M.A.R.

Ami opened her eyes to the bright sunlight after a nap. While she yawned and stretched herself she checked the time. It was almost noon. Shyly, she opened the door to her room and looked around. “Rebecca?” she called out, searching for her guardian. There was no response meaning that she hadn’t come back from her shopping yet.

Glad that she was alone so she wouldn’t have to sneak around, Ami nonchalantly walked over to the main entrance and out of the house into the overwhelming sunlight. She growled up at the sky. It was just raining yesterday. Why must the weather be so bipolar on this little island? Ami looked around the hill, still on high alert for Rebecca, before deciding that the coast was clear and making her way towards the beach. ~~~

“When are you going to ask her? I do not think I can distract your father’s guards for much longer. This must end soon.” the queen informed her son.

Mitsukuni averted his eyes away from his mother as he gave a slight sigh in frustration.

She sighed at her only child. “You must enchant her, Mitsukuni,” his mother informed him as she reached over and gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze. Mitsukuni gave her a questioning look in response. “Show her our world. Display to her how amazing it is to live in the sea. Maybe then she will ask to come.”

“It would never work.” Mitsukuni stated pessimistically, turning away from his mother once again.

“Why not?” she asked him innocently.

Mitsukuni sighed before answering, “Because she thinks she might love someone else as well…”

The queen did not answer to the boy, which was to be expected. She had no idea what ‘love’ was. But from the look on her son’s anguished face, it was obviously something of major importance. She raised her hands up to her son’s face and gently turned him to face her. “Then maybe she is not the-”

“She is the princess!” Mitsukuni yelled as he pushed his mother away from him. “Mother, I do not think you understand any of this! Just as the princess changed the heart of the cold prince this girl is changing me! She makes me feel all of these…things! Wonderful things! And hurtful ones, too… Mother, you do not know how she is affecting me… I cannot give up now. Not until I know I have lost.”

The queen gazed up at her son in bewilderment. Was this really the child she raised? How did he turn out so rebellious and courageous and so full of…emotions? She smiled non-the-less as she nodded her approval. “A mother should always stand besides what her child decides to do. You are old enough to make your own decisions, Mitsukuni. I am glad you are doing this which gives you such…happiness.”

Mitsukuni let go of a held breath, glad that his mother still stood by his side even though the situation was only getting worse. He looked upwards at the waves. The sun was almost directly above them in the center of the sky.

His mother nodded in understanding, knowing that he had to leave. She touched his forehead in farewell before she was gone… ~~~

“Y-y-y!” Rebecca couldn’t get the words to escape her lips.

“Rebecca.” Dally mumbled with an annoyed scowl on his face. “I was wondering when you’d drop by, actually.” His frown disappeared and his facial expression turned disinterested and bored, even.

“W-w-what? How do you know my name?!” Rebecca gasped, feeling her face get hot in embarrassment.

“The red-head said it while I was at your mansion, remember?”

Rebecca stood there dumbfounded for a moment until she could figure out what to say. “W-well, why did you rememb-ber it?” She meant for it to sound clear and assertive, but it all came out choppy and wrong in her nervous position.

Dally just stared at her with his expressionless eyes before asking, “Would you like to come in for some coffee? I’ve bet you have a ton of questions.” He opened the door wider and stood aside, questioning her with his eyes.

Rebecca stared at the man. Should she talk to Dally? Her foster child’s best friend’s father who could have made her to kill herself? ‘This is all for Ami…’ she talked herself into it as she took a step inside. ~~~

When Ami reached the beach, Mitsukuni was already there. He was sitting in the water and looking down at something, waiting patiently for her to arrive.

With an elated smile, Ami made her way to the merman and sat next to him, not minding that she was now sitting waist deep in the water.

“Hey there.” She greeted him.

He looked to her with a breathtaking smile. “I have something I want to show you, Ami.” He told her, full of enthusiasm, before he looked back at the water in front of him.

“Hmmm?” was her only response as she turned to see what he was showing her. Ami automatically gasped at the golden vision in the salty waters.

There were about five or six tall, stunning, perfect golden towers with golden crowns on top encrusted with jewels of many colors and shapes. Colorful fishes rivaled the shades of the jewels as they swam past accompanied by lively, vivid sea turtles. There were spirited, playful dolphins swimming side-by-side with mermen and mermaids of different ages and colors. Some had green tails or red ones or glistening blue ones like Mitsukuni’s. The mermaids had beautiful, long, silky hair that seemed to dance in the rocking waves. There were even sharks of all different shapes and sizes, but none attacked the other creatures of the deep.

Ami looked back at Mitsukuni whose face was lit up in gold from the scene. “What is this place?” she asked him.

“The place I would call my home.” He answered with a loving smile.

“THIS is where you LIVE?!” Ami gasped before she stared back at the vision in the water.

“This is where I lived…” Mitsukuni corrected in a saddened tone as he slowly turned away from the underwater metropolis.

She gave him a questioning glance before asking, “Why lived?”

“Simply because I ran away.” He answered in a matter-of-factly tone.

“You ran away?!” Ami found herself gasping again. “Aren’t they going to search for you?”

Mitsukuni nodded as he looked back at her. “They have already started. But with the help of my mother, I manage to hide just in time.”

“But you can’t hide forever!” Ami pointed out. “What if they find you one day?”

Mitsukuni’s brows furrowed together at the thought. “Let us just hope that that day never comes…”

Ami didn’t know how to respond to that as she let it all sink in. It was just pretty crazy. Who would want to leave such a paradise? Ami’s eyes twinkled at the sparkling city. She looked back to Mitsukuni and asked, “Why leave? Why go through all the trouble?”

Mitsukuni turned and gazed into her golden, honey-rich eyes. Suddenly, his stomach did this weird flip inside of him making his face feel warmer than usual. Was now was the time to tell her like how the queen had advised? Mitsukuni gave a warm smile as he remembered the fairy tale his mother had told to him back when he was a young merman years ago… ~~~

Rebecca took a seat on Dally’s comfy sofa as he set some coffee on the table in front of her. She looked around the tiny living room, still really tense and nervous about the situation. ‘Pull yourself together! This is for Ami!’ she gave herself a mental pep-talk. Just because she wants the truth doesn’t mean she has to stay very long. She’d be out of this house in no time.

“Were you the one telling people not to sell anything fresh to Ami at the market?” Rebecca hastily asked as soon as Dally took his seat across the table from her.

Dally simply smiled in a proud way. “Yes. That was me.”

Rebecca flushed. He’s so straightforward! “Why?”

Dally sighed at her before turning away and looking far off into nowhere. He stayed like that for a couple of seconds, just staring at the empty wall without even blinking.

Rebecca raised a brow at him. ‘Now he’s avoiding the question?! Is he bipolar or something?’ She questioned herself.

Suddenly, he seemed to return to the world and turned towards the cups of coffee on the table. He poured himself a mug full before pouring in hers. Then he added cream and sugar and mixed the ingredients together. He never once looked at Rebecca while he did this; he just stayed quiet and detached.

Still a little perplexed by his actions, Rebecca slowly added cream and sugar to her coffee as well, following suit to Dally who was busily taking sips of his warm drink. Rebecca raised the mug to her lips and took a whiff of the beverage. Even just by smelling it she can tell that it was cheap, instant coffee.

Dally, still cool and calm, set his coffee mug down before clearing his throat a bit. “Let me tell you a story.” He state, all of his emotions hidden.

Rebecca raised a brow at the odd, blonde, man. ~~~

Ritsuka knocked on the giant, white doors of the mansion once more. He had been knocking on them for the past five minutes hoping Ami would answer so he could ask if she wanted to hang out with him today. Unfortunately for him, no one answered the door.

“They must be out at the market today… I should go check there… And then maybe the beach…” he muttered to himself, setting up a search map in his head.

He turned around to leave, but instead bumped into someone who was standing right behind him.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” He automatically apologized as he tried to soothe his now aching nose.

“No I’m sorry, Rits-baby. I shouldn’t have been standing that close behind you.” A conceited, feminine voice apologized instead as they laughed a little.

Ritsuka instantly gulped at the nickname. It could only be one person…