It has been way too long since chapter one. I promise to try harder to post sooner, but Memorial Day weekend is next week and work will be busy, so no guarantees.

Chapter Two- Lovestruck

"Sango," Kohaku murmured. Why would his sister do something so reckless? Humans could come by those ships to retrieve them and drop nets into the ocean to do so. If Sango was around when that happened, she could possibly get captured.

"You don't think I was too hard on her, do you?" Senmonka asked gently.

"Of course not Father. I know how dangerous humans are."

"Good. Perhaps you could keep an eye on her for me."

"You want me to spy?"

"Spy isn't the right word. You're just watching out for your sister. Of course, you'll tell me if she's disobeying the rules, won't you?"

"Sure, Father."

Senmonka patted his son's head. "That's my boy. Now, catch up to Sango and stay out of sight."

Nodding, Kohaku turned and swam out the door and down the corridor. Once out of Senmonka's sight, Kohaku sighed in frustration. He didn't know which way Sango went. The sea had an infinite number of directions and she could be anywhere.

A flash of green caught his eye. Turning, he saw his sister and her friend, Kagome. The pink-tailed girl handed a pouch to Sango as they glanced around furtively before swimming off. Curious, Kohaku followed.

The mermaids led Kohaku far from the kingdom. His fins were getting sore and he hoped the girls would arrive at their destination soon. His prayers were answered when they stopped in front of a blocked cave entrance. They tugged on the rock, creating an opening just wide enough for them to slip through.

He waited until the entrance closed before going up to it. He pulled it open a little, wriggled through, and quietly closed it behind him. He slowly moved down the short corridor and peered around the corner. What he saw made him gasp softly. A hand went to his mouth.

Around the corner was a huge grotto. Rocks jutted from the wall, forming natural shelves. A slanted flat rock stood in the middle of the area. But what shocked Kohaku was that the place was full of human objects! He saw Sango remove an item from her pouch and put it on a shelf before reaching in again and pulling another object out.

"You okay, Sango?" Kagome asked from above. "You were awfully quiet on the way here."

"Father doesn't understand," Sango replied. "I don't see humans the way he does. Humans can't be all bad if they make such wonderful things like these."

"I know what you mean."

"Who knows, Kagome? Maybe one day, we'll be able to live up there."

Kohaku began to back up. He had to tell Father about this place. He knew Sango was going to be in big trouble, but it was for her own good. He didn't get far when his fins hit a rock and sent it flying into the grotto. It made a "thwack" sound as it hit the flat rock.

"Who's there?" Sango demanded, swimming into the corridor. She stopped short and gasped. "Kohaku!"

Kagome came up behind her, saw the merboy, and murmured, "Oh, dear."

"Sango, why?" Kohaku asked softly. "Why are you doing something like this? Father won't like it."

"You won't tell him, will you?" Kagome demanded.

"Please brother," Sango pleaded. "He would never understand."

"Sister, perhaps we should discuss this before bringing Father into this." Kohaku took Sango's hand. "Let's go home and-,"

A shadow passed over the hole in the top of Sango's grotto, causing Kohaku to break off in mid-sentence.

"What in the-," Sango began before swimming out of the cave, her brother and friend in tow. Kagome, however, was the only one to keep following. Kohaku stopped because Sango was heading for the surface.

"Sister, stop! Come back!" he called.

Sango slowly rose up to see colors exploding in the sky. It was so beautiful and it seemed to hint at joviality. She looked over at Kagome who had also come up. Both of them smiled and broke into short giggles before composing themselves enough to head for the source of the color: A ship.

They drew closer and discovered overhangs next to an opening where they could observe the activities aboard without being seen. What they saw filled them with awe. There were dozens of human men who were laughing, dancing, and making music. It looked like some sort of celebration.

Light, quick movement below the men's legs drew Sango's attention. There was a curious-looking creature prancing around on four legs. It had large orange eyes and what appeared to be two tails. She watched it dance around when it stopped and seemed to be sniffing the air. It walked in their direction, still sniffing. Sango and Kagome quickly flattened themselves against the ship. A cooing sound prompted Sango to face the opening and she found herself looking into the creature's eyes. It cooed again before licking Sango's cheek twice.

"Kirara, be careful, girl," a man's voice called. "I don't want you falling overboard."

The creature, Kirara, turned and headed for the voice. Sango peered through the opening to watch her. She wound herself around a pair of legs before leaping into a set of hands. Those hands brought her up to a face-

Sango's mouth dropped. It was the most handsome face she had ever seen. His blue eyes twinkled merrily and were accented by his black hair that had a small ponytail at the nape of his neck.

Kagome watched the celebration again after the creature ran off. She found humans fascinating to watch. They had the same upper body merpeople had, but below the waist was a different story.

She noticed Sango was staring at something. Curious, she said, "Sango? You all right?"

She smiled dreamily at her friend. "I'm in love," she replied.

"What?"

"Mmm-hmm. That one," she pointed at the man holding Kirara.

Kagome followed Sango's gaze. She tilted her head. He was cute, there was no denying it. Another human approached the man.

"Hey, Miroku! Great party," the new human said, clapping him on the back.

"Thanks, Inuyasha." As opposed to his friend, Miroku's tone was a little soft.

"Still bummed about the princess, huh?"

"Well, that and my family's curse. Another year gone and the hole gets bigger."

Kagome listened to their conversation, but looked at Inuyasha. He was unusual-looking for a human. His hair was long and silver while his eyes were a deep gold.

"Don't give up Miroku," Inuyasha said. "You'll find your bride and have a child to continue the search if you're unable to."

"True. I just have to believe that I'll find the right girl. She's out there somewhere."

A flash of light and a rumble of thunder drew the attention of everyone on the ship. A storm was brewing and everyone was running around to prepare themselves for a rough time.