A/N: No news, except that I Finally got myself a Fictionpress account. (www . fictionpress .com / eowynorgana ) Really hard to memorize, huh? Anyway, I'm planning on putting a bit of my new original story up there, and perhaps a sampler of some of my other original stories, so if you are interested, please visit! (There's nothing up there now, BTW. But I think I'm gonna upload something from my version of Beauty and the Beast tomorrow. )

Oh, and for those of you that read Tsubasa...D: OMG...this new chapter totally made me redefine the word "evil twist". I think I should take some notes from the almighty CLAMP.

Chapter 6: The Wound of the Wind

Light came in through the small windows in the captain's cabin, as Kagome slowly awoke. It had been many hours since she had been taken off that ship, and brought about this pirate vessel as a prisoner. And then there was that pirate captain who she absolutely loathed for the fact that he had been so gentlemanly to her the previous night.

Sitting up in the large chair that she had decided to rest in, since she had been fairly sure (and was right) that the captain wasn't kind enough to give her the bed, Kagome scowled, thinking of him again. What right did he have to kidnap her, shame her publicly by telling all she was his whore, and then act as if he had done her a great favor?

Still annoyed, Kagome looked around the cabin. At least Inuyasha was gone, for now, and she would be given some peace. However, she knew for a fact that staying in one room for a long time would easily get very boring. Sighing for a moment, her eyes glanced towards the doors that she could see the captain had left unlocked. Did she dare leave and explore the ship?

Hearing the small creak of the boards as they sailed on, traveling far on this blue sea decided for her. Even though she knew that no good would come of it, Kagome got up, and stretched for a moment, grabbing the boots she remembered Inuyasha had also given her to wear.

And then, taking a breath for courage, Kagome pushed open the large, wooden door, stepping out onto the decks of the Wound of the Wind.

The sun was bright in her eyes, the sea winds blowing her skirts around her ankles, but unlike the other times she had stepped out onto ship's decks, to feel the calm tranquility of being at sea again, all she felt was several pairs of eyes, watching her. On the passenger ship, one saw no more than five or so crew members on decks at any time, but on this pirate ship, they were everywhere. She saw men; scrubbing the decks, tending to the sails, looking out over the vast sea, all over the place, each with a purpose.

When she had first seen the crew from aboard the Marianne, she had thought that they looked like devils, brought down to earth. And in her eyes still, they didn't look friendly. She saw old men, hard from years at sea, younger men newly come for riches, and then those that looked as if they had no where else to go but here.

Seeing all these people, all of them glaring at her, made fear spike in her heart. She knew what she had been told of pirates; they were villainous men, who had no doubt killed many and raped more. If she wasn't careful, would they do the same to her?

The sense of insecurity began to rise, as Kagome realized those that stared weren't stopping. Wanting to get out of there, not to feel this uncomfortable feeling anymore, Kagome stepped back, intent on fleeing to the captain's room, to hide for the rest of the day.

But, it wasn't to be that way, as she backed into the the one person she didn't want to see. "Oh, up now, are you? I thought you would sleep all day." Unable to keep the anger from her eyes, Kagome turned to see none other than Captain Inuyasha behind her.

"Why?" she shot back at once. "Does that bother you?"

Snorting, Inuyasha folded his arms, his loose shirt ruffling in the wind as he spoke, "I really don't give a damn what you do, wench, as long as you don't get in my way, understand."

Eyes narrowing like a cat's, she spoke, "I see."

There was a small pause after her retort, when Inuyasha glanced back over at his crew. They weren't staring at her, anymore. Good. He wouldn't tolerate it if they stared her into fear again. "So," he said, attempting to change the subject. "You came out on deck."

"Of course! You couldn't expect me to spend my entire day in that small room, did you?"

It would have been easier if you did, wench, he thought to himself, Then I wouldn't have to keep an eye on you all the time to make sure you weren't getting into trouble. "Of course. But I'll remind you once not to go wandering. This is a my ship, and I don't need unnecessary problems."

Glancing around for a moment, from the bow before her and the large sails high above, Kagome commented haughtily, "It is a fine ship, for a pirate vessel."

Inuyasha internally growled, and said outwardly, "She's a hard ship to run, unless one has thieving in mind."

The battle of wits had only just begun as Kagome looked back towards him, that challenging glare in her eyes. "Oh yes, thieving. But would that also include kidnapping as well?"

Stubborn wench. "Yes. Although, kidnapping is much harder work and we don't do it much…it's so much easier to just kill someone on the spot rather than take them and be forced to watch over them afterwards."

"I don't know how you live with yourself," Kagome huffed, folding her arms and turning away. "Knowing you do all that; kill without mercy, take what is not yours, and then kidnap me in the same breath."

Fists clenching so that she would not see his annoyance upon his face, Inuyasha answered, "I live very well, Miss Hopewell, only caring about myself and no one else. There is nothing else that needs worrying about when no one can match me."

Kagome cast a sideways glance at him, never breaking her challenging gaze, but once again taking note of that coldness within Inuyasha's eyes. I guess he really means he cares for no one else…I guess that includes trusting no one as well. Still, it wasn't her problem, so why should she care? "You should worry. Once my fiancé gets word of this, the Royal Navy will be after you…if Kouga doesn't make sure of it, then Houjou certainly will."

She didn't catch the hanyou's momentarily raised eyebrow. How many suitors does this wench have? "Keh, they can try, but those navy dogs can't compete with me, a hanyou." He hoped to finish their conversation, but Kagome couldn't let it end here.

"You'll see—Kouga's far too protective of me. Once he hears that I've been kidnapped, every single Navy vessel in the Caribbean will be after you!"

With that Inuyasha stopped, and then, chuckling low, a sinister grin appeared upon his face. "Let them come, then! Let's see them try to come after me, the one pirate on these God-damned seas who's been here for 20 years and never been caught! If they try to take me, I'll kill them all!"

"Is that all you think about!" she roared, stepping closer to him so that she was yelling practically in his face. "Killing men doing their duty to their country? I suppose that besides being a murderer, you raid towns and rape the village wives as well, like any other pirate!"

Something about her last sentence set something off in him. Before, he had been arguing with her for the sake of arguing, but now…it was personal. She wouldn't take this further. A deadly serious glare came upon his eyes, as he spoke in a commanding voice. "Shut up."

"I won't, you lying, thieving, treacherous—" She was cut off as Inuyasha grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her closer to him, his eyes nearly shooting sparks.

"You shut up!" His voice was almost growling, as he fought to control himself. "This is my ship, woman, and you will obey my orders, understand? Unless you want to forget our little arrangement and would rather I leave you at my crew's mercy."

Kagome didn't want to be afraid of him; she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. It wasn't at all that she was afraid of the man, but…she knew somehow, he could tell that she feared he wasn't bluffing in his threat. Looking away for a minute, her anger slowly fading away, she said in a whisper, "I don't want that."

"Fine, then." He let her go, Kagome slowly rubbing her arm where had grabbed her roughly. Turning away from her, he ordered, "Now get out of my sight."

She didn't even argue—she really didn't want to be around him now either. But…there was one thing on her mind, something that bothered her about what he had said before. "So why is it that you kidnapped me if all you want me to do is stay away and leave you alone?"

There was silence for a moment from him, until he answered in his usual taunting form. "I kidnapped you because I am a pirate, and that is what pirates do, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Right." And with that, she turned on her heel, and marched straight back into the Captain's Cabin, shutting the door behind her. Fine then! You damn pirate captain! She yelled in her head as she sat down in the chair she had spent the night curled up in.

She once thought that she would love any voyage on the sea, but, she hated it here! She didn't even feel the sea calling to her in this awful place, where she was forced to dress the part of a pirate's whore and be taunted by that arrogant pirate captain!

Still, she thought, glancing down at the emerald engagement ring on her finger, Once Kouga learns, the entire Royal Navy will be after him, I'm certain. But…how long will it be before they rescue me from this frightening place? Everyone on the ship hates me, and that Inuyasha enjoys making a fool out of me every second!

Before, she wanted anything than marriage to Kouga, but even now, she would gladly take being Kouga's stupid wife than this.

It was a few hours later when Kagome heard the door of the room being opened, and she tuned at once towards it, glaring angrily, expecting it to be Inuyasha. She had been sitting in the usual chair, her knees drawn up against her chest, a somewhat comfortable position. But instead she was surprised; it was none other than the boy she had seen when the Marianne had been captured.

"Who are you?" she demanded at once in a rude voice, "Does the Captain send messengers now?"

Even though Kagome had spoken to them in a rude voice, the one she took for a boy answered back, almost kindly, "The captain has said nothing to me, but if he knew of this, he would probably prevent it."

Kagome could tell they were trying to be nice to her, but she wasn't going to be fooled by him. "Why are you trying to be kind? Inuyasha and the rest already hate me, so I don't need you to make me feel better."

"You shouldn't fear the crew," they said at once. "They don't hate you; and you have no need to fear anything else because all are too scared to go against the Captain for claim over you."

"Isn't that good news?" Kagome muttered to herself, turning away from them.

She heard a sigh from behind, as the boy with the brown hair hidden underneath the hat stepped closer and said in an understanding voice. "Look, I know right now, you are probably scared, and afraid—I felt the same once, but…there is no need to fear any pirates, now that Black Bart is dead and piracy these days is only a place for people with nowhere else to go."

Turning around and glaring back at him, who dared to try to understand her, Kagome snapped, "What would you know about it?"

There was another small sigh, and the one she took for a boy then sat upon the large bed nearby, and, to Kagome's surprise, took off their long overcoat. Kagome was quite shocked when she saw—unmistakably—the curve of breasts underneath a white shirt. A woman?

The woman took off her hat, and long, flowing brown hair spilled down over her shoulders. Now that Kagome could see it all, she wondered how she could have ever mistaken her for a boy. The woman looked even older than her. Looking back at her with a defiant gaze, the woman said, "I know plenty."

"My name is Sango Bennet," she began, as Kagome listened intently. "Years ago…I lived as a poor girl in London. We lived happily, my brother and I, since my mother and father died years ago. But…as the years passed, my brother grew steadily ill."

Kagome could see the sadness in Sango's eyes at the memory and she could sympathize—back home in Portsmouth, she had a little brother as well. And if anything happened to him…then it would be many years before she was able to go on.

"I needed more money to keep buying his medicine," Sango continued. "And so, unable to get any more jobs as a servant girl, I was forced to dress as a lad and get any work that I could. It was enough to nurse him back from the edge of death, but he was still very weak." She paused for a moment while telling her story. "By that time, we couldn't afford the rent anymore. I figured the best choice for him and myself was rather than send him to an orphanage, a sure deathtrap, I decided that we should both sell ourselves into indenture in the colonies, and perhaps the clean air would finally cure him."

There was another pause before Sango spoke, "But as we took the ship heading for Virginia…"

"You were captured by this ship?" Kagome asked, to which Sango nodded. Sango didn't speak anymore, and Kagome had to know, "What happened to your brother?" The Captain, he didn't…he's not so cold hearted that he would kill a sick child, would he?

"My brother, Kohaku…" Sango sighed with a small smile upon her face, looking away in memory. "The Captain had no use for him, so he was dropped off in the first port. He now lives as a serving boy to a wealthy family in Martinique, and he's getting stronger every day due to the healthy sea air."

I see…so the Captain…heartless as he may be, isn't completely cruel. There was something else she wanted to ask, though. "You said before…that everyone has a reason to be here?"

"Yes," Sango explained. "I am here because after living as a lad for several years, I really have no use trying to go back and living as a normal woman. Even though the crew knows I am a woman, dressing like this, I am in a lot less danger than I normally would have been."

Kagome was envious that this woman could dress as a man and get away with it. If she did the same, would she be free of the Captain's hold over her? "So, I suppose, the rule about women on this ship doesn't apply to you?"

"Oh, it still does," Sango spoke, making Kagome's spirits drop. She also couldn't help but notice that Sango's face blushed up for a small moment. "The man who claimed me was Miroku, the first mate."

"The first mate?" Kagome thought she remembered him…the man with the black hair tied back at the indigo eyes, from when the Marianne was taken. "He didn't seem like the type—"

Sango cut her off at once, "Oh, you haven't seen the other side of him! Always chasing after brothel woman and snagging a touch even when there's a woman at his side!"

Kagome made a mental note never to get near to him. "So why is he here?"

At that question, Sango's face fell as she explained, "It's a sad story, actually…He's a brilliant man, and was once an assistant to some famous scientist in London, but a little over two years ago, he went out to meet a lady friend, and then came back to see the laboratory a charred ruin. An explosion had happened, and four people who had been in the building above were killed." Sango paused for another moment. "The scientist blamed the explosion on his assistant, even though he had not been there at the time, and Miroku had to run or else…" she trailed off. "Anyway, he fled, and somewhere along the line, he met the Captain and became his first mate."

"I remember of hearing of that," Kagome spoke, "Back in Portsmouth, we heard about an explosion in London, but…if it wasn't his fault, couldn't he prove—"

"Miroku doesn't know that it's not his fault…the explosion was caused by two chemicals mixing…Even though he told me once, he remembers putting those two back in the cabinet, far away from each other for safety…he still thinks it might have possibly been his fault." Giving a small sigh, the sad look in her eyes faded. "It doesn't matter much anymore, though. It has been years since then, and he doesn't think of it much."

At least's that's good… Seeing how Sango knew much, Kagome decided to give it a try. "And what about the Captain? Why is he here?"

But to that, Sango shook her head. "I don't know…no one really knows. The Captain likes to keep many things to himself; the only thing the crew really knows is that he is a hanyou. I know that Miroku knows something, but he will never tell me."

That doesn't explain it at all! she thought, figuring that perhaps, if she really wanted to know why Inuyasha kidnapped her and then decided he wasn't even going to do anything with her, she would have to ask this Miroku sometime later. "So, is this pirate ship really the last one on the seas?"

"No, but it's one of the last," she explained. "The only pirates left these days are ones of youkai descent, because they are able to stand up more to the strength of the Royal Navy. There's the pirate Sesshoumaru, who no one has heard from in years, but we know he's still out there; he likes to keep to himself. And then there is one other…No one knows his real name, but he's sent messages with a spider logo at the bottom. Many assume he's some type of spider youkai, since it is known he also has that blood. But, as for him, we've never seen or heard anything more that he is sailing, searching for something."

"I see…" So there are more pirates out there…for a moment, I was afraid that perhaps Kikyou… Kagome shook her head for a moment at the thought. That still doesn't mean anything. There were more pirates around back when it happened. It could have been any one of them. Even so… "So, what am I to do now?" Kagome asked. "I'm here, captured on this pirate ship, taken away from my home and my husband-to-be. What am I to do?"

Shrugging as she grabbed her overcoat once more, Sango said, "Might as well get used to it—the Captain doesn't like losing what he's won."

"Right…" Of course he won't just give me up when he went to all this trouble…

"Still, you should try to meet some more of the crew," Sango told her, putting her hat back on her head. "Unlike pirate ships of the past, we're not all bad. We just have to pretend to be when taking prizes." And with that, Sango gave her a small smile, and then left the room.

Thinking of that woman who had spoken to her so easily, Kagome decided, Well, I guess not everyone on this ship is bad…however…

This still won't redeem Captain Inuyasha in my eyes.