A/n Oh! I'm such a horrible fanfic writer…I swear. I can't believe I've waited so long to update this story. I deserve the whipping I'm sure you're about to give me. The horrible thing is that I had this chapter typed up weeks ago. I just forgot that I did indeed finish it. I know… I suck. Well, I'm off, enjoy!

Time past agonizingly slow for the littlest mermaid. But finally it was here, on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, Kaoru could hardly sleep. She lay there, listening to the soft sounds of her sisters sleeping. Megumi's wedding would take place in a month, Tae was engaged and Sayo was starting to favor one of the mermen. Misao turned all suitors away, proclaiming that she didn't want to deal with them just yet. And instead of doing princess-like things, Misao went with the guards to go shark hunting, and she was becoming very good at it. Tubame was still so shy that she could hardly utter a word when a male came up to her; she hadn't even gone back to the surface after her first glance.

Kaoru tossed and turned but sleep finally came and she dreamed of swimming to the surface but never being able to reach it.

… . . …

Gifted with handmade belts, jewelry and with beautiful flowers woven in her hair, Kaoru thanked each of her sisters. Then her grandmother came with the small bag of clams and smiled gently at Kaoru. "I see my youngest princess is finally ready to see all that she wanted to see. The wait wasn't as bad as you thought."

No, it was worse. Kaoru thought to herself as she watched her grandmother place the first clam on her tail. Like all her sisters before her Kaoru gave a yelp of surprise as the thing clamped painfully on the thin membrane that was her tail fin. She held her tongue as three more were placed on her tail. She gave a few experimental flicks of her tail and found that the clams hardly weighed her tail down, in fact, once the pain ebbed away, she would forget they were there entirely. A sparkling blue sapphire set in silver was her pendant. The deep dark blue of the stone matched her eyes and she thanked her father with an excited embrace. Soon the well wishes were over and Kaoru watched as her family and the rest of the royal court turned to swim away.

It was then that fear shot from the tip of her tail to the top of her head and down each arm. She was really doing it. She was really going to the surface. And she was doing it all alone. Realization was like swimming in a cloud of freezing water. She was excited, yet afraid. She glanced around as her kin vanished into the coral kingdom. No one was around and it was quiet, save for the hammering of her heart in her ears. Kaoru took and deep breathe and flicked her tail. She swam, not to any place particular, she was just going to swim until her courage returned. Slowly she left the depth of her ocean kingdom and came upon slightly more shallow waters. Here the light was brighter, the fish-life more plentiful. She had only come here during family outings. She remembered playing with her sister in the thick kelp beds that grew there.

The day wore on and the water was shallower still. She was getting close to land; she could feel it pulling at her like a strong current, like a magnet. But the light was ebbing away and Kaoru suddenly wanted to witness the sun falling into the ocean. So she stopped and glanced upward. There, right above her head, was a large dark mass on the surface of the water. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't see it as it was starting to pass over, or noticed the creaking or groaning that usually came when human water-ships passed by.

Suddenly Kaoru knew what she wanted. It was as if her fear melted away and her old self returned. She wanted to see the ship, she wanted to see humans. She wanted it more than anything at that moment. So without pause, Kaoru kicked her tail and she shot upward. Overhead the vessel slowly loomed away, but it was slow and Kaoru would catch up. She would break the surface first, and then investigate once she knew it was safe.

It was almost like her dream, closer and closer the surface came and it seemed that Kaoru would never get there. But suddenly without warning the surface loomed an arm's length away and her courage drained again. But she refused to back down now. Her tail gave one last hard kick that propelled the littlest mermaid through the surface.

Oh, it was beautiful. The sky was blue, the sunlight warm. It made the drops of water she had kicked up from her breaking the water sparkle like jewels. She had never seen anything so wonderful. Then, just as she settled, the splash returning to the ocean, she turned to the ship and took her first breath of air.

Instantly Kaoru thought her lungs must have shriveled up, scalded by the warm, dry air. Pain shot from her chest to every inch of her body. Water gurgled up from her throat as her lunges expelled it. It was like inhaling sand, hot sand that clogged up every nook and cranny of her lungs. The small mermaid thrashed, but refused to dip back under the water. The air left her lungs as a painful cry that sounded strange to her ears. It took every ounce of will she had to take a second breath. She did and the pain returned, though it was not as bad as the first breath. She bobbed in the wake of the ship and it continued to lumber onward. She realized her hands where clawing at her throat and chest and she forced herself to stop.

The third breath came, then the fourth and the fifth. With each one the pain eased and the breath came without thought. Her heart was pounding heard in her chest, adrenaline raced in her system. She had never felt anything like that before. Was it what all her sisters felt when they took their first breath of air? No wonder no one ever talked about that first moment. It would frighten mermaids into never going to the surface. But instantly Kaoru knew that the pain was a small price to pay to see life above the water.

The sun was a golden orb in the sky and even though it was already starting to fall into the sea, Kaoru could feel the warmth of its rays. She wanted to feel those warm rays when the sun was its strongest. The ship was yards away now, but Kaoru caught up to it with ease with a few twitches of her tail. It was moving at a lazy pace and it was easy for the mermaid to keep up, even with large waves rocking the vessel back and forth. She reached out her hand as she grew close and touched her first human thing. The waterlogged wood was covered in barnacles, white and grey coruscations that grew like a callouses on the bottom of the ship. The wood moaned and groaned, thought it was not as eerie or as loud as it had been when she was under the water. The sails of the ship where bright, despite the fading light and they snapped in the brisk gusts of wind. Though Kaoru didn't know the names or purpose for any of this, she was fascinated still. Her gaze never left the ship and she followed with it. She could hear voices over the sound of the water. Human voices! Kaoru could hardly hold in her excitement. Though she had no clue as to what they were saying, it was a joy just to listen to them. She thought she would shout with amazement when she spotted a few sailors working on the edge. She swam back a bit to keep from being spotted and to catch sight of their legs. Truly it was as her sisters had described. They looked almost like they did, except they had no tail, but two thick, column-like appendages on which they balanced.

They moved effortlessly on those legs, even with the motion of the ship. Kaoru found it impossible to imagine trying to keep from flopping over. Soon the sun vanished into the water and Kaoru watched in awe as the darkness rose up from the opposite horizon to cover the sky overhead. Soon the glittering gems her grandmother and sisters talked about blinked to life in the inky blackness.

Warm light shone from small windows in the ship and lanterns hung from ropes on the deck. Kaoru was amazed at this. What created the light? Was it what her grandmother called fire? A concept that was difficult for the merfolk to grasp. Music started up and the voiced got louder. Kaoru couldn't help but clap her hands in joy at the sound of it. Human music! Though not a nice as the music of her own kind; Kaoru found the lively human music enjoyable. The swells grew, lifting and rocking the ship more and more, but the music never stopped, the agreeable voices didn't slow.

Kaoru felt her eyes turning to deeper waters. A darkness more black than the night sky seemed to loom out there. A strange feeling of needing to dive into deeper waters seem to take Kaoru but she ignored it. She wasn't going to miss her first night on the surface.

A rope dangled from the side of the deck and it dipped in and out of the water as the boat rode the waves. An idea came to her then, one so crazy, she knew her sisters would never of been so daring, even Misao. Her fear was gone now, replaced by curiosity and an intense need to learn. Before she could stop and think, Kaoru reached up as the rope dipped into the water and took hold of it. The rising waved helped but Kaoru found it a struggle to haul her body out of the water. Her tail was twice as long as her upper body and her arms were not use to such heavy lifting. But with hardly a grunt, the littlest mermaid pulled her glittering blue body up the side of the ship.

Her arms burned and shook with effort, but she was able to drape her scaled body on the frame of one window and she peeked over the edge and onto the deck. She smoothed a gasp and the urge to dive back into the water. Humans milled about on the ship, some looked like they were working, and others were playing the music and some were dancing. They were just a few feet from her spying eyes. Their booted feet were walking just past her. Her smile could only grow and grow as she tried to take in every detail and understand all the activity going on.

They seemed nice humans, for the most part. And from the general shape of their upper bodies, Kaoru concluded that they were all males. A large group directly in front of her parted and a brilliant flash of red brought the young mermaid's attention to a delicately shaped face. Kaoru was captivated right away. Less harsh looking than the rest of the sailors, this man had hair the color of the reddest coral. His eyes were large and amethyst. He was smaller than most of them, but his dress hinted at importance. Kaoru held tight to the wood and gazed upon this man with rapport.

"Happy birthday, Your Highness." Said one frilly dressed man beside him.

"Thank you." He said in return. And though Kaoru couldn't understand them, she couldn't help the little smile that his soft voice brought to her.

… . . …

"Yeah Happy Birthday Kenshin!" Sanosuke said, walking up and slapping the prince on his shoulder.

Laughing, he thanked his best friend and took the cup of sake he offered him. "I love the sea." He said, turning to gaze at the black waters.

"I know, you come out here for these all night voyages every year on your birthday." Sano said, downing his sake in one toss of his head. "Parent's been nagging you to get married yet?" It was only because Sanosuke was such a close friend that he would dare refer to the King and Queen in such a way.

"Excessively, that they are." Kenshin said, sipping his sake and savoring the flavor.

"Well, you are twenty-five."

"I know." The prince turned his purple eyes up to his friend. "I want to get married, don't get me wrong…I just want it to be to the right person."

Sanosuke glanced up and the paper lanterns as the bobbed in the wind. "We'll you could always sail this ship with its red and gold paint and wood carved into a hundred dragons and woe the heart of any princess who might see it. You're not too bad looking either, that's a plus."

Kenshin laughed, passing off his empty cup. "It's not that easy Sanosuke. What about you? Are you ever going to get married?"

"Arg, bite that tongue of yours Kenshin." The taller man said and they both shared a laugh.

… . . …

They had stepped closer. Kaoru was ducking down as far as she could without blocking her view of the red-haired human. His taller friend seemed nice as well and they talked quietly of matters Kaoru couldn't understand. But just as she started to relax, content to just gaze up at him. She noticed that both of them were watching the dark horizon intently; as well as a few other humans on the ship.

Kaoru's eyes pulled away from the handsome human and gazed off in the direction that had been tugging on her attention all night. The patch of darkness further out to sea. Flashes of light illuminated the churning clouds. Kaoru knew instantly what it was and fear suddenly washed over her like the waves that were washing higher and higher up the ship. The human music stopped and their voices turned from jovial to urgent. Watching to make sure she wasn't seen, Kaoru backed away and dove for the safety of the churning water. Her instincts told her to dive for deeper water and wait out the storm, but she didn't want to leave the human ship just yet. Wind blew harder, the waves grew and the light that bobbed on thin rope suddenly flared and fire ate the colorful material that held the flame in its delicate grasp. The men scrambled to put the flames out. And as much as the sight of fire captivated the mermaid, thunder was rumbling even louder. Wind filled the sails until the ropes snapped tight and the ship picked up speed.

Kaoru couldn't hold back the cry of dismay as the ship was hit broad side by a large wave.

… . . …

"Hear that." Sansuke said and he and Kenshin urgently helped the sailors clear the deck.

Kenshin had heard something ebb out from the darkness, he nodded slightly.

"Cry of the mermaid… there's a bad storm coming." Sano informed.

"I could have told you that without the mermaid cry." Kenshin said dryly jabbing his finger at the approaching storm. "Let's hope this wind will push us back to port." This was a ship built for celebrating; it was not like other ships. It wouldn't be able to weather the storm as well. But just as this thought raced through his mind, a flash of lightning snaked over their heads, and that same cry rose out from the black before the thunder deafened the crew.

"There it is again, dire warning." Sano shouted and he helped tighten ropes even as the rain started to pelt. "This is going to get bad. Kenshin, perhaps you should go below for safety. I'm not jumping in after your royal ass if you go overboard!"

"Thanks, but I'd rather help!" Kenshin shouted before vanishing into the crowd of scrambling sailors to find something to help with. Though he was a prince, Kenshin knew hard work. He loved being on ships at sea, and he was an active warrior. A little storm and a rocking boat wasn't going to frighten this prince.

… . . …

Kaoru watched the storm as she bobbed in the choppy waters. The storm was growing and moving towards them and an unnaturally fast pace. Was it her fault? Had she somehow cursed the human vessel when she touched it? While she knew that mermaids had wonderful powers, she also knew that they had terrible powers as well. They could bring joy or a watery death to humans, but she was too young to learn of such things and so she didn't know if she was the cause of this disaster.

Rain beat down, water from the sky, it would have been amazing if Kaoru wasn't so terrified. Waves grew till they rose up larger than the ship itself. Like a wall bearing down on the ship. Luckily, the vessel was pointed at the waves, so the ship simply rose and fell with the wave. Kaoru had to dive deep into the water to keep from being sucked up into the wave. Down below, where the water was dark and calm, it was hard to imagine the spectacle taking place on the surface. How many times had a human vessel fall victim to a raging storm while they lay ignorant in the deep, far away from noise and churning water. Lungs rejected the water when she rose up into the air, but her lungs didn't ache, now use to the air. Still, the act of coughing up the water from her lungs was distracting and she was swept away from the ship, caught in a powerful current.

Ropes snapped, Kaoru could hear them like the strings of a musical instrument. White sails were yanked, their ropes frayed ends of twine. Without the sails, the ship was slave to the currents and wickedly they pushed the ship against the waves, so that they no longer pointed at them, but the broad side of the ship now faced the onslaught. Kaoru swam with all her might but she couldn't make up the space that was growing. Wave after wave beat the side of the boat but it always seemed to make it through. Then, the sea pulled and Kaoru turned to watch the wall of ocean lift into the sky. It curved in a graceful arch, the lighting making the water shimmer in all its power. Then, the wall fell, landing against the ship and flipping it completely on its side. A second wave hit it moments later and the small celebratory vessel groaned in protest, wood screamed and splintered. The sails dipped into the water and flapped no more humans cried, shouted. Kaoru couldn't look away from the devastation as a third wave beat the wounded boat into its death throes.

Kaoru dove to get away from the current before it to sweep her any further away. She swam deep and fast back to the ship and watched from below as the vessel broke into a hundred bits. Wiggling bodies of the humans struggled in the water before another large wave hit them and spread them far and wide from the ship's remains.

Kaoru sobbed, mourned for the humans who, with their music and laughter, seemed so joyous just moments ago. "No!, oh no, no." She wept.

Then she saw a flash of red as lightning illuminated the waters for just a moment. Yet it was enough for Kaoru to see the pretty red-haired human sinking in the water. If she had in fact cursed the vessel, she wasn't going to let the human die. With powerful kicks of her tail she swam up to the human and grabbed him. He was heavy and she didn't have the strength to haul him to air. Struggling, Kaoru fumbled with the long, billowing clothes that he wore, the brightly colored top was yanked free and it was all Kaoru needed. She grabbed him under the arms, wrapping her arms around his chest and with powerful undulations of her tail exploded into the chaos of the surface.

Once again her lungs gave back the water she had breathed and she could hear the human doing the same, though he did not wake or move. Kaoru couldn't hold back the sobs as she dragged the human away from the dangers of the sinking ship and the waves shooting debris. She could hear the cries of the other humans but she couldn't see them and she didn't dare let go of her prize.

Land, he needed to be on land, there he would be safe and other humans could help him. Instinctively she knew where to swim. Her head turned to the direction of the waves and she powered her tail and dragged the human, floating him on his back to make it easier. Kaoru kept her eyes open for other humans but she saw none. Soon the cries died away and she feared that they sank, unable to live long in the sea. The storm blew over them and soon the waters grew calm. Crashing waves turned into gentle swells once again. The human didn't move, but he was breathing. Kaoru stopped often to make sure he still lived and she kissed his face when he would draw breath and prove he was still alive.

Tired. Her arms ached and her it took all her strength to keep her tail moving. Yet she refused to give up. Her sides heaved and she gulped air to fuel her struggling body. They were close, she could feel the water growing more and more shallow and she could hear the waves washing onto the land and she could even see the large mass of it looming out in front of her. Again she stopped to catch her breath and she quickly held her ear to the human's chest and heard his heart beating and air rushing into his lungs, he was alive still. And again in joy, the littlest mermaid kissed the human on the face, glad that he lived yet.

The hardest part was nearing, the sun started to crawl out of the water and the sky started to go blue again. The water was very shallow now and Kaoru had to wait until waves could push them further up the beach. Soon Kaoru had to drag the human on the sand. Her tail was near useless but she could dig it into the soft sand and pull her human prize as a wave washed up to help them. Soon she had him safely away from the water and she allowed herself to let him go.

He rested on the sand, breathing deeply. Kaoru tipped her head up as she pulled herself up on her hands. The sun was rising and already the air was growing warm. It was pleasant and she was sure the heat of it would revive the human, who was as cold from the water. Its temperature didn't bother the mermaid but her grandmother had told her of humans dying in the water simply because it was too cold for them.

In the sunlight, his red hair was like fire and his skin was the color of the sand they were on. He was even more beautiful than before. His bare chest was muscled just like the mermen back home, and with his wet bottom clothing covering the legs, it was easy to envision him being of the merfolk. Her voice rose and she sang softly to him. Mermaid lullabies that her grandmother would sing to her and her sisters. She petted his beautiful red hair and gazed at the soft features of his face.

As she had thought, as the sun raised higher the man began to come to life. He shifted, mumbled and the color was returning to his skin.

Overjoyed that he was well, Kaoru clapped her hands and bent over his body to place a single kiss on his lips. Her bare chest pressed against his and she was surprised to feel how warm the human was. She sang a few more notes before turning and dragging herself back to the water. He moved, hands going to his face and her heart filled with gladness that she had been able to save the handsome human. With tired arms and her tail, she pushed and pulled herself back into the water and once she was safely in the shallows, she turned and froze. The human male sat up, and was watching her. The last few notes of the lullaby escaped her lips before she turned and slipped back under the surface.

… . . …

Sanosuke rushed up the steps when he ran into the doctor on his way back down.

"So the Prince lives?" the man would hardly allow himself to believe his friend had survived the wreck.

The doctor glanced at the white bandages wrapped around his head and on his arms and hands. "Yes, His Highness is alive and well. Well enough with what has happened. He was found washed ashore ten miles down the beach. Other than a few superficial bumps, scrapes and bruises, he's doing well. Up here though." The doctor tapped his temple "I'm not so sure."

Sanosuke balked, to question the sanity of a member of the royal family was serious. No wonder the doctor was whispering. "What do you mean by that?" he asked carefully.

The doctor shrugged. "Says he was bore to land by a singing woman. One that sang in a different tongue"

Superstitious Sanosuke was and his eyes grew wide. "Mermaids."

The doctor nodded. "A kind one if that be the case. If it wasn't the water dwellers that caused the catastrophe in the first place."

"Shh-shhh." Sano scolded. "Don't speak ill of them. Next time they'll just let Kenshin sink. Has he been gazing out the window at the ocean?"

The doctor nodded.

"Must have been some sort of watery spirit that brought him home safe. Mermaid or otherwise. He'll want to return to the sea often until the effects wears off. I'm going to go see him" the Tall man declared, dismissing the royal doctor and climbing the steps two at a time and weaving through the hall until he came to the right room. Inside he saw Kenshin sitting on the lounger gazing out the glass balcony door to the white and blue ocean that stretched out to the horizon. He was dressed all in white, just as Sanosuke was, a symbol that he was given back by the sea. They would wear the white clothes until they went to sea again. Every tiny scratch had been dressed to ward off any chance of infection. His hair was let down to hang about his shoulders and his eyes were rooted forwards, at the sea.

"So you lived." Sanosuke said, attempting to make light of the situation. He walked in.

Kenshin turned, ripping his light purple eyes from the outside and smiled brightly. "Sanosuke! I'm glad to see that you are well, that I am."

"I'm the best swimmer around, of course I lived, I wasn't so sure about your though. It was a full day before word got to me that they found you wandering the beach down the way. I thought for sure you had drowned with all that traditional costuming on." The man joined the prince on the lounge and both of them sat, looking out the window.

"I should have drowned." Kenshin said finally. "I remember sinking, I remember my lungs burning and I remember breathing in water when I could hold it no longer. You know how the spirits of those that die at sea float upon the water until they reach the afterlife?" When Sanosuke nodded Kenshin continued. "Well I had flashes; I remember floating on my back looking up at the night sky. I couldn't move or speak and just when I thought I could, I slipped back into darkness, that I would. Then there was singing, a beautiful voice. Eerie and strange yet angelic in its purity. And there was warmth and light, and I though the spirits of the afterlife were welcoming me."

"And then what happened?" Sanosuke urged in a whisper.

"I woke up." Kenshin said simply with a shrug. "The singing was still in my ears and I saw…a woman, in the water, that I did."

"You say you saw a woman in the water?"

"Yes," Kenshin closed his eyes, trying to remember, but the haze in his mind was too thick. "She was the one singing, she was naked. Her hair covered most of her face, but I can't recall the color of it." He opened his eyes and smiled at his friend. "I'm sure you think a mermaid rescued me."

It was at that moment that Sanosuke saw and felt how weak his prince was. Weak in body and in spirit. It seemed that whatever it was that had happened had drained the life-force away from him. "I think you should stay away from the sea for a while."

A/n I think Kaoru's one day at the surface has made up for all those years she was stuck waiting. I think our poor littlest mermaid has just had the fright of her life. And we also got our first taste of Kenshin in this chapter. I did make him a prince, I thought it would fit better with the storyline. Thanks for reading everyone! I'll be sure to update this story sooner. Reviews are loved