Third Person

You haven't even fully realized it, have you?

Tanith covered her face and sighed. She just laid in her bed for a long while before finally sitting up. At 4 AM, she had woken up and found that going back to sleep was nearly impossible. To be fair, she did go to bed earlier than normal so perhaps it was making up for that. Either way, Darrel's words kept echoing in her head.

He was right of course, Tanith didn't even realize how she felt until he pointed it out, and now it was consuming her. Love, romantic love that is, wasn't something she had a lot of experience in. Like everyone else, she had her crushes that came and went, but only one other time did she really fall in love. Except now it was different. Why did it feel so different now?

Tanith thought for what seemed like eternity before putting it to the side. She'd deal with that later. Right now, she just wanted to give herself some space from the thought.

Tanith wouldn't admit it, but she was terrified. This was quite new to her.

Her head shifted to her right and gazed upon the nightstand, as well as the IPhone on it. IPhone, what a strange device. Even now, she felt like she was constantly finding new things on it, such as Tanith just figured out how to form a Group Text! Fortunately, she was also told that there isn't a way to destroy a group text without breaking into everyone's phones and deleting this messages before she created one. Tanith was five seconds away from adding KK and Cody into the same group text and telling them the great news.

All of this advanced technology astonished her. When she was growing up, her species didn't have half the things that others did. Sure, she was born a long time ago, long before even guns were made, but her kind was still behind on that. But, what they lacked in technology, they often made up for in magic. Magic was a big part of her species.

Tanith shook her thoughts away before it became painful. That could happen to her sometimes. Quickly, she clicked the power button and the phone light blinded her. Squinting through it, it was almost five on.... Wait...

No way... That was the date? Tanith blinked before it hit her: New Beginnings. New Beginnings was her favorite holiday from her people. How could she not notice that it was upon her?

Well... There is the fact that you haven't been able to celebrate it in a long time. She reminded herself but now... Now she could!

Her heartbeat accelerate in excitement before another factor brought her down. How was this going to work with... Tanith shook it off. That wasn't going to bring her down, she WAS going to make it work! Besides, this might be a good thing. She had been planning on doing it eventually, so why not now? That's what New Beginnings is all about anyways!

Getting up, she got to work. After all, she had to plan it and this would take a while. I guess going to bed early was a good thing!

******************************************

Cody blinked and read the text one more time. Though he had just gotten up, as it turns out, his inbox was full of messages, and all from the same group chat. All of the texts seemed to get jumbled together so he read them over again.

Snake Sorceress: Hello everyone! I know it's early but this is important! Today, I would like to celebrate an important holiday with everyone!

Snake Sorceress: I already talked with all of your superiors (I.E: Rasmus, Jerold, Sam) and all of you are free at 5 PM- to sunset! I hope you all can make it! Before you ask, yes, there will be food!

Snake Sorceress: Also, Selena, yes, I have taken into account that you are a vegetarian and there will be just as delicious food items for you there and possibly you too Sam, if you are in the same position as Selena. Everyone else is welcome to either eat the same or partake in some other choices that I have prepared! (or I guess it would be preparing, given I am making it as we speak)

Snake Sorceress: I really hope all of you can make it! It would mean a lot to me if you did!

Science Dork: Sounds good to me

Sam: you already told me but yeah I'll be there

Salami: same here! :)

Cody blinked, wondering what the heck kinda holiday Tanith was talking about but responded anyways.

Cody: Not sure what holiday you're talking about but it sounds fun! I want in!

Snake Sorceress: Great! Everyone meet me on that hill on the beach! I'll be setting up there!

Shutting off his phone, he couldn't help but feel intrigued. Though Tanith would talk about her culture from time to time, Cody never really experienced what it was all about. Perhaps, it would be time to figure it out now!

Cody went about his day, doing what he needed until his alarm went off, telling him that 5 PM was upon him. Rasmus understood and let him be. Cody took the rails, hopping in the mine-cart and setting off for the place instructed.

The beach was totally cleared out, not even the lifeguard was there. Cody cautiously stepped through the sand, wondering if he got the right place before spotting the figures on top of the hill. Swimming up there, Sam, Selena and Professor had all gotten here before him.

Tanith had set up a bunch of blankets, each having a different color and everyone who beat Cody was sitting on one of them. Professor took green while Selena chose pink and Sam surprisingly had an aqua color, unlike her normal purple. Tanith had a red one and was setting up food in the middle of them all.

There were various kinds of meat, all cooked in different degrees as well as fruits, some of which Cody had never seen before. Tanith looked up and grinned upon seeing him.

"Cody! You're here! That's great! Take a seat, take a seat!" She nodded towards a blue one sitting next to Selena and Pikalus. Cody complied and did, before noticing there was one more spot. His eyebrows rose. Did Tanith have another friend he didn't know about?

"Is anyone else coming?" Cody asked. Tanith nodded.

"Yeah! I have one last friend coming... Anytime now. They might be running a little late. Anyways, I should probably explain this whole "Holiday" thing I've got going on, huh?" Everyone gave a collective nod, intrigued in what she had to say. She smiled a little brighter before going on.

"It's called New Beginnings. I'll get into why it's called that later but basically, it's all about peace and fa- CRAP!" Tanith exclaimed, her hands flying up to her head and clutched the sides. Cody raised an eyebrow at her sudden outburst. "Sorry but I just forgot something!" She stood up quickly. "I'll be right back! If my friend comes, play nice okay? They might be a little intimidated!" She spoke quickly before racing off, towards Atlantis. Cody would have asked why intimidation would be a problem before remembering that he was the King Of Atlantis.

The four of them sat for around ten minutes before Cody decided to strike up a conversation. "So, how is everyone?" They all gave different ways of saying "Good" and Cody nodded along. "That's good... Anyone know what this is about at all?" Everyone shook their head. "Yeah..." Cody huffed. "Same here."

Professor opened his mouth to say something but then a voice interrupted. "Is this the place? I could have sworn it was here..." They mumbled and the sound of someone swimming closer became more apparent. "What's she up to this time?" Cody could have sworn he heard the voice before, but couldn't put his finger on it. Before anyone could check, they had climbed the hill and poked their head out.

Everyone froze, including the new comer. Cody couldn't believe his eyes.

"YOU!" Everyone screamed the word all at the same time and the Atlanteans all got up. Cody let a growl emit from his throat and his teeth bared.

"KrakenKid! What do you think you're doing here?"

His yellow eyes narrowed down on Cody's brown ones. "I wasn't sure before but now I do. I'm going to kill a penguin." In an instant, his signature gray gun was whipped out and hummed to life. Professor pulled out a black and gun and Sam, a bow. Lucky for Selena, everyone was too busy fixated on each other to notice her hesitance in pulling out her sword.

"I'm not going to let you ruin this! Not today!" Cody clenched his teeth and readied himself to fight, his spear in his hand. KrakenKid didn't say anything but readied himself on the trigger. Professor and Sam both waited for one of them to take the first strike, ready to back them up.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice broke them all out of the trance and made Selena jump. Before anyone could move, a bubble formed around all of them. They're heads turned to where the voice came from.

Standing in the sand below them, Tanith had planted her silver staff in the ground and her arms were out. The little red gem pointing out of the snake staff glowed while the gems in the snake's eyes remained dormant. Her blue eyes flashed with something that Cody couldn't catch. Her arms dropped but the bubbles remained. The hybrid slithered over, but to Cody's shock, went straight for KrakenKid. Her arms crossed.

"KK, put the gun down." KrakenKid's eyes shifted from her to the others. Cody couldn't help but question what she called him. KK? Does she know KrakenKid personally?

"They started it." He protested, still holding the gun in his hands. Tanith's eyes narrowed.

"KK, what did I say?" She replied sternly.

"But-"

"KrakenKid! Put that gun down or so help me, I will take it away!"

KrakenKid's eyes widened and the gun was gone from sight in a second. The half snake smiled, satisfied with his actions. Her shoulders relaxed just a bit and the force field surrounding him faded. "Thank you." Whipping around, her eyes turned to each of the others. Though the one on Selena disappeared as well, Professor's, Sam's and Cody's all remained in tact. "You too. All weapons away, no fighting."

Cody paused for a long moment. Was she serious? He searched her eyes for some sort of joke but when he didn't find one, he begrudgingly complied. Her face instantly brightened up and all of the bubbles were gone. Cody eyed the kraken and took a step forward but Tanith was already on it. "Hey!" His gaze shifted over to her, who stared him down. "I said play nice. Sheesh, you people really can't follow orders can you? I said Specifically "If my friend comes, play nice" and what did you do?" She didn't wait for an answer. "The exact opposite! And KK!" Her eyes turned back to him. "I said in my message "Do not pull your gun out at any time" and you didn't get it either! Only Selena got the message! Selena!" Selena's head bobbed up at the mention of her name. "You get an extra piece of dessert! Anyways,"

Tanith hastily swam back over to her staff, plucked it from the ground and put it away. "Everyone go get on your blanket. KK, yours is the purple one next to mine."

Everyone exchanged looks with each other as KrakenKid slowly made his way over to the instructed, avoid everyone else as he did. The others did the same, a lot slower. Finally, when everyone was seated, Tanith spoke.

"Anyways, like I was saying before, I have brought all of you here to celebrate New Beginnings! It's a very important holiday to my kind! Think of it kinda like your New Year's holiday. It is celebrated as spring approaches! Though it can technically can be celebrated anytime between February through as late as April, my village always did it around this time of the month!"

Tanith stopped for a moment and looked at everyone. Cody and KrakenKid hadn't stopped glaring at each other. Cody spoke first. "That sounds great but what is he doing here?" Cody had a moment of realization and whipped his head towards the hybrid. "Are you two really friends?"

Tanith sighed and nodded. "Yes. Now-"

"But how can you possibly become friends with him of all people?" Cody exclaimed getting a harder look from the Tide Changer.

"She made friends with you, so obviously she can stand just about anyone." He replied, smirking as he said it.

Cody resisted every urge inside of him to draw his weapon. "Would you two stop it?" Cody and KrakenKid held their gaze on each other for another second before breaking it off. Tanith sighed shaking her head. Sam noted a look in her eyes, almost... Sad. She was quick to distract her.

"So, how did this whole holiday start anyways?" Sam asked, getting Tanith to perk up.

"I'm glad you asked!" She grinned. "A long time ago, there were two villages of Dimidium Anguis that lived right next to each other, but had an unhealthy rivalry between them. It escalated so badly that all out war broke out! Many died that day but they made peace with each other eventually, around spring time. They agreed that it was time to turn over a new leaf, so they now celebrate New Beginnings! A time of peace and to really look over what you've done, and see how you can improve! Now, during this time, you set a peaceful environment, get the best food you can afford and eat! You relax! A day of complete-"

"WILL YOU STOP THAT?" Cody roared, his body began to twitch. Across from him, KrakenKid smiled innocently.

"What are you talking about Maverick? I'm not doing anything."

"He's throwing pebbles at me! Very small but annoying pebbles!"

"Very small and annoying? Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you." His smile turned to a devious grin as Cody snapped. His spear was out in an instant and KrakenKid did the same with his own sword.

"This is why we can't have nice things!"

"Yeah, because you keep ruining them. Atlantis for examp-"

"Not. Another. Word." Tanith warned. The purple being hesitated but in the end, shut his mouth and put away his weapon. Cody did the same and quickly crossed his arms, like he was trying to stop himself from lashing out. Tanith looked between them, silently hoping that her last trick up her sleeve would work better than the others. "Why don't we just eat?" She gestured to the food on the plates.

Silenced passed through the group before Professor, Cody and KrakenKid all dived in without another word and happily munched on it. The hybrid's smile increased. Nothing brought people together like food. Everyone else followed afterwards and they ate. Cody picked up a strange dark fruit and examined it. "What's this?" He asked.

"Oh! That's a called a Parcel. You see, the outside is very hard but," She plucked one from the pile and took out her staff. Cody nearly jumped when she roughly slammed her staff into it, making the fruit crack. Placing the weapon at her side, she picked apart the shell, revealing a light pink gooey inside. "The inside is delicious! It's quite sweet. Try it!" She nodded at his. Cody copied her actions with his spear and tasted it.

"Huh... That's pretty good." He admitted, a grin forming on his face. Tanith mirrored his expression.

For the longest time, nobody spoke. KrakenKid picked up a Parcel fruit and got his sword out. Cody immediately did the same, but then realized what he was actually trying to do. KrakenKid's eyes rolled at him. "You really don't trust me huh?" He said, putting down the fruit and involuntarily gripped his orange sword.

Though a little embarrassed, Cody couldn't help but retaliate. "Well do you blame me? After everything you've done, I'm surprised anyone can. All you ever do is bring pain to Atlantis, what do you even want?"

KrakenKid's eyes slowly moved up to meet his, hate nearly shot out of them. "I want you out of the picture. I want you dead, for more reasons than one. I haven't forgot what you did." Tanith wanted to stop them, but couldn't think of any way to, finding herself speechless. Professor prepared himself to get the gun out in an instant while the sisters just watched, wanting to see where this was going.

"Really?" Cody let out a low chuckle. "All you want is to kill me? What happened to destroying Atlantis? Have you really become that blind to your own rage that killing me is the only thing on your mind?"

KrakenKid's eyes then narrowed down and both of his tentacles curled into fists, one of them having a death grip on his sword. "Well if you payed attention for more than five seconds then maybe you would have known that killing you has always been a goal. I will destroy Atlantis for what it was and make something new- something better and something that YOU can't taint any longer, penguin." He spat the word like it was poison to his mouth.

Neither of them noticed the frown forming on the hybrids face.

Cody started to raise the spear. "You think you can fix Atlantis? You're kidding yourself. Only I can do it. You're just a-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Tanith stood up and huffed. The pair both turned to her, expecting her to stop them but she didn't even meet their gaze. "Everyone go home. It's over." She started to walk away. "How did I think this would work?" She muttered to herself as she left.

Cody could feel all of his previous anger fade away. Maybe this was a lot more to Tanith than they realized. Cody got up but KrakenKid was faster, chasing after her. "Tanith! Hold on!" He called and she stopped in place. Her head drooped down.

The Atlanteans followed the Tide Changers lead as he slowly approached her. "Uh... Tanith?"

"Do you know what this holiday was truly about?" The hybrid whipped around, facing all of them. Tears brimmed at her eyes as she did but also a look of anger. "It's about peace! Back at my old home- my really old home- breaking the peace on a day like this was sinful! Even mortal enemies would give up their hate just for one day! ONE DAY! ONE FREAKING DAY!" She shouted and started to mess with her hair.

"New Beginnings was- is my favorite holiday! And I haven't been able to celebrate it in decades! No- CENTURIES! I haven't been able to celebrate it since I left home, not truly anyways! A-and it's been KILLING ME!"

Tanith quickly covered her face and wiped away all of the fleeing tears. Professor couldn't help but ask, "Why not? I know you were in war but didn't you settle down for a while?"

Tanith's arms dropped and she sighed deeply. "That's true but the thing is..." She trailed off but eventually met their eyes again. "New Beginnings is also all about family. I didn't have that. Not until now at least."

Tears reformed again and streamed down her face. "I haven't had a family in ages but now it feels like I do again! People I can trust, people I can love, people who I feel like they actually care about me! Atlantis is my home now! And I know that this holiday was a thing of the past and since I'm no longer apart of that society anymore that I should just forget it, but whenever I celebrated it, I felt at home... I just wanted to make Atlantis feel the exact same, or even better! And... I thought that maybe if I did this, it would fix everything."

Nobody said anything so Tanith went on. "And it seemed like the perfect time to finally tell all of my Atlantean friends that I had a friend from the other side... I've been so scared to say anything ever since I found out about your differences but... Here I am now... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

Tanith started to turn away but KrakenKid rushed forward and hugged her. Cody's eyes widened when he did. Tanith stood there, shocked for a moment but hugged back tightly, like she was afraid of letting go. "It's okay. You've got our support. I didn't know this meant that much to you." He quickly glanced back. "Right?" They all agreed and the pair let go. Tanith sniffed but smiled anyways.

"Thanks KK... I appreciate it."

KrakenKid just shrugged, but grinned anyways. "No problem. Anyways, what's next on the holiday check list? What haven't we done?"

Tanith looked up. "Well, normally we're supposed to watch the sunset but Atlantis is kinda different so... Skip to dessert?"

The group went without another fight for the rest of that time and enjoyed some fruit flavored pastries. As they chewed, Tanith had to ask something. "So Cody." She started, getting the King's attention. "Are you really okay with... Me being friends with KrakenKid?"

Cody's eyes moved between the two and he swallowed his bite before talking. "As long as you aren't a spy..." He raised his eyebrow at her playfully. The hybrid giggled and shook her head.

"Nope! I made the same promise to KK here so no spying for either of you! Sound fair?" Cody nodded. Tanith looked down at her food before asking again. "But... You're really okay with it? Like really?"

"Well... I doubt by this point I'll be able to stop you anyways so yeah. I'll let it slide... Only because," His brown eyes met both the yellow and blue one's for a moment. "You guys seem pretty close. I don't think KrakenKid is just using you to get to Atlantis." Cody said, remembering the way he comforted her. Cody didn't like KrakenKid and he didn't understand what Tanith could see in him, but they were good friends. He wasn't going to destroy it. "So, yeah. I'll live with it. Kinda... Weird to think about though."

Tanith let out a short laugh. "That's a huge relief actually. I was worried that you'd freak out and not trust me and think I was in cahoots with him or something." Cody rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"I'd have to be out of my mind to think that."

As the day progressed, it was time to go home. Everyone split ways except for Cody and Tanith. Their home's being closer together, they decided to take the same route. Cody decided to ask a few questions as they did.

"So, how'd you two meet anyways?"

"Long story but I wandered into Sector Four, helped one of his Illithids when it was injured and KK thought I was hurting him, he pulled out his gun, I helped his guy, all good fun you know? We parted ways after I was done patching his guard up."

Cody nodded along but still had more to ask. "What's he like anyways? Obviously I only get to see him as a villain but, what's he like to you?"

Tanith smiled, holding back the urge to tell Cody that KrakenKid was truthfully a huge dork. "Well, it took a while before we actually became friends. KK definitely has some trust issues but in his line of work that's understandable. He's pretty funny and really interesting! For a villain, he really cares about people! He's... It's hard to explain but I like him. He's not so intimidating once you get down to it."

Cody kept nodding along, thinking to himself. "Huh."

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I was going to publish this yesterday but it took a while so here it is now! Bet you weren't suspecting something like that, were you? ;)

I've been waiting to do this for so long, and I know I say that about a lot of chapters but seriously, this one has been in the works since the beginning!

I hope you liked it! Be sure to comment your thoughts! BYE!

--JustAnAtlantisWriter