Atem sat on the floor of Mai and Anzu's grotto, doing his best to stay composed while he talked.
Both women listened intently, their expressions morphing from shock, disbelief, and then sorrow as he told them about his century-long ban from shore.
After he finished speaking, Atem took a deep shuddering breath and pressed his hands to his face while the two mermaids stared at him in silence.
"Well…its only a century." Mai ventured carefully, trying to be reassuring. "You can resurface and…see his children. Some human genes are amazing. They can give birth to identical twins—"
"Mai, that's not what he wants to hear right now." Anzu reprimanded softly, moving to sit beside Atem in her usual spot on the floor. "Feel better, okay? Don't worry. He'll remember you fondly. Did you tell him not to wait for you?"
Atem bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head miserably. "I told him I would be there every day. It's been four days now, almost five. I can't imagine what he must be thinking. He might think I betrayed him."
"But you told him not to wait for you…right?" Mai asked again, sitting up straighter with a grim look on her face. "You told him he should live his life, right?"
Atem met her gaze glumly and shook his head, speaking with a heavy heart.
"During our last meeting, I told him angrily that he couldn't replace me, not with an object, and certainly not with another human."
Both mermaids gasped and groaned dramatically, pressing their hands to their foreheads, and Atem looked between them with rising panic.
"What?!" He cried defensively, "He's mine, so he should behave that way."
"Oh…Atem," Anzu whispered, her face beet red as she buried them in her hands again, muffling her voice. "If you say things like that, the human will die waiting for you."
"You can't talk to him like he's your Mate for life," Mai smiled sadly, shaking her head. "You do realize there's an entire ocean between you and him!"
"The only reason my court has an issue with it is because they want me to produce an heir." Atem said angrily, curling his fists. "What if I do produce an heir, and they'll let me do as I please?"
"I don't think your egg-bearer would be very happy with that." Anzu said knowingly. "Think about how you would feel if someone came by and asked if you would carry their egg while they swim off to play with a human on shore."
Atem folded his arms defiantly, hating that he felt disgruntled. "Well I wouldn't appreciate that. Egg-bearing is painful and hard work."
"Exactly." Mai said, nodding. "That would reflect badly on you as a Mate for the next few centuries as your hatching matures. Your hatchling would be made fun of too, for having a shore-loving father."
"Next topic." Atem said coldly, hating where the conversation was going. "I want to know how I can communicate with him while I'm down here. Can you help me? How do you send messages to humans? I sent Mana up with my earrings, but she's terrified of every journey."
The mermaids shared a sad look and Atem's heart sank quickly.
There was no way to communicate.
"Aside from sending…small gifts to and from shore, at the risk of all your friends who are willing to help you…" Anzu said tentatively, her eyes welling with tears of sympathy. "No, sadly. We haven't found a way. No one has. That's why some mermaids are confined here in groups. We all helped each other send messages."
"Yeah, better not let your girl get caught," Mai said solemnly, "or she'll be down here with us too, even if she's a member of your court. Guilty by association. She must really love you to want to help you though. You have a good friend."
"And I'm afraid you must leave soon," Anzu said tearfully, giving his hand a warm squeeze. "I've been keeping time."
"If you can send one last message, it should be this," Mai said seriously, looking Atem deep into his angular violet eyes. "'Don't kill yourself, and don't die on the shore waiting for me'. Honestly, that'll be the only way to ensure your human doesn't die a painful death. Other humans might find the body on the beach, and it's—"
"It's not pretty." Anzu said instantly, cutting across Mai, sounding rushed. "Read about Human Decay and aging. If you love him like a Mate, you'll understand after reading about it. Now you need to leave, or you'll start feeling sick."
Atem shook his head, his chest still bursting with more questions.
"Read the mer-editions, not the human books." Mai added, getting up from the couch and swimming lazily over to the kelp curtain and pulling it open. "Stop reading human books. They won't help you much if you're not a warrior."
Atem nodded solemnly and let Anzu gently push him out of the grotto entrance.
"Safe travels, my king." Anzu said quietly, managing a sad but friendly smile. "You're welcome back any time. Keep us informed."
Atem nodded again, his voice catching terribly in his throat with sorrow.
He turned away and beat his tail to power upwards quickly, seeing the tiny dot of the palace guard waiting for him at the surface near the edge of the fissure.
Well perhaps it was a tiny blessing that Mana had not yet seen Seto Kaiba. There was more to add to the message, and Atem curled his fists at his sides in frustration.
There had to be another way to communicate with Seto Kaiba.
There had to be. He would find it.
Kaiba gripped the steering wheel lightly and cruised down the freeway, growling in annoyance when he saw a cluster of cars in his way.
He grabbed the gear shift and the engine roared angrily at him as he slowed. Drifting quickly to the right, Kaiba changed lanes, and suddenly, a car zoomed by too fast from behind, passing him by on the right, almost hitting him.
There was a sharp tack! and Kaiba glanced over at the door mirror, horrified to see that it had been taken off completely.
All that was left was a stub of metal and a couple of stray wires.
That lunatic!
Letting out a furious yell, Kaiba stamped his foot down on the pedal and weaved dangerously though the slow cars, intent on finding the car that had destroyed his door mirror.
He curled his fingertips tightly over the leather gear shift, cursing the other driver in his mind as he eyed a pair of red headlights in front of him. He sped up to weave around it and didn't see any damage on the side of their body.
Hissing angrily, Kaiba slowly down again, his heart pounding tightly in his chest when he realized he had probably lost the car forever, and one of his mirrors was probably littered on the side of the road a few miles back.
Livid, Kaiba gripped the wheel and eased the car off the freeway, ignoring the GPS telling him to continue, and parked in the first commercial lot that was available.
Slamming the door behind him as he got out, Kaiba circled his car methodically, checking it for other scratches and damages. There was a long black streak of paint missing from the entire door.
Kaiba bit back another angry yell. The paint was ruined. The mirror needed to be replaced, and the perpetrator was nowhere to be found.
Placing his palms down on either side of his car, Kaiba shut his eyes and breathed deeply. Calm. Stay calm. He could tell Atem all about this later. Maybe he could murder the guy and feed his intestines to some of Atem's shark friends, if he had any.
Calm. Stay calm. Oh god! I hit a someone's car! Oh god…what do I do? He looked like he had a lot of money! It was a hit-and-run because I didn't stop!
Kaiba opened his eyes and grinned manically to himself.
These mind-reading powers were good for something after all.
Straightening up slowly, Kaiba surveyed the area with a shrewd glare. This was a parking lot of a business building with a lone convenience store attached to the side.
A man was smoking on the corner, siting on the curb with his head in his hands, and cigarette ash was falling dangerously onto his shoulder while it hung from his shaking fingers.
Oh god. My wife is going to kill me. She's going to be so upset. She'll divorce me….
Found you! Kaiba let his breath out in a slow hiss and stalked over to the man, towering over him from behind and resisting to give him a strong kick.
"Hey, lunatic!" Kaiba said angrily, seeing the man jump and turn to give him a terrified look over his shoulder. "What the fuck is in your head when you're driving?!"
The man dropped his cigarette in fear and fell to his knees in a frantic apology. "I'm sorry! I was on the phone! I wasn't paying attention! It was all my fault!"
"Yeah, it fucking is." Kaiba said furiously, pleased to see the man's forehead touch the ground, and he wanted to stamp his foot down on the back of the man's head, making sure it stayed there.
"I can…I'll pay it! I'm very sorry!" The man whimpered, tentatively lifting his head to peek and Kaiba's face before he ducked his head back down, the tips of his ears dark red.
Oh god. Oh god. OH GOD. IS THIS SETO KAIBA?! I'm screwed I'm screwed I'm screwed kill me now kill me kill me please….
There was a soft jingle of the convenience store doorbell as the sliding doors opened, and Kaiba heard a stray thought 'a fight?!' before footsteps rushed forward, and a greying man dashed past him to help the man to his feet.
"What happened? Are you okay?" The old man cried, glancing frantically at Kaiba's angry stance and at his employee who was shaking his head, pushing him away and insisting he stay on the ground.
What is happening? Hayashi-san's friend perhaps? Young men these days sure like to fight…
"He hit my car, and I'm going to kill him now." Kaiba raged, pleased to see the man sink willingly to his knees again, shaking his head miserably. "I can pay for the repairs myself, but I want you to know that you're a dead man."
I'm dead, I'm dead. I am dirt… The man chanted, gripping his knees tightly with his head bowed, and the old man gave Kaiba a look of disgust.
"Then leave him alone!" The old man cried, pointing at Kaiba's bright blue supercar in the lot. "And park in a spot, not in the middle of the road, then perhaps you won't be hit as often."
Ahhhh…we're both dead…thank god for this old man.
This is Seto Kaiba, I'm sure of it. There is nothing he can do to us. We're too poor for him to bother with. He'll leave us alone after I defend Hayashi-san. Poor fellow just wants to settle down and have a child…
Kaiba gave them both nasty looks before he stalked off towards his car, still fuming.
This was his favorite car. It wasn't irreplaceable, but why did other people have to suck so much sometimes?
To his increasing annoyance, a motorbike was parked in the spot directly behind him, and it was blocking his way.
Another person to yell at.
Circling the car, Kaiba skidded to a halt when he saw a man with long white hair peering intrusively into his car, and his thoughts were very strange.
Looks like a wild animal attack.
"Get away from my car." Kaiba hissed through gritted teeth, thoroughly fed up with strangers for the day.
The man jumped and took several steps back, his violet eyes wide with surprise. "Ah…sorry about that. I was just passing by. I love cars…"
Numb with shock, Kaiba stared at the stranger, taking in his oddly flashy clothes, the slender pointed earrings hanging from his ears, and his tanned complexion.
His skin was taut and youthful, and his eyes were almost the same shape as Atem's.
Unmistakably so.
Was this Marik Ishtar? He looked exactly like the photo online.
"Seto Kaiba, right?" The man said warmly, pointing casual finger guns at him with a soft smile. "Stopping by for a drink? This convenience store has the best homemade red bean…"
I can see why my dear sister is worried. This is a man with lots of money. The Problem Man of Japan hahaha… better get him away from here quickly, but I really want to know what happened inside his car. Was the King somehow forced in there? Impossible, right?
"…Isn't that right, Mr. Kaiba?" Marik's smile did not waver as he looked expectantly Kaiba for an answer and received nothing but a blank look in response.
"What are you doing here?" Kaiba decided to retaliate with classic rudeness to throw him off, but the man seemed to take it with ease.
"Getting a drink! I thought I'd make it back in time to meet you in my office."
"So you're thinking about running away?" Kaiba said coldly, wishing Marik would step away from his car door so he could get in it and drive far away from here. "Move. I'll see you there."
Ah...good, thank god. He seems difficult. Marik smiled warmly and walked back towards his motorcycle, lifting his helmet off the seat and patting it. "I'll lead the way. I'm not thirsty anymore."
Crap! I ran into him too early, and here I thought I'd have more time to prepare.
Kaiba rolled his eyes and yanked the car door open with more force than was necessary and ducked inside, shocked when he saw deep scratches all around his leather steering wheel.
What the...fuck?
Sweeping his gaze around the inside of the cabin, Kaiba also noticed several more scratches along the handle of the leather gear shifter, and underneath the knob…where he had been gripping it in anger.
So, this was the 'wild animal'.
It did look like something had been let loose inside the cabin.
Did I do this? Kaiba thought faintly, glancing down at his nails and slightly disturbed to find that the tips of his nails had grown out into a fine point. How unsightly. He usually kept his fingers nicely manicured to maintain the perfect oval shape, and here, it looked like he had sprouted claws.
The motorcycle engine thundered steadily beside his window and there was a soft knock on the glass, coupled with a stray thought from Marik.
just sitting in his car…is he the one hiding? What's going on?
Kaiba didn't answer, and he started his own engine in response, seeing the man beside him nod and steer his bike in front of his car, flashing his lights and indicating they should turn left.
Sighing, Kaiba flashed his lights too and slowly put the car into gear, unable to stem the odd painful churning inside his stomach.
This man had better have the answers he needed.
"Is that all?" Atem asked quietly, holding Mana's hands gently as she carefully recounted everything that had happened at the previous court meeting.
"Yes. Isis thinks Seto Kaiba will harm her brother. He won't, right?"
"He won't." Atem reassured her with a small smile. "He may seem threatening, but deep down, he is kind."
Mana nodded glumly and laid back onto the sponge bed with a soft thump.
"Atem…I'm so worried about you."
"Don't be, Mana." Atem said anxiously, shifting himself so that his tail draped comfortably over the edge. "I have more to add to the message to Seto Kaiba, so please bear with me a moment longer and make another trip to shore alone?"
Mana swallowed thinly and threw an arm over her eyes, nodding tightly. "There is no one on the small shore. After seeing it for myself, I'm not as scared. I thought there would be people."
"Good, good." Atem said, relieved, and he gave Mana's hand a tight squeeze. "And…I have another more…vulgar request."
Mana sat up slowly and blinked, feeling a sudden rush of nervousness. "What is it, my king?"
Atem hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think Solomon will lessen the length of my shore-banishment if I produced an heir. Sometime this century, preferably."
"Oh Atem…" Mana pressed her hands to her mouth, shaking her head with disbelief. "You can't possibly be thinking—"
"I'll do it, if it means I can see him again." Atem said with determination and a grim smile. "Do you perhaps have any friends who are willing to conceive an heir with me?"
Mana opened and closed her mouth, at a complete loss for words.
"You can't…rush into it!" Mana whispered, panic-stricken. "Your egg-bearer will want to be with you like a Mate. If anyone finds out you're doing this to lessen your sentence…oh Ahti, I don't know what people will think…or say! This is extreme, even for you, my king!"
"I'm going to try." Atem said with furious conviction. "If I do what the kingdom expects of me, I'll regain my freedom."
"At the cost of your egg-bearer's freedom!" Mana cried, shaking her beautiful head in disapproval. "You can't deceive your egg-bearer like that. You won't be able to conceive if your feelings aren't true."
"Oh, my feelings are true," Atem raged, now fully set on this plan. "My feelings are true for Seto Kaiba. I'll will an egg into existence if I have to."
Mana gazed at him for a long moment, looking extremely forlorn. "Oh my king…he really has fooled you."
Atem gave Mana an exasperated look and sighed. "No, Mana. I chose this myself."
Mana nodded stiffly, looking so distraught she didn't appear to be listening.
Atem sat with her in silence while his mind churned with schemes.
This was one thing he could try before he started breaking more extreme laws, like seeking out a Chrysalis.
That would be the last resort, because accessing a Chrysalis without permission was punishable by death.
"Please, sit." Marik gestured to the lone chair sitting opposite to a large desk, with nothing but a computer on it.
"No, I'll stand." Kaiba said coldly, sweeping his gaze around the sparse office and feeling a twinge of annoyance.
These merpeople were really good at faking credentials, so this probably wasn't even Marik's office. He probably wasn't even a professor, or a doctor. Just another puppet sent on land to deter him from finding out what he wanted to know.
"Well, you've got me here now." Marik said stiffly, folding his arms across his chest and looking incredibly serious. "I'm here to keep the peace."
"I don't want to fight or start any fucking wars," Kaiba fumed, his temper flaring automatically. "Where the fuck is that sample? I need it back. I sure as hell know it's not dolphin sperm...Doctor."
Marik's expression darkened and he shook his head tightly. "I've disposed of it already."
Kaiba balled his hands into fists and took a threatening step closer to the desk, fuming. "Why you ignorant little—"
"Please, Kaiba, the sample you had was dangerous!" Marik said defensively, dropping the polite 'Mr.' from his name as his tone changed from warm to hostile. "I'll speak openly now since we are both aware of merpeople's existence."
"You weren't speaking openly before?" Kaiba growled, tired of all the lies and hoops this man was jumping through with his words. "Spit it out."
"Semen from a merman is incredibly dangerous," Marik said shakily, and Kaiba narrowed his eyes, hearing his thoughts overlapping with his speech.
"It's potent, and could possibly burn you…"
Not acidic like saliva, but the seed has parasitic qualities. Too dangerous. I hope Seto Kaiba didn't touch it with his bare hands.
Kaiba blinked, slowly growing numb. What? Was he hearing this man correctly?
"So please, stop seeking it out. Stop running tests on it, Mr. Kaiba," Marik finished, once again using the 'Mr.' in his name.
Marik gazed intently at Kaiba's blank expression, and his hair stood on end.
"You didn't hear anything I just said, did you?" Marik cried, rising to his feet and trying not to sound angry. "I said it's dangerous! Why are you ignoring me?"
"Are you human?" Kaiba asked quietly.
Marik blinked, folding his arms across his chest and answering the question with a haughty, "Yes. I am human."
"Is your sister human?" Kaiba pressed, not caring if this man knew he could hear thoughts. He needed answers, not to be run around in a circle. Why were these people popping up in his life when they were the ones insisting on being left alone?
"M-My sister?" Marik's eyes grew wide, and he broke out into a cold sweat. "I don't recall ever mentioning I had a sister."
"Lies on lies. Keep on lying. We're done here." Kaiba turned his heel and moved to the exit, thoroughly fed up with this man. "I have somewhere to be."
"You mean…the shore, to wait for the King?" Marik raised his eyebrows knowingly. "Don't bother. He won't be there today. Or ever."
"And how do you know that?" Kaiba asked testily, his hand already curled around the doorknob, and it briefly occurred to him that this man might have a way to communicate with Atem. How did they communicate anyway?
"I got a message." Marik answered simply, and Kaiba turned around slowly to gaze into the man's angular violent eyes, challenging him silently.
"How did you get a message?" Kaiba breathed, wondering if he could somehow force the answer out of this man. "Got a fish phone?"
Blinking rapidly, Marik sat down quickly and shook his head, looking stressed. "I can't tell you."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes threateningly, but to his delight, the answer came by way of Marik's thoughts.
I doubt this Kaiba could get his hands on a stray Messenger.
Kaiba nodded slowly, understanding that he didn't need this man to speak the truth. He just needed to ask the right questions, and the truth would come out…in his thoughts.
The CEO hastily strode forward and took a seat in front of Marik's desk, smiling the most charming smile he could muster, deciding to change his tone.
"Tell me more about yourself. How is the university? How is the hospital? I assume you split your time between them both? You must be…" Kaiba kept the smile plastered on his face, "…so busy."
Startled, Marik was thrown by the sudden change in demeanor, but he obliged with an answer. "I lecture here part-time and the hospital is where I am permanently. Are we done here? You've got what you came for. The sample is gone, I'm sorry."
This man….! He is dangerous indeed! He's got two faces! What was that? A scene change? It couldn't have been any more obvious! What does he want?
Pleased, Kaiba crossed his legs and made himself comfortable in the small chair, satisfied with his own handiwork.
"Are you…half-human?" Kaiba pressed, thinking there was no way this man was fully human. And who the fuck was his sister? Maybe she was a mermaid.
Marik's face fell, and he lowered his head quickly.
The silence grew heavy.
Unfazed, Kaiba just listened to Marik's thoughts, fully aware that this man was trying to make him feel uncomfortable.
How do I answer that? I can't tell him anything…or can I? Isis's instructions weren't specific. She was just worried about me…thinking he would hurt me, but he only seems curious, hence the all the lab tests.
I'll stay quiet. He'll get the hint.
Kaiba bit back a laugh. He was learning so much already! Marik's sister's name was Isis, and he was withholding information on purpose.
"I can sit here all day, all night," Kaiba said airily, eying all the mythology books liming the bookshelves against the wall. "So much interesting reading material. I thought we were speaking openly?"
"We are." Marik said, and after visibly fighting with himself, he decided to tell the truth. "Very well. You are correct. I am half-human, born from a human mother who died shortly after giving birth to my sister, Isis."
"See? I knew you had a sister." Kaiba grinned boyishly, folding his hands over his knee and leaning forward with interest. "I appreciate the truth. What else? How do you live? What do you eat? Can you also hear fish bitching at you through the glass in their tanks?"
Marik's mouth fell open slightly, wondering how Kaiba knew so much about merpeople's abilities, and he had to remind himself that this was the man who had captured the King.
"I shouldn't be telling you anything else." Marik said coldly, gesturing at the door. "Your actions towards the mer-king were cruel, and you're unwelcome here."
"Oh, that?" Kaiba threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter. "He swam into my net. I did him a favor and cleaned up all the floating garbage. Somehow, this is the payment I get. Stolen lab samples and a liar sitting in front of me."
"How dare you call me a liar!" Marik fumed, his dislike growing for Kaiba by the second. "I worked hard to carve a life for myself here in Japan. Not only am I looked down upon for being a foreigner, I grew up with no family on land to support me!"
"Boo fucking hoo, you and me both." Kaiba said plainly, waving a hand across his nose. "Do you exhibit any fish-like qualities?"
Marik shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his face growing redder and redder by the second, and Kaiba couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or rage because his thoughts were eerily silent.
"No, I fortunately don't," Marik answered after a long moment of struggling with himself. "I am completely human, and my sister got all the other…qualities."
"Interesting…so, how do I catch a stray messenger?" Kaiba asked quickly, and Marik was so thrown, his shock showed on every inch of his face.
"H-How do you know about that?" He gasped, and in his mind, he scrambled for a quick answer that would appease the CEO.
How does this man know so much? First about Isis, and next about Messengers! Did Atem tell him these things while in captivity? This meeting is over. I can't take any more. I've already confessed to discarding the parasitic semen.
"Right…" Kaiba nodded, slightly annoyed that he couldn't get an answer out of Marik. "That's fine. We can talk more about the parasites in the semen."
"It behaves like a parasite….and only to humans! And g-get out of my office!" Marik spluttered, losing his composure steadily with each passing second. "Are you somehow reading my thoughts? How do you know so much? Never mind. Get out!"
"See, I'd know a bit more if you hadn't stolen my sample," Kaiba continued calmly, remaining in his seat with his arms and legs crossed. "Has it ever killed anyone? Parasites need something to—"
"It killed my mother," Marik said, standing shakily and pointing a finger at the door, his eyes slightly wet with unshed tears. "It latches inside the womb, and no human has ever survived birthing a merperson. That's why no one knows anything about it! Get…the fuck…out!"
"I would know…if I had some semen to run tests on." Kaiba tilted his head to the left, slightly pleased with all the information he was learning. "How many cases do you know of?"
"Fine. If you won't leave…" Marik grabbed his bag and helmet in a frenzy and raced for the door, shaking from head to toe. "...I will. Good day, Mr. Kaiba. May we never meet again."
"Hey! Come back here!" Kaiba cried, but he was already shouting at a door swinging wide open on its hinges.
Shocked, Kaiba registered that Marik was running away, and he leapt out of his seat to go after him.
Skidding to a halt in the long hallway, Kaiba leaned against the wall and shut his eyes, desperately listening for a thought that would tell him where Marik had went.
A faint roaring of a motorcycle starting in the distance was the answer he got.
Dammit! Kaiba growled angrily to himself, resisting the urge to punch the nearest wall. He could hear faint thoughts from someone coming down the hall, so he hastily turned and went back the way he came, intent on taking an elevator the parking garage to make his hasty exit.
He could corner Marik Ishtar on another day when he needed something else from him. For now, this was fine.
He knew what this man looked like, where this man worked, and his full name.
Kaiba picked up a brisk pace, eager to leave.
Now, time to rush back to the beach and wait for Atem to show his face.
It was already well past sunset. Hopefully the merman was still there.
If not, there was always tomorrow.
Mana popped her head above the water and took a deep breath of fresh salty air. She scanned the beach quickly and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw no one.
Swimming forward with her head still above water, she eyed the beach longingly. Oh how she wished to lay down on the soft sand and watch the sun set…! It had been so many years since she had done so. After having been spotted by a couple of drunk party people on another shore, Mana had lost the confidence to sun herself on any beach.
Since Atem said this was Kaiba's private rock, perhaps it was okay to sit for a while.
Holding her breath, Mana mustered up all her courage and waited for a large wave to roll overhead before she swam powerfully upwards, letting it wash her gently to shore.
Rolling over onto her back in the sand, Mana squealed happily and fanned her tail against another oncoming foamy wave. Oh, this was so nice!
She stretched out to relax, and daringly placed her cheek down on the sand, breathing deeply.
Fresh air...clean sand…peace and quiet….
Mana was beginning to understand why the other mermaids enjoyed moon bathing so much.
But going with a group at the salon was always an expensive endeavor…perhaps she could convince the court to let Atem moon bathe with her.
The soft pattering of footsteps sounded from afar, and Mana perked her ears up frantically. She bolted upright into a sitting position and let out a frightened squeak when she saw a small child running towards her at full speed.
He had pale skin, angular eyes and unusually long black hair.
Frozen to the spot with fear, Mana was unable to find the strength to push off the beach. The waves were somehow getting farther away…and the child was getting closer.
Mokuba skidded to a halt and almost tripped over his own feet in the sand when he realized Atem had somehow magically evolved into a beautiful woman with flowing brown hair and bright blue eyes.
"M-Mermaid? Why are you a girl?" Mokuba cried, throwing his hand over his eyes when he realized her breasts were not covered. "Oh my god, put on some clothes! Are you doing this for Seto? Ew, gross!"
Mana's eyelid twitched in annoyance at the child's tone, so she didn't move or reply.
Clothes?! What an offensive suggestion!
And why was the child acting as she was ugly to look upon?
Was this Seto Kaiba's child?
"Go away!" Mana cried, placing a protective hand over the seaweed pouch which contained Atem's earrings, and she eyed an oncoming wave behind her. "I'm leaving. You never saw me!"
Mokuba cracked an eye open and dared to lower his arm slightly, peeking at her. "Wait! Wait...Seto will be here soon!"
"I don't want to see you, or him!" Mana cried, regretting her shore visit deeply now, and she turned to claw her way back to the receding tide, not caring how undignified she looked. The longer she sat exposed, the more danger she was in.
Mokuba lowered his arm fully and watched the mermaid try to catch a wave back into deeper waters, but had timed the dive badly, and ended up rolling sideways across the sand, her deep violet tail skidding heavily behind her.
Wow. The boy mermaid was usually better at that. Was this really not him?
Mana heard Mokuba's thoughts but was too terror-stricken to care. He could call her a boy-mermaid all he wanted.
Finally after a second attempt, she managed to catch a larger wave and roll off the beach into deeper waters, her heart pounding painfully with relief.
"But…wait…" Mokuba breathed, feeling his chest tighten strangely at the sudden encounter. "Seto will cry if you don't…stay…."
Mana swam away and hid behind the rock for safety, pressing a hand to her chest and trying to calm down. Cry? The human would cry? Was that really so?
Because what she had seen was Atem doing all the crying, and it was getting quite worrisome. Was the human crying too?
"Mermaid?!" Mokuba called shrilly, grabbing onto the rock and climbing it with difficulty because it was slippery and wet. "Mermaid! I'm sorry! Please come back!"
Crap, Seto's gonna kill me for that. Mokuba thought grumpily, plopping himself down on the rock, cross-legged.
Kill?! Mana thought, horrified. That was a figure of speech, right? But...just in case it wasn't….
Mokuba heard a splash below by the edge of the rock. He quickly got on his hands and knees and peered curiously over the edge, seeing a stream of bubbles getting larger and larger before the beautiful girl with round eyes appeared again, but this time, keeping her lower body hidden.
"Oh good…you're gonna stay," Mokuba said warmly, feeling his palms slip dangerously forward on the wet surface of the rock. "What's your name? You're not him, right?"
"No, I am not." Mana replied coldly, wondering how stupid human children could be. "I am fully a girl. I am not a boy-mermaid."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Mokuba said, grinning sheepishly and giving his black hair an embarrassed ruffle. "I'll wait with you here until he comes."
Mana contemplated that for a moment and decided that her heart couldn't take meeting another human, and especially not the one who had captured Atem in the first place and forced him to mate.
"No need. You'll pass the message on for me, little boy." Mana said shakily, and to her surprise, the child glared angrily at her.
"I'm old! I'm thirteen you know! That's practically a teenager. Screw you, Mermaid. You're little."
Mana's mouth dropped open with shock at the sudden rudeness and she contemplated arguing back, but she decided to take the higher road.
Atem's task for her was far more important than arguing with a child.
"Then, take this…. you old man." Mana said coolly, untying the seaweed pouch from her waist and holding it up for him.
The child eyed the bag suspiciously and folded his arms stubbornly across his chest. "What's that? Killer shrimp? No thanks."
"Killer what?" Mana's eyes widened with confusion and she wondered if the boy was joking. "These are for you! And the message is—"
"You mean, it's for Seto." Mokuba corrected brattily, and he reached down to snatch the seaweed pouch from her beautifully manicured fingers. "Thanks. He says thanks."
"Listen to the message, child, and repeat it to him! Do you understand?" Mana cried, beginning to slowly lose her patience. "Repeat it after me—"
"Repeat it after me, child, I do understand." Mokuba said dully, rolling his eyes and hanging the wet pouch around his neck. "Okay, what is it?"
"You are insufferable." Mana said, unable to help herself, and to her rising surprise, the child laughed heartily.
"Thanks, and…you're…pretty." Mokuba grinned widely, and Mana's voice died in her throat.
This is grossly inappropriate.
Atem's message!
"The message is very serious, so remember it word for every word." Mana said with finality, and the boy nodded carelessly, still smiling stupidly down at her. "'My duties no longer include visits to shore, so I will not be seeing you anymore, Seto Kaiba. I love you dearly, but please know that—"
"Ew, I'm not gonna say that," Mokuba said, interrupting her for the millionth time, and Mana lost her patience.
"'I love you dearly', you must say it! He needs to hear every word of it!" she cried, her voice echoing thinly up and down the empty beach, and Mokuba held his hands up defensively, looking slightly disturbed.
"Okay, okay, geez Mermaid, calm down. I love you dearly and my duties no longer include visits to shore!"
"Good, and… 'My punishment is a shore-long ban for a century, so please do not wait for me. Do not waste your own life waiting for me. Do not take your life when I don't appear. Please do these things for me if you truly understand.'"
Mokuba sat back on his heels, the air slowly leaving his lungs with shock.
What the fuck was this? Breaking up?
So the other mermaid was too chicken to break up with Seto in person, and he had to send a random girl to do it for him?!
"What nonsense are you thinking about? Recite it back to me now." Mana insisted, and she heard an odd splash coming from behind. Suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around her fin and Mana squeaked in surprise when an unfamiliar voice floated through her mind.
"My dearest Lady. I'm a palace guard who has been sent to follow you, and I advise that you leave the child alone now. I report back to Mahad on all shore-related happenings as a secondary source…and I will wait for you at a safe distance."
"Something bite you?" Mokuba tilted his head curiously, and the mermaid shook her head furiously, her cheeks dark pink.
"Goodbye child. I need to go now. Remember it all, every word, do you hear?"
"Y-Yeah ok, I got it." Mokuba said uncertainly, and he watched her sink down beneath an oncoming wave that crashed against the side of the rock.
On a second thought, Mokuba rose to his feet and shouted over the water, "My name is Mokuba by the way! I'm not Seto, just letting you know you got the message to the wrong person!"
Got it! I understand! Mana thought back furiously, swimming away from the rock at breakneck speed, seeing the dark shadow of the Stealthsman waiting for her in deeper waters.
She dove straight down towards him, filled with relief and gratitude towards Mahad for sending a guard after her. That child had been one of the strangest encounters with humans she'd ever had.
Clasping her hands together quickly, she said a small prayer, hoping that she had done her job well enough to help ease Atem's pain.
Author's note:
Message: delivered
Tears: shed?
Atem: sad/angry
Kaiba: angry/preoccupied
Marik: appeared mysteriously
Mokuba: bratty as fuck
thank you for reading! please let me know what you think in a comment below!
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hugs,
Ugli