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Demons of the Caribbean: Chapter 1
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Disclaimer: Neither M.W. Roach nor I own any parts of Pirates of the Caribbean or Inuyasha.
Author's note: This story is a team effort. I'd like to thank M.W. Roach for coming up with the idea for this story and letting me help with it.
This chapter by: medlii
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The waters of the Spanish Main were calm and still as the morning fog rested over a large ship. The silence of the sea was lifted as the soft voice of Miss Kagome Swann hung in the cold air.
"And really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho. A pirate's life for me¦" she sang quietly as she gazed into the mist over the calm sea. Something touched her shoulder and she jumped.
Turning around, she saw Mr. Koga, part of the ship's crew. "Quiet, Miss Swann! Cursed pirates sail these waters and-"
"Mr. Koga, that is quite enough," Captain Sesshomaru ordered.
"Tis bad luck, singing about pirates, especially on an ominous day like this," Koga mumbled.
He was about to continue but the captain's cold glare stopped him. The superstitious sailor grumbled to himself as he stomped back to his post.
"I think I'd like to meet a pirate," Kagome said.
Captain Sesshomaru's gaze turned to the young girl. "Think again, Miss Swann. All those vile, filthy creatures deserve is a short drop and a sudden stop."
"Excuse me, these topics are not appropriate for a girl Kagome's age. She is only 10, after all."
Turning to look at the speaker, Sesshomaru saw that it was Kagome's grandmother, Lady Kaede. "Of course," the captain agreed, turning to give orders to the crew.
Kagome sighed and leaned against the ship's rail to look out over the water again and wonder exactly what Sesshomaru meant by a 'short drop and a sudden stop.' She noticed a few pieces of wood drift past the ship's side, then heard a faint shout. Puzzled, she leaned forward and saw a young boy struggling to keep his head above the water, calling for help.
Grabbing the neck of the girl's dress, Kaede pulled her back.
"Be careful, or ye'll fall in."
Then she noticed the boy.
"Man overboard!" the old woman called.
The sailors quickly brought the stranger onto the ship and began questioning him. Before the boy could answer, Captain Sesshomaru ordered in a soft but deadly voice "Back to work, men!"
Shyly, Kagome walked over to the shivering boy. His dark hair was soaked and his clothes were torn. "I'm Kagome Swann. Come on, I'll find you some blankets."
"Miroku Turner," the boy said. After putting a hand over his heart and feeling the familiar presence of his necklace, he followed Kagome into the ship's hold. She smiled and turned to face him.
"I'll look after you, Miroku."
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8 years later
Kagome gazed out over the azure bay of Port Royal from her house nestled high in the hills and sighed. Being the granddaughter of Kaede, one of the wealthiest people in the small town meant having lots of servants to do thing for her and therefore very little to do herself.
"Kagome!" Her grandmother called.
"Yes?" the girl asked, hoping that this wasn't about her marriage plans.
Everyone on the island assumed Kagome would soon wed the rich and powerful Captain Sesshomaru, including Kaede. As much as Kagome argued with her grandmother about the issue, the old woman refused to believe that Kagome would find a more suitable suitor.
"Ye are 18 years old and this should have been done long ago. I'd like to speak with ye about your future."
Holding back a groan, Kagome said, "I'm sick of talking about Captain Sesshomaru. He's too..."
"Kagome, ye have hardly spoken to the man. Once ye get to know him better-"
"Sesshomaru is not a man. He is a cold-blooded, ruthless demon of a soldier. I don't want to get to know him better. Why can't I choose my own husband?"
"Kagome, I am your grandmother and-"
"Look, someone's coming," Kagome interrupted, glad to leave the argument until later. Hopefully much later. Even from far away, she could tell the person walking up the long path to the house was Miroku, the local blacksmith's apprentice. Carrying a large box under one arm, the dark-haired man whistled cheerily as he stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door.
Hearing the butler answer the knock, Kagome and Kaede smoothed their dresses and carefully descended the staircase to greet their visitor.
"It is a pleasure to see both of you," Miroku said smoothly. "Lady Kaede." He bowed respectfully to the woman. "And Miss Swann." He took Kagome's hand and kissed it.
"Please, we've known each other for a long time. I'd like it if you called me Kagome."
Noticing the glare that Kaede was giving her granddaughter, Miroku replied "You are a lady, and I am but a mere blacksmith. So I shall call you Miss Swann." Turning to the older woman, he said "And here is the sword you ordered from Master Mushin." Opening the box, Miroku continued to talk about the sword's special features and just how amazing it was.
Wow! I didn't know swords were so complicated. I thought the only thing that mattered was how long and sharp they were, Kagome marveled as she pretended to understand Miroku's little speech.
"Thank ye sir," Kaede said when he had finished. Handing him a few coins, she commented, "This will make a fine gift for Captain Sesshomaru. Or should I say Commodore Sesshomaru- since today is the day of his promotion ceremony."
Miroku left and Kaede went upstairs. Kagome noticed something on the floor. Bending over, she got a closer look. It was a necklace, one she'd seen Miroku wearing ever since she'd met him, though he always tried to hide it under his shirt. Curious to see why he was hiding it, Kagome picked it up.
She smiled as she saw the pink crystal on the end of the gold chain. Of all the men she knew, Miroku wasn't one she thought that would like pink. She wondered what a poor, nearly 20 year-old blacksmith would want such a thing for. Deciding to return it later, Kagome put it around her neck for safekeeping.
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Inuyasha Sparrow growled to himself under his breath as he rowed. "What good is a pirate without a ship?" He'd thought stowing away on another ship was a good idea since he didn't have his own. And it would've been, if the crew hadn't smelled his bottle of rum.
"At least I got this boat," he grumbled, taking a gulp of the rum he'd managed to salvage. "What the...?" Looking down, Inuyasha noticed his feet were wet. With a sigh, he downed the rest of the bottle of rum and used it to start draining the water that was leaking into his little boat.
Inuyasha paddled faster as the water seeped in. The dock was getting closer. Carefully, the pirate got to his feet without tipping the boat that was half full, or maybe half empty, over. He climbed up the mast and waited patiently for the small boat to get to the dock. Merchants loading trading goods on their own ships stared at the crazy man riding the sinking boat. Inuyasha crouched and leapt, landing neatly on the dock. With a gurgle, the tiny vessel vanished into the depths of Davy Jones' Locker.
Taking off his hat, Inuyasha held it to his chest in memory of the little boat that had gotten him to safety.
"Excuse me sir, it's a shilling to dock your boat here," an official-looking man informed. "And, I shall need to know your name."
Inuyasha reached into his pocket and dropped some coins in the man's hand.
"What do you say to 3 shillings, and we forget the name?"
The man grinned and pocketed the coins.
"Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith."
Inuyasha smirked as the man turned around. It wasn't too difficult for the pirate to remove his own coins along with a handful of others from the stranger's pockets. Humming under his breath, Inuyasha made his way into the town of Port Royal to find something to drink.
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After a military ceremony in which Captain Sesshomaru was appointed Commodore Sesshomaru, and then presented with the sword Kaede had purchased from Miroku, Kagome found herself high atop the port's fort with only the newly promoted officer for company.
"Lady Kagome," he said softly, turning to face the girl.
"Yes?" She asked nervously, pretty sure she knew what was coming.
The Commodore took a step forward. Kagome took a step backward. "Have you given any thought to marriage?"
"No! I mean yes! I um…" Kagome backed away from the much-older man, tripping over her feet just as much as her words. Not realizing that she was so close to the short wall surrounding the upper level of the fort, Kagome stumbled backwards right over the edge...
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"Hey, you!"
"Me?" Inuyasha asked innocently as he ambled along the docks closer to the fort.
"Yeah, you." Two armed soldiers ran up to him. "We're supposed to keep the ship off limits to civilians."
"I'm terribly sorry. If I see one, I'll let you know." With that, Inuyasha walked towards the ships, only to be blocked again by the relentless guards. He decided to try a different approach.
"What's going on at the fort?"
"Captain Sesshomaru is being initiated into the position of Commodore."
Inuyasha nodded.
"Why aren't you gents up there?"
"Well, someone has to keep the ship safe from civilians."
Inuyasha smiled.
"You mean this boat here?", he asked as he walked over to the Interceptor. "It looks fast."
Ginta and Hakaku blocked Inuyasha from getting on the ship.
"No ship can surpass the speed of the Interceptor." Hakaku said.
"I know of one. The Black Pearl." Inuyasha contradicted.
Hakaku rolled his eyes.
"There's no real ship that can match the speed of the Interceptor."
"The Black Pearl is a real ship." Ginta argued.
"No it's not."
"Yes it is. I've seen it."
"You haven't seen it!"
"Yes, I have."
While they were arguing, Inuyasha quietly crept onto the Interceptor. He began exploring the wheel and mast.
Nice boat, he thought, But it can't beat The Pearl.
"Hey you!" Hakaku yelled, holding out his bayonet. "You're not suppose to be up here, mate."
"I'm sorry. It's such a pretty boat…er…ship."
"What's your name?" Ginta asked.
"Smith…or Smithy, if you like."
"Get off the ship, Mr. Smith."
"But it's so pretty…"
"We said get off." Hakaku hissed.
"If you insist," Inuyasha replied reluctantly. Taking his time, he got back onto the dock.
"That's better," Ginta said happily. Now he had to figure out how to get rid of Inuyasha.
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Kagome screamed as she fell down, past the fort. She shut her eyes and tensed her muscles for the impact with the rocky ground or rough wooden dock that wasn't quite so far away now.
But it never came.
Instead, she landed on something soft that collapsed beneath her.
"I didn't know Port Royal rained women," a muffled voice shouted.
Kagome untangled her skirts and struggled to get to her feet. When she stood up, the girl realized she'd fallen on top of someone.
"I'm terribly sorry," she apologized as she offered the stranger a hand.
"You didn't do too much harm," the man grumbled once he'd stood up, wincing.
"Miss Swann!" Ginta and Hakaku had watched with glazed eyes as the well-to-do girl fell from the sky.
"Are you alright?" the two guards asked simultaneously.
"I guess so," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Good. Because you two are civilians. And civilians aren't allowed on these docks. So the two of you have to leave," Hakaku explained patiently.
Before the soldiers could usher Inuyasha and Kagome into somewhere that civilians were allowed, Commodore Sesshomaru appeared from the fort, 8 guards at his side.
"What an incredibly stupid thing to do, Miss Swann. Falling from great heights is not a safe activity," the commodore reprimanded.
"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again. I'm just lucky that- what's your name again?"
Inuyasha shifted from foot to foot, eyeing the commodore nervously. "Smith. Mr. Smith."
"Interesting," Sesshomaru commented. "I believe I owe you a thank you." Sesshomaru extended his hand.
Inuyasha cautiously reached out. Once he was close enough, Sesshomaru grabbed him.
"Just as I suspected." Sesshomaru scoffed as he yanked up Inuyasha's sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a sparrow and below it, a brand of the letter 'P.' "You're a pirate."
Everyone else gasped. "You're serious..?Is he really a-" Hakaku's voice dropped to a whisper "-pirate?"
"Indeed. Inuyasha, you are the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
"But, you have heard of me." Inuyasha pointed out.
"Wait a minute. If he's a pirate, where's his ship?" Ginta asked suspiciously.
"I'm in the market." Inuyasha explained. "And it's Captain Inuyasha."
"I've always wanted to meet a pirate!" Kagome exclaimed. "What kind of ship did you have? Did you bury all your treasure? How come you don't have a parrot? Is it tough to find a crew with the economy in such a state?"
"Take him to the brig," Commodore Sesshomaru ordered calmly. "He will hang at dawn."
"Who?" Hakaku asked.
Sesshomaru glowered at him, but then saw that Inuyasha had disappeared.
"Find him."
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Panting, Inuyasha ducked inside a shop. He wouldn't have minded fighting the idiotic and snobby soldiers but the pirate knew that more would appear out of the fort if he hadn't left soon. Looking around the place, he decided it was a smithy. An old man sat snoring in a chair towards the rear of the shop. Carefully and quietly, Inuyasha made sure he was sound asleep. He poked the man in the chest. The drunken blacksmith was out cold.
Inuyasha heard the creak of the door swinging open.
"Hey! Who are you?" A black-haired man with violet eyes had entered and walked cautiously towards the stranger.
"Uh, no one important," Inuyasha said. "In fact, I was just leaving."
"You're the pirate everyone's looking for." Miroku grabbed a sword. "I can't let you leave."
Something long and silver whooshedpast Inuyasha's face. With a thunk, the sword embedded itself in the wooden bar holding the door shut, where it wavered from side to side. Inuyasha ran for the door and tried to yank the sword out but it was stuck. Inuyasha turned and glared at Miroku. He slowly made his way towards the blacksmith.
"That's a wonderful trick, but you missed."
"I wasn't aiming for you," Miroku said.
Inuyasha unsheathed his sword and Miroku drew his own. The two charged a teach other and began a graceful battle of blades. At first, Inuyasha thought this boy was nuts. A blacksmith crossing blades with a pirate? But as the clanking battle continued, Inuyasha found himself quite impressed with the boy.
He's so familiar. Have I threatened him before?
The battle brought itself to a giant carousel of shimmering blades.
"Who makes all these?" Inuyasha asked as he dodged one of Miroku's attacks.
"I do!" Miroku slashed again. "And I practice with them 3 hours a day!"
Inuyasha returned the attack, then paused.
"You need to find yourself a girl, mate!"
Miroku growled and struck again. The whistling sword nearly slit Inuyasha's gut. Back and forth across the shop they went, breaking breakable (and probably expensive) items and making a big mess. Dust, sparks and taunts filled the air as the fast-paced battle raged on.
Finally Inuyasha had had enough. This was taking too long and he knew the Commodore would search the shop soon. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a bag filled with some sort of powder and threw it in Miroku's face.
"Cheater!" the man yelled between coughing and trying to get the dust out of his eyes.
"Pirate!" Inuyasha explained.
He turned to leave the shop when something crashed over his head.
Grinning, the man who'd been asleep in the corner held up the broken bottle he'd smashed over the pirate's head. Inuyasha sank to the ground, unconscious.
With perfect timing, Commodore Sesshomaru and his men broke down the door. "You've assisted in the arrest of a dangerous criminal, Mr. Mushin," the Commodore said. "Port Royal is very grateful. Well, gentlemen. I think you will all remember this day as the day Captain Inuyasha almost escaped." Turning to the soldiers around him, he ordered, "Take him away."
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