Disclaimer: From now on I'm no longer doing these at the beginning of every
chapter......... I think after seven chapters people get the general idea. So
here goes: I don't own Inuyasha.
AN: Not much to say this time, but let's hope there are still people reading this. ^_^
Pirate Pash
Chapter 7 – Hot, Cold, Water
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What did you just say?" She stared absently at the pleased captain, his face blown into a satisfied smirk near the front of the boat. His smiling face was so cheerful it was unsettling to say the least. "Did you just say I have to go with you?" She scowled.
The entire crew snapped their heads around to catch the face who had just yelled something from behind. Who exactly was cracked up enough to talk to the captain with that kind of voice?
"You heard me fine." His voice was lower and more intimidating than before, which she realised happened whenever he talked to her in front of the others. "I've decided you're coming with my group."
The crowd murmured among themselves, but kept it somewhat discreet in case Inuyasha heard. He did. "Shut up. The next person to make a sound will be fed to the sharks." Inuyasha barked at his crew.
Instant silence. Kagome winced at an image of the savage beast ripping her apart, her arms floating limply in the water and detached from her body. The shark would be pretty awful too.
She turned to him with a confused frown. "But didn't you say earlier that Sango and Miroku would be taking me? Why am I going with you now?"
"I've changed my mind." He was the only one who stood steady as the boat gradually pulled to a stop. "I don't quite think they're up to handling your sneakiness." He said, eyeing his assistants carefully.
"And you are?" She challenged back, tired of being screwed over like this. She glared at the crew watching her with interest and sighed. "You know what? Forget it. I'll go with your stupid group........."
"Good." He seemed pleased enough as he walked over to help the others push the wooden rowboats until they were hanging over the edge, dangling on a few strands of rope.
The man tightened the ropes one last time before pointing at it. "Ladies first."
That remark was just oozing sarcasm, but Kagome tried to ignore it and made her way over to the front, not wanting to be the last one with only a few guys holding the weight. "Are you certain this is able to handle me?"
No one bothered to answer her question, so she took it as a 'yes' anyways. However, when she stumbled onto the edge and peered down, it was nothing like she had expected – it was a direct vertical drop into rippling blackness. And there was a good leg's length of a hole between her and the wobbly-looking craft. She couldn't do this.........
"Hurry up and jump!" Someone shouted from the crowd, obviously annoyed with the girl's constant stumbling and not looking like she was about to go anytime soon.
"Wait......... I need to prepare first." She took deep, calming breaths, but none were quite comforting enough to settle her blistering nerves.
She kept telling herself she would just prove all those idiots wrong by leaping onto the boat as gracefully as a swan, but then the dim thought of her drowning always took over.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" Another man yelled from the crowd, and this time he wasn't alone. From the groans of irritation in the crowd she could assume they were tiring of her antics.
"I've got it. Just give me a -" Before she could finish, an arm out of nowhere had quickly swooped around her waist and she was leaping through the air in a flash. "-Oof!"
Shortly after the jump, she was roughly released by the hand and dropped smack onto the wooden surface of the rowboat, her head making sure to knock against the seats first. "Wha-?!"
"Are you alright, Miss Kagome? I didn't mean to be so rough." Watching through blurry eyes, Kagome painfully noticed it was Shippou's assistant. He was wearing a somewhat pitying look as he looked down at her, his hand outstretched.
"It's okay.........I'm fine, Hojo......... I'll get up on my own thanks." As if it weren't embarrassing enough already being grabbed and thrown into a boat like some package.........
Hojo understood and jumped back over onto the other side as easily as he could walk. She heard a few distinct "good going man"s, and a few "finally!" s, but nothing could compare to the filthy smirk she spotted on the captain's face. Inuyasha had his head hidden to hide his sniggers, but she could tell his head was shaking with amusement.
About to argue with him, she caught herself so she wouldn't anger the pirates any further. Who knew what they would do if they all wanted to get rid of her.........
So instead she laid back against the side and watched drearily as a few pirates leaped smoothly into the boat with her. Was it just her, or were they all trying to show off their jumping abilities?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Funnily enough, the rocking motions of the wooden rowboat reminded her of something eerily familiar. It was actually making her a little uneasy, so she grabbed the edge tightly and stared again at who was sharing the boat with her.
Straight across from her parked Sango, who watched back with a nervous smile. Next to her sat Miroku, who also regarded her with a smile, but his seemed a lot creepier. The other faces she didn't recognise, and didn't bother doing so. They all looked too much alike.........
"Starboard!" Shouted Inuyasha from the boat next to hers, his eyes glazing over everyone's except her own. "Row faster, men! You call that rowing? A baby with one arm could row faster!"
Well, one thing was for sure. At least they respected her enough not to make her row like a bloody lunatic, or maybe they just thought she'd be too weak. Either way, it worked out for the better.
"Hey Kagome, do you see anyone on the island?" Sango asked as they slowly pulled themselves into a muddy and quaint little bay. Everyone in their boats had their weapons armed and ready to attack if needed. She felt so soiled being around them.
She barely looked. "I don't think so."
Miroku sensed she was uncomfortable right away. Her squirming and uneasiness was getting to him. "Miss Kagome, what's the matter?"
"Nothing.........well I-I just feel weird doing this." She folded her arms over her chest. "I don't like the feeling."
She was still avoiding the looks the other pirates were shooting her way when a hand reached over and placed itself on her thigh. "It's alright. We'll try to keep our actions less harsh for you." Miroku gave her a warm smile.
Her eyebrow twitched. "I appreciate that, Miroku, but do have to say that while rubbing my thigh?" She glared at him.
Sango finished him off by swatting him a hard one on the head.
"Ow! Sango! What'd you hit me for? Hey! Don't ignore me."
Kagome would have smiled at their repetitive display, but it was difficult. She could practically see it now......... in minutes Inuyasha would be leading the group into a village......... and then she would watch from the side them slaughtering the villagers like it was some sort of a pleasurable game.
Even worse, would the townspeople see her and think she was one of them? Nothing but a violent pirate? Would they try to attack her nonetheless?
This was turning into worse of a nightmare than she had first imagined. If Souta saw her frolicking with this bunch she'd rather be choked by Inuyasha over and over again.
Sango's screaming stopped her train of thought. ".........Miroku! If I have to stop you one more time I swear I won't be held for my -- oh my god, look!"
His eyes turned pasty. "We're here."
Kagome drifted her eyes over to the direction the girl was staring intently at. The island was a lot larger than it looked from the boat, obviously, but she saw that it was also a lot wilder. Palm trees, shrubs, the works. It was practically a jungle with the animal noises and eerie sounds coming from every bend.
And there wasn't a person in sight, let alone a village.
"WE'LL GO AHEAD!" Inuyasha announced as his boat rowed at light's speed. He wasn't doing a thing, just standing at the front and talking like the bossy ass that he was. "After we dock I want the boats to pull in one at a time, do you hear me?"
"YES, SIR!" Everyone echoed except for Kagome.
So while Inuyasha rowed away she sat there, twiddling her fingers and staring at nothing but a splinter in the wood beneath her. Blocking out the chatter of the men around her (except Sango), Kagome rested her head back and absorbed the sun's unnatural heat and the sickening smell of the salty water.
Kagome scratched her head in frustration as she noticed she didn't smell right. She hadn't had a bath since she left Souta and she surely hadn't changed clothes. She glanced down at her attire.
The blouse had the rip in it from Inuyasha's horrifying hands, but she had tied it up, and her green skirt was in no better condition. She sighed and sat uncomfortably in her filthy clothes.
And finally, after what felt like hours, it was their turn to start rowing to shore. And this time, she had to grab an oar and join in on all the fun. Apparently Inuyasha thought they were moving too slowly for his taste.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Is everybody in their group yet?"
"Yes, captain." Miroku counted his crew under his breath as he reported to Inuyasha on the beach. "But they seem a little unsettled. There appears to be a rare heat wave on this island, and not to mention quite a shortage of water."
Inuyasha snarled. "I thought we brought a few tons of water." He watched his sweaty crew resting under the shady areas of the island. "Where did that all go?"
Miroku wiped the sweat off his forehead. "We did bring it. But in replacement for more people to fit into the boats, we had to put some buckets back onto the ship."
"Idiots........." He grumbled quietly and scratched his head. "Then I guess we'll have to conserve. Divide the water supply into two, and have a couple men from each group carry it. You and Sango control how much each person gets."
"And if we run out?"
"Keh! Then it's your problem. You can always head back to the ship if you're not lost or killed already."
Miroku sighed, nodded and stalked back over to his group with another weight on his shoulders. His group consisted of all the people Kagome knew: Hojo, Shippou, and even Hiten and Manten. "Listen guys, we'll have a shortage of water on this exploration," a groan rolled through the crowd. "So we'll be limited on the amounts we all get. To be fair; however, it shall always be divided evenly."
A few annoyed mutters were said but everyone somewhat agreed. Not happily though.
"Kagome," Sango squeezed her arm tightly and whispered; "good luck getting away from him. If you do it, I'll be really proud of you. And surprised."
"Yea, thanks for everything you've done." Kagome said awkwardly. "But I guess this is goodbye, huh?"
Sango smiled. "Probably. Unless of course by some odd twist of fate I see you again somewhere else. But that most likely won't happen."
"COME ON, SANGO! We're going!" Miroku watched them from afar. "We'll leave without you!"
"Bye' Kagome." And with one last parting hug, Sango ran along and disappeared through the bushes faster than she could blink.
It felt so empty and alone now, this stupid, deserted beach. No support, no one to talk to, and even worse, she was stuck with Inuyasha.
"HEY BITCH! Would you hurry up already?"
Well, at least he still remembered she existed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So how exactly are we going to find the jewel again?" Kagome listened tiredly to the two men in front of her talking. She was the last one in the pack and she was soon going to fall far behind.
She sighed as she stepped over another root, ducked under another stump, climbed up more steep rocks. Would this torture ever end? Why didn't she agree to stay on the boat where she'd do nothing but eat and sleep?
Oh yea, she had to escape. But the right opportunity hasn't seemed to show anytime yet.........
The skinnier, taller guy with the blond hair reached for a branch. "I don't know. Supposedly the Captain and that Miroku guy can kind of sense the thing. So just keep quiet and keep following him."
"About this treasure......... do you think - " He noticed Kagome's interested glare from behind and sneered at her.
Kagome wasn't stupid. She'd noticed the crew either hated her because Inuyasha hadn't gotten rid of her, or lusted for her. In these two's cases, they probably hated her guts.
The skinny guy who sneered at her rudely continued, keeping his voice down. "Think about it. What's in this for us? The captain's gonna get his jewel and we'll be stuck with yadda. Except maybe heat stroke."
"Are you saying the captain's not going to share his treasure with us once he finds it?"
"Exactly. He's probably using us for his own benefits. I say-" Suddenly he felt the same presence listening in on their conversation. He spun to stare unkindly at Kagome. "Hey girl, what the hell are you looking at?"
Kagome looked around to see who he was talking to, but finally remembered she was the only girl around. "Me? I'm not looking at anything."
"Yea........." The more muscular man with a mole on his face looked back at her. "Ain't you the wench the captain's taking along?"
"Define 'taking along'." She replied, wondering if this was the perfect opportunity to run for it. Unfortunately it wasn't.........they were on a path with running water on both sides of them. "Because I wouldn't be staring at you guys anyways."
"Hey, are you getting smart with us?" The mole guy asked, slowing down his speed and fully turning to face her. "Listen Kenji, she's giving us attitude 'cause she's fucking the captain!"
"Wha -? EXCUSE ME?" She boiled as her face turned an ugly red, fists forming at both sides angrily. How dare these jerks even assume something repulsive like that! "I am NOT doing anything with that pi - Inuyasha!"
The guy imitated her in an obnoxious voice. "I am not sleeping with 'Inuyasha', but I follow him around like a whore for no reason!" The other guy started cackling.
Kagome stomped her foot like a child. "I am NOT a whore, so don't you dare call me that! I did not sleep with Inuyasha, and I wouldn't sleep with him in a thousand years!" She screamed, her hair tousling and flying everywhere.
Speaking of the devil, Inuyasha chose that moment to run over. "What the hell is going on here? Kenji? Jio?"
"Ahh, captain. This girl here is just having a hard time in the heat. Forget about her."
Kagome looked like a mess. Her face was steaming and her hair was messed. She wanted to cry so badly right then, she was tired of being humiliated and laughed at, and made fun of.........she wanted to cry like she had the first night in the cell.
"So it's nothing serious?" His cold eyes locked onto hers, as if he was verifying her face for an answer. Her blushing face seemed to match their explanation. "Idiot, if you're too hot just drink some water." And with that, he raced back to the front of the crowd.
"Oh." It would have been somewhat friendly if he hadn't included the 'idiot', but it was kind of him anyway to offer water to her during a shortage.
"Listen, girl." The Kenji guy turned to her again with a threatening tone. His hand reached over and snatched a hold of her shirt, fisting the ripped area she had tied up. "You probably heard what we just said, about the whole treasure thing........."
She shook her head slowly, trying to push away the tight grip.
He smirked and only further tightened his grip. "So keep your pretty little mouth shut and don't tell the captain about our conversation, and we won't have to hurt you, okay sweetie?" His breath reeked of garlic, and she had to hold her breath to keep from gagging. "And don't think we won't hesitate to touch you, because we gladly will. Right, Jio?"
She almost coughed in his face from the lack of oxygen. She winced slightly as the main group walked further and further away from them. Where were Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha when you needed them?
"Do you hear that?" His friend further threatened. "And don't you try to tell the captain, either. Because we'll drag you down with us. Way down."
Her heart sped up immensely, and she drew in a deep breath of air. "I-I won't.........let go of me." She pulled away, but didn't budge much. "I can barely breathe."
"What do you say?" His voice was taunting her.
"Let go, damnit!" Her shirt was threatening to tear now, and she didn't need it to rip again. "Or I'll scream."
Kenji grinned. "Such a rude girl. Say 'please' and just maybe I'll let you go."
She snarled angrily, holding back the dying urge to kick him so hard in the family jewels he would be rolling on the ground with pain forever. But she still valued her life, "I would NEVER, EVER, say 'please' to a pirate like you." She spat out like filth in her mouth..
"Oh?" The man warmly laughed at her foolishness, released the grip on her shirt and pushed her backwards, causing her to stumble. "You wouldn't say 'please' to a pirate, you say? So you think you're better than us? You're a pirate – no, not even – a pitiful slave on a pirate ship who whores the captain. Listen carefully - we can kill you on a whim if we wanted to."
Jio chuckled. "That's right. Don't you fuckin' forget your place."
She swallowed loudly and took a few unstable steps backwards before racing to the group as quickly as her feet would carry her, all the while holding back the stingy tears at the corner of her eyes wetting her vision. She'd rather take abuse from Inuyasha any day.........
Those Kenji and Jio guys apparently weren't to be messed with. They treated her with less respect than a common leaf on the ground, maybe even worse. And why did they care so much that she kept her mouth shut about their conversation? It wasn't that interesting anyway.........
Once she caught up to the main group she trailed the end again, and she occasionally glanced back to make sure those two weren't catching up. When they did show up through the bushes, she scooted towards the front of the line, only a few rows behind the eager Inuyasha.
She dried her damp eyes with the back of her hand as she sniffled as quietly as she could. She hated it when she cried in front of these pigs. And they probably hated it too.
Then she had a thought. What if she told Inuyasha what she heard? Those assholes wouldn't even have time to get to her before Inuyasha took care of them, right?
She shook her head. Wrong. They could probably kill her before he got to them. It wasn't worth the risk. "This sucks........."
A drop of water suddenly rolled into her eyes and she wiped it off with the back of her hand. She wasn't crying anymore, and it sure wasn't raining. Confused, she wiped her brow and found her hand soaked with sweat. And she finally realised the hotness of the place.
The guys in front of her were already madly tearing their shirts off from the heat, and they probably would have ran in the nude if Kagome weren't around.
The lack of shirts was enough to do Kagome in. She immediately covered her eyes with both hands, hiding behind her shield of fingers. She had never, ever, in her life, been in such close proximity with bare- chested men. Sure, on her island she'd occasionally seen shirtless guys on beaches and whatnot, but she'd always seen it from afar and ran away blushing afterwards.
She really needed to get out more often.........
So she continued to follow the group, looking like an imbecile with her face hidden in her hands, not wanting to see a thing. Kagome didn't like the idea of being surrounded by so many half-naked men.
"Hey, lookie, the missie's embarrassed!"
"Come on, girl! Are we that ugly?"
She peeked slightly through her fingers to find that everyone had stopped walking to turn to laugh at her. The roaring of the laughter was ringing in her ears even as Inuyasha made his way through the crowd. "WHY ARE WE STOPPING?"
"Captain, the girlie's embarrassed!" She heard one stupid guy yell through his laughter, she was still refusing to remove her hands.
She heard Inuyasha snigger. "What's wrong? Never seen a man's body in your life?" More obnoxious laughing.
"For your information, I have!" She walked forwards a bit with her eyes still covered, only to have everyone start laughing again.
"Um.........girl, I'm over here" Oh, so that was why. She was walking further away from Inuyasha with every step. Enough was enough. She hesitantly pulled her hands from her face, letting in the sharp streams of sunlight.
When she blinked her eyes open, she deeply regretted dropping her hands in the first place. Inuyasha was still grinning at her as she spotted him, wearing a brown shirt with no sleeves. Though he was the only guy still wearing something covering his upper body, his muscles were pretty darn noticeable. His built arms were glowing gold under the sun, and she couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from the droplet of sweat rolling down that perfect muscular build.
She bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself. Was she just salivating over the captain's arms? She felt sick. "I said......... for your information I have." She looked at the ground.
He noticed her keeping her gaze locked on everything but him and he chuckled. "Men! Put on your shirts and try to endure the heat! Let's not traumatize the girl now."
"What? Come on, chief! Who cares?" Similar mutters were yelled, although most of them were already getting their shirts back out. Kagome watched in disgust as some of them had to wring theirs out and a puddle formed underneath.
"Do it."
His voice was so stern within seconds every single man was fully clothed again. Even though everyone looked like they were swimming in their clothes and smelt kind of gross, Kagome had to mentally thank Inuyasha.
"Enough fooling around. We're going now." He spun around and marched back to the front of the group, and instantly everyone piled after him – not forgetting to first shoot her an angry stare. "Hurry up."
Kagome nodded and continued to follow them through the tangled forest, feeling something slightly uncomfortable creep into her stomach. Something she'd never felt before and it wasn't the extreme heat.
She continued to climb over more fallen trees and branches, pushing through leaves and thorns, partially forgetting her earlier plan to escape.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm cold." One pirate whispered to another once the sun had set and the sky had darkened to a pitch black. "It was bloody hot today and now it's freezing. What's wrong with this island?"
Kagome wrapped her tattered clothes more tightly around her as she trotted after them, feeling little warmth emitting from it. They had walked and walked and walked and walked nonstop since the shirt incident around noon, and now it was nighttime.
Well, they had stopped ONCE for water, but Inuyasha insisted everyone got enough water to fit in one palm. That really sucked in her case.
She groaned and rubbed her legs, her limbs feeling like they had massive rocks attached onto them, and she was starving, thirsty, and brutally tired. To top it off, Inuyasha didn't look a bit drained or fed up, he just continued to look around as if looking at shrubs helped find whatever he was looking for.
Why wasn't anyone saying anything to Inuyasha? They pretty much deserved a rest break! And she wasn't about to continue walking all night in the freezing weather.
She moved up to the front of the crowd and lightly tapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, barely with enough force to get him as angry as last time. "Um......... is it possible we stop now? I think everyone's tired, and........."
"No." He blew off her comment and continued to walk forwards.
"What do you mean, 'no'? I'm going to pass out in a freakin' second, and so is everyone else!" She pointed to the men staring at her like she was absolutely insane. The icy air was getting to her. "We don't have as much energy as you do, and we need to warm up so we don't freeze to death." She breathed into the cold night air. "Seriously."
Suddenly, he reached forwards and grabbed her arm tightly before pulling her a little closer to him. Too close for her taste. "Listen girl, I've told you a billion times. Don't tell me what to fucking do."
She held her breath as he stared at her intently. Kagome was far from terrified......... she was too used to being treated like this. "I'm not telling you what to do. I'm asking you to let us rest for the night because no one can move anymore."
"My crew isn't that pathetic. We can go for a few more hours, right guys?" He looked over at his men, whom most were already parked on the ground. "Get up!"
"We're not going to, Inuyasha." She challenged him with a glare and shoved his arm away. She sat down on the grass. "We're not going any more tonight."
Kagome smiled with relief when she realised everyone was following her word- for-word, and for once they weren't following the captain's every whim. She felt surprisingly in control.
"What the fuck are you guys doing? I said to get up!" He snarled angrily, waiting for his men to make a move.
A small, bearded man who sat with the others meekly spoke up. "Inuyasha, sir. We all need to rest after that ten hour hike. This way we can have more energy for tomorrow......... right?"
"That's right. And sir, we should build a fire now before it's too dark to find wood for the fire." Another man added.
Inuyasha thought for a while with his chin in his hands, looking peeved because no one followed his command. Finally, he came to a decision. "Fine. But tomorrow we'll get up an hour earlier to leave."
Everyone looked incredibly relieved. "Thank you, sir!"
"Well, what are you all doing?" Inuyasha parked himself down on a bulky log in a clearing. "Go gather the firewood!"
Within minutes a large fire had been started in the center of the clearing, and everyone had crowded around it like it was some sort of God. If it weren't for the fire, everyone would probably be slowly turning into ice cubes on this horrible island.
"Kenji! Heiko!" Inuyasha called once he had settled down with a bottle of rum near the fire. "You two keep watch tonight. Everyone else, get to sleep!"
So except for the two poor fellas who would lack sleep the next morning, everyone else leaned against something stable and dozed off. Even Inuyasha had his eyes closed and his breathing had slowed considerably.
She stared at his weak appearance in the glow of the fire. It would be so easy now to sneak past those two idiots and into the forest for a quick escape, but a problem always resurfaced. Where would she go?
A wolf's howl filled the night air and she shuddered quietly. If there was anything she hated more than pirates, it was being in the dark alone. Weird animals fell third on her list.
That was it. She had to leave during the day......... her fear of the darkness and this jungle island wasn't going to allow her to gather enough courage to escape now.........
'Wait until tomorrow.' She convinced herself tiredly and lay down on the hot ground warm from the fire, using her arm as a pillow. She sighed, there was absolutely no energy left in her body after that deadly ten-hour hike anyway.
She continued planning ways to get away even as she shut her eyes and fell into a relaxing sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Birds chirped. The boiling sun streaked over her face. It was morning again.
Kagome blinked once, then again, before remembering where she was and what had happened. It usually took her a while to bring back the memories of the past day.
Her dream had been odd, she dreamed Inuyasha was wearing no shirt and chasing her around the first ship she was on with Shippou as a stick. She remembered screaming like crazy and running for Sango and Miroku, but no one came to help except a funny-faced Hojo. The dream ended with Inuyasha shoving honey cake down her throat. Odd.
She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up, feeling the heat of the sun enveloping her again. The weather on this island really stunk.
Once she sat up and looked around, she felt something obviously different about the place she had fallen asleep at. The logs were still there, as well as the remainder of the fire, now nothing but mere ashes.
Then the most obvious difference struck her in the face.
She was the only person sitting in the clearing, not another person in sight. She was sitting there, all alone.
Everyone was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: I feel really evil right now. ^_^
*~Sorena~*
AN: Not much to say this time, but let's hope there are still people reading this. ^_^
Pirate Pash
Chapter 7 – Hot, Cold, Water
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What did you just say?" She stared absently at the pleased captain, his face blown into a satisfied smirk near the front of the boat. His smiling face was so cheerful it was unsettling to say the least. "Did you just say I have to go with you?" She scowled.
The entire crew snapped their heads around to catch the face who had just yelled something from behind. Who exactly was cracked up enough to talk to the captain with that kind of voice?
"You heard me fine." His voice was lower and more intimidating than before, which she realised happened whenever he talked to her in front of the others. "I've decided you're coming with my group."
The crowd murmured among themselves, but kept it somewhat discreet in case Inuyasha heard. He did. "Shut up. The next person to make a sound will be fed to the sharks." Inuyasha barked at his crew.
Instant silence. Kagome winced at an image of the savage beast ripping her apart, her arms floating limply in the water and detached from her body. The shark would be pretty awful too.
She turned to him with a confused frown. "But didn't you say earlier that Sango and Miroku would be taking me? Why am I going with you now?"
"I've changed my mind." He was the only one who stood steady as the boat gradually pulled to a stop. "I don't quite think they're up to handling your sneakiness." He said, eyeing his assistants carefully.
"And you are?" She challenged back, tired of being screwed over like this. She glared at the crew watching her with interest and sighed. "You know what? Forget it. I'll go with your stupid group........."
"Good." He seemed pleased enough as he walked over to help the others push the wooden rowboats until they were hanging over the edge, dangling on a few strands of rope.
The man tightened the ropes one last time before pointing at it. "Ladies first."
That remark was just oozing sarcasm, but Kagome tried to ignore it and made her way over to the front, not wanting to be the last one with only a few guys holding the weight. "Are you certain this is able to handle me?"
No one bothered to answer her question, so she took it as a 'yes' anyways. However, when she stumbled onto the edge and peered down, it was nothing like she had expected – it was a direct vertical drop into rippling blackness. And there was a good leg's length of a hole between her and the wobbly-looking craft. She couldn't do this.........
"Hurry up and jump!" Someone shouted from the crowd, obviously annoyed with the girl's constant stumbling and not looking like she was about to go anytime soon.
"Wait......... I need to prepare first." She took deep, calming breaths, but none were quite comforting enough to settle her blistering nerves.
She kept telling herself she would just prove all those idiots wrong by leaping onto the boat as gracefully as a swan, but then the dim thought of her drowning always took over.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" Another man yelled from the crowd, and this time he wasn't alone. From the groans of irritation in the crowd she could assume they were tiring of her antics.
"I've got it. Just give me a -" Before she could finish, an arm out of nowhere had quickly swooped around her waist and she was leaping through the air in a flash. "-Oof!"
Shortly after the jump, she was roughly released by the hand and dropped smack onto the wooden surface of the rowboat, her head making sure to knock against the seats first. "Wha-?!"
"Are you alright, Miss Kagome? I didn't mean to be so rough." Watching through blurry eyes, Kagome painfully noticed it was Shippou's assistant. He was wearing a somewhat pitying look as he looked down at her, his hand outstretched.
"It's okay.........I'm fine, Hojo......... I'll get up on my own thanks." As if it weren't embarrassing enough already being grabbed and thrown into a boat like some package.........
Hojo understood and jumped back over onto the other side as easily as he could walk. She heard a few distinct "good going man"s, and a few "finally!" s, but nothing could compare to the filthy smirk she spotted on the captain's face. Inuyasha had his head hidden to hide his sniggers, but she could tell his head was shaking with amusement.
About to argue with him, she caught herself so she wouldn't anger the pirates any further. Who knew what they would do if they all wanted to get rid of her.........
So instead she laid back against the side and watched drearily as a few pirates leaped smoothly into the boat with her. Was it just her, or were they all trying to show off their jumping abilities?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Funnily enough, the rocking motions of the wooden rowboat reminded her of something eerily familiar. It was actually making her a little uneasy, so she grabbed the edge tightly and stared again at who was sharing the boat with her.
Straight across from her parked Sango, who watched back with a nervous smile. Next to her sat Miroku, who also regarded her with a smile, but his seemed a lot creepier. The other faces she didn't recognise, and didn't bother doing so. They all looked too much alike.........
"Starboard!" Shouted Inuyasha from the boat next to hers, his eyes glazing over everyone's except her own. "Row faster, men! You call that rowing? A baby with one arm could row faster!"
Well, one thing was for sure. At least they respected her enough not to make her row like a bloody lunatic, or maybe they just thought she'd be too weak. Either way, it worked out for the better.
"Hey Kagome, do you see anyone on the island?" Sango asked as they slowly pulled themselves into a muddy and quaint little bay. Everyone in their boats had their weapons armed and ready to attack if needed. She felt so soiled being around them.
She barely looked. "I don't think so."
Miroku sensed she was uncomfortable right away. Her squirming and uneasiness was getting to him. "Miss Kagome, what's the matter?"
"Nothing.........well I-I just feel weird doing this." She folded her arms over her chest. "I don't like the feeling."
She was still avoiding the looks the other pirates were shooting her way when a hand reached over and placed itself on her thigh. "It's alright. We'll try to keep our actions less harsh for you." Miroku gave her a warm smile.
Her eyebrow twitched. "I appreciate that, Miroku, but do have to say that while rubbing my thigh?" She glared at him.
Sango finished him off by swatting him a hard one on the head.
"Ow! Sango! What'd you hit me for? Hey! Don't ignore me."
Kagome would have smiled at their repetitive display, but it was difficult. She could practically see it now......... in minutes Inuyasha would be leading the group into a village......... and then she would watch from the side them slaughtering the villagers like it was some sort of a pleasurable game.
Even worse, would the townspeople see her and think she was one of them? Nothing but a violent pirate? Would they try to attack her nonetheless?
This was turning into worse of a nightmare than she had first imagined. If Souta saw her frolicking with this bunch she'd rather be choked by Inuyasha over and over again.
Sango's screaming stopped her train of thought. ".........Miroku! If I have to stop you one more time I swear I won't be held for my -- oh my god, look!"
His eyes turned pasty. "We're here."
Kagome drifted her eyes over to the direction the girl was staring intently at. The island was a lot larger than it looked from the boat, obviously, but she saw that it was also a lot wilder. Palm trees, shrubs, the works. It was practically a jungle with the animal noises and eerie sounds coming from every bend.
And there wasn't a person in sight, let alone a village.
"WE'LL GO AHEAD!" Inuyasha announced as his boat rowed at light's speed. He wasn't doing a thing, just standing at the front and talking like the bossy ass that he was. "After we dock I want the boats to pull in one at a time, do you hear me?"
"YES, SIR!" Everyone echoed except for Kagome.
So while Inuyasha rowed away she sat there, twiddling her fingers and staring at nothing but a splinter in the wood beneath her. Blocking out the chatter of the men around her (except Sango), Kagome rested her head back and absorbed the sun's unnatural heat and the sickening smell of the salty water.
Kagome scratched her head in frustration as she noticed she didn't smell right. She hadn't had a bath since she left Souta and she surely hadn't changed clothes. She glanced down at her attire.
The blouse had the rip in it from Inuyasha's horrifying hands, but she had tied it up, and her green skirt was in no better condition. She sighed and sat uncomfortably in her filthy clothes.
And finally, after what felt like hours, it was their turn to start rowing to shore. And this time, she had to grab an oar and join in on all the fun. Apparently Inuyasha thought they were moving too slowly for his taste.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Is everybody in their group yet?"
"Yes, captain." Miroku counted his crew under his breath as he reported to Inuyasha on the beach. "But they seem a little unsettled. There appears to be a rare heat wave on this island, and not to mention quite a shortage of water."
Inuyasha snarled. "I thought we brought a few tons of water." He watched his sweaty crew resting under the shady areas of the island. "Where did that all go?"
Miroku wiped the sweat off his forehead. "We did bring it. But in replacement for more people to fit into the boats, we had to put some buckets back onto the ship."
"Idiots........." He grumbled quietly and scratched his head. "Then I guess we'll have to conserve. Divide the water supply into two, and have a couple men from each group carry it. You and Sango control how much each person gets."
"And if we run out?"
"Keh! Then it's your problem. You can always head back to the ship if you're not lost or killed already."
Miroku sighed, nodded and stalked back over to his group with another weight on his shoulders. His group consisted of all the people Kagome knew: Hojo, Shippou, and even Hiten and Manten. "Listen guys, we'll have a shortage of water on this exploration," a groan rolled through the crowd. "So we'll be limited on the amounts we all get. To be fair; however, it shall always be divided evenly."
A few annoyed mutters were said but everyone somewhat agreed. Not happily though.
"Kagome," Sango squeezed her arm tightly and whispered; "good luck getting away from him. If you do it, I'll be really proud of you. And surprised."
"Yea, thanks for everything you've done." Kagome said awkwardly. "But I guess this is goodbye, huh?"
Sango smiled. "Probably. Unless of course by some odd twist of fate I see you again somewhere else. But that most likely won't happen."
"COME ON, SANGO! We're going!" Miroku watched them from afar. "We'll leave without you!"
"Bye' Kagome." And with one last parting hug, Sango ran along and disappeared through the bushes faster than she could blink.
It felt so empty and alone now, this stupid, deserted beach. No support, no one to talk to, and even worse, she was stuck with Inuyasha.
"HEY BITCH! Would you hurry up already?"
Well, at least he still remembered she existed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So how exactly are we going to find the jewel again?" Kagome listened tiredly to the two men in front of her talking. She was the last one in the pack and she was soon going to fall far behind.
She sighed as she stepped over another root, ducked under another stump, climbed up more steep rocks. Would this torture ever end? Why didn't she agree to stay on the boat where she'd do nothing but eat and sleep?
Oh yea, she had to escape. But the right opportunity hasn't seemed to show anytime yet.........
The skinnier, taller guy with the blond hair reached for a branch. "I don't know. Supposedly the Captain and that Miroku guy can kind of sense the thing. So just keep quiet and keep following him."
"About this treasure......... do you think - " He noticed Kagome's interested glare from behind and sneered at her.
Kagome wasn't stupid. She'd noticed the crew either hated her because Inuyasha hadn't gotten rid of her, or lusted for her. In these two's cases, they probably hated her guts.
The skinny guy who sneered at her rudely continued, keeping his voice down. "Think about it. What's in this for us? The captain's gonna get his jewel and we'll be stuck with yadda. Except maybe heat stroke."
"Are you saying the captain's not going to share his treasure with us once he finds it?"
"Exactly. He's probably using us for his own benefits. I say-" Suddenly he felt the same presence listening in on their conversation. He spun to stare unkindly at Kagome. "Hey girl, what the hell are you looking at?"
Kagome looked around to see who he was talking to, but finally remembered she was the only girl around. "Me? I'm not looking at anything."
"Yea........." The more muscular man with a mole on his face looked back at her. "Ain't you the wench the captain's taking along?"
"Define 'taking along'." She replied, wondering if this was the perfect opportunity to run for it. Unfortunately it wasn't.........they were on a path with running water on both sides of them. "Because I wouldn't be staring at you guys anyways."
"Hey, are you getting smart with us?" The mole guy asked, slowing down his speed and fully turning to face her. "Listen Kenji, she's giving us attitude 'cause she's fucking the captain!"
"Wha -? EXCUSE ME?" She boiled as her face turned an ugly red, fists forming at both sides angrily. How dare these jerks even assume something repulsive like that! "I am NOT doing anything with that pi - Inuyasha!"
The guy imitated her in an obnoxious voice. "I am not sleeping with 'Inuyasha', but I follow him around like a whore for no reason!" The other guy started cackling.
Kagome stomped her foot like a child. "I am NOT a whore, so don't you dare call me that! I did not sleep with Inuyasha, and I wouldn't sleep with him in a thousand years!" She screamed, her hair tousling and flying everywhere.
Speaking of the devil, Inuyasha chose that moment to run over. "What the hell is going on here? Kenji? Jio?"
"Ahh, captain. This girl here is just having a hard time in the heat. Forget about her."
Kagome looked like a mess. Her face was steaming and her hair was messed. She wanted to cry so badly right then, she was tired of being humiliated and laughed at, and made fun of.........she wanted to cry like she had the first night in the cell.
"So it's nothing serious?" His cold eyes locked onto hers, as if he was verifying her face for an answer. Her blushing face seemed to match their explanation. "Idiot, if you're too hot just drink some water." And with that, he raced back to the front of the crowd.
"Oh." It would have been somewhat friendly if he hadn't included the 'idiot', but it was kind of him anyway to offer water to her during a shortage.
"Listen, girl." The Kenji guy turned to her again with a threatening tone. His hand reached over and snatched a hold of her shirt, fisting the ripped area she had tied up. "You probably heard what we just said, about the whole treasure thing........."
She shook her head slowly, trying to push away the tight grip.
He smirked and only further tightened his grip. "So keep your pretty little mouth shut and don't tell the captain about our conversation, and we won't have to hurt you, okay sweetie?" His breath reeked of garlic, and she had to hold her breath to keep from gagging. "And don't think we won't hesitate to touch you, because we gladly will. Right, Jio?"
She almost coughed in his face from the lack of oxygen. She winced slightly as the main group walked further and further away from them. Where were Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha when you needed them?
"Do you hear that?" His friend further threatened. "And don't you try to tell the captain, either. Because we'll drag you down with us. Way down."
Her heart sped up immensely, and she drew in a deep breath of air. "I-I won't.........let go of me." She pulled away, but didn't budge much. "I can barely breathe."
"What do you say?" His voice was taunting her.
"Let go, damnit!" Her shirt was threatening to tear now, and she didn't need it to rip again. "Or I'll scream."
Kenji grinned. "Such a rude girl. Say 'please' and just maybe I'll let you go."
She snarled angrily, holding back the dying urge to kick him so hard in the family jewels he would be rolling on the ground with pain forever. But she still valued her life, "I would NEVER, EVER, say 'please' to a pirate like you." She spat out like filth in her mouth..
"Oh?" The man warmly laughed at her foolishness, released the grip on her shirt and pushed her backwards, causing her to stumble. "You wouldn't say 'please' to a pirate, you say? So you think you're better than us? You're a pirate – no, not even – a pitiful slave on a pirate ship who whores the captain. Listen carefully - we can kill you on a whim if we wanted to."
Jio chuckled. "That's right. Don't you fuckin' forget your place."
She swallowed loudly and took a few unstable steps backwards before racing to the group as quickly as her feet would carry her, all the while holding back the stingy tears at the corner of her eyes wetting her vision. She'd rather take abuse from Inuyasha any day.........
Those Kenji and Jio guys apparently weren't to be messed with. They treated her with less respect than a common leaf on the ground, maybe even worse. And why did they care so much that she kept her mouth shut about their conversation? It wasn't that interesting anyway.........
Once she caught up to the main group she trailed the end again, and she occasionally glanced back to make sure those two weren't catching up. When they did show up through the bushes, she scooted towards the front of the line, only a few rows behind the eager Inuyasha.
She dried her damp eyes with the back of her hand as she sniffled as quietly as she could. She hated it when she cried in front of these pigs. And they probably hated it too.
Then she had a thought. What if she told Inuyasha what she heard? Those assholes wouldn't even have time to get to her before Inuyasha took care of them, right?
She shook her head. Wrong. They could probably kill her before he got to them. It wasn't worth the risk. "This sucks........."
A drop of water suddenly rolled into her eyes and she wiped it off with the back of her hand. She wasn't crying anymore, and it sure wasn't raining. Confused, she wiped her brow and found her hand soaked with sweat. And she finally realised the hotness of the place.
The guys in front of her were already madly tearing their shirts off from the heat, and they probably would have ran in the nude if Kagome weren't around.
The lack of shirts was enough to do Kagome in. She immediately covered her eyes with both hands, hiding behind her shield of fingers. She had never, ever, in her life, been in such close proximity with bare- chested men. Sure, on her island she'd occasionally seen shirtless guys on beaches and whatnot, but she'd always seen it from afar and ran away blushing afterwards.
She really needed to get out more often.........
So she continued to follow the group, looking like an imbecile with her face hidden in her hands, not wanting to see a thing. Kagome didn't like the idea of being surrounded by so many half-naked men.
"Hey, lookie, the missie's embarrassed!"
"Come on, girl! Are we that ugly?"
She peeked slightly through her fingers to find that everyone had stopped walking to turn to laugh at her. The roaring of the laughter was ringing in her ears even as Inuyasha made his way through the crowd. "WHY ARE WE STOPPING?"
"Captain, the girlie's embarrassed!" She heard one stupid guy yell through his laughter, she was still refusing to remove her hands.
She heard Inuyasha snigger. "What's wrong? Never seen a man's body in your life?" More obnoxious laughing.
"For your information, I have!" She walked forwards a bit with her eyes still covered, only to have everyone start laughing again.
"Um.........girl, I'm over here" Oh, so that was why. She was walking further away from Inuyasha with every step. Enough was enough. She hesitantly pulled her hands from her face, letting in the sharp streams of sunlight.
When she blinked her eyes open, she deeply regretted dropping her hands in the first place. Inuyasha was still grinning at her as she spotted him, wearing a brown shirt with no sleeves. Though he was the only guy still wearing something covering his upper body, his muscles were pretty darn noticeable. His built arms were glowing gold under the sun, and she couldn't seem to drag her eyes away from the droplet of sweat rolling down that perfect muscular build.
She bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself. Was she just salivating over the captain's arms? She felt sick. "I said......... for your information I have." She looked at the ground.
He noticed her keeping her gaze locked on everything but him and he chuckled. "Men! Put on your shirts and try to endure the heat! Let's not traumatize the girl now."
"What? Come on, chief! Who cares?" Similar mutters were yelled, although most of them were already getting their shirts back out. Kagome watched in disgust as some of them had to wring theirs out and a puddle formed underneath.
"Do it."
His voice was so stern within seconds every single man was fully clothed again. Even though everyone looked like they were swimming in their clothes and smelt kind of gross, Kagome had to mentally thank Inuyasha.
"Enough fooling around. We're going now." He spun around and marched back to the front of the group, and instantly everyone piled after him – not forgetting to first shoot her an angry stare. "Hurry up."
Kagome nodded and continued to follow them through the tangled forest, feeling something slightly uncomfortable creep into her stomach. Something she'd never felt before and it wasn't the extreme heat.
She continued to climb over more fallen trees and branches, pushing through leaves and thorns, partially forgetting her earlier plan to escape.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm cold." One pirate whispered to another once the sun had set and the sky had darkened to a pitch black. "It was bloody hot today and now it's freezing. What's wrong with this island?"
Kagome wrapped her tattered clothes more tightly around her as she trotted after them, feeling little warmth emitting from it. They had walked and walked and walked and walked nonstop since the shirt incident around noon, and now it was nighttime.
Well, they had stopped ONCE for water, but Inuyasha insisted everyone got enough water to fit in one palm. That really sucked in her case.
She groaned and rubbed her legs, her limbs feeling like they had massive rocks attached onto them, and she was starving, thirsty, and brutally tired. To top it off, Inuyasha didn't look a bit drained or fed up, he just continued to look around as if looking at shrubs helped find whatever he was looking for.
Why wasn't anyone saying anything to Inuyasha? They pretty much deserved a rest break! And she wasn't about to continue walking all night in the freezing weather.
She moved up to the front of the crowd and lightly tapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, barely with enough force to get him as angry as last time. "Um......... is it possible we stop now? I think everyone's tired, and........."
"No." He blew off her comment and continued to walk forwards.
"What do you mean, 'no'? I'm going to pass out in a freakin' second, and so is everyone else!" She pointed to the men staring at her like she was absolutely insane. The icy air was getting to her. "We don't have as much energy as you do, and we need to warm up so we don't freeze to death." She breathed into the cold night air. "Seriously."
Suddenly, he reached forwards and grabbed her arm tightly before pulling her a little closer to him. Too close for her taste. "Listen girl, I've told you a billion times. Don't tell me what to fucking do."
She held her breath as he stared at her intently. Kagome was far from terrified......... she was too used to being treated like this. "I'm not telling you what to do. I'm asking you to let us rest for the night because no one can move anymore."
"My crew isn't that pathetic. We can go for a few more hours, right guys?" He looked over at his men, whom most were already parked on the ground. "Get up!"
"We're not going to, Inuyasha." She challenged him with a glare and shoved his arm away. She sat down on the grass. "We're not going any more tonight."
Kagome smiled with relief when she realised everyone was following her word- for-word, and for once they weren't following the captain's every whim. She felt surprisingly in control.
"What the fuck are you guys doing? I said to get up!" He snarled angrily, waiting for his men to make a move.
A small, bearded man who sat with the others meekly spoke up. "Inuyasha, sir. We all need to rest after that ten hour hike. This way we can have more energy for tomorrow......... right?"
"That's right. And sir, we should build a fire now before it's too dark to find wood for the fire." Another man added.
Inuyasha thought for a while with his chin in his hands, looking peeved because no one followed his command. Finally, he came to a decision. "Fine. But tomorrow we'll get up an hour earlier to leave."
Everyone looked incredibly relieved. "Thank you, sir!"
"Well, what are you all doing?" Inuyasha parked himself down on a bulky log in a clearing. "Go gather the firewood!"
Within minutes a large fire had been started in the center of the clearing, and everyone had crowded around it like it was some sort of God. If it weren't for the fire, everyone would probably be slowly turning into ice cubes on this horrible island.
"Kenji! Heiko!" Inuyasha called once he had settled down with a bottle of rum near the fire. "You two keep watch tonight. Everyone else, get to sleep!"
So except for the two poor fellas who would lack sleep the next morning, everyone else leaned against something stable and dozed off. Even Inuyasha had his eyes closed and his breathing had slowed considerably.
She stared at his weak appearance in the glow of the fire. It would be so easy now to sneak past those two idiots and into the forest for a quick escape, but a problem always resurfaced. Where would she go?
A wolf's howl filled the night air and she shuddered quietly. If there was anything she hated more than pirates, it was being in the dark alone. Weird animals fell third on her list.
That was it. She had to leave during the day......... her fear of the darkness and this jungle island wasn't going to allow her to gather enough courage to escape now.........
'Wait until tomorrow.' She convinced herself tiredly and lay down on the hot ground warm from the fire, using her arm as a pillow. She sighed, there was absolutely no energy left in her body after that deadly ten-hour hike anyway.
She continued planning ways to get away even as she shut her eyes and fell into a relaxing sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Birds chirped. The boiling sun streaked over her face. It was morning again.
Kagome blinked once, then again, before remembering where she was and what had happened. It usually took her a while to bring back the memories of the past day.
Her dream had been odd, she dreamed Inuyasha was wearing no shirt and chasing her around the first ship she was on with Shippou as a stick. She remembered screaming like crazy and running for Sango and Miroku, but no one came to help except a funny-faced Hojo. The dream ended with Inuyasha shoving honey cake down her throat. Odd.
She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up, feeling the heat of the sun enveloping her again. The weather on this island really stunk.
Once she sat up and looked around, she felt something obviously different about the place she had fallen asleep at. The logs were still there, as well as the remainder of the fire, now nothing but mere ashes.
Then the most obvious difference struck her in the face.
She was the only person sitting in the clearing, not another person in sight. She was sitting there, all alone.
Everyone was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: I feel really evil right now. ^_^
*~Sorena~*
