Disclaimer - Sesshomaru does not belong to me, nor do any other of Takahashi-sama's original characters. So don't sue me, because all you'll get is pocket lint, a piece of chewing gum, and various college text books.

A/N - I hope everyone is enjoying this little ditty of a story. Things are starting to come to a close, but I'm not done yet. Enjoy.


Teaching Rin

Chapter 55

Terror on the High Seas


Kaida knew that things were about to come to a head, both literally and figuratively, because of the massive amounts of tension that surrounded everyone on deck. Waves of anger and confusion were mixed liberally with equal amounts of anticipation and duty. This fight was going to be quick, and heated…a confrontation where one wrong move could spell disaster for everyone involved. But this time, unlike any other, she felt confident that the final result would fall in her favor. Thanks to Emi, they knew exactly how Shinegori would attack. And with Rio's help, they would have confirmation of the pirate's location within an hour. Seiti had even sent one of his own demons out for aerial surveillance of any other possible interlopers.

She glanced around the Southern flagship, taking note of those who were currently on deck and engrossed in various duties. Her eyes caught sight of a head of silvery hair exiting out of the cabin, and she watched as Sesshomaru and her eldest brother Ryuichi came out of the small room that had been used while they were hashing out a plan of attack a few hours before.

That meeting had been bugging her though. Seiti was acting odd, and not in a way that she could throw off to being concerned about the upcoming confrontation. He had glowered and thrown glares at Sesshomaru more during the meeting than he had paid attention to what was being said. She had a sneaking suspicion that the two demons had had words while she was gone to retrieve the current maps the day before, but she had no proof. And Keiji…he was another story altogether. Her twin had said practically nothing to her, and joined in Seiti's past time of sending visual daggers into the Western Lord's vital organs. Ryuiji had seemed nonchalant about the entire mess, especially when Ryuichi had arrived earlier that morning with an update from their father.

Something was just off. And she couldn't put her finger on what exactly had her so out of sorts. Kaida shook her head at the errant thoughts. There were more important things to worry about than why a group of grown demons couldn't get along unless she was there to run interference.

There was one thing she was thankful for, though. Sesshomaru had taken the hostile glares with little more than a bored look, and worked with them to formulate a plausible, strategic plan of attack. It was then that she was doubly grateful to his presence in that room. Prince of ice though many had termed him, the Western Lord was her own form of stability, and she was thankful for it.

And the fact that he made this whole situation sound like a trivial encroachment of their precious time helped as well. He was there out of loyalty to her, not out of duty just because one of his ships had been targeted, a fact she had finally managed to absorb sometime in the hours during and after their resolving….discussions. Those discussions had proven more useful to her attempted understanding of him than she'd ever thought…and some of it was still hard for her to swallow.

She was bound to her duties simply because of who she was, where as he moved around freely throughout his life. It honestly made her sick sometimes, thinking of the freedom he was allowed, simply because of his gender and station. But her jealousy was unfounded, especially now. She knew the rigors he endured to run his lands smoothly, to form a working understanding of the humans and other demons who lived under his rule. But despite his stability of temperament, he wasn't necessarily a stable person, as she had seen on many different occasions when someone had tried his temper….or she had managed to push him too far one too many times.

She knew of his darker side, a part of his nature that had only come out once during the entire time she had served in the Western Lands. He had never scared her to a point where she would not face him. Angered her, yes. Scared her, never.

Not even the night before. Not even when the warring parts of her psyche had reminded her that she'd been in a very similar position before…albeit involuntarily and with a partner who she'd rather kill than kiss. She remembered vividly what had been the outcome of that encounter. And somewhere in the clouded recesses of her mind, her instincts were screaming that this time was not going to be any different.

Her sudden hesitance had been telling, and Sesshomaru had quietly asked what was bothering her. She had mumbled his name, and her Lord had understood without question.

Sesshomaru had cursed him then

Regal, proper, uppity Sesshomaru actually cursed him for invading her thoughts when she was safely enveloped in his arms. She had shirked away from the angered dog demon, immediately weary of his reaction. But her worries had been unfounded once again. Anger and instability were not the only sides of Sesshomaru. He had a quiet strength about him that she admired, and always had, even long before they had officially met.

He had pulled her as close as possible and reassured her in his own way that Kiyoshi was a bastard and deserved to be in whatever layer of hell he currently resided in. Kaida honestly couldn't remember what he had said to her, but her wavering confidence in her actions solidified with his reassuring, if gruff words.

She trusted him…enough to know that whatever happened would be anything but a repeat of what happened with Kiyoshi.

Kaida smothered a grin, knowing well that it was not just his strength, but his courage and focus on a specific subject is what proved he was as good a ruler as his father could have ever hoped for, and as good a partner as she could ever have wished for.

She loved him for the way he looked like he was glaring when he concentrated, so that every time he sat at his desk, it appeared as if he was daring it, or any other defenseless piece of furniture in the room, to defy him.

She loved him for the beautiful, if very rare smile she could manage to coax out of him.

She loved him very simply because he was who he was, Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands.

And she hated herself for it. Or, at least she had.

Now it was a completely different story all together.

"So, General, who won the bet?" Raika questioned salaciously, sidling up to Kaida, and ripping the Southern demoness from her inner dialogue without much of a warning.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on! The bet. You know we were trying to figure out how this was all going to end!" the lightning demoness defended. "So who won?"

"You were betting on me?" Kaida asked skeptically, idly wondering if Raika had been born with any shame at all. It sure didn't seem like she had at times.

"You expected us not to?" Raika asked, head cocked to the side. "Oh, come on, General! You know us better than that."

"What were the possibilities?" Kaida asked, humoring her subordinate. Raika grinned and quickly went through the rather extensive list of possibly outcomes that had been dreamed up by the curious onlookers the day before. A few of the possibilities were so outlandish that she had to stifle her grin, while yet a half dozen or more came a it closer to the truth than she'd like, and the few had been left had been quite possible…but not realized in the end. Thank the gods.

"So which one was it?" Raika asked, that ridiculous smirk still firmly in place.

"I can't believe you bunch of perverts." Kaida muttered.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you, General?" Raika pouted.

"No."

"Well…if you're not going to tell me who won, will you answer one question?"

"What?"

"Those pink markings on Lord Sesshomaru…"

"What about them?" Kaida asked cautiously.

"Are they anywhere else besides his wrists and face?"

"Wh…what? Raika!" Kaida sputtered, glowering embarrassingly at the grinning demoness. "You're on cleanup patrol for a month when we get back home!"

"It's worth it!" The orange headed menace called back as she ran off before Kaida could get a swing in on her.


Kaida's rather loud exclamation to the obnoxious creature he had met the day before was the first indication that trouble was brewing. The second was when he saw her hand go to her side and pull Nakuton from the leather thong that held it in place on her side.

"What has she done now?" Sesshomaru asked, catching Kaida before the red faced noble could give chase after the cackling demoness.

"She's running her mouth again." Kaida muttered, still glaring holes in the back of Raika's rapidly retreating form.

"Well that is hardly anything to concern yourself with." Ryuichi said simply. "She's been doing that since I arrived last night."

"She's been doing it longer than that, I assure you." Kaida pointed out sullenly, flipping the whip sword back into it's coiled form and snapping it into place with ease.

"I do not doubt it." Ryuichi answered lightly. "If you'll excuse me, Lord Sesshomaru, Kaida, I need to speak with Emi about our current course." Sesshomaru nodded absently, waiting until Kaida had given her eldest brother a message to pass on to Emi.

"You seem ill at ease." Sesshomaru commented lightly. He'd picked up on her nervousness a few hours before, but had said nothing to her. Without a word, he gently guided her behind a group of small lifeboats that were sitting on deck. It wasn't a completely secluded spot, but he figured they were safe from onlookers for a few moments at the least. "Surely you are not still concerned over the coming fight."

"Something is wrong." she said bluntly. "I don't know what it is. But something is just…off."

"How so?" he asked, knowing well that Kaida's instincts were ones he could trust. "Seiti has not been giving you any problems, I trust?"

"No." she answered. "And that is part of the problem."

"Really?" Sesshomaru asked drolly. "I was under the impression you did not like his company."

"I don't. But that's beside the point." she answered. "After your…discussion a few months ago, I figured he'd put up more of a fight when he found out you were here."

"You seem disappointed."

"I'm not. Suspicious is more like it." she said with a shrug. "I don't know. It's just….I'm not sure, exactly. Something just feels off somehow."

The Western Lord remained quiet. He too had felt the minute tugging of his conscious telling him that something was not right. But like her, he had not been able to place exactly what was causing the uneasy feeling. He and Kaida were on good terms with each other again, after almost three months of separation.

In fact, they were on very good terms right now.

And he intended to keep it like that.

He wanted her to himself, and he knew that it was an attack of egotism that kept saying she wasn't going to go anywhere again. Perhaps it was wrong of him to feel this way for her because of how she affected him. For the longest time, he wondered if it was only the selfish part of his nature that yearned for her presence? Then he wondered he was simply jumping at the first woman who knew him inside and out, and yet still managed to care? He felt content with her, which wasn't an easy task with his life up until now.

In all of their time together, and with the exception of one or two…possibly three…times, she had never really taken offense to anything he'd said or done. He'd kissed her, more than once, in a way that he knew he had no right to. He'd embarrassed her in front of more than a dozen people. He'd stuck his nose into matters that did not concern him, simply because he'd believed her unable to handle it on her own. He'd even pissed her off to the point of her spearing him with his own sword. Hell, he'd taken a myriad of leniencies with her that he had no actual entitlement to…the evening before being no exception.

But it didn't matter now, their past transgressions against each other had been forgiven, one of the many agreements they had settled on the evening before during their brief time secluded in the small cabin of the flagship. Now, with all the bad blood and misunderstandings out of the way, they knew exactly where they stood with each other, and even had a good idea of where things were going to head.

Sesshomaru, for one, was grateful for the dismissal of tension. And so was Kaida, if her actions so far were of any evidence.

"You have nothing to concern yourself about. This will all be over with soon enough." Sesshomaru said quietly, his hands sneaking around her waist, pulling her lightly against him when she turned to look out over the surrounding sea.

"Sesshomaru! Not here!" she hissed quietly. "My brothers are right there!"

"And your point is?" he asked blandly, knowing good and well that she was going to put up a fight against his grasp on her. He didn't care, though. "For all their talents, I do not think they can see through wood." She liked to be held, and he knew it, and planned on capitalizing off it any time he could from then on. It worked better for him in the end. He was content and she was pacified.

Plus he had the added bonus of watching Keiji squirm and glare at him every time he touched her…something Sesshomaru secretly found highly amusing.

"You're cruising for a bruising, buddy." she threatened halfheartedly, her right hand resting lightly on his while she leaned back into his innocuous embrace.

"From you, or them?"

"Ohhh…." she growled. "You better be glad I like you."

"A fact I am doubly grateful for. This could get quite awkward otherwise." he said, dropping a present into the pocket of her pants. He saw her reach for it, a confused look on her face. Before she could pull it out, he stilled her hand.

"What…"

"Consider it a gift…at least for the time being." he said. "It may be useful before this is over with." He could tell his words were confusing her, especially when she glanced over her shoulder to give him a withering look.

"First you're telling me this isn't going to be much of a fight, and now you're giving me this back?" she asked, her hand still in her pocket and clutching the familiar facets of the same energy transfer stone she'd used to teach Rin the shielding techniques so many months ago.

"Prevention is easier than clean up." he answered evasively.

"You're on the verge of coddling me, Sesshomaru."

"If I were coddling you we wouldn't be in this position right now." the dog lord answered briskly. "And considering what my instincts are telling me to do, you should be glad I don't just wipe out Shinegori's entire fleet and kill the bastard myself so we can get back home."

"Yeah, I know. But thank you for humoring me anyway." she said, shaking her head before leaning up to give him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I appreciate the gesture."

"It would be quicker my way. More efficient."

"Yeah, but it's more fun my way."

"Hey, General!" Raika's annoyingly persistent voice called out.

"Not her again." Kaida groaned. A few seconds later, Raika's familiar head of bushy orange hair was seen bobbing along towards them. The two nobles left the area they had been standing on, meeting the precocious soldier head on. "What is it now?"

"Oh, just that Emi said we should be dropping anchor soon." the lightning demoness said with a shrug. "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?"

"Hardly."

"Oh, okay. In that case, I've got a message for you, General." Raika said cheerfully, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"What?" Kaida asked wearily. Raika looked pointedly down at where Sesshomaru's right hand was still resting on her hip, and a salacious little grin covered the lightning demoness' face.

"Pink." she chirped.

"RAIKA!!"


"They're at it again. That overgrown mongrel better…." Keiji growled, clutching the piece of parchment he'd been holding into a ball. "Do you think he'd leave if she threw a stick?"

"Would you leave them alone already?" Ryuiji asked, a bored expression on his face. "Kaida's going to skin you alive if she catches you peeking on her again."

"Get off my back. And why are you going along with this?" Keiji demanded.

"For the very same reason I am." Ryuichi commented, coming up beside him on the deck. "And the same reason you should, little brother."

"Which would be what?"

"Our sister did not go against me when I choose a mate, nor has she protested against the kitsune Lady who has taken a liking to you. And if Ryuiji ever gets off his ass and around to…"

"Don't bring me into this." the middle son said crossly. "I've got enough problems without some annoying woman adding to the masses of confusion."

"I'll make sure and pass that message along to Rio."

"Jackass."

"Anyway, my point is that she wouldn't speak ill of anyone we choose." the elder demon said simply. "She is a far cry from the helpless creature you like to imagine her as, Keiji. Leave our sister to her happiness."

"Happiness? With him?" Keiji demanded.

"If not Sesshomaru, then who? Who would you consider worthy enough to have our sister at his side?"

"I don't know! Anyone but him!"

"Kiyoshi, perhaps? Seiti?"

"They're even less suitable that him!"

"Why do you hate Sesshomaru so much? He's never slighted our family, or caused any insult or injury to us." Ryuichi asked. "What have you got against our sister, your own twin, being content?"

"He is not good enough for her." Keiji said emphatically.

"Few men are worthy of the women who love them." Ryuiji commented sternly. "The Western Lord is no exception."

"His hands are bathed in blood…" Keiji growled.

"And since when are hers pristine?" Ryuiji asked pointedly. "Or ours for that matter? None of us have the right to pass judgement against him or her."

"We are not going to lose Kaida. He's is not stupid enough to try and hoard her away like gold coins. He knows the consequences of doing such would be disastrous." Ryuichi answered.

"I'll stay out of her way, and keep my peace, but I don't have to like it." Keiji grunted. "And if he so much as hurts her…."

"If she doesn't kill him first, I'm sure she will be glad to hand you what's left of him after she's finished." Ryuiji said with a grin. "Our little Kaida is nothing if not thorough in her teachings….and her beatings."

"He's still twisted, depraved, and rotten to the core!" Keiji said vehemently, arms crossed stubbornly over his chest in defiance.

"No wonder they get along so well." Raika's amused voice taunted.

"Raika!" Keiji growled.

"I don't know what you think you know about the Lady, but she's no angel on a pedestal. You know that well enough." Raika continued on effortlessly.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, soldier." Keiji bit out acidly.

"That's never stopped her from offering it before." Rio said drolly as she stepped beside Ryuiji.

"I didn't ask for yours either, assassin." Keiji growled, stalking away from the gathered group of Southerners, muttering under his breath. "If there was a way for me to stop this whole mess, I'd do it. Sesshomaru doesn't deserve her!"

"Ohhh, now he's mad." Raika chirped, a grin on her face.

"He's never had much use for the Western sovereign, has he?" Rio asked, turning to Ryuichi for an answer. The eldest son of the Southern Lord just shook his head.

"No."

"Unless it was for target practice." Raika piped in. "Not that the long-sighted idiot could hit him anyway."

"Don't you two have something to do?" Ryuiji asked pointedly. Raika shrugged and turned to amble off, having sufficiently ruffled her intended target's feathers all over again. As she walked away, Rio silently met her stride for stride.

"Anyone ever tell you you've got an attitude problem?" the assassin asked simply.

"I don't have an attitude problem. They have a perception problem." Raika said breezily.

"It wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer." Rio admonished. "Despite how much you don't like him, Lord Keiji is our superior."

"I'll try being nicer if he'll try being smarter." the lightning demoness commented. "But I've got news for him. If he tries to interfere with his sister and Lord Sesshomaru, he's going to have a rude wake up call coming his way. And it won't be from me."


"We've got company coming!" Emi's clear voice rang across the placidness of the gathered ships. Her call was quickly repeated across the various other ships, causing the quietness that had settled to burst as the soldiers and sailors prepared for the oncoming arrival of the enemy ships. Kaida appeared quickly at the helm of the boat, along with her brothers, Sesshomaru, and Seiti.

"There are more than we anticipated." Rio said dryly, wringing the excess water out of her hair from her dip in the ocean waters. "The pods are reporting in twenty more ships than the original thirty we expected."

"Shinegori never was one to do things in halves." Seiti commented. "Why should now be any different?"

"When did they pick up the extra ships?" Sesshomaru asked, looking at a placid faced Rio. "Your last report said they were traveling twenty strong."

"The pods say they appeared a few hours before noon." Rio said.

"Appeared?" Kaida asked warily. "As in out of thin air?"

"Nothing appears out of thin air." Seiti dismissed. "Where did they come from?"

"Not out of thin air. That much is for sure." Emi said quietly, a contemplative look on her face. "Were there any distinguishing marks on the ships? Emblems? Symbols?"

"The dolphins said they looked the same as the others, except for the matted sea grass that covered the outside." Rio answered. "Mitsuragi even said that the pods thought it was going to sink."

"What of the sailors?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Big, but quiet. The pod leaders said they looked like sea serpents on two legs."

"Leviathans." Emi said with a snort. "He's made a pact with the leviathan clans. That's all we need."

"Leviathans? I am unfamiliar with this species of demon. Explain." Sesshomaru said, giving her an icy glare.

"They're a group of water dwelling demons that live underwater. Not particularly smart, but quite dangerous." Emi explained. "They are a solitary group, and very seldom are ever seen above water, let alone on a ship."

"They why are they working for Shinegori?" Kaida asked.

"Don't know." Emi said with a shrug. "But it can't be good news."

"That still doesn't answer where they got the ships these creatures are sailing."

"They raised them from the sea." the blonde headed demoness said curtly.

"Raised from the…."

"You mean these ships they bring against us were sunken? As in underwater?" Keiji asked dubiously.

"Yes. More than likely."

"I don't care where the ships came from." Kaida asked quickly. "All I need to know is how to kill them."

"Considering that I've never encountered them before, I am afraid I can't tell you that." Emi admitted.

"Rio, can you go with the pods and do some recon work around the ships?" Ryuichi asked, turning to look at the still wet demoness.

"Wouldn't it be better to send an aerial group?" Ryuiji asked quickly.

"It would be more sensible given that these things are more adept in the water." Sesshomaru said simply. "It would be less likely whomever was sent would be spotted."

"I have a group I can send." Seiti spoke up immediately.

"Are they quick? We don't have that much time left." Kaida pointed out.

"We will have a report back within half an hour." the falcon demon said stoutly, taking to the air and heading towards the flagship from the mainland.

"The rest of us should get ready." Ryuichi said blandly, glancing starboard and noting the descent of the sun.

"The fog will be rolling in shortly." Ryuiji commented darkly. "Things should get interesting then."

"I will ready my men." Sesshomaru said simply, taking to the air. "Keep me appraised on what the idiot's search reveals."

"I'll let you know." Kaida answered simply as the Western Lord glanced towards the dozen or so of his elites that had seemingly taken up residence on the Southern ship.

"We should do the same." Ryuiji said quietly, heading off. Ryuichi nodded in ascent in and the two brothers walked away, taking Keiji with them.

"Well, Emi, what do you think?" Kaida asked the merchant.

"This could be potentially problematic." Emi muttered under her breath as she grabbed the wheel of the flagship. "Personally, I don't like this change of events. But there's nothing we can do about it now. They're already here." Kaida just shook her head in agreement, then walked away to inform the packs of the sudden increase in targets. Off to the side, Maiko was leaning against the mast, chatting with Sakaki and Nekotu before they left for the Western flagship, and their stations.

"Now Emi, there are very few problems, personal or otherwise, that cannot be solved by a suitable application of high explosives." Maiko pointed out, grinning back at Sakaki and Nekotu.

"Don't start, Maiko." Emi warned. But the pretty assassin continued on, acting as though she hadn't heard a word from the ship's captain.

"But since we're in the middle of the ocean, and I'm sure Emi would like to keep this boat more intact than the last one we traveled on, I don't think explosives are such a good idea."

"You would be correct in that assumption, Maiko." Emi replied dryly. "Try to remember that this time, yes? Because if you blow another hole in one of my ships, the repair and rebuilding costs are coming out of your commission. "

"No promises." the assassin chirped, an angelic smile on her face.

"There never are when it comes to you." Emi replied, shaking her head. "Now be the good little assassin and go find a nice little hiding spot to curl up in until your poor, unsuspecting victims come along." Maiko grinned at the dog demoness' words, sending a highly charged glace towards the two Western soldiers standing across from her. Emi frowned and cleared her throat. "And I don't mean them."

"Spoil sport." Maiko pouted prettily, turning to sashay her way down the hatch and into the deck below. Emi shook her head at the other woman's antics, but said nothing. As soon as Maiko was out of sight, Nekotu and Sakaki took to the air and headed towards the Western flagship, along with the last three or four elites that had been on board. Emi picked up the long distance viewer from the small table behind her, pulling it all the way out and training the magnifying lens on the rapidly darkening horizon. All she could see were miniscule specks of blue sails and a dark grey cloud that seemed to be sitting on top of the water's surface.

The fog was coming in.

It wouldn't be long now.


When Kaida gave the signal for everyone to head under the deck and into the cargo holds, there was a scramble to obey. The Southern soldiers and sailors disappeared below deck as quickly as the surrounding ships were disappearing in to veritable obscurity of the nighttime fog. All around them, the sounds of scraping and sliding metal against wood as the entrance to the holds were secured. Sesshomaru watched as Kaida exchanged a final few words with her brothers and Seiti before the men took off for their own positions on various surrounding ships. He knew his elites were already secured in the places, and had been since the initial report Rio had brought back. Sesshomaru's hand absently found its way to the hilt of Tenseiga as it pulsed slow and strong in response to the mixing demonic auras surrounding it.

"It won't be long now." Kaida's tense voice cut through the mist. It was so thick by this point that Sesshomaru couldn't even see more than two feet in front of himself.

"This will be over with soon enough."

"You know, your never-ending confidence is getting on my nerves." she groused. "Or have you forgotten, they've got extra ships crammed full of fighters that we didn't bank on being here."

"The Leviathan race are dull witted and slow." Sesshomaru said simply.

"Brute strength can make up for poised grace in a fight." she reminded him.

"Not if they lack the ability to fight intelligently." he said, watching as Kaida rolled her eyes at him.

"My Lady, I believe it would be prudent for you to take cover now." Emi's disembodied voice called out. "I suspect we should be getting visitors within the next few minutes. Rio just reported that the mainland ships are just outside the fog screen."

"We're on our way." she called back. She turned her face up to him, a half grin on her face. "You better get going."

"Watch yourself." he replied.

"Watch your own self." she retorted, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. When she pulled away, Sesshomaru gave her a confused look, wondering where her sudden audacity had come from. Wasn't she the one who had been squirming the last time he'd tried to do just that? "What?"

"Your brothers?" he asked. Kaida just shrugged.

"They're gone. And it's not like they could see anything if they were standing right beside us. They can't see in the dark, and even if they could, the fog's too damned thick." she groused, her cheeks turning pink. Sesshomaru said nothing else to her, but quickly took to the air and made his way to his own ship. When he stepped foot on deck, he was confronted with a grim faced Bano.

"Everyone is in position, sir. Awaiting you orders to continue." the bear demon gruffed.

"Wait until the signal." Sesshomaru ordered. "Then kill all who oppose you. I want this over with quickly."

"Understood."


"Everything okay up there, General?" Laos asked as Kaida took her position between the rafters on the roof in the cargo hold. She nodded at the quiet moth demon who made up the third portion of the Triad.

"Well enough." she responded. "Now we wait."

Unsurprisingly, they did not have long to wait before the sailors were sounding alarms and calling out that pirates had been spotted, and that the ships were under attack. Kaida could hear Emi's strident voice yelling out orders to everyone, and she prayed that they had been stealthy enough that none of the mainland demons realized that they were walking into an ambush the second the cargo holds were opened. She didn't think they would have much to worry about considering there were dozens of hidden demons in the single hold she was hiding in, yet their auras were so painfully suppressed that she could only feel three or four of them.

The sounds of a fight were ringing through the boards of the deck, giving those huddled under the cover of darkness an audible picture of what was happening above them. Kaida could pick out Emi's angry voice through all the clanging and yelling, especially when she let loose a string of epitaphs that could only be learned on the battle field or when you grew up around foul mouthed sailors your entire life. Kaida actually grinned when she heard the usually proper, pleasant Emi curse one demon into the seventh layer of hell in a way that made her want to wash the dog demoness' mouth out with some lye soap. There was a loud thud heard, and Kaida figured Emi had just sent the aforementioned demon to the seventh layer of hell. Oh yeah, something was definitely bugging the dog demoness. Even on her worst days, Kaida knew Emi wasn't usually this foul mouthed.

"You're gonna get yours!" some random demon cried.

"Oh, like I've never heard that one before." Emi retorted. "So, where's your illustrious leader? Don't tell me Shinegori's leaving the peons to do his dirty work again. Not much of a captain if you ask me."

"You have little room to talk, dog demoness." a gravely voice replied. Kaida heard the thudding of footsteps above her head, but kept still. She knew that voice well enough to realize that the prey had entered the trap.

"So you are here. I thought I smelled something rank." Emi voiced caustically.

"Letting your ships be pirated not once, but twice. And by the same person no less. I am disappointed."

"I'd almost think you were worried, bastard." she answered. "Where'd you manage to scrape up the extra ships? The bottom of the ocean?"

"Something like that."

"Oh, that's rich. You've stooped so low as to make a pack with the Leviathans so you don't have to get your hands dirty." Emi tisked. "You're not a pirate, you're a coward!"

"Restrain her!"

There was another round of struggling, and more cursing…this time from the ones who were obviously given the task of restraining a very pissed of Emi. Grunts and growls were mixed with howls of pain and curses from the brutes trying to manhandle the demoness, followed by the outraged cries from the sailors who had been told to stay back or see their leader killed instantly. Kaida could feel the angry auras of Emi's sailors, and prayed fervently that they would hold their tempers in check long enough for the ambush to get underway.

"….bastard of a demon!" Emi's voice shrieked. "Let me go before I send every single one of you to meet your maker!"

Smack

"You would do well to hold your tongue, demoness." Shinegori's voice hissed, causing Kaida to cringe as if she were the one who had been slapped. "Or I just might change my mind on taking you to our proprietor's cabins for an audience."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to do that." Emi answered. "I'd hate to lose my chance to tell those low down bastards on your flagship exactly what I think about their intelligence for choosing you for a pirate."

"Now, now, Lady. That mouth is going to get you into trouble one of these days. Ladies should be seen, and not heard."

"Then why the hell are you talking?"

Smack

"Stubborn little thing, isn't she?" Shinegori asked. "Now, what exactly have you got in the cargo holds for me this time? Silk, jewels, gold…"

"…something that's going to kick your ass into the next century."

Smack

"And another thing, asshole.." Emi grunted. "Did you run out of ideas for subterfuge? I don't know about you, but your little fog trick is getting old."

Smack

"You know, I think I've changed my mind."

"That's…impossible…"

"Why is that?"

"You have to have a mind before you can change it."

Smack

Thud

"I've had enough of your attitude. Raid the cargos and set fire to the ships! Kill everyone on board!" Shinegori's voice rang. "Send their ships to the bottom of the ocean and their souls to the pits of hell!"

There was a rousing round of voices and the thunderous sound of hundreds of feet running along the deck as Shinegori's men began to pilfer the ship. Emi's cries were heard once again, but Kaida blocked it out, instead focusing her adrenaline filled brain on the task at hand. She stilled herself when she heard the metal grate of the cargo holds being slid open. She chanced a glance over to Laos, who seemed to be as calm and collected as ever with his moth-like wings wrapped securely around his shoulders while he watched the hold's floor slowly become illuminated with torchlight.

'Wait for it….wait for it…' she chanted, watching as the demons continued to file into the hold, so caught up in their greed that they were unaware of the demons hidden all around them. She released the death grip she had on her daggers, knowing instinctively that she was about to send them flying into demon flesh. 'Just a little more…..' The hoards of marauding demons began to filter into the enclosed space. They were ugly creatures with filthy clothing and a wild look about them that rivaled many a rabid demon she'd seen before. Her breath caught as a hoard of them passed directly underneath her, their jolly voices echoing back against the cabin. 'Come on….almost there…' she chanted, her body tensed for action against the intruders.

KABOOM!!!

"What the hell was that?" one demon demanded, grabbing onto a nearby crate to steady himself as the entire ship reverberated from the sound.

"The toll of your death bell." Kaida muttered, watching as Laos palmed a handful of his own blades with practiced ease before nodding in her direction.

"Ladies first." he muttered quietly. Kaida grinned at him, but said nothing else as she sent three of her knives flying into the head and stomach of the nearest demon. The alarmed cry from her unfortunate target was the final blow, and things within the cabin quickly disintegrated into chaos.

"Kill them all!" Kaida shouted, drawing her swords and dropping down into the masses, taking advantage of their temporarily shocked minds to inflict fatal damage onto their ranks. All around, surprised shouts of alarm were raised, but it was too late by then. Kaida's mind had already switched into battle mode, her focus on killing as many of these intruders as possible while trying to survive herself.

After a few minutes of intense fighting, she managed to clear a path towards the entrance of the hold. She pushed herself above the flailing bodies, jumping up onto the deck of the ship and engaging a group of hot headed demons that seemed intent on tearing Kanaye into pieces. She barely had time to notice that the fog seemed to be diminishing rapidly, especially when the howl of a wolf permeated the sounds of fighting. Kaida grinned at the familiar sound and readjusted her grip on her swords, readying for the next wave.

The Packs were on the move.

And it sounded like Maiko had made her first kill.

Somehow, the thought of the promiscuous little wolf demoness sinking her teeth into the poor, unsuspecting idiot made Kaida feel a surge of familiarity.

Shaking off the ridiculously morbid tone of thoughts that had suddenly taken up temporary residence in her mind, Kaida rushed to the side of the ship where Emi was engaged in a fight with a snarling Shinegori. She made it to the dog demoness' side in time to knock the angered dragon pirate off her captain.

"You…" Shinegori snarled.

"I take it you were expecting someone else?" Kaida asked drolly.

"You were supposed to be inland! What are you doing here?" he howled.

"What? So now you're blind and stupid? What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked rhetorically. "Where's Koto?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, half-breed." he hissed.

"Of course you don't. No one ever does." she retorted.

"She's on the flagship." Emi choked brokenly, jerking her head towards the largest of the mainland ships that was barely visible in the thinning fog. Kaida glared angrily at the pirate that stood across from her as he practically foamed at the mouth in anger. She glanced at Emi as she pulled herself up off the deck, rubbing the crimson claw prints from the choke hold Shinegori had put her into.

"Good work." Kaida said calmly, keeping her eyes on the pirate captain. "I trust you can finish the job."

"With pleasure." Emi answered hostilely. Kaida nodded, sending one more condescending look towards Shinegori, then taking to the air with a little less than a nod to her captain.

"You will never reach our Mistress alive!" Shinegori cried out.
"For her sake, you better hope she doesn't." Emi retorted, drawing a dagger and getting into a defensive stance once again.

"You heathenish bitch! I don't have time for your games." the dragon demon barked, making as if he was going to follow the Southern noblewoman.

"No, no, no." Emi said calmly, one flying blade cutting off Shinegori's intended path behind Kaida. "This time, you deal with me, pirate."

"A nuisance quickly taken care of." he sneered. Emi righted herself, pulling her sword from the sheath on her back and training it on the outraged pirate.

"We shall see soon enough who quickly takes care of whom."


"Kanaye!" Kaida yelled, calling her soldier to her side after dispensing yet another hissing, overgrown sea snake from her path. The now stern faced lightning demon appeared almost instantly, the static from his armor causing the hair on her neck to stand on end.

"Lady?"

"We move enforce to Shinegori's main vessel." she barked. "Gather those that you can. We're going to have to clear a way in."

"Aye, General." he answered. Kaida took a few seconds to glance around the area. She could see very little, even though the fog was receding at an accelerated rate. The darkness of night was chased away only by the torches that lined the ship's edges, and the fires that had broken out on various ships.

It was carnage, plain and simple. Demons wailed and cried out as sharpened weapons bit and tore through flesh and bone alike. Wolves howled in the distance, and Kaida saw bolts of lightning coming from one of Sesshomaru's ships. The Leviathans, dumb brutes though they may be, were proving to be problematic, just as Emi had foretold. They were not the best of fighters, but they were large and stupid enough to hamper the overall progress of the battle. Overhead, she heard Kanaye send out the call for the Pack he led with Raika. She saw the Southern members blur into being beside Kanaye, and she took to the air with them.

"Raika, report!" she ordered imperiously as they flew towards the mainland ship, dodging spears and returning fire to those bold enough to try and stop them.

"So far so good." the usually cheery demoness answered succinctly. "Casualties on our side are down, and the Leviathans are proving to be more of an annoyance than a detriment to our forces."

"And Seiti?"

"Directing his men towards this ship, per your earlier request." she said sourly. "And let me be the first to say they're about as useful as eyes in a blind man's skull."

"And the Triad?" Kaida asked, ignoring the jab to Seiti and his men.

"Racking up the body count as we speak." she smirked.

"Good."


"Are you toying with me?!" the deranged neko demanded, his fangs bared in defiance at the dog lord before him.

"No. I want you to feel you're doing well. I hate for people to die unhappy." Sesshomaru answered blandly, running the demon through with little more than a thought. He glanced back to see Kaida in mid-air, getting rid of two more rampaging demon guards with swift finesse before she touched down on the massive deck of the mainland ship with her soldiers. He followed, calling out for Sakaki's squad to move onto the mainlander's ship as reinforcement's for Kaida's Pack.

He hovered, watching as she took out three demons with one swipe of the whip sword she had pulled from the holster at her side. By then, Sakaki's group was in the thick of the masses, taking on the most skilled of Shinegori's forces as they fought to protect the precious cargo of life they were carrying.

A life that Sesshomaru well knew would end as soon as Kaida got to wherever the bitch was hiding. As yet another's head tumbled onto the wooden deck, Sesshomaru touched down beside her. He took quick inventory of her appearance. She did not look any worse for wear…especially since she'd been in much worse shape at his hands many times before. There was a cut across her cheek, and the left sleeve of her haori was hanging on by a few frazzled threads. She had apparently lost one of her scimitars during the skirmish, because there was only one in her hands. He recognized that she probably had other wounds that he couldn't see, especially since he could smell the metallic, but slightly sweeter smell of her blood emanating from somewhere on her body.

"What are you doing?" he queried, satisfied that she was beat up, but not in any mortal peril at the moment.

"I don't know. I'm working it out as I go." she muttered, knocking the holy hell out of a charging boar demon, and tossing him off the side of the boat into the water below. Then, without the least bit of break in her stride, she picked another up by the hair on his head and slammed him into a nearby crate.

"Where's the entrance to the cabin?" she demanded. The boar simply groaned and snarled at her. Kaida glared and slammed him into the crate once again, causing the box to splinter. Sesshomaru looked on, impassive, but amused by Kaida's rather excessive use of force.

If she smashed his head anymore, he wouldn't be alive to get any answers from.

"Where is she?!" Kaida demanded, sucker punching the demon again for good measure. "Tell me where Koto is!"

"You would do better to answer her." Sesshomaru said blandly, wondering exactly how much blood a demon's body held. "She can be rather…temperamental when those in her custody make her wait." Kaida stopped her bashing long enough to look over her shoulder and send him a rather annoyed look. Sesshomaru shrugged in response. "What?"

"Trap…door…." the delirious demon muttered, his eyes rolling into his head.

"Where at?"

"Starboard…behind….behind…"

"Behind what?!" she demanded fiercely.

"Life…boat…"

"Thank you." Kaida said morbidly, knocking his head into the deck for good measure. The boar groaned one last time and finally fell silent. Kaida rose from her kneeling position and glanced up at him one more time. "What?"

"Nothing." he answered, innocently. "Shall we, my Lady?"

"I thought you'd never ask." she said with a bloodthirsty grin. Sesshomaru felt a moment of hesitance. He knew that look in her eyes.

She was on the verge of letting her control slip. That did not bode well for any of them. An out of control, enraged Kaida meant everyone of them on the ships were fair game to her. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder as she stalked away, swinging her around to face him. She snarled at his rough grasp, but he paid it no mind.

"Calm down." he ordered imperiously.

"I'm fine." she barked, her eyes nothing but whirling pools of jade fire by this time.

"You are letting yourself go. You must calm down." he ordered imperiously. "I can handle marauding pirates out for blood, but not when coupled with your indubitable rage." Kaida blinked a few times, and nodded imperceptibly. He watched has her demeanor radically changed and her eyes went back to normal.

"I'm okay." she said, gulping. "But we've got to hurry."

"Understandable."

They pushed their way through the throngs of fighting demons on the deck, paving their way to the starboard side of the boat through the murky darkness and claret bloodshed. It took only a few seconds for Kaida to find the trap door and pull it open. But, as fortune would have it, the thing that greeted them was not a straight shot to the cabin that supposedly housed Koto. Instead, it was a half dozen sallow faced, snake-like creatures with beady yellow eyes and scales along their faces and hands.

Sesshomaru heard Kaida's aggravated mutterings as she dived in headfirst amongst the grotesque creatures, shouting battle cries and curses at them. He knew well enough that she would be fine, so he turned his attention to their entrance, making sure no one managed to sneak up and stab them in the back. He felt his stomach churn at the sheer amount of blood that surrounded them.

"Are you still making this up as you go along?" he asked blandly, engaging a sharp eyed raccoon demon in a sword fight while Kaida dealt with the Leviathans that stood in their path.

"Pretty…much…" she grunted, dodging out of the way of a spiked ball that had come at her with murderous intent.

"Can you do whatever it is you do not know you are doing any faster?" Sesshomaru asked, eyeing another half dozen angry demons flooding in through the entrance they had just come through. Trust her to leave him with the ones who actually had an idea of how to fight. He was too busy slicing them into pieces while she was playing with the dumb brutes Shinegori had stuck guarding Koto's hiding place.

Somehow that just seemed wrong.

"Patience is a virtue." she said calmly, snapping the other whip sword from her side and twisting the pommel to make it rigid. She swiftly took her opponent out, severing his head with a powerful strike.

"Not right now it is not." Sesshomaru grunted, dodging a high arched swing from his newest opponent who had apparently intended to take his own head off.

"All most…There!" she grunted, clearing the last of the defensive soldiers out of the way. Kaida faced the large door that was the last blockade against whomever was responsible for this mess. Her anger began to overflow, and she could feel herself slipping into her demonic form the longer she stood there. She gathered her aura and channeled the energy into a blast that blew the heavy wooden doors inward, springing them off their hinges. "About time." Sesshomaru muttered under his breath. He eyed the entrance, knowing there would be more flooding in to protect Koto. He looked back at Kaida and jerked his head towards the room. "End it."

She nodded and turned to walk in, quickly spotting the one responsible for the mess they were in.

"Hello, Koto." Kaida sneered, cutting off the other demoness' only escape route. The neko looked on sourly, eyes flashing dangerously red as she stood proudly on the other side of the room. Kaida suddenly heard the sounds of fighting from the hallway, and figured that another group of soldiers had come down the entryway, trying to stop them from getting to their mistress. "Miss me?"

"You." the neko hissed, drawing Kaida's attention back to the present.

"Yes, me." Kaida replied calmly. "I'd ask how you've been, but since this isn't a social call I don't see where the mandatory pleasantries are required."

"Come to finish me off, have you?"

"Yes." Kaida answered honestly, keeping her gaze trained on the demon as she moved around the small room.

"You are ready to add my murder to your repertoire of misdeeds, are you?" Koto asked nonchalantly, picking up a glass of wine and swirling it around as if she didn't have a care in the world. Prideful, even at the end, that was the neko woman's attitude.

"Doesn't bother me any. I've been doing it all my life." Kaida answered, watching the demoness sip at her drink.

"Yes, I know. First my son, then my husband!" the neko hissed, angrily, throwing the glass away. Kaida heard the shattering of glass, but her mind was fixated on the flexing, deadly tipped claws on Koto's hands.

"I didn't have anything to do with either of those, and you know it!" Kaida said defensively.

"He was my son!" Koto yelled, nostrils flaring as her anger broke free. "You are the reason my son is dead!"

"He was psychotic!" Kaida refuted hotly. "And considering you were never the best mother figure, I do not see why you are concerned about it now!"

"He was still my own flesh and blood. I carried him, bore him into this world, and nursed him. " Koto reminded her. "Do you have any idea what it is like to find out that one of your own has been killed?"

"Can't say that I have."

"It's enough to drive a sane demon into the depths of madness." the neko Lady said quietly.

"I expect it was not that far of a trip for one such as yourself then." Sesshomaru said calmly, walking into the room. Kaida gave him a questioning glance, as if asking why he wasn't still guarding the entrance. "The ship has been taken. We needn't worry about intervention from anyone."

"That was quick." Kaida commented.

"I thought I smelled a mutt." the neko glowered. "And what a surprise! He's managed to scrape up a sense of humor from somewhere. What now, Sesshomaru? Have you come to save your little princess once again from the clutches of my clan?"

"She is capable of handling herself." Sesshomaru said simply, eyeing the noblewoman. "I have no part in this personal quarrel."

"Considering your presence here, I find that statement reeking of hypocrisy." she said simply.

"My presence here is none of your concern, former Lady Koto."

"Of course not. Forgive me." she said sarcastically.

"I shall do no such thing. And it would do you well to call out your accomplices before I am forced to reveal them." Sesshomaru answered bluntly.

"Accomplice? What accomplice?" Koto asked, trying to play the ever innocent one. Neither of the nobles before her beileived her...not even for a split second.

"The one hiding around the corner."

"You've got a choice, whoever you are." Kaida called out. "You come out, or I come in. Which will it be, demon?"

"You hardly leave me with a choice, do you, Lady Kaida?" a decidedly male voice asked. The demon slipped out of the blind corner, and Sesshomaru chanced a glance to Kaida when he felt her aura spike uncontrollably upon seeing the reptilian identity of Koto's accomplice, only to have it recede almost as quickly.

"Uragiru? So you're the one that's been passing on the information." Kaida sneered, glaring at the bald lizard demon standing before them. "I told father the problem wasn't the traders."

"He isn't the only one." Sesshomaru said quickly. "There is one more."

"I thought there was, but I couldn't tell for sure with all the energy bouncing around the place." Kaida groused. "They might as well come out as well. We'll have a nice little meeting about why they are doing this."

"You will never win this." Uragiru threatened, gesturing wildly with his hands, causing the sleeves of the formal kimono to flutter back and forth. "There is no way you will walk away from this fight alive! Shinegori's soldiers will suicide before being taken over by the likes of you!"

"Shut up." Sesshomaru barked harshly, his sword trained on Uragiru while Kaida pulled her attention to the one still in hiding. By this point, Koto had receded into the farthest corner of the cabin…apparently trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

"Get out here now!" Kaida said, sword in her hand and pointed at the area the lizard demon had vacated.

"You would do well to do as she requests, traitor." Sesshomaru said calmly, a deadly edge to his voice now that he knew who they were dealing with.

Kaida was not going to be happy about this.

"It's not going to be nice if I have to drag you out." Kaida threatened venomously.

"As Uragiru said, you leave me with little choice." the icy, feminine voice said. Sesshomaru once again felt Kaida's aura spike…but this time it didn't recede. And he knew there was about to be hell on Earth…in the form of a vengeful Kaida going after her lying, backstabbing family member.

"You…" Kaida stuttered, looking at the well dressed dragon noble who stepped forward to face her, their familiar green eyes whirling…one with raging anger, and the other with shocked outrage.

"Hello, little sister."

"Leiko, you bitch…"


A/N - Well, isn't this a nice little twist in the plot? I hope you all are enjoying the final winding chapters of this story. So, until next time, I bid you good day.

A.A.

P.S. Oh, and remember to review. I'd love to know what you're thinking at this point.