Disclaimer:  Fluffy-kun is still recovering from last chapter's…um…activities, yeah, activities, so… I own nothing, NOTHING so don't sue please.

AN:  Hello peoples!  I am soooo sorry for the long wait on this one.  After Christmas I got the first Hellsing DVD and after that I couldn't really focus on Inuyasha, but I got the last Hellsing on Monday and new Inuyasha (lots and lots of Fluffy-kun!  *giggles girlishly*)  on Wednesday so now I'm back in Inuyasha mode.  Anyway, thanks to every one who reviewed and responses are at the bottom of the page!  I'd like to thank several people for 'inspiring me' over the past little while.  You people are great! 

Anime Girl - Thank you so much for the gifs and the encouraging email. 

Celyia – Just the fact that you like my story is an encouragement!  (If you're looking for good Sess/Kag stories I recommend her stories!)

Oh, and I have to do this for my brother because he's been annoying me constantly that my fic has pirates but I'm not using the proper 'lingo' so here goes:  AAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!    ME HEARTIES!!!!!!!!!     POOPDECK!    SCALLYWAGS!!!   AVAST!!  AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!   ASTERN!!!   BARNICAL!!   DAVY JONES' LOCKER!!   AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Okay?  Now SHUT UP DANIEL!!!

Anyway, onto the story!!!

Playing Pirates Chapter 6

Kagome would have loved to stay in the bath longer than she did, if not for Inuyasha's constant banging on her door and loud grumbling in the hallway.  Shippo had left when her bath arrived, supposedly going back to the kitchens.  Sango had stayed long enough to help her pick out a dress, a lilac one with long, but loose sleeves, and helped her work the knots out of her hair.  Kagome braided the still damp strands quickly and tied the end with a white ribbon that had been in one of the chests.  Thankfully, there was a pair of simple white slippers that she happily slid onto her feet and, with one quick glance at her reflection in the mirror, and a glare toward her boots, Kagome stepped out the door. 

Inuyasha was slouched against the wall opposite the door, looking sulky and aggravated at the same time.  He stood up fully when she stepped out of the room and fairly glared at her.

"Took you long enough." He grumbled at her as she closed the door.  Kagome's eyes narrowed as she scowled at him.

"I had to bathe."  She said simply. 

"Women and your long baths."  He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.  A small smirk tweaked the corners of her mouth as she retorted.

"Well, if women had the bathing habits of men then men would be a little less enthusiastic about bedding women."  She said seriously as she wrinkled her nose in his direction.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" he growled at her.

"That if men could smell what they actually smelt like, they'd take baths more often."  Kagome smiled at him smugly before delicately lifting the hem of her skirt and walking briskly down the hall, leaving a fuming Inuyasha staring after her.  Inuyasha tilted his head down near his shoulder and took a tentative sniff.  'I don't smell bad…'

"Are you going to show me around or what?"  She called back to him as she rounded a corner.

"H-Hey!!  Don't wander off!"  He yelled, suddenly coming to himself, and raced after her.  He caught up with her at another bend in the hall, which wasn't any spectacular feat as she was only walking.  Inuyasha glowered at her out of the corner of his eye as they walked silently down the empty hall.  Kagome stopped when they reached another hallway intersecting the one that they were currently going through.

"Right."  Inuyasha said simply.  Kagome gave him a sidelong glance out of the corner of her eye.

"What if I want to go left?" She asked boorishly.  Inuyasha scowled at her, his brow forming a crease.

"What if I didn't care?"  He watched, amused, as she puffed up like a cat that had just landed itself in the midst of a hunting dog keep.

"You are so rude!" Kagome huffed and turned her back on him.

"Well you're awfully demanding for a prisoner." He growled back at her.

"Just because I'm a prisoner doesn't mean that I have to be happy about it."

Kagome and Inuyasha glared at each other for a moment before he grabbed her by the elbow and tugged her down the hallway to the right.  Kagome allowed herself to be meekly pulled down the hall, her own thoughts on what Inuyasha had said.  'What he had said was true.  I should be more worried about the fact that I am a prisoner here.  But what exactly can I do?  I'm friends with Sango and Shippo, but I don't think either of them is willing to possibly get a letter out to someone.  And just who would I send a letter to?  We're in…waitaminit.  Where are we?'  Kagome narrowed her eyes.  All Inuyasha had told her when she had asked on the boat was that it was his and Sesshoumaru's castle, no actual location mentioned.

"If you had gone left the hall would have taken to around to the back side of the castle where all the sailors sleep." Inuyasha said unexpectedly, startling Kagome out of her thoughts.  Inuyasha continued walking but glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  "If you have any brains at all in that head of yours than stay way from there.  They may work for me and Sesshoumaru but they would have no compulsions about taking a girl's innocence."   

Kagome blinked at him as they rounded another turn in the hall.  Was he actually showing concern for her?  Kagome felt her cheeks heat up at the thought.  Inuyasha had seen though, and stopped abruptly and whirled on her, a slight tinge to his own cheeks.

"D-Don't go getting ideas in that silly head of yours!  I couldn't care less about you, I just don't want Sesshoumaru beating the hell out of me for not warning ya incase you did go down there!  Got it?"

Kagome smiled at him slightly before nodding her head.  Inuyasha glanced around them for a moment before shrugging his shoulders indifferently.

"This is as good a place as any to start." He said disinterestedly.  Kagome looked around them at all the doors as Inuyasha preceded to explain rather bleakly that most were empty bedrooms; some had been converted into storerooms full of stuff that they couldn't or doubted that they could sell.  They continued along the hall with Inuyasha listing rooms off as the walked by with 'Empty, empty, storeroom, empty' and the occasional drawing room or something of that sorts.  Kagome followed along, half listening and was just trying to be thankful that her 'tour' got her out of her room.  It wasn't until Inuyasha skipped a room that Kagome brought her attention to their surroundings.

"What's in there?" she asked curiously as she walked to the door and tested the handle.

"Just an old room used to store paintings."  Inuyasha said drably. 

"Really?" she said, interested.  "I want to see."  She easily pushed open the door and was greeted with a lung full of stale, heavy air.  'How long has it been since someone has been in this room anyway?'  she thought to herself as she stepped into the room.  It seemed that it was one of the fortunate rooms that had a window as sunlight streamed in through the one portal to the outside.  Heavy amounts of dust floated through the thick air and visibly drifted though the narrow beam of light that stole through the dark room.  She couldn't step very far before she had to start stepping around old paintings lying on the floor or bunches propped up against one another.  Inuyasha leaned against the doorframe lazily with a bored sigh as Kagome picked up a small painting and brushed the dust off the canvas. 

Kagome righted the old frame and studied the warm but fading landscape.  Kagome looked around the room and realized that the one in her hands was the smallest picture in the room, most of the others seemed portrait size, made for display in studies and lounges, not shoved in some old room.

"You could probably sell some of these for a good price." She commented plainly as she shifted her way through the precariously stacked paintings.  'Why am I offering advise to a pirate?'

"Yeah, probably, if we weren't surrounded by fat old lords who are more interested in sitting on their arses all day and drinking ale, or bedding any woman beside their wives.  Yeah, we could probably sell them for a real good price."  Inuyasha called sarcastically from the door. 

"You didn't have to be snotty about it." She grumbled as a large, covered painting sitting on an easel caught her attention.

Inuyasha watched as she stepped around the old frames, careful not to get her dress caught on any sharp edges.  He hadn't told her that every fall, Sesshoumaru loaded Inuyasha's and Miroku's ships full of most of the stuff that they couldn't sell around here, and he, Sesshoumaru, took the Vindos and with Miroku sailing the Fair Maiden went to France to sell most of the goods to their 'supporters'.  Inuyasha stayed behind to watch over things at the castle, which he found boring as hell because the most exciting thing that has ever happened while he was in charge was the stampede of sheep three years ago that were being chased by wild dogs.  Sesshoumaru usually left everything in order, and took care of anything complicated before he left.  Inuyasha had lead the trip one year, Sesshoumaru had suddenly caught a severe flu of some kind and couldn't go, but he had told their buyers that the goods would be there by a certain date, and, afraid that they would go somewhere else, Sesshoumaru had entrusted Inuyasha with it.  Sesshoumaru had stressed several times that getting passed the British to France was tricky, but he had brushed it off as Sesshoumaru over exaggerating.  He wasn't kidding.  Inuyasha and most of the crew had almost found their necks in a noose before a diversion had allowed them to barely escape with there lives, two of the original three ships, and none of the cargo.  Sesshoumaru had thrown an absolute fit when he found out.  He had shouted and ranted and raved for a good hour before collapsing a chair with a spell of wheezing coughs.  In the end Miroku and himself had been confined to the sailor's wing of the castle for two months and their buyers had decided to thankfully over look this one short fall.  Inuyasha sighed; Sesshoumaru still liked to remind him of that little failure.

It had taken her a while but Kagome had made it to the covered painting without knocking anything over, and she was rather proud of herself.  With a triumphant gleam in her blue eyes Kagome started to peal the heavy cloth up and away from the painting's surface.  However the intrusion of a disgusting, green thing distracted her.

"What do you think you're doing in here?!?!?" It demanded in a shrill, screeching voice that emanated from it's beak-like mouth.  Kagome did what came natural.

"KKKYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

*~_~*

'What the hell…'

Sesshoumaru looked up from the last of the expenditures and lifted his eyes toward the ceiling of his study.  That had definitely been a woman's scream, and there were only two that had reason to be on the second floor at that time.  And, call it common sense, but he had a feeling that it wasn't the old governess that had belted out the loud shriek.  Sesshoumaru sighed and rested his forehead against the fingers of his left hand.  He was actually thankful that whatever had been looking out for him the day he was born had saw fit to give him his father's hair, at least when he goes gray early from stress no one will be able to tell the difference. 

Looking up briefly, Sesshoumaru quickly calculated the last figure and scratched down the end result before screwing the cap back on the ink well and standing.  As he stood warily, stretching both arms above his head and being awarded with loud pops from both sides, Sesshoumaru decided it was time for a break and thought to walk around the castle himself.

*~_~*

Inuyasha's head jerked up at the girl's sudden scream, his hand automatically going to the hilt of his sword.  Kagome was currently pressed against a wall, her chest heaving and her eyes wide as she stared at the disgusting creature writhing on the floor in pain as it clutched it's ears.  Inuyasha relaxed when he recognized the pallid green skin and large bulbous eyes of the disgusting servant that followed Sesshoumaru around endlessly.  Now that he thought about it, Inuyasha hadn't seen Jaken since he had got back.

"Kill it!"  Kagome screeched at him, pointing a shaky finger at the recovering form of his brother's unwanted servant.

"It's harmless."  Inuyasha said calmly as he resumed his lax posture against the doorframe.

"Did you lock yourself in here Jaken?" He asked sarcastically, knowing full well that the door was broken, and was permanently locked from the outside and that he had probably came in there to do inventory and had forgotten to prop the door open, and it slid shut, effectively locking him in.

"I did no such thing." The ugly man retorted indignantly as he brushed his worn clothing off with heavily wrinkled hands.  Once his clothes were smoothed to the best of his ability the thing, Jaken, leveled its hideous gaze on Kagome.

"Who's she?" he asked importantly, as if Inuyasha had to answer him.  But Inuyasha decided to anyway, Jaken could be a pain when he set his pea brain to it.

"She's a prisoner."

"What's she doing here then?"

"I'm giving her a tour."

"Lord Sesshoumaru won't be happy to learn that she's snooping around." Jaken huffed indignantly as he stomped angrily toward the doorway.

"Lord Sesshoumaru is the one who told me to take her for a tour." Inuyasha drawled lazily and made sure to put extra sarcasm on 'Lord' just to aggravate the toad like thing walking toward him.  Kagome watched, slightly disinterested now that she knew what it was, as the old man hobbled around stacks of paintings leaning heavily on a staff at least twice his height to where Inuyasha stood.  'Is there anything else disgusting in here that I should know about?' she wondered as she walked back to the painting that she had been so rudely interrupted from examining.

Inuyasha watched warily as Jaken made his way toward him, worried about the fact that he hadn't made any kind of retort about his last comment.  Jaken wasn't one to let someone get away with mocking his 'master' as he called him.  'I swear that the nasty little thing has a thing for Sesshoumaru.'  A nasty chill swept up his spine at the thought.  Jaken stopped in front of him and looked up with hateful eyes.

"You should treat your brother with more respect."

"Oh?  And why, prey tell, is that?" Inuyasha rudely.  And then Jaken grinned.  'That…is so disturbing…' Inuyasha mused with disgust.

Suddenly, with more speed and strength than anyone would have thought possible, Jaken brought his oak staff down and strait across Inuyasha's shin.  Inuyasha gasped and instinctively reached a hand down to his bruised legs.  Jaken looked up at him smugly, which was unwise as it reminded Inuyasha of exactly what caused the biting pain in his legs.  With a roar Inuyasha lunged at Jaken who ran with a startled squawk down the hall.

Kagome, not noticing her companion's sudden departure, pulled the protective cover off the painting in one quick swoop.  She coughed gently as she breathed in the agitated dust stirred by the sudden movement.  Waving her hand demurely in front of her face to clear the haze and peered intensely at the large painting sitting in front of her.  It looked to be a family portrait; a tall, well built man stood to the left of a woman sitting in an ornate high back chair with a toddler in her lap, and another older child, a boy stood to her left somewhat behind the chair.  Kagome stepped a bit closer and looked at the man in the picture, he wore knee high boots, gray breeches, a white shirt and a waistcoat of a darker gray.  Kagome lifted her gaze to his face and could barely contain a gasp.  'This man…!'  He had what was probably shoulder length silver hair in a ponytail halfway up the back of his head; warm, gold eyes stared back at her through the canvas.  Kagome's eyes swept to the little boy sitting on the woman's lap; he had short but wild white hair and the same rich eyes as his father.  'No way…' But the round face and little nose left way of denying it.  The little boy was Inuyasha.  'Which means that…' Her blue eyes raced to the boy standing behind that chair.  'That's…Sesshoumaru!'

*~_~*

Sesshoumaru quickly ascended the steps to the second floor with every intention of going to the main sitting room of the castle and sitting out on the large balcony that overlooked the center garden.  Spring had come early this year following the mild winter they had had, and the roses should be beginning to bloom soon.  And once they got a bit more rain, the hills surrounding the castle, other than on the cliff side, will be covered with all the different colors of heather that were native to Ireland.  Sesshoumaru sighed, that was one of the few things he liked about this country; it's lands had a unique, breathtaking, wild beauty about them that couldn't be found in England anymore.  Or so he heard, he hadn't been in England for close to twenty years. 

Sesshoumaru's brisk walk came to a halt when he spotted an open storage room.  'Wasn't Jaken doing inventory?  Come to think of think of it…  It's been a couple days since I've seen that little toad…' With an indifferent shrug, Sesshoumaru walked to the storeroom.

*~_~*

Kagome blinked as she looked at the sullen faced boy and compared it to the one that she had seen only the day before.  It was definitely Sesshoumaru; even as a child he had had the slightly narrow, almost feminine facial structure, if anything he looked more like a girl as a child than he did now.  But the neat bangs were the same, if a bit longer now, and his then shoulder length hair had had the same heavy, silken shine to it, if the painting did it any justice.  His small face was set in a frown or a look of serious contemplation, which actually looked rather comical on a child that couldn't have been more than ten.  Kagome frowned at the thought despite the slightly humorous look on his face; he was the only one that looked unhappy.  His father was standing close to Inuyasha's mother, his left hand resting comfortably on her right shoulder; both adults had small smiles on their faces.  Inuyasha however had a stupid grin on his face, as most children do, and had probably been bribed to stay still long enough for the painting to at least have been sketched.  Now that she looked at it, Inuyasha and his parents looked like a happy little family, forgetting about Sesshoumaru who had half hidden himself behind his stepmother's chair.  Kagome felt a wave of pity wash over her; she couldn't even begin to think what it could have felt like for Sesshoumaru to watch his father, stepmother and half brother do all the little things that families do and not be a part of it.  Her gaze drifted back to Inuyasha.  She couldn't help but smile at him though, he had an infectious smile, and she absently wondered if he smiled like that anymore.

"You know," she started, thinking that Inuyasha was still in the doorway, "you were a cute child."

"Really…" drawled a deep voice that definitely didn't belong to Inuyasha.

Kagome gasped and whirled around to face the door, the skirt of her dress billowed out about her.  Her wide, startled blue eyes met the mildly amused amber ones of Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru had come to a dead stop the moment he could see into the room, his mind coming up blank as he stared at the odd sight that greeted him.  He had seen her first, a halo of light surrounding her from the single window in the room had her ebony hair demanding for attention as small wisps escaped from the tight confines of the braid.  The gown not only complimented her skin, making it look fairer and softer with the color, but the cut of the gown flattered her figure, the design allowing the material to fall in soft waves from her bust to her trim waist, and then falling over her slightly wider hips to puddle lightly on the floor at her feet.  She had been concentrating on the painting in front of her, a painting he knew all too well, her small, pink lips pulled into a frown until her blue gaze moved to another part of the picture, he then watched as she smiled gently back at the grinning face of his brother.  Sesshoumaru's eyes had narrowed then, something within him not liking the fact that she had been smiling at thoughts of Inuyasha.  When she had spoken, she startled him from his thoughts, and it was then that he realized that she thought Inuyasha was standing there.  'What happened to that idiot anyway?'

"I-I didn't mean you…" she stammered slightly.  "I was talking about Inuyasha…" A slightly shaking finger pointing at the painting followed her statement.  'Why is she shaking?  Is she afraid of me?' he wondered silently as some darker side of him reveled in the fact, while the other part him was slightly upset by that idea.  He mentally shook himself; it was best if she was afraid of him.  But he couldn't resist…

"So…I wasn't a cute child?"  He asked in a serious tone, his face belaying nothing.

Kagome blinked at him for a moment, was he joking?  He looked as serious now was he did the previous day when he was basically threatening her; Kagome shook her head before turning back to the painting.  She couldn't really describe him as cute but…

"You…look lonely."

AN: THANK GOD I'M DONE!!!!!!  That was so hard to get out!!  I'm sorry for the crappy ending and not much Fluffy but I promise, next chapter will be nothing but Kagome and Sesshoumaru!  You have my word.  

Reviewer Responses:

vicious-wolf – I'm glad you think Shippo's cute!  I don't know about Inuyasha yet thought…Thanks for the review!!

Laura-chan/Elisa – Thanks for the review!!!

teline – It feels like a romance novel when I write it!  Thanks!!

phoebemoon – Thank you so much!!

Sapphire – I'm glad you like it!!  Inuyasha?  Do nothing stupid?  Naaww, does he ever do stupid things?

J.Garibaldi – I have no shame! :)  I am desperate.  I know…Shippo's had a hard life, but now he has Kagome!  Thanks!

Anime Girl – Thanks so much!  And the gifs are so cute!!

Silver Dragonfly – Thank you so much! 

Dark Star – Hopefully the lack of Sesshi was made up for in this chapter!  :)  Thanks for the review!

Romm – That's a thought!  Hehe…anyway, Thanks!!!

Kaimi – Thanks!!

Saori – Yes!  Clothes!  She was in the same clothes and without a bath for about three days.  The bath thing wasn't unusual back then though.  As nasty as that is….  Thanks so much!!

li wei – Thanks for the review!!

Kenya Skadi – Ha!  I updated!!  Thanks for the review!!

Lily – I'm glad that you think everyone is in character!  Thanks for the review! 

sPanKy – Thank you very much for the review(s), and yes, Kouga will be in here, at most twice, and Naraku will have a VERY small appearance.  P.S.- If you meant all six of those reviews thanks but if not, only press the button once!) : p 

Kerbuddy – It's okay *pats Kerbuddy on the head* They wont come back to get you.  I hope this so far fits your idea of a good S/K fic.  I'm trying… And sorry, I have no cookies.  *sobs* Anyway, Thank you for the review!

If I missed anybody I'm sorry!!  But thank you for the review if I did miss somebody.   I don't think I did….

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (See Garibaldi, one big one instead of a bunch of little ones! :) )