A/N: Sheesh, how long has it been since I've updated!? O.o Almost 3 months!? Geez....-- I gotta get on the ball.

Anyways, this chapter's a bit longso hopefully I don't scare any of you away.

Oh and Dark Angel? (If you're still out there somewhere) The idea you gave me will me coming into play! I'd like to thank you very very much for the suggestion! And sorry it took so long for me to update! I was rolling the idea around in my head for a while because I wanted it to make sense so this is what came out of the jumbled mess you call my brain! XD Not much up there but a bunch of cobwebbs and dust!

Well, enough of me. You've probably been waiting for me to update so here ya go! I hope you like it!

I backed up against the statue and stared at my father in confusion.

How'd he find out about this place?

I caught movement behind him and was surprised to see Cloud; his arms crossed a sly smile on his delicate features. I bit my lip as my father started to speak.

"I consider myself a reasonable father," he growled, low and in his throat. "I set certain rules down not for my safety but for yours!"

"Daddy, I-!" I began to say but my father slammed the butt of his trident on the stone floor to silence me.

"Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?!" He bellowed, advancing on me.

"But, Daddy, he would have died!" I yelled back, escaping behind the statue.

"One less human to worry about!" He shouted turning his back to me. "They're nothing but barbarians! Spineless animals!"

Tears came to my eyes and I shook my head furiously, not being able to take it any longer. "Daddy, I love him!" I shouted. Only after I had said it did I realize that I had made a huge mistake.

"No," my father mumbled, his eyes wide. He looked at me with rage. "Have you lost you mind?! He's a human!

I wrapped my arms around the statue's neck and laid my head on one of the shoulders. "I don't care," I said, pouting like a small child that didn't get their way.

"Tifa…" my father said in low tones, gripping his trident. I am going to get through to you," he said, the trident starting to glow a bright yellow. "And if this is the only way…so be it!"

I stared in horror as he lifted his trident and watched as a huge lightning bolt shot out and destroyed a whole shelf. I dashed out from behind the statue and pulled on my father's arms as he relentlessly continued with destroying all my human treasures.

"Daddy! No! Please, stop!" I screamed, pulling on his arms as fragments of all the different shelves fell on me.

I was still gripping my father's arm when he stopped and I thought that I had gotten through to him. I looked up at him and found that he was staring at something else. I turned and my eyes grew wide as I looked back at him with a desperate look in my eyes. His trident began glowing once more as he lifted it to the stature.

"Daddy! NO!" I screamed as another lightning bolt shot from the three points.

The statue blew up leaving nothing but a pile of dust where it once stood. My arms and tail felt numb as I sank to the floor. Tears blurred my vision as I laid my head down on the rock and began crying. My father left just as quickly as he had come; no 'I'm sorry' or anything. No comfort for his only daughter.

I felt a pair of hands settle gently on my back. I looked up at Yuffie to find her staring down at me with concern in her eyes. I cringed as another hand came to rest on my shoulder. I whirled my head around and glared at Cloud. He pulled his hand back and looked at the ground, as if to say that he was sorry.

"Tifa, I-" He began to say.

"Just go away! Get out of here!" I said, laying my head in my arms.

There was silence for many moments and I thought they had left when Yuffie spoke up.

"Tifa-"

"NO!" I screamed, more tears coming to my eyes. "Leave me alone! Both of you!"

"Okay," Yuffie said, in a small, weak voice as her and Cloud left my grotto.

Yuffie pushed open the large stone and shoved Cloud out then followed. Cloud turned to look at Yuffie, whose arms were crossed defiantly across her chest.

"What was that?" She exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, confused.

"You know what!" She shouted, swimming closer to him. "Telling Tifa's father! Was that really necessary?"

"Everyone knows that human contact is forbidden!" Cloud shouted back, moving away from Yuffie. "I was just following the rules."

Yuffie gave him a look of confusion. "What rules? Last time I checked there were no rules!"

"The rules set by our ancestors!" Cloud shouted, like Yuffie should know.

"Maybe your ancestors, but not mine! Tifa's father is the King of Western Sea, not the Northern!" Yuffie shouted back, trying to make her point.

I sat up and listened to Yuffie and Cloud quarrel. Yuffie was only trying to defend me but her bantering back and forth with Cloud was only making me feel worse.

"Well, well, well," a voice above said. "Look what we have here."

I whirled around and looked up. Two young men who looked to be between twenty-five and thirty were slowly floating towards me. One of the men had fire red hair and bright blue eyes. The other was bald with dark brown eyes. Both had many piercings in their left ears and both their tails were black.

I backed up against a wall and stared at them. "Who are you?"

"Me?" The one with the red hair said. "I'm Reno. This is Rude," he said, pointing to the solemn figure behind him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, beginning to relax.

"Oh, well," Reno said, shrugging his shoulders. "We were just passing by and we heard the argument between you and…who were you fighting with?" He asked, leaning forward.

"My father," I mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"Oh," Reno muttered, raising his hand to his chin. "Well, anyways, we heard the argument with your father so we decided to, well, drop in."

"It seems you're in a bit of trouble," the man called Rude said.

"I know someone who could help you," Reno said, sauntering up to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure what they were talking about.

"Ashela has the power to help you," Rude said, speaking again.

"Ashela?" I said, recognizing the name. "The sea witch? How could she help me?"

"She could make it so you and your prince can be together," Reno said, continuing to circle around her. "We can take you to her."

I looked down at my hands and thought. My father threw Ashela out of the city because he told her that the magic arts she used were forbidden but that didn't stop her from using them to give people what they wanted. I looked up at the two young men and sighed. "Take me to her."

Reno and Rude smiled and led me out the same way they came. We swam past Yuffie and Cloud but I pretended not to see them. I was surprised when someone grabbed my arm and turned me around. Cloud's cerulean eyes stared at me.

"Tifa, where are you going? Who are these-?" He tried to say but I wrenched my arm from his grasp and gave him a disgusted look.

"I'm going to see Ashela," I said, before turning around and began swimming towards the waiting figures of Reno and Rude.

Cloud came up and grabbed me again. "Who's Ashela?"

Yuffie spoke up from behind him. "She's the sea witch that he father threw out of the city."

Cloud looked at me with a shocked look on his face. "Tifa, you can't go see her!"

I moved out of Cloud's grip once again. "Well, why don't you go tell my father then?" I said, hate burning in my eyes. "You're pretty good at that."

I turned once again and swam towards Reno and Rude and followed them to Ashela's lair. Unbeknownst to me, Yuffie and Cloud were following at a distance.

We swam out toward the Wastelands and came to a large underwater volcano. I stopped at the entrance and looked around warily. Reno looked back at me.

"Come on now," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder. "No need to be afraid."

I swallowed hard and followed them into the mountain. After we ventured inside a ways we came upon a part of the path that was covered with brown sickly plants.

Wait.

Those aren't plants...they're.... alive!

I gasped as some lurched out and grabbed me by my wrists. I looked into the eyes of one of them and it seemed to plead 'Don't go in there.' I ripped away from them and quickly swam towards where Reno and Rude were waiting for me. They stood by the entrance to the middle of the volcano.

"Right inside," Reno said, placing his hand gently on my back.

I looked at him and nodded my head. "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem," he said, flashing a flirty smile. "Just doin' what comes naturally."

I smiled at him and swam inside the room.

"Ah, darling!" Came a voice from off to the side.

I looked and what I saw was quite a site to behold. Ashela, though I had never seen her, was more haggard and ugly in person then I could ever imagine. She had a shark tail and her gray hair was pulled up into a tight bun. She swam towards me and took my hands in hers.

"It's so good to finally meet the daughter of the king himself!" She said, a sweet smile on her haggard features. "So, my boys tell me that you have a thing for this prince fellow?" She asked, swimming over to her vanity and sitting on a small stool. She picked up a powder puff and dabbed it on her cheeks a few times. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard. The solution to your problem is you have to become human yourself to get what you want."

I stared at her in amazement as I swam towards her. "Can you do that?" I asked, hoping I hadn't heard wrong.

"Oh, come now, sweetheart," she said turning around in her chair. "I could do it blindfolded." She paused. "Well, let's come over here to my cauldron and review what you want." She rose from her vanity and guided me toward a large stone cauldron. She swept her hand over the surface. The surface began to bubble and she looked at me. "You want to have legs, correct?" She said, digging a few potions out of a cabinet. She carried the bottles back to the cauldron. She opened each of them one at a time and poured the contents in. After she was done, she threw the bottles away and went to the other side of the cauldron.

"Okay, sweetheart," she said, the cauldron bubbling to life. "Here's what will happen. I'll make you a potion to turn you into a human but it will only keep you that way for four days. No more, no less. If you get Prince Charming to fall in love with you before the sun sets on the fourth day you'll remain human permanently, but he has to kiss you. And I'm not talkin' about some peck on the cheek. He has to fall in love with you and give you True Love's Kiss. If he doesn't fall in love with you, well, you'll turn back into a mermaid and you belong to me."

I opened my mouth to speak but Reno and Rude came in. "Ashela, we found these two spying," Rude said, as he and Reno threw Cloud and Yuffie forward.

Ashela gave both of them a disapproving look before walking over to her cabinet and pulling out two more potions. She looked at Cloud and Yuffie. "No one likes a spy," she said, in a pouty voice. "I'll just have to fix it." She looked at Reno and Rude and smiled as they grabbed them, locking their arms behind their backs. She looked over at Tifa. "Oh, yes, we haven't discussed subject of payment yet."

"What do you mean?" I asked, a little confused.

"Well, my dear, you can't get something for nothing. I'm not asking much though. Just a small token," she said, placing her thumbs over the tops and shaking the bottles.

She went back over to where Cloud and Yuffie stood and held the bottles in front of them then released her thumb causing all the condensed liquid inside to rush out and cover Cloud and Yuffie. Smoke rose from the bottles and the liquid on their bodies and when the smoke cleared, Cloud was a dolphin and Yuffie was a seagull.

"Oh," Ashela said, as Yuffie struggled for breath. She snapped her fingers and an air bubble surrounded Yuffie. "That might help."

I gasped as I looked at what used to be Cloud and Yuffie. Ashela saw the look on my face and swam toward me. "Oh, come now, dear. They'll turn back to their original selves at the end of the four days, whether you have your Prince or not. Now we have to figure out what you'll be giving me." She swam around the cauldron and thought. "Hmmm, how could you pay me?" She paused and looked at me. "I know."

"What?" I asked, getting a feeling that I wouldn't like it."

She swam towards me and ran her bony fingers down my cheek. "Your beauty, love."

"My beauty?" I asked, confused.

"Of course," she said, twirling her fingers around in the cauldron. "I've always wanted to be beautiful and you, my dear, are the prettiest young woman I've set my eyes on." She swam towards me and extended her hand. "Do we have a deal?"

I bit my lip and looked at her hand then back at Cloud and Yuffie. I couldn't see anything in their animal expressions. I turned back to Ashela and put my hand in hers. "Deal."

I gasped as I watched the color slowly drain from my skin and sink into her Ashela's. It traveled up her arm and into an amulet that she wore around her neck. My hair lost its silky shine, my eyes lost their wine colored glow and I could feel my face grow withered and old. I looked down and saw my tail separate into two legs. I was filled with joy but it was immediately taken away when I couldn't breath. I grasped my neck and tried to swim up but because I had never had legs before I couldn't figure out how to use them.

I felt myself being pushed up and looked down to see Cloud helping me up to the surface. My head broke the surface and I took a deep breath of air. I latched my arms onto Cloud's dorsal fin and let him swim me to shore. I heard something else break the surface and looked over to see Yuffie looking at me with a concerned look in her seagull eyes.

Once Cloud had gotten me close enough to the beach I slid off his back and sat against a rock, pulling my gritty hair away from my face. Yuffie landed on the rock next to me and looked down at my legs.

"Well, you got what you wanted but..." She said, looking at my face.

I leaned over and looked at my reflection in the water. I looked thirty years older then I actually was. My eyes were dull and dark and my hair was tangled and natty. I covered my face and began to cry.

"How is he supposed to fall in love with me now?" I sobbed. "I look like Death."

"Oh, come on, Tifa," she said, trying to hug with her bird wings. "Beauty isn't all on the outside."

I was about to say something when I heard someone whistling. I looked over the rocks and saw Cait walking along the shore. I reached my arm up and waved at him. "Hey, Cait!"

He looked up at me with a confused look on his cat face. He walked towards me and looked at me thoughtfully. "Do I know you?"

"Cait, it's me! Tifa!" I said, on the brink of crying again.

"What?" He said, astonished. "Really?"

"I traded my beauty to the sea witch for human legs," I said, raising one of my legs.

"Oh," he said, scratching his chin. "Well, we have to find something to dress you in. If anyone finds you they'll probably wonder why you're not dressed."

He walked off and returned a few minutes later with a torn sail in his paws. He handed it to me. "Try and wrap this around yourself. I'll try to find something to hold it up."

I stood on my still shaky legs and managed to wrap the old sail around me. Cait returned a little while later with some rope and helped me tie it around myself so the sail wouldn't fall off of me.

"Now all I have to do is find Vincent," I said, examining myself.

"I actually saw him not to long ago," Cait said, putting his hand on his chin. "He was over there somewhere. I'll go see if I can find him. Wait here."

I sat down on a rock and put my chin in the palm of my hand. I stared at my feet and smiled widely. I was actually a human.

I heard a high-pitched meow and almost fell over when Cait jumped into my arms. I looked down at him then over to the side where he came from and gasped. I jumped off the rock and tried my best to run away from the large red beast that was approaching me. I jumped up onto a large rock and tried to keep away from the beast.

"Red! What are you doing?" I looked up and almost fainted when I saw Vincent jogging up to us.

I looked down at Cait who winked his eye and gave me thumbs up. He hand taken off his gloves, booties, crown and cape so he looked just like a normal cat.

I looked up as Vincent approached me. "Sorry, about that, Ma'am," he said, grabbing Red and ruffling his mane. "Are you okay?"

I nodded my head and looked away from him, kind of embarrassed.

"You look a little beat up," he said, looking at me closely. "Come on," he said, stretching out a hand. "You can come to my palace and clean up."

I smiled and took his hand, surprised at how kind he was. Yuffie followed overhead and I carried Cait in my arms. Once we reached the castle, he brought me to the bathroom and went to fetch a maid. A little while later, a young woman with dazzling green eyes and beautiful chestnut brown hair walked in.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Aeris."

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand.

"Well, you can go ahead and undress while I draw you a bath," she said, smiling sweetly before walking over to a very large bathtub and turning on the water.

I set Cait down on the counter and began unwrapping the sail from around me. I grabbed a towel from a rack and wrapped it around my body and watched Aeris. Once she was finished, Aeris shut the water off and turned to face me.

"There you go," she said, walking towards me. "Enjoy your bath. I'll be back in a little while to show you your room."

"Thank you," I said, shyly.

I waited until Aeris had left the bathroom to step in the bathtub. I dunked my head under the water and sat back. Cait came and sat on the edge of the tub. He looked at me with a concerned look in his black eye.

"Tifa, what happened to you?"

I shed and looked down at my hands. "Have you ever heard of Ashela?" I asked, almost inaudibly.

He nodded his head. "Yes, I have."

"I asked her to change me into a human so I could see Prince Vincent and I had to give her my beauty in exchange for legs. I have to have the Prince fall in love with me by the time the sun sets four days from now or I'll go back to being a mermaid."

Cait looked at me and sighed. "You can't get everything you want, Tifa."

"I know, it's just that the second I saw him I knew I was in love. I've never felt like this about anyone before," I said, reaching for the shampoo. "I know he's the one," I said, working the shampoo into a lather.

After I had finished washing my hair, I grabbed a bar of soap and began to rub it over my body. Aeris walked back in a few moments later and handed me a robe. "Come on, I'll you your room."

I grabbed Cait and followed her through the halls. She stopped and opened a door, leading me through. I set Cait down on the bed and looked around the room. Aeris had gone over to the closet and was rummaging around in it. She pulled out a simple red dress and laid it on the bed.

"Do you need anything else?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

"Well, do you have a piano?" I asked, sort of reluctantly.

"Of course! Once you're dressed, I'll show you where it is! Just let me know. I'll be waiting outside," she said, before leaving the room.

I ran a brush through my hair, the shampoo and conditioner I used making it look and feel a little better. I dressed and walked out of the room with Cait.

"Okay, let's go," she said, guiding me through the palace.

She led me to the front of the palace where the piano sat in front of a large window. I sat down on the bench, set Cait down on top of it and swept my fingers over the keys.

"I'll come get you when dinner's ready," she said, disappearing.

I took a deep breath and put my fingers on the keys beginning to play the very song I had played that night on the boat but this time I added the words.

Making my way down town Walking Fast Faces pass and I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead

Just making my way

Making a way

Through the crowd

And I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you thing time

Would pass me by

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you.... tonight

It's always times like these

When I think of you

And I wonder

If you ever think of me

Cause everything's so wrong

And I don't belong

Living in

Your precious memory

Cause I need you

And I miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by, oh

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you... tonight

And I, I don't wanna let you know

I, I drown in you memory

I, I don't wanna let this go

I, I don't....

Making my way down town

Walking fast

Faces pass and I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead

Just making my way

Making a way

Through the crowd

And I still need you

And I still miss you

And now I wonder

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass us by

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles

If I could just see you... oh

If I could fall

Into the sky

Do you think time

Would pass me by

Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you...

If I could just hold you... tonight

While I was playing I didn't notice Prince Vincent run into the room followed by his cousin, Tseng. Vincent walked up to me and stared at me in amazement.

"Where did you learn that?" He asked, pointing at the piano, eyes wide.

"My mother taught me, that is, before she died," I said, quietly, sweeping my fingers over the keys.

"You play wonderfully," he said, placing his hand on the polished mahogany of the piano.

I smiled and folded my hands in my lamp. "Thank you."

"Come, dinner is ready," he said, backing away from the piano.

I pushed the bench under the piano, picked up Cait and followed Vincent into the dinning room. Vincent pulled out a chair for me and I sat, putting Cait down on the table. Vincent sat next to me at the front of the table and Tseng sat across from me. Something heavy landed on my lap and I looked down, wondering if Cait had jumped down from the table but it was just Vincent's pet, Red. He was looking up at me with puppy dog eyes, probably trying to persuade me for a table scrap.

I pet him for a while before he took his head off my lap and laid down next to my chair. Moments later the chef brought our dishes and we began eating silently. A few minutes later, Vincent set his fork down and wiped his mouth off on a napkin.

He looked at me. "I didn't catch your name."

I swallowed what was in my mouth and wiped my mouth off also. "Tifa."

"Lovely name." He paused. "So what happened to you?"

I gave him a blank stare, trying to figure out what to tell him. I sighed and looked down at my hands. "I don't remember." What could I tell him? 'I traded my beauty for legs so you could fall in love with me?' I don't think so.

"I'm sorry for that," Vincent said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "I hope you remember some day."

I nodded and looked up at him then back down at my hands. It grew awkwardly quiet, that is, until Tseng spoke up. "Well, let's get away from the bad stuff. Vincent, how about you take our guest on a tour of the kingdom tomorrow? I'm sure she'd love it."

Vincent looked at me and smiled. "Would you?"

I nodded. "I'd love a tour."

"Wonderful," he said, setting his napkin down on the table. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then?"

"Of course," I said, rising from the table.

I collected Cait in my arms and walked out of the dining room.

This is great! This could still turn out in my favor! I thought happily to myself.