Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s.
Jack swam back and forth, occasionally surfacing briefly before ducking back under. Where is he? Jack wondered each time he surfaced. He was waiting for his human boyfriend, Yusei, to come so they could go swimming together. Jack never thought that he, the king of the sea, would fall for a human, but that’s what happened. What’s more I fell for a human who lives on the streets and is considered a delinquent by law enforcement. But they don’t know him like I do. I know him to be a loyal, caring individual. He just occasionally gets into trouble while trying to do the right thing.
One of Jack’s fins brushed against his shoulder and gills and he casually brushed it back. Like all of his kind, Jack had a long tail with fan-like fins that reached a merperson’s shoulder when floating still. Jack’s tail and fins were white and shimmered with iridescent colors. He had three gill slits on each side of his neck and his ears were fin-shaped. Jack often carried a jeweled staff in a holder strapped to his back, which he had with him today as it was Yusei’s eighteenth birthday and he had couple of questions to ask while they swam.
Jack surfaced again and sighed. Still no sign of him. I guess I better go after him. He swam into the shallows, pulled out his staff, and tapped the jewel to his tail. In a flash, his tail and fins had become legs and feet and an outfit of a black shirt, jeans, and white trench coat cloaked his body and a pair of boots covered his feet. Jack put the staff back in the holder hidden under his shirt before pushing himself up onto his feet. He didn’t like to take human form very much but that was how he met Yusei: A trip to land to see if he could damage some fishing nets and even free any sea creatures trapped in them.
He had been looking for any such nets when a teen with spiky black and yellow hair and wearing a wetsuit dove into the water from a dock. The youth then had pulled out a knife, ducked under, and minutes later surfaced with slashed pieces of net floating around him and a satisfied smile on his face.
“Yusei!” a man had roared, making Jack jump at the volume.
Yusei had looked up and touched the flat of the blade to his forehead. “Hello, Trudge. Just freeing a poor turtle.”
“That was my catch, you delinquent!”
“Catch for what?” Yusei had shot back. “Dinner or selling it for money? Turtles deserve to be free like all sea animals.” He had ducked back down while Trudge fumed and Jack hid a smile behind a hand. He had liked that Yusei’s spunk and nerve. He knew a delinquent was a bad person or troublemaker, but freeing his subjects made him a good human in Jack’s book. I have to meet him, but perhaps another time. I’ll head home now that I know there’s a human who will free any of my subjects who are trapped. Jack took off along the docks as Yusei’s location was marked by slashed nets and the occasional surfacing. The docks ended by the open sea and Jack had paused. He didn’t see the human anywhere, but knew humans couldn’t breathe underwater. He must have swam around the bend toward the city or another set of docks. Time to head home. Jack dove in, taking a breath as he went under. He pulled out his staff and tapped the jewel to his legs. He returned to merman form in a flash and as he had sheathed his staff, he saw Yusei underwater, staring at him with wide eyes. Jack had pointed up before heading up himself. He had broken the surface and seconds later so had Yusei.
Yusei had taken several breathes before saying, “Oh my God! You’re a merman!”
“Yes. I am Jack, king of the sea. I saw you destroy those nets.”
“The king. You’re not going to punish me, are you?”
Jack had laughed. “Not at all. You did what I came to land to do. I saw the confrontation you had with that man. I like your spirit.”
“Uh, thanks. Jack? What’s up with your tail? It’s wrapping around my legs.”
“It is? Oh, dear. A merperson’s tail only does that when he or she has met their destined match. It is a totally involuntary reaction.”
“I’m your match? But I’m human.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t matter. We are meant to be together.”
And it has been quite the relationship, Jack thought as he returned to the present and walked the streets, checking Yusei’s favorite haunts and places where he would spend the night. Our first kiss had been wonderful and my tail had wrapped itself around his legs again. It was after the kiss that Yusei asked to be my boyfriend.
Jack searched for two hours before stopping and going to Yusei and his favorite bar, Blister’s, for some water. This was part of why he disliked being human: He constantly needed water to keep hydrated; more so than a human normally needed to drink. He sat at the bar and in no time, Blister came over with a glass of water. “Hi, Jack. Odd to see you here without Yusei, isn’t it?”
“I just spent two hours looking for him, but I can’t find him anywhere.” Jack drained his water.
“You haven’t heard? Yusei’s in jail for vandalism.”
“What!?” Jack exclaimed.
“Yeah. He made a bad choice to rip nets on his eighteenth birthday, knowing he could get arrested for it now.”
Jack moaned. “Great. Terrific. How long before he gets out?”
“As soon as someone signs the papers for his release, but he’s got to attend a hearing later on for his crime.”
“I could sign those papers. I am his boyfriend.” Jack downed more water.
“You sure could. Here, take some water to go.”
“Thanks, Blister.” Jack grabbed the cup and left the bar to head for the police station.
&&&&
Yusei sighed in frustration. Idiot! he scolded himself. You knew you could now be arrested as eighteen is of age. I’m now in jail and no one to get me out. Plus, I was supposed to meet Jack. I just had to free those fish and right in front of a security officer. Yusei laid back on the bunk. Still, a jail could serve as a home. He had a roof over his head, a bed to sleep on, meals provided, and comfortable temperatures. The only things he didn’t have were his freedom and Jack.
He closed his eyes and an image of Jack appeared. He had been astounded when Jack dove into the water behind him and changed his legs into a tail. He had been worried that Jack had a deal with fishermen and was going to punish him. It turned out that Jack had planned to tear those nets himself. The surprises didn’t stop there when Jack’s tail seized onto him as the king’s destined match.
That had been shortly before my seventeenth birthday. Then months after that, we kissed and I became his boyfriend, which guarantees marriage. Now, I’m in jail and will be here until my hearing and trial before being sent to a prison facility. Yusei blinked back tears at the thought of not seeing Jack again for many months maybe even a year.
The door opened and the head officer, Armstrong entered, glaring angrily at the teen. “Well, Yusei. Apparently you’ve got a guardian angel. You’re free to go. Just make sure you show up for your hearing in two days or you’ll be in big trouble.” Armstrong unlocked the door and escorted Yusei to the front of the station and, to his delight, Jack was there! Guardian angel? More like guardian merman.
“How did you find me?” he asked once they were outside.
“Blister. I had two hours looking for you before stopping there for some water. That was foolish of you to destroy those nets with you of age.”
“It wasn’t smart to do it in front of a security guard either. But I just couldn’t leave those fish in that net.”
“I understand that, but you should have been careful.”
Yusei sighed. “I’ll likely be sentenced to several months in prison for what I did. But first there’s the hearing in two days. I have to go or I will be in big trouble.”
“I see.” The pair stood at the edge of the water and Jack was itching to get back in the water. He took a step toward it before pausing and turning. “Oh. I retrieved this from the police.” He held up a belt that had the sheath for a knife attached to it and the knife snugly in it.
Yusei took it and looped the belt loosely around his waist. “Thanks. This is my only possession and I’ll probably let you hold on to it while I’m in prison.”
“You’re certain you’ll be sent to jail.”
Yusei nodded. “I’ve caused a lot of trouble and it’s no secret that I don’t respect authority if I disagree with it.”
Jack turned to stare out at the ocean. He ruled all the oceans of the world and had governors to handle the day-to-day affairs of his far-flung towns and villages. Crime was few and those that were committed were punished by performing community service. One big law was not to intentionally reveal yourself to humans. Jack hadn’t planned to reveal his tail to Yusei so he hadn’t broken his own law. But if someone did break it, they were brought to Jack who would punish them by turning them human for several weeks, sans the constant need for water. In short, no one was imprisoned in his kingdom.
His eyes widened as a thought struck him. He whirled around to face Yusei. “Maybe you won’t have to go to jail. You could become a merman and live with me.”
“Become a merman?” Yusei repeated. “Really?”
“Yes. We don’t jail those who commit crimes which occur very rarely. You would still be able to cut nets and no one would be able to stop you as the seas would be your home.”
“And when we marry…”
“You will rule the oceans as king alongside me.”
Yusei smiled at the thought before saying, “Yes. I’ll be a merman.”
Jack also smiled. “Come on, then.” He waded into the water and kept going until he went under the surface. Yusei followed, swimming toward where Jack had vanished. He took a breath and dived down to see that Jack had traded his human form for his merman one. He held his staff and as Yusei came closer, he reached out and touched the jewel to his legs. There was a flash that made Yusei shut his eyes.
He opened them when he felt something brush his shoulder. He pushed it away and his fingers brushed against slits on his neck. He clapped a hand to them and realized they were gills! He looked down to see a long deep blue tail with billowing fan-like fins that were a lighter blue. He put a hand to an ear to find it was shaped like Jack’s. He looked back down to see that his belt was still there. He then realized that he was breathing and he looked at Jack with a grin. “Jack, I love this!” he said, speaking his first words underwater.
“I thought you would,” Jack said as he sheathed the staff and swam over to take Yusei in his arms. “You look good with a tail.” Jack felt something go around his tail and looked down to see Yusei’s tail wrapped around his tail. Oh, yes. We are definitely meant to be together.
Yusei saw Jack look down and he did the same to see his new tail had wrapped itself around Jack’s. I’m definitely a merman. My tail had unconsciously seized onto his tail which confirms we are a match.
Once his tail was free, Jack said, “Let me show you the part of the kingdom I live in and where you’ll live.” He took Yusei’s hand and they swam off into the blue water.
&&&&
The dolphin laughed and clicked as the net broke apart and he swam out of it. “Thanks, Yusei,” the dolphin clicked as he went past a blue-tailed merman who wielded the knife that freed him. Yusei smiled before swimming away from the docks. It had been weeks since becoming a merman and Yusei felt at home in the sea. He was warmly received by the merpeople and happy that their king had found his match. The union was to take place today, but Yusei had chosen to head to his old home’s docks to slash some nets. He enjoyed it even more as the humans couldn’t figure out how their nets got damaged as they hadn’t seen him around town and didn’t know he was a merman now.
“Yusei!” called a red-haired mermaid, Akiza, as Yusei entered the kingdom. She seized his hand and dragged him into the palace. She sat him in a chair and started to work on his hair and tail. “I was looking all over for you. You need to look your best for the union and your new role as king.”
“Sorry, Akiza. I was just-.”
“Destroying nets,” she interrupted. “You couldn’t do that another time?”
“No. I saved a dolphin today. Isn’t protecting the subjects what a king does?”
“It is,” Jack spoke up. Akiza bowed to him as he looked at Yusei’s brushed hair and gleaming tail. “Very nice Akiza.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Jack gathered up Yusei and led him to the balcony that overlooked the kingdom where the citizens had gathered. A merman floated nearby with a gold crown studded with pearls. Jack held up both hands and silence fell. “My subjects. This is a happy day. Over a year ago, I met a human who turned out to be my match. We got to know each other and weeks ago I offered to turn him into a merman. He accepted and you have gotten to know him. Today, before you, I take Yusei as my husband.
“And with Yusei as my husband, it is my pleasure and honor to name him as the second king of the sea.” He lifted the crown from the pillow and Yusei kneeled on his tail. “Yusei, you have read the laws, rules, and traditions of our people. Do you swear to uphold the laws, rules, and traditions as you rule by my side?”
“I swear it,” Yusei said.
“Then, by your vow and my authority, I name you King Yusei.” He put the crown on his head and as he rose, the crowd cheered and chanted his name as they celebrated the couple’s marriage and Yusei’s new role as their second king.
