Kaiba burst into the hospital through the back entrance, ignoring the vicious glares from nurses along the hall.

Counting the closed doors as he passed each luxury birthing suite, he scanned the nameplates, finally seeing Mokuba's name at the end of the hall and hastily knocked on the door, Isono called out to him, sounding relieved.

"Master Kaiba, you made it," his manservant whispered, pulling the door back to let him in. Kaiba gave him a stiff nod, and stepped inside quietly.

Mokuba was sitting on a plush couch in the back of the room by the window, gently cradling a bundle in his arms, looking frazzled and exhausted. He threw his older brother a sharp glare but reminded himself to stay civil. His wife was half-asleep in the bed, medicated, looking drained, but content.

"Nice of you to show up," Mokuba said coldly, trying to stuff the resentment back down his chest. "You can't even be here for the birth of my kid?"

Kaiba clenched his jaw and sat down beside Mokuba, trying to find the words for an apology, but all he could manage was, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Boys…" Isono smiled warmly, taking a seat on Mokuba's other side, placing a warm hand on the younger Kaiba's shoulder. "Don't fight. Ayame-san is resting…let's celebrate quietly together."

Kaiba stared at the white bundle in Mokuba's arms, his stomach twisting strangely as he heard a soft gurgle, and he forced himself to look away.

There was a tense silence in the room with nothing but the humidifier's soft hissing filling the air, and Mokuba couldn't stand it anymore.

He turned towards Seto with a forced smile, his arms shaking as he held the baby out to his older brother. "Want to hold him?"

"Him?" The blood drained rapidly from Kaiba's face as he wondered if he'd heard it wrong. "I thought you were having a girl."

"When did I ever say that?" Mokuba breathed, shaking his head tiredly. "We were always having a boy. Do you want to hold him or not?"

Kaiba opened his mouth, aching to decline, but he caught a sharp thought from Ayame in the bed across the way; 'Why doesn't he want to hold the baby?!', so he nodded, reaching out to gather the soft blankets in his arms.

A tiny, wrinkled, pink face was buried in the folds, and Kaiba's chest tightened uncomfortably again, and the baby began to sink heavier into his arms. The scent of infant powder was so overwhelming, it was causing his head to spin. What's more, everyone's thoughts were unusually loud as he continued to stare into the newborn's face.

Seto is like an emotionless statue. Seriously, I am so fed up with him. I don't care if he can hear me. I even told him to mark this week on his calendar and he clearly didn't.

Master Kaiba looks uncomfortable, but the baby is so precious! I hope he will change his mind soon and think about having one as well.

Mokuba-kun is being so quiet…haha…. That probably scared him a bit…. Gosh…. I want him to be handsome…. The Kaiba family has good genes, I'm so relieved….

"What's his name?" Kaiba choked and recoiled slightly when he felt the baby move in his arms.

"Noah!" Ayame said happily from the bed, raising her arm in a weak wave. "Cute, right?"

"Yes." Mokuba beamed, and he rose to sit on the chair beside his wife's bed, bending forward to give her kiss on her hair-matted forehead. "He's perfect. You did amazing."

Kaiba watched this scene with rising disbelief, growing steadily more numb as the baby began to fuss and cry in his arms.
What…universe was he living in?
He felt like he was watching a movie of his life, but he wasn't the main character. Mokuba was.

"Let me take him," Isono suggested hastily, and Kaiba gladly handed the infant over, suppressing a shudder. The idea of another human being in his care was terrifying.

Ayame nodded gratefully at Isono, holding her arms out for the child. "He's hungry."

Mokuba stepped back and let Isono pass, giving Seto another glare, but realizing his brother was sitting with his shoulders hunched, looking oddly small.

"Seto, let's talk outside," Mokuba said quietly, already moving towards the door.

Kaiba rose to his feet automatically, eager to leave the room, knowing he was walking willingly into another one of Mokuba's lectures, but he didn't care. Anything to be away from the newborn.

The door closed softly behind him and, as predicted, Mokuba rounded on him furiously.

"I know you don't care, but can you pretend to care for at least two seconds?" Mokuba fumed, stepped closer to Seto until he was nose-to-nose with his brother. "Don't wrinkle your nose when you hold him. If you want to spend any time with him, you're either going to shape up or stay out of our way."

Kaiba nodded his head mutely, his ears burning hot with rage and embarrassment when he saw two nurses walking past them quickly with their heads down.
They were being heard.
Could they have this conversation somewhere else?

"I'm hiring two full-time nannies, a man and a woman," Mokuba continued, not bothering to keep his voice down in the hallway. "Isono will also be around to help. What are you going to do?"

"…Stay out of your way," Kaiba repeated dully, his stomach sinking to his feet. "I'm such a huge fucking disappointment anyway, isn't that right?"

"No!" Mokuba fumed, sounding close to tears. "I just want you to be here, Seto! With me, with us, mentally and physically present! Care to tell me where you were tonight?"

Kaiba winced at Mokuba's tone, feeling like a trapped animal backed into a corner as he replied carefully, "I was…sending Joey and Tristan off."

Mokuba folded his arms across his chest silently, looking startled.

"What? Where are they going?"

"Home," Kaiba said heavily, feeling as if his heart was being squeezed by a giant fist as he tried not to think about it.

"They live in Japan. Where the hell is 'home'?" Mokuba asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean, another city? That still doesn't take all night."

Kaiba gave Mokuba a long stare before he decided to tell the truth. "They're merpeople, alright? They live in the ocean. I had to haul their shit to the beach and help them pack."

Mokuba narrowed his eyes, his mind racing as he wondered if Seto was making stuff up again to get into his good graces.

"…And you don't believe me, which is fine…" Kaiba sighed, pressing a palm across his eyes, bright spots dotting the corners of his vision. "I won't bother convincing you."

"Wait, if they're 'merpeople' like you said, does that mean they're never coming back?" Mokuba asked, his heart pounding thickly in his throat as he realized Seto was now going to be friendless. "They're gonna visit, right?"

Kaiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, kid. They're gonna 'visit', just like how Atem said he was going to 'visit'. As fucking if."

"What? Who's Atem?" Mokuba asked, frowning in confusion. "Another friend you made recently?"

Kaiba raised his head slowly, staring blankly into Mokuba's face, taking in his high, hollowed cheekbones and his long black hair when he realized…he'd never spoken much about Atem to his younger brother.
He'd been quietly and obsessively chasing the spiky-haired merman, suffering silently at every turn.

"The first merman," Kaiba said steadily through numb lips. "The one with spiky hair."

Mokuba's mouth dropped open and he held his hands up in defeat, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I give up," he said plainly. "I don't want to hear about fish people, or your vitamins, or the spiky-haired merman anymore. They ruined your life, Seto. All you're doing is chasing this fairy tale!"

"They didn't ruin my life!" Kaiba argued, his blood boiling as a small voice in the back of his asked if this was indeed true. "And it's not a fairy tale if it's real. You saw it too!"

"Yeah, and I thought, 'cool, mermaids exist', and then I went on with my life," Mokuba shot back, his eyes shining with tears of frustration. "I didn't lock myself in a lab for years, drowning rats and guinea pigs while talking to myself all the time, doing hard drugs, or going on crazy, 'round-the-world road trips to every beach imaginable trying to find mermaids again!"

Kaiba fell silent, understanding that this was really how Mokuba had seen him for the past several years. A deluded recluse who had lost his touch with reality, chasing a phenomenon that wasn't likely to happen again.

Mokuba wasn't finished. He was getting hysterical, seemingly unable to stop himself from unloading.

"Do you see yourself sometimes? When was the last time you looked in a mirror? You're dressed like shit, and you look like shit. Did you get into a fight with Joey or something? You've got a bruise forming on your cheek. Pull yourself together Seto, or you'll never get to know my kid."

Kaiba set his jaw, still at a loss for words.
Did Mokuba want him around the kid or not?
He was giving horrible mixed signals.

"Oh, and since you've been practically living at the beach and guest house, we've converted your study into the nursery, and we put up baby wallpaper," Mokuba continued ruthlessly. "Your bedroom has been turned into Isono's room because he's moved out of the second floor to be with us on the fifth floor."

Nodding stiffly, Kaiba felt another solid pang of resignation sear through his body.
Everything that was his had been replaced to make room for the baby.

"We moved your stuff into Isono's room," Mokuba ran a hand through his long hair with a tired sigh. "I wanted to ask if it was okay to do that, but you were always out with those two clowns, so I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I don't mind," Kaiba said hoarsely, surprised his voice still worked. It had been a few months since he had seen the inside of his study, anyway. He'd almost forgotten what it looked like. The last time he sat behind his desk, he'd been reeling from visions Atem sent him through the beaded bracelets.

The entire hallway had become strangely empty, and Kaiba realized even the nurse who managed the front desk had politely excused herself.
He lowered his head furiously, wondering if he ought to feel ashamed.
Their fight was becoming very…public.
Was Mokuba finished? He was tired of being constantly attacked for his lifestyle.
So what if he was chasing mermen?
Was it supposed to be his fault that one kept popping up after another?

"…And one last thing before we go back in," Mokuba said shakily, resting a hand heavily on Seto's shoulder. "Isono and I both agreed that you need to start being more social. So…if you want to spend any time with Noah, you're going to see a matchmaker first."

Kaiba snapped his head up, his heart thundering in his chest as he gazed into Mokuba's grey eyes, the words echoing painfully around in his head.
W-What?! A matchmaker? As in…for arranged marriages?

"What the fuck?" Kaiba breathed, his blood slowly boiling with frustration and anger. "You're forcing me to get married?"

"No," Mokuba said staunchly, letting go of Seto's shoulder. "Just…dress up. Go back to being you. Wear a tie once in a while and look nice. Eat a meal in a restaurant with other people around. It helps if there's someone sitting across the table from you. You're not getting any younger."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kaiba fumed, losing his composure as he realized what Mokuba was insinuating.

"It means I think you're old, Seto," Mokuba replied heartlessly. "Don't get me wrong. You look great for your age, but if you want to be even a little bit normal, don't hang around guys 15 years younger than you who are basically college dropouts. You're 40. Stop acting like you're 20."

Kaiba blinked rapidly, trying to digest Mokuba's words, but they were harsh, and they stung.

"They don't need school—"

"Yeah, cuz Joey and Tristan are fish people, I got it," Mokuba sneered, hiding his concern with rage. "Make excuses for your pathetic friends. I don't care. Do you want to be in Noah's life as a positive influence or not?"

Kaiba ground his teeth furiously, nodding. "I'll make you a bet right now that he'll turn out to be just as bratty as you."

"Well, then you'll need to stick around to find out." Mokuba finally cracked a smile. "Do the matchmaking, okay? I'll email you the info. Cover that bruise and let me know if you want to live on the fifth floor with us, or if you'd rather stay in the guest house. I don't care either way."

Kaiba swallowed thinly, nodded again because his voice had died.

Mokuba gave him a quick hug and stepped back inside the suite, leaving him standing alone in the hallway.

Sagging against the wall, Kaiba folded his arms and hugged himself tightly, trying not to let Mokuba's words affect him, hating the terrible, curling and clenching feeling building low in his stomach.

Biting back tears of defeat, Kaiba glanced at his shoes, noticing they were worn at the edges and the tops were no longer shiny. In fact, they looked quite dull.

Scuffs and bits of sand were stuck in the seams. His laces were faded and tattered from the ocean water.

Breathing heavily, Kaiba slowly reached a hand up to gingerly pat the swelling around his eye, cursing when he was met with a jolt of pain. Mokuba was right, as usual. He was a fucking mess.

These types of soul-baring, teeth-clenching conversations always seemed to happen at pivotal moments in both their lives, and Kaiba rocked back and forth on his heels, feeling as if he was sinking into a void with nothing and no one to catch him at the bottom.

His life was passing by faster than he could blink.
Mokuba's life was happening before his very eyes, and he was doing nothing about it.
He was being…a shitty older brother, always the one being lectured, always showing up late for important events…like Mokuba's graduation speech, Mokuba's engagement party, Mokuba's rehearsal dinner….and now, for the birth of his kid.

Taking another deep, shuddering breath, Kaiba straightened up and forcefully composed himself. He was going to keep it together.
He wasn't going to lose his shit.
This wasn't the end of the fucking world.

Mokuba wanted him to be there for the kid, so…he would.
He would do the damn matchmaking sessions to finally shut Isono up and show Mokuba he was ready to return into society as a normal, functioning human being.
He would wear suits and ties again for the sake of appearances, while at the same time, continue meditating underwater and spending his nights on the beach.
It was possible to do both.

I am a fucking mess, Kaiba clenched his fists in his pockets and wondering what else about himself he'd let slip.
Deciding he didn't want to find out, he turned and faced the door, mentally preparing himself to congratulate Mokuba's wife.
He was going to keep it together.
He wasn't going to lose his shit.
This wasn't the end of the fucking world.
He needed to live his life.
For all he knew, Atem was probably happily living his, without a care in the world.

Atem locked himself inside his room, trying to avoid the rowdy celebrations happening outside.

The entire kingdom was throwing a Homecoming for the warriors, and Atem knew if Joey had anything to say to him personally, he would know where to find him.

Throwing himself down on his bed, Atem gently passed the pad of his finger over the teardrop ring, seeing a familiar flash of Kaiba smiling down at him before it disappeared quickly.

Sighing, Atem rolled over onto his side, knowing he was being rude for running off during the party, but he couldn't help it. Everyone was talking about how amazing the trains, the food, and the clothes were. He couldn't stomach it anymore.

It only reminded him more of Kaiba and how far apart they were.

A rough knock sounded at his door and Atem didn't sit up.

"Come in," he said dully, pressing a tired hand over his eyes.

Joey burst into his room breathlessly with a large seaweed sack over his shoulder. He tossed it onto the sandy floor and tackled Atem into a lung-crushing hug.

"Dude! I missed you!" Joey cried as Atem struggled weakly in his grasp. "Why aren't you outside with everyone else? I got lots to tell you!"

"I don't…want to…hear it!" Atem hissed, elbowing Joey off and sitting an arm's length away, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. "Listening to everyone talk about walking on land only makes me angrier!"

Joey slid onto the floor, nodding silently.

"I get it," he said carefully, reaching the end of his tail to hook around the drawstring of the seaweed sack. "Kaiba knows too. I got two more of these, just for you. I can't bring them all now or I'll get in trouble for trafficking human artifacts, so we'll wait until all the excitement dies down before I bring you the other ones."

Atem stared at the dark sack, unable to believe his ears. "What?"

"Yeah, and he even told me I gotta do a whole presentation for you and everythin', but I'm not gonna do that," Joey said hastily, his ears reddening. "So here…I'll just give it to ya'."

He reached into the sack and began arranging the items neatly across the foot of Atem's bed. There were many jewelry boxes, a set of clothes, various books and magazines….

The merking floated excitedly over Joey's shoulder, his heart leaping with joy when he spotted a magazine with Kaiba's face on it.

"He put himself on the cover!" Atem cried happily, diving forward to scoop it up. "He looks…so good!"

The paper had been preserved with plastic, and it shone wonderfully underneath the low lights. Kaiba looked sharp and handsome, wearing a slick black suit while sitting on a bench surrounded by roses. The whole image looked…unreal.

"Eh," Joey replied with a shrug. "But hey, he really made our visit comfortable. He let us stay in one of his houses, can you believe that? Tristan and I had the whole place to ourselves! We didn't have to work at all! Tristan quit his job a week after we moved in with him."

"I believe it," Atem said firmly, gripping the magazine so tightly, his fingertips turned white. "He's kind and generous, even if foul words come out of his mouth. It's his actions that speak the loudest."

Joey sighed and nodded, leaning against the bed and fiddling nervously, looking as if he was fighting with himself before he raised his head to give Atem an apologetic smile.

"I got somethin' to tell ya', and you're…not gonna like it," Joey said quietly.

Atem eased down onto the floor, patting his friend on the shoulder encouragingly.

"You can tell me. What is it?"

Joey swirled his finger in the sand, unable to meet Atem's eyes as he spoke, "Kaiba isn't…human. He's sick, and I'd give him another decade at least…I mean, his skin is turning gray. You know?"

"He's ingesting scales," Atem said readily, wondering why he was so adamantly telling everyone Kaiba was human when everyone seemed to believe the exact opposite. "While you were away, Mana and I visited a colony near the surface, and I saw a man who looked exactly like Kaiba. She was trying to convince me that Kaiba could've come from that colony, but even that merman thought it was unlikely. Kaiba would've had to survive as a hatchling for several human lifetimes!"

Joey said nothing and remained silent. Based on what he'd seen, Kaiba was cunning and extremely intelligent. It was very possible Kaiba could've dodged death multiple times and survived.

"Well, I gotta go," Joey said hoarsely, rising up and brushing the sand off his fins. "I gotta report to Mahad. Enjoy the loot, okay?"

Wait! You don't believe me?" Atem's eyes were wide as he watched his friend swim to the door and rest his hand on the knob.

"It's not that I don't believe ya' bud," Joey said heavily, still avoiding his gaze. "It's just that…I've spent a lot of time with him. Way more than you have, and I saw him behave…exactly like us."

"How?" Atem breathed, feeling himself sinking deeper into the floor with dread. "What is the most solid proof you have of that?"

"He knows how to throw a spear to kill," Joey said flatly, remembering the impromptu sparring on the beach. "He knows merspeak, Atem! How do ya' explain that?!"

Atem opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find a reason.

"He knows how to preserve these books fer us to bring down," Joey continued softly. "And he knows exactly what drinks all the warriors like. Oh, and…that ring you're wearing. There's ten more like it in those jewelry boxes."

"It's the dead scales," Atem said firmly, finding his next breath hard to draw. "He told me himself. He wasn't lying. He would never lie to me."

"Yeah, because he can totally lie about vomiting blood, and the nausea…and his claws, Atem! He had fucking claws!" Joey cried, gripping his hair anxiously. "And ya know, he was pretendin' like he didn't know what anything was, but he knows! He made this thing that blocks thoughts! He has needles filled with slugs so he can breathe underwater! He saved my life with those!"

Atem blinked rapidly, shaking his head. Yes, because Kaiba was smart!
Of course he could do all those things! The diamond tears, the merspeak, the claws—those were all effects of the scales. Kaiba had said so himself.

"I gotta go, buddy," Joey said breathlessly, looking worn and anxious. "Mahad is waitin' for me. See ya later."

He hastily edged out of the room and shut the door behind himself, startled when he saw Mahad floating a few feet away with his arms crossed, looking grave. His staff was pressed against his chest, and the spear looked unusually sharp, as if it had just been honed.

Warrior Jounouchi! Mahad's voice boomed inside his head, and Joey winced.

Ah shit, Joey thought frantically, and he rearranged his face into a pleasant smile. 'Sup?

"Come," Mahad said deeply, turning with a swish of his tail and swimming down the hall. "We are having a meeting in the throne room. Don't alert the king. This is between us."

Sweating nervously, Joey nodded and hurried after Mahad, passing Tristan and Duke near the end of the hall. They gave him a sympathetic grimace and Joey had to wonder if he was in trouble.

"This way," Mahad led Joey through a set of wide pillars and a series of kelp-woven curtains. "…In here."

The curtain was lifted for him, so Joey ducked hastily underneath Mahad's muscular arm and found himself floating in a magnificent circular room with pillars all around them. A beautiful golden throne protruded from a cliff of rock with several unfamiliar merpeople floating around it, and Joey shivered.
He was in trouble. A meeting without the king? What was happening?

The only face he recognized was Mana, who was sitting quietly at the foot of the throne, trying to stay invisible.

"As many of you may know, this is Warrior Jounouchi," Mahad said loudly, his voice echoing in the chamber, and all heads turned to stare. "Tell them about your time on land with Seto Kaiba, Joey. We are all listening."

"You sent someone to spy on him?" Shadi tilted his head curiously, the large earrings swinging heavily on his earlobes. "I'm interested."

"I'm not," Shada growled, looking away pointedly. "Nothing good comes from fraternizing with humans. I do it all the time already. Why are we so interested in this Seto Kaiba anyway?"

"Men," Isis held her hands up nervously, shooting Mahad a knowing look. "Let's not fight. Let's hear what the brave Warrior has to say."

Joey swallowed tensely, feeling everyone's gaze burning holes through his skin as he gathered his thoughts and spoke carefully.

"My first encounter with him was when I got up on the wrong shore," he said shakily, recalling the horrible suffocation he'd experienced on the crowded beach. "He saved my life."

"You see? Just as he saved Atem's life. The human is not worth dwelling on," Shada said heavily, swimming towards the exit. "Are we finished here?"

"…But he's a merman for sure," Joey said weakly, noticing that this news didn't come as a shock to anyone. "And…he's dyin'. He's trying really hard to find a way to come back. He kept asking about the Chrysalis—"

"So he can take advantage of us," Rishid added, finally breaking his silence. "I saw the glint in his eyes when I met him on land. He's not to be trusted."

The court nodded in agreement, and Mahad curled his fists tightly at his sides. This new information from Joey was disturbing….

"You're not hearin' me," Joey said anxiously. "He's got claws and everything. He's fluent in Merspeak! I was just telling Atem! He knows all kinds of things. When Tristan asked him to throw a spear, I nearly got killed!"

"What?" Mahad snapped, his heart racing uncomfortably in his chest. "Now, did it happen to be my spear he's been using?"

Joey nodded.
Everyone sounded angry, so it was probably best not to bring up the fact that Kaiba also had a spear from their Hemisphere guards.

"Damn," Mahad cursed, and he received a wry smile from Shada.

"I offered to retrieve it for you," the Ambassador said, sounding smug. "Are we finished here, Warrior?"

"Um…" Joey fidgeted nervously. "We gotta help him. I think he's got 10 years left, tops. He's turning blue and randomly suffocatin'. I think he might be from another colony, but he really helped us out. We stayed on his property and didn't have to work!"

"So what I'm hearing is…you gave up valuable land experience to live comfortably under his wing?" Isis asked, her eyes wide with disappointment. "Why do we send you up there if all you warriors do is party with women and drink?"

"What?! No!" Joey cried defensively, his ears reddening with frustration.
He was beginning to see why Kaiba was so angry with Atem's court.
Their unwillingness to help was infuriating, and they were quick to jump to conclusions.

"Did you know he put slugs into a needle?" Joey fumed, now eager to stand up for Kaiba. "He saved my life! He made steel cuffs that can block thoughts!"

There were gasps of surprise and confusion, and Solomon raised his staff, his voice booming in the throne room.

"What is this?! A weapon for war?"

"No?! He hates fighting!" Joey's chest tightened with fear as he wondered if he was making it worse now. "He said he was goin' crazy hearing people talk about weddings or something, so he…used Tristan to test it out. It was a shiny sheet of metal. Thoughts couldn't go through it."

"Of course, idiot," Shadi muttered, rolling his eyes. "Everyone knows that thoughts can't penetrate through certain thicknesses."

"No!" Joey cried, shaking his head furiously and pointing at Mahad's single armband. "It looks like jewelry! He wears them around his wrists. No one can hear what he's thinkin' when he wears them!"

Mahad felt the air leave his lungs in a sudden whoosh!, and the throne room swam dangerously in his vision.
That…explained…everything!

"Intriguing!" Shada said, tucking a hand under his chin, his eyes glowing with fascination. "Did you happen to learn what the material is called? That can be useful indeed—"

"Shut up!" Rishid hissed, his face pale with fear. "Do you know what this means? If we were to get our hands on his cuffs, our forms of communication are forever compromised!"

There was a heavy, ringing silence in the throne room and Joey could hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. So…had he done well, or had he fucked up?

"You're dismissed, Warrior Jounouchi. Thank you for your service," Mahad breathed, barely able to stay composed as he gestured towards the door. "Please excuse us."

"But we're gonna help him, right?" Joey cried as two guards entered the room and grabbed him by the arms, dragging him to the exit. "He's throwin' up blood! He's turnin' grey! I promised we'd help him!"

Mahad watched the curtain fall with a soft swish, and he turned to face Solomon with a determined glint in his eye.

"I demand a meeting with him to settle this once and for all."

"Mahad…?" Mana whispered, breaking her silence for the first time. "Do you know of a colony near the surface? The one that was ravaged by war?"

Mahad blinked and shook his head.
Which one was that?
There were too many half-abandoned war-torn colonies to count.

"A warship sunk into the middle of their land, and what's left of their royal family lives inside of it," Mana said shakily, recalling the tattered furniture floating around in Seth's room. "Prince Seth is their last living member. Does that sound familiar?"

Isis nodded stiffly, frowning. "I've heard the girls talk about him. Everyone tries to Mate him into their colonies but to no avail. He's very stubborn."

"A sunken warship? That sounds like the colony that built our throne," Solomon said gently. "Helios? The Kingdom of Helios? The Kingdom of Sun and Light?"

"Ah…that was a nice colony," Shada said sadly, shaking his heavily tattooed head. "They had sunny resort dwellings that were very sought-after. Being near the surface has it's perks…"

"Well, have you seen Prince Seth?" Mana asked shrilly, gazing into Isis's angular blue eyes. "Has anyone actually seen what he looks like? He's a spitting image of Seto Kaiba! Even their names are similar."

Everyone glanced uncertainly at each other, and Mana added, "shall I invite him here?"

"No," Solomon said, holding a hand up firmly. "We'll table this matter for another time. Shada? Do you have room in your route to make a visit to this young prince?"

"Atem can bring him!" Mana cried, rising up and glancing at Mahad for help. "If Seto Kaiba is a lost son from the kingdom that built our throne, shouldn't we help him?!"

"He holds the surname…of a murderer!" Solomon said stiffly. "I highly doubt that he is from the noble Kingdom of Light!"

Mana fell silent and looked to Mahad for help.
Mahad gave her a sad grimace and shook his head.

"You're all…so cruel!" Mana whispered, tears brimming in her eyes as she clenched her fists at her sides. "Everyone is bringing evidence that Seto Kaiba is a Lost Warrior, and we aren't moving to help him! We've punished Atem for a century for attempting to help him!"

Sobbing quietly, she swam out of the throne room, intent on delivering the horrible news to Atem herself, leaving behind her another heavy silence.

Shada broke it by clearing his voice gently.

"I can try to pay Prince Seth a visit, but I have other duties to tend to," he said, nodding. "I have an opening several moons from now, but his colony is far from here. I'll stop by the Kingdom of Helios, and also visit the private rock where we deposit scales to get to the bottom of this once and for all."

"Good. Meeting adjourned," Rishid growled, zipping to the exit without another look behind him, and he was followed quickly by Isis and Shadi.

Mahad floated towards the Ambassador and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "I can try to catch him at the private rock when I make my deliveries. Save yourself a trip."

"Good," Shada sniffed, jerking away and also floating towards the exit. "I didn't want to see the face of another human during my free time anyway."

Mahad set his mouth in a tight line and nodded, his chest swirling with guilt and doubt. His short encounter with Seto Kaiba had been haunting him, and now he knew why.
He couldn't live with himself if he knew he'd unwittingly left one of their own behind on land.

Vowing he would begin to also secretly help Kaiba, Mahad swam out of the throne room towards Atem's room, intent on apologizing to the king for doubting his judgement all this time.

Seth swam steadily upwards, the pressure subsiding around his shoulders until he finally popped his head up above water, taking a deep breath of salty ocean air.

He glanced at the deserted beach and at the lone house sitting on the hill, appreciating the emptiness. It was nice not having to hide the moment he surfaced, and knowing it was a private piece of land owned by his brother made him feel slightly…proud.

Hefting the mesh sack over his shoulder, he let the waves wash him easily to the rock, and his palms slapped wetly against the surface as he peered inside the crevice.

There were three bulging seaweed sacks hanging on the hooks, and the sour stench of dead scales invaded his nostrils. It seemed like it had been a while since Seto had come by to clear it out.

Gagging, Seth grabbed the sacks and unscrewed the hooks from the ceiling, diving down to hang them against the side of the rock instead.

The medicine he'd brought needed to stay fresh and away from contaminants, and he deemed that was more important than Seto's disgusting hobby of collecting dead scales.

Tapping his rusty spear into the rock, Seth hastily carved a row of holes for the hooks and strung the sacks onto them with ease. Satisfied with his handiwork, he bobbed upwards and rammed his spear horizontally into the rocky crevice, tying the pouch of medicines to the center and making sure it hung with the note facing outwards.

Popping his head above water, he scanned the empty beach one last time before he sighed and decided he would wait until sunset for Seto to show up.

Circling the rock, Seth propped himself up on sand and closed his eyes, gazing up at the clear blue sky and watching several birds fly by overhead.

The handiwork of the seaweed sacks full of dead scales looked familiar, and Seth racked his brain, trying to recall where the Kingdom of Muran was located, but all he could think of was the beautiful mermaid, Mana…

He heard a soft splash, along with a confused thought floating from the other side of the rock, and he froze, listening intently. It was another merperson. There had been no footsteps on the beach, so it had to be another merperson.

Pushing quietly off the shore, Seth sank stealthily under the water, intent on making a sneak attack on the stranger.

How strange! Mahad wavered uncertainly on the spot, staring at the rusty spear wedged horizontally in the middle of the cavern. His heart thudded with confusion when he noticed the insignia was so old and worn, it was unreadable.

The seaweed sacks had disappeared.
Kaiba usually left the empty ones hanging on the spare hooks, but all the hooks had vanished too.

A note floated upwards, attached to a mesh bag, and Mahad frowned, leaning closer to read it. His skin crawled as he inspected the neat handwriting, clearly belonging to a merperson because it was written in merspeak.

"My dearest brother,

Please take this for your shore sickness.
Stop being so stubborn and accept my help.

Dry these under the sun and crumble them. Wet them again with water and make a paste. Separate into even sections and take 2 at every sunrise, 3 every evening, 5 at a third-quarter and 2 again at waxing crescent. I'll bring more if you promise to show your face often.

And drink more water for Helios's sake, Seto. You're turning gray."

Holding his breath, Mahad bit his tongue painfully and shifted the heavy sack to his other shoulder. These were…expensive and thoughtful medicines left here by Kaiba's…brother?! This was further proof that Kaiba needed their help…! Joey had been right—

"HEY!" Seth shouted, seeing another long-haired merman floating at the entrance of the rock. "Don't you dare hang that garbage in there! Those medicines need to stay clean!"

Mahad whirled around and dropped the sack in shock, finding himself staring into Kaiba's face, but his hair had grown so long, it hung in thick wet strands down his shoulders. His blue eyes were narrowed into threatening slits , and the hint of a deep blue tail sprouted from his hips with alternating shades of green.

He could feel the seaweed sack scraping against the rock and bursting open once it hit the bottom, but Mahad didn't care. Was this Kaiba in his merform? How terrifying!

"Y-You look well," Mahad said nervously, reaching his hand out for a friendly shake. "Shore sickness got you down?"

"I am Seth, from the Kingdom of Light. Who the hell are you?" The Kaiba look-alike said coldly, folding his arms tightly across his chest, rejecting the friendly gesture. "Name and status. And do I look like I have a sickness, you fool?"

Taken aback by the unwelcoming tone, Mahad's resentment for Kaiba came back in a rush, and he resisted the urge to tackle the merman down and bite him.

"I am Warrior Mahad, from the Kingdom of Muran," Mahad said stiffly, bobbing forward in a polite bow. "I see. Mana was right. You look exactly like him."

"You're a Warrior," Seth repeated, his eyes widening. "This means you can help…by telling us where the nearest Moon Pool is."

Mahad shook his head sadly and edged away from the rock, badly shaken and eager to get away from the Kaiba look-alike.

"I can't do that. You know I can't," he said nervously, and Seth advanced towards him threateningly, pointing at the shore with a clawed finger.

"One of ours is dying on this very shore," he hissed, trembling with rage. "My blood. My brother! You're telling me you'd rather see one of us die on land than rouse yourself to help? And you call yourself a Warrior from the Kingdom of Muran…then you must serve under King Atem. He came to me personally, asking for help, and here I am. What are you doing here if you're not helping?"

Mahad swallowed thinly, continuing to back away respectfully, his stomach churning terribly with guilt and despair.

"Our Ambassador, Shada, is on it," Mahad said quietly, thinking that that wasn't nearly enough help, and his thoughts were mirrored by Seth.

"Oh, great, politics," Seth fumed, rolled his eyes. "You're all talk and no action. Get out of my sight, Warrior. You disgust me."

Gladly, Mahad thought anxiously, kicking off the rock and diving straight down for deeper water, his body stiff with turbulent emotions.

Seth watched him go and he swam back up to prop himself on the rock, disgruntled.

Merpeople were getting soft. The wars had weakened everyone's trust with humans, and it was showing through the generations.

This is why everything must be done yourself if it needs to be done right, Seth thought ruefully, squinting up at the sun, enjoying its warmth on his chest.

Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes and decided to take a short nap while he waited for Seto.

Author's note:

Mokuba and his wife welcome a baby boy into the world!
Joey and Tristan return underwater and deliver news about Kaiba.

Seth is intent on helping Seto because he believes they are brothers and chased away a willing ally, Mahad.

lovingly edited by taedae

and WHOA HEY UGLI DRAMA! 2020 is reaaally testing me because i have been deleted from tumblr. my MAIN blog is uglifish2, so thats gone, but the sideblogs attached to that email (uglifish) is still up, so...idk. -shruggy emoji-