The Little Merman 12

It was a great celebration! Roman, Greek and Egyptians were dancing and singing for the king and queen's happiness! Wine, beer and food were plenty! Joy to all!
"Hooray! Hooray for the Queen Teana!" the Egyptians were yelling.
"Long life for the Queen and King!" Greeks were applauding.
"Ave Imperator Seto!" Romans were roaring!
Everyone was happy! There sitting on two thrones were Tea and Kaiba. Tea was wearing the best wedding dress made of fine white linen and her golden jewelry was shining in the torches' light. Seto Kaiba was dressed in fine linen Roman robes with a golden thorax and a crimson red cape showing his royalty. Atem was also there. He sighed seeing them. He was fully aware of the fact that there was more crimson color in his eyes rather than any royal cloth but he didn't say a word. His heart was aching as if someone was piercing it with sharp swords. He knew that his end was close now.
"I made it so far…I went through so much pain…I loved her…I saved her twice…I walked on earth…I dreamed…I abandoned my memory…I abandoned my family…I left my friends behind…I gave up my soul for her…and now…everything will finally end! Tomorrow…when the sun rises tomorrow…I'll die…I'll become foam on the water and I will never find peace again…I will never admire sun…I will never breathe again…I will never see her again…However…how strange…I feel so…so…calm…finally…everything will be over…It was all worth it in the end!"
He was smiling! He was drinking and eating along with everyone as if he was one of them! One man that was enjoying the festivities and not a man that was walking to his death! He was singing with them! Dancing with them! His feet hurt like cutting him with knives as always but he didn't pay attention! He was singing! His voice was masculine and majestic like always. Everyone was complimenting him. No one better, they were saying. If only they knew how much pain he was being through! His heart was crumbling slowly and painfully as long as time was passing.

Noon past and now the sun had started to set. Everyone followed the newly married couple till the harbor. There it was a Greek ship with its sails ready to take off! Tea of course had asked Atem to come too!
"I want you with me my dear friend…I…I need you with me…"
Atem had smiled.
"But of course Tea…"
So here was he now. He was on board on the ship that was carrying his love and…her husband. He sighed again for as we have said countless times he didn't know how to cry. The celebration continued on the ship now! No one seemed tired! No one seemed willing to stop! Sun was sinking all the more in the sea there in the horizon…
Kaiba and Tea, then, stood up and with Kaiba having his arm around her waist they retired to a wonderful, crimson curtain-tent for their first night. Atem saw it…and sighed.
"It's over…finally…my pain…is over…"
Celebration lasted for some more hours. After that everyone went in the ship to sleep.

It was night…no one on the ship's deck. From the tent were coming the soft whispers and moans of the just married couple. No one was out. The night was calm. The soft waves were caressing the ship gently like mother's soft kisses on the cheeks and forehead of a little child. No one was out…well except Atem…
He was standing alone feeling the light breeze caressing his tri-colored spiky hair. He was oddly calm. A small, bitter but yet calm smile was engraved on his lips as he was looking towards the small moon.
"So nice and calm night…"
He looked towards the moon.
"Well…my last moon will not be a full moon…ironic indeed…my first moon out of water was a full moon…and my last will be…the remaining of it…I am going to die…? Yes. This is the end!"
He clenched his robes at the spot of his heart. It was aching. Aching as if it was crumbling piece by piece. He looked towards the tent's direction and smiled a bitter smile.
"The only thing that bothers me…is…the fact that I will never see her again…I will never feel her warm lips against mine…I will never see her crystal eyes…I will never touch her silk, chocolate locks…and I will never see her raising her children…"
He walked to the edge of the ship and leaned on it. A rosy glint was now visible to the horizon. The sunrise. When sun rose again…it would mean his death!
"If at least I could…if only I could remember something else before I died…if only…I could remember who I really was…if only I could remember…my real name!"
"Ouji!"
He gasped and opened his eyes hearing the voice! It was familiar! Crystal clear, like a bell in his mind. He ran to the other side of the ship to see two merpeople! One man and one girl that had green eyes and brown hair…the male had long straight fair and the girl had tame less brown hair and sweet face.
"Ouji!" the girl yelled again.
"My prince!" the man said almost at the same time.
Then everything was clear to him! He knew! He really knew!
"Mahad! Mana!" he called them.
"Ouji!"
"Prince!"
"Guys! What are you doing here? How did you…?"
"We're here to save you! We won't let you die!" Mana yelled!
"Save me?"
"Yes! You don't have to die now my prince!" Mahad said.
"Ouji…" Mana whispered stretching her arm out as if trying to touch something that wasn't there while holding on Mahad with the other hand.
Then Atem noticed her eyes weren't focusing on something specific. They were focusing just in front of her!
"Mana! What happened to your eyes?"
Mana tried to turn her head towards his voice's direction.
"I offered my eyesight to the Wizard of the sea to make you a merman again! To show us the way to save your life!"
Atem had lost his words…
"Mana…how could you…"
"It doesn't matter! Just take this!"
She threw him a golden rod. It was like Marik's rod. Atem drew the well-known knife out.
"Look at it! Can you feel how sharp it is?"
"But…I can't understand…"
"Before dawn…" Mahad explained, "You must stab this to her heart…and when her red hot blood flows on your legs they will turn into a merman's tail again"
"Your soul will be free! Your life will be saved and you will return to us! In order to live…you must kill her!" Mana almost yelled.
Atem's aching heart seemed to have stopped. Kill her? To live…he had to kill her?
"But…Mana…if I do this…if I become a merman again…you will never get your eyesight back…"
"I don't care! I want you to come back to us! You suffered too long! There is no need for you to die! Please Ouji!"
"But Mana…"
"Why are you defending her? Why? She is the reason you suffered! Kill her and live Ouji!"
"Mana…how can you say…this…?"
"Because I love you, you fool!" she finally screamed.
Atem froze in his spot.
"I love you…since we were kids I loved you…why? Why should you leave me and go to her? She betrayed you! She threw your love away! Can she understand how you feel? Can she feel your pain? No! I can! I could from the very beginning!"
"Mana…all this time…you had those feelings…I'm sorry Mana…I'm so sorry…"
"Mana…I'm sorry…"
"It doesn't matter! Please now…take the knife and kill her for all she did to you!"
"All…she…did to me…?"
"Prince…before dawn one of you must die! It will be her or you! Hurry up…"
"Time flies…"
They both said before getting lost under the waves again. Atem remained there. The knife was strangely heavy in his hand.
"She is…the reason…I suffered…she is…the one I gave up everything for…"
His eyes narrowed. His fist clenched around the knife…

He opened the curtain and entered the tent without making any sound…like a shadow…
In the tent he saw them. Tea was sleeping peacefully next to Seto Kaiba. Only the white, linen sheet was covering them. And she was there. Angelic…beautiful…
He narrowed his eyes and raised the sharp knife. The last moonlight ran on the blade. His hand remained there. Shaking. She had made him suffer…she was killing him! Then…why…why couldn't he…? He looked down at her again. She was smiling in her sleep. Crystal! Beautiful! His hand loosened and he lowered the knife completely.
"Dammit Tea…I can't do this! No matter what happened I can't kill you!"
What good would come killing her? The entire country loved her! He would cause so much sorrow. He looked down at her and whispered.
"Tea…no matter what you did…I still love you! I can't kill you! If you are happy…then I am too…and now…that I'm leaving…don't cry for me…you gave me so many things…so much happiness…I would suffer for all my three hundred years for you! This pain is pleasant! The only thing I'm asking you to is…live your life and be happy…and if you remember a little about me…then I'll be happy…"
He leaned forward and carefully and softly he kissed her on the lips. He next turned towards Kaiba's sleeping form.
"Seto…you took her away from me…but…I have no hard feelings towards you…you now have the most precious thing in my life! Take care of her…and if you do anything…anything to hurt her…I will haunt you!"
He leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his forehead. Then he went out of the tent as soundlessly as he had entered.

Outside again he started removing his jewels one by one. The then removed the upper part of his robes and remained only with his kilt. Seawater was splashing on the ship and some drops were touching his skin. They were cool and they were so…great to him. Ironic for a merman wanting so desperately to feel seawater one last time! Sun had started to paint the horizon with a rosy color. His heart ached again. It was almost time! His heart was ready to break! The first ray of the sun would kill him! He looked towards the sky in a last goodbye. He then took the knife and kept the tip of the blade pointing straight to his hard chest. He drew a deep breath and then with a determined move he drew the knife close!

In the tent Tea sat p fully awake!
"Something's wrong!" she said.
Kaiba woke up as well.
"What happened?"
"Something is wrong Seto! I can feel it! Come on!" she grabbed her robe to cover herself.
Kaiba worn his kilt and they ran out. Tea froze in her spot in absolute horror. There, on the deck, Atem was lieing with a knife stabbed in his heart within a pool of his own blood. He turned around his head weakly and smiled a small smile seeing them
"YAMI!" she screamed and ran to him.
She kneeled next to him and half-raised his limp body in her arms.
"Yami! What have you done! Talk to me! Look at me! It's me! Tea! Yami! Why did you do that? Why? Yami!" she was screaming in absolute panic while tears were flowing from her eyes.
Atem barely raised a shaking hand. He wanted to speak…to make her feel better. He didn't want her sad face to be the last thing he would see but…
"A….A…A…" he struggled for words.
"What is it? Tell me!" she was crying.
"A…A…tem…" he finally whispered.
"Atem? Is that your name?"
Atem barely moved his head in something looked like nod. His hand fell.
"NO!" Tea screamed and grabbed it again. "No! Yami! Atem! Whatever! Don't die! Please don't die!"
Atem's eyes were becoming weaker to keep them open. Blood was running plenty. His eyes were unique red…almost closed by death… Unique red that the only red that could compare them was probably his own hot blood that was running out of his heart. His breathing was becoming more difficult.
"No! Yami! Hang in there! Look at me!" she was calling him.
Then a weak ray of the son reached the deck…and hit Atem's body. Then the blood seemed even redder…and it seemed to create an aura around Atem's legs, like an illusion.
"Wha-…what's this?" she mumbled.
The aura now seemed to be forming a crimson fish tail around his legs. Her eyes widen. The truth…the truth was before her now!
"It was you!" her voice just a cracked whisper, "You saved me when I was about to drawn! You! You! It was you from the very beginning!"
Atem gave her a small smile and he gestured again in whatever closer to a nod, his weak body could do. Tea was crying now! Everything was finally clear! Everything!
"No! Yami! Atem! Please don't die! Don't die! I love you!"
Atem's weak eyes opened a little hearing that! He could see it in her eyes! She meant it! Finally! She had said it! A wave of peace ran through his body.
"Thank you Tea…now…now I know that…my death will not go to vein…By hearing that…I know…I can feel that…my soul will be free! And that one…the Wizard…Marik that is waiting for it…he will never have it!…He will never take my soul! You saved me!..."
And then…for the first time in his life…he felt tears running down his cheeks. Tears salty and warm like the sea. His hand clenched hers weakly…his eyes half closed from death.
"You saved me…because now I got something more valuable than just your 'innocence'…I have your love…this love that made a merman become human…that made a merman cry real tears…now it will give this merman immortal soul…this love…will perform a miracle…and you…you Tea…made me…the first…merman…with immortal soul…"
He smiled a small smile. He was feeling his body turning into foam bit by bit.
"Thank you so much…my Tea…you're so beautiful…so beautiful…"
And with this thought his eyes closed softly…his hand went loose, it slipped from hers and fell…