(A/N: Hello POTC fans! I'm new here, but I just HAD to write this…

To those of you who don't know, hanyous, or half-demons, are when a yokai, or a demon, mates with a human. They are detested and hated everywhere. Kitsunes are fox demons. The main character is a kitsune hanyou so, I thought you might need to know that…

Disclaimer: I do NOT own POTC nor do I own InuYasha, of which the idea of demons and half-demons comes from. POTC belongs to Disney and InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Thanks!)

Chapter One

Fox Ears

"But- No, really! I can!" cried a desperate young woman, tears slowly forming in her sea grey eyes. She stamped her foot, and the sound of the dock's wood splintering ever so slightly came from beneath her foot.

"NO!" was the steadfast response from a porky man, his ruddy face beaded with sweat as he balanced a crate.

"Why?" she cried, keeping in the longing of wailing. "This is my last chance! If I don't get a job aboard this ship…"

"I said, no!" the man yelled at her, spittle flying from his mouth and decorating her face. Disgusting. Really really disgusting.

"Listen, Kira, dear," the man said to her, trying to put on a very fake smile. Kira crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"You and that smile aren't fooling anyone," she growled, arching a delicate eyebrow. Her long dark brown hair, turned almost purple against the setting sun's light caressed her back in its single braid, finally falling to her waist.

The man sighed. This girl was more trouble than she was worth. "Well, you see," he began, handing his crate to one of his unsuspecting crewmates, making the poor man almost fall down. "You see," he began again. "To bring a woman on board is bad luck. And you yourself said that you were half demon! If we were to anger God-"

He was cut off by a good groan from Kira. "Demon is a loose translation from my native tongue!" she cried, angry that she had to explain it yet AGAIN! "It's really yokai, and my kind are more ancient spirits that-"

The man raised a hand, silencing her. "Nevertheless," he growled. He wasn't too intelligent, and didn't understand the difference between the demons of that of the church, and those of Kira's kind. "You are still a woman. And, if we pull into port, we want to sell." He tugged on a long furry fox ear that judged out from Kira's skull on the side of her head. "And who would want to buy from somebody who has weird ears?"

That was too much. It was just cruel! Kira bit her quivering lip. She had tried, she really had. She had looked at every boat for a job. She had tried to become a stowaway on a couple, but had always been found. Now… now… It felt as if all hope had been lost.

"Fine," she said in a breathless voice, all of her energy being pushed into not crying in front of this… this… Calling him a man wouldn't even cover what he was. All demons, half-demons included, REALLY hated humans.

Whirling around, her braid 'accidentally' hitting the man in the face, Kira stomped away, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. As soon as she was out of his sight, she ran faster than any human could.

Throwing herself into the most comforting thing, an old cherry tree, Kira wept. She pulled her legs up to her chest and her arms encircled them, her shoulders shaking. There was nothing she could do… there was nothing more she was ABLE to do…

Dusk turned to dawn, and dawn turned once again to dusk, and Kira just sat there, her tears running out halfway through the night, but still having the feeling of complete hopelessness in the pit of her stomach. If she was going to find him…

Sticking her hand into her shirt, she found the small ribbon to what she was looking for. Pulling out a small silver locket in the shape of a heart, she opened it. Music slowly tinkled out, it's haunting melody sweet and sad. New tears welled up in Kira's eyes but she blinked them away.

She hummed slightly to the music, one fox ear flicking away a fly as she did so. Swaying softly to the music, she closed her eyes, listening and humming.

"Hey, girl," came a voice from below. Kira jumped and almost fell out of the tree. Her hand wrapped itself around the locket, shutting it closed immediately, as she fixed her bright eyes on a human boy, no older than 16, with messy red hair, freckles across his face, and a typical sailing outfit, if you are on a good ship, that is. A closed and clean white linen shirt with blue pants, a red sash tied around the middle, and black boots.

"Girl," he called again. Kira growled at the annoyance but jumped down nevertheless.

Standing, she surveyed the man. His face grew pale and he stuttered. His eyes darted to her ears and back to her face. "What?" she snapped irritably. If only she knew how to make these ears go away…

He cleared his throat and snapped to attention as though Kira was some sort of solider or something. "Ma'am," he said, his face turning from a deathly white to a deep red in a matter of seconds. "Captain… Captain Berksy is awaiting you. He heard that you… you were lookin' for a job and-"

Kira jumped. She grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to her level, her looking to be about 19 or so. He gulped and his face deathly white once more. "Captain Berksy, eh?" she growled, narrowing her eyes. "And a job…? Where's his ship? I'll meet him right now!"

The boy raised a trembling finger and pointed towards a large ship, her proud sails white without a single stain, her color a healthy rosewood, and her size… larger than any other in the vicinity.

Kira's jaw dropped. She resisted the urge to whoop and holler and scream for joy! Realizing with guilty suddenness that the boy was beginning to quiver, sweat beading on his forehead, Kira let go and smoothed out his shirt. "So-sorry," she stuttered, blushing. "I'm just so eager… Again, sorry. And thank you!"

With that, Kira was gone, becoming a blur to the human eye as she raced towards the ship. One word echoed repeatedly through her head, making her heart pound faster, her feet move swifter, and her lips curl up into the first smile she had had the pleasure of showing off in a long time. 'YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!! A JOB!!!!'

(A/N: Who is Captain Berksy? What reasons does he have for hiring Kira? Wait and read!

And, also, to those of you who don't know what the locket really looks like, think the locket that Davey Jones has in the Dead Man's Chest, only cleaner. Same tune. You'll see why…

The Kikyo Hater)