A/N

Up above you can see a lovely drawing from ZappyZaps regarding the last chapter. I haven't received fanfic fanart in over three years, so this was a pleasant surprise!

Yes, this is an order. Make me more fanart.

I'm joking, I'm joking.

Or am I? 🤔

Anyway, the epilogue is already out by the time you're reading this, so don't stop reading after you finish this chapter, scroll down!

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

She stepped out of the woods, taking his hand in hers and walking down the dimly lit path towards the docks.

Jay, meanwhile, tried to hide his face from any sort of light, something that he unfortunately couldn't do due to the slowly rising sun.

Nya occasionally looked at him, yet it was only when she squeezed his hand that she noticed a change in his behaviour. Surely enough, his tail started wagging, something that he took too long to notice.

"Heh, dumb tails, am I right? Having minds of their own..." he said, grabbing his tail in an effort to stop its movement, only for the tip of it to start swishing around instead.

Nya could only laugh, but her happiness didn't last long.

She stopped at the edge of the dock, her eyes squinting at the sight of a boat in the distance.

"That's their boat," she said. "I mean, I haven't seen it before."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

He stepped forward, but she stopped him.

"Look, these guys have guns and spears, and all sorts of dangerous things. I want you to stay here just in case."

"Ssso we were arguing for like two days just for me to sstay here? Nya, let me help."

"You are helping," she said. "Just keep an eye out for me just in case, okay?"

Slowly, he nodded.

"Besides, I'll be fine. I'm a fast swimmer," she winked, making his heart skip a beat.

And as she leaned down to pivot her hand around the water, the rest of her body followed.

It didn't take long for her legs to be replaced with a tail, and he could only watch as she swam towards the deep.

Not even five minutes had passed and she had already made it to the boat. Despite the engine luckily being stopped, she could tell its captains had clearly been active still.

She made her way around to the front in order to get a better view.

"What don't you understand, idiot?" she heard the man in the straw hat tell the explorer. "I get the money, he gets his museum exhibits, and you get the fame. You're seriously starting to doubt yourself?"

The raven-haired man (Clutch Powers, was it?) crossed his arms. "Of course not! But it's the first time we're doing it with... you know..."

"Oh, please," Saunders, the elder man, said. "Species like them live up to hundreds of years. The 'kid' is probably already 100 years old!"

She rolled her eyes at the obviously false information, but hearing another voice protest was quite the surprise.

"Actually, I'm half human, so I'm nine." It was Lloyd's voice! She looked up to see him pouting from a cage. "It's you that looks 100 to me."

She couldn't hold it in; she chuckled.

She quickly dove under the water, avoiding the flashlight just in time.

"Clutch, for the last time, there are no sea monsters in these waters," Saunders said, taking the flashlight away from him. "Get the kid inside and I'll deal with whatever tuna you may have spotted."

"Tuna?" she whispered to herself, annoyed. All she could do was sigh.

After making sure they were gone, she clung onto the front ladder, waiting to aboard the ship.

Slowly but surely, she climbed up, her tail erupting from the water and curving around the metal poles.

Eventually, she landed, luckily avoiding making the 'thud' she was so used to making when falling.

She slowly crawled towards the opposite wall, clinging onto it for support.

She heard a sound.

Turning around, she gasped.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Ten minutes...

Fifteen minutes...

Twenty minutes...

Nope, he was about to lose his mind.

He had to go and help her. What if they had found her? Captured her? Or... worse?

No, he didn't need to think about that.

His ability to swim hadn't always been the greatest, but even ignoring that, it would take him too long to even swim there.

So, he looked back at the old house.

He walked.

He was reluctant, to say the least; not just because of his form, but because of him going against Nya's wishes. But even if she didn't want to involve her brother, he knew what he had to do.

Be knocked on the door.

It opened.

"Morro, for the last time—woah!" Cole's wolf ears rose in surprise as he saw his form, yet he couldn't find any more words to say.

Jay sighed. "I know, I'm ugly, don't mention it. Nya's in danger and I need your help."

"Ugly? Dude, you look awesome!" he said, his thumb stretching his slit mouth to reveal his fangs.

"You do?" he asked surprised. Shaking his head, he reiterated. "That'sss besides the point. I need help!"

When Kai and Zane showed up at the door, they were just as, if not more shocked.

After a very awkward and very brief explanation of past events, they were finally willing to listen.

"Do you know where to find a boat?" he asked them.

Looking at each other, they frowned.

"Well, there is one boat. I am 94.6% certain it only has space for two people, unfortunately," Zane said, the eye on the exposed part of his face glowing a bright blue.

Kai thought for a bit, then smirked.

He looked at Jay, making shivers run down the Serpentine's spine.

"Say, how good are you with flying?"

He gulped.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Her hands were tied behind her back, but she didn't stop struggling.

Her legs had finally unfused, making her glad she hadn't changed out of her dress.

The man in the straw hat (Ronin, as he had introduced himself), was smoking in the corner of the room, leaving Nya and Lloyd on the other side.

Unlike her, Lloyd was stuck in a cage. So, as soon as her legs unfused, they exchanged a knowing look.

She tried standing up, slowly—

She was splashed with water.

"Don't even think about it," Ronin said, throwing the now empty water bottle on the floor.

As she fell to the ground, she pouted, her legs fusing into her long, red tail once again.

"Gross," he said, grimacing as he threw his cigarette next to the floor. "And I thought that something prettier than that would be hiding under that dress."

She struggled to move, flashing her fangs at him, hissing. "I'll show you something pretty—"

A piece of duct tape was put over her mouth.

"Careful there, don't want her to seduce you with her voice," Saunders said, his hand still over her mouth.

While she rolled her eyes and grunted, Lloyd chuckled. They both knew she couldn't sing to save her life (ironic, really), but they didn't bother to correct him.

"Is Clutch ready yet? I'm already tired of her."

"Patience, Ronin. We start with the kid first."

He groaned. "But he's worse."

"Deal with him, Ronin. Clutch is just getting his knife ready—"

"Saunders!" Clutch's voice sounded from the other room. Soon enough, he burst into the one they were in.

"I told you to hurry up!"

"I saw a boat coming towards us, you doofus!"

"So? It could just be a fisherman. Get to work, idiot!"

He crossed his arms. "How do you explain the dude hanging from a bat then?"

"The what?"

Still, Nya couldn't help but laugh at the mental image.

Suddenly, the ship shifted.

They shut the door, but the handle started shaking.

"Anyone home?" they could hear Cole's voice on the other side, making Lloyd laugh and Nya roll her eyes.

When he burst through, Saunders gasped, stepping back. "Another one?"

"Oh, you'd better believe there's another one," Cole said. "Many other ones."

"Take them out of here," Saunders ordered, making Ronin grab Nya and run.

Despite her muffled yells, Cole didn't follow, focusing on Lloyd instead.

Kai entered the room moments later, but his expression wasn't nearly as ecstatic.

"Where's Nya?" he asked, fuming.

"She's in good hands," said Cole, holding up Saunders by the collar and pinning him against the wall. "Come on, help him free Lloyd before the ship sinks!"

Saunders blinked. "The ship... what? Where's Clutch?"

Cole flashed him a smile. "The ship's sinking, and you're going down with it." And with that, he threw him onto the wall.

As he ran to free Lloyd from his cage, Kai kneeled beside the old man and showed him a toothy grin. He licked his fangs, chuckling at his fear.

"And if you ever think of coming back..." he hissed, not needing to continue.

With that, the three made their escape towards their small, wooden boat.

Outside, however, the sun was beginning to rise.

Ronin pulled off the tape around Nya's mouth, throwing her on the ground.

Placing his hands on his hips, he took out a lighter and brought it close to her face.

"Listen here sweetheart, we either let the sun dry you, or I will," he said, bringing the fire close to her face. "And I don't think that vampire skin of yours reacts well to either."

"Let me go, you freak," she hissed, but she couldn't move.

"No can do, Waterlily. We have all the time in the world."

"Actually, you have approximately 9 minutes and 34 seconds before the ship completely sinks."

He turned around only for Zane to appear, his metallic hand almost appearing like a drill, as if he had dug a hole inside the ship.

"Sink? The hell are you talking about, tin man?"

She felt someone come behind her.

"Jay?"

He quickly shushed her, untying the ropes around her hands as the two men spoke.

As he picked her up, he gave Zane a nod.

"This has been a pleasurable conversation, but I am afraid we must make our exit," he said, and within a fraction of s second, had already ran inside to catch up with the others.

"What, hey! Get back here!" Before Ronin could chase him, however, two voices caught his attention.

"Are you sure you can carry me all the way there?" Jay asked Nya, still carrying her in his arms over the edge.

Before she could respond, he was knocked out.

"Jay!" she yelled. As she fell over the boat's edge, she just barely grabbed onto the hem of his shirt, pulling him down with her.

Up above the surface, Ronin was loading up something more than the empty gun he hit him with.

One bullet sunk into the water and she knew it was time to go.

She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and swam as fast as she could, trying to reach the surface in order for him to breathe.

And as the ship sunk in the back, she smiled, knowing the job had been done.

She looked forward, relieved to spot the others.

She swam up towards the shore, the others just barely getting to exit the boat.

Right by the docks, even more people were waiting for them.

"Mum, uncle!" Lloyd exclaimed, running immediately into their arms.

Before they could lecture him, however, the attention was brought to the unconscious Serpentine on the shore.

Nya looked over him, crawling closer to his body.

"Zane, do you know CPR by any chance?"

Zane nodded, however he gestured towards the female nindroid that had arrived moments prior.

"Pixal, if you may," he said.

"With pleasure."

And with that, she leaned down, pressing on his chest until he woke up, coughing and panting.

She let out yet another sigh of relief, too tired to yell. She wrapped her arms around him, smiling.

"See, I told you you'd help," she said. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah..." he said, shy from both his form and the harsh light reflecting on his face. He rubbed the back of his head, sighing. "That's gonna leave a mark..."

"Well, I'm glad we got that over with," Kai said, putting his hands behind his head. Suddenly, he pointed at Nya, glaring. "You're grounded for two months."

Jay and Nya looked at each other, both knowing what to say.

"You can't ground me if I'm not here," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Slowly, she let go of Jay and smiled, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Ew, gross!" Kai and Lloyd gagged at the same time, only to be met with glares.

Nya huffed. "Please, like you and Sky haven't been doing this for two years now."

Her brother turned red, looking away. "That's different, she's my fianceé!"

"You have a fianceé?" Cole raised his bushy eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, I always thought Nya was gonna get one first."

"I think it's never too late, my child," said Wu, looking at Jay and Nya while Misako laughed along.

They both blushed, but at least they had finally figured it out; they had finally decided on one final trip.

One final destination.