I have returned!
(Inuyasha and Koga boo!)
Oh shut up, you mutts! This is all for Minmay-chan! It took me a while to come up with chapter 3, but here it is. I started at noon today, and it only took me 8 ½ hours to type it! (WHOO!) Now THAT'S how you spend a Sunday after studying so hard!
(eyes rolling up) A'ight, Inuyasha ain't mine, neither is Rurouni Kenshin, yadda yadda yadda…. Let's get on with it.
Chapter 3! (runs away from hiraikotsu after scooping up Miroku again! "VICTORY IS MINE!". Sango carries him off after author slams into a tree, cartoon style-like.)
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"Bakudai Kakera"
Chapter 3
" 'Ere you are, Miss. Say now, would you mind 'companin' a gent t' lunch? I'd love th' comp'ny 'a fine lady as yourself."
Kagome smiled and declined the bartender's advances, wanting to enjoy her meal and drink alone. He tried again and was again turned down. Not wanting to go for a third rejection, the bartender went to another potential customer and flirted with her.
A small amused smile appeared on Kagome's lips. She had been reminded of her life in the Ukato village. At the same time, it gave her bit of sadness. Kagome looked around her surroundings as she ate. She had traveled through space for almost two days, trying to acquire more piloting skills. It was very useful for Kayura to tell Kagome to go to Awakioa for information on the shard of the Shikon no Tama; but it would have been more useful if she'd told her HOW to get there!
Kagome wandered without a clue to get to her destination and there was no place in which she could get directions. She came upon the Sâg Evsäl hotel/casino resort established on a large meteorite. Kagome had entered the protective atmospheric shield and asked all around for directions to the planet, but no one had ever heard of it.
After two hours of walking around the hotel for directions, Kagome stopped in the bar and decided to stay a while and rest. As she sat to her meal, she couldn't resist looking around at the various…customers. She appeared to be the only human amongst the crowd of aliens.
Kagome glanced to her left and saw a group of other humans near the door, overhearing their conversation. One named Wu-Fei was yelling at another named Relena about getting the group, calling themselves Gundam Pilots, lost. Two others, Quatre and Trowa, backed away from her, as she grew angry at Wu-Fei. He seemed to have rose his voice and crossed the line; resulting in Relena soundly whaling on him. The rest of the group simply shook their heads and laughed saying, "I warned him." When two other members of their group rejoined them, two older women and a man, they all exited the casino bar.
Kagome tried to stifle a giggle as she watched Relena drag unconscious Wu-Fei by his braid. She went back to her lunch, looking forlorn.
At least they have each other, dysfunctional as they are. I had a home once, I had Kaede. She was my family.
Now I'm alone. Kagome wiped away a tear, telling herself she had to be strong for her mission.
She remained seated for a half hour after she finished eating. Just when she got up, there was an explosion from the lower levels of the building! Several more shook the building and caused a panic. Inside the bar, there was loud commotion as people wondered what had happened. Kagome stood on her guard, thinking perhaps Kikyo had invaded Kayura's universe.
The back wall glowed a bright red and just as the people began to back away, it cracked and bursted! Kagome peeked from behind the bar counter; a dark figure emerged from the hole and stood on the pile of rubble, others following behind it. The dust started to clear, enough so it could be seen that they all carried weapons.
"Pirates!" The people screamed. "They're pirates!"
A man yelled and ran for the door when the figure standing before the group shot him in the leg. The people screamed but silenced and stayed put when the other weapons were aimed at them, raising their hands in the air.
"Pl-P-Please, sir," A woman begged, "Please don't kill us. Wh-What is it you want from us?"
The dust cleared completely. The leader of the pirates had large eyes with narrow black pupils and a white Mohawk, wearing strange black leather clothing. He rested his massive weapon on his shoulders, his grin showing off his sharps fangs.
"Don't worry, everyone." He spoke, almost playfully. "We're not gonna kill ya, provided you give us no trouble."
Hands rose higher in affirmation, trembling in fear.
The mohawked man smiled. "Excellent! And everyone says you humans are stupid."
"Hey, Hakkaku? Are you messing around with these humans again? We don't have time for this."
A member of the pirate group walked up from behind to set the leader straight. His eyes were the same as the mohawked one, but he had a full head of short gray hair with a patch of black in the center front.
Kagome looked closely. All of the pirates looked young, in their early 20s, but something about their features got her mind going. They all looked like wolves.
"Yo, Ginta, you mind? I got them terrified this time, don't screw it up for me." Hakkaku growled through his dominant smile.
Ginta rose his eyebrow skeptically, "Oh please. Last week you couldn't scare a mouse, now suddenly you can scare humans?"
"At least I wasn't scared by a mouse. You see a seven-foot rodent and you run outta there like Sonic the Hedgehog!" Hakkaku retored, casting his comrade a glare.
The crowd and the pirates teardropped as the two started bickering. They threw insults at each other such as one flushing himself down the toilet and the other running from a Dagconian lizard screaming like a sissy.
(A/N: Dagconian lizard: a cross between a Komodo dragon and a Tyrannosaurus Rex, only MUCH uglier. Six inches tall.)
The hostages decided to take advantage of the pirates' distraction and slowly started inching away. Another pirate aimed his weapon at them and they froze instantly.
"Uh, Hakkaku? Ginta?" He spoke up nonchalantly. "I don't mean to butt in, but we gotta wrap this up. Unless you two wanna answer to the boss for being late."
Ginta and Hakkaku glanced at each other, an image of their angry boss coming to mind. The two pirates went to work demanding their hostage's valuables while the rest of the group collected. Kagome remained hidden behind the bar counter, her eyes darting everywhere for a means of escape. She found an exit right across from her, but it was a good distance away. Thinking she could make it if she ran fast for it, Kagome bolted.
In turn, she caught Ginta's eye.
"Freeze!" He shouted, aiming his weapon at her.
Kagome only sped up.
"Freeze means stop, lady!"
Ginta prepared to shoot when someone tripped her, sending her crashing onto the ground and getting a laugh from the other pirates.
Kagome growled at her assailant. "What did you do that for, you fool? I'm trying to get help!"
"You're the fool, woman! They may be tempted to kill us all because of you!" He answered.
Kagome was about to kick him off her leg but noticed Hakkaku's eyes resting on her.
Filled with rage.
The man who tripped Kagome trembled. "You see? You've gone and damned us all!"
"YOU!" The pirate roared, his fangs growing longer.
Kagome froze in confusion, the blaze in Hakkaku's eyes scaring her.
"GET HER! TAKE HER ALIVE! DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!"
The pirates roared and charged at Kagome, raising their weapons. She quickly scrambled to her feet and ran for the door.
Only to find it locked.
Kagome turned around to look for an alternate escape, but found herself surrounded by the pirates. She tried to fight them off, but was subdued. She was thrown to the floor harshly while they tied her hands behind her back.
Hakkaku took the bags of loot and emptied them in a pile. The people looked puzzled. Even if they had wanted one person, a pirate would never pass up jewelry and gold.
"I don't understand, surely you're going to take your loot with you, are you not, sir?" An alien asked.
Hakkaku didn't take his eyes from Kagome as she was lifted to her feet and restrained by his comrades. "We got something much better than loot, so we got no use for it."
Kagome tried to break away as she was pushed forward. Her detainer punched her in the back while another held his spear to her throat. She stilled.
"For someone who boasts incredible power, you seem rather frightened of us." The pirate taunted.
Kagome gathered her courage to speak, "What are you doing? I don't know any of you! What do you want with me?"
Another slapped her, making the sound echo in the parking lot. "Don't you dare play innocent, bitch! If you know all like you claim, don't ask stupid questions!"
"You've caused everyone in your path enough misery!" Ginta hissed with great hatred. "Our leader will see to it you get your just punishment, Kikyo!"
Kagome's eyes widened. She still had no clue who they were, but seeing as they mistook her for her enemy, Kagome could figure out what would happen to her.
"Listen, you've got the wrong person! I'm not Kikyo! My name's Kagome!" She protested, still trying to break free.
The pirates laughed and mocked Kagome in disbelief.
"Yeah, and our boss is the fabled Captain Harlock and we're the crew of the Arcadia!" Hakkaku laughed as he shoved Kagome into their ship.
The massive spacecraft took off through the atmospheric shield and blasted into space.
Kagome was led inside by two pirate guards. The rest dispatched but not sparing loathing stares at her. She glanced at the pirate on her right and then to the one on her left. Making sure they were focused ahead of them. Kagome looked down and secretly used her restored aura to unlock her metal handcuffs.
When her hands were free, Kagome caught them off guard by sending a high kick to each of their faces. One recovered quickly and threw a punch her way. Kagome deflected it and countered with a strong punch to his upper stomach. He bent over, the air getting knocked out of him and Kagome knocked him out with a harite slap to his chin. The guard fell to the ground, unconscious; she subdued the other behind her with a roundhouse kick to his crown and then took off to escape.
As Kagome ran down the pathway, two other pirates spotted her and sounded the alarm to the others. She tried to evade them, knowing she couldn't fight them all at once. Up the hallway, Hakkaku stood in her way.
"And where do you think you're going?" He threatened, his fists resting on his hips.
Kagome sped up, headbutted him, gave a sidekick to his crotch and as he screamed in a very high-pitch, she elbowed him into the wall beside her.
"Outta here, moron!" Kagome answered as she fled, leaving the wolf scrunched up on the floor.
She continued on, hearing the pirates approaching from down the left hall. Figuring she'd be captured, Kagome decided to go down the laundry chute and hide. She rushed down the pathway to the chute ahead, when a fist slammed violently into her stomach!
She fell over to the ground, wrapping her arms around her abdomen, the pain shooting sharply.
"Leaving so soon? We haven't had a chance to repay your kindness yet, Kikyo."
The low growling voice gave Kagome chills. Ginta and Hakkaku caught up, followed by the rest of the crew, snickering maliciously.
"Heh, you finally got her, boss." Hakkaku stated.
"Hey, sorry we couldn't hand-deliver her to you." Ginta apologized.
Kagome lifted her eyes to the captain. He stood in the entrance way to the side hall, a thick black shadow covering him so the only thing she could see was his fanged smile.
"Don't worry about it, guys." He spoke with an ominous tone. "She's here and that's all that matters."
The crew laughed, finding the phrase funny. The captain coughed slightly then resumed his glare on Kagome.
"Take her to the brig. As our most honored guest, see to it she is provided the finest accommodations. I'll be inside the control room, bring her to me in a half-hour."
The crew enthusiastically obliged their captain's orders as he disappeared to his said destination. Kagome was thrown into the confinement and left to await her fate. It was so dark inside she could barely see anything, let alone a way to escape.
She sat calmly, stroking her sore arms to soothe them from the pirates' roughness. Kagome tried to use her aura as a light, but it flickered fickly and went out. Tried again, same thing. She wondered what went wrong; she had more than enough energy to invoke it. The guard sensed Kagome's aura and laughed spitefully. They knew she'd try that so they placed enough charms on the door to prevent the use of any magic.
Kagome remained still and silent. Again, I get captured and await execution. That's bad enough it happens twice, but calling me K-K-KIKYO! That is SO cruel!
What do I do now? I can't use my aura so this amulet Kayura-sama gave me is no use. All I can do is wait until they get me out.
The half-hour seemed much longer as Kagome wondered what to anticipate once her time was up. The small cell quieted even more when the sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached the door. The two guards outside shared a few words, then after a second of silence, opened the door.
Kagome stood and faced them. The guards grinned, noticing the prisoner's apprehension.
"Ready to see the captain, Kikyo?"
Kagome winced in offense at that name, but stayed collected. "No, but it's not like I have a choice."
He chuckled. "Good you understand. Get going."
Kagome stepped out and was lead through the ship. It seemed deserted; there wasn't a pirate anywhere. She remembered the captain making his announcement and assumed everyone was with him. The guards reached the other end of the ship, opened the door and led Kagome through.
The control room was enormous. On the sides were elevated platforms for all the controls and in the front was a window taking up the size of the entire wall, allowing a grand view of the stars. Just as Kagome thought, all of the pirates were gathered inside, glaring at her from wherever they stood. Before she could look forward, her escorts stopped and threw her to the ground. The guards bowed on their knees.
"As you ordered, we present you with Queen Kikyo. We beg you have your way with her, Koga." The guards stated as they stepped back.
Kagome looked up and faced the captain. Unlike the others, he had long black hair tied up in a ponytail with a tan-colored headband. He wore a tight black sleeveless shirt with black pants and leather straps wrapped near the hem. Around his waist was an iron belt that held his sword and iron coverings on his forearms.
Kagome tried her best not to blush. The captain was very muscular, boasting great strength and was quite handsome with his dark tan and gorgeous blue eyes, despite the blazing anger behind them.
"Kikyo," Koga started, "You've decided to grace us with your presence. How honored we must be."
The pirates laughed as Koga gave a mock bow to Kagome. He stared when she rose to her feet, staring firmly into his eyes.
"I keep trying to tell your men I am not Kikyo! I'm insulted you'd even associate me with her, but you've kidnapped the wrong person." Kagome reiterated.
"She's been talking that crap since we captured her, Koga." Ginta explained, getting tired of hearing it.
"And she expects us to buy it!" Another spoke up. "More than likely she's wearing a disguise and waiting for the right moment to attack us!"
Kagome was growing irritated, but still tried to keep her cool. "Kikyo doesn't have the patience for that. With her cruelty, she wouldn't have wasted a second killing off everyone here."
"Or so you'd have us think." Koga narrowed his eyes at her.
Kagome's eyes returned to Koga's. "Just where are you going with that?"
Koga inched closer to Kagome and sniffed; his face stilled. Kagome's eyebrow shot up as she stared in curiosity as to why he was acting like a dog.
"You may vaguely resemble Kikyo, but I can tell by your scent you're not her. That bitch is capable of transforming herself completely, but she never had the sense to try and change her scent."
The captain smirked as he found his captive's face intriguing. "Surprised, huh? I am a wolf demon after all. You happen to be a servant to Kikyo, trying to entrap us. Since you look like her, you must be her sister."
SLAP!
All fell silent when a sharp noise echoed in the vast control room. The pirates witnessed Kagome silencing their captain with a fierce slap to the face. When the shock had passed, they became enraged and wished an immediate death upon her.
"It's insulting enough to think me her lackey, but her SISTER! That's degrading!" Kagome yelled.
Koga recovered and snarled at her. He straightened up and the room fell silent again in anticipation as he glared ferociously at his captive. He grabbed Kagome's kimono, lifting her off her feet and rammed his fist straight into her side, striking her ribs.
The crew rejoiced and commended their captain, laughing at Kagome as she fell to the ground, groaning in agony. Koga loomed over her, his face angry.
"That's only a taste of what you'll endure. You're not Kikyo, but you're in cahoots with her in someway!" Koga growled, then his smirk returned. "You shall be a guest on my ship. I welcome you to all facilities. Your powers are constrained by our charms so you won't be a threat to us.
"It shall serve as a last request. For when we reach our home, I will allow my men to each have their part in torturing you. Then when you beg for death, I shall be the one to fulfill your wish."
The room roared with the pirates' cheers, wishing they'd arrive home very soon, when the navigator alerted the crew.
"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN! We got seven massive crafts approaching us! Repeat, seven massive crafts approaching! All of them red!"
The news distressed Koga and distracted him from Kagome. "Give distance!"
"5,000 kilometers and closing, captain! One craft accelerating forward!"
Koga ordered a visual on the screen, which was provided by the other spacecraft.
"Wolf-demon Tribe! This is Captain Ueda of the Ukato army! Under command of her exalted majesty, Queen Kikyo, we order your immediate surrender!"
Koga snarled, baring his fangs. "Shit! It's the queen bitch's guards! ALL HANDS ON DECK! ALL HANDS ON DECK! MAN YOUR POSITIONS! MOVE! MOVE! NOW!"
The announcement struck the pirates and sent them scrambling into their positions, manning the defenses and preparing for a quick escape. Once in position, they awaited Koga's orders.
Captain Ueda started to state his orders again when his eyes landed incredulously on Kagome. "What…? The wench is still alive? How in the bloody universe is that possible?" He exclaimed.
Curious eyes turned toward Kagome, who eyed them back with an irritated, "NOW do you believe me!" glare.
"If I'm alive after this, I'll explain to whoever will listen." Kagome stated.
Captain Ueda disagreed, "You will not, lowly peasant! I sentence you to death for your attempted assassination on her majesty, Queen Kikyo!"
The screen disappeared and the Ukato army advanced toward them, opening fire.
"Raise defense shield (cough) RETURN FIRE (cough!)" Koga ordered.
The pirate ship rained ammunition on the enemy. Within one hundred feet of the Ukato ships, the cannonballs and missiles separated into two hundred fireheads and struck the entire ship at once. The force from the explosion shook the pirate ship, pushing it backward. Ginta and Hakkaku stood on the piloting platform, shielding their eyes from the blinding light. They grinned triumphantly and brought their eyes back to see their victory.
The light and dust faded.
The Ukato spaceship remained unscathed!
"Wolf Demon Pirates! If you're going to strike my ship, inflict me with injurious blasts at the very least!" The captain jeered.
The pirates gawked and clamored in disbelief. Hiding his surprise behind his angered face, Koga ordered another greater round of fire, trying to restrain his coughing. Their weapons hailed on the enemy spacecrafts but to the pirates' dismay, the Ukato army advanced through! Missiles, cannonballs and lasers shot and hit them, but not one ounce of damage was done to the ships. The pirates' attacks soon came to a halt as their ammo was exhausted.
They stared in fear when the Ukato ships stopped their advancement. The pirates turned to their captain for orders; Koga's brain raced for a solution. Captain Ueda smiled maliciously and commanded his army to resume fire!
The army's missiles flew toward their opponents, hitting their shield and shaking the ship forcefully. Koga screamed for the shield's power to be heightened, waiting for the right moment to strike their weak point. After taking many more blows, he decided and gave the command for the use of the plasma cannon.
Ginta quickly manned the massive weapon and aimed it where Koga directed him.
"Position ready, Koga! Waiting on you!" He confirmed.
"FIRE!"
The cannon fired and a gigantic white and green blast shot toward its target, the force sharply pushing the ship back! It struck and a thunderous explosion followed!
Ginta had been thrown to the floor by the cannon's force. Snapping out of his gaze, he looked up through the window at the army spacecrafts. The dust cleared and all of the pirates' faces washed pallid.
The targeted ship was struck at full force but the area was only dented!
Koga looked closely at the damage to the army ship. From the dent, small cracks stretched from the struck area. They spread quickly throughout the ship, parts began to fall off. The severity of the cracks escalated and finally split the ship in half; seconds later it exploded and destroyed the ship beside it! Captain Ueda had first scorned their seemingly pathetic defense, but then cursed his enemies for taking out part of his fleet.
The pirates burst into cheers, praising Ginta for his success. He tried his best not to let his head swell as he absorbed the attention. Koga commended his subordinate but reminded everyone that they hadn't won yet.
Captain Ueda gave the command and the Ukato fleet rained fire on the pirate ship. Koga ordered the shield's power raised to the max. The fleet's firepower far surpassed the pirates' as the impact rattled the ship fiercely. They cried out to Koga, drawing his attention to their last defense.
The shield could not stand the attack any longer; it took all of the energy just to take the blows. It had faded from a glowing green to a faint hue, indicating its rapid weakening. Koga shouted a command to the pilots but it was drowned out by his coughing. A loud hack grasped the crew's attention, everyone casting worrisome glances at their leader.
Hakkaku turned from the controls seeing his captain leaning on the panel, wheezing.
"Yo! You alright, boss?"
Koga coughed more, struggling to speak. "Get us out." He coughed even harder. "Tell Ryo to get us out!"
His coughing calmed down and left him breathless. Koga looked up and found the pirates all staring at him in worry, drawing back as they saw his glare. Another missile hit the shield and shook the ship..
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU CLOWNS WAITING FOR! I SAID 'RETREAT'! RYO, GET US THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"
The pirates scrambled to their positions. Their shield had taken all it could and faded as the last of its power exhausted. The Ukato fleet ceased fire and allowed their captain to have the honor. He opened fire on the pirate ship thrusters and right wing. Within the ship, the sound of distant exploding was heard. Afterward came a series of missiles raining upon the titanium exterior.
Koga snarled. "That son of a bitch! Damage report!"
"Thrusters at fifty-nine percent damage, Koga! The rest of the ship is sustaining!"
BOOM! BLAM! BOOOM!
"Update, thrusters at ninety-six percent damage! Lower east wing under critical damage!"
"Electrical systems are also damaged! Navigation systems have shut down!"
"Koga!" Ryo hollered, trying not panic. "Piloting controls are unoperational!"
Captain Ueda laughed as he saw the pandemonium inside the pirate ship. Another blast set off an explosion inside the ship and completely destroyed their thrusters. He allowed his subordinates to see their enemy's fear, laughing as they found it amusing and taunted the pirates.
"Captain Ueda," One of the soldiers spoke. "Let's send them all to hell, along with that rebellious wench, Kagome!"
"Aye, Captain, it would make her highness happy to see her enemies fry!" Another spoke with enthusiasm.
Captain Ueda smiled wickedly in agreement. He aimed a gigantic missile at the center of the pirate ship; the weapon would fire through the 50ft thick steel frame and the head would ignite and send a tsunami of fire inside the ship, incinerating everything inside.
"Prepare yourselves, wolf pirates! For you all shall burn in hell!"
The missile launched at mach 3 speed toward its target. The Ukato army watched in anticipation for impact. The missile was just 500 ft from the ship's wall when it was deflected and sent back to the army fleet! It hit one of the subordinate's ships and burned everyone inside, the vessel itself exploding minutes later!
"What in bloody hell..!" Ueda roared incredulously.
Koga and his crew gawked at the sight. They clamored as a blue aura surrounded the pirate ship. Koga's eyes turned and found Kagome standing beside the control panel, her hands in various Shinto positions.
"She overpowered our charms." Ginta uttered, staring.
Seconds later, the navigation systems were back online and the electrical systems had been repaired. The pilots looked at the other view of the ship and found the aura had thickened.
Koga kept gawking at Kagome. "YOU'RE doing all of this?"
Kagome teardropped. Pretty dense, aren't you? "My aura will serve as your means of escape! Act now or else Ueda will strike again!"
The pirates looked questioningly at Koga, confused at what do as suspicions were still present. Hakkaku took a glance at the red ships and saw the lead one propel forward. He wasted no time in grabbing the controls and piloting the ship.
"Did you hear the damn woman! Ryo! Get the lead out and retreat!"
The pilots immediately complied and the ship fled away from the army fleet at top speed.
Captain Ueda snarled, "After them, fools! They must not escape with their lives!"
The Ukato army pursued the pirate ship at their captain's frantic roar. The soldiers opened fire on them; which Hakkaku evaded easily, those missiles that struck Kagome's aura were absorbed and converted into fuel. Captain Ueda screamed in rage, wondering how it was that the wolf pirates acquired such a power after exhausting their defenses. It hit him a second later that Kagome was aiding them. Muttering curses, he shot his most powerful lasers at the aura in an attempt to destroy it.
Kagome winced in her position as the lasers' force brought her pain, but she stood her ground. By the time the captain had used half of his ammunition, the wolf pirates' energy reserves had been fully charged.
"Damn that wench!" Ueda roared, continuing to fire at them, aiming at various places to find a weak point.
One of the pirates manning the defenses saw Kagome wince and strain as she was feeling the blows of the captain's lasers. Looking for a way to lighten her burden, an idea came to him.
"That woman's aura's working as our thrusters and shield, so if that's the case...
"Defense! Prepare to fire!" He summoned, and when things were in position…
"FIRE!"
Kagome's aura also provided them with ammunition, which flew at the Ukato army, breaking through their shields and hitting the ships! Koga was pleased at the turn of events and ordered his men to give their enemy hell. They happily obliged, sending their cannonballs, plasma blasts, everything they had raining down on them.
Koga loudly laughed mockingly at Captain Ueda, who appeared flabbergasted at the pirates' newfound favor. "HA! HA! Suck on that, Captain Asswipe!"
The captain seethed at Koga's gloat and swore to make him eat his words. He took aim to fire continuously at the aura when the pirate ship shot forward and separated into four streaks each going in opposite directions! The army ships halted, the soldiers searched all around the area before them, their eyes rested on the lead ship. They awaited orders, fearing to ask as they knew their captain was far from happy.
Ueda gnashed his teeth, his breathing hard as his eyes stared before him. His radar had detected four crafts speeding off, which divided into four more in the distance. Confused as to what action to take, he stayed in place.
"FUCK!" Ueda yelled in frustration.
The soldiers blinked. "Her majesty ain't gonna wanna hear this."
Aboard the pirate ship, the crew burst into loud cheers in celebration of their victory. Kagome's aura dissipitated. Using much of her energy to sustain it, she leaned onto the control panel. Several of them lightly punched her shoulders lightheartedly, complimenting her powers and thanking her for saving their asses. She smiled nervously, wondering if they still planned on killing her later. They made way for Koga as he approached Kagome with a smirk.
"While Captain Blowhard was screaming at you, I heard him say something about your attempt on Kikyo's life. That true?"
"Is it?" One spoke up, interested in hearing Kagome's story. "You promised to explain to whoever would listen, and we're listening."
All the rough eyes focusing on her made Kagome nervous. She noticed they seemed a bit softer this time since she saved them. Kagome explained it wasn't an intended assassination, Kikyo had attacked her and she was merely acting in self-defense.
"She got wounded pretty badly then whined about it like a spoiled princess." Kagome smirked.
Her comment emitted laughter from the pirates. She went on to explain how she was seeking the last shard of the Shikon no Tama to avenge the slaughter of her village and adopted grandmother as well as dethrone Kikyo. Kagome's solemn voice hung in the silence. She glanced up at the pirates and saw their faces softened with much sympathy.
"I apologize." Koga stated. "I thought you were Kikyo's subordinate, but it's obvious you wouldn't be caught dead with her."
The rest of the crew gave apologies as well, feeling just awful for thinking she was related to Kikyo.
Kagome gave a small smile with a teardrop. "You guys aren't still gonna kill me…are you?"
"After you just saved our asses? Hell no!" Ryo exclaimed with a huge grin. "We're on your side right, Koga? Koga?"
They turned to their captain and found him coughing again. It didn't phase the pirates too much until the coughs grew harsher, then they became even more concerned. Koga had difficulty breathing and fell onto his knees, gasping and wheezing when he had finally stopped.
"You okay now, Koga?" Hakkaku asked after summoning someone to get Koga some water.
Koga inhaled deep and heavy as he tried to catch his breath. He was presented with a bowl of water, but went into another sporadic coughing fit as he reached for it. Koga leaned on the floor, hacking fiercely.
Blood poured onto the marble.
Kagome watched in horror as more streamed from his mouth with each hack. Several of the pirates gathered their captain as his eyes rolled up then fell unconscious from lack of air, running behind Ginta and Hakkaku out of the control room. The others went about their business, cleaning up the blood on the floor.
Kagome stood staring at the entrance, worrying for Koga. Wondering where they might've taken him, she wandered around the ship.
oooooooooooooooooooo Author's Notes oooooooooooooooooooo:
(4/11/06 (bows) I apologize for all the typos, I was in a hurry to deliever this to Minmay-chan.) Thanks again for reading! If my reviews don't shoot up, its good to know my ratings are still climbing! This one's for you, Minmay-chan as well as everyone else who asked for more!
Arigatou gozaimasu de gozaru! See y'all next chapter!