"Poor soul, with no one else to turn to!" Melvin cackled.
"I admit that in the past I'd been a nasty. They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a b****.
But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways, repented seen the light and made a switch, true?
Kinda."

Marik watched as Melvin sat in front of his mirror and applied more gel to his hair. "So that's how he does it...."

"And I fortunately know a little secret. It's a talent that I always have possessed. And here, lately, please don't laugh (at my hair or I'll stab you); I use it on behalf of the miserable, the lonely and depressed!" He chuckled. "Pathetic..."

Marik was offended. "I'm not pathe-"
Slendy covered his mouth with his hand and bobbed his head to the beat.

"Poor unfortunate souls! In pain, in need," he fanned his face with his hand and made a pouty face, mocking Marik's. "This one longing to be thinner, this one wants to get the girl, do I help them? Yes, indeed..."

"Poor unfortunate souls! So sad, so true! They come running from my lair, crying "NO HUGS, MELVIN, PLEASE!" and I hug them! Yes I do!"

He grabbed Marik's hand and pulled him toward the cauldron in the center of the room. An apparition of past merpeople, happy with what Melvin did. "Now, it's happened once or twice, someone couldn't pay the price, and I'm afraid I had to hug them beyond control!"

Marik saw the apparitions tied down. They were hugged and forced to watch Rebecca Black's Friday music video. This form of torture caused Marik to shudder.

"Sure, I've had the odd complaint, but on the whole I've been a saint to those poor unfortunate souls!"

Melvin dragged Marik again to grab some ingredients and supplies. "So here's the deal: I will make you a potion that will make you human for three days. Got it?"

"Three days." Marik repeated. "We're using THAT cliché."

Oh shut up.

"And because you want to make it very clear that you aren't gay, you're not allowed to kiss him, and he's not allowed to kiss you. And when the sun sets on the third day, and you haven't kissed him, you will remain human forever, and you can do whatever you wish with your little kitty."

Marik nodded. "Easy peezy, lemon squeezy." He was, however, slightly disappointed. "And if I do?"

"If you and Bakura do end up kissing, than you will instantly become a merman again."
Melvin's psychotic gaze met Marik's frightened expression. "And you'll belong to me. Have we got a deal?"

Marik thought long and hard about this. "If I become human, I'll never see my father or sister again...." He grinned. "Yay!"

"Oh!" Melvin smirked, and Marik's cheering stopped. "We haven't discussed the subject of payment!"

Marik shuddered. "Look, I told you, I'm not gay. You're not getting a blowjob."

"Ew, not from you!" Melvin frowned. "I'm not asking for THAT much. What I want from you is..."

He whispered in his ear,
"Your voice."

Marik's hand went to his own throat, wondering how that would work. "My....my voice?"

"Uh-huh. It's also your voice, so no one will really miss it that much."

"But...without my voice....how would I-"

"You have your looks! Your sexy midriff! And let's not forget the importance of...body language!" He swiveled his hips in a circular motion. "The men up there don't like a lot of blabber! They think someone who gossips is a bore! Yet on land, it's much preferred for lovers not to say a word! And after all dear, what is idle babble for?"

"Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation! True gentlemen avoid it when they can! But they dote and swoon and fawn on a person who's withdrawn, it's they who hold their tongue who gets a man!"

Marik didn't know if he should go through with this. On one hand he could stay in the ocean with his family and talk and sing all he wants. But they don't understand who he is and don't really care about what he says.

On the other hand, Marik can become human and find Bakura. But what if he doesn't find him? And what if he does? What will he do after that? It's not like he could talk to him, either.

"Come on, you poor unfortunate soul! Go ahead, make your choice! I'm a very busy person, and I haven't got all day, it won't cost much, JUST YOUR VOICE!!! You poor unfortunate soul! It's sad, but true."

Melvin put an arm around Marik and rolled out a scroll (which remained not ruined because *comment the word if you know it*!!!!) and handed Marik a pen made with the skeleton of a fish. "If you wanna cross the bridge, my sweet, you've gotta pay the toll. Take a gulp, take a breath, go ahead, SIGN THE SCROLL!"

Marik gulped and shut his eyes. Here goes...
And with that he signed his name on the dotted line.

"Flotsam jetsam, now I got him, 'guys'," he said, nudging Slendy. "The boss is on a roooollllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!" He twirled in circles, trying to contain his laughter.

"You poor, unfortunate soul!!!"

Melvin threw ingredients and items into the cauldron while chanting, "Beluga.....something...........winds of.....some kind of......sea?
Something something.......get Marik's voice with wispy hand thing..............please?"

Marik's heart felt like it was in his throat, and his stomach did backflips.

"Now," Melvin's pupil's seemed smaller than normal. "Sing!"

"Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah~"

Melvin winced at the tone, and forced himself to say, "Keep singing!!!"

A wispy, green, ghostly hand approached Marik. Marik, on instinct, backed away a bit, but the hand reached into his throat and took hold of his voice. He felt a small tug, kinda like when you pull magnets away from metal, and the hand brought out a glowing orb, that still played Marik's sound, even when his lips were sealed.
Marik's hand went to his throat, feeling if something was missing.

Melvin licked his lips in a psychotic way as the orb fit itself into a small seashell in his hands.

Suddenly, a swirling light surrounded Marik and his tail, and his tail split in two, and transformed into two human legs.
Marik tried looking down to sea, but it struck him that he could no longer breathe. He tried swimming up, but wasn't used to his legs yet.

"Master Marik!" Called a voice.

Odion had been watching from the outside and quickly swam to Marik, and pulled him toward the surface while Melvin laughed maniacally.

Omg this story's taking over my life. I love writing this, but I've got so much to do! I'll try to update ASAP.