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Chapter 3 –

Sesshomaru looked out over the edge of the ship to the cold water below. Then he glanced back up to the horizon. By now he could see the private island straight ahead and for some reason he felt a little giddy inside.

The passengers had been on the boat for about a week and by now all of the women had come to introduce themselves to him. And all the men had given him glares worthy of an award. Sesshomaru snorted in disgust. They were all under him and didn't deserve a creditable answer from him.

Sesshomaru wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead under his bangs. As he brushed them away his black hair swung back in front of his face. Sesshomaru growled a warning at his hair and swept it back again. A couple of teenage girls glanced at him as they passed and he nodded his head at them, while inside he howled in pain.

Why did his father do this to him? Why couldn't Sesshomaru just stay in his little office? He didn't like being around big crowds and he never had. He felt larger then most humans and he didn't like communicating with them. Sesshomaru glanced at his watch and sighed, it was almost time to get off this damn boat. He felt so cauliastiphobic he had never been able to be in or on a moving object for long before he felt the need to jump off and swim or leap to safety.

A horn sounded above him and he glance through his bangs to the shoreline. A crowd of people had gathered and they shouted many things at the passengers, but no one really paid much attention and that included Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru looked at the watch yet again and almost howled out loud. He really wanted to get to his room and just rest there until everyone went to bed, then maybe he could have some moments of peace.

Unexpectedly, a hand came out of nowhere and pushed against his chest. He glanced down in annoyance to find the rest of the body come next. A scream came with the whole package and Sesshomaru tried to close his ears to the sound so close to them.

'What do I do to deserve this?' He thought tiredly.

But he kept the person up in his arms and then waited for the apology. But it never came. He glanced down ready to remind them that he just saved them from becoming hurt on the first day of their vacation when the woman ran back into his arms and hugged him so tight he felt his insides squish.

"Please, let me go madam. I would like to have my insides to eat some food when we get off the boat." Sesshomaru tried manly to disengage himself but the woman held on tighter. "LET GO NOW, WENCH!" But as he said it he began to laugh loudly.

The little minx had begun to tickle him! Sesshomaru's mind went blank with fury. Only a few friends knew about him being ticklish, he didn't want everyone knowing this when he could be taken with his weakness. And he was about to tell her to go screw something when he glanced down and had to do a double take.

A girl that he thought he would never see again was in his arms where she had been when he left. The raven strains of hair fell over his hands holding her shoulders. As he watched the long eyelashes began to flutter open to reveal the green, blue eyes of his first friend ever.

But she wasn't the girl he had left behind, she had become a woman and her lips teased him with the temptation to kiss her, so full and ripe for the taking. Sesshomaru jerked himself away from her and was mortified that he had actually been moving closer to her lips as if he was a fly and she was the trap.

He slowly shook his head and then put his hands away from her. Her lips began to lift in a small smile. He held his breath as she quickly hugged him around the neck and then stepped back. Giving him a salute.

"Hello Sesshomaru! I've missed you so much." Kagome's bell voice sounded around him and in his ears. Sesshomaru's heart actually skipped a beat. Sesshomaru went into himself and started trying to find an explanation for this new emotion coursing through him. He didn't even know what to call it.

'I am not going to talk to her if this is what she brings out in me. I will just push it down as far as it will go and I will ignore her. I am not going to show emotion or feel anything because that makes you vulnerable.' Sesshomaru backed away and gave her a curt nod then turned his back on her. As he turned he heard an infuriated gasp from her and had to work extra hard to keep his mask in place.

'No emotion to show, no vulnerability to feel. No more.' And Sesshomaru cut of his emotions.

Kagome trembled in rage. Her vision going red around the edges. How dare he go and turn his back on his best friend. She glanced behind her to glance at Sango who was now turned talking to Miroku. And Kagome felt her lips form an evil grin.

"Oh, Sango! Guess who I found that you have been dying to see again to 'hug' to death?" She asked sweetly, as naïve as ever.

Sesshomaru turned, his mask slipping a millisecond into shock and horror. He began looking around as if trying to find a way to escape, but Sango had seen him. And she walked forward as if in a trance then Kagome plugged her ears. She knew what would happen.

'3…'

"Sesshomaru…" Sango started.

'2…'

"You're really here again…"

Kagome sighed silently and then grinned at Sesshomaru.

'1…'

Sango's scream echoed over the tiny boat and into the small dock area and Kagome could feel all eyes on them as if they couldn't believe what sound they had just heard.

"HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE LIKE THAT?" Sango ran toward him in break-neck speed and then pounded him with fists on the chest. "How could you just promise to come back every weekend and would never leave without telling us. But no you were just like every other guy, leaving and never saying anything. You know that I was (and am) still scared of people leaving. It's like they die on you but you know that they are still alive."

Sango's breath left her and she fell forward into Sesshomaru's arms with a sob then pounded on his chest while she cried. As Kagome raised her face up to his she smiled slightly, and he looked at her exasperatedly. Kagome shrugged her arms and then came forward slightly.

"She missed you…" Kagome stated. Then she brought her hand up to his face and moved a lock of hair that had fallen out of place. "Like other people have. After you kinda forgot about us." Kagome turned away and looked at a few other men around them. A group of men caught her eye and she turned to give them the 'look'. Everyone knows the look. The look that you give guys you think are potential men for your life. The hunting look. But soon she was gagging as she watched them leer at her and size up her body.

Kagome groaned out loud and turned to find Sesshomaru watching her. She thought for a millisecond that he had been glowering at the boys that she had been glancing at but she wasn't sure at all. Kagome looked closely at him and then just shook her head. Men were to weird at times to understand. Including Sesshomaru it seemed. Kagome sighed then went up to him in her most seductive way possible.

"Thank you Sesshomaru for not giving her the cold shoulder like you did me." She whispered in his ear and for his ear alone.

Kagome smiled slightly at him. "Remember that." And then she walked back down the stairs to her and Sango's room to gather up her remaining clothes. They would deck soon and she didn't want anything lost.

Kagome didn't see the dark figure look into the porthole of her room and then disappear with a smirk on his face. But if she had maybe she would have been warned in advance.

(Break)

"Yes, they're all here! I can finish my fathers research and then get my vengeance taken care of as well." Naraku chuckled and turned to the tall black haired girl behind him.

"Kagura!" He shouted at her. Kagura turned to him and her red eyes glowing in the sunlight. "Yes, my lord?" She asked in her quiet way.

Naraku crept forward and held onto her breast in a disgusting way. But she just stiffened in his arms and he grinned sickeningly. "You will go and give our guests their rooms and their food for the evening then we may begin." Kagura nodded and swept away from him with as much grace as can be expected when you have been in a situation you don't want to be. Naraku watched her walk away and then turned back to the docking ship. Yes, their vacation was up now they had to do what he said.

He laughed out loud and watched Kagura approach the line of people down there. He watched as she told them to follow her and then he watched the last foursome walk up the plank. He knew them well and would make them pay for what they had done to him. For what they had put him through, they would PAY!

"Naraku, Kagura has begun showing them their rooms and has given them the refreshments." A nasal masculine voice sounded behind him and Naraku clapped to get the attention of the servants by him.

"Leave me and him be! Go hide yet again in your small quarters." He yelled at them as he tore the closet's girls dress down the front. She scrambled back and was helped out by all the other serfs. Yes, life was excellent.

Naraku turned to the young man in front of him. The young man was about 25 years old and had amber eyes. His dark black hair was always staticy from this warm humid weather. The young man had begged so prettily to be saved from his fate of being an experiment. Naraku snorted, he thought he had been saved from going through that but all his servants and workers would go into the experiment pile one day, they had just prolonged their torment.

"What do you want, man?" Naraku growled low, his eyes narrowing. The man gulped audibly. "I just wanted to know what to do next." He stated slowly and carefully, backing away from Naraku as he talked. Naraku barked out a loud laugh. "You just wanted to know that, you already know what to do, you go and give them their food then let them rest. I've told you that again and again. Are you so stupid you can't even understand that?" He asked unbelievably.

The man flinched and turned away from Naraku. "No, I am not so stupid I can't understand that." And he walked away down the small hallway to his small closet of a room.

"Father, hear me now. I will be the richest man on earth and have my own war items. My own monsters! My own things. No one will steal them away from me, not this time." Naraku glanced up at the darkening sky. It was time to get to work and he better start if he didn't want to be late on this first experiment.

A low moan was heard down in the trees of his island as he turned away. The horror of these things that he did would catch up to him one day, one day. And the thing down in the trees waited and waited. It could be patient.

(Break)

Sango looked around the room that she had gotten. It was small and had only a small twin sized bed. Sango snorted, oh yeah real 5 star service. The window in her room was so small that she could only stick her head out barely. Sango looked at it confusedly

'Did any of the safety guys come and check this place out? The window wouldn't let me get through if there was a fire, it's like the owner wants us to be trapped.' Sango laughed nervously and shook the thought out of her head. 'Don't be silly!'

She went over to the light switch and turned it on cautiously and backed away swallowing a shrill scream when the light sputtered and sparks went flying out everywhere. Sango ran out of her room to the room across the hall. She looked behind her and shuddered, she was not going to sleep in there. Just to spite her there was probably rats and spiders in every nook and cranny.

She banged on the door and waited a total of 10 seconds before it opened. She didn't even glance at the face; she just barged in and began sputtering about her room being a complete mess. And not being able to sleep in there, so she would just bunk down here tonight if that was okay with whoever was in here. That was when she glanced up to see who was in the room and she laughed nervously.

"Hey, Miroku." She said hesitantly. She began backing up to the door. Miroku grinned so hard that she was in fear that his face would stay that way. Miroku came over to her and then began to stagger backward his head in his hands. Sango ran forward and was by his side as he began to fall down.

"Miroku! What's the matter? Why are falling over like this? If you're just doing this to get my attention it isn't working." Sango brought his hand away from his head and he looked up at her slowly.

"Sango, I feel really sleepy. You can sleep in here if you want but I guess I'm not going to be a very good host." He smiled slightly and touched her cheek. And her breath caught in her throat and she felt herself lean forward to be even closer to the touch.

Miroku's hand fell away and she looked down at him seeing his chest rise and fall with his breaths. He really did look very handsome when he wasn't trying to be a pervert. She glanced around trying to find something when she found it. The drink that he got when they were in a big group looking around the estate. She glanced down at him and then smelt the drink, She brought her head back quickly after a quick whiff of the stuff. "The drink has been poisoned." She said softly, looking down at him resting.

Sango looked around cautiously and then began to walk around the room trying to find anything out of place. But the room was just like hers, completely and utterly empty. "Why did they poison him?" She asked in the silence. And then she began walking to the door and opened it, to hear voices in the hallway. She was about to ask them to come here and see if they could revive Miroku, but then she heard what they were talking about.

"Kagura, keep to the left of the hall and collect all the experiments and don't get hurt in the process like last time." A man said to a red-eyed woman. The man's back was turned to Sango and she couldn't make out exactly what he looked like. He was to far into the shadows to tell. Sango realized that she had gone out of the conversation and that they were talking yet again.

"Yes, sir. Please, would you mind telling me where to take them after I collect them?" The woman said delicately. The man laughed loudly and Sango glanced around to see if anyone else was peeking out of their rooms but they weren't it was just her.

'Oh, great.' She thought despairingly.

She looked back at Miroku and sighed, she really wasn't that brave and she really didn't like pain. She would try to save herself and him. Maybe then she could find Kagome and Sesshomaru. When she turned back to the door to look outside she found herself looking into the deep, blood, red eyes of the man that had ordered the woman.

Sango stumbled back and began screaming bloody murder and was about to run around the man when he grabbed her around the neck and held her pulsing point.

"Do you feel that?" He asked quietly behind her, his breath rough against her neck and Sango trembled with the sickness inside herself. "I could kill you right now if I wanted to. But I'll keep you alive and you wont have to be an experiment if you promise to behave yourself and do everything I say."

Sango felt her conscience say no but she couldn't deal with being brave right now. She felt her head and body say yes and she echoed the answer. "Yes! Yes, I'll do anything to keep myself safe!" She cried. The man smiled stiffly and hit her in the back of the head and she fell down crying softly while she looked over to where Miroku lay.

'I'm sorry.' She thought silently to the body a while away. And as she watched the man went and bent down to give Miroku a good shake. He's just seeing if Miroku is awake. And he wasn't. The man bent down and took out a small needle and stuck it in his arm. Miroku moaned but didn't awake while he was doing this. And then the man turned to her.

"Watch him today and tomorrow and if he gets a fever just let it pass I want notes on what happens to him. Do you understand? Everyday I want you to hand me something about what happened." He leaned down to her level and smiled and she gasped shooting up.

"NARAKU!" She shouted. The small pale boy that used to follow them around and wanted to hang out with them in high school. The one they made fun of and then the day he decided to threaten Kagome. Oh, Sesshomaru got so made at him and almost killed him.

Naraku smiled evilly. "Glad that you remember me." He said simply and then walked away locking the door behind him.

Sango sank down beside Miroku and began to cry hysterically. She had pretty much sold her soul to the devil. She had done the unthinkable. What should she do? She didn't even know what that shot had been for.

After a while she felt a hand in her hair and she fell asleep, while Miroku began to awaken.

(Break)

Miroku felt the strains of a fever heating his forehead and he moved his head to look down at the sleeping woman by him. She was so beautiful and shy; he simply couldn't keep away from her charm. She seemed to grab his attention every time he came near her. The throbbing in his head began then and he groaned out loud, looking quickly down at Sango as he did.

She didn't stir though and he breathed out in a rush, making his body hurt for a second. '

'What was happening to him?' He wondered, moving his hand down his face and pulling at the skin. He had to see what had happened to him. One minute he had been awake and lively when he had begun to fall asleep on his feet. And he had finally gotten Sango in his room!

Perfect way to end the day.

Sango began stirring by him and he brought his whole body to stillness. A mumbling echoed from her and she brought her head up to look over him. Miroku gazed up at her steadily and she gasped backing away in the progress. She seemed to be holding in tears for some unknown reason.

Miroku slowly lifted himself on his hands and stared at her, trying to keep the grimace down to minor. But Sango saw right through it and began crying to Miroku's utter surprise. He hadn't seen her cry for the past year since they had been working together. What made her want to now?

"Sango, What's the matter?" he asked softly staring over at her since it seemed he couldn't move at all. Sango just looked over at him again and burst crying more. Miroku didn't like to point this out but he really didn't like it when girls cried.

"Sango… please stop! I don't really like it when you cry." He was trying to raise his voice over her racket but it was giving him a major headache and he bent forward with a sharp curse. Right then Sango finished crying and ran over to him.

She put his head back on his pillow and then began stroking his hair away from his face. Not that he would tell anyone, but he had never had that happen to him before. What did it mean?

"I'll protect you and keep you safe." She spoke softly and he barely heard. "I won't let them kill you. Don't worry! Just go to sleep and I'll take care of everything else."

Miroku felt his eyes begin to slide shut and he tried unsuccessfully to ask her what she meant.

Right before he fell to sleep he thought he heard one last thing,

"I'm such a monster."