A/N I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters within.
The sea was calm, and a strong wind filled the sails on the large ship. They were going to get to the new world hopefully in a little over a month, but they still had a long way to go. Inuyasha enjoyed the scent of the sea breeze. The salt stung his nose a bit, but he reveled in the freedom he got on the open sea. He stood on the bow and gazed at the vast blue sky and where it blurred into the deep blue of the sea. The waves lap at the hull in a rhythmic thumping that would lull him to sleep had he been a human. He's been up for almost three days straight, but he knows this area is famous for terrible storms and he wants to try to stay awake in case they manage to come across one.
His first mate, and best friend Miroku, is at the helm for the time being. He's a very good helmsman, but Inuyasha doesn't want to take anything to chance. The cargo they are hauling is very rare and will cost him more than he's ever made on a journey if something goes wrong and he loses any of it. This new feeling of anxiety has made it hard to sleep anyway so he's almost running on fumes even being a hanyou. Had he been a human he would've fallen asleep over a day ago. Now he's fighting every urge to close his eyes, and the lapping water is like a lullaby to his tired mind.
As he stands at the bow he hears footsteps approach, He glances to the side and is surprised to see Miroku walking towards him. "I thought ya were at tha helm. Who the hell is steering my ship?!" His voice comes out in a loud growl, gruff and irritated.
Miroku raises his hands palms flat and facing him in a placating gesture, "Kouga is at the helm, and you know he's every bit as good a helmsman as I am. I came to tell you to go get some rest, the skies are clear and I'll wake you if I see anything out of the ordinary. It's gonna be a long trip and you know you are going to need sleep before too long, you might as well rest now while we're safe or else you'll be no good to any of us if you're too tired to move, let alone steer."
Inuyasha grumbles to himself and turns back to the sea before him, effectively ending the attempt at conversation from his friend. Staring down to the water and could see a couple of dolphins jumping in the wake, and smiles despite himself. As the captain he tries to keep his gruff demeanor, in order to keep the crew in line, but most of them know he isn't a bad guy. They've seen enough when they were at port to guarantee that. That doesn't stop him from being a hard ass on everyone, including himself.
He hears Miroku sigh, long and loud. "You know, Yash, I know that this trip is a lot more stressful, but the Kami is the only one who can decide whether or not we make it. We really can only do the best with what we have. And the best that we can have is you well rested if a storm system strikes. I can't imagine what we'll do if you are so exhausted you can't help secure the rigging, or even if you slip and fall from the mast. Most of us don't have your experience or skill. I doubt any of us would make it if you were hurt. Seems your pride could really take a step back and put everything in perspective."
Miroku hears a "Keh" as he walks away but he sees Inuyasha go to his quarters to get some sleep. A smile spreads across his face as he walks back to the helm to speak to Kouga. "Our fearless leader has finally agreed to go get some rest. I'm gonna go eat so long as you're good. I'll be back after snagging some grub. Do you need anything before I go?" Kouga scrunches his face in a 'what do you think?' kind of look and scoffs. Miroku chuckles quietly and walks to the galley.
Inuyasha sleeps through the rest of the day missing the change of watch bells, and the first part of the night awaking when he awakes to the clanging of the next watch change bell. His head feels groggy and he is quite surprised to see the darkness through the port in his quarters. He leaps out of bed, and dons his pants in a rush. As he steps out the door he is greeted by Miroku, with a wide grin on his face.
"Ah, did you sleep well, Yash? I was just coming to wake you so you can grab a bite to eat before taking over at the helm. I need to get some sleep before dawn."
He was too damn perky, it was extremely irritating to Inuyasha's sleep addled brain. He was pretty sure he responded, but had no idea what he said to the first mate. He turned right toward the galley and grabbed a piece of salt pork. His hanyou body didn't need as much sustenance as the humans on board so he made sure to eat only what was necessary. Once he was off this ship and in the Americas, he would eat until he couldn't move, especially after several months at sea. But for now he just focuses on what he needs to survive.
He arrives at the helm, having already scarfed down the salted meat and swallowing a few droughts of ale. He stands at the helm as Miroku slaps him jovially on the back and walks to his cabin. Everyone who was on watch was rather quiet, quite possibly snoozing.
The deck was rather quiet with the exception of the winds in the sails and the sea crashing against the ship's hull. He revels in the relaxing sounds, since he knows these are the only quiet and calm moments he ever gets. He feels most of his tension leave his shoulders as he lets out a deep breath, then an interesting sound catches his attention. One he's never heard before…
The soft female voice started softly, his ears being very sensitive he's able to hear sounds sooner than the crewmen, and rises to a louder singing as other voices join the first. As his mind registers it, he's stricken at how beautiful it is, and all he wants to do is get to the ladies who are singing such a beautiful melody. His hands move of their own accord and the ship lurches to the starboard as he twists the wheel as fast as his enhanced abilities let him. He hears several splashes as several crewmen walk off the side of the ship in an attempt to get to the sound quicker. He hears more men waking up and ignores the background noise. More splashing and some screaming as several lanterns have toppled over at the abrupt change in direction and caught fire. He still can't focus on anything except the voice. Soon his legs are carrying him away from the helm in an attempt to get to the voice.
Then the sound turns painful, and his head feels like it is being crushed beneath a mountain. He hears a high pitched sound in the background and stops before he arrives at the railing. He can see the rocks looming and a small island a little ways away. He sees several of his crewman still jumping off the edge and several bodies floating in the water around them. After another moment of things clicking he looks up and sees 3 smug smiling creatures with the upper bodies of beautiful women and what looked like bird legs, and wings coming out of their backs sitting on rocks and singing loudly.
His instincts take over and he leaps from the ship and lands on the rocks. He brandishes his claws and swipes at the first and her sound changes from a melody to a screech of pain. Another of the three screams at him and lashes out with claws of her own, the third has fled, he can see her flying away on her outstretched wings. The one who strikes at him has managed to hit him hard, her claws tear into his stomach, and he is bleeding profusely. He takes his claws and dips them into his own blood, then yells loudly "Blades of Blood" as he flings his hand outwards towards her. The blades hit and she screeches before falling into the sea.
Then a loud crash erupts behind him as his ship crashes against the rocks, and he leaps back toward the ship to try to save everyone and everything he can. Miroku is running on the deck screaming to everyone to pour water on the fires, and trying to salvage what they can. As Inuyasha lands on the deck, his legs slip underneath him, and he topples over blood soaking the floor around him. Miroku sees him and rushes over to help him stand up until he sees the blood. Then he quickly changes his mind and applies pressure to the wound.
"Yash, what the hell man? I go to sleep for less than an hour and the ship is on fire, sinking, and half the crew are missing! What the hell happened?" His voice has a noticeable tremor that he is clearly trying to hide.
Inuyasha tries to breathe without flaring the pain, then manages to ground out, "These 3 creatures were hypnotizing us with some sort of song or some shit, now help me up. We have to save as many as we can!" He tries to stand but Miroku easily holds him down.
"Are you telling me Sirens were singing and you aren't dead?! How in the hell did you resist their song?"
The look of disbelief on his face is enough to piss Inuyasha off, "I'm not as weak as you humans, I know we've had this talk before Miroku. I was able to snap out of the trance and I killed two out of the three, but the third fled. Now come on, I'm not gonna let everyone die. Let me the fuck up!"
He pushes Miroku off him, and this time Miroku doesn't fight, extending a hand to help him stand. Once back on his feet Inuyasha starts heading towards the lifeboats and getting people in them as quickly as possible. Once he has everyone but Miroku in the life boats he grabs his friend and shoves him in the last boat and lowers it into the sea. Miroku is yelling something at him, but he ignores him. The lifeboat touches down and the crew start rowing away. Miroku is still yelling, but he ignores him, instead watching the boat float away, content knowing he saved all he could; even if he is a little angry at himself for being tricked in the first place. He feels the ship begin sinking faster, as the bulkheads start breaking. Inuyasha approaches the helm and stands there awaiting the final lurch of the sinking ship. This is how he knew he would die. It's in his blood, just as the sea and the salt breeze are in his heart. His hands grasp the helm, and he holds on tight, he is the captain and this is his ship. It's his burden. He must go down with the ship, just like his father.
The seawater rushes over the railing and he holds tight to avoid his feet being ripped out beneath himself. He holds on and feels the strong solid wood beneath his hands crack slightly under the pressure. He tries to keep his eyes open as long as he can, knowing these will be his last moments, he will not see another day or night, no longer smell the salt on the air, or hear the wind billowing the sails. Finally the saltwater begins to hurt his eyes and he squeezes them shut. He tries to hold his breath until his lungs ache, then his hold on the helm weakens.
As soon as his hold lessens he feels something grab him. He assumes that his soul is ascending to heaven and releases the helm completely. He doesn't notice when the pressure is eased and he is above the water floating on a piece of wood. He takes a few shaky breaths and the first thing he notices is pain ripping through his lungs as they finally get the much needed air. He tries to open his eyes but can't summon the strength. 'I thought heaven was supposed to be painless and peaceful, why do I hurt everywhere?' His thoughts are kind of cloudy but he knows he should be dead. Then a sudden stop wakes him up from his half dead stupor and he opens his eyes to see a beautiful maiden with long black wavy hair and eyes the color of storm clouds over the sea. Her skin is pale, and she is noticeably naked. He closes his eyes instinctively, to try to preserve her modesty.
Those damn bird women are singing again, trying to lure innocent people to their deaths. She hated that they found her favorite little island. This used to be her island, the natives on the other side didn't even know she existed and she could go on shore and enjoy the sunrises or sunsets, heck even the beautiful storms rolling in over the sea. Her family didn't like that she went on shore as a human, they never even removed their skin, they preferred to stay in the depths swimming, and would only come on shore to sleep. They actually didn't know about this little island either. Her 'home' as they called it was with them, a few miles away on a rocky shore, that hurt her flesh when she wasn't wearing her thickened skin.
She loves the sea, but she longs to know what the human world was like. She sneaks her seal snout above the waves, and sees the ship take a sharp turn toward the nasty bird women. Several men have already jumped off the ship. Unfortunately from such a high drop they had no chance to ty to land safely, and the water hits them like solid ground and she can hear bones crunch. Then when they do drift underwater the pain is so excruciating they end up not holding their breath and breathe in the seawater. She begins to go gather up some of the bodies, hoping to find some still alive.
Then she sees something she's never witnessed before. A tall man with long white hair, and some sort of fuzzy triangle on top of his head. She swims away from the bodies towards him, but he is attacking the bird women. She is in awe, she's never seen anyone able to resist their song. Not to mention the muscular form perched atop the rock. Her eyes are glued to his form, until the last bird woman strikes and she sees him begin bleeding. Her heart sinks, he won't make it now. Those women are pure evil, and he is bleeding heavily.
Then she watches in confusion as he dips his fingers into his own blood and yells something while he flings it at the remaining bird woman. The blood droplets turn into blades and strike her hard. Her body falls into the sea and she is swept away. He stumbles for a second, then leaps back towards the ship, which is crashing onto the rocks.
She feels something new and strange. Immediately she swims to the ship and into the hole made by the rocks, the ship will sink soon, she needs to help save them. This man needs to live. She has played in many sunken ships and can easily navigate the corridors. There are no men remaining below deck, but she can hear voices above her. She doesn't dare go up there until the water is deeper, lest she be seen.
She sticks her seal snout above the water again, and take a deep breath to hide below the waterline until the coast is clear. The water is now pouring over the deck of the ship, and she hears someone yelling, but it sounds distorted from her location. The man with white hair, is standing at the big wheel thing that steers the ship. Why are these men so prideful? Do they really think death is the proper course? She swims closer as the water envelops him. She sees his hands gripping the round wood as if it can keep him alive, but she knows him gripping it will only kill him. The second his fingers slack she grabs him and pulls him to the surface of the water. She manages to get him on a piece of floating wood, probably from his ship, and steers it towards the island.
Once he is on the sandy beach she runs to some underbrush and removes her skin, and is now in her human form. She returns as quickly as she can and sees him grimacing in pain. His voice is gruff yet somehow melodic to her ears, as he grumbles about 'pain and death is supposed to be painless', and a grin breaks out over her features knowing he'll survive this. She's not sure why she is so invested in this 'human'? She's not sure what he is with those fuzzy triangles on his head. Then his eyes open and she is struck by the most beautiful gold looking at her, then he looks away, and her heart falls along with her smile. She shouldn't have presumed that he would be happy to have been saved. Humans are so weird.
A few moments pass and finally he growls out, "You should have some clothes on or you'll catch your death. Besides if any of my men see a naked woman Kami knows what they'll try to do." With that he sits up and removes his top covering and puts it over her. She looks down at it, then back to him realizing that even though seals are always naked, humans always wear coverings on their bodies. They do tend to lose heat faster than seals do. She finds herself grinning again. She understood most of what he said but a few words were foreign.
Her voice comes out softer than she expects, "C-clothes? Kami…" His eyes lock on hers, and she is a little surprised with the speed. The little triangles are twitching towards her, and she can't stop herself when her fingers sneak up and touch one. It disappears against his hair, and his hand grabs her arm, effectively stopping her. She can tell he is very strong, but he is being gentle not to hurt her.
"Hey! Don't touch! You don't see me touching you." She blinks in confusion, then looks at his hand on her arm, he was clearly touching her, but acting as if he wasn't. He follows her gaze and releases her arm with a strange sound in the back of his throat "Keh". She looks back into his eyes which are looking away and tries to repeat the sound but it comes out wrong, "kreh… kra...k..k..k" After several failed attempts her eyes drop to the sand beneath them and she accidentally lets out a small whine, and the triangles are pointing directly at her again, and one side of his mouth has kicked up in a smile.
"Do you have a name, Weird Girl?" His voice has lost some of its gruffness, and her eyes raise back up to meet his. The look of utter confusion on her face seems to make him smile more, she tries to repeat his words, "N-n-nammme?" She looks into his eyes and a spark of realization hits him, "You don't speak this language, do you? Of course you can't possibly answer that if you don't speak it. Why would I expect you to speak Japanese." He takes a deep breath, and tries again with English, "Can you understand me now?" She has heard English speakers through this region for years, she knew some of his words before but this she has practiced for quite a lot longer. "Yes, I can understand you. Are you still hurting?" His jaw drops slightly, not expecting her to speak so easily.
"Still hurting? What are you talking about?" He responds gruffly. She looks down to where he was bleeding before but it seems to have stopped, She reaches forward and gently runs her fingers along his stomach, but finds no open wound. She looks back up and is even more confused than before. "The bird woman hurt you, what happened to the wound?" A cocky grin spreads across his face, "I'm a fast healer. Wait, how did you know about the siren? You couldn't have possibly have seen her from here." He looks out towards the sea, and the rocks are barely blurs even with his enhanced vision. She shakes her head gently "Siren?" He looks a little irritated for a heartbeat, then "the 'Bird woman' was a Siren. That's what they are actually called. But if you were close enough to see them, then you would have heard them too. So how did you know about them?" Her eyes go wide and she looks out to the rocks, trying to think of a way out of this. Did she really just doom herself into revealing the truth to him?
Her mother's warning echoes in her mind, "You can't trust the humans. They have taken many of our kind captive to use as they see fit. You must always hide your skin and never let anyone see you. Once you let them see you, then you will never be free." She realizes she is still staring at the rocks, but she can't repress the fear that must be plain on her face. What can she possibly do?
As the terror grips her, she finally decides running away is for the best. He's still staring at her with those golden eyes, as she stands up quickly, flashes a sad smile and darts into the underbrush. He tries to jump up and scramble after her, but she makes it to the underbrush quickly enough. She strips off his covering, grabs her skin and flees to the sea. She's still in her human form when she reaches the water but dives under the water anyway and proceeds to re-skin herself. When her seal snout pops back out of the water she sees him sniffing at the sand by the water's edge and he look so confused as he scans the sea and sees her. She is a little broken-hearted at the thought of never seeing him again. But she knows this is for the best. He'll live and everything will be ok.
She swims around the island until she sees some of his men and she barks at them until one looks at her. He has deep brown eyes, and dark hair in a small ponytail at the back of his head. His smile is sweet and sincere, he speaks in that language that the other man first spoke to her in and she can understand some of it, but most of it is just gibberish. "Hey there, you're a strange creature. Here, we're not here to hurt you." He kneels down to seem less threatening she guesses. She waddles up closer and barks at him again. His smile is wide and friendly as he tries to approach her. She has to get him to go find their friend. She waddles a few hops down the beach and turns back to him and barks.
He looks very puzzled but finally shakes his head, "Sorry I can't play, I have to see if anyone needs medical attention." She huffs in frustration then waddles up to him and bites his outer covering and begins to pull. He tries to dislodge her thinking she was trying to hurt him, she guesses, then she releases it and grabs it again and pulls him. "Little creature, I don't know what you're doing but it seems you want me to come with you, right?" She understands enough of that to let go and bark at him as if to say yes. Then she bounds away and turns to see if he is following.
He turns and speaks to the others then proceeds to catch up to her. "Alright, I don't know what you want to show me, but it had better be good. We have several wounded." She barks again and starts waddling as quickly as she can back towards the man with the white hair. Even if she never gets to see him again she will make sure he is safe.
The new dark haired man follows her easily, since as a seal she is rather slow on land. The come to where she left the white haired man but he isn't there. Now it is her turn to stick her nose to the sand and follow his scent. She waddles towards the underbrush following his musky scent until she hears a gruff voice erupt from the treeline, "Dammit, where the hell did she go? There's no way she could've tricked my nose!"
"YASH!" The dark haired man ran around her and grabbed "Yash" as she heard him called. He hugged him tight, "Miroku? What the hell? How did you even find me?" She took those words as her cue to bolt and dashed back to the water. She saw the black haired man pointing to her before she dove under the water to hide.
She holds her breath as long as she can then sneaks her head up and is relieved he isn't there anymore. She swims towards the shore and looks around carefully in her seal form. She doesn't sense anyone or smell anyone other than the 2 men, whom she assumes went to give the wounded medical attention. She doesn't dare remove her skin now, but she does lay on the beach and wait for the sun to rise. Looking forward to the warm rays.