twinge of pity.

This human really liked him.

Deciding to surprise him, Atem swam all the way to the sandy edge, making sure a particularly strong wave washed him to shore, and he rolled comfortably across the sand, gazing down at his exposed tail and waving it absently.

Kaiba heard a wet splash and he jerked his head up, shocked to see Atem lying enticingly on the sand, his scales gleaming in the soft moonlight.

His breath caught in his throat with excitement as he dashed over to the merman, throwing himself down in the sand beside him, hugging him tightly.

Atem laughed joyfully as Kaiba pulled him into a tight embrace and rolled heavily on top of him, his legs tightly straddling his tail.

Mahad held his breath and hovered angrily behind the rock, horrified to see Atem reveal himself on shore and let the human tackle him down in a playful wrestle.

Atem…! Mahad growled internally, furious at the king.

He had half the mind to show himself to drag the royal back into the water and all the way home, but he held back, watching and waiting for the right moment.

Kaiba dug his knees deeper into the wet sand, keeping Atem pinned beneath him as he gazed down into his delicate face, taking in his magnificently spiky hair and the gold wing-shaped earrings that decorated his earlobes.

He leaned down to kiss Atem, gently at first, then harder, relishing in the soft plumpness of his lips and the light tang of salt that lingered on his tongue.

The way Atem's tail tensed and curled between his legs was an arousing feeling, and Atem's arms wrapped around his neck were pulling him in deeper. He was drowning in the merman's wonderfully delicious scent.

Mahad bit his lip so hard, he tasted blood.
Atem's tail was curling happily beneath the human's legs, and they were engaging in an act of kissing.
Repeated kissing.
Almost as if they were kissing to mate.

Atem felt Kaiba lick his way down his neck and he opened his eyes slowly, gazing up at the beautiful night sky, taking deep, refreshing breaths.

Amazing…it felt so good. Everything the human did felt good.
But he was always the one entering. Maybe they could have a change of pace today.

"Seto Kaiba…" Atem said weakly, reaching down to gently pat the human's head while Kaiba's lips stopped just beneath his nipple, his hot breath sending shivers down his spine

Kaiba smiled against Atem's skin, trembling with delight.
He was living a dream…surely.
The upper body of this man was beautiful, and the rest of him was a mystery; a delicious, wondrous, sexual mystery.

"I'm sorry I lied to you before," Atem said shakily, watching Kaiba continue to drag his lips down the side of his body. "I do have a hole—"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Kaiba grinned evilly, his teeth glinting white in the semi-darkness. "Where is it?"

"Behind…me," Atem replied uncertainly, wondering if this was a good idea.

The waves lapped gently at his tail, and Kaiba ignored the cold water seeping in through his pant legs and into his shoes.

Today was going to be a historic and momentous day.
He was going to fuck a merman.

The big question now was…how.
Facedown? Or in his arms?

"Get out of your head," Atem demanded, tightening his arms around Kaiba's neck and baring his fangs in frustration. "But if you were giving me a choice, I'd like to remain in your arms."

"Good," Kaiba breathed, thinking about it for a moment before he rolled off the merman's body and sat beside him.

Atem watched with rising interest as the human unbuckled his pants pushed them off his legs, sitting bravely in the sand with his bare bottom.

His stiffness was very visible between his legs, sticking resolutely upright and slick with wetness at the tip.

Staring at it, Atem inched closer towards him, feeling the human trying to pull him onto his lap.

Kaiba bent forward and swept Atem up in his arms with a great effort, sliding the cold tail over his own legs and running his hand down Atem's side, methodically counting each ridge, wondering where the hole was.

He found a spot above a soft scale and he grinned, shifting Atem in his arms.
Ah shit…this was going to be hard.
Was the hole…self-lubricating?
Also, he was about to lower Atem onto his dick repeatedly while he just laid there in his arms? This would get tiring very quickly.

"What's wrong?" Atem asked breathlessly, beginning to feel impatient.

"Get on your side," Kaiba said, shivering slightly from the cold. "You're heavy, and this isn't going to work."

Mahad felt his eyes beginning to water with pain from what he was witnessing.
The human had pulled Atem into a tight embrace before ordering him to lay on his side.

Oh no…no, no, no!
He was not seeing this!
What was happening?!

The human was now prodding the merman's entrance with his manhood.

Covering his eyes with both of his hands, Mahad sank underwater, no longer wanting to watch anymore, but he was close enough to hear the human's thoughts, strangely coupled together with Atem's.

"It hurts!"
"Found it!"
"How does he find this enjoyable?"
"It's dry…how strange."

Mahad slowly rose to the surface again, keeping half of his face underwater, his stomach twisting when he saw the human slide his fingers into Atem's slit in the front before moving to smear the wetness across his backside, and he sank under the water again, feeling hot and cold all over.

How…filthy!
Merpeople mating looked nothing like this!
In all his years…on land and in the sea, he had never witnessed anything like this.
Man and mermaid? Yes
But man and merman? No.
This was something completely different.

And judging by Atem's thoughts, he was neither struggling nor complaining.
If anything, he was enjoying this!

Kicking off the rock, Mahad swam away quickly, his heart pounding painfully in his chest while his mind spun with confusion.

"That feels…odd," Atem breathed, and Kaiba kissed him gently down his neck, alternating between dipping his fingers into his lubricated slit and quickly moving to smear it over the hole underneath a scale on his backside.

With his fingers fully coated with Atem's wetness, Kaiba tentatively inserted a second finger into the tight hole and gave it a firm stretch, hearing the merman gasp and thrash his tail in response, glaring at him.

"You're quite small, but my hole is smaller," Atem said defiantly, goosebumps rising along the backs of his arms as Kaiba gave him another teasing thrust.
He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

"You won't fit," Atem whispered, feeling Kaiba edge stubbornly closer to him and prod his hole with the tip of his dick. "Human…"

"I have a name, use it." Kaiba snapped, leaning Atem down against the sand and spreading his fingers wider with effort before pressing his hardness against Atem's opening and pressing a soft kiss on his neck, giving himself a tentative nudge.

Atem hissed in pain, and after a short pause, Kaiba withdrew and sat up slowly with his brow furrowed in concern.

"Let's not…" Kaiba said uncertainly, somehow feeling as if he had ruined the mood with his odd poking and prodding. There was no proper lubricant, and Atem seemed not to like it. His glares were putting him off even more.

The mood was gone; ruined by inexperience.

Atem eased himself onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows, nodding stiffly at Kaiba, understanding that the human was afraid of hurting him.

The pain had been off-putting, and there was heavy resignation in the air between them.

"Then why does it feel good for you?" Atem asked heatedly, shivering slightly from the cold, and he wished Kaiba would embrace him warmly again. "Come closer."

"Because I'm used to it," Kaiba said plainly, inching up beside Atem and lying down in the sand, tucking his hands behind his head and letting the cold waves lap playfully at his ankles. "And yours is…soft, and it goes in easier. Mine is different."

He pulled his wet pants halfway up his hips in an attempt to stay warm.

They laid together in silence for a while, with nothing but the sound of waves and the wind around them. Atem gazed up at the sky, taking in the wonderful indigo color and the silver stars twinkling merrily.
Sighing happily, he held his finger up to trace a constellation.

"Every half moon, those stars always align," he said softly, and a pale hand came upwards to touch his. Long, slender fingers laced through the back of his hand and held on tightly.

He felt his skin burn pleasantly and he turned to give Kaiba a warm smile.

Kaiba gazed at the merman beside him, taking in the way his hair splayed out wonderfully across the sand, and his voice caught in this throat for the millionth time as he tried to speak.

Even in the dark, Atem seemed to glow with a mysterious aura, and Kaiba found it was difficult to remain composed, given how taken aback he was every time by his beauty.

"I love you," Kaiba said softly, doing his best to break the silence, and Atem let out a deep laugh, sending a wonderful chill up his spine.

"I know!" Atem replied playfully, rolling on top of Kaiba and draping his arms lazily over Kaiba's shoulders, pressing his nose down to meet his, inhaling his sweet breath.

Kaiba reached up and threaded his hand through Atem's hair, pulling him down into a soft kiss, relishing in the salty tang of saliva and the silkiness of his tongue when it slipped in through the tops of his teeth, giving the roof of his mouth a teasing lick, sending another delicious shiver up his body.
Kissing Atem was like a doing drug he couldn't quit.
Why was it so magical and different every time?
And why couldn't Atem say that he loved him back?

Atem pulled away softly and grinned, his fang flashing white in the moonlight, "So many compliments, Seto Kaiba. You must really like me."

"I thought…that was obvious." Kaiba said through gritted teeth, and Atem grinned prettily again.

"Then let's make a blood pact," the merman declared, shaking his blonde bangs out of his face which were beginning to dry. "Because you neglected to bring me a gift for my birthday during our last meeting."

"I was the gift," Kaiba growled, throwing his arms around Atem's body and rolling heavily on top of him, pinning him down firmly. "You're lucky I give you the time of day."

Atem grinned and shut his eyes, enjoying the way Kaiba kissed, licked, and nibbled his way down his neck. He grabbed a fistful of the human's light brown hair, yanking his head away from his nipple and baring his fangs.

"Make a pact with me, Seto Kaiba," Atem demanded, his stomach curling with arousal as Kaiba shook his head and pressed his cheek flush against the center of his chest.

"I'm not an idiot," Kaiba said quietly. "Your bodyguard said that blood pacts were dangerous, even when you fishes do it."

"Call me a fish one more damn time," Atem hissed, baring his fangs playfully and shoving Kaiba off his body. "I'll bite you."

The CEO laughed and tumbled off the merman's upper body before he hastily picked his belt up from around his ankles, shivering from the cold.

"Fine, how does it work?" Kaiba asked lightly, wondering if there was some crazy science involved in this act too. "I demand that you come up for air twice a week. Once a week isn't enough."

"I demand that you treat me and my people with respect," Atem shot back readily. "You know of our existence, and you are receiving scales from us. If our relationship were to sour, I don't want a war."

Kaiba gaped at the merman, unable to find his own voice after being stunned into silence. S-Seriously? Here he was, asking for more face time, and the merman was retaliating with something political?

"Do you even like me at all?" Kaiba asked venomously, his heart shattering quickly as he noticed Atem's smile faltering.

"Yes, you're very handsome," Atem assured him quickly, but his stomach churned strangely at his own words, and he had a feeling he was doing something wrong. "I can't surface that often, or I'll get sick. You know that."

Kaiba remained silent, trying to quell his turbulent emotions. This "relationship" was just sexual for the merman. Every time he mentioned his feelings for Atem, he was shot down with a gentle smile.

I fucked up! Kaiba grit his teeth while his ears rang with the empty roars of the waves crashing up against the rock. He was furious with himself.

"I swear…to love you for as long as I am able," Atem said quickly, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as he held out his wrist to make the pact. "In return, you promise not to tell anyone of our existence, and you will not try to colonize or raid our ocean."

"Mokuba knows about you," Kaiba said nastily, curling his cold fingers into a tight fist as he stood over the merman in the semi-darkness. "What the fuck makes you think I want to raid your part of the ocean?"

"Then make the pact," Atem snapped, lifting a finger and elongating one thin claw on his index finger. "I cut you, and then I cut myself. Our blood mingles. Our word is our bond. Breaking this bond will result in a painful death, and devastating—"

"Yeah, magical shit." Kaiba smirked coldly and rolled up his wet sleeve. "Hurry up."

Atem narrowed his eyes and hesitated, mentally pulling up all his previous knowledge of blood pacts.

First, the wording had to be simple and clear.

Second, everything needed to be said in one breath.

Third, blood needed to mingle.

Was that all?

Kaiba noticed the merman had fallen silent, and he slowly knelt by his side, trailing his eyes down his large, red tail, taking in every soft shimmer under the dim moonlight.

Making a blood pact should be fine. He made risky deals in the boardrooms…weekly, and they've always paid off. The key was to trust his own instincts, and to know his opponent.
The merman was easy enough to figure out.

I'm his opponent? Atem wondered uncertainly, thinking that this was partially true.

"Well?" Kaiba prompted, holding out his exposed forearm and suppressing a shiver. Damn it was cold. Was this deal happening or not? Maybe this thing was like a marriage contract. Could he make the merman grow some legs and join him on land?

"No, I won't agree to that," Atem said instantly, sitting up straighter and swiftly scanning the ocean horizon before them.
He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched!
Perhaps this pact was a bad idea.

"Then…no deal," Kaiba said coldly, withdrawing his arm and moving to stand. "I want to see you often, and I want you to return my feelings. Two simple things, Atem."

"I will return your feelings," Atem said hopefully, grabbing onto the human's arm and gazing deeply into his blue eyes, which had become oddly dark. "You don't hear me when I say that rising to shore often will make me sick."

"I'd rather you come up often than return my feelings." Kaiba shot back, his spirits sinking steadily with every painful beat of his heart. "Or at least…once every two weeks. Once a month?! Give me something that isn't 'never'."

"Very well." Atem squared his shoulders and tightened his grip over Kaiba's arm, letting the warmth burn reassuringly into his palm. "I swear meet you on shore as often as I can between my duties, and I will also return your feelings."

Kaiba nodded stiffly, fixating on Atem's gold wing-like earring, listening to the thudding of his own heart. Good. That was what he wanted, right? Feelings returned and meeting on shore.

"Now, say you will agree to keep our secret," Atem said readily, extending the sharp claw on his index finger again and hovering it above a pale patch of skin on Kaiba's arm, shaking with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

"I swear…I won't personally tell anyone that you and your fish people exist," Kaiba announced loftily. "But Mokuba knows, and I can't control his actions. I don't want a war and won't start one."

"You're including your brother in your statement?" Atem asked, slightly surprised, but he dismissed it quickly and held up his own arm, still hesitating. "I will…make the cut now. You must say it all in one breath, understood?"

"Yeah, fine," Kaiba answered carelessly, settling down in the sand comfortably. If this pact would make the merman feel better, he'd do it. This was ridiculous, but this meant he could hear Atem admit his feelings aloud, and that made everything worth it.

Meanwhile, floating behind the rock underneath the water, Mahad froze with cold terror. He had returned after several moments, hoping to see Atem swimming away from shore, but this was a whole other disaster waiting to happen.

Atem was trying to be noble, but he was doing a stupid thing!

He was doing it with the kingdom in mind…but this was so incredibly dangerous! Was there anything he could do to stop this?

"I draw my own blood first," Atem declared shakily, trailing the tip of his claw lightly down the side of his wrist, and his blood shone eerily green in the low moonlight.

Kaiba blinked rapidly, feeling as if something was off, but he couldn't figure out what.
Too late.
This was happening and there was no backing out now.

"I swear on my blood," Atem whispered, "to meet you, Seto Kaiba, on shore as often as I can between my duties, and I will also return your feelings."

He had no idea what that meant, but if it would appease the human, he would say it.

Kaiba swallowed thinly and felt his entire body grow oddly numb, and the world quieted around him. The wind stilled, and the roaring waves suddenly calmed.
Oh…fucking shit.
This was some kind of actual voodoo.
Time to lawyer-up and use vague language.

"And now, state your promise." Atem said hoarsely, moving his bloodstained arm over Kaiba's outstretched forearm, letting his blood drip gently onto his pale skin. "Use one breath to speak."

Kaiba grit his teeth, bracing himself for pain as Atem dragged his nail lightly down the side of his wrist, but to his surprise, there was nothing other than a slight tickle.

He stared down at the odd, greenish drops on his arm, mingling with his own dark red blood, which had trailed quickly down his entire arm, dripping off his elbow and staining his pants. What the fuck?! So much blood from just a tiny scratch?
No way this was real.

Kaiba's stomach churned as he spoke quickly. "I swear I won't tell anyone about you and your fish colony, but I don't control the actions of people who already know. I also don't want a war, but if one starts, it's not on me."

Atem jerked his hand back, glaring furiously. "That is not what you said earlier!"

"It means the same thing!" Kaiba retaliated nervously, feeling an odd coldness settling into his limbs, suddenly making it harder to breathe.

Underneath the water, Mahad sagged heavily against the rock with defeat.

He had heard the deceitful thoughts going through Seto Kaiba's mind while Atem said his part of the pact, and had almost called out to Atem in his thoughts, but held back, because he couldn't see when blood was being drawn, and any interruption of the volatile process might accidentally curse either party.

"Earlier, you said, 'I don't want a war and I won't start one!'" Atem raged, flicking his tail angrily in the shallow waves as the sound of the world came rushing back to his ears. The pact had worked, but Seto Kaiba was a devil-tongued, giving only vague promises.

"That's true, I don't," Kaiba said hastily, reaching out to touch Atem's hands, but to his dismay, the merman jerked away with an angry hiss, baring his fangs.

"Your statement absolved you from any responsibility of a war if you were to start one!" Atem growled, his stomach twisting with terror at the thought of what he had just done. He had made a dangerous pact with a dangerous human.
Mahad and Shadi was right all along.
This had been a foolish endeavor.
He had failed, but at least he had managed to retain the secrecy of his people.

"Yeah, but I won't be starting a war if one does happen!" Kaiba enunciated, thinking the merman was overreacting. "I said—"

"You didn't say the words, 'I won't start a war with your kind,'" Atem snapped, eyeing the water frantically. "I'm leaving."

"I fucking won't!" Kaiba snarled, his temper also flaring quickly. "But if you people start a war on your own, it won't be my fault. That's what I meant."

"We were talking in terms of us alone," Atem said coldly, giving the businessman an appraising look. "And you knew that. Think on what you've done while I'm gone for the next three moons."

"Three?!" Kaiba raged, watching the merman roll into a large oncoming wave and the edge of his tail flashed threateningly red under the white foam edge of the beach.

"Yes, three!" Atem called, popping his head up to shout back at the human, feeling betrayed and furious. "I'll come up when I can, between my duties like I promised. Good bye, human."

And with that, the mer-king dove down underneath the water and disappeared with a defiant splash.

Kaiba ground his teeth, shivering furiously in the cold.

There was a long silence accompanied with the low crashing of the waves against shore.

Kaiba threw his head back and shouted with all his might, "FUCK!"

He heard his own voice echo thinly up and down the shore, and angry tears stung his eyes.

Whatever.
Atem would be back soon. He was being forced to wait three months as punishment, and Kaiba swore their next meeting would end on a better note.

He slowly picked up his shoes and dragged his feet heavily over the sand, walking back to his property, hating everything.

Author's note:

Blood pact and love confessions.

I hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review!

-Ugli

-this chapter was edited by setokaibaes-