Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ To Wish Upon The Sea ❯ False Friend ( Chapter 12 )

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To Wish Upon the Sea

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 12: False Friend

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Hiroyuki stabbed downward in an attempt to slaughter the naga. Thanatos' body gave out beneath him and the two of them landed on the ground. Manami screamed, not knowing what would happen to Thanatos once he hit the ground. He didn't have legs like a human, so it would be harder for him to get sly naga managed to backhand the man, sending him backwards into the sand.

"I knew it! I knew that you had a secret. You knew too much about the naga not to know anything. You were simply playing dumb with me," Hiroyuki told the girl in a crazed voice as he arose. "Now, I'll have one for sure!" The blue-haired man replied as he charged at Thanatos but he was cut off by the long-haired girl, standing between them with her hands out.

"Stop!" Manami shouted valiantly, tears clung to her purple eyes. "Don't hurt him! I thought that you liked the naga! Why would you do this?" The girl continued, then was slapped harshly on the face, sending her small body falling to the ground.

"Out of my way, useless wench," her false friend shot.

"Hiroyuki...Why?" Manami asked in a small voice as she let herself fall into the sad. A trail of tears followed behind her.

"Manami!" Thanatos shouted, then looked at the blue-haired man with contempt. "You bastard!" The naga threw several punches at the man, who dodged them easily.

"You think that you can defeat me unarmed?" Hiroyuki asked, then thrusted his sword forward in a failed attempt to stab the naga, who dodged his blade.

'A very stupid thing to do on my part. Next time, I'll think before I go out here. What does Manami see in this guy anyway? He's just some stupid Naga Hunter.' The black-haired naga thought bitterly. Just what had the girl been doing since he'd been gone? Finally, one of the punches that Thanatos had thrown forward, managed to connect with Hiroyuki's face. It was hard enough to make the blue-haired man stumble back a little, then a surge of anger pulsed through him as he lunged forward to assault him once again.

Manami sat up in the warm sand, rubbing her sore face and staring down, sadly. She felt like such a fool.

"Hiroyuki...Why? Why would you do this? I trusted you so much," the black-haired girl tried to hold back but she couldn't. The crystalline tears ran down her face as she cried. "I'm sorry, Thanatos-sama. I betrayed you."

"Thanks to your little friend, I finally found you. Now, I'll be able to get a good price on your head," the naga hunter smirked deviously.

"What? I don't think so!" Thanatos replied as he continued to fight for his life, in every sense of the phrase.

Hiroyuki tackled him, sending the two of them to the ground once more. "I beg to differ," the blue-haired man replied as his long, board straight hair acted like curtains as he looked down on the black-haired naga. The two of them started to roll around on the ground, struggling to be the winner and wrestling for their lives. Hiroyuki managed to place both hands around the naga's neck, attempting to choke him, however, his arms were dangerously close to Thanatos' mouth, which earned him a bite. The naga hunter yelled and pulled back, releasing his grip.

Thanatos knocked him off. "That should slow you down."

Manami ran over to the shore and grabbed a branch of drift wood a she tried to hit him with it. Hiroyuki turned around and chopped the offending wood in half. While he was distracted, Thanatos managed to claw him across the back, ripping his green, baggy shirt and causing him to bleed. The injured man turned back around to assault Thanatos, only to be clawed across the face.

Manami jumped on his back and shouted the word no. The blue-haired man struggled against the girl, going in several circles before he reached behind him and grabbed a fist full of black, slightly wavy hair.

"You bitch!" Hiroyuki exclaimed in anger and shock as he dropped his sword and flung the girl to the ground. This gave the red naga a chance to attempt to get the sword. Manami lay on the ground, motionless.

"I told you to stay out of my way," Hiroyuki said in an irritated voice as he stood above the helpless girl.

"I won't let you hurt Thanatos-sama. I love him," the black-haired girl replied as she steadily tried to get back up.

Thanatos' eyes widened upon hearing what she had just said. 'Manami...' He then grabbed the sword and charged with all of his might at Hiroyuki. In one, smooth motion; he decapitated the blue-haired man. "Die!"

Manami was splattered in blood. The girl looked up at the body, which fell in front of her, spilling out crimson onto the sand below. "Thanatos-sama..." She uttered as she then looked up at the naga, who was still in the finishing position of his move. He then pointed his blood-stained blade downward.

"Are you alright, Manami?" The naga asked as he looked down on the girl with a worried and slightly tired expression.

"I'm alright," Manami rubber her head, "my head just hurts a little, that's all."

Thanatos wrapped his arms around the girl, caressing her tenderly. "I'm glad that it was your only injury."

"Hiroyuki..." The dark-haired girl said sadly as she looked into the vacant, clouded eyes of the severed head.

"What have you been doing since I was gone?" Thanatos pulled away from the girl and leveled her with a serious look.

"I'm so sorry!" The girl exclaimed as she busted out crying. "I made friends with him, or I thought so and he seemed to know a whole lot about Naga and he said that he liked them. I thought that he was just like me so I told him some things. I didn't tell him everything. I swear! I only told him what I thought he should know," the girl sobbed before Thanatos placed a hand over her mouth.

"There's nothing you can do about it now," he told her, then got a muffled reply. Not knowing what the girl was trying to say, he slowly took his clawed hand from her mouth.

"I betrayed you."

"Well, not completely. You did go against my word about dispelling information but you didn't pour enough out to make him want to find us," Thanatos informed. After all, Hiroyuki had waited for them to come to the beach. He didn't actively try to go after the naga, so he had assumed that Manami didn't tell him about their location.

"I'm sorry," Manami looked down in shame.

"Who cares? The good thing is that you're here and I'm here. No one got hurt too badly," the prince placed a hand to the girl's cheek, "although that bastard was pretty strong. Just take this advice - just because they know stuff about us doesn't mean that they are your friend. Hunters are quite knowledgeable on us and will try anything to get more information regarding our whereabouts. Don't trust anyone."

The girl nodded.

"I'm just worried about how much information leaked to the other hunters."

Manami sighed, then found herself looking into the prince's deep emerald eyes. He had tipped her chin up. "Huh?" She uttered lowly.

"I've missed you so much," Thanatos smiled slightly. It was a true smile and not his usual sly facade. The girl was happy to know that he genuinely missed her and even more happy to have him in her arms again.

"Thanatos-sama...I missed you too," Manami squeezed him tightly. She didn't want to let him go now. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry, I was taking care of family business. I don't know how long I can stay but I'll try to be back as soon as possible." It was a promise and a solid one at that. Now that he knew how he felt, Thanatos didn't want to let a moment slip by where he wasn't with her. Soon, he would make further plans to spend more time with her. Now, he would enjoy the moment.

"Will you stay? Just for now?" The girl asked.

"Of course I will."

Manami placed her hands on the sides of his face. "Oh, Thanatos-sama..."

"Manami..."

"I really do love you," the girl stared into his deep green eyes. The black-haired girl was mesmerized by the colors that swirled around within the depths of them.

"I love you too, Manami," Thanatos replied as his head inched forward and the two of them shared a passionate kiss. The kiss felt warm and so full of emotions. Manami had never kissed anyone before and she marveled at the strange sensation that came with touching her lips with another's.

When she broke the kiss, she blushed. "That was my first kiss."

"Are you serious?" The prince was a little surprised at that.

"It's probably sad," the girl was slightly embarrassed. She was a late teen and this had just been her first kiss. No doubt she felt a little stupid by it all.

"Well, I can see why with your father and everything," Thanatos commented. He had remembered how abusive her father was. There was no doubt in his mind that the girl wasn't allowed to even go outside much less date a boy and live a life as a normal girl. He'd be safe to assume that her life was pretty dateless.

"I bet it wasn't yours, was it?" The girl asked.

"Would you be upset if I said it wasn't?" Thanatos replied.

"No, you can't help it so you shouldn't feel bad for it," Manami shook her head and smiled.

"Not like I am but I see your point," he replied.

Manami smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" Thanatos asked.

"You, I'm glad that you're back and I'm happy to see you again."

"I thought that I'd never get away from my parents," the black-haired naga sighed in frustration. He'd been putting up with so much from his parents lately. The naga prince was happy to be away from them, beyond the shadow of a doubt. He was tired of the forced arrangements and he was tired of Andromeda. Thanatos just needed some time to himself.

"What's it like?" The girl asked, gazing up at him curiously.

"What's what like?" The green-eyed naga had no idea what she was talking about.

"What's it like to have parents who care about you?" Manami had always dreamed of having a family that loved her. She could only imagine what it would be like to truly have a family that loved and cared for her instead of the man who abused and nearly killed her daily. It must have been like heaven to have such a family.

"Well...Sometimes it's nice but other times it can be a real pain. It's kind of restricting and smothering. Siblings can be a bitch too." Usually Thanatos would complain endlessly about his parents and siblings and how they restrain him from being free but with Manami it was an entirely different subject. He didn't want to ruin her good image of how nice it would be to have a real family. The naga prince didn't want to further make her hate having a family and felt badly because she had it worse than he ever could and here he was, bitching about a family that he should have been thankful that he had.

"They love you, right?" The girl asked. To her, that was the most important thing.

"You're right," Thanatos had to admit, it was the one thing that mattered, "they do. They are nowhere near the sorry excuse for a family that you had. You probably hated it there."

Manami nodded sadly as memories of the past flooded her senses. They were scars that she would carry for the rest of her life. "I never knew what love was until I met you. You and Marjani are very good friends of mine and I wouldn't give you up for the world. You're a real gift to me."

"Don't get all mushy on me," the prince wasn't about to go soft-hearted. After all, he had a reputation to keep.

"Let's go home," Manami smiled. It had been far too long since she'd said that phrase. It felt good to say it.

"Right," the naga agreed as the human girl took hold of his hand. This confused the naga, causing him to give the girl a questioning look.

"Do you not want me to hold your hand?" Manami wondered if she'd done something wrong.

"It's not that. It just feels different, that's all," Thanatos replied. It had been different from any other gesture. It wasn't forced and he had felt completely comfortable with it. This kind of sensation was a strange thing to him. This was something that he could get used to. Her hand was so warm and gentle, unlike any touch that he'd felt by another female.

"Well, I think it's nice to have someone to lean on."

"It's also nice to be in a relationship that isn't forced or arranged," the naga smiled. This was one of the few instances that he felt his heart flutter. Everything seemed peaceful and happy.

"A lot of people must like you," Manami stated. He was a prince and a beautiful one at that. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he had a lot of female followers.

"It's not as big of a deal as they made it out to be. It's irritating how they won't let me just pick my own mate," the prince fumed to himself. Nothing was more irritating then those who tried to tell him what was good for him, especially because he had already picked the thing that truly was good for him. "I mean, yeah, I know I'll be a king soon but if I'm not happy then I don't want to be one at all."

"You don't think this is forced, do you?" The girl looked up at him. She hoped that he didn't. Manami didn't mean to come off too strongly.

"Oh hell no! My parents would flip if they knew that I loved you. It would make Io's day, though. She's fascinated by the upper world," Thanatos replied, poking fun at his sister and finding it ironic that he ended up loving the very thing that threatened his existence at one point in time. The very thing that he had once hated, he now held hands with and kissed, murmuring sweet 'I love yous'' in her ear.

But she was unlike other humans.

"I'd like to meet your family someday. I hope they'd accept me," Manami replied. His family sounded very interesting, even from the little bit that she'd heard about them. She couldn't wait to see what a family of naga was about and she wanted to finally be around people who loved her.

"I can't say for sure. Humans and Naga have not been the best of friends," the very words depressed Thanatos as his features softened into a crestfallen one. "I kind of wish all humans could be more like you." He then felt a gentle hand placed on his shoulder and glanced to the girl beside of him.

"I know you have a lot of pain from the past and I don't know if or when you'll tell me about it but, I want you to know that I'm here for you," Manami replied with a comforting smile. That was the one thing that she thought he needed to know, more than anything. Thanatos didn't have to take on problems by himself. As long as they were together, she was sure that there would be hope for them yet.

Thanatos was silent. He looked as if he didn't know what to say.

Manami hugged him securely. "I'm sorry for what they did to you but y ou can trust me, Thanatos-sama. I know I screwed up but I'm a different person now. I want to help you just like you helped me."

"You don't have to do that, Manami."

"Well, I won't let you go it alone. I'm eighteen now and I'm going to start acting like an adult instead of a scared little kid." This was her turning point. She had been free all of this time and learned to rely on herself. Manami would become more independent and no longer completely seek protection from Thanatos. The girl wanted to be more like his equal then his underling.

A masculine, clawed hand ruffled her hair. "Well, you have learned a lot since I was gone," Thanatos smiled.

"Actually, this was just from a few seconds ago. I just now decided," Manami felt a little embarrassed but smiled nonetheless.

"I don't need to be taken care of." Whatever idea she had about that, she would get it out of her head. He wasn't about to let a woman protect him. He was supposed to be the protector in this relationship and that's how it would be.

"Everyone needs someone. I know I need you, do you need me too?" The black-haired girl asked. The tone of the question was so innocent that Thanatos couldn't resist breaking a little. Why did she always manage to do this to him?

"What a stupid question. I wouldn't come all the way up here if I didn't," the naga responded. "I hope this relationship can last. Things will be difficult, especially if you make any more mistakes."

The sentence cut a hole through her soul but she knew that she had to take responsibility for what she had done. What didn't kill you, made you stronger and this would make her stronger. "I'll try hard not to. I want to protect you, Thanatos-" Before she could add the honorific to the end of his name, the prince stopped in his tracks and looked shocked.

"What?" Manami asked.

"No one offered to protect me before." This was truly a first. The sly naga smirked, happy that if need there be, she would be able to protect him if he needed it, no matter how much of a manly naga he tried to be. Thanatos would let her feel good and well about that little comment.

"I can try to protect you from the humans."

"Don't try to be everything at once-" The naga was cut off as Manami turned to face him, placed her hands on his curving horns and pulled his face close to hers. She leveled the slightly surprised naga with a smile.

"I want to do this for you. I want to be worthy of staying by your side. I want to be strong for you, Prince Thanatos," the girl said calmly with an air of maturity to her voice that he'd not seen in quite a while. It was then when he was reminded of how truly strong the girl could be.

"Stupid girl, if I didn't think that you were worthy, then you sure as hell wouldn't be here," the naga smirked at her as the two began to advance towards the house again.

"I've always been so defenseless and when I thought about it, what could I possibly do when you really needed me? You might not want to consider it, but if you were really in trouble, I couldn't do anything to help you. You'd die because of me. I don't want that." It depressed the black-haired human to even think of such a scenario.

"...and you talk about my pains," Thanatos mumbled sarcastically.

"Huh?" Manami blinked.

"You can't stay strong forever-" Thanatos started to say but he was cut off.

"But I'm not being strong at all-" Manami tried to respond but she was cut off.

"Physically, emotionally you are very strong. Don't worry about that now. Take things easy." There were no threats now; the two of them had all of the time in the world as far as something like that went. He would protect her as long as she needed. The only that that could stop their relationship now, was the prejudice of the naga clan or the human hunters coming after him. Those things would always be a threat.

The two of them soon came to the stairs, where the girl walked up and opened the door to her house, announcing that they had arrived home. Thanatos slid into the doorway and glanced around. Everything looked the same as it had before he had left to go back under the sea. Even the placing of object was the same.

Everything was so nostalgic.

It felt good.

"Man, I really missed this place. You've been keeping it up for me while I was gone," Thanatos replied with a smile. The warm feelings of home filled his senses. Despite it being a human structure, it was a place so full of memories and he was happy to be there.

"I can fix you some of that fish that you like, if you want," Manami offered. It was the first thing that she had wanted to do for him when he had come back and now she had her chance.

"Sure," Thanatos missed the girl's cooking as well. Now the two of them could simply eat and relax, as they have before.

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After they had eaten, Manami washed the dishes as she looked out of the window at the sea before her. 'It's so nice to finally have Thanatos living with me. There's so much that I want to do with and say to him...but I don't know if I can live with what I've done. I truly am a fool...' Before her thoughts could wander any further, she felt strong arms caress her stomach and a bristly chin rest upon her shoulder. "Hmm? Thanatos?"

"You look worried," the naga stated.

"Just thinking about something," Manami felt a little better being so close to him. For some reason, he seemed to take away her worries.

"Well, don't."

"What?" The girl asked, unsure of what he meant by that statement but before she could think any further, her new lover slid down her body, taking her hand and dragging the both of them to the hard, wooden floor below. She felt herself fall to the ground, laying side-by-side with the naga. They looked into each other's eyes, smiling and happy. It was so surreal to her and seeing Thanatos happy was something that she would never image. Manami was happy to be the reason for his smile. It felt so good to be loved and wanted. Thanatos held her hand and intertwined his long, jeweled fingers with hers. His long, red, snake-like tail wound around her legs, caressing them gently.

"I missed you, Manami."

"I missed you too."

"The whole time I was away, I couldn't stop thinking about you," Thanatos admitted.

"You're so different now," she couldn't place a finger on it, but the prince had definitely changed since he was gone. Maybe he was coming to terms with his real feelings. He didn't seem so cold and distant like before.

"What? I can't be happy to see you?" What was so weird about it? Was it really that different of a change?

"When did you decide that you loved me?" Manami asked.

"Well," Thanatos thought for a few moments before answering. "I think I first realized it when I actually thought about the way I've been acting towards you."

"What do you mean?" She knew that he'd been acting different, the only question was, what exactly those feelings were.

"I've always felt very protective of you. When I was away from you, I wanted to be near you. I've always thought you were beautiful for a human. I never realized it at first but you've matured since we've known each other," the prince informed, then cracked a smile. "Heh, I bet I sound pretty pathetic, huh? This is definitely not in my reputation."

"You're sweet, Thanatos," Manami's voice was soft and loving as she stared at their hands.

"No way! I'm not sweet at all!" The naga rebelled against anything that had to do with being sweet by any means. "You make me sound like a pansy when you say it that way."

Manami wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

"Manami..."

"Hm?"

"I have something that I want to tell you." If there was ever a time to say something, now was that time. His plans had changed drastically since he'd first met her and his goals were no longer the same. It was the entire reason that he had dragged her to the ground and held her close. Deep within his heart, he was afraid to let his dark secret be known but now he had no other choice. Thanatos had to be honest with the girl of their relationship was to work.

He just hoped that she was accepting as she seemed.

"What?"

Thanatos glanced down as a miserable look crossed his face. The naga had regretted even formulating this plan and he was glad that he didn't go through with it as he had intended to. "When I first found you, my first intention was not to protect you. I was using you to gain information on the humans."

"You were?" Manami looked concerned, "but, I was telling you things."

"After you told me what I wanted to know. I was going to kill you," the naga shamefully admitted.

"What?" The girl seemed surprised and slightly hurt by the statement.

"I don't want that now, however. I want to protect you and keep you alive. I do want to know more about the humans but this time, it's different. I'm actually interested in you. I've never felt this way about anyone before," Thanatos explained in a low, purely sad voice. He wanted her to know what a fool he had been and how sorry he was for making such a dire mistake. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of being left or hated by her.

The girl thought for a few moments, then smiled sadly. "I believe you. I'm glad that you told me the truth and I'm glad that you don't feel that way anymore."

"I'm so ashamed. That makes me just as low as your father. I feel like such an ass. I was using you and all you were trying to do was genuinely help me," the black-haired prince wasn't so sure he could even look at Manami now. He was such a disgrace. Then he felt small, feminine hands gently caress his sorrowed face.

"None of that matters anymore. It's all in the past. What's important is the now, not the past," she reassured him. Manami wasn't bitter about it. She was a little upset but she wasn't going to show it. The girl knew that Thanatos was genuinely depressed by what he had done and as long as he truly felt ashamed, then she knew that his feelings were real.

The past was unimportant. He loved her and that's all that mattered to her now.

She would help him deal with his pains and learn to understand him. Manami didn't want him to suffer any more then what he had.

'The now...' Thanatos thought to himself before saying something that would throw off the girl's mindset completely. He looked her dead in her periwinkle eyes and uttered a phrase that put a shock to her system. "Manami, I want you to come with me...to my world."

The girl looked at him in surprise. She had never thought that the prince would make her an offer like that. Manami truly didn't know what to say to such a statement. Was he asking her to go beneath the sea and live with him and the other Naga? What changes were in store for her now and how would she answer such a statement?

...To Be Continued...