Just Us [✅] (YiZhan)

~6~

Only in your absence did I know,

How important you are to me, 

If you won't come back by tomorrow, 

Then, I'll just leave my corpse here.

<<<<<<<~*~*~*~*>>>>>>>

Ji Yang couldn't believe the words that just escaped his prince's lips. Of all mermaids and mermen, Bo-di should hate humans the most. But no, he fell in love with them instead.

Is history going to repeat itself? Ji Yang thought to himself. No, I won't let that happened.

"What time is it now, Ji Yang?" Bo-di asked weakly.

"According to the sun, my prince. It should be around 6 a.m in the morning."

"What?" Bo-di widened his eyes. Worry could be traced on his face. "I have to go."

He struggled to get off the bed but was pushed back by Ji Yang. "You're not going anywhere, my prince."

Usually, Bo-di could get pass Ji Yang with no effort, but it was a big no given his state today. Knowing he wouldn't be able to escape, he tried to beg, dropping all the prince aura and pride in him. "Ji Yang. Please. Let me go. Xian is waiting for me."

"I'm afraid he's not, your highness. Wasn't it him that shut you out yesterday?"

"No, he was just mad. He never shut me out. Please, Ji Yang, let me go, or else he will..."

"He'll turn back to his true human form and run out of air."

Bo-di nodded, feeling relief that his bodyguard finally understood.

"Then, it's all the better." Ji Yang hissed.

"What?"

"If that human perishes, you'll never have to suffer again."

"Ji Yang, what're you talking about?" Bo-di still couldn't believe his ears. Did his personal bodyguard just wish for his lover to die?

"My prince, you've been taking out your own inner fish scale and feed it to him. You should have known that the tail is our pride. Not to mention that it contains our lifeline in there. Yet, you ignore all of those and keep on feeding him our sacred thing from your own body. Prince Bo-di, did you know how much life span you have lost?"

I know, Bo-di thought inside of his head. But for him, I'm willing to lose more than just my life.

"My Pri-"

"Ji Yang," So uncharacteristic of Bo-di, he cut him off. "Let me go now."

"I won't, my prince."

This time, Bo-di's voice became stern and authoritative. "Ji Yang, if you still addressing me 'prince,' then this prince commands you to let me go."

Ji Yang wavered. Never had he ever disobeyed Bo-di's command before. He had sworn an oath that he would never go against the royal family, especially the prince himself. Leaving with no choice, he stepped back and allowed Bo-di to drag his weak body off the bed.

"Ji Yang. The prince may command you to let him go. But I command you to restrain him." echoed a deep voice from outside the door, followed by a middle-aged merman with a mingle of gray-and-black beard and a golden crown that was as shiny as his golden fishtail. "For the king's order can overpower that of the prince's."

Ji Yang bowed before his king. "Your majesty."

"Guards. Make sure your prince won't step even a single step out of this room, or else I'll have all your heads in here instead." Ordered the king.

"King Father, please." Bo-di tried to reason with his father, but to no avail, the king had already left the room, leaving only a dozen guards behind.

*******

Xian was swimming back and forth in his vast yet lonely room of the wrecked ship. He realized he took it too far. He regretted that he let his tempered got the best of him. Now that it had passed his meal time and Bo-di was nowhere in sight, he became even more uneasy.

Is he furious at me? What if he'll never come back? Xian was blaming himself.

However, somewhere deep inside of him refused to give up. There was hope that contradicted the belief that Bo-di had abandoned him, so he was positively holding onto it. He waited and waited until a new day began. Yet, there was no sign of Bo-di.

Haha...I really am the epitome of negligence. Being abandoned everywhere, I go. With an evil laugh to himself, he dropped down to the floor. It turned out he wasn't just loosing strength emotionally. His physical form was also suffering. After all, it was nearly time to take the sacred thing to prolong his merman form. He was terribly tired. Feeling suffocated both inside and out, he decided to let them all go at once.

Slowly, he lay down on the floor and closed his eyes, becoming oblivious to the whole world. But before he gave up his last breath, he muttered one previous line with a smile.

Bo-di, let's hope we meet next life again, so I'll be able to reciprocate all the things you've done for me.