Chapter Four- Convinced

Mokuba stared at the door after Joey left while Kaiba went back to the applications. Joey's really a merman? If he is and if we are, then this could be the excuse we need to sell the company.

"Seto, I want to see Joey at the pier and see him change."

"You actually believe him?"

"Maybe. He said he can prove it and I'd like to see him try to prove it."

"All right. I'll go with you so you can see if it's true which I doubt." Truthfully, Kaiba did want to believe. It was hard to keep Kaiba Corp going and repeated email offers from Zigfried to sell the company in recent weeks were getting more persistent. It would be a relief to not own a company but the reality is that I am president of Kaiba Corp and I cannot let such a fantasy tale give me false hope to escape my position.

"I think he believes me," Joey whispered to Mai as he sat down at the coffee shop bar while she worked. "I know Mokuba does."

"Kaiba believes you," Mai said. "He tends to speak the opposite of his beliefs because sometimes the truth doesn't fit the view of the world he was taught to see."

"Then, I'll see them at the pier later on."

"I think you will."

"And how are your preparations going?"

"I've packed most of my possessions but I still haven't packed my clothes of which there is a lot as well as shoes." Mai smiled knowingly and Joey returned it. "The timing is good, actually. I have a month-to-month tenancy and I have broken it with no problem and will be ready to move out within a few days, maybe a week."

"I'll be waiting under the pier for a week then. Believe me, you'll love life under the sea. It is an amazing place to live."

"I do believe you and I look forward to when I join you as a mermaid."

"I'll help you settle in and get comfortable."

"I appreciate that and I know the Kaiba brothers will also appreciate it."

Joey stood at the top of the ramp watching the sun set. He had given Kaiba a deadline of sunset; once the sun was gone, he would enter the water, change, and go to his campsite under the pier. He had approached the sea king earlier in the day to make his report and his plan to camp out. The king had been impressed with his findings and plan to camp. I wonder if no one has camped out before the way I am. I understand that camping requires only bringing essentials.

The sound of a car approaching reached his ears and he turned to see a limo pull up. The back door opened and Kaiba and Mokuba got out, the former closing the door and the driver pulled away and parked around the corner.

"Glad you decided to come," Joey said as they approached.

"Look, I'm only here because Mokuba wanted to come," Kaiba snapped.

Joey, again, felt hurt by Kaiba's tone but reminded himself of what Mai had told him. "All right. Understood." He turned back to the ramp and headed down it as lampposts came to life, casting light over the pier. He got to the halfway point before sitting and sliding forward until his booted feet touched the water. His clothes vanished and his legs became a tail again. He shifted around and saw both brothers staring open-mouthed at him. "I trust you believe me now, Kaiba?"

Kaiba nodded, stunned and Mokuba said softly, "Whoa. Joey, your tail is cool."

Joey took a good look at it. Green and white swirled down the length of it and ended in a pair of white fins each one with a horizontal green stripe. "Well, everyone has a dual-colored tail. White is one of the colors and the other depends on the person's DNA."

"Oh, I'd like to be a merman now," Mokuba moaned with longing.

"You'll need to get things settled before you do that. Remember, it'll be a year before you can take human form again."

"You're still claiming that we can be mermen and that you and I are a couple," Kaiba said dismissively.

"I claim it because it's true," Joey said as he slid into the water, wishing he could prove it further. As if on cue, a small albino dolphin surfaced, laughing and clicking. "Hi, Joey," he squeaked.

"Bubbles," Joey clicked back as he stroked his head. "How you been?"

"I'm okay, but I'm searching for my pod still."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Didn't I tell you a hundred times that white dolphins are rare? Your parents could be regular gray dolphins."

"Well, I had to come from somewhere. Hey! Wait! There are humans nearby!" Bubbles said in alarm.

"I felt the tingle when I saw them. Bubbles, say hi to Kaiba and Mokuba. Guys, this is Bubbles one of my favorite dolphins in the sea."

"Hi," the dolphin said. Both brothers stared open-mouthed at him, too shocked to speak. Bubbles gave a dolphin laugh before diving down and swimming off.

"I…heard it I mean him, talking," Mokuba said in awe.

"So did I," Kaiba said in shock. "I heard him clicking and squeaking but I understood every word."

"And Joey was clicking and squeaking too," Mokuba added.

Joey laughed slightly. "I said merpeople talk to water creatures and the fact that you understood Bubbles is further proof that you can be mermen."

"Can. That doesn't mean we will," Kaiba stressed.

"True enough. You just have to avoid seawater for the rest of your life. As you saw, it only took the water touching my boots to make my tail appear."

Mokuba stared longingly at the water before turning to Kaiba. "Seto, please, please, let me be a merman right now." He gave the famous puppy-dog eyes.

"Mokuba, you have things to settle before doing that and I still doubt it's possible," he said.

"I don't want to wait and you could take care of my part." With that, Mokuba leaped over the pier railing and into the water.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba cried while Joey dove down and swam to where the boy landed. He grabbed a sea star and asked it to give him light. It glowed brightly and Joey turned its light around the area until it shined on a merboy with a white and yellow tail. He released the sea star, grasped Mokuba's arms, and swam them to the surface.

They came up and Kaiba was leaning over the railing. "Mokuba, are you all right?"

"Yeah." He leaned back and a pair of white fins with horizontal yellow stripes appeared. A grin crossed the boy's face as the fins dipped down. "I love the colors and…I'm really a merman." He giggled happily.

"Well," Kaiba sighed in what sounded like defeat. "I guess I better start setting both of our affairs in the morning. I'm not leaving my brother alone."

"He's not alone," Joey retorted. "I'm here and as you and I are a couple that makes Mokuba my brother too." He smiled at the boy. "I always wanted a sibling," he said softly.

"You're alone?" Mokuba asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. That is why I was so excited when I was told I had a mate."

The soft tone in Joey's voice finally melted Kaiba's cold, hard demeanor. He no longer wanted to be a merman for just Mokuba; he also wanted to be with Joey. "Joey, I will try to wrap things up as quickly as possible."

"I'm camping under the pier for a week. That's when Mai should be done."

"Then, I will take a week too." Kaiba walked away toward the limo while the mermen dove under the water.