I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Only Melody is mine. This takes place during the late part of season one.

Chapter One- A Surprising Wish

Syrus closed his eyes and let the cool ocean breeze wash over his face. He listened to the sound of the water, the waves as they crashed against the side of where he stood: Zane's favorite spot on Academy Island. He sighed softly and felt a sense of irony. He loved the feel of the salty breeze and the sound of the waves and yet he couldn't swim. The only way he would get in the water was the school's wading pool with an inflation tube. He felt a bit embarrassed about not being able to swim like everyone else and he often wished he could swim.

The trick is to get over my fear of drowning, but that's easier said than done, Syrus thought as he strode away from where he was and began to stroll along the shore but staying far enough away from the water. I could ask my friends for help. There's no shame in asking for help. The thing is that I should have learned to swim years ago. He stopped and turned to face the water, wishing that he could swim through it without fear of drowning.

An iridescent shimmer flashed out of the corner of his eye and he turned as it flashed again. Curious, he wandered toward it. The shimmer was actually a slowly flicking fish tail. Its scales were actually a deep emerald green and even from his distance, he could tell that it was beautiful. His eyes moved from the lighter green fins and up the tail before he caught sight of black hair. He gasped when he realized that it was a girl. He rushed over to help, but came to a halt when he saw that the tail took the place of where the girl's legs should be. Oh my…it's a mermaid!

He shook himself out of his shock and hurried to the girl's side who seemed to be about his age. He cradled her upper body before looking from her, to the water, and back again with the realization that she needed to be in the water. He laid her down before standing up and above her head before seizing her under the arms and dragging her to the incoming tide.

The girl moaned softly as Syrus dragged her and he said gently, "It'll be all right. I won't hurt you."

There was a gasp and Syrus glanced down to see pretty soft brown eyes looking up at him with fear. He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Almost there," he said, feeling water hit the heels of his shoes. He pulled the mermaid closer until she was able to flip over and pull herself into the shallows. She turned around once safe in the water and smiled at him. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome. I'm Syrus, by the way." He held out a hand.

"I'm Melody," she replied, taking his hand.

"How did you end up on the beach?"

"The storm last night. I remember surfacing to watch and a huge wave crashing down on me. The next thing I remember is your face."

"What's it like being…you know?" He gestured to her tail.

Melody smiled. "It's nice, but I'd love to be able to walk." She gazed at Syrus' legs.

"You wouldn't want my kind of legs. I mean, I'm short for my age."

Melody laughed gently. "I would be grateful for any length of legs if it meant I could walk on land."

"That would be nice. I'd like to be able to swim."

"You can't swim?" Melody gasped.

"No. I can use an inflation tube in a pool, but I can't swim like my friends. I have a fear of drowning. Don't get me wrong, I love the sea breeze and the sound of waves."

Melody then clapped her hands and a beaming smile appeared. "Syrus, mermaids can grant one wish to the human who rescues her. If you hadn't found me, I mostly likely would have died."

"A wish?" Syrus repeated. "Any kind of wish?"

"Uh-huh. All you have to do is speak the wish aloud and kiss me."

"Kiss you!?" Syrus briefly blushed at kissing someone he just met.

Melody shrugged. "That's how it works, I'm afraid."

Syrus then smiled as the perfect wish came to him. Honestly, Melody had led him to it just by talking. He moved closer to the teen mermaid and crouched down so they were eye level. "I wish to be able to swim as good as you," he said before he pressed his lips to Melody's and felt a warmth sweep through him. His wish had been granted.

He felt his legs wobble before he fell face forward into the shallows. He pushed himself up on his hands and craned his neck to see why his legs had collapsed. He blinked rapidly before screaming. His legs were gone and a long brilliant yellow tail were in their place. The lower half rose and fell, splashing water drops in all directions. "What have you done?" he asked in horror.

"Me? It was your wish," Melody said calmly. "You said you wanted to swim as good as me and since I'm a mermaid, you became a merman."

"So…I'm a merman from now on?"

"Oh no. Not at all. I was able to manipulate your wish. Anytime you go swimming, you'll have your tail. The moment you leave the water, you'll be human. Also, you can be human in the water by focusing on it after changing to a merman."

Syrus perked up at this and a smile slowly came to his face. "That's perfect. I can learn to swim with a tail and apply it to my legs later on."

"That's a good idea. Plus, you had asked what it's like being a mermaid. Now you can find out as a merman." Melody flicked her tail from side to side to move herself backward. Syrus mimicked the motion and he moved forward which made him pleased that he had accomplished moving his tail consciously.

"Good. Very good. Keep doing that and we'll be in deeper water."

"Deeper?" Syrus repeated faintly and stopped moving.

"Of course. Once there, we can go under and I can really teach you."

"Under!?" he squeaked.

Melody took his hand. "You'll be fine. You're a merman right now. You can't drown."

Syrus smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, you're right. But I did just become a merman and fears don't disappear instantly."

"Fair point." She released Syrus' hand and moved backward. Syrus followed her and felt his tail slide off the shallows and into deeper water. He felt himself going under and fought the urge to hold his breath, close his eyes, and thrash to get back to the surface. He slipped under the water, blinked a few times, and gasped. A seemingly endless expanse of blue surrounded him and the life! Below him were schools of different kinds of fish, waving small clumps of kelp were visible, and, as Syrus moved, bubbles appeared and floated away. I never dreamed I would see someplace so beautiful.

"Syrus? What do you think?" Melody asked.

"It's…breathtaking. Your world is lovely."

"Thanks. I see you're not holding your breath."

"I…had the impulse earlier but I relaxed and fought that urge."

"Good." Melody flicked her tail and she swam around Syrus in a circle. The young merman moved his head as she swam. "How do you do that?" he asked.

"Oh, right." Melody took both of Syrus' hands and pulled him into a horizontal position. "Now, focus on moving your fins and lower tail."

Syrus focused and he moved forward a little. He smiled a little before repeating the same flick. I'm swimming, really swimming. He moved forward, his distance increasing as he practiced. Melody showed him how to turn around so he could return home and she promised to meet him there after school the next day for his next lesson.