M.A.R.

“Ami, why aren’t you in your uniform? Are you feeling sick today? It’s raining. I brought an umbrella.” Ritsuka smiled warmly at the girl, hoping to walk her to school this morning.

Ami shifted on her feet uncomfortably, not knowing how to break the bittersweet news to him. “Ritsuka, I kinda…” she heaved a sigh, feeling her heart sink to her stomach.

“Kinda what, Ami?” the blonde asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Ami gulped, looking away and stepping into his warm embrace, hugging him tight.

“A-Ami, what’s wrong?” Ritsuka pulled her into his chest worriedly, knowing she only avoided the question if she were really afraid of answering.

She took in another deep breath, burying her head in his chest. “I’m kind of…getting adopted to the mainland.” She slurred out quickly, just wanting to get this finally over with.

Ritsuka went frigid in her embrace, his breathe caught in his lungs. His heart suddenly stopped breathing in his chest. Had he heard her correctly?

Ami chewed on her bottom lip, looking up at Ritsuka as if she were a child that just confessed to sneaking a cookie from the jar last night. “R-Ritsuka…?” she whispered to him, trying to break him out of his trace.

Ritsuka shook his head before looking down at her, his face growing pale. “Uhm… When… When are you leaving?” he managed to ask.

Chewing down on her bottom lip, she turned to the floor and answered, “Sometime today…”

“And you’re just telling me now?!”

Ami jumped at his sudden outburst, creating a gap between their two bodies. Ritsuka glared at her, his brows in angry slants and his nostrils flaring. “I-I’m sorry, Ritsuka, I just didn’t know what to say…” she admitted, her heart pounding in her chest.

Ritsuka groaned, letting his hold around the girl go limp. “You didn’t know what to say? Ami, that’s stupid! You should have just told me! I’m not some kid who can’t handle the truth, you know! I thought…” he looked back at her, his face twisted in hurt agony. “I thought you trusted me more than that, Ami…”

“I do trust you!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out?!”

Ami’s chest fell as her breaths become uneven and staggered, trying to will the tears away. “I was afraid, okay…? I was afraid of telling you…” she confessed, turning away from him.

Ritsuka sighed, understanding why she was afraid. He did get kind of angry at her. Pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead, he leaned his cheek against her head. “I’m sorry for getting so mad like that, Ami… As angry as I sound that’s just the way I cover up the way I feel…”

“H-how do you feel then, Ritsuka?” she asked shakily, her cheeks warming up at his kiss.

She felt him sigh against her skin, his breath sending tingles down her spine. “I feel…scared, Ami… I’m scared that…you’re just leaving me…for this other guy…”

Ami stayed quiet, holding on to the sob that slowly grew in her throat. Just the mention of Mitsukuni made her heart pound because she hadn’t told him the news either. “Th-that isn’t true, Ritsuka… I’m not leaving you for him.” she whispered. At least she wasn’t lying. With her moving to the mainland, she’d have to leave both Ritsuka and Mitsukuni.

“So have I won your heart?” he asked with a saddened chuckle.

Ami buried her head in his chest, not having the heart to answer him.

“Guess not…” Ritsuka sighed again, the pain he was trying to push away obvious in his tone. He let go of the girl, but smiled warmly at her. “School starts in a bit. I should get going.”

“Y-yeah…” Ami agreed, her heart sinking to her stomach.

Ritsuka messed with her bangs, laughing at her. “Hey, don’t give me that look!” he leaned in and planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. “I love you, Ami. I always have and I always will.” And with that, he opened his umbrella and walked off into the rain without a second look back…

Ami looked to the floor, shutting the door. “One down…one to go…”

Mitsukuni gulped, watching as the sea twisted and twirled. His father was close to finding him and had pinned him down to this one specific area. He has to talk Ami into joining him in the sea soon or else he’ll be out of time and this whole island would drown…

Sitting on the wet sand, Ami looked from within the hood of her raincoat at the gray, angered sea. The weather had only gone straight downhill since Ritsuka left. The wind howled angrily, tugging at her hair. The rain pounded down heavily, leaving her trembling and cold.

“MITSUKUNI!” she screamed out over the roaring winds, but they only carried her frail voice away. What could she do? He usually came, but there was no way he could hear her over the ten foot swells.

Ami gasped at the waves. They really were gargantuan! How would she make it to the mainland in this weather?

The better question was: how would her new family make it here? Were they already on their way? Were they lost out in that storm? Were they stuck, or sinking, or stranded?!

Ami suddenly found herself walking out into the frenzied waters at the terrible thoughts overwhelming her head. What if something happened…?

“Ami! Get out of there, do you plan on drowning?!”

She turned eagerly to that sweet, strong voice. “Mitsukuni! You came!” she ran over to the merman who sat unsettled on the beach.

“Yes, of course I did. Why were you in the water? Was there something out there calling for you?” he asked, hopeful that she would say yes. That was something he really needed right now. It was the only way to stop this oncoming hurricane-turn-tsunami. Either that or go back home by himself, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave her without a solid denial.

She looked out back at the lively waves. “No, it’s just…” she sighed, pulling her raincoat tighter to her face before sitting down next to the merman. It was now or never. She has to tell him. “Something is…going to happen today.”

Mitsukuni choked. Did she know about his father coming to get him? About how he had caused this typhoon?

“Something about me…” Ami continued, not noticing Mitsukuni’s surprise. “I’m moving away today. Moving to the big land with a new family… And I’m not going to be here on the island anymore, Mitsukuni. But,” she looked out towards the sea again. “My new family was supposed to come by the ferry. I’m worried about them. This storm reminds me of…” she trailed off, her heart twisting at the thought.

Mitsukuni looked out past the waves. He hadn’t sensed a boat or ship of any sorts in his range, meaning that they had either withheld to set sail or was in his father’s range. Anything in his father’s range would be detected by the angered sea-god, including the young merman prince. He looked back at Ami. She paid him no attention, her mind clouded in worry far beyond his reaches. He couldn’t stand the look of total despair on her face, it made his chest feel like splitting in two. Mitsukuni stared back out toward the sea, knowing what he had to do.

“I will search for them and lead them to safety if need be, Ami.”

She turned back to the merman in surprise. “What?”

He smiled warmly at her. “You care for these strangers, do you not? I will search for them. If it would ease your mind.”

“Oh, Mitsukuni, you really don’t-”

He cut her off with a quick kiss on her lips, dazing her. “I would be a villain not to ease your troubled mind, Ami.” He smirked. “I will be back before you realize I was gone. Now please, head up to your shelter and wait for next morning.” He urged her, fully knowing that he wouldn’t be back at all. His father would have found him before he gets the chance if he goes out there in search of Ami’s new family. But that was a risk he had already made up his mind about.

“Mitsukuni-”

“Hush. Now be off.” The merman pressed her, pushing the girl to her feet. “Meet me here tomorrow morning. I promise everything will be settled by then.”

Ami gave him an uneasy look. His smile felt fraud. What was he keeping from her? “Okay then. I’ll be back here tomorrow morning sharp!”

“And I shall be waiting here. Now off you go, please. I think I hear someone coming.”

The human girl looked up the shoreline, seeing no one. “Okay then. See you tomorrow, Mitsukuni…” She gave him one last wary look before heading back into the forest toward home like how he’d instructed.

Mitsukuni sighed as he watched her red tuff of hair disappear in the forest greens. “I am afraid there will be no tomorrow for us, Ami…” he whispered before sinking back into the ocean’s hectic swells and into his hidden grotto, collecting his items in preparation for his capture home…