Aquata Cove

Chapter 86: The Missing Piece

Yuri looks onto Adam's chart, her insides sinking, before looking onto the machines monitoring his heart rate. It's really not looking good. Adam's blood pressure is lowering more and more with each day, almost each hour.

He hasn't been playing with the magnet links, and he's barely been eating at all. Every time Yuri talks to him, Adam gets more depressed. Even his short sessions with Donna haven't helped him at all. He's just growing more confused and sad, and it's only getting worse. Even his healing seems to have slowed down significantly.

His laptop isn't even closed, and his diary entry only has a few lines:

--

Dear Diary,

Why am I here? All I can remember is being sad, just like all the other pages in here. Why the hell am I so upset?? Dr Yuri or my psychologist haven't been able to really

--

And it stops there. That entry was from a day and a half ago, and it's been plugged in, so it can't shut off. Even watching movies or shows on it won't cheer Adam up.

"Dammit, Adam..." Yuri muttered. She really doesn't want to think about it, but... The truth of the matter is, it seems...

Adam has given up.

()()()

Adam panted and breathed around the obstruction inside his mouth. He shakes and writhes in his binds as tall, lurking figures leer down on him, a man with flashing glasses on his eyes, judging him, giving him sinister glares, ad the crack of thunder runs in the sky.

The invisible lightning pulses into the twin rubber suction cups, on either side of his head, vibrating lowly as they power up. Adam thrashes as he tries escaping, his straightjacket tying righter, almost suffocating him as the cups get closer and closer.

His eyes clench shut as those eyes leer down on him, before an arc of evil's blight shoots directly into him!

"We're losing him, get the charge ready!" Said a man in white scrubs and green rubber gloves. The machines are spiraling in warning noises as Adam can only see blurring people and areas.

A high-pitched beep rings out as two pads are put into Adam's torso, as the same electric ring lines through the sounds of the mixed talking before two buzzing surfaces press onto his body.

"Ready!"

"CLEAR!"

KULLL!

Adam feels his body arch up, his eyes begging wide into the void as lightning storms into his veins again, and again, and again.

"Again! He's flat-lining!"

"Ready!"

"CLEAR!"

KULLL!

()()()

="~Masayume Chasing, Chasing, Koero Motto-"=

Yuri's cellphone rings up, prompting her to answer it quickly at the first few lyrics. "H-Hello? ... Oh Jacob, hi." She listens for a few moments, before her eyes brighten, "Really?? Do you have any results?? O-Oh yeah, alright... Can you have it over here??" She frowns a little, "H-How long will that take? ... Alright, just, please, do what you can. You... Agh, you have no idea how bad it's been getting. Thank you... Bye." She hangs up, and looks to her sleeping friend.

"Ahh! Hahh!" Yuri turns, to see Adam in a sudden silent outcry, breathing rapidly, "Hhh, hhh, hhh!"

"Oh my God, Adam!" Yuri scurries over to his machines, and dials a few numbers, "Adam, Adam, Adam, what's wrong??"

"I... I, hoh God, I dunno, I'm dying... I'm dying, I'm-"

"Adam, calm down! You're ok, you're fine!" Yuri puts her hand on his chest to press firmly, seeing Adam whine and pant, sweating like mad.

"They- They're trying to kill me!" Adam's voice shakes as his eyes feel wet.

"Who's they? Adam, you're at the hospital."

"Wha... I... I cah..." Adam breathes deeply, taking in his immediate surroundings. "They were putting... Something in my body, I couldn't move-"

"It was a nightmare, you're fine..." Yuri says. Adam takes a minute to calm himself, breathing with fear as he takes her hand, "You're going to be fine, Adam, you're going to be ok..."

Adam sniffs as he finally settles down. "Look, Adam..." Yuri sits down, and then gently takes his hand, "I've um... I've had a friend look into some special medicine, and... There's a chance we can make you better."

"Guh... R-Really..." Adam pants, feeling more weaker now that he's had the chance to calm down.

"It's going to be a couple of days, but I promise, if it goes through ok, things will get better."

"Are you sure?" Adam's voice is cracking slightly. "I duh... I don't know what's happening, I..." He really is just like a scared lost child right now...

"Heh... It will if you eat more than a bite come meal time." Yuri smiled sadly.

"Nnhh..." Adam groans as he looks to the side.

"Alright, until then," Yuri takes a few tubes and pouches, "Time for your daily sedatives, to help you sleep."

"Kay..." Adam mumbled. He breathes slowly as Yuri administered the fluids, and soon left. His eyes feel heavy when he hears a knock to his door.

"Hello, Adam?" Says one of the other doctors, "You have a visitor today."

"Ok..." Adam takes a deep breath as he adjusts in his seat.

"Hello, Adam." Comes a feminine voice. Adam opens to see a girl with brown hair in a curly ponytail wearing a flowery church dress, and coming in with a bouquet for flowers.

"Hi..." Adam mumbled.

"How are you feeling today?" Jessica asked, pulling up a seat after putting the flowers onto the table, and taking Adam's hand.

"Tired..." Adam replied lowly, feeling a shift in his comfort zone, "Just wanna sleep..."

"I understand, honey. I just came from church myself," She nodded, "I just wanted to see how my sweetheart was doing."

"Sw... Sweetheart?" Adam said.

"Mhm." Jessica said with a warm smile, "You are my whole world, after all."

"Hm, I see..." Adam closes his eyes, "Sorry I don't remember..."

"It's ok, it's ok Adam. It's not your fault anymore." Jessica rubs his fingers gently.

"Kay..." Adam grows very sleepy and dizzy.

"It's been so long, I was so hoping to come see you. And I know in my heart..." She continued, "That you are the one, you know? And now... You have a fresh start... A new beginning..." She looks back to him, "A brand new-"

Adam gives a soft snore, breathing in deeply in his slumber.

"Adam?" She pushes him lightly, "Adam, honey?" She taps at his shoulder, "Adam, I was talking to you."

"Mmnnhh..." Adam stirs a little, but does not wake.

"Adam-"

"Helloooooo, bitchcakes." Comes another female voice. Jessica turns, and her stomach sinks as she sees the dirty blonde lesbian from the Dream Waltz at the doorway, "Hey to you too, Jess."

"Excuse me, we are having a moment." Jessica tells her.

"You don't say." Chloe leers at Jessica like a very irritable cat, "I can't stand moments, personally. They make me sick." She said as she comes in.

"Then if you please, you are being intrusive."

"Hahaha... I love a girl who's got some balls." Chloe chuckles, "Now, if only you weren't such a underhanded cunt, I'd probably like you."

"Excuse me, miss!" Jessica stands up, almost covering Adam's ears, "I would appreciate it if you'd leave that kind of language outside the door! Adam is sleeping, if you don't mind!"

"Wow, that is actually a very neat coincidence." Chloe said with her arms crossed while nodding, "I was about to say something exactly like that to you... Well, I'd paraphrase to sound less like a whiny Christian, but you get the jist."

Jessica takes an offended huff, "Well-"

"Spare me," Chloe said holding her hand up, "The holy rhetoric, Sister Mary Fucker." Jessica gives a very appalled look. "I'm going to make this very simple, as is my way, um..." She approaches Jessica from around the bed, "I do not want to see your pretty little face here right now. So, I want you to get the hell out of here, before I have to kick your ass all over again."

"You can't threaten me here." Jessica stated, before Chloe strides around the bed to the other side, "This isn't like what hap- I have a right to be here!"

"Here, I'm going to show you something cool." Chloe says as she flops down onto the chair, and kicks her dirty shoes up, and kicks back onto Adam's bed.

"What are you doing?!" Jessica scrambles, "Get your dirt shoes off the bed!"

"Ooh, what's this do?" Chloe said as she fiddles with a small remote.

"STOP! You're going to make Adam sicker!" Jessica yanks Chloe's ankles right off, before her hand slaps RIGHT onto Jessica's.

Staring right in the face, Chloe mutters, "Unless your next move is to jam your tongue down my throat, I want you to get. Your hands. Off my legs." Jessica frowns as she throws them down. "Rough. Again, I might even like you." She said before kicking her legs back again.

"What did I just say?!" Jessica exclaimed as she takes Jessica's ankles again.

"OWW! AHHH!" Chloe lurches forward, and holds her ankles, "Oh my God, what the hell are you doing?! I just sprained my ankle yesterday, you JERK!"

"What- I- S-Stop yelling!" Jessica hushed.

"Don't tell me what to do! I can't even- A-Ahhhh!!" She hunches in pain, clutching her foot.

"What is going on here?!" Asks a nurse, looking startled and flustered.

"I was just visiting my best friend here, and she just stomped on my ankle!" Chloe yowled out.

"No! Nooo, I did no-"

"Look, I'm sorry miss, you're going to have to leave until we can sort this out, you're compromising the patient's stability." The nurse said.

"I already sorted it out!" Chloe said, rising up a little, where Jessica can see her ankle, which is a LOT more sore and red looking than literally a minute ago.

"No- Wait- She's faking it!" Jessica says as she is tugged away, "She's a performer! She's using make up!" Jessica is escorted out, before the nurse comes back in.

"Can you walk, honey?"

"I don't know..." Chloe grips onto the rail of the bed, her body very shaken as she rises up, putting her impacted ankle onto the floor, before stumbling over, "A-Ahhh!"

"Alright, please, just have a seat," The nurse helps Chloe back into the chair, "I will be back with some ice, and I'll take a look at it when I come back. Just please try and lower your voice."

"I'll be fine, I'm just worried about Adam." Chloe panted, her eyes looking moistened as and her face heatedly pink, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I swear-"

"It's fine, just try and settle down, I'll be back soon." The nurse said as she gently tends her.

"Ok, ok..." She takes several deep breaths, looking to the hall through the window, and seeing Jessica glaring at her. Chloe puts her middle and index fingers on either corner of her mouth, and sticks and wriggles her tongue out at her. Jessica yells and points at her, claiming she is mocking her, before Chloe assumes a face of despair, holding her hand to her forehead sobs.

"Haaahhhh," Chloe says after a few seconds after Jessica's protests have drowned out. She tosses her hair back, and ties it into a ponytail with a purple hairband, "Don't fuck with a dyke, ya stupid bitch." She said, rolling her ankle, still red with a rushed Indian Burn, tossing the Nurse Button aside of Adam's bed, "If you didn't learn the first time, it's only more fun for me."

()()()

The Prince huffs and grunts as he pulls as hard as he can. The castle is in shambles, bits and chunks orbiting the space around its universe. The energy of the connection between his arm and the Priest becoming thin. He grips harder as he strains, and pushes his foot against the floor.

The large whole in the floor suddenly opened in a shine of bright light. The Prince works his other arm to pull the radiant sash more and more, looking with anticipation and suspense as he quickly puts any and all effort into pulling the man he loves from the deep ditch.

The Priest of the Water Heaven irks as his fair hand rises, and grips onto the edge of the hole! The Prince pulls harder as the angelic male pulls himself up, before the Prince takes his arms, and takes him out!

The Priest pants with fear, his sashes and toga wavering like crashing waves, his being recovering what seems to be a vicious storm at sea. His fearful eyes look to the Prince, before he throws his arms around him, and pulls him close. The Priest hugs back tightly, clutching onto him as they sit there.

The diamond castle remains broken, towers and entire sections of the palace still suspended and floating aimlessly in space. Gods know where the other residents are now. All that matters, is that the Prince and the Priest are together again...

()()()

Ebba gently rocks Arnaav in her arms, the poor otter still shaking, giving a raspy cough every now and then, while the other Coshitons remain at attention, weak, tired, recovering from this trauma, just like the Piscien pod before them.

The two pods face each other, the pod of Pisciens, and the pod of Coshitons. "I met a pod in the abyssal depths who saw the outbreak coming." Merrick said, in the front with the Kenovani, "I should have warned Father when I had the chance."

"We could not have escaped anyhow," Kaiken said, "Not a nest like that. We would have had to be in a completely different sea. At the very least, this outbreak has been averted, and saved the sea 10 years of those vile creatures."

"It is a sheer miracle so many of us survived, despite our many losses on this dreadful sun..." Vanora said, holding her own baby Adra Triton, with her glowing hand on his head to mend his concussion.

"This attack has left us in a great loss." Kaiken said with his head bowed. "Denizyr has been with us for so long - when I first became a Triton..."

"We need to elect a new Razirah as soon as we can." Umiato said, "We must not remain divided amongst ourselves for long."

"What are we going to do, Mother?" Savarna asked sadly "H-How are we going to be able to keep together if something happens?"

"The Capricorn will guide you until you do." Samudra said. "The Capricorn guides all merfolk who are lost," Samudra answered, "Until you find a new Razirah, the Capricorn will reside with all of you. As it has always protected each and every one of us."

"You have protected us from this endeavor, our scouts and our meryin." Kaiken said, "That is a debt we will never be able to repay."

"We are all children of the Sea Mother," Vanora said, "We protect each other, outlaw or not." She then turns to Deilan, who is still shaking, most of his tentacles still gashed and injured, "Deilan. After this, go ahead and return to your mate on land. You should have gone back a sun ago."

"Yes..."

"And Son." Kaiken said. Merrick looks to him with tired eyes, "Remember what I taught you about mercy."

"Tch." Merrick cast his gaze aside, before Samudra nudged his face to look back up.

"Listen to his words, Merrick." Samudra said, "There is no wiser guide than that of a parent."

"Listen, my Son." Kaiken said, "You are not weak. You never were, and you never will be. But from what you have told me, your mate is in dire need of your mercy right now."

"His mate..." Umiato mumbles, before looking to her son. She sees glimpses of sadness and pain in his face, seeing wounds and fractured emotions, spiraling despair and rage. 'Did something happen to that man?'

Merrick frowns as he casts his gaze down. "Have you not denied him your strength long enough?" Kaiken asked. Merrick refuses to answer, still conflicted by both Kaiken's revised views and his correct points. "Remember that time, long ago," He continued, "When you gave mercy when I would not."

Merrick sighs as he glances to the side, at Arnaav, still sniffling as he holds tightly onto Razirah Ebba.

"Then you must go."

"Yes..." Merrick nodded quietly, "Brishen." He swims forward, and begins to untie the rope of thorn barbs from his arm.

"Keep it." Brishen said putting his hand onto the tether, "I can make another one. For old times sake." He said with a smile. Merrick smiles back, and both of them gripped each other's forearm.

"Until next time." Merrick said.

"I will see you when I have made a sword from the fang of a giant Kun-Peng." Brishen says with a grin.

"We must leave, and you must find a new Razirah." Samudra said, "We must find a space to recover our wounded..."

Kaiken hesitates as he holds his trident, breathing out a deep sigh, feeling very awkward and embarrassed about what he should be doing. These Coshitons went out of their way to protect his own pod. They fought with him, they fought FOR him, and they protected his non-combatants when Denizyr fell, with their own Razirah using a perception trick that he didn't even know about. But all his life, Kaiken has been raised to believe Coshitons should never deserve his acknowledgement, for their existence is revoked, as per the Sacred Laws. But all of them have put themselves on the line, when they could have probably escaped by themselves, as small a pod as they are.

Taking a deep breath, Kaiken prepares to push down his pride, before he stopped. Merrick turns back around, and looks up with surprise, as does Vanora and Samudra, and the other members of the Kenovani.

Umiato holds her hand up, her palm glowing with her light.

"Mother?" Merrick said as he swims up to her. She turns, and smiles to her son.

"I made you a promise, my Son." She said gently, holding his cheek softly, "That when I meet this pod of Coshitons, I would ally our pod with theirs. To thank them for protecting you for so long." Merrick smiles back as he holds her arm with both his hands, before letting her go.

Umiato swims gracefully to the Kenovani, and positioned herself in front of Samudra, "I, Noita Umiato of the Piscien merfolk, greet you peacefully, in the name of Guardian Leviathan." She said, instigating the alliance between the two pods. Merrick's insides lighten as he sees his Mother do this... Most likely Kaiken would be too proud to admit himself to an alliance to a pod of Coshitons.

Samudra lifts up his trident, and brings it to her hand, "And I, Triton Samudra of the Holsien merfolk, greet you peacefully in the name of Guardian Kraken. So let it be."

Kaiken smiles subtly, partially thankful that Umiato took it upon herself to amend with the Coshitons, and partially ashamed of himself for not stepping up and setting the better example, as usual.

Then, something glints, in the far distance. Something catches his attention...

()()()

A strange figure falls headfirst through the endless space, bits and orbs of light spilling from his stomach as his form whirls around a curve once or twice, bits and pieces of his being falling from himself as he goes, until his momentum slows down, and his body turns over so his feet now faces down, before meeting a solid surface.

The stranger walks into the black and grey space around him, there seems to be no end around him. His eyes scan over the array of playing cards all around him.

The playing cards are decorated with tribal frames, scattered all across the universe, they're endless, an infinity of cards, all lying face down, all of them with the same patterned across their backs.

The stranger simply looks over the countless cards, before one of them flips over. It flashes as an image plays across it; a blonde young man swinging a toy sword shaped like a key, before the image turns to white.

He looks onto another card, and then another. Two random cards flip over by themselves, showing a Japanese young lady bowing while holding a duffle, and the other one depicts a black young man with a cold glare in his eyes as his counselor stands behind him, before these too turn to white.

The stranger looks around some more. Some of the cards flip and flash glimpses here and there. One glance shows of colorful costumes in song and dance, while another depicts a school of shiny fish swimming all around. On another slip of light from a card is of a man and woman sitting with a troubled teenager at a bus stop late at night.

The passing lights flicker here and there all around the stranger as he stands there, turning about, seeing memories in a flash, glimpsing a breath of the past before fleeting away.