Kaiba raced down the sandy boardwalk towards the beach, breathless with anticipation.
Mokuba had notified him of Atem's appearance ten minutes ago, and he had sped dangerously on the road to get to the beach in five.
"Seto!" Mokuba turned to wave his arms at his older brother who was taking leaping strides over the sand. "Don't bother! She left!"
Kaiba reached the rock and leaned against it tiredly, heaving, out of breath. "She?!"
Mokuba nodded anxiously, unsure of how to begin delivering the message without hurting Seto's feelings.
"Spit it out, kid," Kaiba panted, finally catching his breath, and he straightened up to look Mokuba in the eye, wondering why his brother was sitting so oddly on the wet rock.
"Get down from there before you hurt yourself."
"Okay, but you have to listen to the message really closely, cuz I'm delivering it word for word," Mokuba said, watching Seto's reaction carefully for any changes.
"Yes, I'm listening," Kaiba said testily, folding his arms across his chest in annoyance. Atem couldn't come tell him something face-to-face, and had to send a messenger?
"But first, you have to know that she was super pretty," Mokuba said, blushing so hard, the tips of his ears turned pink. "And-And she wasn't wearing a top, Seto! She was naked! I saw her boobs! They were huge! They were like, this big—"
…like bigger than my face! And…
"Mokuba…" Kaiba sighed, pressing a palm to his forehead and feeling a laugh coming reluctantly up his chest, but his younger brother continued to rant excitedly.
"Oh man, she was way prettier than the boy mermaid! She was wearing shells in her hair, and her eyes were blue, and her hair was brown, and her hands were—"
"Mokuba!" Kaiba raised his voice and felt the corners of his mouth tugging upwards. "What did she say?"
"That…he's breaking up with you like a chicken, and he couldn't come say it to your face." Mokuba grumbled, completely disregarding the mermaid's request to recite the message word for word.
"What?!" Kaiba narrowed his eyes at his younger brother shrewdly. "Come on, kid. She really said, 'like a chicken'?"
"No, I added that part," Mokuba said nervously. "Oh, here!"
He lifted the seaweed pouch off his neck and handed it to his older brother who accepted it oddly with both hands.
"Uh...-Ah… 'this is for you…'" Mokuba began, seeing Seto's eyes widen, and he changed his mind. "That's it. That's all she said."
Shaking his head in exasperation, Kaiba loosened the pouch, and two golden wing-shaped earrings landed in his open palm.
The blue gems sparkled warmly back at him in the setting sun, and Kaiba stared at them in disbelief, wondering why Atem had such a magnificent change of heart, suddenly deciding to gift him with…his most prized possession?
The merman had said these were his mother's earrings if he recalled correctly….
"What's the message?" Kaiba asked tensely, curling his fingers over the gold jewelry while his heart sank rapidly to his feet. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Fine…fine," Mokuba grumbled, and he took a moment to compose himself before he recounted the entire meeting in one giant breath.
"Listen to the message, child, and repeat it to him. Do you understand? She said that to make sure I was listening, and then I said 'okay', so she said: my duties no longer include visits to shore, so I will not be seeing you anymore, Seto Kaiba. I love you dearly."
Kaiba stared at Mokuba, an odd ringing filling his ears.
"Um…there's more…but it's stupid," Mokuba said lamely, sliding off the rock and attempting to make an escape, but his brother caught him by the arm and held him firmly in place.
It was a bad idea to tell Seto all of it.
"Tell me all of it," Kaiba said, his face eerily blank and his voice devoid of emotion. "That's not all of it. I know there's more."
"Ugh, fine." Mokuba rolled his eyes and continued reciting from memory. "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. THE END. He's breaking up with you and making excuses, blah blah. Can I go now?"
Mokuba gazed up at his older brother, noticing that his eyes had gone glassy and his grip had loosened. Twisting away, he ran back towards the house, not wanting to see Seto cry on the beach again.
He had already seen Seto cry one other time, and it was hard to watch.
That merman was evil.
Kaiba found himself in a sitting position in the sand, and Mokuba's dull voice carrying Atem's message kept echoing terribly through his head.
"My punishment is a shore-long ban for a century… 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."
Atem had somehow gotten in trouble and was banned from shore?
For a century.
A century.
A hundred years.
A hundred fucking years!
How long do merpeople live? Kaiba reeled, gripping his head in his hand and wondering if this was all an elaborate prank being played on him by a cruel god.
Was Atem really gone forever? No. That was an unreasonable thought. He was only gone for this century.
If I can somehow reach him before then…Kaiba thought as he rose to his feet in a strange trance and began wading towards the water, his eyes burning with unshed tears of anger and frustration.
This was horrible and unfair. They didn't even get to say a proper goodbye. Instead, the message had been delivered by a random mermaid.
Mokuba stood by the window, watching Seto wade robotically into an oncoming wave, and he froze, growing cold all over. What the heck was Seto doing?!
Kaiba let a large wave swallow him from the chest up, and he grit his teeth, slightly relieved the water was hot.
Maybe, his fish powers would include breathing underwater. No time like the present to try it out.
"Seto!" Mokuba cried, banging his fist on the window. He dashed out of the house, his chest tight with fear. "Seto! Stop! What're you doing?!"
Kaiba heard Mokuba's frantic shouts and thoughts, but he ignored them, steadily wading deeper into the ocean until he no longer felt sand beneath his toes.
Bobbing up and down against the waves, Kaiba took a deep breath and dove downwards, daring to keep his eyes open. He couldn't see anything. It was completely dark.
He stayed beneath the surface, fighting every wave that tried to wash him to shore, and he popped his head up again, hearing Mokuba's frantic thoughts.
Oh my god! Seto is gonna kill himself! The message was literally 'don't kill yourself'! And he's doing it right now!
Rolling his eyes, Kaiba dove beneath the water again, going deeper this time, and Mokuba's thoughts grew fainter and fainter as he went.
…and the water is cold! Is he gonna be okay? I'll call Isono….
Kaiba held his breath for as long as he could, feeling his lungs bursting for air the longer he stayed underwater, but he stubbornly held out, slowly letting a stream of air leave his lips.
Now there was truly no air left inside of him.
He had exhaled it, and the only other option was to take a gulp of water or rise to the surface for air.
Kaiba daringly inhaled through his nose, and a terrible stinging invaded his nostrils.
Clawing his way upwards, he coughed and sputtered while the salt water stung his eyes.
Great.
Theory disproved. He could not breathe underwater, nor was he a better swimmer.
"Seto! Please come back!" Mokuba cried worriedly, waving his arms wildly while jumping up and down. "It's too cold!"
Rolling his eyes, Kaiba tread his way over several waves back into shallow waters, his heart heavy with disappointment.
There was a way to reach Atem. He just hadn't figured it out yet.
Mana gently pushed Atem's door open and floated inside without an invitation.
The king was sitting on his bed, surrounded by stacks of books. It was an odd sight to see.
"Atem…" Mana ventured, quickly closing the door behind herself and leaning against it for support. "I-I did it. I delivered your message."
Atem jerked his head up and dropped the book. He swam over to her and pulled her into a grateful embrace.
"Thank you, Mana. Did he say anything in return?" Atem asked keenly, his heart leaping wonderfully at the thought of a message from Seto Kaiba, but to his dismay, Mana shook her head tightly.
"I spoke to a small child for a few moments until a Stealthsman grabbed my fin and told me to get away from him."
Atem blinked, slowly digesting this information.
Mana had not spoken to Seto Kaiba, but to Mokuba Kaiba, and knowing that child, he probably wasn't very helpful.
"He really wasn't!" Mana agreed vehemently, hearing Atem's passing thought. "I gave him the earrings, and he called me pretty, but only after acting as if I was ugly! How dare he!"
Atem managed a small smile, his heart still pounding painfully in his chest with sorrow. "That is how he behaves all the time. He means well."
Mana nodded and lowered her head apologetically. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get my message to the right person. Shore travels are being monitored now, more strictly than ever since your…accident."
"I understand," Atem said hollowly, eyeing the books stacked atop his bed hatefully. "Thank you for sending my message, Mana. Let's not speak of this anymore. This could get you into trouble."
Mana bowed prettily and floated towards the door, giving Atem a curious glance over her shoulder. "This human…Seto Kaiba. You must really love him. Does he look anything like the child I saw?"
Atem shook his head quickly and jumping excitedly at the chance to talk about Seto. "No. In fact, he's got brown hair…and blue eyes. The most beautiful blue eyes—"
"I have brown hair and blue eyes," Mana said stiffly, tossing a lock of hair over her shoulder sassily. "Just seek a merperson with brown hair and blue eyes! Those are very common traits, Atem."
"It's not just his appearance, Mana." Atem said impatiently, realizing that it was futile to discuss this further with her because the mermaids in Confinement were the only ones who truly understood.
"Well, if I ever see him again on my next shore visit in a few years, I'll let you know how he's doing." Mana said warmly, hoping this would appease Atem, "Mahad kindly arranged for me to only have to surface once every five years...or until I can find a merman who will willingly take my place."
Atem nodded silently and politely watched her exit his chambers before he threw himself back down on his bed and glared angrily at all the books he had hauled into his room.
He couldn't help but feel angry. Angry that Mana had not delivered the message to Seto Kaiba and was no longer able to make shore visits without supervision.
Picking up a book about mating, Atem settled himself down on his bed again and continued reading.
"Mating between a human and a merperson is a banned practice. Humans reporting sightings of merpeople risk endangering entire colonies given the rise of human technology…"
Atem sighed loudly and resisted the urge to slam the book shut. Boring.
Nothing new here other than the biased ramblings of the Scholar who wrote this.
Mai was correct when she said reading mer-editions of books would help. He was learning about the ingrained prejudices merpeople held against humans.
Sighing again, Atem forced himself to continue reading. There had to be something useful in here.
"…There are only a few reported cases of mermen impregnating human women, and all have died during the birthing process. Therefore, the Council concluded that this act was Cruelty Against Humans, and issued a decree to ban mer-human mating in the following century. Mermen were no longer allowed to surface in order to seek human women."
Oh. Atem thought darkly, his interest piqued, and he turned the page.
"This led to a rebellion, which was quickly contained by King Ramses II, but this gave rise to a new problem. Mermaidens realized this rule did not apply to them, and many maidens began traveling to shore to seek the thrills of human sex with a man (or another woman, see footnote, Lesbianism*) …"
What is this?! Atem leaned away from the book, slightly perturbed. Humans had a name for female love? How strange.
"In Era 18, there was only one reported case of a merman seeking love with a male human, and unfortunately, the human he had mated with suffered Deep Internal wounds and died in the following years."
But Kaiba is fine, and that never happened to me! Atem thought, his panic rising as he began to skim and skip a few words in a desperate bid for information.
"…Several Scholars and Medics were sent on shore, undercover, to determine the unnamed male human's cause of death (see footnote, Internal Bleeding*) coupled with a weakened immune system.
Merman semen is dangerous to humans because it contains parasitic-like properties, and the human, after having willingly ingested some from his mer-mate, died painfully from an intestinal rupture.
Now, there is a decree in Book IITzolk, on Shelf Q'ij, issued by King Senwroset, stating that any merperson caught mating with a human should receive punishment as severe as any Merderer. (Confinement for 150 centuries, and no Sun-Time.)
These studies show that MerMating with humans causes painful human death, so it has been explicitly banned across the entire ocean."
Atem slammed the book shut, breathing heavily and willing himself to remain composed. That had been too much bad information all at once, with only one good bit of news.
He had somehow avoided the 150-century punishment in Confinement, with a mere slap on the wrist.
One century and supervised Sun-time every decade.
But all the stuff written about intestinal rupturing was incorrect. Seto Kaiba was fine, and he was fine every time they had met.
Shoving the book aside with a huff, Atem decided that the book was biased and mostly wrong.
Time to read something else.
He reached for the next book at the top of the stack and bit back a tired sigh.
"Humans and their Pets."
This ought to be interesting.
Kaiba paced his office, intently blocking out his secretary's thoughts while he raged internally.
The game had changed completely. If Atem's message was to be taken seriously, he really wasn't going to see him again…ever.
Unless there was a way to become immortal.
Did the scales provide that? Doubtful, because it seemed they only healed wounds and caused terrible nausea as a side-effect.
Well, I have the rats, I can test it on them, Kaiba thought wearily, already hating the idea. He needed solid results. On another human preferably, but that was never going to happen.
Oh, I'm so worried for Tsukiya-kun…. He couldn't sleep last night either, and now I'm tired….
Growling, Kaiba shut her out and continued to pace.
He couldn't physically go down there with a submarine because Atem lived at a depth that no man-made machine could withstand. Every single one of his own actions moving forward from now on, had to be a bid for more information, to get closer to Atem.
Another possible way was to find the mysterious Chrysalis, and somehow harness its powers.
He could convince Atem to dive into it and come out with legs. Or, he could dive into it himself, and come out with a …tail?
Kaiba shook the horrifying thought out of his mind and clenched his fists.
Finding the elusive Chrysalis was the last resort.
Communicating with Atem should the first obstacle.
Oh no. He keeps texting me, asking if Mr. Kaiba is treating me badly because of it. No, no he isn't. Please don't worry my dear…
Kaiba paused mid-step and wondered what the fuck she was thinking about. His name had come up, coupled with the words "treating me badly", and Kaiba had made it his private mission to never hear those words from her ever again.
He held his breath, waiting for another thought to come floating by, and sure enough, one did.
No, I don't know how much the car is worth! And no, I'm not going to ask him! Asking him will only draw attention to the situation. He made eye contact with me this morning, which was a good sign!
Kaiba stood by the door, listening to his heart pounding thickly in his ears.
Car? Was she talking to the man who had hit his car the other day?!
What a small and funny world.
Yanking the door open, Kaiba strode towards her desk and watched her jump to her feet with a wide-eyed expression.
"Heading out, Mr. Kaiba?" she asked tentatively with a small smile, and Kaiba leaned casually against the front counter, returning her smile with effort.
"No, but I do have a question about your future husband," he said, watching the color slowly leave her face as he spoke. "He's the one who hit my car, isn't he?"
She shook her head vehemently and bowed deeply, apologizing so fast, Kaiba could barely understand her speaking, so he decided to listen to her thoughts instead, which were also screaming incoherently.
Oh CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! IT'S LIKE HE'S A MIND READER! I JUST HUNG UP WITH TSUKIYA ABOUT IT, AND NOW HE WALKS OUT HERE TALKING ABOUT IT…but he doesn't look angry, thank god. I'll just stay in this position, bowed, and keep apologizing until he walks away like usual.
"And I have a completely unrelated question," Kaiba continued, speaking instantly when he heard a gap in her apologetic rant. "Do you know anything about mermaids?"
What?!
"I-I'm sorry...wh-what?" she stammered, completely taken aback by the subject change.
"Mermaids," Kaiba said impatiently, drumming his fingers against the marble countertop protruding above her desk. "Mythology."
"O-Oh…I…" she paused for a moment, thinking.
What on earth?! So it's not about the car, but about mermaids?! He came by to talk about the car as a CONVERSATION STARTER ABOUT MERMAIDS?! What is wrong with this guy? Ouugh no, concentrate and answer his question!
"I love mermaids," she gushed with a warm smile, sitting down quickly and gazing politely up at him. "I was obsessed with them as a little girl, and…all throughout high school, embarrassingly enough. I even took classes related to Greek and literature in order to read about them."
"Well, thank fuck," Kaiba said, pleased to discover that she might be more helpful than the suspicious and twitchy Marik Ishtar. "Tell me everything. And I mean, literally…everything. Even the shit that people think is made-up."
She blinked rapidly and nodded, taking a moment to compose herself.
"I think the most fascinating thing about mermaids is the fact that they're immortal," she said happily, fanning some paperwork across her desk with ease and beginning to sort them. "They're so wise and beautiful."
Kaiba stared at her, waiting for her to continue, but she appeared to have finished speaking. Even her thoughts were quiet.
"What else?" Kaiba pressed, eager to hear more. "Do they live in, say, colonies or cities?"
She laughed a tinkling laugh and threw him a strange look. "Well, I suppose! They would live like any other intelligent life form! Have you read the stories of Atlantis? Maybe they live like that and have giant machines doing all the work for them!"
"I've heard of Atlantis, but I'm talking about people with fins and fishtails," Kaiba said stiffly, hating how she was treating this as friendly banter. "What's a popular myth about mermaids?"
"That they hate humans, or that merfolk and humans can't coexist," she replied instantly, sounding oddly bossy. "Many stories I've read only highlight the struggles of one side, wanting to merge, but hating the other side. They always strive for harmony."
Kaiba rolled his eyes. Yeah, that much was true, at least based on what Atem told him.
"Well, what about mermen?" Kaiba asked steadily, watching her face for a reaction, and she grinned happily at him, her eyes sparkling with interest.
"Oh! Yes! Have you seen the movie Aquaman?"
"What." Kaiba narrowed his eyes, hating the name. "The aquatic man."
"The superhero." She nodded, shuffling the papers again, and Kaiba realized with a jolt that she was organizing them...for him. "It was a strange movie where people with fins rode on sharks. I thought it was odd because in their universe, the mermen could swim faster than a shark, so why ride one when—"
"Yeah, I don't want to hear about the movie," Kaiba interrupted, trying his best to sound less rude and more conversational. "I want to know what you know about mer…people."
"Want to look through my old class notes?" She asked nonchalantly, passing him the stack of paperwork with a smile. "I still have them because I couldn't bear to throw my hard work away. I'll bring them for you tomorrow. You sound very interested in mythology, Mr. Kaiba!"
Mermaids in particular. Do straight men have this much interest in mermaids? I don't know….oh! Gosh! Right, he was having that crisis about being gay the last time I was in his office! OoooOoOooomYyyYYgodddddddddd HE'S GAY! I FORGOT TO MENTION IT TO TSUKIYA
"This conversation is over." Kaiba said coldly after hearing her thoughts, and he stalked back into his office, trying not to feel offended.
"Wh—I didn't…Did I say something offensive, Mr. Kaiba?!" She cried, shaking her head in exasperation when she was ignored again.
Eccentric! That's the word I'd use for him, she thought grumpily to herself, and inside his office, Kaiba ground his teeth together tightly, deciding he had had enough conversations with another person for today.
Time to set a filter to notify him of the words 'mermaid' and 'merman' being mentioned anywhere in the world, and have it ping on all his devices.
Atem swam slowly through the palace halls, desperately trying to find the hallway that led to the Pillars of Time.
He needed a way to keep track of time on shore if he was no longer making shore visits, and since he was trapped inside the palace for a century, there was nothing else to do other than explore.
He had read about this room in the books, and had learned that this was how merpeople kept track of All time.
What he needed to do now was talk to a Keeper…whoever that was.
According to the texts, the Keeper was stationed inside the Pillar Room to help any passing merperson find the answers they were looking for, so Atem was feeling slightly optimistic.
He passed several dark hallways and took one at random.
There was a slight ascent, and musty smell. Turning around quickly, Atem went back the way he came.
That was the wrong way.
The Pillars should not have a stench.
He made a sharp turn and chose to swim down the hallway right beside it.
To his surprise, he heard voices echoing from the end, and he hurried towards them, realizing it was the sound of two mermaids gossiping happily.
"…And he just stared at me like he had lost his tongue!"
"Oh my! How wonderful! You've got his heart for sure!"
Atem hovered awkwardly at a distance, eyeing the pillars on either side of the entrance to the darkness. Bits of shattered glass and shells had been molded into the stone, giving the pillar a beautiful eerie glow every time he caught his reflection in the shards of mirror.
"Oh! My king!" One of the women gasped, noticing him at last and swimming towards him with a basket heavy with something alive inside of it. "Excuse us. We didn't see or hear you there."
"King Atem! We're blessed to have you in our presence," the other mermaid bowed prettily, blushing. "May we help you? Or are you just passing by?"
"Actually, yes, I could use a bit of help," Atem ventured, gazing over the ladies' shoulders and feeling his skin crawl at the dark, ominous hole behind them. It was flanked by more pillars that were decorated with stray fish bones and pieces of human glass.
"Tell us! We will help," the mermaid holding the basket urged, and she passed it over to her companion slowly. "Please take this. It's getting quite heavy."
Atem reached for the basket instinctively and lifted it out of her hands, feeling the weight sag in his arms, and he smiled warmly. "For your troubles, I will carry this for you. Please tell me where I can find the Pillars of Time."
The women giggled and tilted their heads curiously at him, pointing over their shoulders at the blackened hole behind them. "We were on our way there to gift Her with food."
"I see," Atem said nervously, feeling the thing in the basket wriggle suddenly and thrash weakly at the sides. "I will bring it in there if you don't mind. I would like to learn more about the Keeper."
"Oh praise Suijin!" the other mermaid cried happily, pressing a hand to her chest and grabbing her friend by the arm. "I'm always too scared to go in there by myself. Thank you, Atem. You are so brave!"
"Indeed, you are," the first mermaid echoed, and the women bade him goodbye with friendly waves, swimming away to much haste while whispering fervidly to each other.
Frowning suspiciously, Atem heaved the basket onto his shoulder and swam boldly into the darkness, unfazed.
Blinking rapidly, Atem sharpened his senses as he pushed through the water. The glassy pillars were getting taller and longer around him, and the hallway began to widen.
The basket was getting heavier and heavier in his arms, and Atem paused to gather himself, realizing he was floating in the middle of the enormous amphitheater.
Towering pillars were arranged around him in a solid circle in the darkness, and the quiet was deafening.
"Keeper?" Atem called, shifting the basket to his other shoulder. "I come bearing food."
He was met with silence. Not even a stray thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
Sighing, Atem dove downwards and set the basket on the stone floor, seeing a stray braided rope of kelp looped around the base of one of the pillars. He grabbed it and tied it over the basket, quickly securing it to the pillar.
A thick white octopus tentacle came snaking out of the darkness from behind the pillar instantly, and Atem watched with rising horror as it stabbed through the basket, shattering the woven shell and releasing the fish trapped inside.
More white curling arms emerged from behind each of the pillars, grabbing viciously at the fish that made frantic bids to swim away, and Atem swallowed thinly, backing away slowly as each fish was caught with terrifying precision and reeled into the darkness, emitting tiny cries of fear before they were devoured.
Each suction cup on the octopus's arms was larger than his face; larger anything Atem had ever seen, and he instantly understood why the mermaids were so frightened.
The Keeper was a terrifying, monstrous white cephalopod.
The book had neglected to mention that.
What species grew this large?!
Deciding not to stay, Atem kicked off the stone floor and powered rapidly upwards, eager to get away, but to his surprise, something caught the base of his tail and gave him a solid yank back down.
Letting out a panicked yell, Atem found himself being dragged past several pillars and towards a large, pulsating circular beak, lined with rows and rows of sharp teeth.
"Put me down at once! I am your king!" Atem shouted, thoroughly terrified at the thought of being eaten and never being able to see Kaiba again. "I've come to seek your help!"
You are not my king! You're an ignorant child! She shrieked in his mind, giving him a vicious shake while he hung upside down helplessly in her grasp. SSsSSstay away from my eggs, merman!
Eggs?! Atem thought frantically, glancing around and biting back a gasp when he saw a large patch of milky-white eggs sitting in the cracks behind the pillar nearest to them.
"I'm not here for your eggs," Atem said calmly, intent on not letting his fear show through, but his heart was leaping wildly inside his chest. "I need to keep time. Place a marker for me…please."
The white tentacle did not uncurl from the base of his tail and her disgruntled voice echoed in his mind once more.
Whhhere? And whhhich calendar, merman?
"The…" Atem frowned and scrambled to remember. "The Gregorian Calendar which humans live by. Please put me down."
BECAUSE YOU WANT TO STEAL MY EGGS! She screamed, her tentacle tightening painfully around the base of his tail, almost cutting off circulation to his lower fins.
"What could I possibly want with your eggs?!" Atem demanded, wondering why this octopus was so resentful. "Place a marker for me on today's date. I want a reminder for every passing year for the next century."
SILENCE! She hissed, dragging him along with her while she glided over the cracked stony surface of each pillar, her tentacles feeling around each one, clearly searching for something.
Crossing his arms irritably, Atem felt himself growing dizzy as she waved him around like a ragdoll while she worked.
He noticed each pillar had enormous circular carvings with glowing gems embedded in their centers. The carvings were stacked upwards one on top of another, and the giant white octopus finally stopped at one pillar, still hanging Atem upside down by his fins while she held him up to inspect the circular calendar carved upon it.
Atem stared at the stonework in awe, taking in the intricate lines illustrating a human standing in the middle with his arms and legs spread wide. A giant stone with a blue core was growing out in the man's chest, and directly beneath it, was a similar circular calendar, with a human woman carved in the center.
Strange markings covered every inch of the circle, growing smaller as they got towards the middle of the man's navel, and Atem frowned, unable to understand any of it.
She grumbled loudly to herself, stabbing a tentacle at the calendar.
Attached to one of her large suction cups was a stray barnacle, and she held it against the stone, right at the carving's elbow.
YOUR MARKER IS SET. NOW LEAVE! she yelled, and Atem didn't need to be told twice.
Her grip on his tail finally loosened, and Atem twisted out of her grasp, zipping straight up towards the exit, his heart pounding thickly in his throat, almost choking the air out of him as he swam.
He burst out of the hallway and didn't stop swimming until he reached the safety of his room. Slamming the door behind himself, Atem leaned against it, gasping for air.
That had been one of the most terrifying experiences he had ever had in his own home.
I'm doing this for you, Seto Kaiba! Atem thought angrily, driving over to his bed and staring down at the remaining books he had yet to read.
The human had better appreciate his effort.
Sighing, Atem sat down on the sandy floor and pressed a hand over his rapidly beating heart, trying to calm himself down.
This was fine. He was going to be fine. Seto Kaiba was still going to be waiting for him when he surfaced. He just had to believe, pray, and keep researching.
If he spent his time wisely, a century would go by in a blink of an eye, and he would be reunited with Kaiba very soon.
Author's note:
Kaiba receives atem's message thru bratty Mokuba and is now in Pre-BlueScreenofDeath Mode, looking to find any and all information.
Atem struggles with the punishment in his own way, doing everything he can to keep track of time passing on shore. Including almost dying at the tentacles of a giant white octopus.
Bit of a short but impactful chapter? Idk u tell meeeeEeEee
Until next timmme,
Ugli