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Ocean was busy loving the time to himself. He was alone being himself after a long time. 

The last full moon day, it'd turned out to be a work day and a very important exhibition was being held in one of his galleries.

He loved that the humans feared the full moon. It's not true, obviously. Nothing happened in the sea during the full moon. It was all a fake story told to scare the children from coming out so late. It's not like actual creature came out, not letting go whoever stepped into the water during darkness.

Ocean chuckled, thinking of all the possible things a kid might go through just thinking about those 'creatures'.

Then, the sudden idea of having the whole ocean to himself reminded him of what luck he had. Full moon days meant free swimming near the beach without being caught for the tail.

Some people might think it's a costume, while others, most of the town members, knew of the mermaids. Those people, the citizens Ocean lived with, were strong hunters. They hunt for anything and everything.

They've caught a mermaid before, only for those who saw have their eyes blinded and forever mute. Mermaids and mermen could only do so much to hide their true nature.

Ocean was brilliant on hiding himself. Everyone around him knew him as the millionaire that owned multiple number of art galleries and an aquarium for the town. He didn't converse with a lot of people. If he did, he made sure that they were convinced that he's twenty-five and aging.

He didn't want people to realize that he'd been friends with one's father, grandparents and their grandparents and so forth. It would cause chaos to the town.

Ocean swam around the fishes, laughing at how fearful they were. He promised not to harm but they only hesitated to swim further. He swirled around, creating currents, swimming in them, launching out of the water, enough so no human eye caught on.

When he made it to the beach side, he couldn't help but notice something different underwater. Something he'd begged Neptune to never happen.

A pair of legs were kicking around right along the line of safety.

"What's a human doing at this hour?"

A fish that passed by stopped to give Ocean a surprised look.

"What are you looking at?"

The red fish quickly swam away.

Ocean focused on the legs. They weren't swimming, yet they weren't paddling either. What was the human doing?

He swam in to take a better look, yet cautious, knowing that it might be the hunters pulling a prank.

Did they find out?

Ocean's eyes widened when the legs suddenly started to thrash, going more into the water. He watched in surprise as the body suddenly emerged in, arms flying everywhere causing bubbles.

Ocean turned in a flash, ready to swim away when he suddenly caught the desperate expression of the man. Or was it a boy?

Afraid of what was to come, Ocean swirled at his spot, controlling the liquid around him, creating a current strong enough to carry one in seconds. He pushed it to the hunter.

The swirl drank the man in, pushing him deeper into the see, closer to Ocean. He watched as the man thrashed around helplessly, eyes shut tight and legs thin as fish bones.

"Who is this?" He asked himself and when he realized, that the man didn't attack him at all, and was actually finding it hard to survive, Ocean was quick to dismiss the current, reaching out.

He pulled the man to him, swimming up to air, swishing his tail back and forth fast. He'd almost killed someone.

He got out of the sea, pulling the boy with him, lifting up so the face was above water. "Hey! Hey, boy! Wake up!"

The boy didn't move.

Looking around, eyeing the empty beach right next to him house, Ocean decided to do the only thing possible and swam towards it. He couldn't go to his rock place because that would mean the boy would know of it.

Reaching the place, realizing the day was darkening, Ocean laid the boy on the sand, making sure the waves didn't reach them. His tail though, didn't help. He was starting to heave, running out of breath since his damn tail wouldn't go away and was flipping side to side, like a dying fish.

Soon, when enough saltwater was out, the tail disappeared, and Ocean thanked Neptune once again, turning his attention to the boy. He sat on his jelly-felt knees, cupping the boy's face, calling out.

He didn't know the boy. He looked about like a young adult, a clean shaved face, thick brows, long lashes that touches his cheek and red lips turning blue.

Placing the finger above the nose, Ocean cursed when he couldn't feel any breathing and started on doing CPR. Pressing on the boy's chest, counting each so he made sure not to do too much, or less, Ocean's mind was pray hard. He didn't want to become a murderer all of a sudden. All his thousand years of living, he didn't suddenly want that title. The only thing he killed were chickens and fishes.

Nudging the face up, blocking the nose, Ocean leaned forward, blowing hard into the mouth, letting go, blowing again. Then he started to push again.

A cough made Ocean jump forward in hope. Another cough sent relief all over. Then the boy was turning over, coughing and gagging, choking out salt water.

"Oh god, thank god, you're alive!" Ocean placed a hand to help the boy sit up. When he notice the discomfort look from the boy as he saw the sea, he moved in front, full-on blocking the view. "Alright, now, we just have to get the basics out of the way."

The boy continued to stare. Ocean was finding it hard to see too, since the evening rushed passed. It was probably well over five-thirty.

"Question one, do you remember your name?"

A nod. "Marcus."

"Okay, good, Marcus. Do you remember your age?"

"Wouldn't I remember my age if I remember my name?"

"Answer the question."

Ocean could feel the boy- Marcus, roll his eyes. It almost felt like his was rolling over his chest. "I'm eighteen."

"Damn, so close. Thank you Neptune... okay, question three, do you remember why you're at the beach?"

"Yeah? I think? I came for a swim. To get rid off..."

Ocean waited for the trailed off sentence to start up again but it didn't. "Okay... the place where we are?"

"If it's the same place as when I entered, then the west coast of Waterlines town. It's the same place right?"

"Yes, yes. You're still in Waterlines Town. Great, so you're not lost. Next, what were you doing at the edge of the safety rope?"

He felt Marcus scoot away from him but he pretended like he didn't notice.

"Answer the question Marcus."

"I'm a swimmer. I can swim." It sounded annoyed and Ocean scoffed back.

"You want me to believe that?" No response. "When I found you, you were underwater, drowning, thrashing around, looking more pathetic than a dog that knows how to swim."

A little exaggerated and harsh, but it won't hurt.

"I'm a member of the national swimming team. Candidate of Waterlines town. Now that we know I'm fine, can we please give a second to appreciate the question that's been bugging me since I woke up?"

Ocean cleared his throat and spat out a yes. Not even a thank you was heard from the guy.

"Why are you naked?"

Ocean's brain did a three-sixty. Of course, he just had to forget everything when he was freaking out over almost becoming a murderer. "Just... because."

"Just because... what?"

Ocean looked away, ignoring how Marcus's gaze made him self-conscious. A thousand plus year old merman, blushing over the fact an eighteen year old was looking at him be naked in the dark. "It doesn't matter."

"It kind of does dude. What if you did something to me when I was out? What if you're the one who sneaked up to me in the water and knocked me unconscious?"

"And I'd still be the guy to save you when I was really enjoying my day without drowning. Sure, I raped you in the water and got you out only to wake you up and surrender myself. Great thinking Marcus." He moved back to stand up. "Not even an appreciation..."

"Oh..." Marcus suddenly felt embarrassed and stupid. The guy'd just saved him from dying. "Sorry, and thank you. I didn't mean to, hurt you..."

"It's fine."

Ocean started to walk away, not caring if he was giving a good show with his butt cheeks. Marcus, snapping out of his own blushing daze, stood up, dusting the sand though it didn't make things better. "So, you must live close by!"

"Yes I do."

Marcus took a few steps forward and found himself following the man. "And you're going to just walk all the way naked?!"

"Yes, I am."

Marcus stopped. He was being a creep. Not like, a naked man walking around the beach, indicating that he was actually going home, was any less creepier. "What's your name?!"

"Why do you want to know?!" The man was shouting as well. They were getting more far apart as he walked towards the rocky end.

"I want to know who my savior is!"

There was a bit of silence. "It's Ocean!"

Marcus let out a heavy breath. He was tired, dead and not ready to face the wrath of his mother. Having no other option, he found himself at then front of the house, wet and all because he couldn't find his things in the dark.

The door opened, revealing a worried, worn-out, tired looking female, the aging evident in her wrinkles.

"Marcus!" She flung herself onto him, pulling the boy down, squeezing the life out of him.

"Mum! Can't... breath..."

She let go fast, pulling him in, slamming the door shut with a bang.

Here we go, he thought.

"MARCUS FLAKES! Where were you all this time and what happened to that smart brain of yours?! I told you-"

"Wait, was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"-but what did you do?! YOU COME HOME AT SIX! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT 'TEA TIME ' MEANS?! How many years have you been having tea for?!"

"A little less than eighteen?"

"-worried I was?! Do you know how worried your dad was?! Oh no! Is! He is worried!" She scrams away, yelling to herself. "I have to call him and tell him that you found your ass back home! He'd be searching the whole town!"

Marcus only frowned. "Mum, I told you I was going to the beach..."

"But your dad said- hello? Yes honey, come home." His mother sent daggers with a glance. "He's here. Safe. Yes. I don't know, I haven't asked yet. I know. I'll deal with it. Sure, just come home before midnight. Don't bring Fred, he's a bad drunk. I can't deal with more shit for tonight."

The mother hung up, all while glaring at her son, fire dancing in her pupils.

"Explain."

Marcus cleared his throat, and not wanting to lie and add to the fueled fire, he said, "I drowned."

"You what?!"

"Lower your voice mum! We don't live alone in this area! And yes, I did. Kinda, I'm not sure."

"You're not sure if you drowned or not?"

Marcus sat the lady down on their sofa. "Yes. One minute I was swimming in the ocean and the next, I was being pulled into the deep end."

"You were pulled?" The mother was confused, worried and stressing out. "How did you un-drown yourself? I thought your father said that you can't swim in the ocean?"

Marcus was surprised at his mum's knowledge. "Yeah, how do you?"

"Your father said so Marcus," she whispered, hugging the boy close. "He knew since you were young. I don't know how I didn't see through it but ever since you were little, you hated the sea and you always complained about the salt water. Your dad apparently went around and found out that that you were afraid of drowning. Until you started to swim for life. That got him confused but he kept silent since he realized that you just ignored the coasts only."

Marcus gulped, feeling childish. "Yeah, I'm afraid of the Ocean. Since I'm a part of the nationals, I thought I should be someone who could at least tolerate it if not like it. So I tried to swim at the beach today and I was actually doing well until I got to the deeper end. Mum, I was near the ropes when I felt something grab my leg."

She gasped, tightening her hold on her son. She knew that it was a miracle that she got her son back somehow.

"I was already panicking so when it did, all I could do was kick around. Then I fainted underwater."

"Who... saved you?"

"That's the funny part. Someone named Ocean."

"A girl?" The lady was innocently confused. How did a girl manage to drag an eighteen year old boy all the way from the bottom of the sea to the beach? Not that she doubted woman power or anything.

"No, a man."

That explains more. "A man?"

"Yeah, he said he lived near by the beach." Marcus left out the part about the guy being naked. That would cause a shock to his no-shocks-needed mother.

~~~

"Ocean? A man? You mean the rich guy who lives above the beach?"

Marcus listened to his father's voice that echoed through the walls of the small two story house. He was in his room, but he could hear his parents clearly since they were standing in the hallways, in front of their room.

"Yes, so there is a man called Ocean living near the beach."

His dad made a disapproving noise, "no, the guy lives above the waters. You remember the nice beach house you used to love pointing out whenever we visited the beach? A long time ago too since we stopped because of Marcus."

"Yes, I do. We never saw a living thing in it! I thought that it was a guest hotel or something for the rich people who come by during the seasons. There's a man living there all alone for all these years?"

"Yes, and he's a bachelor."

"What's that to do with our concern? We have to be more worried about how the man saved our son. Do you think he was watching him swim around? Does he do that to everyone who goes to the coasts?"

Marcus's eyes widened at what his mother was suggesting.

"That's a part of what I'm thinking dear. The man, we always have an eye on him whenever he roams a town, which is rare. Apparently he buys his food and things online. But, he's always a suspicious person to our town. For all these years, he's barely out and open. The man only converses with people involved in his business. What does Marcus have to do with his business?!"

"Calm down will you. The man saved our son from dying! Whoever he is, I don't care. All I want to know is that it's safe to let the matter go."

"Yes, yes..." the father said, probably waving his hand, dismissing the wife. "Nothing to worry about. He doesn't disturb any of the town members."

"Alright then, this discussion is over. Marcus is home safe and he's had a night. I plan to make his favorite tomorrow morning. Let's just hope that he doesn't get any ideas to go back to the sea when he's so afraid of it. Did you know that he only went because he felt like he should be able to swim, being in the national team and all?"

Marcus tuned in his thoughts, focusing on the words about Ocean, the man, his savior.

Sure, the town knew about him and so did his dad, a hunter that suspects the man, but Marcus had an extra information. Something not that big of a deal, yet, it is.

Ocean had been naked when he saved him.

Okay, so the man owned the large mansion like house above the shore, but that doesn't mean he's allowed to walk around with no clothes. What if there were others there? Would Ocean still be so bold?

What was he doing out, along in the dark, naked?

Plus, when he said that he was returning, he didn't walk towards the house. Instead, Marcus was sure he was him walk towards the rocky ends of the shore.

Intrigued by the whole experience, Marcus decided to figure things out.

So when his parents retreated to their room for the night, he dressed himself in black jeans and hoodie, and jumped out of his window onto the tree right near. Climbing down, something he was an expert at since of sneaking out to his friend's house during schooldays, Marcus rushed onto the road, phone in hand, heart thumping, back to the coasts.

The streetlights helped but once he made it to the beach, he was glad the man, Ocean, owned a large beach house. The lights from the house and the property helped with vision and before he knew it, Marcus was trotting down the lane, through the cool sand and up to the rocky ends.

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So, how was it?

I have to state here that I've never experienced doing CPR, first hand, second or as a bystander. I just knew a few things like pressing at the chest 31 times and then providing oxygen and repeat. So... hehe...

Things are going to start moving fast, kinda, in the next two chapters. I only realized this as I started to edit.

See Ya!