Disclaimer:  I don't own Inuyasha or Kenshin.

A/N: *collective gasp* I'm not dead! And here is the update *dodges flying objects* I know it's late, and I'm really sorry!  I'm trying!  It's just that I was working on 'A Simple Misunderstanding', and the Writers Block Demon of Doom had made it's nest on this fic!

And now to answer the review that asked a question:

Winged Knight: Fine, I'll lighten up on Sano a little (he is my main comic relief after all).  But he is actually youkai-phobic, as proved by the Train Episode that comes right before the Shura Episodes.  But no, he is not going to fight Inuyasha, (in fact, he won't even be on the boat) and yes, Fluffy-sama would obliterate him in a fight.

Chapter 4: Backwards and Sideways

Sesshomaru's rage was interrupted when his pointy demon ears caught the sound of the frightened crying of little girls.  He looked up from melting the tree to see Ayame and Suzume crying and clutching Kenshin's shirt.  He began to feel guilty; he hadn't meant to make them cry.  As much as he hated to admit it, he, like his brother, could simply not stand to see girls cry.  So he stopped melting the tree and walked over to Kenshin, but not in a threatening way.  Once there, he knelt down to Ayame and Suzume.

            "Don't cry, stop crying, come on…" he continued to reassure them.  If Kagome hadn't been squished in the middle of the group, she would have fallen over from shock.  First Sesshomaru had let himself be shouted out by a human, then he had lost control, and now he was comforting two little girls.

            "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?" she shouted, and then looked embarrassed when everyone turned to stare at her, "Did I just say that out loud?"

            "Yes, very loud."

            "Whoops…" Kagome's face turned bright red.  This was worse that when she had stood up and yelled during class the first time.  Except now she was surrounded by people she had just met, Shippo…and Sesshomaru, "Just don't mind me, I'm just having a mental breakdown, hahaha…" she laughed weakly.

            "Kagome, did you hit your head or something?" Shippo poked her forehead curiously.

            "No, I'm fine…I'm just going crazy," Kagome inconspicuously pinched herself to make sure that she wasn't having some sort of messed up dream.  Nope.  This was like a dream though; everything was turned around backwards and sideways.  Inuyasha had been kidnapped, Shippo had saved her, she was on a remote island with a whole bunch of people she'd never met, and then comes Sesshomaru acting like…not-Sesshomaru.  She had obviously lost it.

***

            Inuyasha was sitting in 'his' cabin being quietly angsty when the pirate captain opened the door and swaggered in, waving his sword around and obviously drunk as a skunk, as proven by the utter idiocy that his next words held. 

            "Yer goin' ta work fer me, now, youkai!  Ya hafta do wha' I say 'cause I'm th' cap'n roun' here, savvy?"

            Something inside of Inuyasha pulsed, and his eyes flashed red for a few seconds, "You killed Kagome."

            "Aye, an' I'll kill you if'n ya don' do wha' I say.  Firs' thing, I wan' ya ta give me tha' nice sword ya got thar.  Move it, youkai!"

            Inuyasha knew what would happen if he gave up his sword, especially since the transformation had already begun to happen.  He usually didn't like this, but now he would make an exception.  He grinned evilly, his eyes pulsing red again, "Take it, then."

            "Why thank'ee now," the captain grinned greedily as he lifted Tetsusaiga and began to walk away.  It was then that the demon inside of Inuyasha broke loose, and the captain was dead before he knew what hit him, the force of the blow sending Tetsusaiga spinning out the door, even further away from Inuyasha. 

The door to the cabin was still open, and the crew was running over, attracted by the noise.  The demon that had been Inuyasha killed the first five that walked inside, but then the rest of them wised up and shut the door.  The furious demon hurled himself, snarling, against the wood, and it trembled, the scroll throwing him back with a shock.  But it didn't faze him, and he slammed into the wood again.  The old wood wouldn't hold out long even with the scroll, so the crew began to prepare for when this violent monster broke loose.

***

Shippo was outside playing with Ayame and Suzume, Sano watching them all grudgingly.  To him, it was better than being inside the house with the bigger youkai…and Shura.  They were all talking about going to rescue another youkai…well, hanyou, but it was all the same to Sano.  It was just not his day.  Well, perhaps he could ask the little evil youkai if he had ever worked on one of those 'trains'.  In his mind, a demon was still more likely than a kettle.

Meanwhile, inside Shura's hut, Kenshin, Kaoru, Kagome, Shura, and Sesshomaru were discussing how to get Inuyasha.  Well, Sesshomaru was more interested in rescuing Tetsusaiga, but it was the same basic principle.

"Kono Sesshomaru could easily take care of a few humans," Sesshomaru was saying haughtily.

"Yes, and then you would start trying to kill Inuyasha, and a moving ship isn't really the best place to do that, you know…" Kagome was saying, and then inspiration hit her, "I mean, he might accidentally drop Tetsusaiga into the ocean…"

"He would, the worthless hanyou that he is."

"So we should come along to make sure that you don't fight him until we all get back to shore.  And if you went alone, it might seem like you were trying to rescue him, but if we all go, it will look more like you were just after Tetsusaiga."

"Yes, that is true…Kono Sesshomaru thinks that he will allow you all to follow him, so that Kono Sesshomaru may preserve his image as the Lord of the Western Lands who despises his worthless hanyou half-brother."

Heh, I'm goooood…Kagome thought as she smirked inwardly.  There was no way they couldn't win with him on their side; he was Sesshomaru, after all.