Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh! Only Mr. Saxon is mine.
Chapter One- Two Mermen
Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp, drained the large bottle of water as he sat in his limo. He licked his lips and they still felt dry as did his mouth. He inwardly moaned. Had it been a month already? His dry lips and mouth were two symptoms of a condition that occurred one day or night a month and for at least an hour. He hated his condition but felt lucky that it usually occurred at night and could get to his private bathroom before the serious part of it happened.
The limo pulled up to the mansion’s front door. Kaiba grabbed his briefcase and stepped outside; as he mounted the steps, his legs felt weak and panic washed over him. No! Not now! Kaiba thought as he dashed up the stairs, inside his home, and up the staircase. He reached the hall between his room and his little brother, Mokuba’s room when his legs wobbled and collapsed. He fell on his stomach and looked back to see a fishtail as blue as his eyes. Damn, he thought as he thumped his tail in annoyance.
His fall and thumping tail had caught Mokuba’s attention as his door opened. “Seto!” he exclaimed in alarm at his bare-chested, blue-tailed brother. “You didn’t make it this time.”
“No, I didn’t. Could I use your bathtub this time?”
“Of course.” Mokuba stood aside as Kaiba crawled in, his tail feeling heavy and cumbersome as he dragged himself across the bedroom and into the bathroom. Mokuba followed and turned the faucet on before helping Kaiba into the tub which was longer than Kaiba. The brunette gave a brief sigh of relief as the water flowed over his tail.
“My change is staring to occur earlier than before,” he said once there was enough water. “I hate to admit it, but I fear that one day I’ll change at work. Only by laying in water for an hour can I get my legs back.”
“Seto…couldn’t you spend at least an hour once a week in the water instead of being forced to change one day or night a month?”
“I could but I prefer not to.”
“If you did, then you wouldn’t have to worry about changing in public.”
“It’s a good point, Mokuba, but I dislike being a merman and would prefer to have my legs more often than a tail.” Kaiba allowed himself to sink under the water, his way of ending a conversation.
Mokuba shook his head as he left. The night Kaiba turned thirteen, his legs had merged into a tail, scaring the teen to death. Once he had gotten to his computer, he learned that he was a merman, a state that affected very few people; at least one in a million. Kaiba read everything he could before crawling to his bathroom and hoisting himself into the tub.
He kept his condition a secret for a few months before Mokuba found out. Kaiba had been heading to the bathroom, but his legs changed before he got there. Mokuba had screamed when he saw his brother become a merman and it was only Kaiba’s explanation that calmed him and he promised to keep it secret, too.
Kaiba made it clear that he hated being forced to be a merman, though Mokuba felt his brother would like it more if he changed more often. Kaiba simply had to concentrate on trading his legs for a tail. But Kaiba refused to do that, claiming he would look and feel like a freak and did not want others to view him that way, much less himself.
But no one sees Seto like this but me and I don’t think he’s a freak. He saw Kaiba emerge fully dressed and looking a lot calmer and more like his cold self. Mokuba returned to his book as Kaiba left, but thought, If I was a merman, I would enjoy it, unlike Seto.
&&&&
Sixteen-year-old Atem Moto pulled his car into the beach parking lot with a bright smile. He loved the beach, especially the ocean and drove down once a week, either Sunday or Saturday…unless it was cold or raining, of course.
He turned off the car, put the keys in a duffel bag which he carried to the locker rental center. He used one of its dressing rooms to change clothes and paid for a locker with a combination lock. Once he had secured his stuff, he left the center and strode toward the water. He stood in the shallows as the water splashed on his legs for a few minutes before wading into deeper water. He stroked out until he was out of sight. He closed his eyes, focused, and then opened his eyes before diving down, a blue and purple swirled fishtail appearing briefly before vanishing: Atem was also a merman.
Like Kaiba, it happened on the night of his thirteenth birthday, however he was in the shower when he changed. He had cried out when he hit the tub and gasped at the tail where his legs had been.
His older brother Yugi, who was fifteen at the time, had heard him cry out and burst in with their grandpa behind him. Yugi had stared open-mouthed at his brother having a tail while Solomon had chuckled. He explained how very special people were merpeople who walked among humans and had to change occasionally. They could go at least a month before the person experienced signs of a forced change to their merperson state.
Atem had shuddered when told this. He didn’t like the idea of randomly changing in public and began making weekly trips to the ocean, first by bus and later by car when he got his license. Of course, if going to the beach wasn’t an option, he would take a bath, trading his legs for a tail.
Atem swam through the water on this sunny Sunday, admiring the sea life around him. He suspected his merman side influenced his admiration for the sea and the life in it. He hadn’t seen another merperson in three years and, considering that the merperson state only happened in one of a million people, he figured he was the only one around for miles.
That’s okay, he thought as he did a corkscrew. I can tell Yugi and Grandpa what I see and how at home I feel when I’m a merman. Atem swam down to the bottom to look at coral and finding a couple of unique seashells for his ocean collection before heading toward shore. He changed back to human before reaching the shallows. He got up, went to the locker rental, retrieved his bag, went to the changing room to dry off and change clothes, and headed for his car, tossing his bag in the passenger seat.
Atem felt the way he always did after a swim: Calm and happy. He looked forward to next week’s swim and wondered if it would be Saturday or next Sunday. Either day is fine, as long as I can swim every weekend.
&&&&
“How was your swim today?” asked Solomon as the trio had dinner.
“Good. I found two new seashells and the most vibrant coral I’ve ever seen.”
“Really?” Yugi asked.
Atem nodded. “I actually swam to the bottom for the first time. I wish I had done it before. The ocean bottom is like another world.”
Solomon smiled at the faraway look in Atem’s eyes. The legend of the mermaid or merman had endured for centuries and it was a legend that had been handed down in his family in the event that one of their line became a merperson on their thirteenth birthday. Before plumbing came about, towns and villages lived along sources of water and those who changed had to sneak away to do so. Nowadays, one could change in the bathtub or the pool if they had one. Solomon didn’t have room for a pool but luckily, Atem had access to an ocean. It had been a great day when Atem got his license and could drive the family car for his weekly swim or when staying after school.
Which he’ll be doing soon. He’s been reminding me of his science teacher setting them a research project. The nature of the project is not known, but it will be known tomorrow.
Chapter Two- Paired Up
Kaiba sat in his science class, arms folded and legs crossed. His face was impassive and inwardly, he was resenting having to be there. His company kept him pretty busy but he was expected to take a few subjects that weren’t business related like his math and technology science classes were.
He sensed the stares of his classmates, most a year or two younger than him. He ignored them; once the current school year ended, he wouldn’t need to come back. He would be able to devote himself solely to his business. He had big projects he’d be able to start in the summer and he could hardly wait.
“All right, class. Now the moment I’ve been talking about all semester,” Mr. Saxon, the science teacher said. He was an average-sized man with black hair and a mustache. His green eyes glinted joyfully behind his glasses. Mr. Saxon was one of those teachers who made learning science fun and the students loved him for it. “We will be studying ecosystems next semester and I’ve decided that this will be our research project. I will divide you into pairs and assign you an ecosystem. You will provide pictures to accompany either a paper or another creative way that I will approve. You will all have five weeks to complete your project and, throughout the semester, you will present it to the class as we begin to study your assigned ecosystem.”
The students looked at each other and murmured as well while Kaiba scowled. He hated having a partner. He’d rather work alone. I could complete a project like this in less than five weeks. Mr. Saxon is giving everyone time to do it in addition to the homework and tests from the other teachers. Kaiba watched Mr. Saxon assign two pairs and their ecosystem with faint disinterest until he said his name.
“Seto Kaiba, you and Atem Moto will work together and your system will be the ocean.”
The ocean? No! Of all the ecosystems in the world, how did I get the ocean? He looked back and to his right to see Atem looking at him with a small friendly smile. Atem was sixteen but quite good at science; in fact he was quite smart and his unusual looks won him a fair amount of admirers. He gave Atem a frown as he faced forward.
Atem sighed. He was still looking forward to the project but wished he could have gotten a different partner. Seto Kaiba was a cold, unfriendly businessman who only attended a few classes as a result. But, maybe Kaiba has an underwater camera. I could offer to take the pictures and dovetail it with my weekly swim. That would be perfect.
The bell rang and, as students gathered their possession, Atem called, “Kaiba!” The brunette waited as Atem came up. “Would you like to start our project? We could do some preliminary research in the library.”
“I’ve got a board meeting this afternoon. If you want to do research, be my guest.” He walked away and Atem stood there, frustrated. How are we supposed to work together if he’s got company business to do? He sighed as he headed for his locker.
Kaiba sat in the limo as he rode to work. That Atem. We just got this project and he already wants to get started. He would prefer to not work on it at all, given the subject. He hated the ocean because it reminded him of his condition. He would gladly forget about it, but that wasn’t an option as his tail would reappear once a month. Its reappearance, according to his research, was its way of telling Kaiba that he needed to be in the water with his tail and that his body needed to soak up water in order to walk among humans. Kaiba had thought that all he had to do was drink a lot of water, but this didn’t seem to keep his tail from appearing. He could soak in his tub or swim in the pool with his tail, but every time he thought of doing so, his instincts pushed against it as he had been doing for five years. He was a human, not a half-fish freak!
&&&&
“Grandpa, we’re home!” Yugi called as they entered the card shop he ran. Solomon stood up from under the counter with a smile. “Welcome home. How was school today?”
“I had a good day, but Atem seems…upset, I think.” Yugi said, looking at his solemn brother.
“I’m not upset, I’m frustrated,” Atem clarified. “The science project is researching an ecosystem with a partner.”
“Ah,” said Solomon. He knew his grandson had nothing against working with a partner or in a group. So, for him to be frustrated when mentioning a partner, said partner had to be undesirable. “So, who is it?”
Atem sighed. “Seto Kaiba.”
Both family members flinched. “Yeah, he can be frustrating,” Yugi said.
“I may end up doing all the work, which may not be so bad.”
“Which ecosystem were you assigned?” Solomon asked.
Atem grinned at this. “The ocean.”
Solomon and Yugi also grinned. “That won’t be a problem for you,” the former said.
“I’m thinking of asking Kaiba if he has an underwater camera I can borrow.”
“He probably does and he may come with you to make sure the camera doesn’t get damaged and that he gets it back,” Yugi said.
Atem smiled. “He’ll likely want to handle it himself. Unfortunately that means we can’t get real deep pictures unless we use scuba gear.”
Yugi saw vague disappointment in his eyes and knew why: Atem prefers to be a merman when swimming underwater and loathes using scuba gear or other underwater means of travel. He could understand that: Vehicles and gear can unexpectedly fail and lead to serious trouble. “Well with Kaiba as your partner, you’ll be using the best scuba gear available.”
“That’s true. Well, I’m going to tackle my other homework. The research project isn’t due for five weeks.” Atem headed into the house and up to his room, Yugi following his lead.
&&&&
Kaiba took a long drink of water as his subordinates discussed his deals and proposals among themselves. He knew they would accept all of them as they were beneficial and, of course, profitable. He allowed himself to dwell on his science project.
There was an easy way to do the project: A report with cited sources and pictures printed off the Internet, also with sources. Such a thing would be easy for Kaiba to do himself, however, as he had a partner, he had to let Atem do some of the work.
His thoughts turned to the teen. Atem was smart, that was clear and it made him someone Kaiba could work with and respect. He won’t leave me to do all the work, though I’m capable of doing it all. He also strikes me as someone who’s not afraid to tell me what’s on his mind. He’s like me in that we’re smart, stubborn, and prideful. We should be able to work together, despite our similarities. I’ll talk to him tomorrow and work out a schedule to get together to work on the project. He returned to the meeting just as the discussions ended and Kaiba realized that all his water was gone. Hmm, if I keep drinking that much and then some every day, maybe my tail won’t appear anymore.
&&&&
“I don’t know, Seto,” Mokuba said when Kaiba mentioned this at dinner that night. “I don’t think it matters how much water you drink if you don’t change more than once a month. You always try to drink a lot of water to prevent the change, but it never works.”
“Yes, but the more I try, I’m convinced that eventually it’ll work.”
Mokuba decided to change the subject. “How was school? You mentioned a research project in your science class. Did you find out what it is?”
“Yes. Mr. Saxon divided everyone into pairs and assigned an ecosystem to research. I’m paired with a boy named Atem Moto and we were assigned the ocean ecosystem.” His sour expression made Mokuba wish he had never asked.
Chapter Three- Project Begun
Atem sat in an unfamiliar seat as he sat in science class. Mr. Saxon had apparently felt that partners should sit together. A sign with the new seating chart was on the wall outside the room and it explained why this was so: The last ten or fifteen minutes of class would be devoted to the project. So, that meant he would sit up front next to Kaiba for five weeks. This is going to be torture, he thought glumly.
It turned out not to be the case. Kaiba didn’t seem to care about the new seating arrangement or acknowledging Atem’s presence which was how Kaiba tended to treat everyone. Atem was about to address Kaiba during the last ten minutes of class, but Kaiba spoke first.
“Atem, I feel we should schedule our meetings in order to get this done,” he said, pulling out a business planner and opening it.
“All right. Let’s start with the days we can’t get together…which you’ve already done,” he said, seeing days covered in board meetings and company project deadlines.
“I just need your days you can’t get off.”
“Well, I usually go swimming on Saturday or Sunday. Of course, I’ve got homework.”
Kaiba flipped through the pages. “It turns out that Sundays and Wednesdays are free for me all five weeks so I’ll mark Saturdays off for your swims.”
“You seem to be free this Friday.”
“So I am. Well as tomorrow is Wednesday, let’s list some things about the ocean tonight and then research them in the library.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll let Grandpa know so I can drive Yugi and me to school tomorrow.”
“You’ve got your license?”
“About a few months ago. I hope to get a job so I can save for my own car while going through college.”
The bell rang and Kaiba stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Atem nodded and smiled a little. Kaiba had apparently thought the project over and decided to cooperate. No reason not to; we both need a good grade on this.
“So, had a good day?” Yugi asked as they sat on the bus.
“It was. Kaiba seems willing to accommodate my schedule so we can do the project. Kaiba’s got Sundays and Wednesdays free for himself all five weeks and he’s marked Saturdays off for my swims.”
“So, you’ll be staying after school tomorrow.”
“Yeah and I’ll need the car too.” Atem stared out the window, thinking of the ocean and what to list. Hmm, what is beneficial to an ocean ecosystem? Well, most life is necessary to keep it in balance. Hmm, perhaps we could research coral; read about its life cycle and its role in the ocean. Atem pulled out a notebook and pen and began to write down this thoughts, Yugi smiling slightly. His science teacher hadn’t been as innovative as Mr. Saxon. She had been a by the book type. He was a bit jealous of Atem getting a great teacher, but he was also supportive like a big brother should be. He simply watched Atem write his ideas down until their bus stop came up. Both saw the shop closed but they weren’t concerned as Solomon had mentioned he was using the day for inventory. They went around to the house door, unlocked it, and opened it. “Hi, Grandpa!” Yugi called.
Solomon came out of the shop to greet them. “Hi, boys. Good day?”
“Much better,” Atem said. “Kaiba and I worked out when we can work on the project. Every Wednesday and Sunday for a start.”
“Oh. Will you need the car tomorrow?”
“Yes. We’ll be doing research in the library.”
“Well, it’s good that you and Kaiba are making plans. It hints that you two will both be working on this project.”
Atem agreed with this assessment and was pleased to see that it was holding up when Kaiba presented a list to compare to Atem’s list the next day. “Coral, huh?” Kaiba said. “Yes, that’s a good one.”
“I like your idea of symbiont relationships like the sucker fish and the manta ray or whale.”
“The algae would be a good one too,” Kaiba said, tapping the word on Atem’s list. “I didn’t even consider that.”
Atem beamed as the bell rang. His weekly swims had given him a lot to consider for research and Kaiba seemed to be as knowledgeable about the ocean. We’re perfect matches for an ocean report.
Kaiba consulted their lists as they headed to the library. He was impressed with Atem’s ideas and he had proven that he was no slouch when it came to the ocean. He briefly wondered if his merman side influenced him when he wrote the list, but dismissed it. He had used their textbook for ideas, nothing more.
“Let’s check out books on the ocean in general and some of what’s on our lists.” Kaiba whispered as they entered the library.
Atem nodded as they headed to the appropriate shelves. The pair did not speak as they leafed through the books. Atem found a book on coral but only passages on algae in other books. Maybe the Internet has more information. I’ll need to cite it, though. He looked through the coral book and, pretty as the pictures were, they didn’t compare to the ones he had seen.
“Kaiba, do you have an underwater camera?” he asked once outside, a couple of books under an arm.
“I have the best one available. It can go all the way to the bottom of an ocean. Why?”
“Well, I’ve seen coral in our ocean that’s prettier than the ones in this book.” He nodded at the volume.
“Have you? Hmm, we could go out to the ocean Sunday with two cameras and take some pictures. A little more effort than copying pictures and citing them but it’ll make ours stand out.”
“It will. So, we’re on for Sunday?”
“We’re on. I’ll pick you up after nine.”
“All right. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”
“Yes.” Kaiba watched Atem head to an old car, get in, and drive away. The brunette found that he rather liked Atem’s company. He was smart and respectful. He presented his ideas and accepted Kaiba’s ideas as well. I never had a friend, but I may have one now. This project may do me some good than I had thought. The limo pulled up and Kaiba got in, thinking about striking up a friendship with Atem and wondered if Atem saw him as a potential friend.
&&&&
“You’re going to take pictures on Sunday?” Yugi asked.
Atem nodded with a smile. “It turns out Kaiba has two underwater cameras and both can go all the way to the bottom which is perfect. I’ll change once Kaiba’s out of sight and take pictures of the coral and anything else I think might be used in the project.”
“Be careful not to get too close or Kaiba will be suspicious,” Solomon warned.
“Of course. He said he’ll pick me up after nine.”
&&&&
“Pictures on Sunday?” Mokuba asked.
“That’s right. It’ll make our report stand out.”
“Maybe you could do it with your tail.”
Kaiba’s face hardened. “No. I will not use my tail. I will use scuba gear to take the pictures." ”Kaiba couldn’t believe Mokuba’s insistence. He knew how much Kaiba hated and despised being a merman and that the brunette would avoid changing. I’ll accept the forced change once a month, but I will never change willingly.
Chapter Four- Picture Trip
Atem woke up Sunday morning, feeling good. He had used his swim yesterday to scout out different coral beds so he would be able to take pictures no matter where they dropped anchor. Kaiba had brought one of the cameras to school Friday so that Atem could practice with it and be familiar with its functions. They spent the afternoon around campus taking pictures, including the school pool. Atem was impressed with the camera and looked forward to putting it through its paces.
Kaiba’s limo pulled up ten minutes after nine and it drove both to the pier on the other side of the beach where Kaiba’s private yacht was moored, waiting for them. Kaiba had the cameras in a metal briefcase that he put in the cabin before unhooking the yacht, getting Atem on, and turning on the engine. It roared to life and he expertly steered it out to sea.
“Have you had this long?” Atem yelled over the engine.
“Only three years,” he yelled back. “But I maintain it regularly despite rarely using it.” Kaiba drove the yacht far out to sea before killing the motor and dropping the anchor.
Atem surveyed the expanse of water all around them and knew this area from his scouting yesterday. The area had been new to him as he usually didn’t venture too far out but he was glad he had yesterday as he had suspected that they would be in open waters. He was eager to grab a camera, jump in, and change but instead followed Kaiba down where a pair of scuba suits and equipment were. The two changed in private and then adjusted the other’s tank harnesses as well as making sure they were operating perfectly. Atem wasn’t concerned about his tank failing as he could change to a merman. Which, I plan to do anyway.
“All right. When the tank is three-quarters gone, come back here,” Kaiba said as they sat on the edges of the yacht.
Atem nodded, adjusted his mouthpiece, and dismounted backwards into the water with Kaiba following suite from the opposite side. The boundless depths of the sea called out to Atem as he kicked his legs to propel his away from Kaiba but to him it felt like it was taking a long time to do so. Finally enough distance had been achieved and Atem changed to his tail, all gear gone until he became human again.
Whoa. I had no idea how heavy all that stuff was until now. He turned to the camera in his hand and turned it on before swimming down to the coral bed that he knew was there and teeming with sea life. As he approached it, he saw lots of life flitting in, out, and around the coral. He smiled as he swam above the coral and snapped pictures of coral where no creatures were around before swimming beside it to take more pictures. However, his picture-taking was attracting interest and some creatures were flitting back and forth in front of the camera. Atem smiled and laughed at their antics. They act like humans do when in front of a camera, whether a picture one or a TV camera.
“Over here! Take my picture!” a voice called. Atem turned but only saw a clownfish. It performed several somersaults before stopping and it flicked its tail in annoyance. “Come on, take it!”
Atem’s mouth parted and he blinked in shock. “You can talk!?” he gasped out.
“Of course. Merpeople can talk to any sea life.”
“Interesting. Well, maybe you can all help me. I need pictures of ocean life for an ecosystem project.”
He heard chatter all around him before a dolphin was pushing him along with its nose. “Kelp is vital to sea life,” he said as he guided the merboy to a field of vibrant green kelp. Atem exhaled in appreciation before snapping a few pictures.
“Plankton is necessary for life,” a school of fish squeaked and led Atem to a source for him to take pictures.
“Thank you, my friends,” Atem said as he checked the camera clock and saw he needed to head back.
“You’re welcome. Come see us another time,” the clownfish replied and others called farewells as Atem swam off toward the yacht. Amazing, he thought. All these years and I never knew I could talk to sea life. Boy, will Yugi and Grandpa be surprised! He paused in these thoughts as he neared the yacht. He changed back to human and then manipulated his tank to release most of his air before surfacing by the ladder. He climbed the ladder and slid on board before removing the flippers and padding below deck where Kaiba was already out of his suit and dressed, his camera hooked up to his laptop. He looked up as Atem came down.
“I was starting to wonder,” he said.
“I can swim quite fast and get far, but it was worth it.” He put the camera on the desk before heading off to change privately. When he emerged, he saw his pictures on the laptop screen.
Kaiba turned in his chair, his blue eyes showing admiration. “I’m impressed. These shots are very good. You’ve mastered the camera’s controls, that much is clear. You were right about the coral. It’s prettier than what is in the book, which I admit I doubted when looking through the book Friday. And this kelp,” he said as he brought up the pictures and he shook his head. “I never knew it could be this shade of green.”
“I didn’t either and knew I had to take a few shots of it.”
“It’s clear that plant life plays an important role in the ocean’s ecosystem. I took shots of mangrove grass and seagrass meadows.” Kaiba brought said pictures and Atem felt breathless at them.
“Kaiba, these are wonderful.”
“Thanks. Well, what is this?” Kaiba had gone back to Atem’s pictures and gave the teen a small amused smile. “A clownfish?”
“They live in anemones and sometimes coral beds. An example of that symbiont relationship you thought up.”
“Yes, all right. Then that will be part of our report. I say we copy parts of the books we checked out and get together on Wednesday to share our copies and work on an outline.”
“So, you would want to present it as a report.”
“A report with a slideshow of our pictures.”
“A slideshow. I like that.”
“I think next week we will organize our notes and separately write parts of the report before bringing them together the week after that and put together the slideshow.”
“Some of those slide could be used as a bibliography at the end of the show.”
Kaiba nodded. “Yes, that is a good idea. Mr. Saxon would like that.”
Atem smiled as he sat beside Kaiba and worked on improving the pictures they took, complimenting each other on the angles and quality of the pictures, some of which were due to the cameras used. Atem accepted the compliments and wished he could tell Kaiba how he acquired these pictures, but knew he couldn’t. Kaiba wouldn’t believe him and besides only his family should really know.
&&&&
“They talked to you?” Yugi asked in astonishment.
Atem nodded. “I never spoke while I’m swimming so of course I didn’t know I could talk to them. It turns out that sea creatures like having their pictures taken just like people do.”
Yugi laughed and Solomon smiled. “So, this trip was both productive and surprising?” Solomon asked.
“Very productive. Both of us took very good shots and we’ll put them together as a slideshow alongside our written report.” Atem thought of his time with Kaiba that afternoon and felt as if they were forming a true friendship through this project. The plans that Kaiba proposed and that I’ve accepted hints that we will be working at his place and I look forward to seeing his home.
Chapter Five- Friendship
Atem gaped at the size of the mansion as the limo pulled up to it and Kaiba smirked at his reaction. It was the Wednesday when they would share their written portions of the report and organize it into a smoothly written report. Atem had written about the coral, kelp, and plankton while Kaiba did the grasses and the clownfish. This division had been discussed and agreed upon last week.
Atem visited the area that Saturday after the pictures and spend time conversing with his new friends. He found that while he understood them and vice versa, they didn’t understand those outside their respective species. Thus, Atem was an interpreter but he didn’t mind.
Atem returned to the present as he got out of the limo, still in shock. “Kaiba, your home is huge!” he said as he followed his partner inside.
“Thank you. Would you like a tour before we get to work?”
“Yes, please. If I need the bathroom at some point, I’d like to know where it is without getting lost.”
Kaiba chuckled. “Well, as we’ll work in my room, that won’t be a problem. My brother and I have private bathrooms connected to our rooms.”
“You have a brother?” Atem asked with interest as Kaiba began the tour.
“A little brother. His name’s Mokuba and the only family I have.” He gave Atem a knowing look. “I know you have an older brother. I have Civics class with him.”
Atem nodded. “We have our grandpa caring for us as our parents are dead too.”
“I see. Here’s the library which, oddly enough, has no books on the ocean.” Kaiba knew this was a partial lie. When he learned of his condition, he had all books on the ocean removed and thrown out. If I had known that I would need them five years later, I would have kept them despite how I feel about the ocean. Although, I did enjoy our picture trip.
“And here’s my room,” Kaiba said fifteen minutes later, opening the doors with a flourish. Atem was again struck by the size of the room. You could put my room, Yugi’s room, and Grandpa’s room in here! He followed Kaiba to his desk and sat in the chair in front of it while Kaiba took the one behind it. Atem got out his papers and gave them to Kaiba who handed over his half. No words were exchanged as they read; the only sounds were pages being turned and pens scratching as spelling and grammar mistakes were spotted.
“You wrote a powerful beginning,” Kaiba finally said.
“You did, too. Perhaps we can combine them.”
“Perhaps. I believe we start with the coral which will lead into the clownfish and we finish up with the plankton followed by kelp and the grasses. My ending will end the report.”
“Sounds good.” Atem leaned over the desk and worked with Kaiba to put their pieces together. Kaiba kept glancing at Atem as they worked on the report. The time they spent in class and outside of it made Kaiba feel closer to Atem. It wasn’t love, just a sense of friendship.
Atem noticed Kaiba’s glances, subtle as they were. That was fine as he would spare glances at him too. He, at first, thought Kaiba was just a cold unfriendly man, but as they worked together, he found that Kaiba can be nice; one simply needed to be patient and willing to be open with him. The way we’ve been working, I feel as if Kaiba could be a friend. Maybe I should extend the hand of friendship. As he thought this, he saw Kaiba lifting his head slightly for another glance nod he lifted his head to hold Kaiba’s attention.
“Kaiba, is there a reason why you have been glancing at me every now and then?”
A muscle in Kaiba’s jaw twitched. “You’re very observant. All right, there is a reason. Ever since we started this project, I found myself liking you. I don’t have any friends but it had never bothered me. Now, I believe a friend is what I’ve been missing all this time. I would like for us to be friends and you could call me Seto if you like.”
Atem smiled. “I see. I had thought that you were cold and unfriendly, plain and simple. But, as we worked together, I found that you can be nice. I would like to be friends…Seto.” He held out his hand.
Kaiba stared at the hand for a moment before taking it in a firm grip and they shook. “Now, we’re friends.”
“Great. Now, Seto. These statistics in our report. It would be cool if those numbers could pop up in the appropriate slides when we talk.”
“Yes,” Kaiba said as his eyes scanned the data. “That would really make ours stand out.”
“I can’t believe no one else thought of doing a slideshow presentation.”
“I know. I listened in on the ones who went to get Mr. Saxon’s approval last week and the only different one was a tri-fold board presentation.”
“Classic, but creative.”
“Yes, but I tend to take a technological angle with what I do.”
“Speaking of which, I would be happy to type and print the report as you are busy the rest of the week.”
“I am busy. Thank you, Atem.”
Atem smiled as he gathered the papers. “That’s what friends do.”
A few minutes later, Kaiba watched from the front door as the limo pulled away with Atem in the back. The two of them had done a lot of work on their report and had officially formed a friendship. Kaiba felt a warm feeling inside as he re-lived the moment. He shut the door and headed to the dining room where Mokuba waited, their dinner already there.
“Hi, Seto,” Mokuba said.
Kaiba smiled as he sat. “Hello, Mokuba.”
The young boy blinked at him. “Hey, you’re smiling! Good day?”
“One of the best days of my life. Atem and I are now friends.”
“That’s great! Atem seems nice.”
“He is. He’s also smart and polite. He suggested statistic pop-ups for our slideshow which I will work on while he types up the written portion.”
“Atem will be here on Sunday, right?”
“Of course.”
“Seto, your once-a-month change is coming.”
“I’m aware of that. I’m getting very thirsty again.”
“Just be careful, Seto. I don’t want Atem to turn on you if he sees you change.”
“Of course I’ll be careful.”
“You and Kaiba are friends now?” Yugi asked.
“We are and he asked me to call him by first name. He’s actually nice if you’re patient with him and willing to open up to him.”
“That’s great. You two have a lot in common.”
“We’re both smart, stubborn, and prideful for one. We also both have a brother.”
“He does?”
“A younger one. I haven’t seen him, but I probably will on Sunday.”
“Sunday starts your last week on the project, right?”
“Right and then Seto and I can find some other common ground.”
Yugi smiled at the happy expression on Atem’s face. Sometimes Atem was lonely and felt a bit awkward when hanging out with Yugi and his friends. This project was good for him and Kaiba. They’ve become friends and both won’t be lonely anymore.
Chapter Six- Secret Out
“Hi. You must be Mokuba.”
“I am. Seto’s waiting on the patio by the pool.” Mokuba led Atem through the mansion and out to the back where a screened-in patio and pool sat and at a table furthest from the pool was Kaiba his laptop open and ready. Also on the table was a large pitcher of water and two glasses and one of them was already filled.
Kaiba smiled as the teen sat. “Hi. I thought we’d work outside today.”
“No complaints here. It’s a pretty day.” It certainly was: The sky was blue and cloudless and the temperature was pleasant, a hint of the summer that was coming. He reached into his schoolbag and pulled out the report, both the written and typed versions. “I read it over and saw no mistakes but it’s best to have someone else read it.”
Kaiba nodded. “And you can view our slideshow and provide any comments or inputs.” He slid the laptop over and pulled the typed report to himself, grabbing his cup and draining it before pouring some more.
Atem examined each slide and how the statistics came up before running it as an automatic show. He liked how fancy the pop-ups were and how they appeared. He glanced quickly at Kaiba and saw the brunette drinking a lot of water and rubbing the side of a leg. “Seto? Are you all right?” he asked.
“Sure, fine. Just very thirsty.” Truthfully, Kaiba wasn’t fine. He was feeling the signs of his change and needed to get away for an hour which he knew Atem would find strange, but there was nothing that could be done about that. He saw the pitcher was empty and grabbed it before standing. “I’ll go fill the pitcher.” He started for the back door as Atem went back to examining the slides.
Then Kaiba felt his legs wobble and he hit the ground, the plastic jug rolling away. He sat up, staring at his tail and hearing his brother call his name. He rolled onto his side and saw Atem on his feet and gaping at him. He grimaced slightly: His secret was out.
Atem thought Kaiba was acting weird. His excessive thirst and leg rubbing wasn’t normal. Something was wrong with his friend and he wasn’t being forthcoming. When Kaiba stood to refill the pitcher, he returned to the laptop, resolving to let Kaiba know that if something was wrong, he would be willing to help him. A thud and Mokuba crying out made Atem stand and turn, his mouth agape at what he saw. Kaiba laid on the ground with a blue tail instead of legs! Whoa! Seto’s a merman too!,p> Kaiba rolled onto his stomach and avoided Atem’s gaze as he dragged himself toward the pool. He slid himself into the shallows, sitting on the steps so his tail was covered.
“Seto?” came Atem’s voice beside him.
He kept his eyes down. “Go ahead and say it. I’m a freak and you’re mad I kept it from you.”
“I’m not mad as I understand why you kept it a secret and I don’t think you’re a freak.”
Kaiba finally looked up. “You don’t?”
Atem smiled as he entered the pool and sat one step below Kaiba before focusing and changing forms. Kaiba’s mouth dropped as a blue and purple swirled tail replaced Atem’s legs. “You’re like me as well?”
Atem looked up. “Yes. It happened when I was showering three years ago. Apparently the legend had been passed down my family line and Grandpa told me everything I needed to know.” He flicked his fins in the water before they rested on the pool bottom.
“Have you been swimming every Saturday?” Mokuba asked, having recovered from the shock of seeing Atem change.
“I have. No offense, Seto, but I didn’t like the idea of randomly changing, especially in public.”
“None taken. I changed in my room five years ago. I researched it online before soaking my tail so I could be human again. I hate being a merman and anything to do with the ocean.”
“Seto, you can’t ignore this. We are mermen and it’s not so bad, especially for you.” Atem swept a hand at the pool. “You can swim at home while I need to drive to the beach to swim.”
Seto looked at his tail and focused on keeping it before sliding himself into the water. He kicked his tail to move him into deeper water before diving down, his fins and part of his tail appearing before vanishing.
“Seto usually goes underwater to end a conversation,” Mokuba said. “I think Seto’s done talking about being a merman.”
“I think it’s different this time. He may be finally accepting his merman side. I’ll go check on that.” Atem slid fully into the water before ducking down and heading toward Kaiba who swam about in the deep end. “You all right?”
“Yes. You and Mokuba are right. I should change more often. It’s just that I’ve been changing one day a month for five years. It’ll be difficult to change that.”
“If Mokuba’s been insisting you change, it may not be that hard.”
Kaiba smiled. “Good point. Now, about our project.”
“I like what I saw. It’ll be easy to change the slides if one of us is behind the laptop to change them.”
“Agreed and we’ll take turns with that. Your typing of the report was good. I haven’t seen any errors.”
“Well, I let Yugi read it and then I had to correct the errors he found.”
“He was thorough.” And I may want to be friends with him too.
“Yes, he is. Seto, there is something I found out on our picture trip.”
“What?”
Atem grinned. “We can talk to sea life.”
“What!?”
“Yeah. Some of them helped me with kelp and plankton shots. I later learned that while they can talk to their respective species, they can’t speak to each other. I was serving as an interpreter at those points, which I don’t mind.”
“Heh, talking to fish. Well, that would make me swear off seafood if I hadn’t already.”
Atem laughed. “Yeah, I stopped eating seafood too. Yugi was surprised as I loved crab cakes, but Grandpa said that was part of being a merman.”
Kaiba performed a backflip, delighting in the motion at last. “I think another reason I didn’t change was Mokuba. I felt bad that he can’t join me in this. It also makes me feel like we weren’t brothers, as ridiculous as that notion is.”
Atem shook his head. “I had that same feeling but Grandpa said my having a tail didn’t mean Yugi and I weren’t brothers anymore. I’m still human except for once a week and only for a few hours. Speaking of which, I think your hour’s almost up.”
“It would if I hadn’t focused on keeping my tail before swimming out here. Atem, now that I know you’re a merman, I’m not as lonely anymore.”
“Is that part of why you were cold and unfriendly?”
“It is.”
“I was lonely too and that’s part of why I swim in the ocean: For the company.”
“And a lot more space.”
Atem laughed. “You know, we could go swimming at the beach once in a while.”
“I’d like that. How about this Saturday? I’m free.”
“Sure, but I’ll pick you up. It’ll be less conspicuous.”
“All right. Oh and you can tell your family about me. I know they’ll keep it secret.”
“They sure will,” Atem agreed as they headed to the shallows to change and return to working on their project.
Chapter Seven- Loose Ends
“Kaiba’s a merman too?” Yugi gasped.
“He is and it was a surprise to me as well. He didn’t like to change mostly because he felt like a freak. I said he wasn’t and changed to prove it.”
“You said mostly. What other reasons did he give for not changing?”
“Once was his brother and he would sometimes feel lonely. I admitted that I feel lonely at times and why I like swimming in the ocean. The two of us are going out there Saturday and I think Seto wants to hear the sea life talking.”
Yugi smiled wistfully. “I wish I could. It must be cool.”
“It is but you would have to give up seafood. You’d be unable to eat fish again.”
Yugi affected a look of horror. “Oh no! I love fish!” His comment generated gentle laughter from his family. Atem knew Yugi would gladly give up seafood to be a merman and talk to sea creatures. But, he’ll settle for me telling him, just as Mokuba will listen to Seto.
&&&&
“You’ll tell me what they say, right Seto?”
“If you want me to.”
“Do you think you’ll talk like the creature you’re talking to?”
“I doubt it. All Atem said was that he understood them.” Kaiba was certain that he would talk normally and not like a sea creature. Kaiba steered the conversation to school and let Mokuba chatter about his subjects while Kaiba dwelled on asking Yugi for his friendship.
&&&&
Yugi closed his locker and spun the dial before heading to his next class. Atem had told him and Grandpa this morning that the project was finished as the excitement of yesterday’s events drove it out of his mind. Well, with the project done, Atem and Kaiba can hang out together and find more common ground, Yugi thought as he sat in Civics class. He had just gotten his binder and book out when a shadow fell over his desk. Yugi looked up to see Kaiba. The two exchanged looks of secret knowing. “So now you know about Atem and we know about you,” Yugi said.
“Yes. I look back over the last five weeks and his weekly swims and exceptional photos are clear to me now. He really enjoys those times.”
“He does, but he was lonely. I could tell even though he never said it until last night.”
“I was lonely and there were times when I felt cut off from people which made my loneliness worse.
“Speaking of people, I would like us to be friends, Yugi.” Kaiba extended his hand.
Yugi smiled brightly as he took the hand. “Sure we can be friends, but I’m still going to call you Kaiba.”
“That’s fine with me.” The bell rang and Kaiba retreated to his seat, pleased to be friends with both Moto brothers. And in a few days I’ll be swimming with the younger one and truly enjoying the side of me that I hated for so long.
Yugi glanced over at Kaiba before returning to his notes with a smile. Clearly accidentally exposing his secret had melted some of Kaiba’s cold demeanor. Atem was right: Kaiba can be nice. Of course, accepting he’s a merman and having Atem share the same thing also helped.
The rest of the week flew by and soon Atem was driving Kaiba and him to the beach to swim. It was another beautiful day and Atem was relieved. It had rained most of the week and he had been concerned that they would have to reschedule their swim and he would have to take a bath. Both wore swim trunks so when they arrived, Atem stashed his keys under the floor mat, both removed their shirts and shoes, and headed toward the water. They swam out a little ways before changing and simply ducking under.
Kaiba gazed at the boundless ocean before him. Yes, he had seen it before but he had been all business as he had had a limited air supply. Now, with his tail, he could stay underwater for hours and enjoy every moment of it. He followed Atem out to the spot where they took the pictures, performing acrobatic tricks along the way.
“Hello, everyone. I’m back,” Atem called when they reached the spot with the coral. Kaiba stared at the coral, feeling breathless at the sight of it.
“Atem, your pictures of the coral just doesn’t do it justice. It’s prettier in person.”
“Thank you, young merman,” a voice said before a clownfish came up out of the coral. “We work hard to keep it alive and vibrant.”
Kaiba nearly fainted at hearing the fish talk. He thought he had prepared himself for it but the actual moment was a bit disconcerting. “Uh, you’re welcome,” he said. He looked a little closer at him before saying, “Wait, I know you. You’re the one whose picture was taken.”
“That’s me. What’s your name?”
“Seto Kaiba.”
“Oh, you’re the one Atem spoke of when he talked about the project. He didn’t say you were a merman, though.”
“He didn’t know until almost a week ago.”
“Hey!” another voice cut in. “Don’t keep our new friend to yourself.” Kaiba looked to see that a dolphin had spoken,
For the next few hours, Kaiba spoke to several creatures and was given a tour of the area they called home. He saw the kelp field Atem had taken shots of and listened to an elderly manta ray tell stories of ocean life. He even raced the dolphins and listen to a whale singing in the distance before both mermen agreed that it was time to leave.
“Atem, this was one of the best days of my life. I’m glad I suggested this trip,” Kaiba said as they swam.
“I am too. This was a lot of fun. I’ll have a lot to tell Yugi and Grandpa.”
“And I will have a lot to tell Mokuba. He’s been dying to hear about this trip. He’s spent the week speculating what it would be like.”
“What were some of those speculations?”
“The one he kept going on about was his certainty that I would talk like a sea creature. I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint him.”
Atem chuckled. “We may be half-fish but we’re still half-human. Talking like a sea creature seems silly.”
&&&&
“Well, Seto? How was it? You were gone awhile,” Mokuba said that night.
“It was great, Mokuba. A very good day.”
“Did you talk to sea creatures?”
“I talked, I listened, I was shown around, and I had a race. I did not, however, talk like a sea creature.”
“Aw,” Mokuba moaned. “I was hoping you’d talk like a dolphin or something.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“It’s okay. Seto, can we go swimming in our pool sometime?”
“Sure. After school Thursday.” Kaiba smiled as Mokuba cheered. He felt better than he had in years and all because he made a friend who turned out to be as special as he was.
