"Emergency! Emergency!" The octopus squeaked, dashing through the Kingdom of Muran, passing by every dwelling and screaming as it went.
"Emergency! A merman is bleeding on shore!"
He was stopped at the palace gates with a firm hand.
"Halt!" The guard said, but the octopus zipped right past the man's ear and darted through the pillars, screaming at the top of its lungs.
"EMERGENCY!" It cried, zooming past Mana and Mahad who were having a pleasant meal together in the courtyard.
"MEDIC! Medic, please! It's an emergency!"
"Hey, isn't that one of your messengers?" Mana pointed questioningly, and Mahad dropped his food furiously, racing after the tiny octopus, and wondering what enemy colony had hijacked one of his well-trained messengers.
The octopus burst into the medic's chambers and darted straight into the nurse's chest where he clung on tightly to the merman's neck, still shrieking, "EMERGENCY! A RUDE MAN IS DYING! WE MUST HELP HIM!"
Mahad arrived at the doorway, trying to catch his breath as he watched the strange scene unfold before him.
The medic was struggling, trying to yank the octopus off the nurse's face, and it's purple tentacles were flying everywhere while it kept screaming, "THE RUDE MERMAN IS BLEEDING EVERYWHERE!"
"Who is bleeding?" Mahad demanded, swimming forward and grabbing the octopus by its head, prying it off the nurse once and for all and giving it a vicious shake. "Who have you been reporting to?"
The nurse doubled over coughing while the medic patted his back sympathetically, throwing the octopus a cold glare.
Mana dashed into the medic's chambers and leaned against the door breathlessly, her eyes darting between the nurse, the medic, and Mahad, who looked incensed at the tiny octopus.
"I report t-to…K-King Atem…" The octopus squeaked, and it puffed up proudly, its beady eyes gleaming in the low lights. "I am a Royal Messenger—"
"Yes, and you report to me!" Mahad hissed, releasing the octopus and pointing at it threateningly with his staff. "Who is the recipient?"
"The merman with legs who is bleeding on shore!" The octopus shrieked, spitting out a tiny cloud of ink in distress. "The pure merman with eyes of blue!"
There was a moment of stunned silence before Mana pressed a hand to her chest, realizing who it was.
"Seto…Kaiba?!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The octopus cried, zooming towards her and latching onto her shoulder with its cold tentacles, and Mana cried out in surprise, squirming frantically as she tried to get it off.
"Well, take us to him!" The medic said, looking deeply disturbed, and Mahad folded his arms across his chest with a tight nod, echoing, "Yes. Take us there."
"FOLLOW ME!" It squealed, and hastily detangled from Mana's shoulder as it zipped out the door, bobbing up and down anxiously in the water. "COME ON, HE'S DYING!"
Mahad, the Medic, and Mana dashed after the octopus without hesitation, and the nurse coughed weakly, waving at them from behind.
"I'll stay here and keep the wing open!"
The Medic turned to call over her shoulder, already half-way down the hall, "Yes, do!" and she flipped her tail rapidly, struggling to keep up with the octopus's grueling pace.
Mahad and Mana's violet tails were shining in the distance several yards in front of her, and she cried out to them in her mind, "Wait…please! I can't swim that fast!"
"You lead the Medic to Kaiba's shore while I go ahead," Mahad said, giving Mana's hand a warm squeeze. "I have a feeling that's where it's headed. Where else would a merman with legs be bleeding and have access to my Messengers?"
"Will do!" Mana replied anxiously, hanging back as she watched Mahad power forward through the water without her, leaving nothing but a trail of bubbles behind his magnificent tail.
She turned and waved frantically at the Medic, who was slowly gaining on her, and she bobbed gently up and down in the water, feeling as if her entire body was on fire.
If Seto Kaiba was hurt so badly to a point where he was bleeding, Atem would be devastated by the news.
The Medic quickly caught up and grabbed her hand, panting, her cheeks pink with exertion. "I'm sorry, it's…been a while since I've…swam to shore…."
"No worries, I know the way," Mana said firmly, hanging onto her hand tightly and zipping forward through the water, feeling her jewelry stick uncomfortably to her skin as they continued.
That Kaiba better be alive! Mana thought furiously, feeling the Medic give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
What would Atem do if Kaiba had died suddenly?
Nothing good.
The merking had already been emotionally unstable for several decades.
Kaiba cracked his eyes open, seeing strips of fluorescent lights above him, and he listened to the soft, steady beeping of the heart monitor beside his head.
Oh great. Not dead.
But everything hurt.
He closed his eyes again, feeling as if his eyelids weighed a thousand tons.
His bones ached, his legs were numb, and he felt incredibly weak all over.
"Oh…Seto!"
Kaiba heard Kisara's voice coming from somewhere at the foot of his bed, and he felt a cold hand press into his, squeezing him tightly. "He's awake! I saw his eyes open!"
Isono roused himself from the chair and gave Mokuba a light shake beside him.
"Your brother is awake," Isono whispered, relief flooding over him like a calming wave.
Mokuba groaned and rubbed his face with his hands, watching sleepily through cracked fingers as the old, white-haired woman bent over Seto's bed and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Cringing internally, he wondered if this was Seto's idea of payback.
Instead of choosing a hot supermodel or actress, he'd gone the other way and secretly married an old lady. Then, he purposely put himself into a mini coma, just to worry everyone sleepless.
It was only until after Seto had been lying unconscious in the hospital bed that Mokuba had discovered Seto had put her down as his secondary emergency contact, and he had also added her name to his current will.
She was practically a stranger, and he couldn't ask how long this had been going on because…Seto had been unconscious.
According to Isono, she had been living at the property for almost six months and Seto had stopped attending the matchmaking dinners, so their marriage must've happened sometime during that 6-month window. He had been too busy with baby Noah to keep track of Seto's antics.
"What's her name again?" Mokuba hissed at Isono, and to his utmost horror, she heard him and threw him a cold look over her shoulder.
"My name is Kisara," she said firmly, with her hand laced through Kaiba's much paler one. "…I hope we can get along, Mokuba. Your brother is a good husband to me."
"You can't call someone your husband after 6 months of dating," Mokuba said, unable to help himself, and Kaiba kept his eyes firmly closed, listening to all of this with a solid pain in his chest.
He had lost something while he bled out in the water, and he couldn't figure out what.
It was as if a chunk of his soul had been taken, and he had an intense longing to dive back into the water to check the spot where he'd been bleeding.
Opening his eyes slowly again, Kisara's beautiful face hovered above him, and he felt himself smile, growing warm all over.
"It's me…" She whispered, pressing the backs of her knuckles gently across his cheek, and Kaiba felt his skin burn pleasantly. "Thank goodness you're awake. You're badly hurt…"
Kaiba opened his mouth to speak but realized his throat was terribly dry, so he swallowed thinly and asked her in his mind, not seeing her flinch for a second.
What happened?
"You were bleeding," she replied, staring intently into his face with her fiery blue eyes. "Your manservant jumped in to save you, but the waves at high tide are so strong, he couldn't fight them, so I jumped in after him and we both pulled you out of the water. You've lost a lot of blood."
I see, Kaiba said simply, giving her hand a grateful squeeze. Thank you for jumping in. I don't remember any of it.
"I know…" She said tearfully, her bottom lip quivering prettily before she threw herself forward and embraced him tightly. "Don't scare me like that! You're fine now! Get well soon, my dear Seto."
Kaiba raised a shaky hand to pat her on the back as she clung onto him.
Her scent was wonderfully calming, like a pure ocean breeze mixed in with fresh summer flowers from a meadow.
Mokuba stood silently at the end of the bed, watching this entire exchange with mild disbelief.
Seto had gazed up at her with such a loving expression, it made his stomach twist, and she in return had gently caressed Seto's face with an equally tender smile. They were also clearly having a private conversation only through eye-contact because after a moment of long silence, all she said was 'I know', and they hugged.
What the hell was happening?!
Who was this lady and where did she come from?!
Slowly approaching Seto's bedside, Mokuba held his hand out in a friendly gesture, addressing Kisara carefully.
"I'm sorry. Let's start over and get to know each other," he said softly, feeling himself shake. "Thank you for saving Seto."
She pulled away from Kaiba and took Mokuba's hand warmly with both of hers, smiling sweetly.
"He saved me, so it's only fair that I'm here for him," she said cryptically, and Isono stared at her, wondering what on earth she was talking about.
Kaiba had saved her? From what?
"I'll get us all a coffee while we wait for the doctor," she said quietly, bowing out of the room and closing the door with a soft click behind her.
Mokuba folded his arms across his chest and resisted the urge to glare at Seto.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mokuba demanded, unable to find an appropriate tone that matched how torn he felt. "Who is she?! I don't think she's the type of person who would qualify to be your match! What the hell was I paying the matchmaker for?"
Kaiba let out a slow breath, staring blankly up at the ceiling, his chest aching again with a horrible sense of longing. It had disappeared briefly when she was at his side, but now that she'd left, it was back with full force.
"Seto! Don't ignore me!" Mokuba raged, advancing to the edge of the bed, feeling Isono stick closely to his side. "What's going on in that head of yours?!"
"She's…" Kaiba struggled to speak through the terrible tightness in his throat. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen…"
"W-What?!" Mokuba ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the door behind him in distress, making sure she wasn't coming back yet. "Seto, she's like…55. She looks like she could be our grandma. Are you being serious?!"
Kaiba tilted his head to look directly into Mokuba's eyes for the first time, nodding weakly.
"Yes," he said, his voice returning slowly the more he used it. "I passed her by every day, and I couldn't stop thinking about her hair…. It's so white…and her eyes are so blue—"
"The joke is over! I'm sorry, okay?!" Mokuba cried, sounding close to tears. "You didn't have to go and legally put her on all your stuff just to tell me you hate the matchmaking!"
Kaiba sat up slowly, his anger building in a tight bubble inside him as he grew increasingly more frustrated.
"She looks like an angel and behaves like one," Kaiba snapped, thankful that his energy was returning. "You can't see it, but I can. You couldn't be any more obvious about your intentions, trying to set me up with all those people, so she fell from the sky and saved my ass…from the both of you."
He gave Isono a glare and saw his manservant look away guiltily.
Isono rested a hand gently on Mokuba's shoulder, giving Kaiba a tense smile.
"You really love her, Master Kaiba, I can see it in your eyes when you look at her," he said kindly, trying his best to keep his thoughts to himself, knowing that Kaiba could hear them.
"Yeah I fucking do," Kaiba said coldly, gripping the sheets tightly when he saw the door swing open to reveal a familiar figure clad in a white coat standing in the doorway.
He had tanned skin, long white-blond hair, and angular violet eyes.
It was Marik.
Playing dress-up as a doctor…his doctor.
The realization hit Kaiba particularly hard, and he pointed angrily at the merman.
"Get the fuck out, I want nothing to do with you."
"Mr. Kaiba, always a pleasure," Marik said plainly, forcing a smile on his face while holding the electronic pad close to his chest, his fingertips white with fury as he gripped it too tightly.
He strode into the room, moving to close the door just as Kisara appeared behind him, carrying a tray full of coffees.
Marik's eyes widened, staring at the pretty girl with long white hair and clear blue eyes wearing a plain, beige dress, and he threw Kaiba a curious glance. "Is she with you?"
"Yes, I'm his wife," Kisara said firmly, brushing past the doctor and moved to stand beside Kaiba's bed with silent resilience. "Coffee, anyone?"
Mokuba snatched the paper cups off the tray with a rough nod and handed one to Isono.
Kisara set the tray down at Kaiba's bedside and smiled sweetly at the doctor.
Marik dared himself to stare for a second longer before Kaiba growled at him, "Put your eyes back in your head."
Mokuba and Isono frowned, wondering why the atmosphere had changed.
Composing himself, Marik patted the electronic pad to his chest and spoke, "I have some x-rays to show you, Mr. Kaiba. Would you like to be alone when I divulge the private news or…?"
Just tell me what it is! Kaiba growled, and Marik shook his head tightly, giving him a nervous slide-glance at Mokuba and Isono, who were staring mutely at him with dark faces.
"You two, leave," Kaiba said carelessly, addressing his brother and his manservant while pointing at the door.
Kisara's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything as Mokuba and Isono raged at him in unison.
"You can't excuse us! I'm your brother for fuck's sake! I deserve to know too!"
"Master Kaiba! I insist you let me stay! Why are you dismissing me?"
Marik stepped aside and sat down on a chair in the corner of the room, eager to be out of the way as Mokuba stormed out the door, and Isono followed, throwing Kaiba a deeply concerned look before slamming it behind himself.
A ringing silence followed, filled only by the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
"Well, now that they're gone, I can speak frankly," Marik said, rising to his feet and eyeing Kisara with suspicion. "A man like you should marry within your age range. Where did you kidnap this young girl from?"
"Excuse me?!" Kisara cried, reaching down to hold Kaiba's hand again. "Kidnap?! I am in fact older than him, and I married him willingly!"
Kaiba gave Marik a cold smirk, feeling a rush of vicious triumph. "Wouldn't you like to know? Also, who the hell assigned you to be my doctor? Fuck off."
"Seto!" Kisara whispered, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'm sure he's a good doctor…despite what he said about me."
"Your brother called on me because I'm a specialist," Marik shot back, flipping the pad around to reveal Kaiba's x-rays. "…Look. What did I say? You had parasites from a certain someone, and you bled internally. Congratulations, Seto Kaiba. You got the proof you so desperately wanted."
"P-Parasites?" Kisara gasped, leaning forward to inspect the x-ray. "They're all gone now, right? Who is the someone?"
Kaiba said nothing, his ears ringing unpleasantly as he stared at the obvious dark hole that he'd developed in his bowels, and he couldn't help but think it was oddly…localized.
The terrifying thing was that the hole was as large as two of his fists put together.
"Why is it only in one place?" Kaiba asked evenly, growing numb as he had an inkling of what it might be. "It looks like…a tumor."
"It does! And it's large!" Kisara breathed, sounding more and more distressed. "Is it still inside of him?!"
"No. Thankfully, you bled it out," Marik said, raising his eyebrows and giving Kaiba a knowing look. "Am I making myself clear?"
Kaiba stared angrily into Marik's face, growling, "No. Just spell it out for me, dammit."
Marik's eyes darted between the pad and Kisara's face, stammering, "C-Can I say it in front of her?"
"YES!" Kisara almost shouted, letting go of Kaiba's hand and folding her arms across her chest haughtily. "I know left from right, so you don't have to tiptoe around words on my account."
Marik hesitated for several heartbeats before he spoke in a rush.
"It looks egg-shaped, doesn't it?"
Kaiba blinked, feeling himself floating far…far…away.
No.
Hell…fucking no.
Impossible.
No.
It couldn't be.
Not.
Possible.
Not fucking possible.
Biologically. Impossible.
Ridiculous.
"Yes, it does look vaguely egg-shaped, and…?" Thankfully, Kisara spoke for him, looking unamused. "Keep talking."
Marik held his hands up, making an odd gesture, miming rocking a baby,
Kisara shook her head, looking fed up. "You're right, Seto. He is a shitty doctor."
"You laid an egg!" Marik cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "And you survived the violent bowel rupture coupled with heavy internal bleeding. Congratulations. We had you in surgery for hours, repairing your insides. You may thank Dr. Kuramoto after he wakes up from his nap."
Kisara let out a mirthless laugh and bent over Kaiba in the bed, brushing the bangs out of his eyes lovingly, "Seto…this guy is hilarious. Right, Seto?"
Kaiba was no longer present.
He was lost in a sea of his own turbulent emotions.
That was not possible because…there was nothing but blood.
Right?
But if it was possible….
"Where is it?" He asked through numb lips, and to his rising fury, Marik only shrugged and tucked the pad underneath his arm, already moving to the exit.
"I don't know. Wherever you laid it," Marik said plainly, looking uninterested. "But given how you were unaware of its existence this entire time—the survival of that egg is low. It could've cracked at any point inside you…or on its way out."
Kaiba shook his head frantically, a pang searing through his chest as he yelled at Marik's retreating back, "TELL ME WHO HAS IT! I KNOW YOU KNOW!"
"Seto…calm down…please!" Kisara cried, looking panic-stricken as well. "He's joking! Are you friends? Don't let him get to you!"
"No….no!" Kaiba cried wildly, and all the realizations came crashing down onto him, one horrible wave after another.
The nausea.
The vomiting.
The picky eating.
The voracious picky eating.
The mysterious cravings for raw fish in the middle of the night….
And the long meditative nights underwater where he swore he felt something move inside him…and he had chalked it up to his own horniness when imagining it was Atem….
And the pain.
The fucking pain!
The constant, horrible, odd, dull ache that sat at the base of his spine and sometimes moved so high up inside him, it made him want to vomit again….
The egg inside of him would also explain why Seth's medicines didn't work.
He hadn't been shore sick.
He had been morning sick.
For…years.
Holy fuck. How many years? Too many damn years to count.
"Seto?" Kisara's face appeared before his face, and she cupped his cheeks with her warm hands, gazing deeply into his eyes. "You can tell me…what's wrong?"
Slowly reaching up to grip her slender wrists, Kaiba hung onto her, feeling himself slowly break down, tears leaking from his eyes as the tugging in his chest became more and more violent.
He understood this feeling now.
It was longing and pain.
He ached to hold the egg to his chest…as a solid affirmation, that even if it was cracked or dead, it was his, and he badly needed to see it with his own eyes.
"He's not lying…" Seto breathed, looking up into Kisara's face and blinking back tears to no avail. "You have to believe me—"
"Oh, my goodness," Kisara swept her thumb underneath Kaiba's cheek and pulled away, holding a small diamond between her fingers with awe. "These are coming out of your eyes! Does it hurt?"
Kaiba said nothing and nodded bleakly.
He needed to get back to the beach and find that damn egg.
Mahad floated to a stop by a wall of rock close to Kaiba's shore, watching the octopus dart back and forth, expanding and contracting nervously.
"Don't release me from service, Warrior Mahad," the octopus cried. "I couldn't refuse his request! He's so Pure! He makes me feel good when he talks!"
"We'll discuss your employment later," Mahad replied furiously, swimming along the rocky shore and scanning the water with a keen eye. "There's no one here."
"He was here!" The octopus squeaked, spewing forth another thin cloud of ink in distress. "He was here, and he was bleeding…to death!"
Mahad frowned and swam away from the rock, commanding the octopus to stay put.
"I'm going to check the entire length of this beach. You stay here, understand?"
"ROGER!" It said, giving a firm salute with one of its many tentacles, and it latched onto the rock firmly, settling down behind the curtains of kelp.
Mana and the medic finally caught up, and they popped their heads above water, taking a deep gasping breath of fresh air.
"This is a beautiful shore…" The medic said slowly, eyeing the empty beach with longing. "I assume the merman lives there on the hill?"
She pointed to the large house perched on the cliffside and Mana nodded distractedly.
"Let's go!" She cried, diving down towards the rocky edge where she saw a glint of Mahad's tail.
They bobbed gently against the waves as they swam towards shore, and the medic grabbed Mana's hand, stopping her suddenly in the water.
"Do you smell that?" She asked, sniffing tentatively. Mana shook her head and waved a hand across her nose in the water as the metallic scent of stale blood and membrane assaulted her senses.
"Oh, that smells horr—" Mana's voice caught in her throat when a glint of gold peeked out at her from behind a curtain of kelp waving gently against the waves beside a rocky wall.
Something was lodged behind the stalks of kelp and the stench got stronger the closer they got.
It looked like…an egg!
Diving forward desperately, Mana reached through the slimy kelp and her fingertips grazed over something warm and smooth.
"I've got it!" Mana cried, digging the egg out from between the rocks with trembling hands.
The medic rushed to her side, watching her pull out a slimy black egg and hug it to her chest protectively, getting thin strands of membrane all down her breasts.
Stunned, the medic stared at the egg in Mana's arms, taking in the abnormal size and the threads of tiny golden veins running through its nearly transparent surface.
Who…laid this…monstrosity of an egg?!
If it was a merman like the octopus had claimed, was it possible that he was still alive?!
Eggs were usually incubated at 9 years!
This egg looked like it had been lovingly carried to full term…. all nineteen years and then some, by a pureblood too, based on the inky blackness of the shell.
"It's a girl!" Mana continued, rocking the egg gently in her arms, looking close to tears. "It's Atem's! I can feel it!"
"We can't be sure until it hatches," the medic said slowly, reaching out to touch the egg with a trembling hand. "Give her to me. Let me check her vitals."
Mana shook her head tightly, unwilling to let the egg go. "I don't want to! Let's take her home immediately!"
"Mana, come here!" The medic cried angrily, grabbing Mana's arm and dragging her close to press a palm firmly against the egg's warm surface, and a vision flashed across her mind's eye.
The face of a beautiful human man with clear blue eyes, pale skin, and a cold smile flitted through her head, followed by a jolt of pain running up her arm, and she jerked back hastily.
"What is it? She's in pain?!" Mana asked shrilly, her arms shaking violently as she hugged the egg tighter. "She's hurting. Why is she hurting?!"
"Oh…Suijin," the medic breathed, giving Mana a panic-stricken look. "He's human! Or…he was in human form! Quick! Fetch Warrior Mahad! This egg is in critical condition—"
I'm here!
She spun around and saw Mahad zipping towards them in the water, his arms tight at his sides with his hair flying behind him.
He floated to a stop, bobbing up and down before them, wondering why both women looked so distressed.
Then, he noticed the black egg in Mana's arms and nearly dropped his staff.
"What is that?! Where did you get that?!" Mahad asked shakily, deeply disturbed by the color of the shell. "Why is it black? It's damaged. Throw it away!"
"No, no!" The medic cried breathlessly, holding her hands up for silence. "A pure black egg is one in a millennium—one in a several millennia! A miracle! Our very own Priestess Isis was born from a black egg. We must incubate this egg inside a Chrysalis!"
"What?" Mahad snapped, curling his fingers around his staff tightly as his heart skipped a beat. "Why? Let's incubate it normally."
He wasn't heard.
The two women were already swimming down into deeper waters, conversing rapidly with each other about how they would break the news to everyone in the kingdom.
Following them rapidly, Mahad repeated his question. "Why must we incubate this black egg in a Chrysalis?"
"Because this egg was borne from a human!" The medic shot back, looking determined. "Well, a merman in human form. I saw his face when I checked her vitals. Perhaps you know him, Mahad. He looks like a pureblood Scholar or a Warrior."
"Blue eyes?" Mana interjected, feeling the egg pulse warmly in her arms. "Yes! She says yes. Does he have blue eyes and brown hair? Very pale skin and is terribly handsome?"
"Who are you talking to?" Mahad growled, trying very hard not to look at the black egg lodged firmly between Mana's breasts. The sight was truly disturbing and unsexy.
"Her!" Mana replied softly, leaning down to press her ear against the near-transparent surface. "She's already thinking…quite a bit! She's very sociable and well-developed…if she gets air, now. Right, Medic?"
"Yes," the medic answered, throwing Mahad an imploring look. "There's no time to ask permission from the Council. Please, Mahad, bring this egg into a Chrysalis. The egg won't survive much longer without help. Although I'm very surprised she lasted this long. Being overcarried makes her a fighter."
They floated to a stop and Mana held the egg out shakily to Mahad, her eyes shining with tears.
"Save her, Mahad," Mana whispered, her arms growing heavy with the egg's weight. "She belongs to Atem. This is a royal. It's your duty…our duty!"
Mahad stared at the egg in Mana's pretty, manicured hands, feeling disgust curl low in his chest. He shoved his feelings aside and handed the medic his weapon before reaching out to cradle the egg with both hands, shivering as he felt it pulse warmly against his palms.
Dis…gusting….
This was Seto Kaiba's kin.
He could feel it.
But there was a thread of warmth and strength, very similar to…Atem.
"Oh…fuck," Mahad muttered, throwing a nervous glance over his shoulder at the setting sun in the water above them. "…I'll go now."
"Thank you!" Mana whispered, and the medic nodded giving Mahad a firm push towards the surface.
"Hurry!" She urged. "I will ready an incubator by the time you return, and you can take that into the Chrysalis too. Then, when the egg is safely lodged inside the pool, we can tell the Council. That way, they can't yank the egg out based on their silly rules, and she will survive"
Mahad nodded uncertainly, and he pushed through the water steadily at an awkward angle, keeping the egg upright in his arms, hearing Mana calling after him happily.
"You're so brave and strong, Mahad! I love you! You're a true warrior!"
"Yes, King Atem will be proud…!" The medic chimed in, and Mahad's stomach curled tightly.
He somehow doubted that.
From what he'd witnessed in the past few decades, Atem was emotionally unstable, barely able to care for himself, let alone another hatchling…if it hatched.
The least Kaiba could've done was bear the egg in mer-form to save them the trouble and panic. How irritating of him.
Stiffening his fins, Mahad pushed through the water with purpose, his mind churning with the various insults he could throw at Kaiba for ditching his half-human egg with their colony.
Such heartlessness ought to be punished.
This poor egg deserved better.
Perhaps it was good that Kaiba abandoned the egg.
It meant they could raise it away from Kaiba's foulness.
Also, Mana had said it was a girl.
How nice.
A princess in their colony would help boost their morale and status.
That thought cheered Mahad up considerably, and he picked up his pace, now intent on getting the egg into a Chrysalis as quickly as possible.
Kaiba waved Isono away irritably, hating how Mokuba had followed them home just to make sure he was okay.
It was humiliating that he'd been confined to a wheelchair for the next month, but he was going to be fine…as long as his damn egg was still where he'd left it.
Kisara rushed across the living room to the large windows overlooking the ocean and craned her neck forward, her shoulders falling with relief when she saw no one on the beach.
Is anyone there? Kaiba asked frantically, and she shook her head in response.
No one, she replied firmly in her mind, giving him a determined smile. We will find your child, Seto. Don't worry.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Mokuba growled, blocking Kisara from Seto's view as he stood in front of his brother with his arms crossed. "I know you're thinking to her psychically or whatever. Stop it."
Do you want me to go down into the water to check? I can brave the cold for you, Kisara continued, ignoring Mokuba. I know the sooner we find it, the better you'll feel.
Kaiba shook his head weakly and palmed his face.
No, I can't ask you to do that, but if you can find a way to contact Seth—
Excuse me for interrupting, Isono's voice echoed coldly in their minds, causing both Kaiba and Kisara to jump in surprise.
I will be taking care of you, Master Kaiba. This nonsense with the ocean stops now. Stop tricking that woman into enabling you.
Mokuba stood awkwardly in the silence.
Kisara looked offended, and Seto's face darkened while Isono glared sternly at them both.
"What's happening?" Mokuba asked lamely, his voice cracking with emotion. "We're a family. Let's not behave like this. Seto? No walking for a week, got it? And Kisara, don't you dare let him stand up. He'll tear the stitches."
"Got it," Kisara answered mildly, sitting down gracefully by the window, propping her head up on her elbow with her eyes nailed to the horizon. "You can leave us be now, Mokuba."
Mokuba sighed and stepped out the door, giving Isono a grateful smile.
"Thanks old man," he said, and Isono gave Mokuba reassuring a pat on the shoulder. "Go home to your family, young master. I've got it here."
Kaiba rolled his eyes.
He was being babied, but whatever.
He would stomach it if Seth would just show his face…!
Where the hell was that irritating merman when he was needed?
Seth was being escorted into the palace by two armed guards.
Confused, he twisted his head around to see if they were being followed by anyone familiar, and all he saw was an empty hallway of ornate pillars.
"Where is Joey and Tristan?" He demanded, feeling oddly naked without his weapons. "I demand to be escorted by them! Put me down! I am a royal, dammit!"
Atem perked his ears up, hearing Kaiba's favorite curse word…being said in Kaiba's classic cold tone, and his hopes were crushed when he saw Seth being pushed into the throne room by two burly guards.
"Ah, Prince Seth," Mahad said, trying to keep his tone neutral, but his emotion was leaking badly. "Or should it be just Seth? Because you no longer have people to rule over."
Mana hovered protectively by Atem's side and said nothing.
The medic also looked nervous, and she stuck closely beside Mana, gazing fearfully at all the dark expressions in the room. Why was the atmosphere so cold?
"He does look like him," Shadi sniffed, leaning against a pillar in the far back of the room, intent on keeping his distance. "I saw him several moons ago and couldn't tell the difference. I thought it was Seto Kaiba who had sprouted fins."
Seth stiffened and squared his shoulders back, aiming his question at Atem, who was sitting regally on the golden throne, looking bored.
"Why am I here? You could've summoned me in a more amicable way. I would've shown up regardless."
"You're here to receive news, just like the rest of us," Rishid muttered, floating closer to Isis in an attempt to stay further away from the Kaiba look-alike.
There was a tense silence, and Mana nodded fearfully at Mahad, who spoke in a resounding voice, "Seto Kaiba bore a black egg, containing a royal."
Atem blinked rapidly, seeing the throne room tilt violently before his eyes.
Wh-What?! Kaiba had borne an egg instead of growing it in a lab like he claimed he would do? Why would he do such a painful thing?!
"The egg was in critical condition, so I placed her into a Chrysalis without first consulting the Council," Mahad continued, his voice wavering slightly. "So we must find a way to present this situation to them in a positive light to ensure her survival."
"WHAT?!" Solomon thundered, floating closer to Mahad, shaking with disbelief. "You did what?! And a black egg? How is this possible?!"
"Don't punish him for doing the right thing!" Mana cried, feeling Atem's hand tighten around hers painfully. "I found the egg lodged in a rocky cliff on Kaiba's Shore covered by kelp. It's a little girl! Our medic can confirm."
"It is a girl, and I saw his face when I touched the membrane," the medic declared, pointing dramatically at Seth. "A spitting image of him, but…human."
Seth could feel himself sinking lower and lower into the water, with nothing to hold him up.
Oh gods.
Seto wasn't shore sick.
He was morning sick.
If Seto bore an egg in human form…did he survive?
If Seto bled to death during the egg bearing, that meant he was alone again in the world.
His brother had survived decades as a human child…only to be killed by egg bearing?!
That thought was too much for him to stomach, and Seth grew lightheaded.
"Someone hold him steady, he looks faint," Isis said nervously, noticing Seth's eyes going glassy. "It's a shock for him as well."
Mahad swam forward and offered an arm out to Seth, and it was promptly pushed away.
Seth stole a glance at Atem, his blood pressure rising when he saw the merking's face remain emotionless and blank.
"It's your child," Seth raged. "You don't seem to care."
"It believe it is unlikely," Atem replied emptily, trying not to let Seth's looks affect him. "I won't say anything further until I see this egg for myself."
"It feels like you," Mana whispered, but Atem ignored her, intent on staring down Seth. He knew if he immediately staked a claim on the egg, Kaiba might never have the chance to see their child, and that thought shook him to the core.
"This is ridiculous," Seth snapped, turning hastily and swimming for the exit as his heart thudded loudly in his chest. "If my brother did bear an egg, I need to check if he's still alive. No one here seems to care about him anyway, seeing as how you're all more concerned about the gender and condition of the child."
"Yes, report back," Atem called casually, waving at the streak of brown hair that disappeared behind the kelp curtain.
His chest tightened with uncertainty as the silence in the throne room ripened, and he felt Mana squeeze his hand so tightly, it hurt.
But Atem… Mana's voice echoed gently in his mind. She's your child. I felt it. We all felt it. This is something you can't deny.
Atem sat up straighter and looked right past Mahad's shoulder, trying to keep his expression neutral.
I won't say anything until Kaiba sends me a message, Atem replied stiffly, growing cold all over. If I say she's mine, Kaiba will never see her again. It's better this way…for now.
He felt Mana nod sadly beside him and watched as the court dispersed, leaving only Mahad and Solomon floating in the middle, whispering gravely to each other.
Yes, it was better this way.
If the egg truly belonged to Kaiba, he had to proceed with caution.
Given how his court behaved towards Kaiba, it was possible that they would collectively decide to keep the child away from land, and Atem knew that this would be the worst-case scenario.
Kaiba would go insane with longing and begin to hate him.
So, for now, and for the sake of Kaiba's sanity, he would keep the egg at an arm's length and pretend like he had nothing to do with it.
Author's note:
WOMP WOMP
he laid an egg yo
I wrote an mpreg.
Many of you had already predicted this was where it was going, and I couldn't dodge you. you saw right through me and here it is.
I have sinned.
pls fogive me.
-Ugli
(this chapter was edited by ChocolateYeti)