My Saviour, the Pirate
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or the others.
The horizon was painted with ribbons of violets, pinks, and blues. So beautiful… Most living beings would take time and gaze upon the wondrous sight. But, of course, Sango Takayama and Kagome and Kikyou Higurashi did nothing of the sort… Instead, all they insisted on doing was whine and complain about the things they didn't like and the things they were being forced to do. Of course, that's what you'd expect from two twelve year-olds and an eleven year-old.
"Mama — !" Sango cried as she poked at her dress and stamped her foot. Sango Takayama had long, gorgeous chestnut hair that bounced lively from its tightly wrapped ponytail. Her eyes flashed a bright hazel as she gazed upon the sea that lay spread out in front of her as she stood on the edge of the harbor. "Must I wear this? I hate it!"
"Yes, Sango — you have to!" Mrs. Chikuma Takayama, a woman with curly brunette hair with brown eyes, responded sharply. "You're going to wear it! It's beautiful! Besides, the only reason you hate it is because it is too tight and it shows a little too much for those silly boys to see. I'm sorry, but that was all they had. You know very well that we don't have that much money, dear."
Sango huffed, and, gathering the draping bottom ends of her lavender dress, marched over to her friends, who happened to be twin sisters, although you could still tell the difference between the two.
"I can't believe we just have to go to this stupid ball, anyways," she sighed dramatically. The two sisters nodded in agreement. "Here, here," the oldest one, Kikyou, spoke up.
Kikyou had long, straight ebony hair that she always let hang loosely. She had grayish eyes that were close to black and she kept flashing them in the direction of her mother. She also had a rather pale face which looked about the same color as her white dress that glittered with sparkles. Kikyou's younger sister, Kagome, though, had about the same length hair but it was exceptionally wavier than her older sister's and was wearing a sailor's dress that came right above her knee and wore knee-stockings and Mary-Jane's. She had shining green orbs and her face was always grinning happily, but today, it was instead glum and she frowned.
The girls all sighed simultaneously and walked over to the edge of the cobblestone street. Black iron fence lined the whole area of the street. Sango and Kikyou rested their heads on the top of the fencing line while Kagome tried to stand on tip-toe just to be able to peer out also, like her older friends. Err, make that older friend and older sister…
Sango looked over at little Kagome and pulled her up next to her. Kagome beamed and continued to gaze over the sight of the sea. "Why do we have to go to this, anyhow?" Kagome finally asked. Kikyou sighed and glowered over her younger sister. "Kagome, Mama has already told you this, like, fifty times- - -!" Sighing, she paused as she patted Kagome's head. "We're going to some thing in honor of the governor's wedding. Then, there's going to be a ball afterwards —"
"Oh, joy. Oh, rapture," Sango mumbled sourly. Kikyou nodded and all the girls sighed again. "I wish we could just go on down to the sea…"
"Yeah, but instead, we've got to go to the stupid bloody governor's bloody wedding…" Kikyou drawled.
"…Why does Mommy make us do stuffs we don't like, Kikyou?" Kagome whimpered.
Kikyou sighed.
"I-I don't know, Kag. Just — be quiet, please?"
"…Okay, Kiki…" Kagome mumbled.
…
Silence.
"Girls! Time to go to the governor's wedding!" Mrs. Kadiri Higurashi, a woman with short black hair and green eyes like her younger daughter's, called suddenly.
"Oh, joy…Oh, rapture…Oh, ecstasy…" Sango repeated sourly.
"How boring is this going to be…" Kikyou commented dryly.
"Mommy…I don't want to go. Please don't make me go…" Kagome pouted as she put on a sad face and her attempt was, nonetheless, fruitless.
"Oh, Kagome! Stop those silly little attempts! You know they never work! You're going to the governor's wedding and the ball just like your sister and Sango!!" Mrs. Higurashi hissed.
"Yes, Mommy…" Kagome grumbled.
Sango and Kikyou walked behind their mothers and Kikyou and muttered to each other ideas of how they could get out from such a thing to go and watch the despicable governor, whom they hate very much, thank you, getting married to the sweetest young woman they could imagine! Kagome walked alongside her mother but decided to fall back with Sango and her sister.
As they came in view of a rather large chapel, Sango craned her head in the direction of the sea and saw a tiny figure dotting the horizon in the sunlight. She had to shield her eyes with a hand and as she tapped Kikyou and Kagome to show them the mysterious figure on the horizon, it was gone…
"Wha…But, I…" Sango whispered sadly as her mother prodded her inside the chapel. She tried to look back through the colored glass, but she lost view of it, seeing how a crowd suddenly came upon her. She winced as an aloof young boy with snowy-white hair followed by another boy with short, dark obsidian hair, stepped on her foot by mistake and Sango let out a short hiss. Stupid boy…
--
Sango slid into a pew in the very back of the chapel. She had convinced her mother to let Kikyou, Kagome, and her sit in the back while the mothers sat farther up ahead. She thought her mother wouldn't think anything of it and wouldn't be allowed, but her mother surprisingly agreed. Kagome swung her legs back and forth, being how short she was. She rested her head on Sango's shoulder as Kikyou glanced over.
"Kagome, you're sitting on me! I don't mind, but you're in a really uncomfortable position for me!"
Kagome nodded at her sister and rearranged her seating. When Kikyou was satisfied, Kagome peered up and grinned at her beloved older sibling. She then linked her arms around Kikyou's and almost fell asleep. Kikyou hadn't realized Kagome finally fell asleep when a loud snoring filled her ears.
"ZzZzZzZzZz…"
"K-Kagome! Stop snoring! Mama's looking this way!" Kikyou whispered as she poked Kagome awake.
"Huh?! What? I didn't fall asleep, did I?" Kagome mumbled as she jerked awake.
Kikyou nodded solemnly.
"Oh, dang… Mama's gonna give us bloody hell at me for sleeping during the 'beloved governor's wedding'…"
Kikyou and Sango stifled giggles of laughter.
The only reason they hated their governor was the time when Sango, Kikyou, and Kagome had been playing a game and ran into the governor's desk and knocked down a statue made to look like him. He got so angry he gripped Kikyou, who was the nearest, and tried to strangle her. How sweet of him to do that... The girls were only three and four! If it wasn't for Mrs. Takayama to come rushing in and to save Kikyou, well, Kagome wouldn't have had a sister... Stupid, idiotic governor...
"It's creepy; you know... that governor guy actually liked you..." Sango shuddered as she muttered in Kikyou's ear. Kikyou was taken aback and cried out as the soon-to-become governor's wife walked up to her soon-to-be husband. The governor froze and glared at the back to see who it was, and found that it was Kikyou. His glare softened and he merely flicked away a lock of hair in his face.
The wedding took forever, it seemed. Finally, Sango and Kagome heard the final words from the priest.
"Naraku Yamaguchi, do you take Koharu as your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest asked.
"...I do." Naraku finally said as he gazed into her eyes.
"Koharu Uchida, do you take Naraku as your lawfully wedded husband?"
There was a moment of silence.
"......No." Koharu muttered as a look of sadness washed over her smooth, creamy face. The people sitting down in the pews gasped and a good many of them stood up. A few applauded to themselves. "I'm sorry, Naraku, but it just won't work out! I'm sorry, but I don't love you like you love me!"
And with that, Koharu ran off down the carpeted aisle, leaving a shocked Naraku standing there. He suddenly gazed down at the ground and, growling, tore his tuxedo to shreds. (He's wearing some shirt underneath, of course...Ew...) He suddenly shouted after the eloping Koharu, "Well, bloody good riddance!"
Naraku came storming down the aisle and stopped behind Kikyou, who was crouching behind Sango and Kagome in their seats, but she gave him a glare. Naraku hated her, but he loved her; he wanted to kill her, but he wanted to protect her. Love is confusing, isn't it? He cupped Kikyou's small hand in his and whispered in her ear. As he finished, he stood up and left the chapel, leaving Kikyou there, wide-eyed and her jaw dropping open. Then she ran off to wash her hand from his horrible, disgusting ones.
When Kikyou returned from the washroom, Sango rose up and stood stunned in place, before asking, "What did he tell you...?" Kikyou shook her head and stuck out her tongue in disgust before answering.
"He said it "didn't matter that I was ten or twenty years younger than him, his heart would still pine for me"... Some junk like that, I dunno, wasn't paying attention to the bloody idiocy he spoke of. Can't believe he touched me..." Kikyou still rubbed off her hand. They were grimy from his... Sango heaved heavily and rubbed off Kikyou's hand with the handkerchief Kagome handed her.
"Kiki, sis, why does he say gross stuffs like that? Why does he love you?" asked Kagome very slowly.
"I don't know, Kag. I hate the filthy bastard! He can die right now for all I care! I'm glad Koharu left him like that! Clever woman, she is...That bloody bastard..."
"Aw... Sissy said a naughty word... Two times, too!" Kagome gasped.
"Oh, Kag, put an end to your babble, will ya?"
"Ohh..." Kagome pouted as she clenched her fists and wrapped her arms around her sister's waist.
"Kagome, come here for a minute please?" Mrs. Higurashi called.
"Mama, I don't want to..." Kagome whined as she stomped her foot.
"Now, young lady, or there will be no desserts! Do you understand?" Kagome gasped and hurried over swiftly.
"Need a sister? I have one open for adoption, if you'd like," Kikyou mumbled. "She's a brat, honestly."
"But, Kiki, you really shouldn't say anything. After all, she is your sister, no matter how much you like it... Besides, she's not all bad." Sango suggested with a grin. "And no, I'm fine being alone, thank you very much. I've grown used to it after Papa died in the bloody damn war about a year ago..." she added sadly. She wiped away a lone tear and then, trying to cheer herself up, exclaimed that they should go outside the chapel and gaze out on the sea that they adored.
Kikyou quickly agreed and they pulled Kagome outside, with much reluctance, afraid that mother would anger. Kikyou assured her with a curt response, "It'll be worth it, trust me," and hoisted Kagome over her shoulders. They walked along the cobblestone road and the twelve year-old girl put Kagome down on a bench by the fencing so she could look out over the sea, too. Sango's eyes glittered as they reflected off the sun's departure behind some purple-crested mountains. A small object suddenly appeared on the horizon again. This time, when Sango tapped Kikyou and Kagome on the shoulders, it didn't disappear. Only this time, it was much closer. Sango strained her eyes to see in the glaring sunlight with this mysterious vessel could be.
"What the hell is that, anyways?" Kikyou shrilled. Kagome leaned forward against the fence and kept staring at the vessel.
"Dunno, you got me," Sango answered. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had a sinking feeling she knew what was that strange vessel. If only it was closer...
Finally, the vessel came closer into view. Its sails had several gashing rips across the ends of it, and the masts were wearing down, probably through hard weather. There was not a single soul on the deck, not even at the wheel, and a few rats scurried across the top deck, which looked like it would be above the captain's cabin. A lone black flag signaled to Sango what this vessel was... A pirate ship... But the question was- - -where was the crew?
The pirate ship came ashore and no sign of movement was occurring now. Kagome hid behind Kikyou's shoulders and kept gripping on her hair, her teeth chattering noisily. Kikyou's heart thumped rapidly, but tried to remain cool as she calmed her younger sibling with a few "It's okay, Kag... N-nothing's gonna happen to us... Nothing..." Sango, however, kept her eyes on the top deck. Where was the crew? She repeated to herself over and over. The black flag with the symbol of a skull with two skeletons crossing over it planted itself in Sango's head. Her heart stopped as she heard a loud crashing noise. Then it occurred to her... Koharu's whereabouts. Was she safe?
"I wonder what we should do..." she muttered aloud, but received no response. "Hello? Are you even listening to me?" her whisper quivered as she found Kikyou had taken Kagome back inside the chapel for safety and Sango thought somebody had just placed their hand on her shoulder... Sango craned her head around, expecting to see a toothless pirate grinning madly at her, surrounded by a horde of pirates. No one had touched her though. It was as if the wind could suddenly grip her whenever it pleased... Then something silvery-white caught her eye. She whirled her head around to find it, but it was gone in a flash as quickly as it appeared. That silvery thing strongly reminded her of that boy with the snowy-white hair that accidentally stepped on her foot.
--
As Mrs. Higurashi and Mrs. Takayama left the chapel with Kikyou and Kagome, (Sango giving them a cold stare that clearly told them "Why'd you leave without me?") Mrs. Takayama suddenly gasped and held a shaking hand to her stomach. She then gasped in pain and winced, clutching onto the handle of the chapel door. She suddenly smiled and whispered to herself, "He's finally ready..."
"What? Who's ready?" Sango exclaimed confusedly.
"He's ready to come... Oh, Kadiri, g-g-get...a doctor..."
"Chikuma, I-I think it'd be too late when they'd come..." Mrs. Higurashi stated.
"Oh, Sango, be a dear and call over that stagecoach..." Mrs. Takayama uttered softly.
"Yes, Mama," Sango waved the stagecoach over and she and Mrs. Higurashi heaved the laboring mother onto a seat. Kikyou and Kagome boarded on after them. Sango didn't know what was going on, although.
--
Chikuma Takayama lay in a hospital bed and bent her legs upward. Kadiri Higurashi laid more sheets over the woman and Sango, Kikyou, and Kagome all sat in separate chairs by the window in the hospital room. Sango had forgotten about the foot-stepping boy as she stared longingly at her mother. She had no clue what was going on! She couldn't be pregnant, could she? Papa was dead. How? But, then again, he only died a year ago...and the baby wasn't ready to be delivered until now...
Sango heard Mrs. Higurashi whisper in her mother's ear, "Your husband would've been very happy to see his new son..." Sango could see her mother smile faintly but then fell back onto the pillows and started moaning and gasping.
"IT—IT'S—COMING..." she grunted painfully as a doctor waited on the opposite side of the bed.
"Push," said the doctor.
"AAAAHHH!" Chikuma cried out as the baby was almost out. "Nnghh..."
"Just a little harder..."
"Mmph!" she finally cried out once more, and her cries were drowned out by her new baby son's bawling. "My baby boy..." she whispered. "My dear baby boy... Oh, Sotatatsu...you would've been so proud of your new son...our son..." She held the baby in her arms and gazed lovingly. Sango had to clap a hand over her mouth during the delivery... Who said beauty couldn't have its ugly sides?? The baby hiccupped and reached toward his mother, who held him tenderly to her bosom to feed him. Just as the baby was satisfied, she slowly put him in her lap. He cooed and grabbed hold of her index finger. "What a strong little guy!" she exclaimed. Finally, he fell asleep and the doctor wrapped him in a blue blanket. As doing so, there was an explosion, followed by a loud BOOM. Everyone in the room froze as the walls came crashing down and the door was forced open. Sango gasped and stared at the doorway.
Standing there in the doorframe was a toothless pirate, grinning madly, and was surrounded by two other pirates. Kagome jumped into her mother's arms and Kikyou ran to a corner in the room. Sango wouldn't budge from where she was standing. The two pirates behind the one in front lunged at her and seized her arm. The other pirate walked over a few feet from her mother's bed and pulled out a weapon. Sango gasped and tears spilled from her eyes (Mrs. Higurashi seized her children and threw them out from the room).
"Mama...!" she sobbed. "Let go of me, you filthy, dirty pirate! Don't hurt my mother! Mama!"
The pirates holding Sango captive grinned and stared at Chikuma, who was holding the baby boy in her arms protectively. She had a horrified look on her face, and her skin had now turned a chalky-white. Her lips uttered incomprehensible words, but no sound came. The men holding Sango stepped back to the doorframe and watched as their fellow mate stepped closer to Chikuma and raised his revolver to the ceiling and shot at a few of the rafters. A few shouts were heard from outside. That was the signal. The hospital had now been set to fire... The rafters soon caught fire and began to crash down.
"MAMA! MAMA!!" she cried hysterically, trying fiercely to get from the men's grip on her. She bowed her head as tear drops fell and hit the floor. "Please don't hurt her...please don't hurt her..."
"Aw, the lassie is beggin' us. 'at should we do, eh?" one of the pirates chuckled. Sango felt like punching him as hard as she could, but seeing as how she couldn't... Bloody, damn pirates...
"Summat to do, eh? Well, I say, nothin'!" the second said. He then put on a high voice and mimicked Sango. "'Oh, please, sir. Don't hurt, mummy! No, not mummy! Oh, boo-hoo!'"
Sango started to burst into tears. The rafters were falling and one of them fell right over her mother's bed. Sango stood in shock. She then shrieked, "MAMA! MAMA, NO!!! DAMN YOU, YOU FILTHY BASTARDS! KILLING MY MOTHER LIKE THAT! IF I EVER GET OUT FROM HERE, I'LL—"
"—Kick me with your itsy, bitsy feet? Oh, I'm so scared. What should we do with the whelp--" the second mocked.
"—Putting her down could be a start," a voice interrupted.
"What the bloody hell...?"
"Huh...?" Sango muttered, faint with the chaos. She was soon blinded by her tears. Now, both her parents were dead. Dead. Dead. Dead as they'll ever be... All she could make out was a blurry figure of the snowy-white haired boy with golden orbs. He was wearing an old worn red bandanna over his head and was wearing a white shirt that was torn in places; the left sleeve had been torn off; a black vest over it with dark long pants and black boots. "That's...that boy..." she whispered.
"InuYasha, what are you doing here?!" the pirate with the gun shouted. InuYasha shrugged and lunged at him and knocked the man to his feet.
"Bein' all by myself on the ship is kinda boring, wouldn't you say?" InuYasha smirked before knocking the man out with the butt of his sword. "Now, let go of the girl, mates, and I won't hurt you,"
"We-we'll tell the cap'ain about 'is!" the two men stammered.
"Tell me... How can the captain hear you if you're not there...hmm?"
"...Uh, hmm. He's got a good point there, yeh know..."
"So let me show you how by doing this." InuYasha slashed at them, but stopped as the blade almost cut Sango. "You low things, hidin' behin' a simple girl... That's really low, man..." He knocked out one of the men across the head with his bare fist and the other just fainted onto the floor. "Well...that was easier than I thought..." InuYasha thought aloud to himself, before realizing Sango was staring at him through teary eyes. InuYasha blushed and turned his head. He then sheathed his sword back into place and stared her hard in the face. "You okay?" he suddenly asked.
"Y-yes, a little faint, you know, from all the shock...only..." Sango suddenly gasped. "Mother!"
Sango ran over to her mother's bed and tried to get to her, but InuYasha pulled on her to stay back. He growled as he tried to pull her away, "Girl, I just saved your life! This hospital is burning and you better get out of it now!" Sango just pulled away from him and looked through the rafters. It was plainly clear to see that she would no longer see her mother anymore. Her mother's sheets were now burned to a crisp and the poor woman had been crushed by the weight. Only...
Sango suddenly heard a bawling noise come from her mother's bed.
"The baby!" Sango exclaimed. She leaned forward gingerly, afraid of the flames surrounding her and brought the baby close to her face. The baby continued to cry.
"Chikuma!" Mrs. Higurashi sobbed as she slumped in a corner. "She's gone...I just stood by and watched her getting crushed by the rafters...Chikuma..."
"Mrs. Higurashi! You better get out of here, find Kagome and Kikyou outside! You better find them, what about pirates capturing them??" Sango yelled over the shouting outside the building. Kadiri Higurashi suddenly froze and burst out the door screaming, "Kagome! Kikyou! Where are you?!"
Sango suddenly turned with the baby in her arms and was going to say thank you to InuYasha. But she couldn't find him. "Hey," a voice said. "I'm here — in the corner," Sango saw InuYasha waiting in the corner by a doorway. "C'mon, you'd better get outta here, I'll take you!"
Sango ran over to InuYasha and he snatched a hand that wasn't holding the baby and stormed down the spiraling staircase until the finally reached outside. The sun looked reddish with all the fire burning in the hospital. Just as they stepped outside, another huge burning rafter crashed where they once stood. Sango sighed, relieved.
"Thanks, InuYasha..." she said, but found he was no where in sight. "InuYasha?"
She looked around her and saw nothing but emptiness, despite the burning building. She saw the pirate ship departing in the horizon and muttered those four words, "My saviour, the pirate..."
Sango turned around when she heard Mrs. Higurashi calling her name and the girl hurried over with the baby, while thinking to herself, 'Mama's always liked the name Kohaku...That's what I'll name her baby — Kohaku.' "It's okay, Kohaku, everything is going to be all right," she whispered in his ear as he sucked on her finger.
Kagome sat on a bench, huddled over herself. She was terrified of the pirate raid. Kikyou, although, seemed nonchalant, as if nothing happened. She then walked over to Sango and muttered in her ear, "I saw that white-haired boy, InuYasha,"
"Yeah, I know. He's the one that saved me..." Sango mumbled back. The two girls gazed back at the harboring sea and saw that the ship had disappeared from sight. "My saviour...the pirate..." she whispered again.
- - -
So...how was that for a first chapter? Pretty long, eh? I wasn't intending for it to be that lengthy, but...it turned out better than I expected, really. I might shorten the rest of the chapters, too, because it would probably take me FOREVER to type the rest of the story if each chapter was 20 pages! I had a lot of fun typing this out, and I started crying when I wrote the part about Sango's dear mother Chikuma dying in the fire. Now Sango's all alone. I was so upset with myself, but then again, this IS angst, I suppose...But just wait and see! She goes to live with Kagome and her mother, you know. I hope everyone likes this!
-Lady Sango 7