Author's note: The title of this chapther is a reference to the song " Already gone" by Sleeping at least! I suggest to listen to this soundtrack as you read this chapter! 

Update: I added some comic pages made by @stray_tori on Twitter since she updated the comic! Even if this fanfic deviates at some point from the original content it fits quite well in this chapter! 

Hope you enjoy it more with this fantastic art! 

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When Norman woke up in his bed, the memories of Emma's song here still living inside him as the beating of his heart. Since he can remember, he always loved music, and music was indeed the only think that made him remember of the past, of the present...who knows? Maybe the future as well

When he heard " How to save a life" as Yuugo teached him the secrets of science, when he danced with Lucas as a child in his arms at the sound of " Yellow". Music as a part of him and now Emma was his favourite sound...

Still...what the hell as he doing? 

If Emma indeed had feelings for him, just like she described last night...as he in love with a mermaid? As that even legal? He left all his work behind, the hole country as after him and everyone in that house. He had to do something about it...to make his selfish child wish come true and work out

He couldn't burned all those people forever...they already made more than they needed to

His wounds were much better and he was moving around the house quite well. He resisted the urge to check on Emma since she used to sleep until late in the morning. He went to the kitchen to make his breakfast and everyone was already at the table smiling at him: 

" Hi Norman! How are you feeling? How are your wounds?" 

" They are fine thank you, Oliver!" - Norman looked down at his cup fill with coffee, giving him a sad smile - " I'm sorry for causing so much trouble guys...I'll figure something out I-" 

" That the hell, man!?" - Gillian gave a punch on the table and Violet sighted-" I haven't had any action in ages! I loved it! Lucas always send us on boring missions saying that we need to be careful bla bla bla- "

" Hahaha if was for you Gillian we all be dead by now for sure!" - Lucas smiled and glimpsed at Norman - " Don't worry son...take your time to fully recover and than decide that you have to do, all right?"

" All right...but don't worry...I'll deal with this so you don't have to-" 

" Don't you mean...we will deal with this Norman? Together I mean?" - Nigel held Norman's arm and smiled at him. In return he gave him the pearl in his ocean eyes. Those touches and words felt like home and the weight he was carrying was...bearable

Like in those night when he cached the freezing breeze of the sleepless city...true caring was weightless in his shoulders. Now we had even more reasons to move on and think about his and Emma's future...

" That's right Nigel...we will deal with this together! If you can  watching over this place I'm forever grateful to you all, my friends!" - Norman said as he dressed the white coat he always used in the lab 

" Don't worry Norman! Man...you look hot on that coat UwU!" - Gillian said twinkling her right eye at Norman and he looked behind both embarrassed and happy with the compliment. It was the time to check on Emma and decide what to do with...

What future? 

Suddenly Norman stooped: he had been acting all the time as if the final goal would be Emma staying with him, but that couldn't be more wrong. All Norman wanted as to free her to the ocean to make sure she could return to where she truly belonged 

Now he was keeping her in a tank in a secret base, without even seeing the sun light. What the hell was he doing? He almost feel sick thinking how he deviated from his original intentions, as he opened the door to check on Emma.

When Norman glimpsed at Emma, supposedly swimming around on the thank he found a very pale mermaid with trace elements of blood and puke. Norman forgot how to break for 1 minute strait 

" Emma! Omg Emma! What's wrong with you? Please answer me, for god's sake! - It was pointless. Her body was lifeless in his arms and her beautiful green eyes were closed as if swallowed in a dream - " NO! Emma please wake up!" 

As Norman moved out of the thank and took off his back pack all the stuff from the lad he had to investigate and see Emma's condition, looking for any sign of sickness he noticed how her heart still beat inside her weet skin and he sighted in relief, embracing her unconscious body with all his strength:

" Emma...thank god...for a moment I tough you were gone...don't scare me like this, please..."

As Norman caress Emma's face and hair, he heard the alarm of the hideout go out and red lights started buzzing out really loud. He looked all around himself, to choked to even move a muscle, until Lucas broke inside the tank room, just to find Norman embracing Emma like his life deepened on it

" Norman what the hell are you doing! Gillian and Nigel spotted the government forces! They have a real army after us, with helicopter and the newest guns in the military! We have to get out of here right now!" 

" What? But Lucas...were are we going? This hideout of the safest place, you said it yourself! We have nowhere to go!" - Norman screamed, tears falling down his face - " If we leave they are going to destroy the hideout and father's house! Are you ok with that!?" 

Norman felt his world crashing down...this selfishness crashing down at him and everything he-

" Of course it pains me! This house is the one I built with Yuugo, I have so many memories of him at live inside this house! My heart is breaking from the pain of leaving all this behind Norman. But that matters is that you are my son! You are the most precious memorie Yuugo and I shared in your lifetime together! Compared to you nothing matters most!" 

Lucas huged in and Emma in the same large and ever protecting embrace 

" Let's go...as long as we are all alive and well, it doesn't matter if we have a place to go!" 

Norman glimpsed at Lucas. The light coming from the door lighted up his face and his reassuring smiled faded the sound of the stressful alarms going out. In that second he felt like the truth was right in front of him:

How could not Yuugo fall in love with Lucas? He carried all the pain and love in this heart, his arms never failed to give him a home, and Norman's life begun when he choose his name and called him by the existence that he never knew. 

Lucas brought him to live and Yuugo carried on, living as well in both their hearts 

As long as there was they were alive, that clumsy and old geezer would live on forever laughing and joking around like he always did. And so, Norman ran, with Emma is his arms, with Lucas by his left. In the maze of the hallways, the helicopter they used to escaped from the government was already waiting for them, this time without a destination. 

" Come on guys! The government and the military are coming!" - Violet screamed 

" What happen to Emma? Is she ok? She doesn't look good!" - Oliver noticed 

" I don't know either, but she is breathing so we better leave now! " - Lucas noted as he closed the helicopter's door, ready for departure. Norman holding on to Emma close to his chest, made sure that the noice of the world would let make him sure that her heart was still beating in her chest. 

1 hour passed and everyone was so tired...they did manage to espace from the government forces by using a secret passage by the hideout, but the sirens loud and buzzing were still there and making them unable to rest. Lucas came over to look at Emma, who was lying in a temporary bed make out of blankets on the floor. Norman had a bucket full of water by his side, chancing the bandage often to make sure she was wet. 

" How is Emma doing? Do you know why is she sick, Norman?" - Lucas sure was concerned

" Well...with all the material I have from the lab... she seems to be suffering from a mermaid disease... I still don't know that is exactly - Norman pated her with tenderness on the hair - but I think is due to the lack of ocean water and oxygen..."

" No mean...since she has been away from the ocean for too long, she is getting sick?" 

" Yeah...look at this - Norman pointed Lucas, her ears and tail - " Back at the lab I had this theory that Emma's color scales are very sensible to the ph of the water she is in. I noticed that her scales were getting paler and paler back at the lab and I was worried because of that as well..." 

" So we need to go to the west coast so she can get some water from the ocean right? I must inform Oliver and Zack of that so we can adjust our route..." 

" Still, there is something what it look medically impossible...I don't know this kind of disease existed, nor the treatment for it...it scares me a lot - Norman placed a red flower in Luca's hand and he looked intrigued back at the silver haired boy 

" What is this? A flower?" 

" That's right...Emma was cough flowers when I noticed this morning she hasn't fine...as if she was convulsing flowers..." - Lucas widen his eyes. Was it even possible to cough flowers? Was that a disease that only mermaids had? He wasn't sure how to comfort Norman

Still, when she was ready to reach his hand out to Norman, to pat him on his silver fluffy hair, the alarms sounded loud all over the helicopter. In brute way the smell of the salty see penetrated the hole devise and Norman took a deep breath to let the wind sea take him.

" We arrived at the west coast! The government forces are no where to be seen! " - Gillian shouted 

" This area is a reserved property! I checked out online and the government doesn't have the right to invade this property by the air so that should by us some time! " - Violet noted 

" I see a small uninhabited house down there, next to the beach! I looks like it was the minimum conditions to rest in there! " - Oliver added. Lucas looked over Norman, who was now even more pale himself. His blue eyes were licking tears of pain 

" Norman...what should we do?" 

" It's ok...let us rest here, and with this ocean water maybe...maybe we can heal her..." 

When they arrived at the small house by the ocean, Norman noticed how someone must have lived there not so long ago. When they barged in everything was still clean and only some dust lingered in the simple furniture. As soon as they arrived Norman headed upstairs, looking for somewhere where he could place Emma. 

Soon, the found out the small bathroom of the house, with lovely tiles decorated with shells and sea themes. The bathtub looked long enough to place Emma in in, and so he let her down slowly as if she could break anytime. 

" I'm sorry Emma...I'm the reason why you are so sick... I promise I'll do everything I can to make you feel better..." 

Norman felt someone knocking at the door and Lucas lovely embrace came into the bathroom asking for permission, and petting Emma's hair with care. She still looked very pale, and her green beautiful shinny scales were now turbid and dim. 

" Norman... me and the rest of the teams is going to shop for food and other supplies we didn't had the time to take with us from the hideout...we also need to ask for exile if we wan't to get out of here alive... do you think-" 

" Go - Norman said turning away from Emma and giving him a forced smile - I'll be fine on my own. I will take some water from the ocean and bring it to Emma everyday. I can do that much" 

" Still, why don't put her in the ocean to see if it works faster? - Lucas noted - If she misses the ocean you should just place her there right?" 

" I know - Norman looked down as if he was debating the ideal with himself - still I don't want to let her go like this...her coughing flowers isn't normal and I'm afraid to let her go in her frail condition...I don't know if she can even swim right now..." 

Lucas looked at Norman. They both knew that him holding her weak body by the tub had more reasons behind. Reasons? Norman wasn't sure if he could call those "reasons" and Lucas looked around at the lovely bathroom. 

Once he called and held a hand, just like that, refusing to let go 

" You know Norman - Lucas hugged him from behind in a very father likes gesture - eventually you know you will have to let her go, right?"  

" I know - Norman's voice broke as he held Emma's hand closer to his chest - and still, I can't help but to keep holding her hand like this...tell me Lucas...Am I being to selfish and greedy?" 

Lucas placed his huge, let dedicated hands in both sides of his pale cheeks

" No...my son...That greed and selfishness is something greater than physical affection, greater than any desire of your body and mind...it a feeling greater than deaf itself. It's a feeling that will make you feel the most miserable yet the most happy person in the world" 

Norman held Emma's hand right to his chest. He refused to give his feelings a name, afraid they would be lost by tie them to a meaningful word made up by human intelligence. How could all those emotions fit in one little word? 

That word hasn't enough...is wasn't enough to be all Emma was to him. Since when did she became so important? He couldn't recall...his memory was blurred by the memories of her smile. 

He didn't want those feelings weighting him down and yet he couldn't let her go

" You know Norman...I hope someday you love Emma enough to let her go" 

To let her go

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Art credits go to: @RA_yu___194 on Twitter !

Thank you so much for reading this chapter! All the credits for the art , cape and AU ideia and comics of this fanfic are to @stray_tori on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram! Please go check her fantastic art!

Note: Mika-hime changed her name so please search her art by the new name of her account!

Thank you so much and see you soon!