I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Part One

Yugi stood at the cliff's edge, glancing around to make sure he was alone: All clear. He dived off the cliff, falling a long distance, and neatly hitting the water. He floated under the surface as he closed his eyes and focused on the magic inside him. He felt a familiar tingle, opened his eyes, and looked down.

His fancy clothes had disappeared as had his legs. He was bare-chested and where his legs had been was a long fishtail that was a shimmering royal purple with blue-diamond shapes that went down the tail in a spiral pattern. His royal crown was the only part of his human life that remained until he returned to land.

He flicked his tail and it propelled him in the direction of the merpeoples' kingdom. He needed to talk and see his beloved: Prince Atem. The flowers and coral were healthy and vibrant as he passed, schools of fish swam by, and the sun looked blue from underwater. Yugi enjoyed becoming a merman and seeing all of this beauty. The sea was an entirely new world and he envied the merpeople who lived in this wondrous place. Sometimes I feel more like a merman than a human, which makes sense.

"Prince Yugi. It's Prince Yugi," were the whispers he heard as he entered the marketplace. Customers and stall owners alike bowed as he passed and he nodded to them in turn. He was coming up to a stall selling wreaths of flowers and necklaces made of shells. The owner had a customer: A teenage merman just as he was, with a long tail of shimmering deep green with purple-diamond shapes going down the tail in a spiral pattern. He caught the gold glint of a crown on his head.

He swam up to the merman and wrapped his arms around him in a warm, tight hug. The merman startled slightly before looking down and smiling. "Yugi," he said warmly.

"Hi, Atem," he replied as he released the prince. While Yugi's tone was equally warm, Atem sensed that something was bothering Yugi and that the human prince came to see him to talk about it. Atem nodded to the stall owner before taking Yugi's hand and swimming for the royal garden. Once there, they seated themselves among the flowers and Atem said, "Yugi, what is troubling you?"

Yugi looked at him, surprise flickering in his eyes. It never failed to amaze him how Atem could read him so well. It was as if the merman prince had a sixth sense. Yugi gave a small sigh. "It's Anzu. Well, her and Mother. Both think she would be the perfect fiancée. Grandpa has protested, saying I should choose whom I marry. Of course, he can't say that I've chose a merman prince."

"Of course. We've been betrothed for years now. When my father weds us, you'll remain in the sea and never be human again. So, what your mother and Anzu wants isn't anything to worry about. Unless…"

Yugi nodded. "They want a wedding before King Akhenamkhanen will wed us. Of course, a solution would be for me to stay in the sea from now on, but I have my royal duties just like you."

Yugi and Atem stayed in the garden for a couple of hours talking until Yugi said he needed to head home. Atem watched him swim away, feeling helpless to bail Yugi out of his situation. His mother, the queen, wanted to marry her son to a girl but he was already betrothed to Atem.

He remembered it as if it was yesterday, as well as how it came about. His father and Yugi's grandpa made one another's acquaintances years ago when Solomon had gotten shipwrecked and Akhenamkhanen chose to reveal himself, sensing the human believed in merpeople. He turned out to be correct and the two kept a friendship. Both shared the happy news of a male heir in both their kingdoms. It wasn't until both boys were ten that they were introduced to one another. By this point, Atem's mother had died as had Yugi's father.

Yugi and Atem hit it off immediately, formed a friendship and spent time playing in the shallows or on the surface of the ocean. It wasn't until both were twelve that Akhenamkhanen offered to engage them, which both happily accepted. He betrothed them to wed in a few years and used a spell to give Yugi the ability to visit Atem whenever he chose. He declared at the engagement that Yugi was a human with the heart and soul of a merman.

Both boys were thrilled to be betrothed and looked forward to the day when Yugi would be a merman for good. That had been almost four years ago and the wedding would take place in a month when Yugi would turn sixteen who had been born a few months after Atem. But now, the queen planned to wed Yugi sooner than that and he needed to speak to his father.

Akhenamkhanen was in his study looking over merfolk laws and the collection of spells that had been amassed for centuries when Atem swam in. The older merman looked up and smiled at his son. "Atem, I heard Yugi came to visit."

"He did and he has a problem. His mother intends to marry him before you would wed us."

"That is her decision as she is a queen. However, your betrothal has been going on for almost four years. The two of you clearly love each other and to me, Yugi seems more merman than human, which is why I said that Yugi would live with us when I perform the wedding. It is clear that the queen's wedding plans must be postponed or stopped."

"But, what can we do?"

"Not we. You, Atem. You see, just as there's a spell to give Yugi the ability to travel between land and sea, there's a spell to give a merperson human form. It lasts until you come into contact with seawater.

"My idea is for you to become human until the queen's plans are stopped or it's Yugi's birthday. Solomon will most likely be able and willing to help." The merman king rose, moved to his son, put a hand on Atem's chest, and chanted a spell. A glowing white light spread from the hand and into Atem's body.

"So, does this work like Yugi's spell? I move onto land and focus?"

"Correct. The spell will give you clothes appropriate to your royal status. I suggest you leave your crown in your room. You should see Solomon before seeing Yugi or his mother and he'll give you a human's crown to wear during your time there."

Atem nodded as he swam out of the study and to his room. His crown didn't look like something humans would wear. It was gold like the human version, but it was studded with pearls and shells that could only be found on the ocean's bottom. He placed it on the vanity alongside another crown. On their wedding day, Yugi would leave his human crown behind and receive a sea crown once they were married. The second crown was for him.