Kisara wheeled the chair slowly down the sandy ramp, and Kaiba grit his teeth tightly, gripping the armrests and bracing himself for every bump they crossed.

This was…so fucking humiliating…

But this was the first time he'd manage to convince Isono to leave him alone for an afternoon, so naturally, the first thing he did was exactly what the doctor told him not to do: Walk.

The wheelchair landed softly in the sand and Kisara let out a satisfied huff. "Okay, this is as far as it'll go…are you sure you can stand?"

"Yes…" Kaiba growled, wincing as he slowly hoisted himself up on his weak legs, his knees trembling with effort. The water would help. He knew that much.

Over the past two weeks, Kisara had been loyally administering scales to him in secret and sneaking him glasses of saltwater when Isono wasn't looking. As much as her efforts helped, it wasn't enough. He was healing too slowly, so Kisara had tried running him a salt-heavy bath, but Isono had barged in when the tub was halfway full and ordered them back into his room. According to Isono, soaking too long in water would affect the healing.
Kaiba knew that was bullshit because he didn't heal like a human anymore, but convincing Isono was proving to be a difficult task.

Now that his manservant was out of the house, it was finally time to do things his way.

His foot sunk into the sand and Kisara rushed to his side to hold him steady, her beautiful face twisted with worry.

"Seto…don't push yourself." She said anxiously, watching him take a few more stubborn steps towards the edge of the water. "He said he'd be back in an hour...is that enough time for you to search the spot where you left the egg?"

"We'll…see," Kaiba breathed, wincing as a horrible stinging throbbed between his legs and he forced himself to stand still. Fuck this. Fuck all of this.
He had been imprisoned in the wheelchair for two weeks while the egg was still sitting unattended in the water. What if something ate it?! And where the hell was Seth?!

Almost as if he'd summoned him with his thoughts, he heard Kisara gasp beside him and point at a head bobbing in the distance.

"Is that…?" She let go of his arm and raced towards the rock at the water's edge, waving her arms frantically. "Hey! Help! Come help us!"

Kaiba wobbled dangerously without her support and he braced himself against the sandy wall of the beach, his breathing shallow as a slow pain began running down his legs.
Shit. Shit! What if he tore something just by taking a few steps?
How bad was the wound?
He had no way of knowing, but it felt like he'd been sitting on fire and ants ever since he had returned from the hospital. Earlier in the week, he had tried bending over in front of a mirror to check, but the second he bent forward slightly, his lower back throbbed horribly and he had to stop himself.
The pain was even affecting his sleep, but he refused to take medication that would affect the liquid scales in his blood.
Currently, saltwater was the only remedy he was willing to try.

"HEY! You! Yes, you!" Kisara shouted, her voice carrying clearly through the crisp ocean air as she continued to wave. "Seth?! Is that you, Seth?"

In the distance, Seth ducked his head underwater nervously, wondering why a young woman with stark white hair was calling to him. Was it someone Kaiba had sent? It had to be, otherwise, how else did she know his name?

Swimming steadily closer, he gazed up at her through the distorted surface of the water, watching her expression closely. She was beautiful, sporting a bright, youthful face and wearing only a plain beige dress paired with worn sandals as she stood atop the rock, still waving at no one in the distance.

I'll show myself, Seth thought nervously, slowly popping out of the water beside the rock and sticking his hand up in an awkward greeting.

"I'm here," he said, accidentally frightening her.

"Goodness!" She cried, pressing a hand to her chest and nearly slipping off the rock as she gazed down into his face, her blue eyes bright with interest. "W-Wow…you do look like him!"

"Indeed," Seth answered dryly, beginning to resent the repetitive comments about their likeness. "Where is my brother? Is he alive?"

She hopped gracefully off the rock and raced across the beach, back to where Kaiba was still leaning weakly against the sandy wall, and Seth let out a cry of relief.

"Seto!" Seth dove into an oncoming wave and let it wash him to shore.
He rolled expertly across the wet sand and ignored the long, incredulous stare from the white-haired beauty.

"He's real…" Kisara whispered to herself, swaying where she stood. "It's a…real merman!"

"Thank fuck," Kaiba breathed, seeing Seth sitting stiffly in the sand, and he forced himself to let go of the wall so he could make his way across the beach.

Where the hell were you?! He yelled in his mind, and Seth shook his head, looking stricken.

Kisara's grip on his arm was warm, helping him take tiny steps across the sand towards Seth at the water's edge, and after what seemed like an eternity of limping, Kaiba managed to reach wet sand.

"You're alive! You're alive…oh, I was so worried!" Seth held an outstretched hand to help Kaiba sit down slowly, and he raked his gaze over his twin's human legs, relieved that both were still attached.

"You didn't lose a leg," Seth smiled shakily, and he received confused glances from both humans.

"Just be glad I'm alive," Kaiba growled, riding out a shallow wave of pain as his ass landed roughly in the sand as he sat down. "F-Fuck! Where the hell is my kid?"

A million questions were racing through his head, but he couldn't voice them all at once, so much that he felt like exploding.

Seth grimaced sympathetically and made brief eye contact with the white-haired girl, seeing her blush deeply and look away.

"Who is she?" Seth countered, folding his arms across his chest when he caught her staring at the tips of his fins again. "Stop telling humans about us. You're going to get us killed."

"Hey!" Kisara snapped, giving Seth a sharp glare. "I'm his wife, and I'm not going to kill anyone."

"Ah…you're his wife, now, does Atem know?" Seth shot back, feeling his heart race strangely as she continued to stare at him without blinking.

"Does he care?" She replied coldly, resting a comforting hand on Seto's back as she heard him let out another hiss of pain. "He should be here instead of you. Where's the egg? Answer the question."

Kisara sat down in the sand beside Seto, placing her smaller hand over his, watching him dig his fingertips into the sand as his expression darkened.

"I don't divulge information about my species to humans," Seth said, catching a venomous glance from Seto, and after a moment, he gave in easily with a sigh. "Don't worry, brother, your egg is safe. She's incubating in a Chrysalis, and everyone in the kingdom knows of her existence, so, I suppose congratulations are in order. Happy Birthing. Congratulations."

Kaiba let his breath out slowly, riding out a low wave of pain, expecting to feel relief, happiness, joy, or sadness, but all he wanted now was to see the egg with his own eyes and hold her to his chest.

"What the hell does any of that mean?" Kaiba demanded, his body growing warm as a wave lapped at his knees. "Incubating? So, she's alive? And who told you it was a girl?!"

"The…Medic," Seth frowned, resting a cold hand on Kaiba's dry shoulder, seeing his wet hand leave a five-fingered imprint on the fabric. "Brother, I think you would've known you were with child. I'm sure you know it's a girl too. I refuse to believe that you blindly carried her all this time without knowing."

Tears piled annoyingly behind Kaiba's eyelids and he glanced down at his wet knees, feeling himself shake.
Sure, there were some nights where he was unable to sleep due to his discomfort, but there had been no physical changes….

There were physical changes, and they had disappeared ever since he'd been in the wheelchair.

His skin was no longer cracked and dry.
Hunger no longer gnawed at his stomach at two in the morning.
The food Isono made didn't make him want to hurl, and he could once again enjoy coffee in the mornings without the smell putting him off.
The nausea and pain had completely vanished without a trace.
Also, his focus was back, and his mind was sharp and clear again.
There wasn't a strange haze of longing for soaks in the water tugging at him every two hours.

His claws had also stopped growing at an abnormal rate, and his hands looked very human, even now.

There were probably other symptoms he'd ignored and had chalked it up to scale consumption.
But holy fuck.

If he'd actually laid an egg, that meant he had had a kid…with Atem.

That thought was too much for him to bear, and Kaiba sat in stunned silence, watching the waves wash up against the shore. He hadn't seen the egg yet, so how the hell would he know if any of this was real?! And if it was real, was it cruel and inhumane if the merpeople never let him see his own damn kid?

The thought shook him to the core, and Kaiba felt a rush of fear and anger.
He would go down there and raise hell if that was the case.
How would he even begin to do that?
He could barely walk and bathe himself due to his injuries.

"So, where do you live?" Kisara asked casually, flashing Seth a pretty smile. "Nearby?"

"Yes, and I think I should bring a Medic to you, or bring you down to a Medic," Seth said seriously, watching Kaiba's brow furrow deeper and deeper the longer he remained quiet. "Seto? Will you consider seeing one of our Medics?"

"So, you're twins?" Kisara added keenly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and trying to keep the heavy atmosphere casual. "Did you two fight a lot?"

"Yes, we did...and still do," Seth answered impatiently, focusing on Seto and giving his brother's shoulder another squeeze. "Seto, please answer me. You're being awfully quiet."

Kaiba raised his head and looked directly into Seth's clear blue eyes, feeling as if his heart was being torn into two as he struggled to speak.

It was a girl….
He knew it was a girl!
He'd even confused Mokuba's baby boy with a girl because he'd been thinking about his own child!

"Seto?" Kisara tilted her head at him and gave him a solid pat on the back. "It's okay. You'll get to see her soon…right?" And her tone turned nasty as she threw Seth a glare. "You'll bring him the egg so he can see it, won't you?"

"I can't! I said she's incubating in a Chrysalis!" Seth cried defensively, holding his hands up in the air. "No one knows the locations of the Pools unless they're—"

"Warrior Mahad," Kaiba cut across Seth, his blood boiling. "Find him and bring me his fucking head. I bet he knows where she is."

"Yes, he does," Seth said encouragingly, hoping Kaiba would be appeased by good news. "He was the one who brought her there safely…without consulting the Council, so your child is safe from persecution."

Kaiba blinked, taking a moment to digest Seth's words as his anger rose like a rapid flame.

"Persecution?" Kaiba spat, nearly cutting his tongue on the tips of his fangs as he bared them angrily. "Who the hell is the 'Council' and why do they get a say in anything? It's my kid for fuck's sake!"

"The Chrysalis is for public use, Seto, and I'm sure you know that they are protected by pacts," Seth explained frantically, noticing Kisara's eyes growing wider. "Mahad entered it without consulting anyone, which means they now know he broke his pact. She's incubating there illegally—"

"I don't give a shit about him!" Kaiba shouted, his throat growing hoarse, and he coughed weakly, trying to catch his breath as his lungs grew tight. "I want…to fucking see her…"

"You can't…not until she hatches," Seth replied desperately, reaching forward to give Kaiba's hands a tight squeeze, and Kaiba yanked his hands away furiously, his eyes brimming with hot tears of frustration.

"Seto…don't cry! It's going to be okay!" Kisara cried, throwing her arms around Kaiba's shoulders and pulling his head close to her chest, feeling his body trembling violently with repressed sobs.

"F-Fuck…" Kaiba palmed the tears off his face and flung the diamonds aside into the sand. Kisara's arms tightened around his shoulders and he saw Seth's hand reach out to stealthily catch a few tears falling down his cheeks.

"Don't waste these," Seth said gloomily, closing his hands around the stray diamonds. "Keep them for her…in the future…"

"When will she hatch?" Kisara demanded, still hugging Seto tightly and feeling the former CEO rocking back and forth desperately her arms, trying to keep his composure.

"I don't know," Seth replied slowly, frowning. "I'll ask the Medic. My knowledge only extends to basic egg care. I only know that eggs are incubated at 5 to 9 years at the very least. I heard you over-carried her by ten years, so perhaps that means she will hatch without a problem."

"Ten years?" Kisara echoed incredulously, glancing down at the limp Seto in her arms. "Seto, were you pregnant for years?!"

Kaiba shook his head numbly and then nodded, unable to think, unable to breathe.
The only thing he could do was press his forehead into the softness of her chest and listen to the frantic beating of her heart that mirrored his own despair.

At this rate, he was never going to see his kid.
He was never going to fucking see her.
He wouldn't be there when she hatched, because she would hatch inside of a Chrysalis.
Did this mean Atem would be able to see her?!

What did a hatching mer-egg even fucking look like?!
He was being deprived of a once-in-a lifetime experience.
He'd carried the egg for years and it was like it didn't even exist.
He couldn't smell, touch, or see it.
This was so wildly unfair.
He was being deprived of air.
He was being deprived of a life…he'd created.
His lungs were tight, and his vision was blurry.
He could die right now, and it wouldn't matter.
He would never be allowed to see her.
The underwater Council of Assholes would make sure of it.
They had already kept Atem away from him, and now they had his kid too.
This was it.
His life was over.

"This isn't good," Seth murmured, giving Kaiba's leg an awkward pat. "He's spiraling. Do you hear his thoughts? He needs something to anchor him down because the egg was torn away from him. He needs a Medic…"

"What he needs is to see his child," Kisara said nastily, flashing Seth another beautiful glare. "Do something! You have fins and a head on your shoulders! Find out where a Chrysalis is!"

"What the hell do you think I've been doing?" Seth hissed, his own temper rising the more Kaiba continued to rant wildly inside his head. "Do you think I enjoy being separated from my own family? I want him back in the water with me!"

Listening to them argue, Kaiba dug his nails into Kisara's arms and struggled to breathe.
He couldn't breathe.
His lungs had closed up and was refusing air.

Kisara felt Kaiba tense in her arms and she noticed his trembling had stopped.
He was making strange hiccupping sounds and his blue eyes were wide with panic.

"He's suffocating! Get him in the water!" She cried, and Seth sprung into action, grabbing Kaiba by the ankles and pulling him across the sand towards an oncoming wave.

"Roll him to me and step back!" Seth yelled, and Kisara didn't need to be told twice. She gave Kaiba the hardest shove with all her might and saw Seth's tanned arms wrap firmly around his human twin's body, and they disappeared together beneath a white, foamy wave.

Panting breathlessly, she climbed nimbly atop the wet rock and sat there, watching the ocean's surface intently for splashes, but there was none.

The brothers had disappeared.

Daring a sigh of relief, Kisara ran a hand through her damp, white hair.
Incredible. She knew Seto Kaiba was a bit eccentric, and this seemed to explain it all.

I must protect him, she thought rigidly, crossing her legs and letting the sun warm her chest.

Kaiba cracked his eyes open and realized he was being carried on Seth's back through the water.

Seth was powering forward so rapidly, his long hair was nothing but a brown blur behind him.

The air was clear and light, and Kaiba was dimly aware of his surroundings.
They were underwater…somewhere…and his ass hurt like a bitch.
It was throbbing and probably bleeding, but Kaiba couldn't be sure.

Can you breathe? Seth's voice rang out sharply in his head, and Kaiba winced.

Yes, I can. Shut up, Kaiba thought glumly, wishing he was dead. Let me see my kid.

I'll try, Seth promised, slowly swimming deeper and deeper, listening intently to Kaiba's heartbeat which was steady in his ear. Tell me if it becomes uncomfortable. I'm taking you home.

What?! Kaiba snapped, instantly alert. You mean your home?

Our home, Seth growled, seeing the tops of domed dwellings rise into view. You should be fine if we don't go too deep. The Medic and the Elders have moved back in after you cleared the debris. See? Even the air is cleaner now.

Kaiba blinked rapidly, seeing bright strips of sunlight streaming beautifully down from the surface, illuminating small, curved stone structures beneath them. There was only a small clump of five domes, and nothing else. All the black seaweed he'd seen earlier in Seth's vision had disappeared.

What are they made of? Kaiba asked, unable to help himself, and Seth's answer was swift. Repurposed shells and bones. After polishing, they shine with beauty.

…Pretty, Kaiba thought weakly, and he passed out.

Letting his breath out in a slow hiss, Seth swam in through the front entrance of the Medic's chambers and was instantly greeted by a green octopus.

"Welcome—AH! MEDIC! A HUMAN!" The octopus spurt out a cloud of ink in distress and zipped away, vanishing down the hallway in the back, and Seth paid it no mind.

Spying an empty pod, he gently eased Kaiba into it just as the Medic came rushing to his side, panting and flushed with excitement.

"Oh, Lord…it is him!" The Medic gave Seth a shaky smile before sealing the membrane pod around Kaiba's unconscious body with a swipe of his claws. "You found your brother, Seth! Let's see…"

Seth wrung his hands nervously as he hovered beside the pod, seeing the veins glow strangely as the Medic palmed the sides and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

"He'll wake up in two hours," the Medic spoke after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "He'll heal ten times faster while sealed in here, but he needs to surface for air in five human hours. It should be enough."

"Enough for what?" Seth growled, placing a hand on the pod and feeling Kaiba's heartbeat thumping strongly underneath his palm.

"For him to heal completely," the Medic said, nodding with a relieved smile. "You Purebloods are fighters. You brought him down just in time. His human body was having trouble healing without help."

Seth sighed heavily and sagged against the pod, feeling a headache coming on. This had been so incredibly nerve-wracking. Seto had been close to dying!

"Shall I seal you in a pod too?" The medic offered helpfully, "You're stressed. You're spending too much time going to and from deeper water and land. Monitor your time carefully, Prince Seth, or you'll wear yourself out at this rate."

Seth resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he let the Medic lead him into the pod beside Seto's and he laid down into the soft sponge within.

"One human hour should do it for you," the Medic said cheerfully, his tanned face split into a handsome grin. "Rest up, my prince."

The sides of the pod raised around his head folded together, sealing him inside, and the outside world was muffled by the milky green membrane.

Closing his eyes, Seth tried his best to enjoy the peace and relief he felt.
Seto was beside him now, even if it was only for a moment. They were together, and this was all that mattered.

Kaiba opened his eyes slowly, finding himself encased in a pod with veiny green leaves molded together. Was it…seaweed? It was a tight fit, and he could barely turn over onto his side without the leaves moving inwards to stick to his body.

He raised a hand to poke at it, wondering if it might accidentally tear if he pressed too hard.

"Don't do that!" A male voice said sharply somewhere to his left. "Your majesty, please don't puncture the pod! You'll return to land soon after you're done healing."

Your Majesty? Kaiba snorted to himself, leaning back and feeling his head sink into something wonderfully soft.

He reached up slowly and his fingers sank into a spongy surface. Deeply curious, he pinched, and it tore away easily.

"Don't contaminate the pod!" The male voice cried, sounding panicked. "Call for Prince Seth! Tell him his brother is awake."

"Yessir!" A squeaky voice replied, and Kaiba recognized this as an octopus's voice.

"What is this…" Kaiba swiped at the pieces of sponge floating before his nose and he heard an exasperated sigh to his left.

"It's part of the pillow, your majesty, please stay still."

"Let me see my kid," Kaiba said instantly, and he was beginning to feel like a broken record.

The male outside made a strange noise, and his voice shook with emotion, "I-I'm afraid we can't do anything about that now. She's safe in the Chrysalis and is set to hatch in a few years—very soon, so you'll see her soon, don't worry. Soon…okay?"

"Saying 'soon' repeatedly won't make 'soon' happen sooner," Kaiba shot back, his frustration rising as he wondered how long he'd be shut in the strange pod. First the wheelchair, and now this. Did that egg almost fucking kill him?

"Please stay still," the male voice pleaded again. "I'm the Medic in this region, so—"

"SETO!" Two ghostly hands appeared on walls of the pod above his head, and Kaiba slowly reached his hand out too, recognizing Seth's voice and feeling warm when their fingertips met against the milky membrane.

His handprint matched Seth's exactly, right down to each curve between their fingers.

"Oh, thank Ra," Seth breathed, relieved to see his brother moving inside the pod. "How do you feel?"

"Like I want to kill the person who has my kid," Kaiba growled in response, and he heard the Medic speak up.

"He'll feel the urge to Nurse," the man said, sounding very solemn. "Shall we give him the decoy egg as a substitute?"

"NO!" Kaiba shouted, feeling his blood boil, and he swore the membrane pulsed with a strange yellow light. "I want to my hold my own damn kid!"

Don't stress yourself with shouting! The Medic shrieked inside his head, and Kaiba winced, withdrawing his hand from the side of the pod and rolling over furiously.

"Bring it to him," Seth said firmly, nodding at the Medic. "He needs to see what it looks and feels like, or it'll drive him mad. Seto? Just touch the egg. You'll feel better after holding it, even if it's not yours."

Kaiba shook his head furiously, biting the tip of his tongue so hard, his eyes began to water.

He knew what this was.
It was fucking therapy and he didn't want it.
The kid was alive, so he didn't need to pretend with a fake-ass egg.

"Seto?" Seth called gently, floating to the other side and seeing Kaiba stubbornly turn over to face away from him inside the pod. "Hey! I'm talking to you. I can see you in there, you know?"

Kaiba said nothing, fuming silently.
Thankfully, he wasn't in any pain, and he attributed it to the wonders of the green pod, but the annoying tug in his chest was still there. It was never going away until he held his own kid in his arms.

"Here it is," the Medic said, and Seth backed away to let him through.

"I don't want it," Kaiba growled, but he was ignored. The edges of the green leaves peeled away, and a handsome man with jet black hair appeared before him, holding out a black, egg-shaped stone which Kaiba instantly recognized.

It had the mysterious, fiery blue core.

"Here you are—"

Kaiba didn't hesitate as he snatched the stone out of the man's hands and felt the weight sink reassuringly into his arms, and relief flooded his entire body, relaxing him instantly.

G-Goddammit, Kaiba thunked his head back tearfully on the sponge pillow and the pod sealed up around him once more.

Pressing the stone to his chest, he felt the heat from his own body warm it up, and he bit back the furious stinging in his nose that was making his vision blurry.
He wasn't going to fucking cry about this. There was no damn point.
His egg was gone. This one was fake.
But it didn't feel fake. It felt very real and Kaiba realized he couldn't let go of it.
His arms were cemented around it while his heart thundered rapidly inside his chest.
A wonderful warmth flooded the entire pod, and his toes tingled as blood came rushing back into his cold limbs.

He didn't realize he'd been so cold….

This egg was a stone, but it was fooling his body into thinking that it was real.

Seth and the Medic nodded gravely to each other as the pod glowed and pulsed steadily.

"…You see? All better, right?" Seth ventured, and all he received was silence.

"There'll be a mourning period," the Medic mumbled, and Kaiba blinked slowly, listening to this with a horrible ringing in his ears. "It would help if he had a human baby to nurse while he went through it, but human babies are difficult to obtain quickly. This will cause a lasting trauma…"

"Don't say it here," Seth hissed, grabbing the Medic by the arm and leading him away. "He can still hear you."

"He needs to know," the Medic grimaced. "We give all egg-bearers this information so they can brace themselves mentally for the changes. Usually, this is told to the partners as well, but…. seeing as how his partner is absent, I'll tell you. We'll help him through it together."

Kaiba hugged the egg tighter to his chest, feeling his sternum ache as the stone lodged uncomfortably against his ribs.
He loosened his grip.
Holding it too damn tight would kill it.

And how the hell would I know that? Kaiba fumed to himself, unable to bring himself to glance down at the egg in his arms.

"Seto?" Seth called, floating beside Kaiba's pod with the Medic at his side. "Come listen to what the Medic has to say."

"Don't want to hear it—"

"I'm going to send you home with an ointment and oral medicine." The Medic talked over him, sounding practiced, but kind. "Do not eat solid foods for two hours after you've consumed the medicine. You might still be in pain after you leave the pod…"

"Great," Kaiba muttered, and Seth's angry voice echoed through his head.

Shut up and listen for your own good!

I said I don't want to hear it!

"Ah…uh, Seth will bring you back down for more rounds of healing if you feel like you need it," the Medic stammered, hearing the brothers argue silently for a moment longer. "Don't be afraid to come back for more time inside the pod. Avoid swimming or walking for long distances. Do not take human medicine with this, as we do not know what ill effects will follow."

There was more silence as Kaiba glared angrily at the milky green membrane wall, feeling his heart beating against the stone egg on his chest.
Fuck this shit.
Fuck this fucking shit.

He wanted to see his own egg, not receive aftercare instructions while hugging a fake egg.

"You have three more hours inside the pod before we send you back up," the Medic said, sounding nervous. "And…you have visitors."

Kaiba's heart leapt suddenly with excitement. Was it Atem?

"Ah…Elder Hijiri," Seth said warmly, bowing at the old man floating through the medic's chambers with his grandson and granddaughter, both carrying baskets filled to the brim with shells, jewelry, and flowers.

Who?! Kaiba thought deliriously, feeling the egg burn terribly against his chest.

He heard a small child's voice ask fearfully, "Grampy, who is in the pod? And why are we here with all our stuff?"

"Quiet, boy." The old man commanded, and he gave Seth a light smile. "Teaching them manners is never easy, right, Prince Seth?"

The corners of Seth's mouth twitched upwards and he forced himself to smile, hoping it didn't look like a grimace.

"We come bearing gifts for the return of our First Prince," the elder said loftily, and the little boy and girl obediently held out the baskets with their heads lowered respectfully. "Our kingdom will thrive again, just as I had predicted. These were no trouble at all."

Liar, Kaiba thought angrily, rolling over and seeing three blobs hovering near two other blobs in the water. Don't want it. Throw it away.

The children gasped and the old man's face redden with embarrassment and rage.

"Ah, we're so sorry! He...is not well, mentally or physically," the Medic jumped to Kaiba's defense, smiling sweetly at the children as he kept his arms outstretched, trying to usher them away from Kaiba's pod. "Bring the gifts another time. Thank you for your visit. We are honored."

No, don't ever come back… Kaiba thought blandly, and he heard Seth laugh awkwardly.

"As you've heard, he's just lost an egg…so he's really not well. He's not usually like this…"

Yes I am, Kaiba thought dully, turning over onto his back and letting the egg rest heavily onto his stomach. The weight was so reassuring. Every time he inhaled; he swore the egg pulsed happily in his grip. He was imagining it, but the feeling was so nice…it was lulling him to sleep.

"Seto, these are our people," Seth raged, hovering above Kaiba's pod, glaring down at the green leaves folded tightly over his brother's face. "You can't talk to them like that! We're barely a colony as it is. And since you're so attached to Atem, that leaves me with all the hard work! I'm going to have to find a girl who would want to crown me king in this disaster of a colony."

"You do that," Kaiba said noncommittally, keeping his eyes closed and lacing his fingers over the egg on his chest. "Not my problem."

"But this is your problem!" Seth hissed, placing his palms against the sides of the membrane. "It's our problem—"

"Don't tell him! He's not stable enough to hear it," the Medic whispered, but Seth barreled over him, sounding incensed.

"You think you did your part by clearing the shipwreck and birthing a girl?" Seth ranted, seeing Kaiba tense inside the pod. "We can't claim her as our own if she hatches inside a Chrysalis located in another kingdom, you know that, right?!"

Kaiba's eyes shot open, and he blinked rapidly. Lies. Fucking lies. What kind of ridiculous rules did these people live by? The child was his! It fucking came out of him and nearly split him in half!

"She will be raised by the people in the Kingdom of Muran," Seth said heavily, his shoulders sagging with despair. "Even if she shares half of your blood, Atem's kingdom is much stronger, and is better suited to raise her. Everyone will agree. The controversial Hatching inside the Chrysalis will start the conversation about her future upbringing, and it will end with her living in Atem's kingdom."

Why would Atem's kingdom get the privilege of raising her? Kaiba's eyes widened so much, he felt them beginning to water at the corners.
Just because she was hospitalized in their Chrysalis? What the fuck was this bullshit?

"We're weak, Seto," Seth said, feeling tears well up behind his eyes. "And we are poor. We barely have any dwellings. We have no working schools. Everything was destroyed and never rebuilt. Then everyone left to live elsewhere. We used to share a school with the nearest colony, and now, children no longer live here. We aren't equipped to raise a child, let alone a royal child."

Kaiba breathed in and breathed out.
No. Nope. He wasn't listening to this.
If the kid was his, he would just find a Chrysalis and see her anytime he wanted.

"It is your problem. Do you see now?" Seth said weakly, feeling the Medic's warm hand on his shoulder. "I have hope that…perhaps we could somehow rebuild by the time she hatches, but she's hatching soon, and had I known about her sooner, I would've worked harder to impress Mana."

I'm having a bad dream, Kaiba thought plainly, closing his eyes and letting the warmth of the pod envelop him fully. I'm going to wake up in my own bed, and see Kisara awake beside me, watching TV.

"He's disassociating," the Medic breathed, giving Seth's arm a gentle pat. "Let him be. In the meantime, I suggest creating a pact with King Atem, or anyone in his court regarding the child. They will be protective of it, especially if she hatches inside one of their Pools. We don't even have an army to fight them if we wanted a fair dispute."

"Don't tell me things I already know," Seth spat, leaning away from the pod and gazing fearfully at the green veins running all around it. "First, we'll focus on healing him, and then I'll figure out how to get our family back together."

He pushed off the sandy ground and swam towards the exit, feeling a heavy weight crushing his heart.

Atem sat on his bed in his room, glumly looking down at the tips of his fins as his friends argued around him.

"So lemme get this straight, Rich Boy had an egg inside him this whole time?" Joey cried, gripping his hair in distress while Tristan stared blankly off into space.

"Yeah man, didn't you think it was weird when he ate so much but never gained weight? That's a tell-tale sign of pregnancy right there, and we didn't even notice." Tristan said quietly, and Mai shook her head in disbelief.

"I hope she'll come out okay," she said, and Anzu shot her a dirty look before giving Atem a nervous glance.

"Don't say stuff like that Mai. Of course she'll come out okay."

"Seto Kaiba is rich, so his diet must have been rich as well," Mahad added nervously, looking pale.

"The egg wasn't cracked at all," Mana insisted, her ears growing red. "Joey said Seto Kaiba trained like a Warrior with them, and if the egg came out whole, she will be fine."

"Yeah, but is he fine?" Mai asked skeptically, rolling onto her stomach flipping through a glossy magazine while her tail waved aimlessly in the air behind her.

"Mai, I swear to god, if you say one more agitating thing…" Anzu muttered, and Joey jumped to her defense.

"Leave her alone, it's a valid question," he said hastily, giving Atem an uncertain look. "We don't know much about egg-bearing anyway."

"Speak only for yourself," Mahad said stiffly, folding his arms and pinning his staff against his chest. "Egg-bearing is a subject I've studied and followed closely with Mana."

"Yes, it was a black egg! How exciting, right Atem?" Mana smiled weakly, giving the king's hands a squeeze and seeing him withdraw slowly.

"Whazzat mean if it's black?" Tristan asked carelessly, floating over their heads in a slow circle. "Contaminated, right?"

"No," Anzu raged, her ears also turning red. "It means the Bearer was in human form. Also, no egg is completely black. It could've been dark red, or dark blue…you wouldn't know until you saw it in proper light."

"Correct," Mahad said earnestly, and everyone looked at Atem, waiting for him to react, but the king's spiky head was lowered, and he didn't seem to be mentally present.

"S-So if anything, the black egg proves Seto Kaiba's species," Mana sounded proud of herself. "He's a royal, and Pure, which means our princess will be the purest Royal on this side of the ocean!"

There was a long, heavy silence, and Atem gripped the edge of his bed, his heart heavy with questions.
He felt very removed from the whole situation. Seth was right. Everyone was talking about the egg, but no one seemed to really care about Kaiba.

"Will he be okay?" Atem whispered through numb lips. "I'm sure he'd want to see the egg…"

"Oh, I bet," Mai said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I heard people become really traumatized and detached if they don't spend enough time with their offspring in egg-form. How's Kaiba gonna hold up?"

"He's going to be fine," Mahad said, sounding like he didn't believe himself. "He's going to have to be. The egg is incubating somewhere special. Isis was born there, and that was a few millennia ago. The new princess is lucky."

"Does that mean Atem has to see the egg from time to time?" Joey asked timidly, raising his hand as if asking for permission to speak. "He'd have to go into a Chrysalis, right?"

"That…I'm not sure," Mahad said deeply, frowning and stealing a glance at the gloomy king. "We're waiting to hear back from the Council about this unique situation."

Atem blinked and nodded.
The only upside to this entire mess would be that he'd finally know where a Chrysalis was located, because he had to visit the egg. He wasn't sure if the egg even was his, but if it meant he could somehow tell Kaiba the location of a Chrysalis, they could be reunited—

"What do you think, Atem?" Mana asked, gazing hopefully into his face with her round eyes. "You'll get to see her several times before she hatches if Mahad brings her out for you, hm?"

Atem nodded again and said nothing.

His voice had died in his throat.

Author's note:

kaiba gets some mermaid healing for tearing his **xkv** during birth

Atem is shocked and mildly in denial