Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ To Wish Upon The Sea ❯ Return ( Chapter 13 )

XxXxXx

To Wish Upon the Sea

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 13: Return

XxXxXx

"I'd like that," Manami had made a promise to herself to follow the naga prince wherever he went, and this was no exception.

"Next time I have to go back, then you're coming with me," Thanatos instructed more than simply offered. This would be the answer to many of his troubles. He would not have to be separated from the girl for long periods of time, nor would he have the same troubles with the hunters befriending the girl. There would not be a place that Manami would be that would be out of his reach.

"Only one thing...I can't breathe underwater," the girl replied, a little down. In fact, she wondered how the naga managed to do it as well. Then again, there were aquatic snakes, so why not aquatic naga?

"Neither can I. My clan lives in a dry air pocket. A lot of the naga clans live there. It's created by magic so it holds up through most anything. Humans could live there but none really do...You'd be the only human," he didn't know how comfortable Manami would be surrounded by nothing but Naga but he wanted to be honest with her. If Manami were miserable there, he wouldn't know what he'd do but he'd more than likely return her to the surface.

"It doesn't matter," the girl smiled, "I'll have Marjani. Here, I don't have anyone so I wouldn't miss anyone and no one would miss me." If she had just one friend, then she was sure that she could survive with the naga clan. On the surface, Manami had no one and having one person was far better than living alone.

Thanatos looked relieved to hear that news. "I'm glad," he replied as the black-haired girl kissed him gently. The onyx-haired prince returned the favor as the two of them wrapped their arms around each other in a tender embrace.

XxXxXx

The sea water rolled off of the lean body of a long-haired male naga as he powerfully pulled himself up onto land. The male naga had long, board-straight white hair and tanned skin. His lower half was a shimmery purple and the tanned one looked regal in stature and very handsome. Blue blood coursed through his veins as he stared regally towards the direction of a huge, white castle with light blue trim. Although the male was old, his appearance looked to be no more than that of a mid-twenties man.

"I've finally returned," his smooth voice rolled from his snake-like tongue. "My brother should be happy to see me."

XxXxXx

"This is Awiti," Thelios introduced his new-found friend to Lorka, "she's going to be staying in the castle for a while. Awiti, this is Lorka, my best friend." He introduced the dark blue naga to the yellow-tailed female.

"Nice to meet you," Lorka smiled.

"Yes, the same here. I've heard a lot about you," Awiti told the short-haired female.

"You have?" Lorka blinked, a little surprised. She wondered what exactly Thelios had told her.

"Prince Thelios talks about you often," the blue naga informed. She had remembered that the prince spoke fondly of the lavender-haired naga. He thought of her most highly.

This caused Lorka to blush. "He-he does?" The female naga tried to cover her cheeks with her hands but it wasn't enough to stop the deep red from spreading across her cheeks.

"It's not that much!" The prince seemed flustered and embarrassed that Awiti would bring up that subject. The very thought of it nearly made him blush!

"Oh, but you do," Awiti replied honestly. He spoke of her a lot more then what he wanted to admit.

Lorka looked from the prince to his new friend and took notice to how well they had managed to get along. There they were, laughing and carrying on as if they had known each other for years. It made her feel a little uncomfortable. 'It feels a little weird for some reason.' She then shook off the sinking feeling in her heart and decided to speak again. "I hope that we can be good friends. One question though, why are you staying in the castle?"

"She is the sole survivor of her clan. They were all killed off by hunters. She has nowhere to go and no one to care for her, so she's going to be staying with me," the naga prince replied with a smile as he jerked a thumb towards his own chest.

This made Lorka very uncomfortable and even a bit saddened. Thelios had never asked for her to live with him, no matter how bad her situation was. She didn't find this fair in the least bit. Why couldn't Awiti go and live by herself? Surely she was used to it by now? Why did she have to go and live in the castle?

"That means that you'll have to put up with each other a lot from now on," Lorka replied a little lowly.

"Yeah!" Thelios piped up and wrapped an arm around the slender shoulders of his friend. Awiti let out a small smile in return. "We'll be like siblings."

'Awkward...I hope it's only a temporary thing.' The short-haired female thought but let none of it be brought out with words.

"Hey Lorka, is something wrong?" Thelios began to ask but was cut off when his light blue eyes laid sight on a mysterious white-haired naga who slowly slithered towards the group of adolescents. "Huh?"

"Who is he?" Awiti asked. He didn't look like anyone from his clan and she wondered about the male. Someone as proper looking as him was no doubt of nobility.

"Wow, he's super hot!" Lorka clasped her hands together and let out her brightest smile. It wasn't every day that she saw a naga that was the human equivalent to a fashion model.

"That's my uncle, Adonis," Thelios replied as a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his head. It was strange to hear his friend comment his uncle's looks. He'd try really hard not to think too much into that little situation.

"Oh...Um...awkward," Lorka felt a little creeped out when she thought about it. That would mean that Adonis, despite his dashing good looks, was old enough to be her father. That alone was unsettling.

"You're telling me. I wonder why he's here though. I don't see him around often. I wonder what he's doing here." It wasn't like his uncle to simply make a house call. When King Adonis was there, it was usually out of pure business or to come to one of the few family get-togethers that they all have. To Thelios current knowledge, there were no family get-togethers that were taking place.

"He's King Adonis of the Sefi Clan," Awiti recognized him immediately. "I've seen him around here and there. I wonder what he's doing here, however."

"Well, he's your uncle. Don't you think that you should talk to him?" Lorka asked. "Besides, I'd like to get a real good look at him anyway." The lavender-haired naga couldn't help but blush to herself. There was just something seductive and charming about the older male, even if he was old enough to be her father.

"Oh, are you interested in me?" A young, profound male voice intoned so close that it caused Lorka to go rigid. She had a feeling that he was listening the entire time. The female began to stutter 'um' repetitiously. Her mind was at a complete loss.

Thelios, on the other hand, found it quite humorous. He placed a pale blue hand over his mouth and chuckled lightly. 'You wanted him, you got him.'

Adonis folded his arms over his chest. "What are you kids doing out here anyway?" It was quite a way from the castle.

"We're just talking. What are you going around here, King Adonis?" Thelios asked as he looked to the older male.

"I needed to speak to Thanatos. Have you seen him?" As always, it was straight to business with his uncle. He could expect nothing less from such a professional man.

"Not in a while, actually," the young naga placed a finger to his chin in thought. "When Andromeda left, he left."

His uncle shook his head slightly. "He's so scatter-brained."

"Why do you need him?" Thelios asked.

"I wanted to tell him about Andromeda," Adonis informed.

"What about her?" Lorka asked. "She's just another girl that his parents set him up with, right?" To her, it seemed the normal hum-drum thing that constantly went down with the reckless prince. He always went through tons of girls, claiming that he didn't like any of them. His parents would lie off for a while but come back with more that he would ultimately reject.

"I set her up to be with him. She comes from the Soaka Clan. We've had problems with that clan, both Sefi and Nagata," the long-haired king replied.

"So, it would be a sign," Awiti pointed out. "It would be a sign of peace if they wed?"

"In a matter of speaking."

'This is not good.' Thelios felt his heart race as a slight panic overcame him. "I'm not sure that he wants to hear that, Uncle Adonis."

"Why?" Adonis seemed a little peeved with that answer as he quirked his white eyebrow.

"He doesn't act all that interested."

"That's not what I wanted to hear," Adonis' frown deepened in disappointment.

"He kinda acts like he has someone," the boy dared, even though he knew that he should have kept his mouth shut.

"What? Who is this female naga?"

"We don't know but Io and I suspect that he goes off to see someone. He never says anything about it and no one knows who she is," Thelios replied.

"Is that so?" Adonis was upset but at the same time, he wondered who the other involved was.

"It really sucks. I'd like to meet her," Lorka replied.

"Maybe he doesn't think that anyone would approve of her," Awiti suggested. It would be one of the few reasons that he would need to hide her, aside from the fact that his parents pushed Andromeda on him and he didn't want confrontations to break out. It was never a good thing when naga fought. She knew that all too well.

"What if she's not a naga?" Lorka asked. Anything could be a possibility.

"Don't start assuming, Lorka. No one knows who or what she is," Thelios didn't like people jumping to conclusions about Thanatos or his secret lover. He believed that when the time was right, they would see who it was. Speculation just brought about rumors and his bad-boy brother didn't need any more of those spread about him. He didn't exactly have the best reputation.

"Or, if it's a girl...What if it's another male naga?" The lavender-haired naga let her mind wander.

"Don't speculate!" The prince looked a little peeved, "besides, I don't think Thanatos likes guys."

"What about Hermaphrodites? Some naga are born hermaphrodites," Lorka continued to suggest more and more off the wall answers.

"No!" Thelios shouted in irritation. There was no way that any of that garbage that Lorka said could be true. She was just being retarded.

"I think you're disturbing him," Awiti commented and in truth, she was doing exactly that. Thelios didn't want to think about those things. They were just too strange.

"So? I just wanted to let him know of the possibilities," Lorka replied.

"Adonis is gone," the navy-blue naga stated and looked around for the older male, who was nowhere in sight.

"I wonder where he went," the short-haired female wondered aloud.

"Let's go into the castle and see," Thelios offered. No doubt Adonis went inside, probably to talk to his father, King Xenosidon. Lorka agreed as the three of them made their way into the castle, interested to know more about Andromeda and what exactly his uncle felt regarding the matter. Things were getting complicated and Prince Thelios wanted to know what he was up against.

XxXxXx

Manami and Thanatos kissed passionately as their hands began to roam the intricate details of each other's bodies as the two lay on the hardwood floor in a tangle of desire. They rolled once, Manami lying on her back with the naga prince above her. The girl shuttered as the felt his fangs run up and down her neck in searing kisses as she ran her hands through his thick tresses of jet black hair.

In the midst of their romantic tussle, there was a sharp knock on the door that caused both of them to pause and look towards that general direction. Thanatos looked a little irritated that he would have to move away from his new lover to answer the door. The girl below him simply looked inquisitive.

"Who the hell is that? They are interrupting my moment," the black-haired naga fumed lowly.

"I'll answer it. I don't want them to see you," Manami replied as she slid out from under the prince and pulled herself up, running to the door. "Coming!" She shouted as her feet thumped across the hardwood with each step.

When she reached the door, she opened it to reveal Marjani. The girl said the naga's name in amazement. She wondered how Marjani came all the way to her house without being spotted by anyone on the beach. Marjani greeted the girl, then asked if Thanatos was there.

"Yes, come in, hurry," Manami didn't want to have anyone see the naga and want to hunt her.

"Why?" The warrior-naga slithered into the house. What was so important that she had to dash in suddenly?

"It might not be safe out there for you. I'm surprised that you came alone."

"Well, if I didn't find Prince Thanatos, King Xenosidon would have my head," Marjani informed. "I couldn't tell him that he was seeing a human. I'd hardly know how to react."

"Things are a mess," the girl sighed. She knew that Thanatos was probably in big trouble and now she felt a little guilty for making out with him just now.

"I need to talk to Thanatos about something. Can you get him for me?" Marjani asked. It seemed important so the girl nodded and walked into the other room where he resided. Thanatos lay on the ground, propping his head up with one strong arm and staring at the girl in question. "Um, Thanatos?"

"What is it?" The prince asked.

"Marjani is here."

"What?" Thanatos seemed surprised. Usually Marjani made trips to the surface but she never broke through the water and came on dry land. He was impressed. "She came all the way here to find me?"

"She said that it was important," with that being said, Thanatos slithered into the next room to see the warrior-naga before him, complete with her spear. There were no remains of flesh or blood, so she had managed to get all the way up to the little house unnoticed by any humans whatsoever. That alone was a feat.

"What do you want, Marjani?" Thanatos asked.

"Prince Thanatos, you are here."

"You knew that I would be."

"Yes, your uncle is at the castle with regards to Andromeda," Marjani informed.

"What? He's against me too? It's not of his business. He's not even in the Nagata Clan," Thanatos had always had a good relationship with his uncle. He had no idea that Adonis was for his marriage to Andromeda as well. This angered the prince.

"It's more important than you think, I'm afraid," Marjani had also been informed of what the union of the two would mean for their clans. She felt bad for Manami, who was so helplessly caught up in everything.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thanatos narrowed his eyes.

"You have to come back to the castle. They want to explain the situation to you themselves," the female naga replied in a low tone. She knew that the prince was not happy with her, even though she was simply delivering a message.

"Well, I'm going to take Manami with me."

"What?" Marjani's head snapped back up to look at the two of them with widened eyes. "You can't do that. Humans are forbidden to come under the sea and live with us. You of all naga should know that."

"I don't care. I love her. I won't be separated from her anymore and I don't care what Xenosidon or Lazuli say. I love whom I love," Thanatos stood firmly on his beliefs. He would not let anyone sway him away, now that he had finally found someone that he was happy with. The prince didn't care how special Andromeda was to anyone; she was nothing to him but a royal annoyance.

'This would be a definite problem.' Marjani always knew that the prince was rebellious but things were definitely not looking good for her or his family. "It's not that I don't feel happy for you and Manami. I just worry about Andromeda and Adonis."

"Like I said, none of his damned business," as far as the prince was concerned, his uncle had no part in any of it and he should simply go back to the Sefi Clan if all he wanted to do was come over to the Nagata and dig his claws in where they didn't belong.

"If you only knew," Marjani replied lowly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Thanatos turned to his love. "Go and get ready. You're coming with us."

"Really? What about-" Manami started to ask. It seemed like none of her business and everything was happening so fast. With the current problems, they were sure to hate her for sure.

"I said go," the prince commanded. "Whatever happens, I'll protect you."

"I don't want to get you in trouble," the girl looked worried for him, not herself. He was a prince and his position meant a lot. She didn't want to put him in jeopardy.

"We'll eventually have to face it, no matter what. So why not just face it now?" The prince asked with his hands on his hips.

"I'll go and get ready," Manami exited the room, leaving the two naga alone for a few moments. The girl began to shove the few possessions that she owned in a small black suitcase. She didn't know how well they would survive the trip but they meant a lot to her. Looking out of the window and gazing at the endlessly blue skies of that day, she thought to herself about the events that were happening around her and what kind of changes that she was about to go through. 'I guess this will be the last time I see this house, or this world...It's kind of strange that I don't feel like I'm going to cry. I'd follow Thanatos anywhere. If that makes me stupid, then I guess that it just does. When you live in a world that doesn't know you exist, can it truly miss you when you are gone?'

"You really want to come with me?" The prince asked at the doorway. He was beginning to have a little change of heart about what he had said earlier. Thanatos wanted to make sure that Manami felt comfortable with leaving earlier then scheduled, not to mention jumping head long into problems that had nothing to do with her, as well as facing the prejudice from the naga she encountered.

"Yes, I do." There was no way that she'd change her answer now. Manami was serious. She'd follow Thanatos straight into hell if she could.

"How long will it take you to pack?" The prince asked.

"Not long."

"Come out when you're ready."

"Thanatos."

"Yes?"

"Will they let me stay in the castle with you?" Manami didn't want to be apart from Thanatos in a world that she knew nothing of. It was a scary thought to be surrounded by so many people who hated you based on things that your kind had done to them.

"They'd better," Thanatos' voice was dark. His servants wouldn't dare deny him, or there would be hell to pay.

"I hope that I can hold my breath that long," the girl imagined that the Naga had to be quite deep underwater or they would have been picked up by human boats a long time ago.

"I'll swim fast," the prince told her before he left the room.

'Just as the sea has given me many precious gifts, I will soon be descending into it and learning of its many mysteries. I can't wait until I meet the nagas. I really want to see Thanatos' family and I also hope that they can one day become my family as well. I know that there's a lot going on between the naga and the humans and some of them will probably be afraid of me but I will do my best to show them that I won't hurt them.'

The girl thought as she picked up her suitcase and smiled. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

...xXx...

At the shore, Manami stood before the great ocean, which would soon become her home and glanced out of its far stretches. 'I'll miss staying here but it's time to leave the past behind and embrace my new life with the naga.'

"Take once last look at the beach," Thanatos replied as he too, looked across the vast ocean waters. "From here on out, there's no looking back."

"I hope that you're making the right decision," Marjani said lowly, a little unsure of what was to happen beyond that point. She hoped that this event would not sprout a disaster.

"Oh shut up, you're dragging down my moment," Thanatos complained and shot the female naga a cold look.

"Are you ready to go, Manami?" Marjani ignored the prince's fit and looked to the black-haired girl in question.

"Yes," Manami replied with a slight nod.

"Let's begin," the warrior-naga replied as she and Thanatos slithered into the waters of the sea, followed by Manami, who slowly walked and closed her eyes, feeling the waters rushing around her legs. Soon, she would be submerged in the very waters that had given her so many precious things.

'It feels so cold but them it warms up after a while. It's frightening, yet comforting. It consumes you and strangles you. Truly...the water is a mysterious substance.' Manami was now waist-deep in water. She felt her hand be grabbed by Thanatos as he turned to her and spoke.

"Take a deep breath and hold it as long as you can," he commanded. It was crucial for the girl to remain with air until they could get another chance to breathe again.

The girl agreed as she sucked in as much air as she could. Manami then felt herself being pulled underwater as she submerged, being drug behind by the two naga, who swam as fast as they could. 'I feel weightless. This is a lot different than swimming…' She thought as she glanced at the two speedy naga, then her sights concentrated themselves on Thanatos in specifically. 'I'm a little nervous but I'm not scared.' Manami gently squeezed Thanatos' hand in a comforting manner as she smiled to herself and closed her eyes.

Marjani noticed the look on her face and glanced at the couple. 'I have a bad feeling about this...' The female naga thought as the three of them broke water and ended up inside of the magical air pocket in the sea. The naga managed to get on the land and both pulled the soaking wet girl, clutching her suitcase to the top. Manami placed her wet suitcase on the ground as she looked around at her surroundings.

"We're here," Marjani was the first to speak.

"Wow..." Manami couldn't help but look like a curious child who had seen something for the first time. The view from the air pocket was simply breathtaking. It was like a fantasy novel come to life! Everything shimmered and the whole place held an unnatural, wonderful, cave-like beauty to it. The very sight mesmerized the girl and she found herself basking in the glamour of the undersea city.

"Welcome to my castle," Thanatos gestured to the large white castle, that seemed to be made out of an oyster shell-type substance with light blue trim. Truly, Thanatos' castle was a sight to behold. Manami could truly get used to living in such a wonderful place. She hoped that the naga inside would be as interested about her as she was about them.

...To Be Continued...