A/N: Well, the first time I typed this, the computer ate it up right before I was going to upload it. -.-;; So now I'm stuck retyping it...I hope you enjoy it, because if you don't, I'll enjoy it myself. It's a 'The Little Mermaid' parody, not the one by Disney but the original one by Hans Christian Anderson.

Italics are Kagome's thoughts.

Pairings: Inu/Kag/Sess

Warnings: Nudity. Minor OOCness.

Rated: PG-13 for now, may be raised or lowered later on.

Fallen Seraph

By CocaCola43

I - It's The Landing That Kills You

It's a familiar story: the beautiful mermaid, the youngest Princess of the Sea, sees and falls in love with the Prince of the Land, who, of course, knows nothing about her. Then the handsome prince is shipwrecked, and as he falls into the icy depths of the ocean the mermaid rescues him, brings him up to the sandy beach, and inquires of his well-being in her melodious voice. Sadly, the lovesick mermaid is forced to leave before the prince opens his eyes, and he is left with nothing but that hauntingly beautiful voice. On the way back to her home, the mermaid meets the Sea Witch, who, hearing of the mermaid's plight, promises to give her human legs in exchange for her beautiful singing voice. 'You will be able to walk on land,' the Sea Witch cackles, 'but you must win the heart of the prince within three days or else you shall turn to sea foam and die. You will not be able to return to the sea after this.'

The mermaid pales. 'How shall I win his heart if I have no voice?'

'You have your beauty, your grace, and your beautiful eyes,' the Sea Witch says, smiling to herself. The foolish mermaid agrees and she is given human legs. She goes up to the beach and walks, but every step hurts her like a thousand daggers being pointed into her skin. Nevertheless, she is determined to gain the prince's love and live happily ever after as a human.

Of course, without a voice it is hard to convey feelings to another unless by some sort of sign language - or by a smile. The mermaid is given the job of a servant in the prince's castle, and she smiles at her love sweetly whenever they meet. But the prince is already engaged to the a princess. They are to be married the third day.

The third day comes. The mermaid sees the princess and the prince marry, and the couple rest on their boat in the sea. The mermaid is their servant, bringing food and such to the lovebirds, twittering happily to each other. Finally they fall asleep in each others' arms. The sun is beginning to set, and the heartbroken mermaid leans out on the deck, watching the sky slowly turn red. Then a sound below her attracts her attention, and she sees her five older sisters come, their luxurious hair now cropped and ugly.

The eldest sister tells her, 'Sister, please, return to the sea and live with us. We have gone to the Sea Witch and in return for our hair she has given us a knife, which you are to plunge into the heart of the prince while he rests. When the warm blood splashes onto your feet your fish tail shall grow back and you will be a mermaid again, to live out your three hundred years in the sea before you die.' The eldest sister hands the knife to the little mermaid, and they swim back to their castle on the ocean floor. The mermaid peeks into the cabin where the prince and princess are resting, the hand holding the dagger trembling, and she throws the knife out into the sea. Blood spurts up where it lands, and she can feel her body weakening. She throws herself overboard, and her body turns to foam, blah, blah, blah.

But that story wasn't true. Everybody knew that there were no such things as mermaids. Instead, there were seraphs -- bodiless beings that ruled the skies. I was one of them. My father was the King of the Seraphs. So what did that make me? A princess? Not exactly. I was just another invisible spirit among the thousands in the sky. It was to hard trying to act formal when you couldn't see each other. Only the King could be visible if he wished (which he usually didn't), and he could see everyone else, too. I once asked him eagerly what seraphs looked like, and he replied, "Seraphs look like seraphs" in his grave voice.

I never really got another chance to speak to him after that. He was always too busy going around being a king and roaming the Earth. My elder sister asked him what Earth was like, and he said, "It is large, filled with beautiful oceans and covered with land. The people are two-legged, two-armed, and one-headed."

If I had asked him, he would have said, "Earth looks like Earth" in his grim monotone. He liked my sister better than he liked me. Then again, I would not have understood anything. What were legs? Arms? Heads? Seraphs floated about, could see everywhere at once, and could pick anything up using telekinesis. We had no use for bulky appendages.

One day I went out into a cloud to relax myself. I separated the fluffy mist and looked through the hole at Earth. The place below was a deep blue. It was moving, ripples slowly crossing the surface. Oceans, I realized. I saw a fringe of tan beige and knew that it was land. Then I saw a black speck on the blue, moving quickly. I ventured off the cloud for a closer look.

Now directly above the speck, I saw that it was a human ship. A human stood at the bow, crouching. So this is what a human looks like! I smiled triumphantly. Even my elder sister Kikyou had never seen a human up close before, and she was the well-traveled one in our generation.

After that I began going there daily, watching the ocean, sometimes spotting the animals humans called birds. Once I saw a gray fish -- large and playful, diving in and out of the water.

Then there was that time.

I stayed there for hours that time, watching and learning things about Earth. But my curiosity faded after I realized how long I'd been gone. My father would be worried -- no, he wouldn't, but my sister would. As I turned to leave, though, I felt a pang of longing.

I wanted to walk on Earth. I wanted to sail its seas.

But I had no body. I was a seraph.

I sighed and floated out of the cloud...but a voice stopped me.

"You want to turn human?" it asked; from the tone I deduced that it was a male.

"I want to walk on Earth," I replied.

"I can give you a body," he said quietly. "Do you want it?"

Yes, I did. But mistrust got the better of desire. "Who are you?" I demanded.

"I am Naraku," he said, and I could hear his amusement. "I assure you, I will not hurt you, Kagome-sama. I shall provide you a human body -- a female one, how about that -- and all you have to do in return in help me get a position of honor at your father's court."

"How do I know you won't hurt my father?" I responded, my voice shaking slightly. I forgot to ask him how he knew who I was.

"I'm helping you, aren't I?" he sneered.

My thoughts and emotions were mixed. If I agreed...I could roam the Earth. If I didn't...I would never get a chance like this again. I knew that. I began to speak, then silenced myself. Finally I said, "I accept."

Naraku laughed loudly, but I didn't know why. "Now, Kagome-sama, you will help me..."

"My father's record books," I sighed. "They are unguarded at this hour -- the guards are nourishing themselves. Write your name in them, filling in the position you wish to have. I'll wait here." I heard him leave, chuckling to himself.

In less than a minute he was back. I heard him snicker. But wait...I could see him. I shuddered. He was --

"Thank you, Kagome-sama," he said, smiling malevolently. "Or should I say...my daughter." I saw his golden form contort with laughter. "Be happy for me, my child."

"No," I breathed, horrified. "You didn't --"

"Yes, I did." He laughed again. "I am now the King of the Seraphs. But yourself, my dear..." Naraku looked at me, humor flashing in those crimson eyes of his. "You'd best get away from here, and soon. Everyone was shocked to hear that you betrayed your own father. But I am not unreasonable," he continued. "You shall roam the Earth...that is what you wished, is it not? I shall provide for you a particularly beautiful face and body...you'd better stay there. Three weeks I shall give you to seduce one of the Inu brothers. You may choose which one. Be ready for some...parental intervention." He cackled and with a wave of his hand I fell to Earth, screaming. I couldn't float! I couldn't control my speed! I saw my human body, uncovered and pale. I had appendages -- the two thick supports, the two weaker ones...and hair. Black.

But before I had time to start praying fervently for a quick death, I landed with a thump on something hard.

"Can't you make this stupid boat go any faster?" Inu-Yasha demanded, his clawed hands clenched into fists. He wanted to get home as fast as he could, being on sea all the time didn't suit him at all. He much preferred deep dark forests.

"I'm trying!" The old man by the name of Myoga tugged at the sails, his old gnarled hands failing to grip them tightly enough. Any gust of wind escaped them. "But I can't --"

"Inu-Yasha," Sesshoumaru said in his icy monotone. "If you want something done right, do it yourself." He wanted to return home as well.

"Cap'n," one of the crew members said urgently. "Lookit!" He pointed at a rapidly falling object above them. "Ain't she purty?"

Everyone looked up. It appeared to be human, female, black-haired and unclothed. She was falling towards a spot just a few meters away from their ship.

"What're you looking at?" Inu-Yasha said impatiently. "Catch her!" He pushed himself to the sails, shoving Myoga aside, and tugged hard on them. A fortuitous gust of wind blew them forward, and the girl landed on the deck of the ship, inches away from Sesshoumaru's feet. Unconsciously, he moved back.

Many crew members were staring at the naked girl hungrily. He made a mental note to fire each and every one of them. It was unnerving, staring at the lust-filled men, but he didn't show it.

The girl groaned and sat up, rubbing her head. She appeared not to notice that she was naked. "Where am I?" she asked groggily. "Why am I here?" Amnesia, most likely.

One of the crew spoke up eagerly. "I saved ya --"

One by one, the rest of the crew claimed to have been the one who had saved the girl, and a fight broke out. Sesshoumaru glanced at his half-brother, who, he was amused to note, was blushing deeply, his face as red as a tomato. It matched his clothing.

"He saved you," Sesshoumaru said, gesturing elegantly toward the hanyou. "If he had not taken action you would have drowned."

The girl stared up at him, blue eyes wide. He almost sighed in exasperation. Not another love-crazed girl. He had enough to deal with already.

"I'm on Earth, aren't I?" she whispered, looking horrified.

Sesshoumaru paused. What? "Stay here," he commanded, and went into the captain's cabin to fetch some clothing for the girl. It was hard talking to an unclothed one, but it was even harder when the girl had a physique like that. His eyes were turning red at the corners, he knew.

The clothes of female hostages of the past were all thrown haphazardly into a basket. Just this morning he'd pondered throwing them overboard -- after all, he hadn't known that later in the afternoon a new unexpected visitor would 'drop in,' literally. He dug through the pile and selected an old kimono. It hung off the shoulders, but it was a lot more modest than any of the other articles of clothing. He sighed. The only female hostages they'd ever had were prostitutes -- the crew had one night to have some fun with them before they were pushed off the ship the next morning. Luckily the water there was relatively shallow, but he doubted any of them had survived. It made no difference to him.

He made his way up to the deck and shoved the kimono into the girl's hands. "Put it on," he ordered, expecting her to blush or demand that he cover his eyes or something. But she did neither; she slipped the kimono on and tied the obi around so that it resembled some sort of bathrobe.

He turned to his younger brother, whose eyes were bugging out. The look on his face was almost indecent.

"Get to work," he snapped, his delicate face still emotionless. "We'll need to get to the king's castle within two days or I'll shove all of you overboard."

Inu-Yasha was still staring at the girl, who was looking down at the water. If she just leaned out a bit further, her behind would stick up in a way that was most arousing...

He blinked and shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of those dirty thoughts. He was beginning to sound like Miroku.

"Cards?" one of the crew offered. "My cabin. We're playin' 21." He grinned, showing a gap in his teeth. "Winner gets ta share a cabin with the girl."

Inu-Yasha nodded, not quite catching that last bit. A nice game of cards would distract him from...HER.

They each received one card. Somehow, Taro went bust. They were too drunk to figure out why. Their beer was strong. It was his turn. "Hit or dubble or stay?" the dealer grunted.

He looked down at his card. A score of ten. A jack. "Hit," he slurred, the effects of beer taking over. The man passed him a tattered card.

An ace.

"I won," he said triumphantly, showing the dismayed crew his cards. "Blaaaaaaaackjack."

"That ain't fair," someone else complained. "He rigged the deck!"

"I lost...and I already set up a nice little bed for her in my cabin..." Miroku sighed sorrowfully.

Through his drunken, half-conscious mind he heard the words, but they meant nothing to him. "I wooooooon," he repeated, smiling. "My moneeeey..." His snow-white dog ears twitched. "Sleeepy..."

Watching at the doorway, unseen by any of the crew, the girl smiled in amusement, blue eyes lighting up.

'I seem to be enjoying Earth so far...'

Looking down at the ship from above, the King of the Seraphs laughed.

(Change of scene)

Someday Sesshoumaru was going to go into therapy. Someday soon. Having a fully naked young beauty land on the deck of one's ship could do things to one's mind.

Until then, he'd have to deal with her. The thought of shoving her off the ship was tempting, but then he'd probably have the whole crew rise up against him. They were all infatuated with the stranger. Typical human nonsense. Last thing he needed was a mutiny.

Even his brother, who never showed affection if he could help it, was staring at the girl as if his eyes were glued to her face -- which they probably were.

Perhaps the girl could have a little 'accident.' He could stage a demon attack -- while the girl was busy cowering in the cabins, he could go down and 'discover' her mutilated body. But he had never been keen on heartless murder, especially of the female sex. Oh, drowning was fine, but nothing too bloody. Usually he just gave them a nice slash in the face, marring their beauty.

But his crew was not superficial. They didn't discriminate, not even between men and women. Some days he would pass the tiny cabins of the crew members on the way to his larger one and hear moans...masculine moans. Most of these came from the third cabin on the left -- a cabin belonging to a braided man named Bankotsu. His lover, a feminine man named Jakotsu, would often confront him with demands ("I slave day and night, you could at least pay me more, you made me ruin my hair!") or seductive hints ("Hey honey-bunny, wanna join my...party?") He usually moved away, disgusted. But now Sesshoumaru wished that all of his crew were homosexual or even asexual. At least then they wouldn't ogle over women -- like that blasted girl.

The girl. HER, again. Oh, it was settled. They'd get to dry land by tomorrow morning and abandon the girl there or else he'd abandon his crew. Let them 'have some fun' by themselves, he didn't want any part in it.

It was frightening how much of a hold she had over him already.

A/N: End of the first chapter...how'd you like it? I'm not sure if it's going to end out Sess/Kag or Inu/Kag, would you like to vote on it or something?

Review!