Some readers asked how Seto will react to Jou's gift. Well, here's your answer. Hope you like it.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter Four- The Proposal

Jou dashed to his house, grabbed a cloth bag, and stuffed some clothes into it. He reasoned that the spell would not provide clothes and he needed something to hold the clothes he was currently wearing.

Shouldering the bag, he sprinted out of the house before his dad realized he had even been there. From there, he headed for the shore and ran along it for a good hour or so until he was exhausted.

Panting, Jou looked at the water, wondering how close he was to the undersea palace. 'I don't know how long humpback whale is. Last time I get instructions from a former merman. I wish Seto was here right now.'

"Jou! What are you doing here?" a familiar voice exclaimed. Jou blinked as the blue-eyed merman came up into the shallow water. 'That was fast,' Jou thought before answering.

"Looking for you. Yami said you were staying in his father's palace."

"He's right. And you're not too far away now. I wish you could see it."

"I've got some surprises for you. Just watch." Setting the bag down, Jou stripped down to nothing, shocking and confusing Seto. What was he doing? He watched as Jou shoved hsi clothes into the bag he brought and stashed it in a hollow hole under a rock.

Taking a deep breath, Jou prayed the spell would work as he took his first steps into the cool ocean water. At first nothing happened, and Jous was ready to lash out at The Cure Mermaid on his next trip to the Shadow Realm when Jou suddenly fell forward into the water. Spitting out the water, Jou looked behind him and saw that his slim white legs were gone and a sparkling green tail was in their place. It worked! He was a merman.

Looking at Seto, Jou noticed that the brunette was staring at him, mouth agape.

"H-how did you do that?"

"A Shadow Monster used her Shadow Magic so that I can become a merman when I'm in the ocean."

"Shadow Magic?"

"Yeah. There's this place where Yugi and I play games with real monsters and magic. It's called the Shadow Realm, so naturally the magic possessed by these monsters is called Shadow Magic."

"You gave up your humanity for me?"

"No, I didn't. As soon as I touch dry land, I'll become human again. Which reminds me, hold out your right hand."

Confused, Seto obliged, wondering what Jou was up to. He watched as Jou extended his right index finger on his hand, a blue light emitting from it. The light spread from Jou to Seto and was extinguished when their fingers separated.

"What was that?" Seto demanded.

"Now, you can be human when you touch land."

"And revert when I return to the sea?"

"Right."

"Well, then. In that case, come. Let me show you that palace."

"As soon as you show me how this tail works."

Seto smirked. "Gladly." Without warning, he grabbed Jou's hand and dragged him into the deep water and pushed him under before joining him.

"What was that for?" the green-tailed boy demanded once Seto was underwater and once he remembered that he didn't have to hold his breath.

"Rule one of the ocean: Sink or Swim. You have to learn to swim on your own or you won't go very far."

Jou paid strict attention to how Seto's tail moved. Imitating these movements, he was rewarded with moving forward. Jou smiled. What a cool feeling! Getting into the swim of it, Jou performed barrel rolls and somersaults before stopping in front of Seto.

"Lead the way Seto," he requested.

As the brunette took the lead, Jou took the time to examine his surroundings. He was amazed at the ocean life that he usually sees from a boat on the surface and at the ones he had only heard of but had never seen. And he was doing what most men could only dream of. He was swimming on the bottom of the ocean and he didn't have to hold his breath.

"We're here," Seto's voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking forward, the blond gasped. The castle glittered on the horizon, displaying gold and pale green with tall spires and elegant turrets.

"It's beautiful. This is where Yami used to live?"

"He did. Oh, and don't mention Yami. I told my father that he died and he told Yami's family. Chances are the royal family won't be in the mood to talk."

"Why didn't you tell the truth?"

"Merpeople are not suppose to have contact with humans, let alone fall in love with one. It threatens our peace and safety. As for loving one, the punishment is death."

"Yami was lucky then."

"Oh, yes. Extremely lucky. Just like I am now."

Seto led Jou to the palace courtyard where he surmised his father was at. He hadn't seen his father all day, despite the fact that he had been in his room until twenty minutes ago.

Seto had been correct in his assumption when he saw Gozaburo looking at the brightly colored sea garden. He glanced up when he saw his son appear.

"Seto, there you are. I was told by one of our maids that you left the palace early this morning."

"Yes, father. I went out for an early morning swim and I also made a new friend. This is Jou. Jou, this is my father, Gozaburo Kaiba."

Jou moved forward, unsure how merpeople greet one another. Uncertainity turned to relief when Gozaburo held out a hand. Jou took it and received a warm, albeit, unfriendly shake.

"Pleasure," the merman said gruffly. Releasing Jou's hand, he quickly circled him and added, "A bit scrawny, aren't you?"

Jou didn't know what to say to that. He never considered himself skinny, nor did anyone else he knew. He glanced down briefly. Did his new tail make him look skinny?

Seto moved in front of Jou, feeling a sense of deja vu from last night coming on. "Father, how can you say that? He's not at all scrawny." He threw Jou a tender look over his shoulder before turning to look at Gozaburo again.

"Why, son. Would you be considering marrying this boy?"

"Maybe."

Jou looked at Seto in surprise while the other boy continued to stare at my father. Did Seto love him? He recalled Yami's image of this merboy and compared it to the boy in front of him. There was no doubt: Seto had changed and he was the cause.

"Well, I don't approve. From the looks of him, he doesn't look like he has anything wealthy or any power to offer. That is why you must marry: Wealth or power."

"What about love?"

"Love won't leave you well off in life. It's not important."

"It's important to me! Come on, Jou. We're leaving."

"Come back here, Seto Kaiba! Come back here!"

Seto ignored his father's call and grabbed Jou's hand so he wouldn't lose him in his wake. An electric jolt shot through the brunette's hand from Jou's touch. His failsafe method! It had just let him know that Jou was the one he was to marry. The jolt was even more shocking than the one he received from Yami.

"Uh, Seto? Where are we going?" Jou's voice cut into Seto's thoughts.

"There's a cave up ahead that I discovered a few days ago. No one, but me, knows about it. That's where we're going to talk."

Jou followed the merboy to a rock blocking a cave entrance, almost completely concealing it from view. Seto tugged on the rock to open it enough for them to slip through before it closed again. Jou gasped at the beautiful coral and flowers that were in the cave.

"I've never seen coral or flowers like these before," Jou exlaimed as he moved to examine the flowers more closely. The petals seemed to shimmer blue, green, and purple at the same time, giving it a colorful contrast to the naturally brown stem.

"Nor will you. I can't explain it, but they only grow in this cave and nowhere else." Seto sat on a flat rock in the center and gestured for Jou to join him.

"So, what are we going to talk about?"

"Well, first of all, I want to apologize for my father's behavior."

"Were you like that?"

"I'm afraid so. Royal power was the reason I wanted to marry Yami. But when I saw you, my preception changed. I now see that love is also a reson to marry."

"We could get married."

"My father won't allow it."

"Forget about him. Yugi's dad will do it."

"He will?"

"Of course. He is the king and the king in my town performs all the wedding ceremonies. I think it's time for you to truly see my world."

Seto smiled. See the humans' world? Sounded good to him. He could picture the look on Yami's face when he showed up as a human. Maybe he would stay long enough to see how a human's wedding is done.

"Tell me, Jou. When do the princes plan to marry?"

"The end of the week. Why?"

"I may stay on land long enough to see how your weddings are done. It may convince me to have a wedding on land as well."

"Are you proposing?"

"Huh?"

"Are you asking me to marry you? 'Cause if you are, then I accept."

Seto fumbled with his words. He did want to marry Jou, but what could he use for an engagement token? He sighed as he absentmindly ran his fingers across his hairline. His running fingers bumped against something smooth and metal. His eyes widened. He had forgotten about the silver hairpin that he used to keep his bangs out of his way.

Glancing at the ground and rocky walls, all he saw were the coral and beautiful flowers that grew there. Inspiration struck as he plucked a flower from their rocky perch. Removing the pin, he wrapped the stem around the pin's apex until it resembled the one like Yami's sans the pearl.

Turning to Jou, he said, "As proof of our engagement, I present this flower hairpin." With this pronouncement, he placed it above Jou's right ear.

Jou stared at his boyfriend in speechless silence. Seto's hair fell differently with the pin gone and brown bangs fell above his eyes, much like his own. He was touched by Seto's gesture. He couldn't have picked a more perfect flower for the hairpin.

Jou kissed Seto's cheek. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. Now, let's get to the surface and trade our tails for legs."

"Sure. My turn to teach you how to walk."

The flower hairpin was a nice touch, don't you think? R&R.