M.A.R.

Chapter 7

"Mitsukuni..." a low hush whispered from the waves.

Mitsukuni, being the only one who could hear the murmur, ignored the voice, deciding that it wasn't as important as what he was doing. Ami slightly sighed against his lips giving him the cue to depend the kiss.

"Mitsukuni." The voice was still soft beside the waves, but its sound was much sterner.

Still ignoring the call, Mitsukuni pressed harder against Ami's soft, velvety lips as she began to wrap her arms around his neck, securing his face to hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gently pressed his wet body against hers, sending shivers up and down her body.

"MITSUKUNI." The voice called again, this time in a more authoritative tone.

Disappointed that he had to stop, Mitsukuni reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers. He watched as she opened her eyes. They were just as he had hoped: empty, dead, with this clear haze over them, distant and aloof. He lightly picked up the doll-like Ami as he whistled out to the seals. Just as he put her delicately in the water, two of the seals had appeared by her sides. "Take her to where we met this afternoon," he directed the seals, "And Ami," slowly, she turned her dead gaze up to him, her eyes cold and lifeless, "You should wait until your underclothes are dry before putting on your other clothes and go back home, okay?" he murmured to her. She nodded once, a slow, slight, nod with her eyes shut. With that, the seals turned around and carefully swam away, making sure that Ami's head stayed above water.

Mitsukuni felt his tingling lips. It was just a quick, light brush of his fingers as if he were wiping something off of them. Then he dove deep into the ocean current. He swam deeper and deeper until he slipped through the sun's bright fingers and the darkness swallowed him whole. He stayed there in the darkness, the freezing waters not even giving him goose bumps, as he waited for the owner of the voice. Mitsukuni wasn't surprised when a colorful, flashing light broke the never ending sequence of shadows. It slowly drifted closer and closer to him until he could hold the flashing jellyfish in his palms, knowing it wouldn't hurt him. It had found its own way to cope with the darkness with its bright, flashing lights. As soon as he was holding it in his palms, he could make out a face a foot in front of him.

The face had huge deep, blue eyes like the blissful Caribbean waters, and long, wavy, sea green hair that seemed to expand for miles. She had full, red lips that were only out-matched by her rosy, vibrant cheeks.

"What," the person began with an annoyed yet kind tone, "are you trying to prove, Mitsukuni?" Her voice was that of a Goddess's: whole and commanding, as if it contained all of the secrets of the world. But why wouldn't she have a Goddess's holy voice? She is the goddess of the sea.

Mitsukuni sighed and turned away from both the sunlit jellyfish and his mother. "Something." He merely stated.

"Something..?" his mother asked, though it sounded more like a statement rather than a question. "Mitsukuni..." she took a deep breath in, taking his hands in hers so she was also holding up the jellyfish. He quickly retracted his hands and crossed them against his chest leaving the jelly in her care. She gave him an understanding look as she held the jelly to her torso, stroking it with one hand as if it were a pet. "If your father finds out that you were doing 'something' then he will throw a fit! Especially if he finds you with that...girl!" she disgustingly spat out the last word as she shot her son a concerned and upset look.

"Then he can't find out." Mitsukuni answered without even thinking about it.

His mother then quickly and firmly grabbed his chin and turned his head to face her. "What do you want with that human girl?" she asked. Her voice was calm and reasonable, despite the death grip she had around the bottom of his face.