Author's Comments: Hello! After doing a lot of refreshing of the memory on my part, here's the next story. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Sleeping Beauty, or The Little Mermaid.

He narrowed his eyes. "Ariel and Selphie wanted to go to the aquarium," he growled through his clenched jaw.

Demyx nodded, turning into the driveway of his cousins' house and parking the car. "Yeah."

"And their parents wanted you to take them."

"Yeah."

Zexion unbuckled his seatbelt, thrust the car door open, climbed out, and slammed it shut. "So how the hell did I get dragged into this?"

"C'mon Zex! The girls love you!" Demyx pleaded, shutting his car door with less force and striding to the front door of the house. "They wouldn't stop asking me for a story when I saw them the other day."

"So why didn't you tell them a story?"

"Because I suck compared to you. You know that!"

"I only modified the story of Sleeping Beauty to fit the girls' request. I'm sure you could do the same."

"I don't remember details as well as you do."

Zexion's temples throbbed. "Then make up your own."

"That's too much thinking involved." Demyx shrugged and knocked on the door before Zexion could spit out a sharp comment about Demyx's lack of forced imagination. Soon, a woman appeared and he smiled brightly for her. "Hey Aunty."

"Hello Demyx. Hello Zexion." The woman smiled and out of courtesy, Zexion pulled the corners of his mouth up. "The girls are—"

"DEMMY!"

Zexion stepped to the side as the girls charged right at Demyx and toppled him over, squealing and laughing. He balled his hand into a fist and shut his eyes, willing the headache to go away. Go away. Go. A. Way.

"Thank you for taking care of them today," the girls' mother told them.

"It's no trouble at all," Zexion lied, that plastic smile still glued onto his face. "We'll bring them back by dinner."

She nodded, turning to the girls as Demyx struggled to stand upright. "You two had better behave, alright?"

"Yes, Mama!" they chimed.

"C'mon you two." Demyx took long strides back to the car with a girl wrapped around each leg.

Zexion nodded to the girls' mother and followed them, rolling his eyes and dropping his fake grin once his back was turned.

"Zexy! Zexy!" Selphie screeched from the backseat as Zexion slid into the car. "Tell us another story!"

"Make it a story about fish!" Ariel put in.

"Please make it a story about fish," Demyx pleaded, flashing puppy eyes at Zexion while clicking the girls' seatbelts in place. He leaned towards the front of the car to hiss in his ear, "Do The Little Mermaid or something."

"Why don't you do it?" Zexion hissed back over his shoulder. "That was your favorite movie growing up."

"I only remember the songs!"

"Then sing the story to them."

"Heck no. I'm gonna sound stupid if Ariel starts singing along."

"She's just a child."

"Have you heard her sing? She's the next Hollow Bastion Idol."

"Demmy! I wanna hear a story!" Selphie whined.

"Okay, okay, just hang tight. Zexy's got the perfect story to tell." Zexion exhaled sharply as Demyx shook the back of his seat for emphasis. "Right, Zexy?"

"Of course," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Yay!"

That headache began pounding harder against his temples. Zexion was tempted to wind his seatbelt around his neck and tug.

"You'd better get to it," Demyx chirruped as he jumped into the driver's seat and revved the engine. "The aquarium's a whole hour away."

He sank into his seat, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders. It appeared that unless he was willing to endure an hour of two complaining girls and a smug Demyx (who was sure to take the scenic route to prolong the trip and irritate Zexion), he had no choice but to comply to the girls' wishes. Zexion was not pleased.

But perhaps there was a way to make the story more entertaining for Zexion…Inserting Roxas and Namine as the main characters certainly worked in the Sleeping Beauty story. What if he applied the same concept to The Little Mermaid?

The more Zexion thought about it, the bigger his smirk grew. He knew just the person to use. "Once upon a time…"

…There was a magnificent kingdom deep in the crystalline ocean where all creatures of the sea lived. It was a peaceful, colorful, vibrant kingdom governed by the powerful King Triton, ruler of the sea. All the kingdom's inhabitants were content…except one. The king's youngest son, Riku—

"Pfft! Riku?" Demyx threw back his head and laughed heartily. "R-Riku…Riku's the Little Mermaid?"

"He's a merman."

"Oh mah gawd, that's so funnay!"

"Demmy! Let Zexy continue the story!" Selphie huffed from the backseat.

"Thank you, Selphie." Zexion cleared his throat, straightened in his seat, and restated again:

The king's youngest son, Riku—

"Pfft."

"Demyx."

"I'm sorry! The thought of Riku having a fishtail cracks me up!" Upon glancing Zexion's warning glare, Demyx's giggles subside. "I'm sorry. I'll stop. Go ahead."

The king's youngest son, Riku, was obsessed with what existed above the surface of the ocean—the human world. He could not stop talking about the human world, but not many merpeople minded; his voice held such passion that could not be replicated and held a certain magic that drew others to him. He scavenged shipwrecks and spied on vessels when they passed overhead. His father disapproved, warning him not to go to the surface to see the humans, but Riku never listened.

One night, Riku spotted the shadow of a great ship. Curious, he snuck out of bed and swam to the surface, climbing up the side of the ship and perching just below deck. He snuck a glance…and saw the most beautiful human he'd ever seen. No mermaid compared to her beauty—lightly tanned skin that glowed in the torchlight, bright blue eyes that sparkled, glossy short dark hair that danced in the wind—

Zexion rolled his eyes as he spotted Demyx's jaw drop. "Xion?" Demyx mouthed in shock. "Riku and Xion?"

Clueless idiot. He'd have to explain later…if he had the patience once this ordeal was over with.

The longer he watched her, the deeper in love he fell for the girl. His concentration was broken, however, when he heard a rumbling in the distance. A storm was brewing fast. The waves grew choppy and harsh, slapping the boat so that it rocked capriciously.

Then, a bolt of lightning struck the boat. Riku leapt from his perch and swam a distance away, glancing back as the ship crumbled beneath flames. The humans descended in a dinghy…all but the girl. Riku watched in horror as the girl clambered onto the ship in a panic, shouting and searching the deck for something.

It wasn't until he saw her throw something furry with four legs to the dinghy that he understood why she risked her life to return. Just as the ship began to sink, the girl dove into the rough waters and did her best to stay afloat amidst the rough waters. Still, exhaustion weighed down the girl's limbs and she slowly sank below the surface.

Immediately Riku swam to her side, grabbing her and pulling her to the safety of the shore, speaking his thoughts to her and remaining with her to make sure she regained consciousness. He yearned to be with her longer, but at the sound of voices approaching, he quickly dove into the ocean, lingering out of sight to watch her leave safely with a few other humans.

So intense was his desire to be with the girl he spent every waking moment thinking of her. His strange behavior caused the kingdom to gossip and soon his father the king spoke with him. When Riku proclaimed his love for the girl, his father was enraged. After a heated argument, Riku stormed off, threatening to never speak to his father again.

"Oh no!" Ariel cried.

"Then what?" Selphie wanted to know.

As he swam farther from the kingdom, Riku heard whispers. "There is someone who can help you be with that human," the whisperers revealed. "Seek out Ursula the sea witch and you can become part of that world."

The whisperings intrigued Riku so he set out to find this Ursula. His search led him to the dark cold depths of the ocean where an octopus woman lounged lazily. When asked of his visit, Riku cautiously explained his dilemma. "The only way to get what you want," Ursula told him, "is to become a human yourself."

"Riku's gonna turn into a human?" Selphie exclaimed. "But how?"

"Was Ursula going to do it?" Ariel asked.

Zexion glanced at the girls in the rearview mirror. "Yes, she was," he said. "She had a certain conviction for helping poor, unfortunate souls."

Ursula had conditions, however. Riku must allow Ursula to take his voice in order to change his tail into legs. In order for Riku to become human permanently, he would have to get the girl of his dreams to fall in love with him within three days of becoming human. If the girl didn't kiss Riku before sunset on the third day, he would change into a merman again and his soul would belong to Ursula forever.

Upon Riku's approval, the deed was done. His voice left him, fleeing to a shell hanging from Ursula's thick neck, and his tail split into two legs. He could no longer breathe so he scrambled for the surface of the water, breaking through with a gasp and flailing until he was able to crawl on land.

As he was trying to figure out how to walk, a furry creature with four legs approached him along with the girl he fell for. She came to his side cautiously, asking if he was her mysterious man with the captivating voice who saved her when her ship capsized. Indeed he was, but he could not prove his identity because he could not speak.

Despite her disappointment, the girl introduced herself as Xion and took Riku to her home—a castle standing proudly on the seashore. The two became friends as they spent time together, communicating through hand signals and yes-or-no questions. He learned that Xion was a princess who loved voyages on the ocean and her dog Max. The more time he spent with her, the greater Riku's love for her grew and the greater his need to get her to kiss him became.

Sooner than he liked, the third day approached. However, when he went to greet the princess, he found another man at her side. His heart broke when he overheard Xion confess her belief that the strange man was her rescuer and bid her servants to prepare for an immediate wedding with him.

"What?" Selphie cried slash shrieked, drawing out a flinch from Zexion. "No! She's supposed to be with Riku!"

"Yeah!" Ariel—and Demyx, to Zexion's chagrin—chimed in.

Zexion took a moment to breathe in deeply and let his irritation mostly seep out with his exhale. "Be patient, you three," he said. "Just listen to the story."

All hope was lost as he watched the sun make its way across the sky and the girl of his dreams sail away on her ship with the wedding party.

"NO-O-O-O! That's not what's supposed to happen!"

"I don't like this story!"

"Zex, you suck at story-telling."

"I said be patient," Zexion growled, his fingers twitching as he fought the urge to rip his hair out. "You'll get your happy ending."

At that moment, a friend of his—a seagull named Scuttle—flew to his side and informed him that the man Xion was about to marry was Ursula the sea witch in disguise.

"I knew it."

"Shut up, Demyx."

Riku's resolve to stop the wedding exploded with the new knowledge he'd acquired from his friend. He leapt into a dinghy and rowed after the ship as his friends from the sea did all they could to stall the wedding upon Scuttle's instruction. Just as Riku climbed aboard the ship, he watched the shell around the man's neck shatter and his voice returned to him. As Riku spoke, Xion finally realized that it was he who saved her that night. It was all too late, though, for the sun had set and Riku's legs were transforming into the tail of a fish. Ursula changed back to her original form and snatched Riku with her octopi legs, disappearing into the depths of the ocean.

Riku's father, the king, confronted Ursula and demanded the release of his son, but because Riku was under contract with Ursula, he could not be freed. The king vouched to take Riku's place as Ursula's prisoner, much to Riku's indignation. The offer was one Ursula could not refuse, and so the king relinquished his authority as king of the sea to her and shrank into a powerless polyp.

"What's a polyp?"

Zexion racked his brain for an answer that two little girls could comprehend easily...and grimaced upon realizing he'd have to use the most ungraceful word in the English language. "It's a small…thing."

"Oh."

Riku tried to take his father's trident from Ursula, but she rounded on him, warning against aggravating her. Just then, a spear shot by Ursula, nicking her arm. When Riku looked for the source, his heart sank upon seeing Xion glaring resentfully at Ursula.

Ursula ordered her cronies—two electric eels—to hold the girl in place for her to kill, but just as she was about to shoot lethal energy at Xion, Riku yanked on Ursula's hair and caused her to miss, hitting and killing her cronies instead. Together with Xion, Riku quickly swam to the water's surface before Ursula snapped out of her shock.

"And they escaped and lived happily ever after!" Ariel cheered.

Zexion shook his head. "Not quite."

As Xion and Riku broke through the surface, the waves grew choppy and the dark clouds above them swirled ominously. Before their eyes, an enormous Ursula rose high above them, cackling and commanding the waves to crash and separate them. Riku watched in horror as Xion was swept away and as Ursula stirred up a whirlpool with her huge trident. "The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!" Ursula declared.

Shipwrecked vessels spun with the whirlpool's current. Riku was sucked into the center of the whirlpool, trapped for Ursula to zap and kill. Fruitlessly he dodged every bolt and tried to come up with a way to defeat the sea witch. All hope slipped away from him when he saw Ursula position the trident above her head in preparation for a violent downward thrust…

Suddenly, a loud cry of agony shot through the howling wind. Riku whipped his head to Ursula and saw her convulsing and shrieking at the ship that was stabbed into her side. The whirlpool collapsed around him as Ursula sank.

When the storm calmed, Riku swam close to the shore where Xion was resting, watching her with sad eyes. He dared not approach her, though, lest his gravity of the situation weigh heavier on his heart. He doubted he'd ever be with her now that he was a merman again.

But then, a glow from below caught his eye. When he looked down, he saw his tail separating into legs. In wonder he searched for the source of the magic and found his father, smiling gently at him and quietly bidding him to be with Xion. Riku's heart soared upon receiving his father's blessing and gift and he ran to the shore to be with Xion. The two married and lived happily ever after.

"Yay!" the girls in the back seat cried. "Riku and Xion lived happily ever after!"

"Yay!" Demyx cheered along with them…but for a slightly different reason. "We found good parking and the girls get in free!"

Zexion undid his seatbelt with a shake of his head. His mouth was dry and his tongue tired from all the talking he did. The next story would have to be less wordy.

Not that there was going to be another story, he hoped.

"Riku and Xion! Riku and Xion!"

He seriously doubted there would be another story once Riku tried to strangle him upon hearing of Zexion's little story modification this time around. Not that Zexion minded; the inability to tell any more stories would seem like more of a reward for turning Riku into a half-fish, commonly feminine creature.

Author's Afterthought: What'd you think? Kind of an unexpected cast of characters, maybe, but hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review! Thanks for reading!