It's been a while since I updated anything, much less this story. I finished up a big take home midterm two weeks ago and then I was on spring break. Now, I've got time before tackling a project report due mid-April, so I decided to update. Enjoy.

Chapter Five- Human

Gozaburo scanned the ocean, looking for his disobedient son. Seto had the nerve to choose some nobody for his mate. And for love of all reasons! He was going to find Seto and talk some sense into him.

Suddenly, he spotted him as well as that green-tailed boy he seemed so fond of. He watched the two of them swim off hand-in-hand for a minute before following them. If he could discover something wrong with that scrawny merboy, he could use it as a club against Seto.

He followed them a good distance when the couple swam up. The elder merman followed until the teens broke the surface! Gozaburo froze. His son had just violated merfolk law and went to the surface. That merboy, Jou, was a bad influence. Gozaburo had a good spot to watch the next shocking surprise of the day.

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"Are you sure this will work?" Seto inquired.

"Hey, I became a merman, right? Look, you go first and if there's a problem, I'll pull you back."

Seto nodded as he pulled himself out of the ocean and towards the warm, dry sand. Like Jou's transformation, nothing happened at first, but then a swirl of pink magic surrounded his tail. Seto stared in amazement as his tail unraveled to reveal two legs that were the same shade as his skin. He was human now.

"All right, Jou. It worked. Now get over here and teach me to walk."

"Okay. Here I come."

But instead of crawling out, Jou dived deep, then came leaping high out of the water and was heading for the deceptively soft ground.

"Jou!" Seto cried. Without realizing it, Seto lurched to his feet and sprinted toward Jou's landing and caught the merboy, who was laughing hysterically, in his arms.

"What in the Seven Seas were you thinking?" Seto scolded. "You could have been killed!"

"Hey, I taught you stand and run. See?" He pointed at Seto's legs.

Seto looked down and saw that he was, indeed, standing. He replayed the last few seconds and realized that Jou was right. He had been running. And what a feeling it was! Feeling the wind cut around his body, run through his hair, and feeling the sand under his feet as he moved. If that was what running was like, then...

Jou's tail suddenly began to thrash about and brought Seto back to reality. Jou was still a merman and his tail was getting dehydrated! Quickly, he put Jou on the sand and the tail split into two legs.

Jou took a deep breath and sighed. "That's better." Standing up, Jou retreived his stashed bag. He pulled out his clothes and tossed the bag to his mate.

"Put those clothes and shoes on. Then, I'll take you to meet Yugi."

Seto didn't bother to say that he already knew Yugi. He watched Jou put on his clothes first and followed his example. When he was finished, the two boys began their trek to Jou's town.

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Gozaburo floated in shock at the scene that had just played before him. His son had crawled onto land and his tail had turned into legs. Human sorcerery, no doubt. Jou's changed to a human confirmed it. Jou was no merboy: He was a human. His son had fallen for a human!

'When Seto returns to the sea, the spell will be broken and I will make sure that he never goes near that human again or he will have to die.'

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"Jou?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't the sea break the spell you placed on me earlier? The sea has the power to reverse human magic placed on any ocean being."

"Because it was Shadow Magic. It's quite different from the magic that made Yami human. The spell will never be broken." Jou paused before adding, "That's okay, right?"

"Of course. As long as we're together, that's fine."

Jou nodded slightly as they lapsed into silence. He afforded a sideways glance at Seto and congratulated himself on the outfit he had chosen for Seto. A pair of black pants with a short-sleeved black shirt under a navy blue windbreaker. It was a bit somber compared to his blue jeans, white shirt, and green jacket, but it looked good on him.

The feel of the cloth rubbing on his skin was a new sensation to Seto, yet it felt comforting and soft to the touch. He wasn't sure why humans wore clothes. Maybe it was so they could attract a possible mate. He would have to ask Jou about that some time during his stay on land.

As they passed through the kingdom's gate, Seto gazed in amazement at the bustling activity. So many humans! And he was among them! His eyes took in everything as he was led through the marketplace and up to the golden white palace that presided over the town.

A guard at the door nodded politely to Jou and allowed them to pass. After asking a passing maid about the princes' whereabouts, Jou headed for the throne room where a white-robed man stood outside the door.

"Shadi, can you tell Yugi and Yami that my friend and I wish to see them?"

"One moment," the man replied. He disappeared into the room and came back a few minutes later.

"They will meet you in the courtyard shortly."

"Thanks."

As the pair entered the courtyard, Seto said, "Everyone here seems to know you, Jou."

"Yeah. I hang out with Yugi almost all the time. I'm practically like another son to the king."

"You sure are!" a cheery voice replied from behind.

"Hey, Yug. How's the wedding plans?"

"Pretty good. We might be married two or three days early."

"Great."

"Uh, Jou? Who are you hiding?" Yami asked, even though he pretty much already knew who it was.

"Oh, yeah. Meet my friend and soon-to-be husband." Jou stepped aside to reveal the brunette. Seto was disappointed to see that Yami seemed indifferent of seeing him as human, but he hid it.

"Seto." Yami nodded.

"Well, Yami, it appears we're more alike than we thought."

"Yes, so it seems." A shimmer to the left of Seto drew Yami's attention and he inclined his head towards it. "Where did you find that flower in Jou's hair?"

"In a cave that's known to only Jou and me. Rare coral and flowers grow only in that cave."

"When will you marry?"

"When I'm sixteen as originally planned and possibly here."

"By the king."

"Yes."

"What does your father have to say about your engagement?"

"He doesn't approve. But I don't care. I love Jou and we're going to be married."

"Good for you. Your attitude towards marriage has changed." Yami was amazed at how fast Seto's values had changed.

"Yeah," Jou jumped in. "And once we are wedded, Mr. Kaiba can't do anything about it."

A bit short, but this story is just about over. A little bit more left to go.