After a few minutes Myoga worked up the courage to try and comfort the sobbing prince.

"Inuyasha, I . . ." he started.

"Just go away." Inuyasha whispered. Myoga decided to respect the prince's wishes for once, and with a heavy heart he left.

As soon as Myoga stepped out of the grotto, two eels slithered out from between the rocks and started to circle Inuyasha.

"Poor child." Kagura said.

"Poor, sweet child." Kanna answered.

"He has a very serious problem."

"If only there were something we could do."

"But there is something." They hissed in unison.

By this point Inuyasha had had enough. He shot up and bared his fangs at them.

"Who are you?!" he demanded.

"Don't be scared." Kagura said. "We represent someone who can help you. Someone who could make all your dreams come true."

"Just imagine-" they hissed. "You and your prince….together, forever. . . ."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't understand. Explain!" he shouted.

"Naraku has great powers." Kagura hissed into Inuyasha's doggy ear.

"That bastard? Why, that's - I couldn't possibly - no! Get out of here! Leave me alone!" Inuyasha yelled as he buried his head in his arms again.

"Suit yourself." Kanna gave the equivalent of an eel shrug. "It was only a suggestion."

As the eels swam away Kagura *accidentally* flicked Sesshomaru's broken face at Inuyasha.

The mer-prince caressed the handsome face lovingly, before making a split-second decision.

"Wait!" he yelled.

The two eels turned around in unison.

"Yeeeeeeeeeess?" they asked.


Out side of the cave Myoga and Shippo paced back and forth, nearly beside themselves with worry.

"Poor Inuyasha." Shippo sniffed.

"I didn't mean to tell, it was an accident." Myoga tried to justify his snitching to the king.

Suddenly an Inuyasha shaped shadow passed over their heads. Myoga and Shippo's sudden high hopes were brought crashing to the ground as Inuyasha swam right past them, tailed by two eels.

"Inuyasha - where are you going? What are you doing here with this riff-raff?" Myoga demanded. Inuyasha didn't slow down as he answered.

"I'm going to see Naraku." He said icily.

Myoga gasped and grabbed onto Inuyasha's tail in a futile attempt to stop the irate half-demon.

"Inuyasha, no! No, he's a demon, he's a monster!" Myoga yelled. Inuyasha turned and shot the crab a glare that had him shaking in his shell.

"Why don't you go tell my father? You're good at that." The prince yelled, shaking the crab off and swimming away.

"But . . . But, I . . ." Myoga stuttered before turning to Shippo.

"Come on!" he shouted and swam off with the flounder following not far behind.


Inuyasha followed the eels to Naraku's lair and had to stop and stare. Naraku's lair was inside the enormous skeleton of some, long dead, sea-beast. He cautiously swam into the open maw of the beast and had to recoil at the sight of hundreds of withered, seaweed-ish, creatures with eyes that silently implored him to turn-tail and run. The half-demon was about to do just that when a sugary-sweet voice called out to him.

"Come in. Come in, my child. We mustn't lurk in doorways - it's rude. One MIGHT question your upbringing . . .. Now, then. You're here because you have a thing for this demon. This, er, prince fellow. Not that I blame you - he is quite a catch, isn't he? Well, angelfish, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want - is to become a human yourself." The half-octopus, half-human slithered up to the slightly grossed out prince. Inuyasha quickly mentally slapped himself and tuned into what the demon was saying.

"Can you DO that?" Inuyasha asked, incredulously.

Naraku turned around and shot him an evil smirk.

"My dear, sweet child. That's what I do - it's what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk - like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to."

I admit that in the past I've been a nasty

They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a bitch

But you'll find that nowadays

I've mended all my ways

Repented, seen the light and made a switch

True? Yes

And I fortunately know a little magic

It's a talent that I always have possessed

And here lately, please don't laugh

I use it on behalf

Of the miserable, lonely and depressed

(Pathetic)

Poor unfortunate souls

In pain

In need

This one longing to be thinner

That one wants to get the girl

And do I help them?

Yes, indeed

Those poor unfortunate souls

So sad

So true

They come flocking to my cauldron

Crying, "Spells, Naraku please!"

And I help them?

Yes, I do

Now it's happened once or twice

Someone couldn't pay the price

And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals

Yes, I've had the odd complaint

But on the whole I've been a saint

To those poor unfortunate souls

"Now, here's the deal." Naraku said, grabbing Inuyasha's face to make sure that he understood. "I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days. Now listen, this is important." The witch waved his hand over his smoking cauldron, making an image of Sesshomaru float to the surface.

"Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear ol' princey to fall in love with you. That is, he's got to kiss you. Not just any kiss - the kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human, permanently, but - if he doesn't, you turn back into a merman, and - you belong to me." Naraku let out a slightly evil cackle. "Have we got a deal?" he asked.

Inuyasha hesitated, thinking the offer over.

"If I become human." He started. "I'll never be with my father or

sisters again."

" That's right." Naraku said exaggeratedly. "But you'll have your man, plus amazing sex with said man. Life's full of tough choices, innit? Oh - and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment."

"But I don't have any-" Inuyasha started to protest.

"I'm not asking much." Naraku interrupted. "Just a token, really, a trifle. What I want from you is . . . your voice."

Inuyasha recoiled, at the thought of being mute, and unable to communicate with his prince.

"But without my voice, how can I-"

Again Naraku interrupted. "You'll have your looks! Your pretty face! And don't underestimate the importance of body language! Ha!"

The men up there don't like a lot of blabber

They think a guy who gossips is a bore

Yes, on land it's much preferred

For cuties not to say a word

And after all, dear, what is idle prattle 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 cutie who's withdrawn

It's he who holds his tongue who gets his man

Come on, you poor unfortunate soul

Go ahead!

Make your choice!

I'm a very busy man

And I haven't got all day

It won't cost much

Just your voice!

You poor unfortunate soul

It's sad

But true

If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet

You've got to pay the toll

Take a gulp and take a breath

And go ahead and sign the scroll!

Kanna, Kagura, now I've got him, girls

The boss is on a roll

This poor unfortunate soul!!

The contract in front of Inuyasha was practically begging him to sign it. So he closed his eyes and scrawled his name at the bottom.

Immediately the contract flew into the hands of the very smug Naraku. The sea-witch leaned over his cauldron and started chanting.

"Paluga, sarruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea. Now rings us glossitis and max laryngitis, La voce to me! Now . . . sing!" he yelled, pointing at the prince, who was becoming increasingly freaked out. But he obliged and started to softly sing.

"Keep singing!" Naraku shouted as he manipulated two magical hands towards the mer-prince's throat. The hands reached down his throat and when they retracted they were gripping a golden ball of light! Inuyasha clapped his hands over his mouth as a feeling of emptiness settled where his voice box used to be.

Suddenly there was a huge flash of light and Inuyasha was sucked into a gelatinous bubble. Shippo and Myoga watched in shock and horror as their prince's beautiful tail melted away. Leaving a pair of legs in its place. Then Inuyasha was released. He was fine until he tried to breath. He started floundering and his two friends jumped into action, and started pushing him to the surface.

Inuyasha burst out of the water, gasping for air. He then promptly zonked out, and Myoga and Shippo towed him to the shore.