Atem dozed off lightly while Joey snored loudly beside him.
The car was warm and quiet.

Mokuba had been extremely generous and had ordered a car to drive them all the way back to their Chrysalis. Even by car, it was still a long journey, but they had privacy, and the driver stopped for them whenever they wanted so they could explore a nearby town for food or to use the bathroom.

He could tell Joey was trying to enjoy their last moments on land, but he couldn't bring himself to behave the same way. His heart was heavy with worry.

Would anyone in the Kingdom realize he'd gone to shore? How was Adina holding up?

Sighing tiredly, Atem leaned against the headrest and closed his eyes, deciding there was nothing interesting left to see outside since it was so dark.

Kaiba opened his eyes slowly and stared at the milky green leaves inches from his nose. He slowly reached behind his head, touching the sponge pillow to make sure it wasn't a dream.
It wasn't.

His chest constricted tightly with anxiety and he wondered if he'd done something incredibly stupid again. Most likely.

He could finally breathe, but shallowly, and carefully. If he inhaled too hard, his chest would tighten again, and his lungs would refuse to expand.

A woman floated above him, sounding concerned, and addressed him incorrectly.

"Prince Seth," the Medic said anxiously, slowly unravelling the leaves of the pod. "I woke you up so you could eat something. How are you feeling?"

Kaiba blinked, opening his mouth to say, 'take me back up', but his voice died in his scratchy throat.

"It seems your colony is doing fine without you for now," the Medic said reassuringly, offering Kaiba a jar of fish eggs. "We sent a messenger several sunlit days ago, and he came back saying everything is running smoothly. Please rest here in deeper waters to heal completely."

I'm not sick, Kaiba thought indignantly, and his stomach growled.
Shit. And he didn't know how to eat out of a jar…underwater.
Could they just send him back up already? Glad to know he wasn't dead.

"No, definitely not," the woman admonished, handing him a tiny shell attached to the end of a thin, metal stick. "Here is a utensil. You sound a little disoriented. Now, let me call Adina. She's been heartbroken ever since you've been ill."

Where's Atem? Kaiba asked steadily, gazing into her eyes and seeing her blush.

"I believe he's doing 'Other Colony'…work? According to the princess," the medic stammered, swimming to the door and eager to get away from Seth, who was behaving with pure hostility. "Eat before you feel the urge to vomit again. I'll fetch the princess."

Kaiba stared after her and his stomach grumbled angrily, so he rolled his eyes and ate as neatly as he could with the makeshift shell spoon. It worked relatively well, and Kaiba wondered if merpeople had ever conceptualized chopsticks.
He'd have to ask Seth.

A male nurse swam forward and gently retrieved the empty jar from him, smiling softly. "I'll take that," he said, and swam away, his green tail gleaming in the semi-darkness.

Kaiba finally managed to take a good look at his surroundings. It was a giant cavern, and magnificent pillars separated the room into sections. There were people lying sleepily in beds, and several other green pods were unfurled, emitting a strange, wispy steam.

Kaiba stared at the pod intently, trying to figure out how the hell it worked, before he was interrupted by Adina who burst into the infirmary, throwing her arms around his neck, crushing what little air he had left out of his lungs.

DADDY! Daddy, you're okay! She squealed inside his head, and Kaiba patted her back dizzily, growing lightheaded again.

"Alright, enough of that, back inside now," the Medic said anxiously, already folding the leaves up around Kaiba's elbow, and Adina clung on tighter.

"No! Let me stay with him!" Adina begged, gazing tearfully up at the Medic. "Can I sleep inside with him? Please, please? You said hugs and kisses will make him heal faster!"

Can she do that? Kaiba wondered faintly, the room already fading in his vision as his chest constricted painfully.
Shit.
Death incoming.

"Yes, but be quiet, and no squirming," the Medic said sternly, pushing Adina down into the small space beside Kaiba. He felt her wiggle in protest once more before settling comfortably into his chest, sending a wave of warmth washing over him.

Closing his eyes instantly, Kaiba buried his face into the top of her head, inhaling lightly as his lungs cleared the moment the green leaves folded in above them.

"Daddy…I love you," she whispered softly, and Kaiba nodded, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Love you too, kid," Kaiba managed to say after a long moment, and he curled himself tighter against her tiny body, enjoying the heat she provided.

He felt her hand rest gently on his cheek, and then he passed out cold.

The medic heard all of this and set her jaw, deciding to say nothing.
All of this further confirmed that the man inside this pod was not Prince Seth, but he responded to the name…so, was he merely pretending for appearances?

Shaking her head, she swam away, wondering if she should confide this to Mana.

The pod was glowing a brilliant bright green behind her as she left the infirmary, nearly flooding the entire room with light.

Atem shivered as he kicked off his clothes and left them in a neat pile beside the pointed rocks, looking away hastily when Joey did the same.

"Look, now we have a Shore Kit," Joey said happily, showing Atem the wad of cash and a phone sealed inside a plastic bag. "This phone reaches Moki, so we can use this to call him, but we gotta swim all the way over here to get it."

Atem nodded, already stepping into the water, his teeth chattering.

"We'll be very cold, but it'll be faster this time around," Joey said reassuringly, sinking his feet into the pool until the water came up to his knees, and he winced. "Ugh."

Taking deep, steady breaths, Atem adjusted to the water and leaned against the rock, closing his eyes firmly. He could do this. The icy coldness was only temporary.

Joey bit back a yawn and slumped over the rock, closing his eyes and mimicking snoring noises. "I'm beat even though I slept all the way here. Hey, the moon is real nice, so we can pretend to be fancy moon bathers while we change back!"

Atem lifted an eyelid and nodded at Joey, managing a smile at his friend. Yes.

They sat together in pleasant silence as the waves rushed into the shallow alcove, and Atem gazed down at his legs, amazed to see them already knitting together and turning a deep shade of crimson.

Joey was right. It was faster this time around.

"It's like…your body gets used to it or something," Joey yawned loudly again and stared down at his disappearing legs. "Yaknow, Mai never wants to do any fin-smashin' with me. What should I do about that?"

"I…don't know," Atem answered, feeling extremely awkward. Was this warrior's banter? Talking about mating while changing back?

"Well, what did Rich Boy do to convince you?" Joey asked in a furious rush, his ears reddening with embarrassment. "Aside from…you know, promising to let you go. You went back to see him, so, there must be somethin' he did that you liked…?"

"He's good at kissing," Atem said confidently, shrinking slightly inside when he heard his own voice echo too loudly around them in the enclosed space. "I've never encountered someone who could do what he does…with his mouth."

"S-So…is it a human mating technique? Oh! She likes human mating!" Joey snapped his fingers as the thought occurred to him for the first time. "Thanks, Atem! You helped a lot. I'll ask Tristan for the rest."

Reddening in the face, Atem nodded and lowered his head to check the progress of his legs, slightly dismayed to discover that he could no longer see the divide, and his tail was beginning to round out. Amazing. What happened to the bones inside the leg?
Would it merge into his spine? Or just…disappear?
He had to tell Kaiba about this immediately so he could figure it out.

Waving his fins curiously, Atem lifted them out of the water, impressed to see that he was back to his normal self.

Joey followed suit and grinned at him, his green tail flashing under the silver moon light.

"Alright, let's rush back before we get in trouble," Joey said, and he dove down into the pool with a neat splash.

Atem followed him, his heart pounding with a strange sense of excitement. The life of a warrior was…full of danger and allure. They had managed to successfully do something illegal! They had gone to shore and back in less than five sunlit days, and hopefully no one would be any the wiser.

Swimming down deeper with long, powerful strokes, Atem took quick breaths of air, relieved to discover that he had indeed bested the pact.

He was in shore waters and could breathe normally.

Empowered by this thought, he hastily dove forward to follow Joey, his mind racing with ideas about how to deploy men in search pods to find his beloved Kaiba.

Kaiba woke up slowly and realized someone was lifting Adina out of the pod, so he kept his eyes shut, wishing the leaves would close again so he could breathe.

His mind was being read, because the leaves folded in over his head, and sweet, sweet relief flooded his lungs.

God, this was agony.
He was going to be shut in this pod for an eternity at this rate.

"Pa…Pa?" Adina murmured groggily, rubbing her eyes. "Papa?"

"No, it's me, Grandaddy," Solomon said warmly. "Did you remember what colony your Papa said he was visiting? I want to check on him."

"O-Other…c-colony," Adina hiccupped, a little over-oxygenated from the pod, but she felt refreshed.

"There's no colony named, 'Other Colony', my darling," Solomon rocked her gently in his arms and placed a hand on the pod. "You're being such a good girl for Uncle Seth, you know that?"

The pod warmed suddenly underneath him, and Solomon shrank his hand back frantically, his heart thudding as he wondered what had caused it.

A loud hustle and bustle rang throughout the hall outside, and Adina clung onto Solomon's shoulder, watching as a group of Hemisphere guards burst into the infirmary, carrying a lifeless Ambassador Shada on his back.

"MEDIC! We need a bed or a pod!" One of the men cried, and the Medic darted forward instantly, ushering them into the empty pod beside Prince Seth's.

They lowered him into the open, green leaves, and the Medic sealed it expertly with an upward swipe of her hand. The pod glowed briefly before it turned a pale shade of yellow.

"Oh, very good, he's been kept at sea-level…very fortunate," the Medic breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to beam at Solomon and the princess. "May I help anyone?"

"No," Adina said firmly, eyeing the doors hesitantly. Where was Papa?!

Almost as if her thoughts had summoned him, Atem and Joey shot into the infirmary at breakneck speed, their faces red with exertion and their chests heaving.

"PAPA!" Adina shrieked, and she whipped Solomon in the chest with her fins as she used the old man as a wall, kicking off of him for momentum to propel herself into her father's arms.

"I've missed you," Atem smiled as he hugged Adina tightly, not wanting to display too much affection lest he raise everyone's suspicions. "What's happening here? Looks like I came back just in time! Was that Shada?"

"And that crazy prince hurt himself on shore," Solomon added, and he realized this was a bad thing to say, because the color drained from Atem's face.

"He's lying, that's…not true," Adina pouted, wondering if she should tell anyone that it wasn't Uncle Seth inside the pod.

"Your daughter has been distressed and confused for several moonlit nights," Solomon continued anxiously. "Next time, when you leave to visit other colonies, tell me which one it is, not her!"

Atem's stomach churned horribly when he realized his grandfather was about to ask him which colony he'd visited…and he didn't have an answer ready….

"NO MORE TALKING!" Adina screamed so loud that even Kaiba woke up inside the pod. "PAPA READ ME A NIGHT-NIGHT STORY!"

"Okay, yes, yes," Atem nodded anxiously, his heart thudding inside his chest as he stared at the two sealed pods. "No screaming. Remember what I said about screaming?"

Kaiba closed his eyes irritably, almost wanting to break out of the pod to ground her for being bratty. Why the hell was she screaming so much?
She never behaved this way around him at the beach.
Atem's people were weak and couldn't deal with his offspring.
Typical.
Deserved.
Ingrates.
Also, was that…Atem's voice or was he hallucinating?

Atem swam steadily out of the infirmary with Adina on his shoulder, throwing Joey a grateful look. His friend saluted him and swam off in search of Tristan.

Adina clung onto her father's shoulder, keeping her eyes peeled for anyone who could be following them behind their backs.
Mana was.
She was stopping behind every pillar, out of sight, but within mind.

"Go away! I only want PAPA to read me a night-night story!" Adina said so loudly, her voice bounced off the pillars, and Atem, intent on getting back to his own room so he could have a good cry, alone, patted her on the back and said nothing.

He pushed the door open to his room and sank to the sandy ground with grief as he kept his gaze fixed on a blank spot on the wall.

"Papa?" Adina swam in a slow circle above his head, looking as if she wanted to explode with happiness. "Papa, guess what? I did good! I did what you said! Did you see Daddy on shore?"

"I—" Atem's breath caught painfully in his chest, and the pain worsened when Adina continued to rant.

"Daddy is in the pod! Daddy is in the pod right now!" She said excitedly, her cheeks pink with joy. "He finally came home! He was hurt a lot, but he's home! I took a nap with him just now!"

"That's…. Uncle Seth," Atem said wearily, palming his face in an attempt to stem the flow of tears which were building annoyingly behind his eyes. "I saw Uncle Seth on shore and…he said he would…find…Seto…."

"But he don't need to be found," Adina said, her confusion rising. "Papa? Daddy is—"

"Daddy is missing. I don't know how else to tell you," Atem said stiffly, now wishing she could leave him alone, because she was just as delusional as Kaiba sometimes.
Genetics really was a scary thing.

"But…he's…here!" Adina whispered, wondering why even her own Papa didn't believe her. "Of course that's why he's missing! You STUPID!"

"Are you calling me names?!" Atem cried incredulously, gazing up at her and letting a brief flame of anger burn his chest. "You really are turning out like him, in a bad way, you know that?"

"Wh-Are you calling Daddy BAD now?!" Adina shrieked, on the brink of tears. "You're stupid for not believening-in me!"

"That's it," Atem growled, and he grabbed her by the arm to lead her out his room with steely intent. "You will now go to bed with no night-night story, because you don't call people names."

"You are the stupid, you are!" Adina sobbed, trying to wrench her grip out of her father's much stronger one, but to no avail. "I don't want your stupid night-night story anyway, you stupy stupider!"

Atem dragged her past Mahad, who gaped at him, and she bared her fangs at the warrior, still crying loudly.

"Lemme go! You're stupid! You're dumb!" Adina cried, thrashing her tail every which way.

Mahad continued to watch this scene, and Mana appeared at his side, giving his arm a warm squeeze.

"You missed nothing," she gushed, blushing shyly up at him. "The saga of her tantrums continues, and Atem is doing his best."

"Why is she shouting at him? She's never called him names like that before," Mahad wondered, and he itched to check on Kaiba, but he held his ground, telling himself to act normal.

If anything, he was the criminal here, and not Seto….

"I overheard them arguing inside his room," Mana said sadly, shaking her head. "Atem said, 'your daddy is missing' and something else I couldn't hear, and she started calling him a liar."

"Ah…" Mahad broke out into a cold sweat. "What else happened while I was away?"

"Nothing," Mana rolled her eyes. "Prince Seth is healing in a pod after nearly killing himself on shore. Hey, did you fight with him? Why are you all acting so distressed lately? Is it because of the princess?"

"What? No!" Mahad gasped, looking Mana full in the face for the first time. "Prince Seth? Is he alright?"

"I just said he was in the pod!" Mana protested, seeing Mahad's face darken.

"No one else…came by here?" Mahad asked, trying to find a way to ask if it was Seto, instead of Seth. "Are you sure it's not…the other one?"

"Who, Seto? Kaiba?" Mana threw her head back and laughed mirthlessly. "Gosh, Adina has been so confused, calling Seth 'Daddy' every time the Medic opens the pod."

"S-So is it Seto or Seth?" Mahad demanded, feeling himself sweating visibly now, and Mana reassured him gently.

"It's Prince Seth. We even sent a messenger to make sure his resort was faring well during his absence," Mana said, giving his muscular arm a loving touch. "Messenger came back with an automated response saying, 'I'll be out of commission for the next few moons', which was quite fitting, given how ill he made himself. Medic says he's in a depression period. He must have received a shock or something…"

"Yes, we all have," Mahad muttered, getting ready to disclose a secret to Mana. "Adina's father is missing on shore, and it seems he's missing underwater too. Seth must have worried himself to death."

Mana paled and she gazed speechlessly at Mahad.

Atem came zooming out of the women's wing, approaching Mahad and Mana with his cheeks pink from exertion.

"Why is she like this?" Atem cried desperately, hanging onto Mahad and giving him a firm shake. "She's growing up to be just like him! She's calling me names like 'stupid,' and I can't do a thing to stop her!"

"Atem!" Mana cried, growing more shocked as she raked her eyes up and down the king's bare body. "W-Where is all your finery?! Were you robbed?!"

Mahad stiffened and said nothing. He had a feeling he knew why Atem wasn't wearing his usual jewelry…but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"I'll tell you why!" Atem fumed, and Mahad braced himself to hear the bad news.

"I went…to shore," Atem lowered his voice into an urgent whisper, and Mana pressed a hand to her mouth, suppressing a horrified gasp.

"Alone?" Mahad asked coldly, wondering which of his warriors he needed to reward…or punish.

"No, of course not," Atem said anxiously, throwing a nervous look over his shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them. "Warrior Jounouchi escorted me all the way to Kaiba's residence and back, safely!"

"Oh, gods…!" Mana breathed, sliding lower in the water, and she hung tightly onto Mahad for support, who seemed not at all fazed by this horrible information.

"Then he was the right choice," Mahad said encouragingly, trying to stuff the waves of guilt rising steadily up inside him. "He deserves a raise for being your courageous protector on land."

"And I've been trying to tell Adina that her father is missing," Atem continued to rant, feeling as if a stopper had been pulled, and he couldn't take a breath or pause. "I attended…Kaiba's funeral! His memorial! There were men mourning him everywhere, and black flowers! I met…his kin, Mokuba, and he said the most outrageous thing!"

"What?" Mana prompted quietly, and Mahad clenched his fists. He had a feeling he knew what.

"His body disappeared," Atem raged, and heartbroken tears leaked from the corners of his angular eyes. "Someone on land or shore is playing a sick game of hide-the-merman's-body, and I'm about to raise a small army to find him."

"Let's discuss that first," Mahad said lightly, and he was steamrolled by Mana, tearfully agreeing with Atem.

"No wonder Adina has been acting strange! She must have felt it!" Mana gasped, throwing herself forward to hug Atem, and the king pushed her away gently, shaking with grief.

"Is that why she's imprinting so hard onto Seth?" Atem asked nervously, his worst fears coming true all at once. "She'll throw unmanageable tantrums, and poor Seth will have to take his brother's place. He's already half-way there, acting the way he is with his health! I just saw him on shore and thought, 'he better not hurt himself,' and the moment I come back, he's wrapped up in a pod, unconscious!"

"Twins are so passionate, right?" Mana added, sighing in exasperation. "Why did you pick these men who make your life hard, Atem? I get that they are attractive and esteemed royals, but maybe you could've picked another colony's prince? Ones that were less…scary?"

"Too fucking late for that," Atem growled, and he drifted off angrily back to his room to brood.

"My king, please wait," Mahad swam after Atem, and he was waved away with an irritated glare. "Atem! I saw Kaiba on shore."

"Good, and?" Atem whirled around to face his bodyguard, his heart thudding anxiously in his chest. "You saw him on the other shore, where he supposedly died, right?"

"Y-Yes…" Mahad said quietly, feeling himself tremble. "I…he was very sick when I saw him. We rushed him to get help—"

Atem held his hand up, silencing Mahad with a cold frown.

"If you're here to disclose details of his supposed death, I don't want to hear it," Atem said, his voice shaking uncharacteristically. "Until we find his body, I don't want to hear another word."

Mahad grit his teeth and let Atem close the door gently in his face with a hollow click.

Oh…Suijin, Mahad cursed, swimming down the hall back to the infirmary. If Seto's yellow octopus had somehow gotten lost and delivered him to the wrong colony….

That's what he got for not seeing the job all the way through.
He had put his trust in the cephalopod when he should've swum Kaiba down here himself.
Now, everyone was certain that the man inside the pod was Seth, when he was sure it wasn't!

Pushing the infirmary doors open, he was shocked to see the princess hugging the pod with her stubby arms, kissing the leaves tenderly.

Ah…bad time….

"Warrior Mahad!" The Medic bowed deeply and grabbed his hands, slowly analyzing his vitals, and Mahad let her while he stared intently at the pod. "All good. Eat something, won't you?"

"Yes," Mahad said carelessly, floating closer to the pod and seeing Adina hug it protectively. "Princess, aren't you supposed to be in bed? And who is in this pod, pray tell?"

"Uncle Seth," Adina said staunchly, her eyes glittering with tears.

The Medic looked surprised. "You call your Uncle Seth 'Daddy?'"

"No," Adina replied coldly, and she turned to give the pod another firm peck, and it glowed bright green in response. "Go away."

"Medic, who is in this pod, and how did he arrive?" Mahad asked firmly, and the Medic swam to restock the medicine cabinet, talking to him over her shoulder while she worked.

"It's Prince Seth. He was rushed down by an emergency octopus, barely conscious. The pod turned dark red, for Ahti's sake," the Medic sighed, tossing a lock of her hair over her shoulder. "These shore expeditions you men do are truly brave, but too reckless. I'd say mate and leave an egg behind to ensure our survival, but they might all be…"

She stopped herself before she got too far into her rant because Adina was in the room.

"May I see him?" Mahad asked tentatively, and to his surprise, she nodded.

"He's well enough to come out for short periods of time, but he keeps falling asleep," she said, her cheeks turning pink. "Almost as if he does it on purpose. Let's open the pod, Adina darling, please move aside. Warrior Mahad wants to see your uncle."

The Medic approached the pod and peeled the green leaves apart.
Mahad floated over her shoulder, gaping at the pale, long-haired merman resting peacefully inside. He had a sharp, handsome face, bright-blue fins, clawed fingernails, and no other identifying marks.

It was Prince Seth.
Shit.

"See?" Adina said stubbornly, hearing Mahad's thoughts. "Now go away. Can I sleep inside again, Auntie Medic? Please please? I came out for eight human hours, just like you said! I counted! I counted and you promiiiiised!"

"Yes, yes, you may," the Medic sighed, lifting Adina up and setting her gently inside the folds of the cocoon. "With no Night-Night story, you got it? Auntie is tired."

"I know," Adina said snottily, and the leaves closed around her face.

She turned and snuggled into Kaiba's back, breathing deeply as she drifted into a comfortable sleep.

"Isn't she a bit too old for co'ed sleeping?" Mahad asked, and the Medic shook her head gently.

"It's different when a family member needs healing," the Medic said softly. "Especially one who shares the same DNA as her egg-bearer. She's still barely a decade old, Warrior!"

"Suppose he is Seto," Mahad suggested, his fingertips itching with a strange burning. "How would we tell them apart?"

"Well…" the Medic frowned. "Twins are usually marked on their scalps at birth, but if we cut Seth's hair, he might murder me when he fully heals, so another way would be…just to ask him."

"Great. That is not helpful," Mahad muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "And the Princess is confused, clearly. I will be off to send messengers to other colonies. Be well, Medic."

"Be well, Warrior Mahad," the Medic waved, and stared at the two sleeping figures inside the pod, her heart warming happily at the sight.

If Adina fooled herself into thinking that this man was her egg bearer, her trauma could be mitigated. It wasn't ever too late to take the correct action.

Atem laid glumly in bed, unable to bring himself to put his jewelry back on.
Why bother.
There was no one to impress.

It had been five sunlit days, and he stayed glued to the bed, scheming and mourning inside his head. He also hadn't eaten, and had turned away everyone who knocked, sounding concerned for him.

Mahad had advised him against sending an army to search for Seto, who was considered a lost prince just like Seth, so they were sending purple messengers out into the open…again.

Hopefully one would reach a colony where someone had seen something.

Sighing heavily, Atem shut his eyes and drifted off into a light slumber, wishing that when he woke up, the nightmare would be over.

Kaiba opened his eyes groggily, his body oddly light and refreshed.

He sat up halfway for the first time and glanced down at himself, panic slowly seeping in when he realized…he no longer had legs.

Fins.
No.
A fin.
One. Fin.
A large, blueish, greenish monstrosity was attached to the lower half of his body, as thick as his entire torso, and…holy fuck, holy fuck. Sleeping too long inside the pod had turned him into a real fish. Mokuba was going to kill him! Or not?! Maybe Adina would love this, because this was what she fucking wanted, right?
Holy fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Calm.
Down.

Kaiba shut his eyes and counted to ten.

He would not look at it.

Looking at it meant he acknowledged it, and that made it real.

This was not real.

This was a hallucination, and legs would come back when he glanced down again.

His forehead grazed along the leaves as he sat up higher, so he gently pushed them open, taking a tentative breath. He sighed in relief when he realized he could breathe normally again.
Okay.
This was…a bad dream.
He had died and gone to hell.
This was hell, because it was dark as fuck, quiet as fuck, and how the hell could people see anything around here?!

Taking deep, shuddering breaths, Kaiba realized his eyes had been unaccustomed to the dark due to how bright it was inside the pod, and after a few hard blinks, he adjusted.

The artful pillars came swimming back into view and the merpeople sleeping in the beds across the way were still there.
Was he allowed out of the pod?
Better not stick around to find out.

He steadily floated upwards, his heart thudding nervously in his chest as he wondered how he could stop himself from going up before he reached the arching stone ceiling.

The door to the infirmary creaked open, and Kaiba panicked, his eyes darting around the room for a hiding place, but nowhere was open except from the pod he'd just emerged from.

To his relief, it was Adina, sneaking out of her room to peek at him.

DADDY! Adina beamed and tackled him into a hug.

Kaiba tensed and readied for the inevitable suffocation that followed one of her hugs, but surprisingly, his lungs stayed clear. He could still breathe easily.

Hey…kid, hey, Kaiba drew her into a tight embrace, thankful that she was anchoring him in place by waving her fins up and down in the water to keep them at the same height.
Okay.
He could do that too.
Easy.

"I love you," she whispered happily, pressing her cheek to his stomach and giving him another tight squeeze. "Everyone is sleeping. Let's play!"

"Shouldn't you be sleeping too?" Kaiba asked sternly, patting her back lovingly. "Go to bed. Show me where your bed is…in this…nightmarish hellhole."

"You mean ho-ome?" She enunciated, misunderstanding him completely. "This is home, Daddy. Welcome home!"

Th-Thanks? Kaiba reeled, his blood running cold as he wondered how long this dream sequence was going to last. It wasn't as if he'd never had nightmares of sprouting fins before, but he usually woke up afterwards, drenched in sweat.

He was waiting to wake up from this, and he was torn, unsure if he wanted to, because Adina was gazing up at him so sweetly.

"Papa is mad at me," Adina said sadly, lowering her head. "You have to make him un-mad at me. I called him 'stupid,' but I said sorry! But he still doesn't believe me!"

"Yeah, you should apologize for that, you little brat," Kaiba smiled, giving her a pat on her beautiful head. "Show me where your bed is. Now."

"Okay, I will," she puffed out her chest and led him out of the infirmary by the hand.

Kaiba let her pull him along, feeling his hair streaming past his ears, and he nearly received another heart attack when he caught a brief glimpse of himself in one of the mirrored walls flanking them in the hallway.

His…hair….

It had grown.

So long. So incredibly long.

It flowed behind him like a giant curtain, and when he floated to a stop, it swirled around his hips annoyingly.

Like, fuck.
Had he been asleep for years?! Or was this another aspect of his never-ending bad dream?

It looked like Seth was staring back at him in the reflection, and Kaiba's stomach curled strangely.

"Hey, kid?" Kaiba gave Adina's hand a nervous tug, and she turned to smile prettily at him.

"Yes, daddy?"

"How long…have I been here? Assuming…I'm even here at all," Kaiba asked vaguely, and Adina rushed forward to nuzzle her nose into his cheek, giggling.

"You're so funny daddy," she said, looping her arm around his neck with ease. "You only slept for half a moon cycle. The medic said you healed suuuper fast because I kissed you lots, which is why you're awake now! She said, 'anytime now,' so I keep checking."

Kaiba clenched his jaw so tightly, he couldn't unglue it.

What the hell was he hearing? And why was he still stuck in this ungodly fish body?!

Time to wake up now…nightmare over!

Adina was cute and everything, but he was having a personal crisis.

"Here is my…Papa's room," Adina announced quietly, patting the door with a chubby hand. "Don't you wanna see Papa Atem? He said he missed you on shore."

"What." Kaiba deadpanned, his heart beating so fast in his ears, it became a low hum.

"You forgot?" Adina pouted, frowning at him. "I toldju the first time! Papa went to shore to find you, but he says you went 'missing', but it's because you were down here! I tried to tell him, but he made me mad, so I called him 'stupid,' and I take it back. I'm not sorry!"

Behind the door inside his room, Atem cracked his eyes open blearily, hearing Adina throwing a tantrum outside.

Gods…there was no rest for that girl. Better make himself look…somewhat presentable for her, so that she'd respect him a little more.

Dragging himself out of bed, Atem floated into his treasury and bumped into the wall on the way there. Hissing in pain and rolling his eyes at himself, he tried to shut out her whining.

"So make him forgive me!" Adina blubbered, her eyes moistening with tears. "I says I'm sorry already! But he really was being stupid, so I'm not sorry."

"Pick a side, kid," Kaiba said impatiently, feeling his sour temper returning quickly. "Are you sorry or not sorry? I'll talk to him and make him forgive you, but promise me you're going to bed. Alright?"

"Yes, okay," Adina said, nodding furiously. She dove forward to plant a wet kiss on Kaiba's cheek before swimming off down the hall obediently back into her room.

Sighing, Kaiba watched her go, wondering if he'd wake up now.

Suddenly, he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye, and he realized he could feel who it was through the water.
Mahad.
God fucking dammnit! Even in his nightmares he couldn't avoid that fucker!

Shouldering the heavy, crystal-laden door open, Kaiba shut himself inside and pressed his ear against it, trying to see if he could tell if Mahad was going to swim by.

All he could hear was the own frantic thudding of his own heart, and Kaiba breathed a sigh of annoyed relief.

Time to wake up. Time to fucking wake—

He turned around to look inside the room and blinked, staring at the odd decor inside this spacious room.

His belt bearing the KC logo was hanging off the rocky surface of the wall, along with his suit.

What the…fuck?

A photo of him cut out from a magazine was also stuck to the wall. Someone had arranged tiny shells over it in messy mer-writing.

"DaDdy iS the bEst (heart)! loVe, AdinA"

Cute, Kaiba gushed, wondering where his brain was getting all these interesting details.

Maybe he was willing it into existence.
Well, if he could do that, then how about willing Atem into existence, too?

Author's note:

OOOUG smut incoming in next chapter!