Thy Thralldom Come

by The Monday Child

Two sisters of royal blood are captured by the enemy. Their kingdom is no more. A cruel prince has taken them both for his own, tempting them into depths unexplored by good girls. Their choice is clear: lose themselves or lose their lives.

16. Not So Pitiful as the Attempt to Rise

Sixteen: Not So Pitiful as the Attempt to Rise

Inuyasha stared at the waves and drummed his claws impatiently on the wooden rail.

"Tell them to hurry the fuck up. The sooner we go, the sooner we get there, and the sooner we get back."

"Usually you try to put off meeting with Hojo as much as possible. I'm guessing we won't be having any side trips to fight off those poor struggling pirates?" Sango teased.

He seemed to consider for a moment, perking up before getting moody again. "Nah. Too much work. And who knows what she's gonna get up to while I'm gone even with Mother watching her."

His shadow tried to suppress a roll of her eyes. "We're talking about your slave again?"

"What, I can't bring her up at all?"

"Five times on the ride over and twelve while we wandered through the marketplace. It's a little excessive, don't you agree?"

Inuyasha glared at her. "Guess I have to remind you what an important stage I reached with her. She finally gave herself to me and I don't want her regressing while I'm gone."

"I was there. She didn't give anything. You took."

He snarled at her and she flinched back. "You took. It was all your fault that it happened like that. You hid her from me and pretended to look for her. How the fuck could you do that?" He had been holding back from bringing this up for so long and now it was all exploding out. "You saw how fucking insane I went trying to find her, you knew what her being gone was doing to me, and all you did was watch."

"Excuse me for trying to get your sanity back!" Sango was surprised by her lack of sorrow and hurt. There was no tightening of her throat, no pricking of the eyes. She was just annoyed. "Ever since she showed up you haven't been acting like yourself. People were starting to talk about your quarter-life crisis. And you know what?" She leaned in close, this time in anger rather than attraction. "She doesn't want you. She hates you. Even if you had been perfectly kind to her, she would hate you because you are Inu's golden prince. I was doing you both a favor."

He snorted. "Yourself most of all. You're jealous, Sango. I ain't stupid. You thought if Kagome was gone I'd just forget about her and go back to dreading the betrothal ball and drowning my sorrows in you and the harem women you can easily control."

"I'm not trying to control anyone, moron, I'm trying to help you," she said. "I see how you are with her. It's different. Dangerous. Your marriage has you freaking out and now you're chasing after this girl like she's another kingdom to conquer. She's a person, she's the enemy, and she's finally figured out it's easier to manipulate you than fight against you."

His hands slammed against the side of the boat, just barely pulling back to avoid splintering it. "That's fucking dragonshit. She only fought back because she was scared. But I tamed her like I did with the rest and she fell in line pretty damn quick." He smirked. "You know she thinks we're married now?"

Sango's jaw dropped. "Inuyasha, did you ever read the cultural report on Higurashi? Or Naraku's ethnographic work from when he was the ambassador?"

He shrugged. "One of my tutors had a lesson on it, I think. But that shit ain't important. It's not like I'm Sesshomaru. I don't have to run a country, just ruin all the others."

"Then allow me to tell you what you should have learned in grade school," she said. "A Higurashi marriage is akin to slavery. They reenact an erotic version of their creation myth. Their sun goddess subdued the moon god, rising over him and burning away all his darkness so he would forever reflect her light even during a time where she had no power—night—nothing more than a brainwashed manslut for her to order around and take pleasure in. Higurashi women have complete authority over their men, from the queen on down to the lowliest pig farmer. They take and discard husbands at their will, and sometimes the discarding is violent."

Inuyasha blinked. For a moment, nothing could be heard other than the roaring of the sea and the muted sound of the crew as they left port.

"Fuck."

"Fucked," Sango corrected. "Fucked is what you are. Was the pussy worth it?"

He thought about it. "I mean, it wasn't not worth it."

She sighed. "Gods. Those old stories about Higurashi women being witches are starting to make more sense. I'm surprised you didn't bring her along in your besotted haze."

"Kagome ain't ready," he said, all too willing to change the subject. "We're still new to each other. I figure after Mother puts her through hell, she'll figure out how good she has it and we can go places together. Show her the world. You know she never left Higurashi?"

Unmoved, Sango said, "Most regular people never leave their village. And what kind of slave becomes a globetrotter?"

"Her kind." He crossed his arms and glared at the fading sight of the port like he wanted to go back. "Can we stop fuckin' talking about her already? It's messing with my head. I can still smell her on me and in the air. She feels close but she's not and it's bugging me."

He turned abruptly and headed off to his quarters. Sango followed. He had the best room on the ship, the captain having gracefully offered them over at the prince's suggestion without much of a fight. It was still quite a bit humbler than what they were used to, barely a step up from a war tent. Still, Sango was excited.

She had her prince all to herself again.

To prepare, she had brought some feminine things she had never before even thought of wearing. All her clothes were practical, whether she was fighting or, in rare cases, at her leisure. Inuyasha had never mentioned anything to her about clothes before or what he liked so she had assumed he was like most men and didn't care. Then his newest slave had gotten free of the dungeon and suddenly half his time was spent adorning her and the other half was spent fucking her.

Now that Sango had silks and satins, she could compete again.

Making sure no one was watching, she closed the door behind them.

"What?" he growled at her, sitting on the tiny bed and shucking off his boots. "I wanna be alone. We haven't even been gone fifteen minutes and this trip already sucks ass."

"Think of it as a vacation," she replied in her most soothing voice, gently seating herself down beside him. Her movements were slow so as not to spook him. Unaware of it, she was treating him like a dragon that had yet to feel the weight of a saddle.

He snorted and kicked his shoe across the room. "Like I haven't been on a fuckin' break this whole entire time. Taking me out of the field just to order me around some more…" He continued complaining in a grumble.

"It's not likely we'll be attacked in the middle of the ocean on a ship with our own people while flying Inu flags," she said, taking her hair down. "So we could relax a little. Have some fun." The sound of her undoing her armor had him looking up. "Let loose."

"I wanna take a nap. Maybe later."

The reluctance confused her until she saw him glance at the hairpin and other things he had purchased for his favorite purchase.

Even though she wanted to snap at him and physically knock some sense into him, she took a deep breath the way Miroku had taught her and put her hand on his. Her leather was undone and revealed the thin crimson lace that was all she wore underneath.

"Let me wear you out first. You'll sleep better that way."

This time, he allowed her to kiss his jaw. Her fingers dipped into the waistband of his pants and quickly found his cock, stroking it until she got the reaction she wanted out of him. With a groan, he pinned her to the bed, turning her over so her face was pressed into the sheets. She felt him hovering over her and turned to kiss him, hoping for more foreplay, but he pushed her back down.

She tried again. He did it again.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked huffily, rolling away from him.

"What? You're the one who started it."

His eyes flicked again to the pile of fine imported goods and then she knew exactly what was wrong with him. What had been wrong with him for months now.

"It's not okay to touch me and pretend I'm her." Her voice was low and threatening, the way it had only ever been to an enemy whose head she was about to separate from his body.

"I wasn't!"

The fact that he even knew what she was talking about and immediately became defensive told her that was exactly what the prince had been doing.

"I let you touch me and pretend I'm a slave. Or a whore. Or even a lady," she said, voice beginning to shake. "But not her. You will never use me as a proxy for that manipulative little psycho bitch."

"It's just… I don't know what it is." The helplessness in his expression showed her he really didn't. "When we had to leave, I got so mad, but it wasn't my real mad. I couldn't turn this off. And it hurt."

"You want her here. You wish she was here instead of me." How much more could a heart break? And why didn't it feel like she was dying when her head told her this was her greatest fear and an end to everything?

"I didn't say that," he said, shooting her a glare. "But leaving her was…it was weird. I don't want her to be alone. And you should've seen it, Sango." He perked up a little, a softness entering his eyes and making them glow. Inuyasha had never been so beautiful to her. Or so out of reach. "After you told her we were going, she was so jealous I would find someone else to occupy my time that she couldn't keep her hands off of me until the last second. I gave her a ring so she'd behave like a proper married woman while I'm gone."

Tears pricked at her eyes despite herself. "And you left her with your mother. The way one would a new bride who is to inherit the keeping of the house."

He frowned at her, looking almost offended that his subconscious motives had been perceived. "You and I both know no one else can handle her. A demon would either kick her ass or fuck her. A human would give up and ignore her. Mother is neither and better than both. She'll know what to do with her."

"But what if Kagome picks up a few of the queen's habits while you're gone?"

Apparently, that hadn't occurred to him. For a second, she expected him to jump to his feet and swim back to shore. But then he relaxed.

"Nah. Nah, she wouldn't do that to me." Sango thought he was referring to Izayoi's enabling, but then he continued, "Kagome wouldn't go with anyone else. You can't see it because it's only when we're alone, but she's obsessed with me. If nothing else, at least her body knows I'm the only one who can satisfy her."

"It still seems to me you're the one fixated on her. You've got options and you know it. She's only ever been with you and no one is stupid enough to go near your property."

He glared at her again. "Not true. She had a boyfriend once. He's dead like the rest of the useless Higurashi fucks. Good fucking riddance. Soon, she won't even remember his stupid name. All she'll be able to think about is—"

"Inuyashaaaa!"

The bloodcurdling scream made Sango jump and Inuyasha's ears perked straight up.

"Either we're both crazy or that little bitch is on the boat," Sango said, drawing a dagger.

Inuyasha was already gone, having bounded off like the loyal guard dog he had become.

O\o/O

Miroku followed Kohaku through the crowd, grateful for the palace eunuch uniform that made it so people got out of his way before he had to push them. Not even his status as a noble had commanded this much respect. He was completely unaware that it was his newly tanned skin and developed muscles that were making everyone act differently. No longer was he a slouching and pale frail academic. If he went back to a tavern now, the barmaids who had rejected him would have fought to serve his table.

He could have sworn the boy had looked back and seen him right when he had started chasing after him. Was it his imagination, or was he trying to avoid him?

"Kohaku!" he called, waving to the boy's turned back. "Wait up!"

The boy turned into an alley and Miroku quickly followed.

There was no one there.

Stunned, the pretend eunuch took a look around. Nowhere to hide. No large debris, no other people, no doors or windows in the buildings, and there was a brick wall dead-end that reached up several stories. Kohaku definitely had turned this way. It was like he had been swallowed by the shadows themselves.

Miroku reluctantly left and walked back to where the queen had been heading with her ladies. Since he was on duty pretty much constantly, he wasn't able to make any friends in the palace. The other eunuchs were full-time guards in the harem or sometimes in the private rooms of the nobles who stayed in the palace. And the servants and guards rejected him outright once they saw the uniform that marked him as one of the unsexed. Other than his exalted lady Sango, he had no one to talk to.

Kohaku had been his first and last real friend. It would have been nice to be able to speak with him again. To apologize for just leaving him to suffer what he expected to have been a brutal punishment for doing something as good-natured as saving a bird.

He hadn't written to Kohaku, knowing it wouldn't have reached him and would have possibly caused even more trouble for the boy. But he still had Ototo. His wing had healed but every time Miroku tried to set him free, the bird came back. It seemed like the creature had gotten used to being handfed and groomed. Having its every need cared for instantly was worth trading in freedom.

If it had been Kohaku he had been following, maybe the boy had been avoiding him. He didn't blame him. Most people did. Miroku figured he had wanted to see Kohaku so badly that he had imagined it. He hoped it so hard that he made it true. The other alternatives (rejection or abduction) were too painful to entertain.

By the time he got to the restaurant where the ladies and other guards had gone, it was much later in the afternoon than he'd thought. Hells below, he hoped his charge hadn't done anything in character while he'd been gone. A beauty she was, to be sure, but not even the street wenches who tempted men and then knocked them over the head and ransacked their person for valuables had quite that bad a temper. Only someone as equally headstrong as the young prince was able to handle a woman like that for more time than it took for admiration to turn into realization.

Miroku quietly sneaked his way among the rest of the guards who sat with the kind of stony-faced boredom he recognized from his teaching masters when the class was taking a test. They were there to make sure things didn't get out of hand, but nothing ever did and they'd been doing this so long that they almost hoped it would. On the other hand, he was the exact opposite. If he never had to fight again, then he'd be happy. And if the bodacious beauty that was his lady Sango ever turned her gaze his way, then he would be blissfully happy.

He tried his best to look at the lovely flowers arrayed before him in a way that was not too conspicuous. Queen Izayoi was an exotic treat for the eyes, one of the most beautiful women in the world. Knowing the story of how she came to wield that beauty more effectively than most men wielded a sword made her that much more enchanting. The ladies that attended her were all greatly attractive as well, to be sure, but none could compare to the queen and—

"Fuck," he accidentally said out loud.

The other guards turned their attention to him, only too ready for a distraction.

"Uh," he said, already beginning to sweat, "fuck, this is some weather we're having, huh?"

The glares he received from his fellow security did not penetrate his fragile ego and stab at the heart like they once would have. No, that wasn't important at all. What was important was all the horrifying thoughts of what the young prince was going to do to him if he didn't find Kagome.

Attempting to keep his cool demeanor so as not to draw undue attention to himself, Miroku prowled the restaurant. Maybe she had gone to refresh herself? But he waited outside the powder room for over half an hour and she did not come out. He prowled the rest of the eatery, empty but for the queen's group and a few select nobles, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Fuck.

Gods damn it all but he should have known when she encouraged him to go after Kohaku that she would have made a run for it again. It would have been too much to ask that things went smoothly for once. Now that girl, a peasant as pretty as she was ignorant, was probably dead in a ditch somewhere and he was going to die an even more horrifying death as soon as the prince found out his favorite slave was gone. He was going to be made to watch his stomach spill open and his guts pour into his hands, his life drained out of him as slowly as was medically possible. Dead at twenty-four, a virgin and a coward masquerading as a eunuch.

"Excuse us, eunuch," a voice like the tinkling of bells said from behind him, interrupting his nervous breakdown. "We're going to ask the head pastry chef to make a life-sized replica of my husband and you're blocking our path."

Miroku whirled around. "Queen Izayoi!" he said, feeling a strange mixture of relief and greater anxiety. The queen would fix things. She would protect him from her demonic son. Izayoi was a fair ruler.

She took half a step back, the hysteria in his voice making her wary. "…Yes? Are you ill?"

"No, not yet. Kagome is missing and the prince is going to kill me and I swear I only took my eyes off her for a second but she lied and said she was going to find you and I—"

Izayoi laughed. "Is that what's been making you act like a lunatic this whole time? Kagome's fine. She's with Inuyasha."

He blinked at her. "The prince took her on his journey? Then why did he ask me to guard her?"

"No, my puppy was too scared to ask her something like that outright. Too much like his father. But Kagome's a bold girl who knows what she wants and will fight an army to get it. I knew all she needed was a helping hand. So here we are." She opened her arms and looked around the elegant restaurant. "She gets to go on her honeymoon and I get to surprise my husband with his favorite dessert. Everyone wins."

Miroku's knees went weak with the knowledge that he wasn't going to have his innards torn apart by a demon. Sagging against the wall, he fanned himself and tried not to cry.

"I hope the prince doesn't punish her for coming after him," he said mostly to himself. "She's soft. He's…not the best at dealing with soft."

Already mentally more than done with the conversation, Izayoi moved past him. "Inuyasha needs soft. He's spent his life on the battlefield. But all wars end eventually, and when a warrior sheaths his sword, what he wants is something soft. A home. And I know my son well enough to see that he's found his." A corner of her mouth tipped up in a smirk and for the first time he saw her resemblance to the prince. "My little puppy should be worried about her punishing him."

O\o/O

Kagome punched and kicked as hard as she could, but all it got her was a hard hit to the face. She tasted blood and it almost knocked the hat right off her head. A horrible thought occurred to her. What if she got on the wrong boat? She had made sure to watch Inuyasha go on the ship, but what if he was just paying a visit to someone and had left while she was getting her clothes changed?

"You smell like our cabin boy but you ain't him," one of the sailors unnecessarily observed the obvious.

"There's no way that little shit would give up sailing with us. He wouldn't shut up about it."

"This kid musta robbed him," another sailor said, shaking his head mournfully. "Gods only know if he's still alive."

"I wouldn't bet on it. The way this one acted since we found 'im showed he's some kind of criminal. The boy's good as dead."

"What should we do? Throw him overboard? Or have some fun first."

The other sailor smiled at her in a way that made her skin crawl. "It's a long trip. No women on board—except the slayer, but does she even count? A boy would do. Especially a girly one like this."

One of the crew leaned close to her and licked the blood that had dripped down her chin from her busted lip.

"We can keep this one for a few days for whatever games you like to play, but then it's my turn. I wonder how long you can stay afloat with just one arm and leg? Would you swim or just sink right away?"

Tears pricked Kagome's eyes and she screamed the only name she could think of.

"Inuyashaaaa!"

The sailors laughed. "You callin' one of your gang members? Maybe you shoulda thought about being outnumbered before you decided to kidnap our cabin boy and destroy our cargo!"

The meanest one of the bunch reared his hand back to hit her again and Kagome shut her eyes, steeling herself against the pain she knew was coming. But nothing happened. Squinting one eye open at the sudden silence, she nearly gasped aloud.

Inuyasha. Her prince had come.

Her captors' grip loosened enough that she was able to wrench away from them and throw herself at him with a sob. But instead of him looking confused at her sudden appearance or even maybe glad to see her, he was stone-faced.

"I should throw you overboard myself," he growled at her.

His golden eyes burned like merciless suns and she shrank inside the oversized clothes she had stolen.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she murmured, unable to look at him when he was so different from how he had been a few short hours ago. "It's just… I'm… I missed you."

Kagome couldn't see it with her gaze on the deck, but Inuyasha went from attack dog to lapdog instantly. The sailors started to snicker and he grabbed her wrist, tugging her away before she emasculated him any further.

When he returned to his tiny cabin, Sango was back in her armor and standing at the ready with her daggers poised. Sparing a rare thanks to the gods that she had the good sense to dress before Kagome was there.

"Thanks," he said, giving his shadow a nod. "You can hang out with the sailors or head to your cabin for now. Kagome nearly got herself killed again and needs some disciplining."

The prince looked almost giddy as he held the door open for his runaway slave, eyes fixed on how her bottom looked in trousers. Sango felt herself wilt. She had hoped to share Inuyasha's cabin during the trip. A lot of things could change in a few weeks. Memories could fade and bonds could be strengthened. She'd just thought they'd work in her favor, not against her. But now that Kagome had found a way onboard, she knew her bed would be cold.

Before Inuyasha could get himself in the proper mindset to tear into her, Kagome had thrown her arms around him again, only this time she was sobbing. He didn't even need to think about it. Instantly, he was holding her and kissing the crown of her head, knocking off her stupid smelly hat when he realized it was keeping his lips from making proper contact.

"You've probably got lice now," he muttered as soon as her cries quieted. "Whose clothes are these, anyway?"

Kagome sniffled and peeked up at him. "Okay, I did take them from their cabin boy, but I didn't kill him, Inuyasha, I swear! At least I don't think I did. I hit him pretty hard, but he wasn't bleeding or anything…"

He laughed and hugged her tighter. "Yeah, that sounds like you. How did you get out, anyway? Mother was supposed to look after you and make sure you stayed put."

"The queen wanted to go shopping so we all came down in a carriage and I ran off the first chance I got." Kagome sat down on the tiny bed and started to toe her boots off, already making herself at home.

Inuyasha knelt and helped her with the laces. "Bet she did it on purpose. Hell, Kagome, you can't do that! You coulda Facedowngot seriously hurt. Or worse!"

"What do you care? You were going to leave me alone in a castle full of enemies for months."

"Fuck, Kagome, I left you because I care!" he exploded. "I'm not like one of the peasant boys you woulda ended up with. My job, my life, is dangerous. I get hurt all the time. If you're with me, you could get hurt too."

"You'll protect me," Kagome said with all the trust in him he could never feel. "You said so. Remember?"

"But what if I can't?" He sat beside her and took her face in his hands. She was dirty and she smelled like an even dirtier guy but she still made his stomach twist and his heart beat faster just by existing. "I've always had things I didn't want to lose, but before you, I never had anything I was scared to lose. Kagome, everything with you is new to me."

Her head tilted slightly to the side as she tried to process what he was saying to her—and not saying to her.

"I'm sorry," she said at last. "You leaving was just so sudden. We've been so close lately, and it's been nice." Only as she was saying it did she realize she meant it. "I was scared, too. Because what if when you came back, you were different? What if you were like how you were before?"

"I wondered about that, too. That you would be different after us being apart so long. But I'd rather you be a safe brat than injured and docile."

She frowned at him but there was a spark in her eyes. "Haven't you bound and whipped me enough to know that does the opposite of making me obedient?"

Unable to keep himself from it any longer, he kissed her. "Unlike anyone. That's how you are. How I like you. I'm glad you're here with me in the flesh rather than my dreams." The taste of her blood was bitter on his tongue and he glared at her cut lip. "But you still need to be punished."

"But I came all this way and I don't feel good and I'm tired and—"

Grabbing her by the collar, he dragged her face down over his knee. Lip curling in disgust at the grimy clothes, he pulled down her pants. At least she had her own underclothes on.

"Did you knock the fucking cabin boy out before or after you took your clothes off?"

"…I don't remember?"

The first smack was a little harder than he intended for it to be and she yelped in surprise more than pain.

"You were the one who chose me, Kagome," he said, voice caught between genuine harshness and the giddy feeling of being near her again. He spanked her again. "You made yourself my bride. So that means you are going to be loyal—" another slap "—and stay put when I tell you to—" another slap "—and keep your fucking legs spread until I've fucked all my anger out into this pussy."

"What the fuck?"

The two of them looked up in unison, shocked at their very private encounter being interrupted. The doorway was filled with the surprised faces of the crew all jostling for a look and Sango who just looked disgusted.

"The prince is buggering the stowaway lad!" one of the forefront sailors called back to the rest of them.

"Shut the fucking door!" Inuyasha roared, throwing his cape over Kagome. "What the fuck, Sango? Why didn't you fucking knock?"

"We did. Several times," she said. "They wanted to interrogate your slave on what she'd done to their cabin boy and try her themselves. I figured a brief explanation from the two of you would be better than attempting to keep them out and risking them throwing us all overboard."

"I'm a girl!" Kagome yelled at the crew who had yet to disperse. She was completely wrapped up in his cape so that only her big eyes were visible glaring out at the crowd. "A lady, rather. So give me my privacy already."

"Lady? Face down and ass up while cross-dressed and she calls herself a lady…"

"If the cabin boy got taken out by this girl then he deserved whatever end he met."

"C'mon, let's get back to work before the captain notices we're gone."

Inuyasha made a noise that was half a snort and half a sigh and all aggravation. Turning to Kagome, he put a hand on her still bare bottom under the cape, cupping her hot, abused flesh.

"I think we covered you up before they saw anything, but if you want I could track down the ones who were at the front and gouge their eyes out—"

Kagome's face turned green and she grabbed his wastebasket where she promptly emptied her stomach.

"It seems as though your 'lady' is seasick," Sango observed.

Kagome expected Inuyasha to either say something mean and run out, say something mean and kick her out, or say something mean and have Sango throw her out. Instead, he handed her his water flask.

"Rinse your mouth out and lay down. I'll see if there's any ginger onboard." Giving her a hand a quick squeeze, he left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Her insides felt weird again, and this time only half because she was about to vomit again.

"Why are you really here?" Sango asked, sounding more weary than threatening. "And don't tell me it's because you missed him. I'm not stupid."

Holding back another heave, Kagome rolled on her side and kept her eyes shut tight so things would hopefully stop spinning.

"Are you implying Inuyasha is?"

"After being cooped up in here with you for weeks, he'll throw you into the sea himself and never look back."

Sango shut the door on the sound of Kagome's pained gags.

O\o/O

Inuyasha didn't bother knocking on the captain's door. After all, his men hadn't given him that courtesy. Or had they? Whatever, Sango was a liar anyway.

"Get me some ginger," Inuyasha said without preamble.

The grizzled old sea captain was familiar enough with the prince to merely grumble and do as asked.

"Thought your lot didn't get seasick."

"It's for my—for someone else." He didn't want to call her a slave for some reason even though her collar made it clear enough, but didn't know what else to call her save for her name, and that was something precious.

"Ginger root," the man said, throwing it at the half-demon. "Tell your little boyfriend to keep his eyes on the horizon and take deep breaths. When he's ready, there are crackers waitin' for him."

"She's a woman," he said, glaring at him. "She just dressed as a guy— Aw, fuck it, you wouldn't understand. Thanks for the ginger, asshole."

"That's another thing you could do with it, I suppose, but just tell him not to put it in his mouth after." The captain put a hand on his shoulder. "There's no judging here. It's a long way until we reach Hekigan and we won't be stopping. Men get lonely. We've all done it."

Inuyasha shrugged away from the suddenly gripping hand and suppressed a shudder. "I'm gonna go. Tell your crew not to bother us or I won't be responsible for how I react." He put his hand on Tessaiga as a not-so-subtle hint.

On the way back to his room, he ran into Sango.

"Why aren't you guarding the room?" he asked, sniffing around the entrance to make sure no one but Kagome was in there.

"I'm your shadow, not hers."

Since he hadn't given her a direct order this time, he let it go. "In the future, just protect Kagome so I don't have to worry about it. She could get hurt. She's human."

"And I'm not?"

He ignored it. Fighting with his one real ally on a ship wasn't exactly the best idea and also he didn't want to waste any more time.

"And another thing. Kagome's gonna need some clothes since she only has those grubby trousers and torn shirt. Throw those overboard or burn 'em or whatever and give her some stuff of yours."

He could hear her teeth grinding.

"I don't think your lady and I are the same size but I could spare a dress. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Your tea."

A second too long of silence and then she responded sharply, "My what?"

"Your tea. I know you've got some on you. I can smell it. And now that Kagome's here, you won't need it. Unless any of these sailors are your type."

Sango smiled and took her tea that rested in a pouch that hung from her belt. In a few brisk steps, she was at the ship's railing, and she threw the pregnancy-preventing tea into the crashing waves.

"No!" Inuyasha yelled like he was watching a person be thrown instead of a contraceptive. "What the fuck did you do that for!?"

"She's your favorite for now, I get it, I really do, and I've been more than understanding," she said, voice quavering. "But I've always been at your side! And what do I get? Nothing. You didn't buy me anything at the market, you didn't ask me if I was feeling ill when you know boat travel makes me woozy, and you don't even talk to me anymore unless you're giving orders."

"And that upsets you somehow?" he interrupted, cutting her pent-up rant short. "Don't forget, Sango. You are my shadow. My employee. I pay you to do what I say just like I pay the rest of my servants and it is a fucking honor you seem to have forgotten the immensity of." Advancing, he got in her face, and for the first time she felt the kind of fear his slaves must have felt when he turned his anger on them. "Now shut up and do your fucking job, shadow."

Her lower lip trembled and she tried hard to hold back the tears, but a few still escaped. "Fine. I'll do my job and nothing more. And I hope you have a fun trip with a whore you can't even fuck."

Whirling around, she ran to her room and slammed the door.

Inuyasha sighed in aggravation and realized he was clenching the ginger root tight enough for some of its juice to drip out.

"Fuck," he cursed. Now it wouldn't be as potent and Kagome would be suffering longer. "Thanks a lot, Sango."

Opening the door to his room, he made his way to the bed as quietly as possible.

"Hey," he said, inspecting her pale face for any signs of discomfort. "How ya doing?"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Back home, one of my nannies got sick like this and she died. They had to burn all her things after so the disease wouldn't spread. Is that what's happening to me?"

He laughed and sat down at her side, kissing her forehead. "I forgot how sheltered you were. No, Kagome, you're just seasick, not plague sick. It'll go away in a day or two." Popping the ginger root in her mouth like a pacifier, he continued, "Maids in Higurashi had nannies?"

She spit out the root and smiled at him, but it trembled at the corners. "I'm special."

"Yeah, you are."

Crawling over her, he settled down on the part of the bed closest to the wall. "This ain't like the palace. No servants. No luxuries. No space. We're gonna be huddled up together for weeks in a cramped room and the water closet is just a couple of buckets—one for washing and one for other stuff."

"Sounds worse than the dungeon."

He snorted a laugh. "And we're together this time."

He waited for her to say something about how that made it better, but she didn't. After a moment, her breathing had slowed and she made those little noises that weren't quite snores and made him think of a purring kitten. When she snuggled into him and put her arm around him in her sleep, he wondered why he had been so stupid as to think he could ever leave her behind.

Kagome had kicked and bit and clawed her way under the armor of his heart and made a home there.

O\o/O

It was so unlike Sesshomaru to be at the queen's chamber doors that her servants nearly denied him entry.

"Stand aside, imp," he sneered. "I have business here."

The little green thing turned ashen. Pathetic. He hadn't even needed to brandish his whip. It didn't even have the courage to move, quivering in place as he glided past it and into the queen's receiving room.

The sight he was met with almost made him turn tail and come back another day. But this was for Rin, and he would not, could not, turn his back on her.

His grand and majestic sire was kneeling on the floor before the queen's favorite sofa. One of her legs he had grasped by the ankle and his mouth pressed kisses to her foot with enough ardor that one would think it was kissing him back.

"What brings you here, Sesshomaru?" Izayoi asked. She wasn't even fazed, just mildly curious.

Tōga, emperor of most of the civilized world, didn't even look up. "Go to my office in an hour, we'll meet then."

"Two hours," Izayoi said. "I wanted to tell you about Inuyasha's pretty little girlfriend."

"I'm not here for you," Sesshomaru broke in before they could keep going. "Where's Rin?"

Tōga stopped his activity and Izayoi pouted. Rising to his full height, he looked at Sesshomaru with a kind of disappointment that felt almost menacing.

"Son, leave her alone. I won't have a rumor spread that the crown prince enjoys harassing servants."

"My servant. Mine."

"Sorry, dear, but Rin is a member of my household now," Izayoi said nonchalantly. Her large violet eyes did nothing to dissuade him. Her usual wiles would not work on him so she would have to come up with other ways of negotiating. "If Rin allows it, you can speak with her. But even though you think you know everything about her, she is a woman. We have secrets, Sesshomaru. If you truly cared for her, you would apologize, vow to change your ways, and back off until she came to you."

He sneered at her and walked down the hall to where she kept her servants. Even though he was easily able to hear what they couldn't wait until he was out of earshot to discuss, he didn't eavesdrop. He already knew it would be nothing but criticisms of him that somehow turned into praise for Inuyasha.

Rin's scent had shifted in a way he could not exactly pinpoint, but it was still familiar enough for him to follow. Burned into his every cell as she was, he noted it. A change in scenery, in diet, in mood could account for it, but that coupled with how strange she had acted when her first friend had embraced her yesterday was enough to have him on alert.

Then he turned a corner and saw her framed in the doorway of her tiny room and stopped in his tracks.

Even though she had changed and no longer looked at him with that gentle adoration he had made the center of his universe, it was still Rin and he was still drawn to her with a force that made his muscles ache.

For a moment they stared at one another. Sesshomaru had never been one to express himself, not with words or facial expressions, anyway, but he thought his deeds spoke loudly enough. But Rin was so full of words and emotion, all of them pure and wonderful, and he knew his old ways weren't good enough anymore. Once again he wanted to reach across all that divided them and pull her into the light. Into his embrace.

She looked at him like he was manure and she was wearing new shoes.

"Rin," he said, her name holding a thousand endearments and emotions he could barely contain any longer. "I know I have upset you. I know I have hurt you. It was wrong of me to assume you knew how I felt and felt it too. To assume we could go on as we had forever. It is unbecoming of one such as I to make assumptions in the first place. Pride…it can be less of an asset than I was brought up to believe." His smile was small and self-deprecating and on anyone else it wouldn't even rank as a smile, but it was his. "Come home, Rin. Come to me. I'll love you however you let me. As a friend, a father, a benefactor, or a lover. Come back to me."

Something in her expression cracked. A shift so subtle that one who did not know her as well as he would not have noticed. The difference was exactly what he had been looking for. His Rin was back. Overwhelmed, he reached for her and pulled her to him, his one arm holding her as tightly as he dared.

"I…" she said, voice choked. "They made me. Please, he—"

Rin went slack and suddenly he was all that was holding her up. Concerned, he leaned her back to peer into her face. Rin had fainted. Beads of sweat dotted her brow where before she had been fine. It was as though it had taken great effort to say the few words she'd given him. Her eyes were closed and he noticed the beginnings of dark circles underneath. He moved to carry her to a medic, but as quickly as she'd passed out she woke again.

And she was not herself.

Rin pushed away from him with a kind of viciousness that was almost feral. Her lip curled in disgust as she eyed him up and down. Her eyes had gone from that bright brown he loved so much and had become ruddy, like blood-soaked earth.

"You…" she sneered. "Everything in that 'apology' you just produced was about you. About how a servant girl you plucked out of a war-torn hell makes you feel. Of course she'd worship you. You made her that way. But now she's going to learn what you really are. What you all are. And you will burn the way my mother burned."

Sesshomaru didn't know how to respond to the rage Rin had thrown at him. They'd never discussed her family before, but what he'd gathered from the village was that her mother had perished during a famine—one that had been caused by the kingdom being under siege by the Inu and unable to procure goods. That coupled with unfortunate weather had lost more lives than the Inu had taken.

Before he could figure out whether to drag her kicking and screaming back to his apartments or lock her up here until she acted the way she was supposed to, Izayoi intervened.

"Dear, you promised the emperor and I some of that tea from your village. We've worked up quite a thirst and were wondering what was keeping you." She said it kindly, eyes on Rin alone as though Sesshomaru wasn't there.

Rin ducked her head in a quick bow that she would have once classified as too shallow for even a servant.

"I have everything ready to serve, I just needed to grab the secret ingredient," she said with a wide smile. "Just like Mother used to make."

"Can't wait! Tōga and I will be in the parlor. Don't be afraid to interrupt. We have a forever full of intimate moments, I promise we won't mind."

Rin dashed off to assemble and serve the drinks, eager to get away from him. He moved to follow, but Izayoi stood in his way.

"Move," he said, jaw clenched and throat burning.

"Rin loves you," she said softly, looking at him with so much pity that he would have torn her open from cunt to mouth if he were allowed. "But she's hurt. She needs time and space. She needs to know who she is without you. And once she knows what life without you is like, she'll come back, and it will be even better than before. When that day comes, you'll know she chose you. And the love you'll have then will be infinitely better than anything now."

"Cease your mindless chattering and tend to my father," he said. "I will be taking Ah-Un out for some air."

As if he were so stupid that he would leave Rin in her hands to twist and pervert into a vile whore like her. Already her influence, not to mention that of Inuyasha's slave, had corrupted her. He needed to find a way to get her out from under Izayoi's thumb without his father taking his other arm.

O\o/O

"Got it!" Abi announced smugly.

The small gold orb of light she held was so bright that Naraku could not look at it directly. A moment ago, it had gone from the dark safety of one of Abi's eggs and seemed to shoot out, leaving a trail of sparkling light behind it in a thin thread.

"That girl's soul has almost been more trouble than it's worth," he said, idly watching Abi wrestle it back in its egg cage. She muttered an incantation to lock it in even more securely than before.

It was seldom that he and his wife agreed on anything, but she nodded. "I had to speak through her for a moment. Do you think he'll notice?"

If he had been one to laugh, he would have. "You know as well as I that the ruling family are all a bunch of idiots. The brightest one among them is Izayoi and not even she would guess that my wife stole a servant's soul and I filled her body with evil intent and she walks around as a shell, obedient only to me as she poisons the emperor."

She glared at him. "Not your wife for much longer, though. As soon as we're done with this part of the scheme that requires my powers, you will free me of this contract and pay me enough to live off of for the rest of my days."

At that, he smiled. The rest of her days, indeed. "Yes. While I'm glad to be married to a titled demoness with underworld powers, I don't care much for you beyond that. Besides, I've had someone else in mind for a while now. She will be a fitting bride for me once I ascend the throne."

She smirked. "Find yourself another hanyō abomination?"

"No. A Queen."

O\o/O

"Kikyo," Kagome whimpered.

Inuyasha frowned down at her. She had finally gone to sleep after a long night of changing out buckets, and though her seasickness had subsided entirely, she was not resting peacefully. It was too much like before. When she had been sick with fever and starving and had recoiled from him even in her sleep. He drew her close and pressed his lips to her furrowed brow until her expression softened.

When the sun rose, she opened her eyes and he pretended he had been sleeping, too, and not just worried and excited all at once. Instead of leaving the bed, she snuggled into him even closer.

"Cold?" he murmured.

"This blanket is so thin," she said. "If you weren't here, I'd be frozen solid."

"You feel nice and warm to me," he said, flipping her on her back.

Kagome squealed in surprise and he gave her the first kiss of the morning. Their first real kiss in days. She had been too sick to even move her head for a while and he had taken care of her, doting on her like he was the slave and she his mistress. He didn't even think about it other than vaguely being reminded of his parents' dynamic. That freaked him out a little so he shoved it away.

But now she was better and he took the opportunity and spread her legs, fitting his hips against hers so perfectly. He'd asked the captain for some contraceptive tea but he'd just laughed. Even his nose told him there was none on board but that wasn't going to stop him from going as far as he possibly could with her.

"I still can't believe you're here," he said with a moan as she moved against him.

"You missed me this much?" she laughed, giving his ear a rub that made him hump and grind against her. "It was barely a few hours."

"But then you were sick and you could barely even talk or eat or drink and I thought…" He kissed her again, not wanting to voice that he'd worried he'd somehow brought about her death by keeping her onboard instead of turning back while the captain was still agreeable to it.

"I'm okay," she said softly. Her eyes showed that she understood his worst fears. "And I'm glad you're not mad at me. I was starting to think you wanted to leave me behind so you could spend some time with Sango and whoever else."

His shadow's name made him stop. "It's business, Kagome. I didn't choose to go, I had to go. Hekigan sucks, anyway."

"How so?"

"Come on." He got to his feet and extended a hand to her. "We'll have a picnic outside. You can eat and get some fresh air. And we can talk about what you wrote your sister in that letter."

Kagome froze. Oh hells. She had forgotten she'd lied in the letter in an effort to make the trip happen in the first place. How was she supposed to lie to a demon when he could smell deceit? Suddenly, she remembered what Rin said. All she had to do was be confident. They couldn't magically sense lies, just that people were nervous and shifty and sweaty.

She smiled and took his hand, allowing the large shirt of his she wore as a nightgown to slide down her shoulder. As predicted, his eyes focused on her bare skin. This was going to be a little difficult since they couldn't safely have sex, but that didn't mean they couldn't do other things.

He tugged her forward and pressed a kiss to her neck just above her collar. After a deep inhale, he said, "You smell like you want me to just say 'fuck the tea' and tie you to my bed 'til we reach shore."

Her knees went weak and she felt lust like a bolt of lightning strike her, hitting her stomach and core. Pressing her newly hard nipples into his chest, she stood on her tiptoes as if to kiss him but instead grabbed him by the ear hard enough to make him yelp.

"The food better be ready because I'm starving."

Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and kissed her pulse point, eyes flashing with something she couldn't quite identify.

"Put some clothes on and meet me on deck. I'll have your feast ready for you in minutes, princess."

As soon as he left, she put on one of the two dresses Sango had begrudgingly loaned her. They were far too long and very wide in the shoulders yet tight in the chest. Simple clothes with no embroidery or embellishments. She hadn't dressed like this since she and Kikyo had pretended to be peasants fleeing their kingdom.

Kikyo. She'd had a terrible nightmare about her. It had felt so real. She had been caught up in the jaws of a giant, vicious spider. Kagome had tried to run to her but it only seemed to push Kikyo away. Just when she was about to give up, a pink bomb of light had eclipsed her sister and the spider both and she was alone.

Not quite, though. Inuyasha had been there. She hadn't seen him, but she'd sensed him somehow. That alone had kept her from despair.

After making certain her hair was presentable, she left their room and began her search for the prince of the dogs. A few crew members passed her and she shrank away from them in fear, remembering their rough treatment of her before, but they just looked at her like she was a ghost before scurrying off. Before too long, she found Inuyasha, cursing on his hands and knees on a blanket as he tried to keep the edges from being blown over by the breeze.

Kagome laughed and sat down on one corner to help. "Wow, when you said picnic I didn't actually think it would be a picnic."

Grabbing the cloth-wrapped goodies, Inuyasha settled himself across from her and handed her what turned out to be a bundle of cheese.

"The captain said no tables and chairs 'cause they'd have to bolt it down. Then he offered to have us dine with him, but I don't think the offer came without a price."

She grabbed some grapes from him and popped one in her mouth. "You're nicer when you're not in the palace."

He took a moment just to watch her. "I haven't seen you in the sunlight. You glow," he said, almost to himself. "Everything up there is artificial. Out here, it's real. I prefer real."

Her cheeks colored. "…If you could choose, where would you live?"

He thought for a moment as he chewed. Gesturing vaguely, he said, "Out there. Somewhere wild. I don't like cities. If Higurashi wasn't so shit, I'd live there. Then you wouldn't try to run away, huh?"

Her blush was becoming almost unbearable now. "You'd want me with you?" she squeaked.

Inuyasha raised a brow. "I thought you knew I kinda like you. But has it somehow escaped your notice that I adore you?"

Kagome was unable to control herself and crawled forward on hands and knees until they were face to face. Straddling him, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. It wasn't to start anything or distract him, it was just a response: Me too.

When the kiss ended, he brushed a wavy tendril of hair back behind her ear. "Shoulda tried a line like that from the start. I still can barely believe you came all this way just to be with me. How'd you do it?"

Her stomach churned with a feeling she was surprised to recognize. Guilt? True, she hadn't intended to follow after him. Her agenda had been to get to Hekigan and Hojo. Safety. She could have chosen any ship since most seemed to be headed for Hekigan. She could have even tried to run to Higurashi. But already she could barely remember her fiancé's face and she'd never felt anything but a mild fondness for him. Inuyasha, in contrast, was sewn into her heart and mind for all time. Good and bad and everything in between, she wanted him. She had chosen him in that split second in the market. Her jealousy had made her blind to the reasons why, but it was just that simple. She wanted him.

"Your mother took me out for the day soon after you left," she said, feeling a little like she was tattling. "The guards were distracted and I found you almost right away. Buying jewelry for your 'shadow'." She was getting jealous all over again.

He looked confused for a moment before breaking out into a grin. "The hair pin is yours. No need to scratch Sango's eyes out. I got it 'cause it's your favorite color."

"Good." She kissed him again as a reward. "Because I would have scratched your eyes out."

"I believe it."

"Tell me about Hekigan," she said, moving to sit at his side so she could tear into the rest of the food.

He made a noise of disgust. "Nothing good about 'em but their navy. They've built that up enough that even Father doesn't want to go against them directly. The Inu are not great on water."

"Aside from military stuff, I mean."

"Oh." He thought for a moment. "Well, their royal family is fucked up."

That piqued her interest a little too obviously. "How? What are they like? What's the crown prince like? Do you know him? Are you friends?"

Inuyasha gave her a look. "How about this. One of mine for one of yours. What were the Higurashi royals like?"

Her stomach churned with dread. Kagome already knew how he worked, though. You had to give a lot to get a little. Fine. She could deal with it.

"They're…normal. I guess. You already know this, but life in the castle was nothing like the palace. Things were rigid. At times brutal." Her gaze went far away as she remembered a whole other life. "I don't have the powers of a priestess, but my mother did. She was strong. So when I was born even more frail than an average Higurashi woman, they looked down on me. More than that. They said I was cursed."

He held her hand. "Kagome, they were just stupid peasants. I know you're not like them. You're their king's daughter, aren't you?"

She panicked a moment. Did he know? That she was the princess of the kingdom he had torn apart? That Kikyo was their Queen? And then for a second she felt relieved. He knew. He knew everything. And he didn't hate her. Maybe he would protect her and help her.

Then he continued, "A love child. The king had an affair with your priestess mother. And Kikyo has another dad, right? Your mom's husband? Or maybe she's another daughter by the wayside…"

"We have the same father," she said, bitterly. Since he hadn't figured it out, she was still obligated to deceive him. "My mother died giving birth to me and he raised us. If you could call it that. The General—there is never a king in Higurashi, only a Queen and her General—never really paid attention to us. He made sure I had maids and nannies, but I was kept out of sight. It was different for Kikyo. She's—she was a warrior. Everything was different for her. She got everything I wanted. Friends, an education, being able to leave the castle…

"The General always had me guarded by priestesses and they would threaten to throw me to the demons and have them rip me apart if I misbehaved. But even though that was scary, nothing could compare to being left alone in the dark."

"That's why I leave a lamp on all night. I know you're scared."

"After my mother died and they noticed my aura was lacking power, they didn't even clean me off before they subjected me to a trial. They locked me away by myself in a dark chest. I was there for two days." Tears came to her eyes and she brushed them away angrily. "I don't know why I'm crying. I can't even remember it. Kikyo saved me from the dark. She was just a child herself and knew what they were doing was wrong. My father didn't even care. Only Kikyo has ever loved me.

"When you tore down Higurashi, I was mad. More than mad. But you tore down the system, too. And for that I can only be grateful."

A low growl sounded from his chest. "If I had known that going in to it, I woulda killed the bastard first thing, or ordered one of my men to do it. But someone else got to him first."

Kagome had assumed her father had fallen to an Inu sword, so this was concerning news. By the pained look on Inuyasha's face, however, it appeared as though he wasn't going to ask her anything else about Higurashi, and she wasn't going to risk that by prodding for more information on her father's death. He had never cared about her, so she wasn't going to care about him.

Inuyasha put an arm around her and surprised her with a small basket of strawberries.

"Inu's different, but not by much," he said. "Sure, they try and drill it into our heads that we're superior to everyone else and doing 'em a favor by taking over, but once you get out there and see it, you know it's a lie. We do make improvements when we go places. Clean water, better hygiene, proper agriculture techniques. We impose our laws, so no one's hand is cut off for stealing and half-demons are equal citizens. But how many lives are lost for us to do that? What if we just set up schools instead of killing everyone? What if we taught them to think differently instead of forced them?" He sighed and grabbed a piece of chicken, swallowing it whole without chewing. "But Father says the only way we're gonna destroy the jewel is if we have the entire world on our side, and that means making 'em ours."

"What would you be if you weren't a prince?" she asked.

He shrugged. "A soldier. But I'd probably be an Officer or something by now. It's what I'm good at."

"But what would you want to be?"

Inuyasha looked like he'd never given it much thought before. "…I dunno. I like swords. Maybe I'd make swords? I'd have a shop and we'd have some livestock, too. Maybe a garden. Do you like to garden?"

She smiled. A simple life. An escape. Where they could be together and never had to hear about the Inu or Higurashi ever again.

"I think I would," was all she said. "You've been to Hekigan before. Is it like Higurashi?"

"In some ways. They don't like demons. They allow them to trade and stuff, but they're heavily taxed. It would only get worse if that asshole Hojo married the brat from Higurashi and brought her laws over."

"I doubt she would have had much say in Hekigan."

"Sorry, forgot you two were related," he said, not sounding the least bit sorry. "So, that bitch and the bitch queen of yours are hiding out in Hekigan. I thought Hojo woulda turned at least the queen over to us, but I guess he could surprise us."

"You've met Hojo?" Kagome asked, surprised. Hojo had never mentioned anything about Inuyasha or the Inu at all.

"Keh, I've known that idiot since I was a kid. We'd be stuck together during diplomatic events between our empire and their stupid island and all he'd do is go on and on about his stuffed toys and traveling to Higurashi to play with the kid he was gonna marry. Meanwhile I was already proficient with every Inu weapon and a few foreign ones and didn't wanna spend time with a tiny, weak boy who smelled like pee."

Her human nose had never picked up on that detail, but some part of her must have known because she had pretty much hated him during childhood. Marrying him had felt like a death sentence.

"How does such a weak man come to rule?" Kagome asked. "In Higurashi, you had to be strong. The strongest. It's like that in Inu too, right?"

He looked at her with something like pride. "Right. But Hekigan is different. They've had the same royal family from the beginning. The story goes that Hojo's people fled Higurashi right at its inception. They were too friendly with demons and were sentenced to death. So they journeyed far and wide until they came to an island inhabited completely by barbarians. They somehow fooled them into thinking they were gods and it's been like that ever since. Because their divine blood cannot be tainted by the people they rule, they've married each other. It's been going on so long that it's just normal there, but in Hojo's grandparents' time they started to get a little…off…and that's why Hojo was pledged to a foreign princess."

"Does his grandfather really have horns?" Kagome asked in a hushed voice. She had been afraid her children would inherit them. "And he neighs like a horse?"

Inuyasha laughed so hard his face turned red and he stopped breathing. "Gods, no! He's just weird. Like he'll only eat green foods and they can never touch. If a servant messes up the presentation, they get beheaded. Oh, and he's also got a thing for young men, which makes this visit extra unpleasant."

"And you're very cute, so the danger must be more than it would with normal guys."

Inuyasha smirked and leaned closer. "'Cute'? You think I'm just cute?"

"I said very!"

He cupped her face in his hands and brought her to him for another kiss. Kagome sighed dreamily while he kissed her stupid. It occurred to her with a shock that she wished they wouldn't reach Hekigan. That they could just drift together forever with no one bothering them or expecting anything of them. Would it be possible to tell Inuyasha everything and have him not hate her? Maybe if she explained, he'd understand. And they could extradite Kikyo to Hekigan where she could live happily, not as a Queen if she didn't want to be, but just a woman. And Kagome would stay with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha groaned and pulled back, eyes gone molten. "Fuck, you've got a sunburn. It's such a light pink and it goes all the way down…" He tugged on the loose neck of her dress and peeked below. "All the way down so it's almost at your nipples." He pressed his lips to her warm skin and she gasped at the slight sting that followed, the pain and pleasure mixing together and going straight to her pussy. "Gods, Kagome, I can't fuckin' wait 'til we reach Hekigan. If I even think those bitches are there, I'll burn it all to the ground. Then we can get that tea and I'll fuck you every possible way all the way back to Inu."

She froze. Her daydream was definitely out of the question. Inuyasha could never find out who she was lest he kill her and her sister both. And worse than that, he'd hate her.

He stopped kissing her and looked at her with concern. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? Come on, we'll go back to our room and I'll put some ointment on you."

Holding back tears, she allowed him to help her up. All her hunger had evaporated and been replaced with dread. How long could she go on fooling him? It was only a matter of time that every ugly truth would be out. And would he show mercy then? Not likely, judging by the look on his face whenever he mentioned her identity.

When they got back to their room, she felt a little better at looking in the mirror realizing the sunburn was indeed very light. It would go away in a day or two. Inuyasha brought a small jar of ointment and put it on the stand that served as their vanity. Carefully, he undid the ties on her dress until it fell to the floor. Kagome watched the two of them in the mirror, saw how he looked at her when he didn't realize she could see him and the ball in her chest that was weighing her down turned into something else. Something that sang.

Inuyasha gathered her hair and pinned it up with his gift to her. "It suits you," he said.

"I-I like it very much," Kagome replied, suddenly shy.

Grabbing the jar, he twisted it open and dipped his fingers inside, bringing them out shiny with a clear gel. In slow circles, he applied the gel to her skin. Kagome gasped at the cooling feeling, her posture shifting when she warmed down below at his touch. Nothing escaped him and his touches changed the slightest bit, becoming more sensual until she was trembling. Still behind her, he trailed his gelled finger down her throat, along her collarbone, and then her breast. Her nipples were standing at attention but he avoided them.

Even though her sunburn was entirely covered now, Inuyasha continued to apply the gel. A single finger whispering down her spine until she broke out in goosebumps. At the same time, he kissed her cheek with such softness she couldn't believe those hands had ever inflicted violence on anyone. His arms came around her and then he was running his hands up her sensitive stomach and over her ribs until he cupped her breasts. Her breathing quickened and he brushed his thumbs against her nipples. She could feel the roughness of his calloused skin and the slick smoothness of the gel all at once.

His fingers pinched her nipples and she let out a small cry followed by a shuddering breath. Turning her face, her lips were met by his own instantly. She broke away from him to glance at their reflection again and her stomach churned with lust at how wanton she looked. At how good the two of them looked together. She wanted to save this moment, to keep it safe and secret inside of her to pull out again and marvel at no matter what happened. His lips were on her neck and then her shoulder, kissing and sucking as he continued to play with her nipples.

Kagome grabbed one of his hands and dragged it down her body, feeling little sparks flare up along her skin. She didn't stop until his hand was over her pussy and he knew what she wanted even without her saying anything. His fingers first gently explored her and she kept her hand over his, not directing him but not wanting to break the contact. She was so wet that the moment he drove his digits inside her, her arousal soaked him more than the gel did until he was covered almost to the wrist.

Without warning, he withdrew and spun her around, picking her up and seating her precariously on the rickety stand. Kagome laughed and screamed all at once, trusting him to hold her up and finding it thrilling rather than scary. As soon as she was steady, he crouched and replaced his hand with his mouth. Kagome moaned and leaned back, the flesh of her back meeting the cool surface of the mirror. His tongue lapped against her with a kind of wildness that made clear he was the one who had been truly starving.

Her hips bucked and she only just barely kept her balance. One of her hands lost itself in his hair and her head flew back and hit the wall when he sucked and tongued at her clit. A few brushes against his ear and he ate her out with a new kind of frenzy. Her hand grabbed his hair again, tightening into a fist as he brought her over the edge once, twice, three times.

Kagome was sweating and nearly sobbing by the time he was done. Inuyasha peered up at her, still between her legs, and licked his lips that were shining with her juices. She smiled goofily and tugged him up, still a little out of breath.

"There's a place I'll take you to one day," Inuyasha said, whispering like it was a secret even though they were alone. "A tropical island where they have a fruit that almost tastes as good as you." He kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and moaning as she tugged at his belt. "Just not as sweet."

"I'm craving something salty now," she said, finally getting his pants off. "I think we can have fun without the tea, don't you?"

O\o/O

Inuyasha and Kagome walked together as one, her in front of him wrapped in his arms and his fire rat cape as they giggled and whispered together. Sango and the crew looked at them like they were crazy and disgusting. Whenever they went out together, the place cleared out pretty quick. No one wanted to be around when they started getting handsy.

They stood at the rail and gazed out at the horizon. Until now, it had just been an endless expanse of a deep blue-green, but now there was a bump jutting out of it on the horizon.

"What's that?" Kagome asked, squinting at it. "Are we finally going to see a sea dragon?"

Inuyasha laughed and kissed her cheek, wrapping her more tightly in his cape as the wind picked up. "Nah, that's Hekigan."

Her heart skipped a beat. How had the time flown by? "Oh. When will we get there?"

"Probably tomorrow," he said, distracted as his hands found her breasts under the cape.

"So by this time tomorrow I'll be standing on Hekigan sand."

He snorted. "You're staying on the ship where you're safe. I'll be in and out, an hour tops."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said in shock, struggling to turn around so she was facing him. "But I want to go!"

"There's nothing to see there, I promise," he said, face stern. His eyes softened a little at her pleading face. "Seriously, Kagome. Hekigan is a bad place, especially for beautiful women. You could be snatched off the street and sold into slavery here." She gave him a look. "Worse slavery. I mean it."

"But you'll be there and you'll protect me," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Please? I'll do anything you want." She pressed her chest against him. "Anything. I mean it."

He looked conflicted for a second before the resolve took over. "No. Come on, Kagome, you don't have the right clothes, anyway. How am I supposed to present you to that pompous inbred idiot when you're dressed like a common wench?"

"Please, I have to go!"

"No! Why do you wanna go so bad, anyway?"

"I just do! I want to see the world. I never left Higurashi."

"I'll take you tons of places, just not here. It's not safe."

"I need to see Hojo!"

Kagome gasped in surprise at her own words. She hadn't meant for that to come out. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and the warmth of his cape was removed as he stepped away from her.

"Why the fuck would you want to see that bastard?"

She couldn't meet his eyes. "I… I know him."

"And why would you know him? Weren't you always locked up somewhere?"

"I was always with the princess when Hojo came. She didn't like him and didn't want to be alone with him, so our father permitted it," she said, telling the truth as best she could. "And we… Hojo was in love with me. You remember my fiancé? That was Hojo. I just want him to know that I'm alive."

Inuyasha was silent.

Worried, Kagome peeked up at him from underneath her lashes.

Suddenly, he grabbed her shoulders. "Did he touch you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"W-what?"

He shook her once. "Did he touch you? Did you let him touch you when he made promises to you? Did he touch you without you letting him?"

"No!"

Inuyasha sagged with relief. "Thank fuck. I really don't want to have gone fishing in the same hole as that fucker."

"You knew I was a virgin. That's why you bought me," she said, glaring at him.

Ignoring her, he continued, "You got played, Kagome. I never thought of Hojo as a player, but there's a first time for everything. Especially if the princess wasn't into him since he's crazy obsessed with her. Hojo would never marry you. Not when there was someone else with status he had a marriage contract with. He's a prince. He was going to fuck you and throw you away. He doesn't care about you."

"Like you."

"No! No." He grabbed her hand and held it even when she tried to pull away. "It's different with us, Kagome. You know that." His eyes burned bright with sincerity and she didn't need a demon nose to know he was telling the truth. "You're mine and that will never change. That fact will make him want you more and if he sees you he'll make even bigger promises, but he doesn't love you. He's just a selfish prick."

She yanked her hand back and angrily wiped away her tears. She was so mad, but that was combined with feelings she didn't understand. Why did he keep using that word? Why did he have to mention love when she would never have it? When Hojo was her closest chance at getting it? At least then she could be reunited with Kikyo.

"Fine," she said. "Leave me here and go. Just go."

"Kagome." He said her name softly, enticingly, soothingly. It was enough to allow him to hold her again but not enough to have her look at him. "I can't leave when you're upset. It's all I'd be thinking about. Let's go back to our room and talk."

"I'll go back to the room, but you should sleep with Sango tonight." Kagome stomped away, her angry brain coming up with a plan.

"Don't be like that!" When she didn't turn around, he sighed and said. "I'll punish Hojo for trying to play you. I'll even kill him for you!"

She slammed the door.

O\o/O

Whether Inuyasha slept with Sango or not, Kagome didn't know. At the very least, he didn't come back to their room. She thought not seeing him would make her feel better. She thought he'd force himself in anyway and they'd make up. All she wanted to do the whole night through was leave the room and find him. Even if he was with Sango, she wanted to be with him.

Kagome got only a few fitful hours of sleep wearing his shirt.

The calls of the sailors as they docked woke her the next morning. A few minutes later, she heard Inuyasha and Sango's voices, too low for her to distinguish the words. They seemed to be arguing about something. The footsteps stopped in front of her door and someone knocked twice. Everything in her wanted to answer, but she didn't. Sango and Inuyasha exchanged another short argument and the footsteps went away.

Kagome waited long enough she felt sure they were gone before leaving the room. A quick glance at the activity onshore confirmed she did not want to marry Hojo and become his queen. The island was gloomy and chilly and a drizzle was starting to come down. With how bleak and gray the town was, she couldn't imagine the sun ever shining there. It was a striking difference from the spirited and colorful market at the Inu docks.

Already dressed in her stowaway clothes, Kagome inconspicuously made her way off the boat. Hojo had described his kingdom to her multiple times and she was surprised that she had listened and retained any of that information. It appeared as though he had also exaggerated tremendously. The buildings were run down and the people didn't look at one another. On one corner, a man stood ringing a bell. She was curious enough to pause as she passed him, but she saw instead of jewelry or food or fabric on his table of wares, there were cards with names. Names of women. When she saw the rest of the card, she felt sick. Heights, weights, and talents. He was selling women as though they were livestock, the cards an invitation to bid with an address of the auction.

Kagome hurried away from there.

It was easy to find the palace. Even if it hadn't been described to her time after time while her future husband had brushed her hair or tied her shoes, it was the tallest building in the area. Even taller than their dilapidated temple. It was also the only building that had any color and looked well-kept. It was as though it had sucked up all the life from everything around it. There were people going in and out, the richly dressed at the main doors and those who looked more like she currently did from a tiny door at the side. Kagome caught sight of Inuyasha arguing with the herald at the door who would announce him and came close enough to hear part of it.

"I told ya, I'm the fuckin' prince of Inu and I'm here on a diplomatic mission to meet with your fuckstick of a crown prince! Now let me in before I punch you so hard you shit out your yellow teeth."

"As I have explained, demons of any sort, especially half-demons, are not permitted—"

He brandished his sword and she wanted to cheer. "Let me in or I'll destroy this entire building."

They were ushered in around the same time Kagome went in through the servant's entrance.

Once she was passed the mudroom, she was in a world of elegance that might have even exceeded that of Inu's palace in the clouds. It was almost vulgar in its ostentatiousness, especially when compared to how the populace lived.

"Ugh, you're a filthy lad, ain'tcha?"

It took her a moment to realize she was being addressed. Lowering her voice, she tipped her hat to the portly woman who looked like a maid.

"Uh, I'm here to uh…"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I know what your kind is here for. Always for the old king, getting younger 'n younger. I swear, it's as though his lust ages in reverse. He's insatiable!"

The maid handed Kagome an assortment of tools.

"That there's a sheep's bladder filled with the old king's special blend. There's a syringe made from hollowed bone included. I'm assuming you've used an enema before?"

Kagome nodded even though she had no idea what that was.

"Good, less work for me. Now you'll be heading to the royal quarters. It doesn't really matter if you take the servant's way or the main way, we all know already and no one cares. Did he want you this dirty? Oh, never mind, I don't want to know. Now be off with you and don't let me see you again unless he calls for you, alright?"

Kagome waited until she was on another floor before she dumped the stuff. Gods, but the smell alone showed her they had been used for nefarious purposes and she hated she had touched them even for such a short amount of time. Her collar seemed to grow warm and she gasped soundlessly, just barely able to hide behind an open door before Inuyasha came around the corner with Hojo and Sango in tow.

"Hurry your ass up, I'm in a shit mood," he barked out, charging into the empty room whose door she was using as a cover.

"I might be able to help if I knew why you were here." Hojo sounded bored and annoyed. She had never heard him like this.

Sango entered the room and closed the door, face turned to the inside so she didn't see her. Lucky for Kagome, the mechanism that kept the door closed was broken with something stuck inside that prevented the latch from fitting seamlessly. She was left with a small sliver to spy through.

Inuyasha sat at the head of a conference table and Hojo, obviously upset at that power move, sat to his right. She was able to see both their faces as long as Sango didn't move.

"Why I'm here," Inuyasha said as though it should be obvious and Hojo was pissing him off even more by making him say it, "is because I received some information. A reliable source says you've been sheltering the Higurashi royalty. Hand them over now and I won't cut your dick off."

Hojo paused for a moment before laughed. "Really? I'd like to meet your 'reliable' source. You knew the deal I made with your father's advisor. You get the queen, and I get the princess. I let your dogs into the castle and you still couldn't manage to catch two girls. As far as I'm concerned, you broke the agreement by being so wildly incompetent."

It took everything in Kagome not to burst inside and strangle Hojo herself. Goddess above, but it was him. Their stronghold might have sheltered them had he not allowed them inside. Kaede might not have lost her life. They could have had time to flee, to prepare. She put a hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs, trying to keep them silent and caged in her chest.

"Bullshit. Why would you leave that bitch you're so obsessed with when you had her there for the taking? You're hiding them and you'll tell me where!"

"Because I was supposed to rescue her, idiot!" Hojo shouted, face turned a mottled red. "Rescue her from the fucking dogs so she'd finally fucking love me! But you couldn't even do that right. And now I have to spend my own time and resources trying to find her. And believe me, Inuyasha, you'll wish you were dead if I find a corpse instead of my princess."

Inuyasha growled at him. "I'm beginning to think it would be a kindness if I took the bitch myself. I'm not one for shit like that, but I'd do it if it meant pissing you off."

"You can do whatever you want with the queen. I always hated her. She was trying to find a way out of the contract and keep my princess from me. She doesn't matter. Only what's mine matters. And this war won't end until I get her back."

"Speaking of wars since your answer to this could start another one, did you have an affair with any Higurashi girl? Someone close to the princess who was always around during your meetings?"

Hojo looked confused. "What? There were only maids and priestesses. I can't even remember their faces. Though I'm sure plenty fancied themselves in love with me, the feeling was never mutual. No one ever mattered to me but the princess."

"When she finds out you're the one who betrayed them, she'll kill you herself. I won't even have to bother." He leaned closer and looked Hojo in the eyes, gaze intense. "And then I'll take her. And she'll never see the light of day again. I'll make that bitch and the queen pay for every Inu life lost. And when I'm tired of them, I'll burn them to ash, and not even the winds that carry their remains will come anywhere near your grave."

Inuyasha got up so suddenly his chair screeched back before toppling over. "C'mon Sango, let's get outta here."

Kagome ran back the way she had come before they could leave the room. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her vision blurred with tears so much so that she almost went the wrong way and missed the docks.

It was Hojo. Hojo was the enemy just as much as the Inu empire was. Maybe even more. For the Inu, they believed they were doing the right thing and stopping complete and total devastation of the world by that mythical jewel. But Hojo did it for selfish reasons. He wanted to make a slave of her more than Inuyasha ever had.

By the time Inuyasha came back, she had tossed the clothes into the sea and given herself a quick wash. This time when he knocked on the door, she answered in his shirt.

"Hey," was all he said, looking almost surprised to see her.

"Hey." She stepped aside. "Come in."

She closed the door on Sango's annoyed face.

"I was thinking," he said, not looking at her. "We can go out if you want. Just you and me. We can walk around and see stuff. There's not much to see, but what there is—"

Kagome threw her arms around him and kissed him. "I really, really missed you, Inuyasha," she said in a small voice. Tears rolled down her face. She couldn't stop thinking about what Hojo had done and she wanted, needed Inuyasha to make it go away.

"I'm here now," he said. His thumbs wiped away her tears and when new ones appeared he kissed them away. Then he was holding her on the bed while she sobbed and clung to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't think this would hurt you like this. I mean, I've known Hojo was a piece of shit all my life, but you're just finding out. And fuck, you probably put him on a pedestal and idolized him…" He got angrier the longer he went on. "You know what? I'm definitely killing him. You wanna watch? Would that make you feel better? Or do you just want his head?"

"I want you, stupid," she sobbed, kissing him.

"You have me. All of me," he promised.

She smiled. "So I traded up?"

He laughed, happy that she wasn't crying anymore. Kagome settled in his lap and kissed him again, this time deepening it. His hands were on her ass and he grabbed and squeezed, moaning and bringing her down to grind against him.

"Fuck," he breathed. "Can't fuckin' wait 'til we're back home. 'Til I'm inside you again. They had no fuckin' tea at the market. I even offered to buy their private stash, but no. And I didn't wanna keep looking because I wanted to come back and see you."

That did something to her. It felt like when her collar had broken and allowed her to be free. A kind of pop that she felt rather than heard. The sound of things clicking into place.

"We can do it without the tea. If you want."

He stared at her in shock. Ever since that first time, she'd taken her tea religiously, sometimes even twice a day. The thought of having his child grow inside her was the scariest thing she could imagine. Until now, when she learned that the one she'd hoped would save her had been the one to destroy her in the first place. That put things in perspective. The scariest thing that could possibly happen to her had already happened.

"B-but there's no tea."

"Right. And we can do it anyway. You want it, don't you?"

He nodded, looking conflicted.

"So do I. Besides, we already did it like that once and nothing happened."

His hands traveled up under the shirt and she saw her reckless enthusiasm was catching.

"It is a long trip back…"

"And I want you so badly I won't be able to wait until then."

He had her flat on her back before she even finished her sentence. His hot breath kissed her face exactly where she longed for his lips.

"You're the only one I've ever done this with," he said. "The only one I'd want to do this with. No tea, no barriers. Just us."

Kagome pressed her trembling mouth to his. She would be honest at least in this, she decided. Even if she couldn't tell him the whole truth of who she was, she would always be honest with him. What her words wouldn't say, her eyes would show. Like this, she could tell him how she felt. How much he meant to her.

The shirt she wore was clawed down the middle in a second. She tugged at his collar, trying and failing to do the same thing to him. Inuyasha laughed and tore it off himself, his pants and the rest of his clothing following. When he was as bare as she, Kagome kissed him again, her hands exploring his body as though she hadn't touched him just yesterday. His muscles jumped wherever she touched and she was fascinated by his golden skin, obsessed with all his roughness and gentleness and everything in between.

Inuyasha was similarly amazed by her. It was like everything was new. He touched her so softly and carefully, almost like he was afraid he'd break her.

"How did we get here," he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear him. "How did it become impossible to live without you?"

She couldn't answer him. Her throat was too tight any sound would have been impossible. Instead, she kissed him, her eyes shut tight to stop the tears that threatened to start up again. Inuyasha hummed into the kiss and pressed more kisses to her face, her neck, her chest. His hungry mouth drew her nipple in with a suck and she arched her back, begging for more. Her prince listened and teased her until she was crying openly, sobbing for him to enter her.

This kind of craving went deeper than the physical. The need to have him inside her, united with her, comforting her, went to her very soul. Inuyasha's fangs pricked at her breasts, lengthening some as his eyes flashed red. It was like their desires had twinned and become one, morphing into something too great for either of them to hold on their own.

Inuyasha left her breast and leaned over her on his elbows, his hands covering hers and pinning them down to the mattress. For a moment, he just looked at her like he still couldn't believe this was real, their breaths mingling and her chest heaving. Then she spread her legs further and he slammed inside her so hard it drove her an inch up on the bed. Kagome gave as good as she got and met his hips with her own, dictating the rhythm from that point on.

When Inuyasha experienced his end and shouted her name like a priest praising a god for bestowing favor, she felt the warmth of his seed fill her so suddenly and sweetly it almost made her weep. Had he said she was the glowing one? No, it could only be him. With eyes like the sun and hair like the moon's rays. Something in her face must have startled him because he looked at her like he was having a religious experience himself. They stayed connected together, whispering and stealing kisses, until he was ready again.

They didn't stop until dinner, when she was too sore and worn out to leave their room for one of their usual picnics. Inuyasha brought back some bread and cheese with some fruit the men had bought onshore. Rolling up a slice of cheese, he stuck it in her mouth like a cigar.

"Even when you were mad at me, you still kept your ring on," Inuyasha said.

Kagome glanced at the ring on her finger. She was so accustomed to seeing it there, had been even before she'd fled Higurashi, that she barely noticed it.

"I like it," she said. "Love it. Thank you for giving it to me."

"The ring means something, Kagome," he said. "It's different in Higurashi, but in Inu it means…"

Izayoi had already told her what it meant, but she waited for him to say something.

He seemed to lose some confidence and tugged on her collar. "It's like your collar. We'll get you a new one of these when we get back. It'll keep you safe."

Kagome sighed and grabbed the rest of the cheese from him. Maybe some things had changed, but not everything.