Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha or Kenshin. Poor me.
Author's Note: At last, I have updated! *fanfare* And now, you must ph33r the Inuyasha angst, because there needs to be some angst in this fic. Muahahaha!
Chapter 3: Oro?
Inuyasha sat alone in the dirty, cramped cabin. He felt the pirate ship rocking in time to the waves, and smelled the salt of the sea-spray. He had given up trying to get out; he didn't see any point. Kagome had been thrown into the sea and drowned. Life didn't seem to have much of a point anymore. His mind was tormented with memories of her; why hadn't he done anything more to save her? Sesshomaru had always been right; he was a weak coward, not worthy to be anything more than a hanyou.
***
The first thing Kagome saw when she woke up was Shippo's face…up close.
"Shippo?"
"Kagome! You're okay! I was really worried but Shura said that you would be fine but it was so scary I'msogladyou'renotdead!" Shippo talked faster and faster as his relief kicked in, all the time almost strangling Kagome with a hug around her neck.
"I'm…glad too…Shippo…but…would you…mind…letting go?" Kagome gasped out as she began to turn blue for lack of air.
"Gwah! Gomen nasai!" Shippo let go and Kagome's face returned to its normal color. She sat up, massaging her throat, and looked around. Kenshin, Kaoru, Shura, Yahiko, and Sano all waved and smiled in unison. Ayame and Suzume began to jump up and down holding hands and singing.
"Kagome's awake! Kagome's awake!" they chanted. Kagome looked like she was about to say something, but then decided not to.
"Shippo…who are these people?"
"That's Kenshin, that's Shura, that's Kaoru, that's Yahiko, that's Ayame, and that's Suzume."
"Hey, you forgot me!"
"Oh, yeah. That's Sano."
"What do you mean 'Oh yeah'? It's only been a minute since you attacked me!"
"Don't worry about him Kagome. He's a loser."
"WHY YOU LITTLE…"
"Eep!" Shippo ran behind Kagome and covered his head with his hands. Sano was just passing Shura when he tripped over a conveniently placed foot.
"Shura, why do you always take his side?" Sano grumbled from the floor.
Shura smiled innocently and replied, "Because he's right."
She ran out the door cackling, with Sano chasing behind her. After a while, when it was deemed safe, everyone else in the house walked outside too. Shura had somehow gotten Sano to fall into the ocean, where he was sitting with a murderous look on his face. Everyone laughed, and they began to discuss how to rescue Inuyasha from the pirates.
***
Sesshomaru flew over the sea, tracking his brother's scent. But the salt was seriously interfering with his nose. He was going to beat Inuyasha, though, whatever it took. Even flying over this accursed ocean. After a while of following the elusive scent of his brother around the stronger smells of fish and salt, he found a small island that smelled of humans. Several people, including, he noted with a smirk, the wench that followed his brother around. Even though he couldn't smell Inuyasha, he knew that where he found the wench, he would find his brother nearby. The humans were on the beach, so he landed impressively right in the midst of them.
Kagome had been talking with Kenshin when she saw Sesshomaru land. She drew back instinctively; this had been a bad day. First the pirates and now Sesshomaru. Noting Kagome's fear, Kenshin reached for his Sakabatou, but then realized with a jolt that he had left it inside. Cursing inwardly, he studied the youkai that had just landed. He was tall, with long silver hair, a missing arm, and a long, fluffy…thing perched on his shoulder. He also wore two swords, and their auras were exact opposites. Strange…
"Ken-ni! We found lots of pretty rocks on the beach!" Suzume and Ayame ran over, then they saw Sesshomaru and walked over to him. They asked in innocent voices, "Are you a nice youkai too?"
Sesshomaru looked down at the two little girls who were staring up at him without fear. They were so much like Rin. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and a woman pulled the two girls away and stood in front of him.
"I swear if you hurt them you'll have me to answer to! You think you're just so high and mighty, and you can just waltz on over to my island…" she kept ranting, and Sesshomaru was actually stunned into silence. No human had ever dared to yell at him like this. So he just stood there in shock for a long time while this wench screamed at him so loud that it started to hurt his sensitive ears.
Kagome was feeling mixed emotions. One half of her was highly amused that Shura was yelling Sesshomaru out, while the other was worried that any moment he might snap out of his shock and kill her. And the way he had looked at Ayame and Suzume…had she seen tenderness in his eyes? She hadn't thought him capable of any such emotions. She looked over to Shippo, who was obviously fighting off hysterical laughter at the shocked expression and discomfiture of their long-time enemy.
"…and so you think you can just swagger around anywhere you want just because you're a bloody youkai…" Shura finally paused for breath, giving Sesshomaru a chance to interject.
"I assure you I was not going to hurt the children, I'm just looking for a certain wen– girl," Sesshomaru revised his wording at the last second, not wanting this strangely formidable girl to start yelling again, "and my half-brother. We have a little fight to finish, you see."
"Inuyasha isn't even here right now!" Kagome felt it wise to say something before Sesshomaru tore the island apart in a futile search for Inuyasha.
Sesshomaru zoomed over to her, "Aha! Where is he then, if he isn't with you?"
"He's…ummm…" Kagome didn't want Inuyasha to have to fight his brother again.
"Well, wench? Where is he?" Sesshomaru was getting very impatient.
"He's stuck with some pirates, de gozaru," Kenshin didn't want this strange youkai to harm Kagome. He sure looked like he was about to.
"Pirates? Do they have Tetsusaiga?"
"Well, yeah…"
"YOU LET PIRATES GET TETSUSAIGA?!?" Sesshomaru was livid, "I CAN'T BELIEVE MY WORTHLESS, IDIOT, HANYOU HALF-BROTHER LETS A BUNCH OF HUMANS GET TETSUSAIGA!!! I WOULD NEVER LOSE SUCH A MAGNIFICENT SWORD!!! BUT NOOOO, MY FATHER GIVES KONO SESSHOMARU, LORD OF THE WESTERN LANDS, A BLOODY HEALING SWORD!!! ARGH!!!"
Everyone quickly scooted away from the highly frustrated, demon-eyed Sesshomaru. He was scary when he was like this. Then he started punching a nearby tree, which began to melt, as in his anger Sesshomaru was inadvertently releasing the poison acid contained within his claws. Seeing this little display, everybody ran behind Kenshin, who was left out in the open with no sword and about 8 people clustered behind him.
"Oro?"
