Blanket Disclaimer: The writer does not own any characters created by Rumiko Takahashi but like everyone else wishes she did. All original characters or concepts are the author's Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).
Chapter Thirty-Four
Another Half Demon
Kagome stood looking out over the docks of the small French port town of La Mobile. According to Miroku it had once been a much larger town located slightly farther up the coast of Mobile Bay. At the turn of the century however, a flood had destroyed the original colony and fort forcing the people to move further up river, a move that eventually had paid off. The colony and fort before her now was nice, if not on the small side, with hustling men and woman visible on its dock selling wares, encouraging trade.
The fort itself was intimidating, tall, with four cannons at each junction of the walls and sentries stationed at each turn, armed to the teeth with guns, swords, and pikes, ready for battle should the need arise. Kagome vaguely wondered why the sentries didn't seem to be eyeing the pirate ship with more gusto.
Suspicious that she had missed something, she glanced upwards and took in the trademark black sails of the Shikuro (that were now tied down but still visible) along with the blatant flag that rested above them, wafting, flapping in the favorable wind. It screamed pirate ship and yet—she looked back towards the guards, they all appeared bored. She narrowed her eyes, recalling the conversation from the night before in the Captain's cabin. The Captain had mentioned that the French Port Town didn't seem bothered by pirates but she hadn't thought he meant they were this lax when it came to the normally hated community of privateers.
She narrowed her eyes at the thought, quirking an eyebrow as she studied the guards, they looked half asleep; their postures slumping as they stared ahead, their sabers tucked into their shoulders balancing against dark woolen coats. She squinted, taking in the sight of the heavy coats, instantly feeling sorry for the men standing up there high in the battlements. They must be unbelievably hot and yet, they still stood tall, they still stood properly, this was their job and if it required such out of season dress then they would bare it without complaint. So was the manner of propriety.
Kagome blinked several times as her mind seemed to slow down at the thought, an image of the best woman of French propriety coming to her. She could just see her with her tight stay and her delicate untouched white face framed by dark hot ironed locks, painted lips, laced hat. She was perfect, prim and proper, no other woman in the whole of Port Royal could look the role of a French noble woman like her mother could.
"Mother," Kagome whispered if only to herself as she leaned on the railing before her, slumping.
"Do not slouch chérie."
The words echoed in her head causing her to immediately right herself, the sound of her mother's voice oddly jarring. She could just see her standing with her shoulders back and her bust sticking out just enough that it was still modest as she chastised Kagome, telling the younger woman that her posture was deplorable.
"If you stay zat way Kagome," The voice rang in her mind. "You'll become a 'unchback and no man wants a 'unchback for a wife."
Kagome felt her heart tighten in her chest—for just a moment, albeit only a moment, Kagome felt homesick. She almost missed that scrutiny, she almost missed the constant sound of disappointment from the moment she awoke in the morning to the moment she fell asleep at night, she almost missed the pretenses, the rules, the regulations, she almost missed the properness, she almost missed propriety—but not for reasons one might think.
"At least with her, with propriety," Kagome thought as she looked out over the port, her stormy eyes unfocused and pained. "I knew what to expect, with him, with this life—," She turned her head away from the dock, looking up to the helm's deck where the Captain was talking to Miroku, giving last minute orders. "I never know."
She inhaled deeply before sighing, her eyes wandering over the Captain's form, looking at his every feature as she watched him talk to Miroku. His hands were animated, moving constantly around his head, motioning in a way that suggested he was talking about hoisting something (she could only deduce that he was giving orders on maintaining the ship during his absence). She rolled her eyes as he swatted at Shippo who had apparently made a comment about his gestures and started to look away but as she did the sun came out from behind a nearby cloud, casting a ray of light onto the Shikuro, shinning, highlighting everything in its path, including—the Captain
Her eyes widened as the sun reflected off his hair, catching each little silver strand in a ray of bright light that made it glimmer. She bit her lip the sight causing her heart to beat a little faster in her chest as she watched his profile smile at something Miroku had said, his strong chin tilting upwards as he laughed faintly before shaking his head, his eyes closing for only a moment before they snapped back opened, the sudden sight of gold catching her attention.
She watched as his irises sparkled, reflecting the light around him until they appeared to morph into molten gold or fresh honey. Kagome licked her lips; she could just drink those eyes, forever.
"Enjoying the view, Kagome?"
Kagome's eyes snapped fully opened and she turned to look at Sango surprised. "Sa—an—ngo." She stumbled over the name and forced herself to smile through a blush as the other woman approached her, a smirk comprising most of her features. "I was just—um—," She stammered as she turned away from the Captain opting to look back at the fort. "Looking at the town, its different than the other ones we've been to, have you ever been here before?" She gulped as she finished her hasty impromptu question, bringing her two pointer fingers together in front of her subconsciously, hoping Sango would be redirected easily.
Sango raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything as she came to stand next to Kagome, leaning on the railing with one elbow as she turned towards the younger woman, resting her chin on her upturned hand. "Yes," She drew out the word slowly. "We've stopped her before."
"Oh so they must recognize you," Kagome ran with Sango's admission using it to her advantage, hoping it would throw Sango off completely. "That's why they haven't even blinked an eye at us."
"That and—," Sango played along moving to lean her other elbow on the railing looking out at the city and fort. "They really don't care here, they just want money." She wrinkled her nose. "Sad but true."
"I guess some people have no standards." Kagome quipped with a shrug as she let out a relieved breath glad Sango had dropped the subject of her staring at the Captain so easily.
"Well," Sango shrugged. "They're French."
Kagome blinked dryly, glaring at Sango who didn't even notice, her focus directed at a splintering section of the rail. "Yeah, French." Kagome mumbled darkly her tone catching Sango's interest.
The older woman turned taking in Kagome's dark posture and instantly realized her mistake, gasping in realization. "Oh I didn't mean it like that, Kagome!" She tried to correct but Kagome only turned away crossing her arms over her chest.
"The harms already done." Kagome told her with her back turned her voice sounding close to crying while her unseen face tried hard not to smirk.
"I didn't mean it!" Sango cried out drawing the attention of some men working nearby. "It was a joke—you know—a joke haha, funny."
"I'm not laughing." Kagome continued to act.
"I'm sorry Kagome, really I am." Sango pleaded not believing she had hurt the girl this much but by the shaking of Kagome's slumped features she knew she had.
Feeling horrible she reached out to put her hands on Kagome's trembling shoulders, hoping to comfort her with a more physical apology. As her fingers came in contact with Kagome, however, she heard a strange strangled squeak. Bringing her hands away as if she had been burned she screwed up her face and blinked rapidly as the squeak turned into a giggle and the giggle turned into a laugh.
"Oh very funny Kagome." Sango said snidely with a snort as she watched the young girl continued to laugh.
"San—go." Kagome tried to say but was stopped by a soft bout of laughter, so soft that the men around them grew bored and looked away, going back to work without a further care. "I'm sorry." She whispered through her fit of giggles, tears brimming in her eyes. "I just—it was too easy— and," She put her hand over her mouth to help calm herself down. "I needed a laugh." She told the other girl through her fingers, the sound of her voice muffled but still understandable.
Sango let her anger drop at the words, taking in the still giggling girl. She had noticed the changes between Kagome and the Captain over the past month or so, at first there had been a certain amount of fear and hatred, anger that had slowly evaporated as Kagome came to know all of them as she started to understand the world she had been thrust into, as she started to understand the man—the Captain—that had brought her into this world unwittingly.
She had watched as Kagome slowly drifted back to him, talking with him, laughing with him, joking with him, mocking him as all his very close friends were allowed to do (when no crew were present of course). Kagome had in a month and a half grown closer to the Captain than Sango had in four years. She seemed to have this uncanny ability to just smile and make the Captain smile back, drop his guard and show her that he was more than a demon, more than a pirate, more than just an ordinary man.
Sango wasn't stupid; she knew that Kagome already knew more of the Captain's secrets than she did. The older woman frowned at the very thought, a part of her feeling jealous but another part of her (a part much bigger than that jealousy) felt happy, wanted Kagome to know everything about him, wanted Kagome to be the person who finally—finally broke the tight shell he kept around himself, used to protect himself.
Miroku had cracked it substantially but Kagome, she had the potential to remove it. Sango hoped that one day she would but—
Sango licked her lips.
Something was wrong. She had noticed it last night, the Captain had treated her differently last night. He hadn't been able to look at her, hadn't called her Kagome as was his habit the past few days, he hadn't even really smiled at her. He had been distant, cold and Sango had no idea why.
She frowned, something had tampered with their connection, with the part of their relationship that made the Captain want to open up and talk to her. She bit her lip even harder as her heart reached out to Kagome and the Captain both, she hoped somehow the two could fix whatever had gone wrong because Sango knew more than anything that the Captain needed Kagome and Kagome needed the Captain.
"Sorry," Kagome mumbled as she finally gained control of herself again, righting her hunched form as a beautiful smile took over her features, a smile that drew the other girl out of her own thoughts. "What were we talking about?"
Sango gave Kagome a slight one sided smile and let her thoughts drop for now, there was nothing she could do after all, at least not until they returned, then she could meddle all she wanted. "Nothing important." Sango answered Kagome's question with a shrug. "Are you ready to go?"
Kagome frowned, her expression visibly deflating at Sango's words. She gulped, her eyes going down to her feet to look at the small rump sack that rested there, it was actually the Captain's but she was left in charge of it until they left. As far as she knew it contained some maps, a quill and ink, as well as the ever important compass—and nothing else. "Yeah, there's not much to take, I mean I don't really own anything except these clothes," She fingered her jacket absently. "And the compass of course."
Sango nodded. "When you get back we'll have to get you a second set of clothes."
Kagome turned, her eyes changing from gloom to surprise. "New clothes?"
"Yeah," Sango smiled glad that the younger girl's expression had changed. "You'll need a thicker coat and pants when winter hits." She nodded her head firmly. "Especially if we head up the coast where it's colder."
Kagome nodded, a part of her really liking the idea of getting new clothes, even if they were men's clothing. She glanced down at her current wardrobe, taking in the sight of her father's old clothes. They were worn, some edges fraying and other parts ripped from where she had snagged the fabric or had it torn by others. Gingerly she lowered her finger and touched the material, the image of her stern father coming to her at the sight. She bit her lip just as she had when she had thought of her mother earlier. She missed him. She had never thought she would miss—him, she barely even knew him, he had always been gone before she woke up and hadn't come back until after she had gone to sleep.
"Kagome?" Sango whispered as she reached a hand to touch the younger girl's shoulders, noticing her sudden melancholy. "Are you feeling okay?"
Kagome's slowly looked up, her eyes brimming with tears that would never be shed, awkwardly she forced a smile onto her face, closing her eyes in hopes that when they opened the tears would go away. "Yeah," She frowned, her voice was shaky. "I'm just—I'm tired from yesterday."
It was a pathetic excuse but still Sango nodded even if she was unconvinced. Before she could prod Kagome further, however, the sound of boots hitting the ground drew her away. "Miroku?" She questioned softly as the man approached.
Kagome turned as she heard the name announced, her eyes coming to land on Sango's husband as he walked towards them, his expression tight, contemplative. He looked at Kagome, his eyes going up and down her body as if he was assessing her before he looked away, opting to look over his wife instead. "The Captain's almost ready." He informed Sango and Kagome by extension.
"Are you going to tell the men?" Sango whispered softly as Miroku came to stand by her side, the one opposite Kagome.
"Yeah but," Miroku scratched the back of his head absently, a habit he had developed from his father. "We're ah, gonna wait till we're in a bigger port."
"Why?" Kagome questioned suddenly, looking Miroku in the eye before quickly looking away, wiping at her face, trying to hide the telltale wash of unshed tears from him.
Miroku eyed her but didn't comment on her behavior. "If the men want to leave—," He motioned to the small fort and the town below it. "This isn't exactly a kind place to drop 'em." He told her plainly as he leaned against Sango, one of his hands carelessly wrapping around her. "It could be weeks before another vessel comes and gives 'em work."
"I see." Kagome nodded, her face contorting into a look of understanding. Miroku and the Captain didn't want to strand any of their men should those men chose to leave the ship. It would be unfair to leave them in a place as desolate and small as this.
She glanced around at the docks, taking in the few small vessels that were around them, noting that the Shikuro was by far the biggest ship, really it seemed to be the only ship that was ocean ready, the other's looked like they probably spent most (if not all) of their time along the coast or just within the bay itself. To leave any man here was to sentence him to a life on land. She could only imagine what that would be like, a man of the sea trapped on unrelenting ground.
Kagome worried her lip, the thought of being on land forever a scary one. The thought of having stayed with her mother and father—of having stayed at Port Royal with both of them—the possibility of not being here right now, with these people who saw her for what she was, truly scaring her. Even with the uncertainty, even with her heart's current turmoil, it wouldn't have been better to have been trapped on land. Yes, she would have always known what was to be expected of her but wasn't it that blandness, that lack of excitement that had driven her to chop off her hair and stowaway to begin with?
Deep down, Kagome knew that no matter how uncertain her life was here, no matter how much pain her heart endured here, it was by far better to have felt the adventure of the turning tides than to have been trapped for life on an unmoving predictable landscape.
"So," Sango and Miroku continued their conversation, unaware of Kagome's slight epiphany. "I guess you can go with the Captain, huh, Miroku?"
Kagome's head shot up in the direction of Miroku and Sango. She gulped, a sudden and unnatural fear tugging at her heart; if Miroku was to come with them, then she wouldn't be able to ask talk to the Captain, would she? She wouldn't be able to find ask him about his heritage, or Kikyo or what he saw when he looked at her.
"Yeah, I could go." Miroku told Sango evenly as his hands drew small circles on her stomach. "But I think I stay anyway."
"After your outburst yesterday?" Sango smirked as she spoke, reminding him of his uncharacteristic temper tantrum. "I thought you wanted to go with your daddy."
Miroku frowned dryly before burying his nose in her hair suggestively. "That's history," He told her, the sound of his voice muffled as his lips settled behind her ear. "Now I can see the importance of having some time away from the old man."
Sango giggled both of them falling into their own little world, completely unaware of the relief that was currently flooding Kagome beside them.
"Thank God." The young girl told herself as her fears went away, only to be replaced by fears of a different nature. "How am I going to talk to him?"
The sound of loud, thundering footsteps brought her away from her new worry before it even began. She turned sideways, looking for the source of the noise, gazing past Sango and Miroku who were still wrapped up in each other, just in time to see Inuyasha walking towards them, Myoga at his side with Shippo perched on the small man's shoulders.
"Kagome!" Shippo called, his small voice excited as he jumped off Myoga's shoulder, scampering towards her, his claws making strange clicking noises as they touched the boards of the ship's deck.
She smiled delighted as the small boy launched himself at her, his arms coming up around her neck easily as he hugged her tightly. "Shippo." She giggled and hugged him back, snuggling the little boy as she had with her younger brother many times. The pang in her heart returned but this time Kagome was easily able to silence it. She might miss Souta, she might miss him a lot but this experience, this life, it was everything she ever wanted and possibly more.
Kagome turned her eyes away from Shippo, looking at Inuyasha, her heartbeat escalating as the thought filled her. She blushed when he looked back, his eyes coming into contact with her own. For a moment she thought he might smile or say her name—her real name but he didn't. Instead, he shifted awkwardly, uneasily and looked away from her to Sango and Miroku who were still wrapped around each other, kissing softly in the background. "Can't you wait till I leave?" He griped as he grabbed for the rump sack beside her feet, ducking his head so she couldn't see his expression.
"Have we ever stopped because of you?" Miroku fired back as he separated from Sango a grin on his face.
"Unfortunately no." The Captain grumbled as he sniffed the air slightly, a slow and suspicious grin forming on his face. Suddenly without warning he started to chuckle a look of pure joy crossing his features. "Dear lord this is good."
"What?" Sango questioned, her voice almost sounding threatening but her eyes truly deadly.
"Oh nothing." Inuyasha responded feigning innocence as his eyes silently danced.
"Otou-san?" Miroku said carefully as he let Sango go, his eyes darting from his wife to his father carefully. "Kanojo wa—," He searched for the right words, "Imasu ka—?" He trailed off not sure if he was even forming the sentence correctly.
Inuyasha snickered already well aware of what Miroku was attempting to ask, although the boy's contexts were completely wrong. "Hai." He informed nonchalantly.
"Fuck!" Miroku spat as the Captain laughed hardily.
"Actually," Said man stated while pointing one clawed finger at Miroku. "That would mean no fuck."
"What?" Sango interjected her face actually going bright red, something that was highly uncharacteristic of her. It was very hard for either man to make her blush now a days, after all, years of living with them could harden even the most modest of nuns. "You two are not talking about what I think you're talking about!"
Around them a few crewmen snickered but no one dared to say a word for fear of either the Captain's or Quartermaster's wrath (or more terrifying yet, Sango's).
"Have fun while I'm gone." Inuyasha said bluntly as he turned towards Kagome who had simply taken in the whole conversation with a look of mortification on her face.
"Kagome?" Shippo questioned drawing not just the Captain's interest but Sango and Miroku's as well. "Are ya okay, yer face is all red?"
Kagome said nothing, only shook her head slowly back and forth, her eyes staring blankly ahead as her face grew to darker and darker shades of crimson.
"Kagome?" Sango gently prodded as she took a step closer, waving her hand in front of her younger friends face. "Ka—a—go—meee?" She sang out only receiving a slight reaction from the paralyzed girl.
Slowly, Kagome turned looking at the older girl in horror. "Th—th—the—ey," She stuttered before turning completely around not even bothering to talk anymore.
Sango smiled at Kagome's back in complete understanding, it was one thing to talk about sex but it was a wholly different thing to talk about something like a woman's period. That was a conversation that never took place in front of men, it didn't involve men, it barely involved other women. It was considered dirty, a sign of sin and the possibly of sin. When Kagome returned from the shard hunt Sango and her would need to have a long conversation about a different about stupid taboos.
Inuyasha suddenly cleared his throat, sensing that the conversation just needed to die. He remembered how bashful Sango had been about the subject originally, truthfully, she still was (although now she only yelled at them for talking about it instead of turning bright red and going comatose.) "I guess we should be going." The Captain stated more than asked as he looked away from Kagome and started towards the gangplank casually. "Are you ready to go Miss Dresmont?"
The bite of her proper name brought Kagome back to her current surroundings, her earlier embarrassment leaving her, replaced by a sense of dread. That was another thing she would have to ask him about: why was he calling her by her last name again. She thought they were passed that, it had even been his idea to drop the formality between them. Kagome shook her head, freeing herself of the thoughts—soon she would know soon.
"Yes, I'm ready." She said in a breathy whisper, she hadn't meant it to sound so small and timid but she couldn't help the way it had come out.
The Captain's ears twitched on his head and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before liking his lips absentmindedly. "Then let's get going." He said sternly as he adjusted the sack throwing it over his shoulder before he turned to walk away from her, thankful they were in a port that allowed for them to use a gangplank instead of a shore boat.
"Inuyasha-sama."
He froze as did everyone else that was close enough to have heard Myoga speak. Inuyasha turned making eye contact with the small man, his gold eyes stern, hard. "Nanio?"
"Wasurete wa ikenai," The small man started slowly, his old eyes turning up to look at the Captain daringly. "Furui mono to atarashii mono wa tagaini kotonatte iru." Myoga whispered just loud enough that the group around him could hear his words.
Inuyasha didn't move, just stared at Myoga, his ears twitching on his head, signaling he had heard the old man. Around him Sango and Kagome both turned to Miroku, wondering if the man who was currently learning the language had understood. Judging by the way he tilted his head to the side and shook it back and forth slowly, he hadn't understood a word.
However, when the Captain finally responded his eyes did light up with an undeniable understanding. "Anata no basho o shitte iru, Myoga-jii-jii."
The small group all turned their heads around to gauge Myoga's reaction to the blunt statement, their eyes collectively widening in surprise when they noted that the old man was smiling, chuckling.
"Miroku," Sango whispered earnestly as her eyes darted between the two men. "What'd he say?"
"I have no idea what Myoga said," Miroku whispered back conspiring, noticing only vaguely that Kagome too was leaning in close to hear his answer. "But the Captain just told him, I think, 'know your place.'"
"Know your place?" Kagome repeated the strange words causing Miroku and Sango to both look at her. "Do you think Myoga was out of line just then?" She asked softly, her bright grey eyes looking at Miroku for answers.
Miroku could only shrug, "I couldn't tell you." He administered bluntly with a frown. "I don't speak well enough as it is."
"Learn faster." Both women grumbled in unison as they gave him choice glares, Sango even going so far as to cross her arms over her chest.
"Miss Dresmont?"
Kagome blinked, the glare falling from her face, replaced by a chest fallen, depleted look, a look that told Sango and Miroku more than any conversation they might have with her would. "Yes Captain?" She barely whispered out but everyone knew the Captain would hear her.
He cleared his throat, attempting to ignore her softly spoken words. "We're leaving, now."
"Okay." She nodded, patting Shippo on the head from his place perched on her shoulder. "Time for you to move Shippo."
Shippo nodded sensing the strange change in the atmosphere around the adults. "I'll miss you Kagome." He whispered into her ear as he gave her one more hug before jumping over to Miroku's shoulder easily.
Kagome forced herself to smile at the small boy as she paused momentarily, turning to give him a little wave. "I'll miss you too Shippo, be good for Sango and Miroku." She told him, her smile turning genuine as the small boy puffed out his chest trying to look older.
"I'll be on my 'est be'avoir!" He finished as he gave her a cute little salute and a smile that showed off his baby fangs.
Kagome giggled in return. "Good." She concluded before turning away, her eyes landing on the back of the Captain who had paused just long enough for her to say her goodbyes. Slowly she started walking towards him, her shoulders and head slumping with each step until she came to stand side by side with the tall and formidable Captain. He nodded without looking at her, turning back only enough to give a similar nod to Sango and Miroku before he continued to walk, Kagome matching his pace without having to be told.
Behind them, Sango and Miroku watched absently, both of them unsettled by the strange behavior between the two.
"Did he tell you anything?" Sango asked slowly, hoping Miroku would know what was going on with the younger girl and her Captain.
"Not a word." Miroku said much to her surprise.
"Really?" She whispered, trying not to sound as if it was a big deal but she knew it had to be to Miroku.
He was the Captain's confidant and if Inuyasha wasn't telling him something then it was the equivalent of Miroku being told he wasn't as trust as worthy as he thought.
Sango shook the thought away, pulling Miroku closer to herself for comfort, his comfort and her own. "She looks so—small," Sango commented her voice actually sounding worried as she redirected the conversation choosing to focus on Kagome and Inuyasha's retreating forms. "And she—she doesn't know anything about fighting," She looked up at Miroku, her eyes wide and pained. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
Miroku glanced down at her, giving her a reassuring smile before looking back out across the sea of people on the port, his trained eyes still able to find his father easily. He watched the silver head and ears as they walked through the crowd of people until finally they rounded a corner disappearing out of sight. "He'll protect her." He told Sango firmly even as his own heart clutched slightly in his chest. "You know he will."
Sango nodded but the worried expression didn't leave her face as she leaned her head against his shoulder her eyes still trained on that endless sea of people, the Captain and the small Kagome Dresmont completely lost to her now. Suddenly Miroku stiffened under her hold. She glanced up at him and watched as his face went from a concerned frown to a wide eyed look of pure anxiety.
"What is it Miroku?" She asked as she pulled away, her finger tips just barely touching him as she studied his alarmed eyes.
He looked down at her, his mouth hanging opened slightly, looking as if he was about to tell her something, something important, but he unexpectedly refrained, looking away from her and back out at the port. "I just remembered something, something really important." He whispered as he looked at the sun, his eyes watching it as it started its gradual decent towards the ground. It was still hours away from setting but that didn't ease his horror in the least because unlike every other day in the celestial cycle this sunset would not be met by a moon but instead by a black and vacant sky.
Behind him Myoga chuckled, his wise old eyes filling with delight. If Miroku had only turned he would have noticed that Myoga was just as well aware of the current situation as he, however, Myoga knew it to be for the best.
-break-
Kagome gasped with delight as she stepped off the port of La Mobile, away from the fort and into the beautiful yet strange city that rested before them. The architecture was like nothing she had ever seen, the buildings a multitude of different colors, ranging from traditional white and yellow to sky and sea blue. They were tall, every house standing at least two or three stories with balconies whose porches were made of iron.
She watched amazed as men and women alike stood on those balconies or sat at tables on them partaking in tea. They looked exotic and gorgeous sitting above the world, debutants in their white hats and upward hairdos, their clothes as tight fitting as her own had once been but instead of dull in color they were bright and flamboyant, admitting a certain radiance in their fabrics that Kagome had never seen before. They were truly the high class, the people who ruled the whole of La Mobile, she could tell, simply by the way they held themselves and by the fact that they were all recognizably demons.
She could tell by the points of their ears, by the discrete tucking of a tail to the side of a ladies stay. She could tell by the lines on their faces, thick colorations on high cheek bones, red and blue, yellow and green. And she could tell, most distinctly, by the glistening of fangs in afternoon light as they laughed, gloved hands daintily trying to disguise the vulgar gesture.
"It's the same everywhere you go, no matter what," She thought to herself dryly. "It's a demon's world."
With that last thought Kagome's eyes turned back to the lower level of the street, taking in the less elaborate people who dwelt in the world she was now becoming acquainted with. They were still beautiful, dressed as elegantly as they could fashion with simple dress designs that mimicked the high class women's dresses, and with hairdos that were also as elaborate, if not as well done. The colors of their dresses were even similar but not as rich (after all dyed fabric was a great expense).
Kagome frowned, even the marks on their cheeks were comparable—
"Marks?" She stopped walking and turned back to the group of women she had just seen. All of them had markings on their faces, deep and colorful, one red with a stripe on each cheek, one blue with a stripe on only one side of her face, one green with three strips on both sides, one even had a moon shape on their head, yellow and shinning.
"They're demons?" She whispered into the air only to jump from the feel of a hand on her shoulder.
"You're surprised." Came the deep and sturdy voice of the Captain as he turned her towards him roughly urging her to continue walking.
She hissed as a claw accidently managed to puncture her jacket barely missing her delicate skin, the feel of the sharp talon a strange sensation on her soft flesh. Hastily the Captain's hand retracted and he gave her an apologetic frown before sighing deeply. She watched as he looked at her arm, studying the small prick mark on the old jacket, his eyes intent. She lifted one eyebrow as he sniffed the air his face contorting as he took a few quick breathes.
"No blood." He mumbled more to himself than her as he righted himself. "Come on." He told her firmly as he placed a hand on the small of her back, encouraging her with a slight pressure to continue forward his earlier worry that he had in fact hurt her clouding his judgment now.
Too shocked to fight it, Kagome allowed herself to be lead, her eyes coming to look at the Captain square on, he didn't even appear to acknowledge his actions, instead he looked straight on just as he had before. She found it odd, found it—almost freaky. She looked away from him and slowly shook her head up and down, what she was agreeing with, even she wasn't sure. Finally, after some minutes of silence she remembered her original inquiry and began to look around her once again, searching for more signs of demons among the lower class.
Sure enough, she saw more demons dressed in common clothing, standing, loitering around the shops that lined the simple street. "I don't understand it," She spoke softly more to herself than to Inuyasha but that didn't stop his ears from twitching in her direction. "I was told—told that demons were only the high class but—," Kagome brought a hand to her head, holding her brow confused. The movement easily followed by Inuyasha's sharp eyes. "Everywhere we go they're—normal people." She finished daring to catch a glance at Inuyasha, as if attempting to plead for some sort of explanation.
Inuyasha glanced down at her, a twinge of color on his cheeks as he made eye contact. He seemed to absentmindedly lick his lips before he shrugged haphazardly. "Your point?" He stated bluntly as he continued to push her along, his hand a warm presence on her lower back. "You were lied to, most people are. The demons—they may rule everything but just like humans, they have their low class."
Kagome silently took in this information, her body slumping at the shoulders as she really thought about what that meant. It seemed that the more she stayed with these people, the more she stepped out into the world she had always imagined, always wanted to be part of; the more she came to realize that the world she had come from and the world she had imagined were both great works of fiction. They were lies her mother had woven for her, created for unknown reasons.
"Why would they hide something like this from me?" She wondered, her mind frazzled as she realized that another facet of her upbringing, another part of her social lessons on societal norms had been a giant lie. "Demons—they aren't any better or worse off, they're just like us, they have their highs and their lows." Kagome smiled slightly at the thought. "It's just like propriety, it only exist if we chose to let it."
It was only with this thought that Kagome once again became truly aware of the slight pressure on her back. The slight tingling of claws as they faintly pushed into her skin directing her down the busy street. She gulped, ever sense the other night the Captain hadn't even come near here let alone touched her. He hadn't really talked to her either. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge him, trying to figure out what he was doing and why, what he was thinking and what it meant for her.
She was met with the look of his handsome face, his bold chin held high and firm, his eyes concentrating and alert, staring ahead, darting this way and that as he studied the people around them. She felt her face flush as he directed her around a man who was peddling some sort of wares—what she wasn't sure. She was far too focused on his face, on his high cheek bones and frowning lips. She was staring too intently at his golden eyes to even care about any other men around her. None of them could compare to this man before her now with that look in his eyes, that look of determination, that look that said he didn't care about anyone else in the world.
She frowned at the thought—that look contradicted what she had come to know as truth. He did care about the world; he cared about its opinion, the opinion of all people, demons and humans, high class and low. He hid himself from all of them, behind the pirate, the careful mask he had created with it. He hid everything, a major part of himself with it—his heritage, his mother and father, the demon and the human—he kept them hidden behind those determined gold eyes. A small bang of hurt filled her, she wanted to see under the mask, she wanted to see the man when those eyes were truthful and not commanding the lie.
Kagome frowned and gulped. It was impossible. She couldn't—it wasn't the time—she couldn't ask him, "Why did you lie to me?" The words echoed only in her mind. "Why didn't you want me to know?" The echo bounced back this time granting her a response.
"Kikyo."
She closed her eyes, dropping her head, looking away from him that name, its every syllable hitting her hard. She knew why he hadn't told her, that wasn't really the question she needed to ask anymore. No—now was the time to ask what he saw when he looked at her. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye again she blinked her new questioning slowly forming in her mind as she studied his set jaw and the corner of his mouth. "When you see me," The questioned began to take shape. "Do you—see her?"
Suddenly, he looked down at her, his eyes widening in surprise as they lined up with her own. She froze, her sideways glance turning into a full on stare once again, their eyes locking together, neither able to look away both of them blushing as they realized they had been caught catching quick glances.
He stared at her, his lips opening slightly as he took her in, his eyes going from stern and focused to open and accepting. He blinked, he looked as if he was about to say something, his lips going from slightly parted shock to word formulating but before he could voice whatever unknown thought had prompted him, the words died in his throat.
"Fait gaffe!" A man yelled as he ran into them, shoving the Captain aside, the smell of rum on his breath nauseating to Kagome's jarred senses.
Inuyasha instinctively grabbed Kagome, pulling her close to himself pressing his hand to the back of her head shielding her as he stood his ground, his eyes burning with anger as he turned them around to face the other man. "Dégagez!" He shouted and watched with satisfaction mounting on his face when the man's face went pale and he darted away without another word. Inuyasha snorted before chuckling to himself. "I still got it."
Against Inuyasha's chest Kagome flushed from the contact of his skin against her cheek. He was warm and his breath was heaving causing her head to rise and fall in the pattern of his angered panting and happy chuckling. She took in a deep shaky breath, trying to decide what to do but she was frozen, completely frozen to her spot concealed in his arms. "In—," She tried to speak but only managed to say the first syllable of his name, the others dead in her throat.
He heard the noise she attempted to make, however, and hastily let her go, his face tinting red just like her own. She thought she heard him mumble 'sorry' but the word was hard to hear having been whispered so softly in the loud street. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, so she really didn't know.
"Let's get going."
This time she heard for sure and nodded, her eyes still focused on her feet unmoving.
Inuyasha watched her, watched the way her hair covered her beautiful normally captivating eyes. He felt his heart constrict tightly in his chest, felt the uneasiness of having her get too close momentarily leave him. "She's beautiful." The thought echoed within him, strong and vibrant in his mind as he imagined her smile—her none existent smile. "Did I—did I kill that smile?" He wondered as the noise of the street died down, his ears easily tuning in to the only thing important to him right now.
She looked small, she looked—sad. She had never looked small, nor sad to him before—not like this. Sure, he had seen her scared, he had seen her look at him as if she hated everything about him but that had been before he introduced her to this world, his world. And now, "I'm shutting her out."
He gulped as anger built inside of him, he had made her feel this way, he was subconsciously pushing her away all because—he was scared. He was scared to face it, to face that heartbreak once again, to face that look of hatred and anger and malice. He didn't want the words to hit him again, he didn't want to hear her say that he wasn't good enough again. He didn't want to face what he had faced before again. He knew all of this and yet—he stilled pushed, he stilled shoved, he still called her Miss Dresmont.
"She's accepting." He heard Myoga's words.
"I know." He heard his own admission.
Still what if they were wrong? What if she wasn't like his mother, what if she wasn't any better than Kikyo? What would happen if he told her, if he let her in and she turned out to be everything he thought she wasn't?
Inuyasha growled to himself, "What if?" He yelled in his head. "What if? What if? What the fuck if!" He mentally shook himself hard. "I'm sick of fucking what if's! Just look at her," He told himself and forced himself to see the small woman standing in front of him with downcast eyes. She had been vibrant, she had been beautiful and fierily and loud and sweet and kind—and he had killed that spark in her. His own doubt had done this and that more than anything pissed him off.
"She's not Kikyo you moron, just get the fuck over it!"
He blinked in surprise, not even truly sure what part of him had just said that.
Slowly, he scratched the back of his head and nodded to himself. He knew this was stupid, he knew he shouldn't push her away. Kagome and Kikyo, Kikyo and Kagome, no matter how he looked at it he knew the truth, they were two very different girls—women. And he was lying to himself if he thought that they were the same.
"Kagome." He found himself whispering without his consent.
She blinked and lifted her head, coming to look at him. Instantly he flushed and looked down at his boots attempting to hide his face behind his bangs as he always did when he felt vulnerable but even as he looked away from her, he still saw the look of happiness that had come over her as he said her name—said her true name, not her family name.
"Let's go—," He started again before looking up at her, his bangs still concealing his expression but not enough so that he couldn't see her. Coming to a quick conclusion, he opened his mouth again, even as the fear weighed in his heart. "Kagome."
Kagome felt the smile spread all the way to her eyes as a warmth went through her that she could honestly say paled in comparison to even the sun. The way he said her name, it made her burn, the way he looked at her, his eyes mostly covered by shining silver made her tingle. Somehow she knew that he was giving her both an apology and a shy plea. His name on her lips had said it and his hair in his eyes had confirmed it.
"You called me Kagome." The words slipped from her mouth but oddly she didn't regret them as she was rewarded with his head raising, revealing shy and shifty eyes.
"What of it?" He stated harshly as he started to walk shoving one hand into a large jacket pocket as the other hand clutched the strings of his bag tighter.
Kagome's smile only broadened as a sense of normalcy filled her. Kikyo could wait, she decided then, so could the impending discussion on his heritage and his hiding it, for now she felt as if she should cherish this grand occasion. Yes, he had called her by her first name before but this time it was different. This time is was an apology, an immense one, and on top of that this time her name had sounded different—she couldn't explain it but it just had.
"Oi!" He yelled from a couple dozen feet ahead of her. "Come on Kagome or I'm leaving you behind."
She suppressed a laugh and ran to join him—knowing he would never leave her behind.
-break-
Kagome clutched Inuyasha tighter around the waist as the horse galloped underneath them. They had left the town of La Mobile about an hour or so ago after acquiring a cheap horse that the Captain had told her he would simply sell back when they returned.
Kagome, herself, was not too terribly fond of horses, having had one poor childhood experience at the expense of the rather large animals. It had happened before they had moved to Port Royal, when they were still living in England with her grandparents. She had been with her grandfather practicing a simple trot as he held the reins directing the horse. For whatever reason, (a reason she had once known but could not for her life remember any longer) her grandfather had dropped the reins, perhaps distracted, and the horse had taken full advantage of it escalating the trot to a gallop—instantly scaring the poor Kagome to death.
To this day she didn't remember the horse stopping or her grandfather picking her up off the ground where she had landed upon fainting but she did remember waking up in her bed at home to the sound of her mother yelling at her grandfather about his foolishness. Needless to say, Kagome had decided from that moment on that she would never get on the back of a horse ever again, however, that had all changed an hour ago when the Captain had informed her they would be riding.
Luckily, though, after nearly having a panic attack, he had agreed to only get one horse so she wouldn't have to direct one of the large animals herself. An action she had told him would only end in more crying. He had (albeit very 'reluctantly') agreed that the two should ride together. For that, Kagome was glad.
"What direction is the compass pointing?" Inuyasha yelled over the sound of the hoof beats. In light of current events Kagome pressed herself even closer to the Captain, her need to feel protected and safe outweighing her anxieties.
"I can't tell." She yelled back to him dryly. "The compass is in your bag so I can't quite see it at the moment."
Inuyasha glared at her over his shoulder but nodded as he brought the horse down to a slight trot. Kagome breathed a relieved sigh as the horse slowed down and glanced around her for the bag that they had tied to the horse.
"Well," The Captain called, quieter now since he wasn't competing with the hoofs of the horse. "Get it out."
"Easier said than done." She shot back with a roll of her eyes as she motioned to the horse they were currently riding. "Just stop it completely."
"Fine." Inuyasha grumbled and pulled on the reins causing the horse to come to a complete stop after a few seconds. He slid back in the saddle and watched as she leaned over slightly one of her hands staying on his shoulder for support while the other grabbed the bag, fumbling with it to get it opened. After a moment the drawstring loosened and she smiled triumphantly as she reached inside easily feeling out the compass amongst the few scraps of paper, quills and wells.
Carefully she brought the box to her chest, pulling herself back up more firmly on the horse before opening the lid with tempered hands. A slight glow filled the compass initially as it opened before it died down revealing a red and pointing arrow, directed ahead of them and to the left, towards the coast.
"I wish this thing provided directions." Inuyasha grumbled evenly as he sighed long and low. "Or a map or something, there's no telling how far away we are."
"We have to pretty close." Kagome told him with a shrug as she tucked the compass into her jacket pocket so it would be closer for easy access. "If it wasn't the compass would be spinning like it was before."
Inuyasha snorted but didn't disagree as he watched her draw the bag back to a close, her hands coming up to rest back around his waist so she could hold on when they moved. He took a firm breath at the feel of those small hands back around his middle and forced himself to remain calm as her delightful breast pressed into him slightly. "She doesn't realize." He told himself as he kicked the horse's sides prompting it to go once again. "She's not doing it on purpose." He nearly groaned as she pressed her face into his back as well, burying it in his hair as she whimpered from fear. "Why me?"
A sudden, rather loud gunshot brought him completely out of his thoughts and back to the realm of awareness. On full alert he stopped the horse, his eyes darting this way and that as he looked for any sign of danger.
"Inu—?"
"Be quiet!" He commanded harshly his ears swerving in every direction. Another gunshot to the side of his head and his eyes widened as he turned following the noise, attempting to see where it had started from. As he turned, his ears began to pick up the sound of angry shouting, the sound of people yelling, screaming violently, he narrowed his eyes, another gunshot. "What the hell, a riot?"
"We don't' want yer kind here!"
His ears twitched wildly as he heard the loud yell, it sounded like a man.
"Go back from whatever hell you came from!"
He pulled the horses bridle to the left, turning them so he could face the noise, his eyes squinting looking for the source.
"Do you hear that?" Kagome mumbled quietly from behind him as she looked over his shoulder, trying to see whatever he was looking for.
"Yeah." He commented as he once again coaxed the horse forward, making it walk in the direction the sounds were coming from.
He sniffed the air in an attempt to figure out what was going on and in what direction it was coming from. Instantly he could smell smoke, coming from the east, he turned the horse towards the smell taking a deep breath as they quickened their pace to a moderate trot. He took another big whiff and frowned, he could smell humans, lots of them—the scent of their anger and rage familiar to his nose. But what were they angry at, why were they rioting and in a giant mob?
He shrugged, getting ready to turn the horse and simply leave the mess alone. They were humans, after all, and he had no right to mess with human business. As he turned the bridle, however, one last scent hit his nose, a scent that stopped all of his further actions. His eyes went wide and he turned the horse back, sniffing the air deeply, trying to gauge the smell. It was the scent of fear, the scent of a scared mutt.
Kicking the horses sides hastily he forced it into a full gallop causing Kagome to shriek in panic but he ignored it. The scent he had smelt on the breeze brought back too many memories. It was the scent of something in between demon and human, the scent of a mother, and the scent of her tears.
"Stop it, leave my son alone!"
He heard her voice, instantly recognizing the sound of a woman pleading for her son's life. He felt his heart race in his chest as memory after memory flooded him.
"He's just a boy!"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth, pushing into the horses sides even sharper, forcing it to go faster than a gallop if it were at all possible. The scent of smoke and anger filled his nose, the woman's tears and cries deafening to his heightened senses. The smoke pillowing, the flames rising entered his vision, filling his mind with a horrible flashback.
"Run Inuyasha! Run!"
He felt a weight hit his chest as he forced the horse to stop, pulling on the bridle so abruptly that it reared back, he heard Kagome cry out in complete and utter horror as her hands nearly bruised him as they tightened their hold around his middle to near inhuman levels. He took just enough time to make sure she was safe before he pried her away from himself and as gently as he could heaved her to the ground before he jumped, one giant leap in the air, landing in the very center of the villagers marked chaos.
Started gasps and fearful cries met him as his boots touched the ground so lightly that no man would have heard him land; as if he were a ghost.
"What's going on here?" He screamed, his commanding dominating voice filling the air, stopping all protests before they could even begin. No one said a word, the men backed away, pitchforks, guns, and torches falling from their grasp as they stared at him as if he were some god—to them he was—for to the untrained eye Inuyasha looked the part of a full blooded demon, not the mutt he was. "I said," Inuyasha began again when no man spoke up. "What the fuck is going on here?"
Again not a word. Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he studied the men who had only moments ago been tormenting some unseen creature, now they practically dragged their bellies to the ground, submitting to him without words.
"You're sniveling cowards." Inuyasha said in a voice so low that only the men closest to him heard. "Get out of here, now." The words were quiet but that didn't stop the fear that permeated each man around him.
A brave man stepped forward, Inuyasha's blazing eyes turning to look at him as he bared his fangs. The man shook visibly but didn't back down as he attempted to make eye contact with Inuyasha. "Sir," He said softly, his dialect far different than the poor man's dialect used on the ship and in the Caribbean, telling Inuyasha that this man was probably of higher social class and well educated. "We are—um—just taking care of some business."
"Business?" Inuyasha posed softly his eyes starting to twinge with red. "What kind of business?"
The man cleared his throat before lifting a finger, pointing it at the burning house and the woman standing before it. Next to her, knelt on the ground in a small ball was a rather large man, from the looks of him probably misshapen since birth. His face was covered by his hands, hands that bared a million scars and burn marks deep and penetrating, marring the tanned flesh.
Inuyasha heard Kagome gasp from somewhere behind him, her voice filled with grief and pity as she took in the sight of the tortured man. For a second he thought she might be gasping simply because he was rather strange and grotesque to a person who had never been exposed to such a creature as a true half demon but then he heard her soft muttering.
"How could they?" She whispered into the air.
He smelt her tears and felt his heart lighten momentarily in his chest before he began again. "What crime have they committed?" He asked his voice hard even as he felt a great sense of relief from Kagome's words.
"The man sir," The small human spokesman mumbled. "He is a half demon."
He heard Kagome's sharp intake of air, this was information he had already known. Inuyasha gulped, the anger building in him so strong that he thought he might explode but he refrained as he listened to her, his every sense focused on her, what he heard surprised him.
"That's it?" Kagome yelled causing every man and woman and child, along with the half demon and his mother to turn. "You did this because he's half demon?" She screeched her eyes ablaze with pure rage. "That's all he's ever done? Please tell me he's at least killed someone or stolen something worth a million pieces of gold?" She stepped forward her eyes almost pleading, hoping there was a more logical explanation, she was given none so she continued. "You can't destroy someone's livelihood just because they're a half demon!" She continued, "He's done nothing to you, nothing but been born! What sick twisted man would condemn another poor innocent creature just for being born?"
Inuyasha looked at her in shock, she was angry—no—she was pissed, down right on the verge of killing someone. He felt all of his doubts fall away as she looked at the villagers around her, her eyes disbelieving, her voice sounding beyond enrage.
"Shut up you stupid cross dressing wench!" The man who had been talking groused as he waved off her concern with a flick of his hand.
Inuyasha saw red. Before anyone could even move, the town's representative went flying through the air, Inuyasha's fist having connected soundly with his face. "If you want to live," He screamed as his eyes completely changed from gold to dark blood red with bright blue pupils. "Then get the fuck out!"
Instantly the whole of the village ran, a trail of dust following them as they disappeared over a nearby hill (unconscious man in tow), where Inuyasha could only guess the true village lied. He huffed, anger still filling him as he watched them go, he could honestly say he had wanted to kill that man but—something had held him back.
He turned, his striking red eyes falling on Kagome staring at her, taking her in, a voice in the back of his head cried for her, wanted her, needed her. "Mate." He heard himself growl in his father's demon tongue but he was unable to stop, unable to stop the emotion from building, the human in him buried somewhere deep inside still calling out to him desperately.
"Inuyasha?"
Her voice came to him, soft and scared. He felt his eyebrows narrow, felt something inside of him tug at his consciousness even harder. It was hard to hear at first but before he knew it, the human in him grew loud.
"Not now!" It said and the demon, for whatever reason listened.
He knew the second his eyes went back to gold because a look a relief flooded her own grey irises and she took a step towards him only to stop and look over to his right. Confused he turned as well and gasped startled as he took in the sight of the old woman and her son staring at them. The son cowering in fear and the old woman armed with a broken fence post.
Instantly Kagome took action, stepping towards the old woman with her hands raised. "Don't worry," She said gently her eyes a soft subtle grey that made Inuyasha's heart leap. "We don't want to cause you any harm."
"It's not you I'm worried about." The old woman told her harshly as she eyed Inuyasha, looking him up and down.
"Don't worry," Kagome told her quickly her hands waving in front of her face before pointing back at Inuyasha. "He's a half demon too." She froze, the Captain froze, the old woman gave them both an odd look as Kagome turned around and looked the Captain in the eye. She opened her mouth like a fish out of water before gulping slowly, audibly. "Ahh." She started to say but the words didn't form. She laughed slightly uncomfortably and took an unnecessary step away from him, her face looking concerned as she tried to gauge his reaction.
The Captain said nothing, she grew more uncomfortable, her eyes darted to the mother, to the son, then back at the Captain. "What do I do?" She contemplated as she stared at him, he wasn't looking at her, his eyes were trained on the ground, hard to see from so far away. Finally, he looked up, and their eyes met. And all she could think to say was, "Oops."
-break-
Naraku eyed Kaede suspiciously as she came around the counter, her old wrinkled hands holding a glass that she took a sip from. He chewed the inside of his lip cautiously as she slowly sat the glass down, the sound of it hitting the table loud in the quiet empty tavern. Absently, he wondered why she had no customers—it really did look as if she had been expecting him. He smiled, smirked really before popping his neck with a simple quick turn from left to right, "I guess my reputation precedes me." He began, his voice smooth, deadly.
"Not your reputation dear," Kaede responded casually. "You are far too young to have developed one of those just yet."
Naraku felt his eyebrow twitch but bit his lip; he would have to play this cool if he wanted to gain anything from the old fossil before him. "Then how did you know I was coming?"
Kaede tilted her head to the side as if she was putting a great deal of thought into her answer before shrugging. "A little birdie told me."
If Naraku could have face faulted he would have, he cleared his throat, sniffed loudly before fingering his pistol. "So then, you must know why I'm here, yes?"
"I have my suspicions," Kaede began cryptically as she picked up her mug once again, sipping the unknown dark contents. "But only you can prove them facts." She finished, looking at him from just the corner of her eye, as if daring him to speak.
For a moment Naraku actually felt uncomfortable with the old woman's glare but it only lasted a moment. "That could be arranged." He told her bluntly. "Perhaps over a drink?"
"I'm sorry Naraku." She said as she gently set her mug down once again, her hand motioning around her slowly. "But as you can see, we're closed. You will have to take your business and your inquiries elsewhere."
Naraku growled and clutched his fist, his knuckles popping loudly. "If you do in fact know what I am here for," He began slowly his every feature going taunt. "Then you know I can't get that information from anyone but you."
"Oh," Kaede said mildly as she blinked her one eye a few times. "That's too bad." She took another sip, a long sip, a taunting sip before setting the mug down, her hands not leaving the glass this time, toying with it as she was toying with him. "Whatever will you do?"
Naraku gritted his teeth grinding them as he stomped forward, coming to stand right in front of the old woman. "Listen here you old bat!" He growled as he grabbed the front of her dress, yanking her forward harshly, her grip on the glass going slack. "Tell me what I want to know or die." He hissed as he reached for the gun that now always rested at his side, reassurance that he would be followed and listened to despite his small stature and young age.
Kaede eyed the gun with her one good eye, looking to all who stood in the tavern as if she was truly thinking of telling the angry Naraku everything. But soon the look changed, morphed on her face, going from contemplative to at peace. "An ideal threat made by idle hands." She told Naraku slowly, motioning with just one eye from the gun to his face.
"I will kill you old woman." Naraku snapped as he yanked the gun from his belt, shoving Kaede back causing her to fall to the ground the glass falling as well spilling the liquor everywhere as he aimed the gun straight at Kaede's face.
She smiled as she slowly stood back up, her one eye closing, a slight giggle or chuckle permeating from her lips. Naraku yelled, actually yelled enraged, his eyes turning red, his face contorting into a deadly glare as he cocked the gun aiming to kill.
"No." Mr. Dresmont barely whispered from behind him. It was one thing to see a grown man die but to see a woman, a little old woman with an eye patch and a hunchback? He took a step forward, reaching for Kaede, not knowing her but knowing she didn't deserve to die. The old woman raised her hand, a silent yet commanding gesture. Her one worn out eye looked at him as old crinkled lips formed an almost sarcastic smile.
"Do your worse." Was all she said before the gun fired.
End of Chapter
Please Review
Congrats to me for hitting the 300,000 word mark. This is offically longer than A Language Made for Love, sweet.
A/N: I'm so sorry I spent the whole past two weeks study for the exam from hell! I hate Latin, absolutely hate it, too many damn possible endings to each word. Can't even focus because of reading it every waking minute, first for my thesis and then because Ovid just won't stay dead!
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be just as interesting, I promise because I'll let you know now, not everything is as it seems at the end of this chapter. I wouldn't kill an old woman, would I? Beside's that, now Kagome's spilled the beans which should be loads of fun, and on top of that it's the new moon tonight! Oh God, it's going to be epic.
P.S. A while back someone sent me a review asking me to read their stuff and I can't for my life find that review. I'd love to read your stuff mystery reviewer so please send me it again, please.
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
Muppet Treasure Island! Watch it, just go find it on the internet and watch it, it is so cute and funny. Just think, Gonzo as a pirate, Kermit is the Captain, and Miss Piggy an Amazon trapped on an Island. God it's great! Anyway, congrats to the winners:
HeavenlyEclipse, The Aeolian Mode, LittleMargarita (close enough lol), Warm-Amber92, Purple Dragon Ranger, booklover2theextreme, thelittlekitten
Bonus Point:
What caused Inuyasha and Kagome to met Jinenji in the first place? (Hint: It involves one of the tiny members of the group.)
Japanese Translations:
1. Otou-san? Kanojo wa imasu ka: Father is the girl—? 2. Wasurete wa ikenai furui mono to atarashii mono wa tagaini kotonatte iru: Do not forget, the old and the new are different from each other. 3. Anata no basho o shitte ire, Myoga-jii-jii: Know your place, old man myoga.
French Translations:
1. Fait gaffe: Watch it! 2. Dégagez: Back off!
Next Chapter:
His Secrets
See you then!
UNEDITTED
POSTED 9/29/2011