Deprived of Oxygen

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Still don't own Inuyasha or Little Mermaid.

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Chapter Two:

I've Caught... A Girl?!

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During the time that Kagome Higurashi was cursing her corset due to too many rabbit-shaped rice balls, Inuyasha swam violently through the Pacific Ocean, his face in a stern scowl, his golden eyes slowly turning a light violet, his unusual (even for mermen) shaped ears were transforming into normal ears, and his tail... dear god, his tail was disappearing! If he didn't find a ship or land soon, he'd suffocate under the ocean. Luckily, he saw the stern of a ship as he swam, so he'd be able to be pulled aboard. He chuckled, even in his angered attitude, as he thought about what the sailors would think if he disappeared the next morning.

Suddenly, as he felt the last of his gills disappear, he swam out of the water, onto a nearby rock, when he saw the ship sail past him. 'Damn it! I'm too late!' He thought, angrily, until he heard a loud splash near him. He looked over where the splash sounded, and saw a dark head bobbing on the surface of the water. 'What the...' He swam up to the head, and pulled it out of the water. He looked at the face intently, almost like he was struck by it.

It was a girl, very beautiful, with dark hair (so far as he could tell in the night), and a pretty heart-shaped face. Still, the one thing that turned him off was her legs. She was a human. He scowled at her, and then shook her shoulders until she awoke.

"Huh...? Wha...? Kouga-kun, why did you wake me up?" The girl asked, opening her eyes. Inuyasha scowled, and peered into her face. "AH!" She slapped Inuyasha away, before starting to sink. "Kyaaa~a! Help me! Save me!" Inuyasha sighed, and pulled her towards the rock, and motioned for her to sit on it. All the while, as he was pulling her to safety, he kept thinking, 'Just a second ago she was slapping me.' When she calmed down a bit, she looked around. "Where are we?"

"The ocean," Inuyasha answered bluntly. The girl shook her head, and placed a hand upon her forehead; the natural symbol of annoyance.

"No, I mean, where in the ocean? Are we near land?" Inuyasha shook his head. "Damn it." Inuyasha looked shocked when the girl said it. Sure, he said it a lot, but he was a man. This was a woman. No, she looked more like a woman-child.

"Why did you jump from the boat?" Inuyasha asked. The girl shook her head.

"I didn't jump. I fell."

"Sure, tell yourself that," Inuyasha answered, looking away from her.

"What are you doing out here?" Her question made Inuyasha turn back to stare at her. "Quit staring at me, and answer my question."

"None of your business," Inuyasha answered, and looked down into the depths of the water. He was hoping Miroku or Sango or even his no-good brother Sesshoumaru would come to help him out.

"I'm Kagome. Who are you?" She asked. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, and turned, yet again, to the girl.

"Inuyasha. Now, could you please shut up!" He glared at her, who, in turn, glared back at him. She "hmph"ed, and looked out to sea. Inuyasha turned back to see Sango and Shippou swim up to him. The young mermaid and her kitsune-merchild friend were both decorated in shining gems and pearls. "Finally. Did Dad give you the seaweed?" Sango sighed.

"This is the thanks I get for swimming over two miles," She handed him a few leaves of seaweed, and Inuyasha gobbled them up quickly. Suddenly, an "EW!" was heard from Kagome. The merpeople turned to her, and Sango gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what is she doing here? She jumped from her ship," Inuyasha said, still chewing his seaweed. Sango slapped him.

"No, I mean, why is she in the ocean? She's supposed to be in the Wolf Tribal lands," Sango answered. "She's Kouga's intended. I heard it recently from a fishing ship." Inuyasha turned to glare at Kagome.

"You," He said, "were going to marry that prick?" Kagome glared right back at him.

"Yes," She answered, "And he's not a prick." Inuyasha snorted, and sat beside her on the rock. What she saw when he came out of the water... "KYAAA!!!"

"Inuyasha, why is she screaming?" Sango asked, covering her ears.

"I don't know!" He shouted over Kagome's shrieks. "Hey! Why are you shouting?!" She stopped for a minute, before pointing south of the border.

"You're... naked.." She whispered, and turned away. Inuyasha looked down, and then leapt into the water, embarrassed. Shippou, the only one who had no idea what was going on, continued to look confused, as Sango was doing the same as Kagome, avoiding looking at Inuyasha.

~*~

Shortly after dawn broke, Inuyasha could feel his hair change, and feel his claws grow back. He sighed, and leaned against the rock, not noticing Kagome waking up. He suddenly felt hands upon his unusual ears. He turned, and saw Kagome massaging his ears. He could barely make out what she was saying, since it was so slurred in her half-asleep state.

"Cute..." She said. "Doggy ears are so cute..." Inuyasha slapped her hands away, and glared at her. "Hmm?" She opened her eyes, and looked at Inuyasha. "Who're you?" She yawned, and slid slowly into the water.

"Hey, Inuyasha, we have to go," A shout from Shippou said. "Your dad asked us to watch you last night, but now we gotta split." A splash signaled their departure. Suddenly, Inuyasha turned to look at Kagome. She was looking around, as if confused.

"Where did Sango go? Did she have a boat nearby?" She asked, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes. Inuyasha sighed. Then he nodded. "Good! Maybe she can help me find some land!"

"Get on my back. I'll take you to the closest island," Inuyasha said, before he could think about it. When he remembered what he just said, it was too late.

"Arigatou!!" She hugged Inuyasha tightly, and climbed aboard his back. "Okay, I'm ready."

~*~

By the time they reached the nearest island, Kagome fell asleep again. Inuyasha placed her on the coastline, and looked at her face, before covering her forehead with his hand.

"I can't let you remember me or what you just saw," Inuyasha recited. "You must forget everything that happened after you wake up. Just pretend it's a dream." He took his hand off of her face, and started to swim away. He turned to look at her, and then turned back to the sea.

He didn't notice Kagome waking up to see his tail flip in the water.

"Oh, I've always wanted to see a dolphin.." She muttered, before going back to sleep.

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author's note: This should be longer than the first chapter. Also, I'm very partial to this story. It'll be more like the Little Mermaid after this chapter.

Misao CG: ^_^ I love your fics! Arigatou for reviewing!! ^_^

Porifra: Is this soon enough? ^_- Thank you so much for reviewing!

Next Chapter: Excuse Me, But Who Are You?

Sneak Peek (since I'm nice): "Kagome! There you are!" Kouga hugged her tightly. Kagome pulled away from the youkai's grasp, and looked at him, nearly afraid. "Where have you been? Have you been hiding on the ship?"