Aquata Cove Ch. 101: Final Pt. 02

At the back of the tent, there is a long, long table where the VIP are seated. Adam and Merrick will sit at the middle, with the crystal trident mounted in front of the table with the large bouquet Merrick was originally going to carry down the isle, attached right on the center of the trident's shaft. On the left side, sits Donna and Luther, with Jamal and Nick right next to them, Harold and Belinda, and Fumiko sits at the end with her aunt nearby. While on the right side sits Samudra and Vanora, besides Yuri and Arnaav, next to Syrinx and Kevin, and Adras Nerissa and Hecolt nearby.

"Oy, oy! Head's up people!" Sasha's voice echoes through the mic; she has volunteered to be the DJ of the reception, "For the first time anywhere, here comes out favorite gay couple, Adam and Merrick!" She grins as she switches on a song as the curtain doors open as the newlyweds come in.

"~Cause you'll BEEEEE in my heart~" Phil Collins sings from the speakers as Adam and Merrick enter, Adam wearing his lightly snow-covered tuxedo, and Merrick in his royal armor robes. They smile as they walk, arm-in-arm, "~No matter what they say~" They smile as they wave to all of their loved ones as they all applaud, several people tossing handfuls of rice to them as they go. "~From this day on ~Now and forEEEVver more~" The song carries the short intro as they take their seats at the center of the long table.

"Right, right, excellent party so far, you two, I am loving every bit of it!" Sasha says with a playful grin, "One day when I have my 7th or 8th marriage, I might just ask for the same thing." A few people chuckle, "Not that I'd divorce. I'm just greedy, hah!" A few more people laugh, for those who know just how active Sasha's sex life is.

"Ok! Let's get down to business!" Sasha goes on, "At this time, can Jamal Tucker come up here, it's time for your Best Man speech!" Sasha then plays another song for Jamal's approach.

"~I'm too sexy for my shirt ~Too sexy for my shirt ~So sexy, it hurts ~And, I'm too sexy for Milan ~Too sexy for Milan ~New York, and Japan~"

The music stops as soon as Jamal gets up on the stage and he takes up the mic, "Aight, what up, people!" He starts, "Thanks for the into, Sash. Or as you might say it: See ya later tonight." He gives a playful wink and finger-gun gesture to her, gaining a few scandalous whoops from a few people, "For those who don't know, my name's Jamal, and I'm Adam's roommate and brotha-from-anotha-motha. Those who don't know? Your loss." He said with a light chuckle from people. "Aight, so I been told that when I get up here, I am to avoid, as Mrs Bryant described to me, 'vulgar and graphic imagery', for my Best Man speech." He says with a slow nod, "But I don't knowing what the ass-fuckin hell that's supposed to mean, so gotta deal in cluster fuck all'around." There came a rather sheepish laugh from people there.

"Hey, I'mma be me!" Jamal smirked as Donna gives a smirk and shameful shake of her head, "I'mma be me. Ya know, Merrick may be marrying Adam, but yall know Adam's been mah bitch since day one. Well." He shrugs, "Besides Chloe, she has him all kinds of messed up." The people snicker as he goes on, "Aight aight, serious though, Adam. You know I don't like getting personal an' all that, but you really are my brother. You took me in and you fixed me up all those years ago. And Yuri..." Jamal says as he looks at her, "... Screw it, you kick mah ass every chance you get!" The crowd laughs a little from that, "I ain't kiddin! She comin at me with all sorts of ninja shit back then! I ask for ONE date, and you fuckin threw me across the house!"

"Hahaha, naw naw, I digress." Jamal says, "Both a'yall been like family to me. And I'm real honored to be here for one of your special day. Which leads me to Merrick!" He says with a gesture, "Mah homeboy!" He chuckles, "I gotta say, that was spectacular seeing you go down that aisle. Who was that walkin ya down, was that yo Mom, wadn't?" He asked, earning a smile and nod from Merrick, "Ah my God, that was yo Mom, awesome! Love that she can be here!" He nodded enthusiastically, "Least she's not gonna yank my ear off when I'm done with this damn speech." He earns a few chuckles from that. "But Merrick, outta everyone here, I think you best understand what I had to go through in my life. When you and I talk, I can just tell you get me, ya know? You feel me, man. Adam may be my brother, but you and me relate so much, and I consider myself lucky to know you. You taught me that we're never alone when we walk through hell... And you're living proof that anyone can come back alive and still end up with a bit of heaven waiting for you."

"Congratulations, the both a'yall." Jamal says with a smile before he pats his chest with his fist and points it towards them, "I love you guys. Thank you for letting me be apart of yo lives." He gets a warm round of applause as he sets the mic down, and gets off stage. Sasha gets right back up to adjust a few options on the computer and music system.

"Right, awesome Jamal." Sasha waves off before continuing on, "Now I would like you all to turn your attention for the Matron of Honor. Come on up, Yuri!"

"~Koi wo shite ~Owari wo tsuge ~Chikau koto wa: ~Kore ga saigo no heartbreak ~Sakura sae kaze ~No naka de yurete ~Yagate hana wo sakasu yo~"

Yuri smiles as she walks up and takes the place on up after the short verse of Utada Hikaru, "Thank you so much, Sasha." Yuri nods to her, "Hello, I am Yuri, I am also Adam's roommate, I've known him for years, ever since we both moved here. And Jamal..." She leers at him, making a few people snicker, shaking her head a little "You know, as a doctor, one would think I am always in perfect health. But Jamal..." Jamal grins to keep himself from laughing, "God, you make me sick." A few people laugh at her remark.

"You love it!" Jamal calls out casually, "You know you love it!"

"Hah, yeah, sure, I love it." Yuri rolls her eyes, "I love you like one of your dates loves seeing their tests come back negative." A lot of people break out with laughter, Jamal howls as he leans back, clapping his hands one at a time. "But lets not talk about Jamal's long list of mates. Let's get to why we're here." She smiles at the happy couple over yonder, "Oh my God, I still can't believe you two are married! But I have to say, I REALLY wish you picked like, I don't know, April, July, or some other month that doesn't result in me getting frostbite. People often accuse me of being cold in nature, and nothing makes that feel truer than your wedding. Write THAT in your vows; our loved ones forever preserved on ice." She said snidely.

"You guys," Yuri continued, "It is beyond amazing that two people such as yourselves can be in love for as long as you have, gone through as much as you did, and fight as hard as you've gone. As your doctor, your roommate, and your friend, I can't tell you how overjoyed I am to finally be here at your wedding. Despite me not being able to feel anything important - you know, like my hands and my feet, thank you - everything I see here is just completely wonderful."

"It's been a hard year." Yuri says, "I had a first-hand fear that I would lose one of the best friends I have ever had. Both of you are so strong and brave, I know I couldn't do some of the things you two face everyday. As you begin your lives together officially, I will always be there for the both of you, because you are in the best years of your lives and you should..." She said with a hint of tears in her eyes, "You should be alive to see it. You deserve everything you have done today, and more. Thank you so much for letting me be apart of your family, and I wish you both the best." She puts the mic back up, and Sasha replaces her.

"Alright, brilliant. If anyone would like to give a few words to the husband and groom, one of those blokes over there will be going around with a camera, so let him know when and what you would like to say. For now, it is time for Adam and Merrick come up front and center." She says with a grin as Adam and Merrick get up, and walk around the table onto the floor. Sasha adjusts a few knobs, and then clicked to turn on the song Adam and Merrick have picked.

A piano plays a simple, singular tune before the background music comes to make a more welcoming mood. The soft pound of the drums makes a strong and steady rise in the melody as Adam and Merrick face each other. Adam puts one fist behind his back, while holding his arm out in front of him, while at the same time Merrick holds his hands together in a prayer-like pose, and the both of them bow to each other.

"~If you can't see through the darkness ~Use my light ~I'll be fine, ~This is all familiar~" Adam's arm moves up, and meets with Merrick's arm as they hold an X-pose as they walked in a circle around. "~Because I've been there ~One foot in front of the other ~Everything will be O.K. please believe me ~Stay strong and you will see~"

Merrick turns and backs into Adam, with Adam tenderly holding Merrick's wrists as they waltz softly around, "~These tears will disappear ~Like all the ones who've done you wrong~" Merrick nudges Adam as they walk around to the music, "~Give it a moment and take a breath ~This too shall all be gone~"

The music slows as the singer in the speakers comes to an endearing lyric, just as Merrick turns to face Adam, one hand holding the other as they dance, "~We will make it, we're stronger~" Merrick's eyes sparkle with tears as he remembers that night under the red moon, the first time a sorrowful and terrified little merman first laid eyes on young oblivious teenager, "~For all the pain they put us through~" Adam twirls Merrick around as they dance, "~Words won't hurt us no longer~" Merrick lets go and spins once, "~Our dreams will be what get us through~" They hold each other.

"~And when it feels like your whole world is ending~" Merrick dips Adam as the song goes on. All of those days at the cove, meeting, talking, asking questions, finding about one another, that cave was their own world, all for them "~Remember me and know that I'm the one saying~"

"~It gets better, believe me~" Adam smiles as he remembers all those farewells he had to say when Merrick had to go back to his pod for another six months. All that waiting just seems like a dream now. "~It gets better ~You'll see~"

The song continues as Adam waltzes with Merrick "~Soon one day you will find love ~And look back at when you were young ~And only see the good days~" Adam smiles as he recalls when he took Merrick to the docks for the first time... He was so cautious, excited, and impressed about every little thing. "~When there's no one in your way~"

"~Butterflies, you'll fall in love~" Merrick blushes and smiles as Adam twirls him, "~Get on one knee with a ring ~And then you two will be married~" They wish they can relive that moment on the pier, when Adam proposed to Merrick "~And maybe then start a family~"

"~These tears will disappear ~Like all the ones who've done you wrong~" Adam's eyes feel weaker as he can't help but recall the Agency; when they captured and tortured them both, "~Give it a moment and take a breath ~This too shall all be gone ~We will make it ~We're stronger~" Their loved ones got them out alive. Evil was stifled and love pulled them through, "~For all the pain they put us through ~Words won't hurt us no longer ~Our dreams will be what get us through ~And when it feels like your whole world is ending ~Remember me and know that I'm the one saying~" The nightmares may never stop, but the dreams will get them through the dark memories. "~It gets better, believe me ~It gets better, you'll see~"

The song reaches a strong point as Adam and Merrick turn, twirl, step, sway, in circles as everyone watches, "~Look up to the sky ~When all else fails ~There's gotta be something out there~" Adam and Merrick asserts more momentum into their movements, "~You saw the beauty around ~Like a simple flower ~I promise you this, love exists~" They slow down almost immediately, looking into each others eyes, "~It will get better, believe me ~It will get better, You will see~"

The drums and music kicks back up again. "~We will make it, we're stronger ~For all the pain they put us through~" Merrick can't ever shake the devastation he felt when Adam was put into that coma. He lost everything that mattered to him all at once. "~Words won't hurt us no longer ~Our dreams will be what get us through ~And when it feels like your whole world is ending ~Remember me and know that I'm the one saying ~It gets better, believe me ~It gets better, you'll see~" Merrick looks up into those loving brown eyes.

He came back... His Adam came back from the dead... He came home.

With his hand on his waist, Adam leads Merrick around in a circulating waltz as the song goes into a slowing conclusion.

"~It will get better~ ~It will get better~ ~It will get better~ ~It will get better~ ~It will get better~ ~It will get better~ ~It will get better~" They ended the dance in the middle, holding one another, and moving in for a kiss as everyone claps for them.

~~~

The curtains of the large tent opens, as Adam and Merrick and some of the guests from the Kenovani enter the chilled outside. Merrick holds the mystical trident in his hands, smiling as he looks at it.

"So... Where did you get that?" Adam asked him, tapping on the weapon.

"My Mother and Father made it. The same way my Mother and I made your wedding ring." Merrick smiles cutely.

"Oh, wow, really? How?"

"It's called 'Reformation'." He explains, "It's when a Noita and a Triton come together to create something in a completely different way, kind of like alchemy from FullMetal Alchemist."

"Hahaha, what?"

"Well it's not as flashy." Merrick chuckled, "It requires the power of a Noita and the imagination of a Triton to synchronize and reform an object into something completely new."

"You're sure it was your Dad? I thought he wasn't cool with you and me."

"It can ONLY be done with a Noita and a Triton; so either my Mother forced my Father into doing it, or... My Father wanted to do this for me. After all, when I reached them before the ceremony, they were both there waiting for me, and he was holding it."

"Oh gosh..." Adam says as he rubs Merrick tenderly. Even he can tell what this means for him.

"He forgave me, Adam..." Merrick smiled as he looks at the crystalline staff, "My Father... Gave me back my trident..."

Adam gives a soft kiss on Merrick's cheek and rubbed his against the other. Curious, Adam reaches down to deftly touch the shaft, "Ah, it's freezing!"

"Hahah, yeah." Merrick nodded, "It was created from the heart of a glacier. Merfolk of icy waters are able to extract and exploit ice like this."

"Does that mean it's going to melt??"

"No. That's the beauty of it." Merrick says as the trident glimmers from the post-lights around the sand and snow, "It's a kind of ice that will never melt. It's a boreal crystal that will always stay cold. And there's more..."

"More?"

"Take hold of it." Merrick tells him. Adam reaches, and holds the ice rod in his hand. Merrick plants the trident between them, with ornate 3-pointed end pointing to the sky, "You know how King Triton of Atlantica can create lightning with his trident?"

The entire trident glimmers with a cyan light once, and Adam's attention is immediately drawn to the sky. His jaw drops as the clouds form a circle, clearing very quickly and revealing the beautiful sky. "Whoa..."

"This trident isn't made for combat," Merrick added. Adam looks, and gasps as he sees the snow wafting away from them. The freezing powder whirls and blows back, revealing the sand around them and clearing the path and the shore in a more convenient way, "It was made for you and me."

"Hah! Wow...!" Adam says awestruck. He looks up, and becomes breathless as he observes the moon. The ice particles in the air have formed a radiant lunar halo in the sky, framing the bright and full moon above like a giant divine ring.

The posts around the decorated area light brighter as some of the guests come out for either a breath of fresh air, or to dance to the song of the speakers outside.

Adam smiles as he hears the rising and steady rhythm of the theme of Free Willy by Michael Jackson, "Oh my God, that song. I haven't heard that in years." He grins as the nostalgia draws him in, "Come on," He takes Merrick's hand, "Lets go eat, I'm starving."

"Heh heh heh," Merrick smiles as he comes along.

"Hannhhg, hanhgn, armnomnom," Arnaav tucks into the crunchy chicken and jojos, stripping the meat away with his teeth as he finally eats the fried delicacy. As he chews, he looks across the lobby, and sees Fumiko. Arnaav blushes and gulps down his food as he casts his eyes down. She only knows him as an otter... Would she still love him if she knew it was him the whole time? Would she be mad if she thinks he's been lying to her? His little chest throbs with indecision as he looks up at her with longing, almost feeling like whining or going off to hide his sadness.

"Hey, Arnaav." Yuri says, sitting right next to him.

"Hm?" Arnaav looks, and his eyes immediately go to the colorful and sparkling butterfly accessory Fumiko lost so long ago. He beamed up at Yuri before she takes a moist wet nap, and cleaned up his face around his mouth. She would then place the small treasure into his little hands, and rub his shoulder.

"Go ahead." She encouraged, "Go to her. Wait," She adjusts his hair a little, before nodding in approval, "There."

"O-Ok..." Arnaav says, completely nervous. His insides pounding like crazy, he scoots off the chair, holding the hairpiece with both hands as he walks over to her. Shaking from head to foot, Arnaav takes a deep breath, "Se-Sumimasen. F-Fumiko-chan?"

"Hm?" The young Japanese girl turns to see the boy in the black and gold robe and seashell bowtie, looking rather scared, "Hai?"

"U-Uh... [Y-You lost this, a long time ago...]" He says in Japanese timidly as he holds it up. Fumiko stares at it and gasps silently as she looks at it.

"[Where did you get that??]" She asks in amazement, "[I have been looking for it for months!]"

Only able to understand some of what she's saying, Arnaav hands over the little trinket, "[Y-You left it behind. I have been waiting to give it to you.]" Arnaav is almost at the point of hyperventilating as Fumiko looks at it. Would she think he stole it? Is she going to accuse him of stalking her or something creepy? Should he even say anything about how he feels?

"[Thank you so much for returning it!]" Fumiko says, "[It belonged to my Mother, I thought I lost it forever.]" Arnaav's heart lifts as she seems to take on a more happy tone. Fumiko reaches up to her hair, and takes out the ornament holding it in place, and replaces it with the beautiful butterfly.

So what now? What does he say to her now?? Arnaav is completely lost.

"[Would you like to dance with me?]" Fumiko asked.

"Uh... Y-You want me to... I'm sorry, I'm still not that good in speaking your language..." Arnaav says mournfully.

"Ehehheheh, Dance, you want to dance wis me?"

"D-Dance??" Arnaav asked, still shaking, "But, I-I-I, I don't know how..."

"Is ok, is ok, I teach you. Over here, come." Fumiko takes the young blushing merman by the hands and takes him to the dance floor.

"Yeeeaah, THAT'S what I'm talkin bout, lil man." Jamal grinned and nods as he sees the happy schoolgirl showing his nervous little homie how to waltz.

"Heh heh, I really should have showed him how to dance before hand." Yuri says with a pity chuckle.

"Naw naw, he got this." Jamal says as Arnaav clumsily tries to figure this new way to walk.

"Hey, Papi." Nick says as he grasps Jamal's thick shoulder, "Wanna dance?"

"Heh heh, sure." Jamal says as he stands up. Just then, Yuri's phone jingles up, prompting her to check it.