Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu, or the story of The Little Mermaid. If you don't believe me...well, really I'm not sure what I'd do if that happens...Ahem, anyway...

AU fan fiction influenced by The Little Mermaid. Most mer-folk are peaceful singers and musicians who live deep within the ocean. But there are some who use forbidden arts; taking the shape of humans, or using music to steal the wills of others.

Warning: Drama, Barely Any Dancing At All, Lots of Made Up Songs, Sea Creatures That Might Not Make Sense, A Dumb Bird Named Scuttle, Clumsy Mermaids-Turned-Human, POV That Will Switch To Who You Least Expect When You Least Expect, No Puppets Other Than People Caught By A Siren's Song, No Turning Into Ducks, No Animal People, No Story Controlling, No Extraordinary Ravens, There IS In Fact A Creepy Old Guy Watching Everyone, And There IS In Fact An Adult Figure Obsessed With Marriage.

Chapter 1: First Sight

There was nothing, it felt so empty, and yet there was so much to see. Small, twinkling lights filled the vastness above the water. I stared in wonder at the silver orb nestled within it, like a glowing pearl. This was what Drosselmyer had described; it was what he called the night sky. I wished I could swim within it, like I did in the water, but my tiny fins wouldn't let me go any higher. My small hands couldn't reach the lights, no matter how hard I tried.

The nothingness was hard to breathe, and I regretfully dove down again. The longing to lift myself back up again was too hard to resist, so I decided I would a few more times before swimming home. I knew I shouldn't, but it was so wonderful! The fact that my father would be furious if he found out, and possibly force me into an engagement like he would often threaten, wasn't enough to pull me away from this beautiful sky.

As I once more gazed upon the pearl known as the Moon, a lovely sound reached my ears. It captivated me, drawing me toward it. I had to know where it came from. As I came closer, words grew into it, forming a song unlike any I'd ever heard. Then I saw him, his white hair and pale skin contrasting the darkness. He stood upon what I was sure was called a ship. If I hadn't been so focused on the beautiful boy, I would have been amazed by the whale sized creation that stood atop the water.

"Twinkle, twinkle little star,

"How I wonder what you are.

"Up above the world so high,

"Like a diamond in the sky.

"Twinkle, twinkle little star,

"How I wonder what you are."

He had a beautiful voice, and it was such a sweet song, like one my elder sisters would to sing to help me sleep. I'd never heard it before, but I loved the way it spoke to the wonders above the both of us. Drosselmyer had always told me that humans weren't so different from us. Neither us, nor the humans, knew the truth behind those beautiful lights beyond our reach.

I watched as the boy sighed, his song finished, "If only I knew the answers. Why did it come to this?"

His words confused me; I had no idea why he suddenly sounded so sad, "Why did what come to what?"

As I spoke, his head turned toward me; his golden brown eyes reflecting the moonlight in a way that made me suddenly feel warm. I waited for him to answer, but for several moments he merely looked at me.

"I...I had to run away from home," he said, after the extended silence, "My Father's Kingdom is at war, and it was no longer safe for me to stay."

A pang of sympathy made me want to cry, "That's horrible! You can't go home?!"

"No," he told me, his head lowered in sadness.

I felt so sorry for him. If only I could somehow help him, make him laugh, or even smile just a bit. I longed to do something for him.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked, "Do you like songs?"

"Yes," he nodded. I could use the power of music to help him!

"Okay!" I smiled and closed my eyes. I would sing my favorite song for him. I hoped he would like it too.

"I sing of the freedom that gives us life,

"The sound that fights through pain and strife.

"I sing of the feeling that brings us tears,

"The sound that destroys each one of our fears.

"I sing of the truth that lives inside us all,

"The sound that demands our answering call.

"This song that I sing is everything,

"For this, the song, I shall forever sing."

The sound of clapping made me open my eyes. The boy was smiling! Singing like this had been hard work, but it was worth it to see his smile! I took a small dive under in a backward flip and came back up closer to the ship. I wanted to see his smile just a bit more closely.

"That was beautiful," he told me, still smiling, "May I sing it with you?"

"Of course!" I told him with a wide smile. I closed my eyes once more and listened closely to his voice as he joined mine.

"I sing of the freedom that gives us life,

"The sound that fights through pain and strife.

"I sing of the feeling that brings us tears,

"The sound that destroys each one of our fears.

"I sing of the truth that lives inside us all,

"The sound that demands our answering call.

"This song that I sing is everything,

"For this, the song, I shall forever sing."

Our voices entwined sounded so lovely to my ears. I'd never been in a duet like this before. I was so happy I couldn't put it to words, it was unlike anything I'd felt before in my young life. The thinness I was breathing didn't bother me so much anymore.

"What's your name?" I asked, suddenly realizing we hadn't introduced ourselves yet.

"My name..." he frowned for a moment, "My real name is Prince Siegfried, but I can't use it now."

"Oh," I frowned too before smiling, "So you have a new one?"

He smiled, "Mytho."

"I like it," I nodded with a smile, "I'm Princess-"

A sudden gust of wind cut me off. I noticed that the sky was an angry black, with the stars and moon quickly being hidden from sight.

"What's happening?" I shrieked above the sudden turbulence.

"It's a storm-ahh!" the ship suddenly heaved and he fell over the side.

"Mytho!" I screamed and dove to reach him as he hit the water. Humans couldn't breathe in the water; I remembered that from Drosselmyer's stories. Mytho sank below the surface; the impact had knocked him out cold. I wrapped one of his arms over my shoulder, holding him as best I could with my small arms, and pulled him back to the surface.

There were many voices coming from the ship, they were all confused and worried. I had no idea how to get Mytho back on the ship in all this chaos, so I decided on the next best thing. Using all my strength, I began towing my unconscious friend toward the nearest shoreline. I'd never been anywhere close to it, but I knew where it was.

...

As I neared what must have been the shoreline, the storm had already passed, and the sky was becoming a marvelous, soft spectrum of colors as the bright light I knew must be the sun rose at the edge of the sky.

The water pulled us forcefully inland, and for the first time in my life I was out of the water. I suddenly felt exposed and powerless on the sandy shore, but I turned my attention to Mytho. Watching him closely, I found he was still breathing, mush to my relief. I gently wiped a strand of his wet hair from his face. I felt a warm feeling looking at him, and though I wasn't sure what it was, it made me happy.

For a few moments I let myself rest beside him, fighting the urge to close my eyes. Fighting the waves while carrying Mytho, and while breathing the thinness, had not been easy. Plus I'd been out all night without sleep. However, I didn't want to look away from Mytho no matter what.

"I wish there was more I could do for you...dear prince..." I whispered to him.

Suddenly a tune filled the air, and I sat up to look for the owner. It was a lonely sound, but willed with a fiery spirit. I realized whoever it was could help Mytho better than I could. Though I couldn't see the person, I could tell they were not too far away from us. Despite my weariness I called to it as I knew best. I sang.

"Dear friend, come hither to me,

"As I wait for you in the darkened sea.

"My hands are too small to be strong,

"But I know with you I can belong.

"Dear friend, please come to my aid

"Before into dark, cold depths I fade

"Dear friend, come hither to me,

"As I wait for you in the darkened sea."

The music halted, and I heard footsteps. As the tide returned close to me I took the chance to return to the water. For some reason the thought of any human other than Mytho seeing me frightened me.

I resurfaced several yards away to see a dark-haired boy stooped over Mytho. He looked around, as if looking for someone, and then lifted the slightly smaller boy over his shoulders. The dark-haired boy stumbled a bit, but he was strong and determined. I watched until I could no longer see them. I was sure he would help Mytho.

With a heavy sigh, I dived down into the water. My father would have noticed my absence by now, and would probably have half the Kingdom searching for me. I could already see his angry face as he shouted, "Princess Ahiru, as punishment for worrying us this way, I will have you engaged to the Prince of _ at once!"

If he ever found out I'd gone to the surface, no amount of my elder sisters' pleading would make him change his mind.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note to Readers: The next chapter will take place 3 months before the Princess's 16th birthday...

I am sincerely sorry to whom ever has had to read this for the umteenth time...unless, by some miracle, it makes you smile...