Casting Off

Chapter One

"Papa! Look!"

The young girl rushed to the railing, leaning out towards the horizon anxiously, her long, black hair dancing in the wind.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she exclaimed, whirling around to face the stately man behind her.

But instead of her father, she found a deserted deck, splintered and desecrated, rigging and pieces of sail scattered everywhere. Stepping between the sparse remains, she made her way to the foredeck, peering into the cabin normally inhabited by her father. Destruction reigned there as well.

"Papa?" she called hesitantly.

There was no reply. Advancing further into the cabin, she tried again, voice rising in fear.

"Papa? Papa where are you? Papa?"

Still nothing. She began to panic. Just moments ago, everything had been fine and her father and the crew had been right behind her. What had happened? Where was everyone?

"Papa! Papa!"

Her voice escalated into a wailing scream. She ran from the cabin, dashing from place to place, trying to find anyone who could tell her what had happened and where her father was. Standing in the middle of the destroyed deck, she threw her head back and screamed.

"Kagome! Kagome, wake up! Kagome!"

The obsidian-haired seventeen-year-old jolted awake. What had happened? Was all of that… a dream? It couldn't have been, it was too real. Wasn't it…?

"Kagome! Are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep. I thought you were being attacked!"

Ocean-blue eyes slid to lock on an anxious brunette with large, lavender eyes beside her. Her dark brown hair was disheveled and her face was pale in the dim light of the moon through the window. Confused, she just stared at her as she gabbed on nervously.

"Sango?" she cut in when said girl paused for breath. "What happened?"

Sango looked at her incredulously.

"Weren't you listening, Kagome? You were screaming. I thought you'd never wake up-"

"No, no," she shook her head, "What happened to Papa? And the crew and the ship?"

"Who? Are you feeling alright, Kagome?" Her hand was cool on her forehead. "You're not running a fever are you?"

Kagome shoved her hand away. What was Sango talking about? She wasn't sick or delusional!

"No, I'm fine! Papa, my father, is he alright? What happened to him?"

"Um… Kagome, you've never called your father 'Papa.' And he's fine, he's in his bedroom asleep, like every night."

"What? Well, what about the crew and the ship? They disappeared too. And the ship was destroyed…"

"Kagome, there is no ship," Sango said slowly. "There is no crew. What are you talking about?"

Kagome stared at her confused. No ship? Then how would they travel over the ocean? How were they rocking gently on the water…?

Suddenly, Kagome ran to the window and feverishly thrust the curtains away from the glass. A carefully manicured garden surrounded by a high stone wall and cobblestone street under a gloomy, grey, pre-dawn sky greeted her. All she could do was stare as the muted sounds of a city slowly waking filtered into the room.

"Where am I?" she whispered softly, resting her hand on the cool, clear surface.

Sango came up beside her and gazed out the window as well. Kagome shivered as the cold from the glass pane seeped into her hand and traveled up her arm. But she didn't pull away. The icy shock was welcomed for proving to her this was real and not just a dream.

"-port," Sango's voice said softly.

"Huh?" Kagome turned slightly to face the older girl.

"You're in Saltport. You've lived here your whole life, Kagome. And in a month, you are to marry Mr.Houjou. Don't you remember?"

Kagome just shook her head. This wasn't right. She didn't remember any of this. The last thing she remembered was being on her father's destroyed ship all alone. How had she ended up in Saltport? Weren't they headed for the Indies? Nothing made any sense.

"Sango, how is the mistress?"

Sango sighed as she set the tray of dirtied dishes down in the water and sud-filled basin.

"She won't come out of her room and keeps mumbling about a ship and 'the Indies.' I'm really starting to worry."

"Shouldn't we tell the master?"

"No, the master knows nothing and it will stay that way. We can't have Miss Higurashi being labeled as a lunatic. Just act as if nothing's wrong. As far as you all are concerned, Miss Higurashi just has a chest cold."

Sango pinned them all with a hard stare, daring any of them to speak out against her orders. They all just lowered their gazes and nodded silently. Miss Higurashi was a good mistress and treated them fairly, unlike her father. None of them would wish anything bad upon her. Ever.

The bell began ringing and Sango quickly fled the room to attend to any of one of the Higurashis. The other servants returned to their work, filling the kitchen with life and noise once more. Miss Higurashi's episode would pass and life would resume as normal, as if nothing happened. It was just a phase; like everything else, it too would pass.

"You rang, Sir?" Sango queried, opening the door to Master Higurashi's study.

"Where is my daughter? I wish to see her."

The man seated behind the large oak desk didn't even look up from the document he was perusing to acknowledge her presence. Sango swallowed nervously and fished for words. How was she going to tell him his daughter was… running off her nut?

"Well… You see, Sir, Miss Higurashi is, um, not… feeling well, you see and-"

"Don't give me excuses!" he bellowed, finally looking up with cold, yet smoldering in fury, grey eyes, that resembled pewter, just angry pewter.

"Where is my daughter?"

"In her bedroom, Sir," Sango said quietly, staring down intently at the worn, swirling grains of the wood floor.

Mr.Higurashi stood up from his desk and strode to the door, sweeping past the young servant. Sango jumped and raced after him, vaulting up the heavily carpeted stairs to keep up with his long strides.

"Sir, I wouldn't go in there! Miss Higurashi isn't feeling well and wishes to be alone. It's a horrible chest cold-"

The door to the delusional teenager's bedroom was thrust open, despite her warnings and the master of the house strode into the center. Sango stumbled in after him and peered around his large frame. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

Kagome Higurashi, the oldest child of the very influential man before her, was sitting on the windowsill, still in her nightgown, studiously perusing a large tome. When her father had burst in, she had looked up surprised and set her book aside. The strangest part, though, was that she looked perfectly sane. 'Wha-?'

"Good morning, Father," The raven-haired youth said calmly. "What are you doing here so early? I'm not even dressed yet."

Mr.Higurashi cleared his throat in slight embarrassment and glanced at the girl standing stunned behind him. Sango's insides were trembling and she remained rooted to the spot. She was in deep –

"Well, I needed to speak to you. Unfortunately, one of the servants told me that you weren't leaving your bedroom or feeling well. I simply came up here to check up on you and make sure it wasn't anything serious."

"Oh, well, no. I wasn't feeling very well earlier, but I'm much better now. Thank you for taking such good care of me, Sango," she directed to the stunned brunette behind her father.

"Y-you're welcome, Miss…" Sango managed to stutter.

Kagome smiled conspiratorially. Sango had to do a double-take to catch the glint in her mistress's brilliant blue eyes. Folding her pale, slender hands demurely, Kagome turned to her father expectantly.

"So, Father, what was it you wished to speak with me?"

Mr.Higurashi blinked and shook his head at her voice. His posture relaxed a bit at her eager expression and light tone. It was almost as if he was coming out of a trance. Waving his hand in dismissal, he turned around towards the door while Sango quickly jumped out of the way.

"Oh, nothing too important. We'll discuss it later. Try to feel better," he said over his shoulder.

And with that, Mr.Higurashi left, his heavy footsteps lingering in the hall. Once those too died down and grew fainter with the distance, Sango exhaled, all the air held in her lungs in his presence expelled in one deep sigh and her shoulders sagged. Kagome just giggled from her perch on the sill.