Blanket Disclaimer: The writer does not own any characters created by Rumiko Takahashi but like everyone else wishes she did. All original characters or concepts are the author's Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).

Chapter Seven:

Attack on Port Royal

Kagome lay in her bed on her back, her eyes wide opened, it seemed that tonight sleep was greatly eluding her. She turned to her side, hair spilling over her shoulder onto her arm. She reached down and touched the ends of the strands. Running them between her fingers she sighed and turned back to her back, one hand coming to rest on her forehead as she looked up at the ceiling in her room. It was white, plain, ordinary, kind of like her and bordering it was fabulously crafted crown molding of a deep burgundy color. She studied that crown molding around the ceilings perimeter and sighed at the regal look of it. It didn't suit her or her taste at all. It was too proper and expected, too perfect, everything she was supposed to be.

Shifting again to her side Kagome closed her eyes, begging sleep to come to her. She couldn't stand to be awake any longer. But just like every other time she had closed her eyes tonight and started to fall into the realm of the unaware, her mind inevitably went back to a place she desperately didn't want it to go. The place behind her eyelids, where projected in front of her vision she saw him.

She saw his beautiful golden eyes, hooded and soft as they looked into her own grey ones. Even in her imagination they overwhelmed her senses as they grew closer to her, a close face in front of her nose, hovering over her just in reach for a kiss. She could feel it against her skin, she could feel the way his lips on her hand had felt, the way his lips on her forehead had felt, the love he seemed to breathe into her as those moist lips touched her flesh. It was all in her mind's eye—vivid as if it was real.

"Miss. Dresmont, may I kiss you?"

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she set up in bed, her heart was racing from her own imagination's game. She brought a hand to her face touching the slight perspiration on her skin, tears forming in her eyes for reasons she couldn't quite grasp.

"What's wrong with me?" She questioned herself before looking out the window of her room at the moon as it hovered over the vast ocean. She watched it for several minutes, her eyes fixated on the object, staring at it, captivated by the color, it was pulling her in, the soft goldish hue. Kagome's eyes went huge again and she huffed as she realized that even the moon reminded her of the Captain's eyes.

Irritated Kagome turned away from the window, her hands falling at her sides from where she sat on the bed. She clutched the sheets between her fingers and closed her eyes tightly, trembling as she grew even more confused. "Why?" She questioned herself. "Why did he have to be married? It's not fair."

The sound of something tearing caused her to open her eyes hastily. She looked down at her hands and let go instantly as she saw the torn sheet beneath the delicate appendages. She smoothed the fabric with a sigh before looking out the window again. There was a blackened shadow on the dark horizon, curious she swung her feet to the edge of the bed and placed them on the smooth floor, the pads of her toes touching the ground. Carefully, she walked to the window and looked out into the harbor. Looming there in the distance was the source of the shadow, the Captain's ship, the Wounded Sea.

Her mind wandered to the people on that ship, to the lies they were living. The Captain a married man seeking love from outside sources, his wife an admitted adulterer who found comfort in the Captain's right hand man, the right hand man who lied to the Captain everyday with no apparent regret. It was a deceitful love affair caused by people being forced to wed for propriety and money and prestige. "Is that what society does to us. It forces us into a web of lies?"

She bit her lip as her mind drifted to her own impending marriage. Would she live that same life, that woven spiders nest of falsehood and deceit? Would she have an affair and silently stand by the side of man she didn't love, only to vacate his bed in the night to lay in another's? Was that the life she wanted, the life that Mrs. Smith and Captain Smith were living, in the world of affairs and appearances? Kagome turned away from the view of the sea and leaned on the window frame before she slumped to the floor. She brought her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

If she stayed in Port Royal she would live that life, she realized, and she would hate herself for it. And if she went to the Captain's arms and allowed him the affair he wanted, she knew she would hate herself also. She wasn't that woman, the woman who slept in another woman's marriage bed. No matter how she felt about him, how much she liked him (arguably loved him) she knew she couldn't be the other woman. It wasn't fair to the Captain's wife, even if she had already made it to another man's bed, and it wasn't fair to Kagome. She deserved more than that, she knew she did, she as well as every woman in the world deserved to be happy and loved singularly.

"I just want to be happy." Kagome found tears pricking at her eye lashes as she hastily wiped her face. All she wanted was to be herself, to be free of guilt and remorse, of social class and vendetta. But what could she do, what could she say? She couldn't go to the Captain and gain that freedom—to go to him was to lock herself into that life of deceit, to stay in Port Royal was to lock herself into that same life with a different man.

In that moment, Kagome felt true hatred boil in her blood; it was a sensation she had never felt before.

She hated herself for kissing a married man, she hated herself for being too weak to fight for her right to marry for love, she hated herself for being a bad daughter, she hated herself for never being what she wanted to be, but most of all, she hated herself for not having the courage to be what she wanted to be.

"I just," Kagome felt the anger in her heart burn. "Want to be free!"

Looking up she noticed the first light of the sun peaking over the horizon, she wanted to go towards it. She wanted to find out where the sun came from everyday—she wanted to know the whole of the world, she wanted to see everything. She wanted to go to Africa and see the lions, she wanted to go to Asia and see a Panda Bear, she wanted to go to Australia and play among the colored fishes along a giant reef. She wanted to go to Ireland, to Wales, to Scotland, to Germany, to Russia. She wanted to go everywhere. She wanted to see everything but she never would—she couldn't change herself, she couldn't change her fate.

"Why can't I?" she questioned the early morning deeming of the stars, "Why can't I just leave this life and be happy? Why will I end up like Mrs. Smith no matter what I do!" Tears burst down her face as she cried, sobbed into her hands already knowing the answer to her own question.

It wasn't an option to go with the Captain, instead she would just have to grit her teeth and bare her lot in life—she had been born a woman after all. And as a woman she had a duty to her family. It was her job to marry well, to instill good contacts between her family and the family of her husband. That was the way of the world, the way of people like her and Mrs. Smith. It was their job to be what they had been raised to be—the perfect wife to the perfect husband. Matters of love or want had nothing to do with that decision. Her feelings didn't matter to her mother or father, her feelings didn't matter to Henry Morgan or his son. The only thing that mattered was that she was a woman and as a woman she had to obey—it was a matter of propriety.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head backwards listening to the ocean as the tide ebbed and waned outside. She had made her choice, it was here she would stay and she would marry Naraku Morgan and she would lead a miserable life. It was a matter of propriety, not a matter of the heart.

"It is not a matter of propriety, it is a matter of my heart."

Kagome's eyes snapped open as the saying flip flopped in her mind, the words of Mrs. Smith unwittingly entering her brain. "My heart?" She said into the silent dawn filled air. She shook her head, "My heart doesn't matter." She told herself, it was not something she could consider, her duty was all that mattered.

Mrs. Smith was wrong for even thinking that her heart was more important than her connection to her family. The heart and duty were two different things, she shouldn't even wonder what the heart might want when duty was the forefront of her existence. Still, Kagome couldn't help but be curious, toying with the idea in her head.

"What does my heart want?" She questioned as she looked at her bedroom. It was filled with sewing needles, clothes, brushes, make-up, hats, and other accessories. There were no books anymore, her mother had said a lady did not need them, there were no painting supplies anymore, her mother said it was unnecessary for a lady, there were no musical instruments anymore, her mother said she had learned enough of frivolous playing, there was nothing in that bedroom anymore, nothing that made Kagome happy.

Kagome thought of the Captain and smiled, she had been very happy in her short lived time with him but why? The answer to that question was really easy for her to find. In the end, Kagome didn't have to think on it at all, she simply had to close her eyes and envision him standing tall in front of her, his mouth closed and his whole body perked towards her, taking in her every word as if he wanted to listen to what she had to say. It had felt good to think that someone had wanted to listen to her. He had made her feel for the first time in her life like she mattered, like her opinion was not something to shun away. She was glad that she had kissed him, that a man who looked at her like she mattered had been the first and only man to touch her lips with his own.

She stood again and turned back to the window—looking out at the vast sea before her. She could see the ship, there was a single light still lit within—it was in the Captain's room. She felt love grow in her body as she stared at that light and watched it bob up and down. "I was so happy," She told the wind. "I was so elated that he listened." She gulped and brought a hand to her chest, her eyes watery. "You were the first person to let me be myself."

She thought of their kiss, she thought of the way he kissed her hand, she thought of the way they had danced but none of these things gave her the same tingle that talking to him had. They had spoke of the sea, they had talked about their love of it, they had talked about ambitions and wants, and he had listened, he had shared. It was not something she could say of any other man.

"Maybe that's why I'm attracted to him," She pondered out loud, her voice soft in the dark. "Because he, his ship mates, they liked me for who I was."

Kagome buried her head in her palms and tried to control the urge to cry. She didn't want to go back to a life where she was expected to be someone she was not, she didn't want to feel unloved, she didn't want to live as a person who was not wanted by their family, blood or married. She didn't want to be 'that' girl anymore. She wanted to 'change' and she wanted to be herself for the first time in her life. That was what her heart wanted, more than anything.

Kagome looked out into the sea and felt something swell within her, it was the need to leave Port Royal. She had to leave. "It is not a matter of propriety," She said with conviction. "It is a matter of what my heart wants. And my heart," She took a deep breath and blinked back tears. "My heart wants to be free, it wants to live free on the sea."

A gentle breeze blew into the window and Kagome closed her eyes. Yes, she just wanted a life where she could be who she was and no one else. She wanted to be free, free from the world of social constants, even if that meant leaving the one person she had ever been attached to. She closed her eyes as the Captain's smile filled that place behind her eye lids. A part of her didn't want to let that smile go but at the same time, she knew that to truly be happy with her life, she would have to abandon all connections to that world of proper societal behavior and live as her own person.

She looked down at the beach and wondered how she could accomplish such a thing. She was a woman and women were not allowed on the sea, women were to have nothing to do with the sea. So how could she travel the sea and become free, controlling her own life? "If only I had been born a man." She snorted and then paused.

"Wouldn't it had been nice to have been born a man?"

Kagome's head shot up as the thought crashed through her like a bullet—to have been born a man. There was no way she could actually be a man but there was a way that she could pretend to be a man. She had heard of female pirates who had accomplished it, she had heard of the Coral of the sea, the lady Sango, (whom she had also met unaware of the fact) she had heard of Anne Bonny and Mary Read. They had all done it, dressed as men so well hidden that they were not known to be women. But how to make it work in such a short amount of time? There was no way to be hired onto a vessel, Port Royal was not the place people went to take on ship hands, so there had to be another way.

The only vessel they had seen in months was currently in the harbor, it was her only option. If she waited for another to come to dock—there was a chance one would not come in time for her to disappear before her wedding. She had to get on Captain Inuyasha's ship somehow.

Kagome looked at the vessel, if the mast was almost done then it would be leaving soon and if that was the case then she would have missed her chance. A sudden thought occurred to Kagome—what if she boarded the ship as a male stowaway? Even if she was found, looking like a man, they would simply leave her in Charleston once they got there. She could get out—she could leave this place—she could make a new life somewhere else. Even if it wasn't on the ocean from the start, at least she would be free of the place she had been tortured so.

She smirked, if she did it well enough then the Captain, Mrs. Smith, the First Mate—they would never even realize what she had done. But, a small part of her was saddened by that thought. She wanted them to know but Kagome couldn't do it, she couldn't live their life, she knew she was no adulterer.

Kagome turned back towards her room and walked towards her bedroom door, her mind already knowing what to do. Being barefoot she made hardly any noise as she moved up the stairway—years of practice telling her which steps to jump over. She entered her father's room, knowing he was already gone for the day and sifted through his things.

She managed to find an overcoat, pants, stockings, and an old pair of shoes. Putting them on, for the first time in her life, she felt liberated. Without a dress to hinder her movements she felt surprisingly free. Smiling in satisfaction she dug in the closet some more, coming across a dusty hat box. Opening it she smiled in triumph as a traditional three cornered hat emerged from the old rotting wood. She placed it on her head and moved to stand in front of the mirror, taking in the sight of herself dressed as a man. It didn't take long for Kagome to see one major flaw in her plan. Carefully, she reached up and touched her hair, it was long down her back, too long.

"I'll need a wig." She concluded and turned to look at her father's dresser where his mannequin usually set to hold his wig. Her heart sunk when she saw it empty and realized that her father only had one wig.

She turned back to her father's mirror and looked at her gorgeous hair as it lay mused on her shoulders, it would mark her as a woman no matter what she did and she couldn't exactly just stuff it in her hat. If the hat ever flew off, the hair would tumble out and she would be found out, a dangerous thing for a woman pretending to be a man. Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath, there was only one solution she could think of and it brought tears to her eyes but she knew if she wanted to change her life she would first have to change herself.

Stiffly she walked across the room to a small table where a water basin lay, at its side a sharp knife used for shaving. Kagome knew that if that knife could shave her father's morning beard, then it would diffidently cut her hair. She gulped and looked at the blade, it was fiercely sharp, she could tell by the way it shimmered in the pre-dawn light. With a shaky hand she reached for it, taking it into her grasp. For several seconds she stared at the overly sharp blade, wondering if she was making the right choice.

"My duty is to my heart," Mrs. Smith's voice range in her head with conviction. She would not live the life of that woman, she wanted to live the life she wanted.

Turning back to the mirror she drew her hair into a pony tail, wrapping it tightly in a stiff collection of strands before she took the blade to the end of it. "One," She whispered as she brought the blade right against the beginning of the pony tail. "Two," She touched some of the hairs with the sharp blade, she felt them pull away from her head. "Three."

With one swift motion her hair fell to the ground in a heap. Kagome closed her eyes tightly, afraid to look as her chin pointed down to the ground. With a precautionary breath she opened her eyes and took in the sight of the pile of hair laying haphazardly on the floor. Her heart pounded in her chest, she was scared to look in the mirror, but with all her will power she finally forced her eyes upwards and took in her own reflection as if for the first time.

She gasped in disbelief as she took in the sight of the new person in the mirror, the short haired person looking back at her. For as long as she could remember her hair had always been long, even as a little girl. Her mother had often told her that long hair was the best hair for attracting a man. Kagome found herself grinning—she wouldn't attract anyone now.

A small part of her felt disappointed though as she looked into the mirror. Even if she changed her mind and decided to go to the Captain, there was no way he would take her now. A part of Kagome knew that was for the better. This would strengthen her resolve and keep her on the right path to becoming a person she would not eventually hate.

Still, she had to wonder, what would it have been like to be the Captain's mistress? Would it have been thrilling, would it have been full of love and devotion? Kagome was sad she would never know but at the same time she knew she couldn't have been the other woman. If she was going to be with a man like the Captain she would have to be first and foremost in his mind. She would have to be the center of attention, they both would have to be in love. She trembled at the thought—she would have very much enjoyed being the center of those gold eyes' world and the one those golden eyes loved most.

Pushing those thoughts aside Kagome brought the razor to her head and trimmed her hair further; she slowly took in the sight of her transformation, seemingly impressed. She placed her father's three cornered hat on her head again and ruffled the now short bangs so they fell into place. She looked like a wimp or a twelve year old boy. Maybe even a younger Mr. Woodson, or at least her hair resembled his a little. It was probably a bit shorter though. Reaching for her hair on the back of her neck she drew it together just to see if she could place it in a rat tail like Mr. Woodson wore his hair—she just barely made it.

She grimaced at the thought but then pushed the doubts out of her mind. This was the way it had to be and it was diffidently for the best. She turned away from the mirror and grabbed a piece of parchment her father had left on the dresser. Hastily, she scripted a message to leave for her family and then turned to walk out of the room. Before she left it completely, however, she felt a small pain come into her heart telling her to turn around.

Wearily she followed its advice and found herself staring at a stranger in her father's mirror. The seemingly teenage boy looking back at her was hard for her to watch and for the first time in her life, she understood how much she really liked being a woman. Closing her eyes she thought on what she was about to do. The chance to be a man—the ability to give up her femininity—was it worth it? She liked being a woman, she liked being wooed by the Captain, but then again, he was the first and only person who had ever made her feel remotely feminine. So what was wrong with pretending to be a man, what was different?

Her mind drifted to the freedom she would be obtaining. She thought of the magnitude of things she would be able to do, the things she would be able to see. She could go anywhere; she could do anything, as long as her guise was that of a man. That made it worth it; the freedom and the potential made it so worth it.

Opening her eyes she was greeted with her boyish face in the mirror again. She would need to rub some dirt on it to make it more convincing, she noted.

She left the room then, stopping only briefly in her own to place the note on her pillow, before she went downstairs and out of the house completely. Kagome stepped out into the barely dawn light and looked towards the captain's ship. It sat there bobbing in the ocean, inviting her to its decks. She glanced at the light on the horizon, the sun having not yet emerged told her it was nearly five in the morning. She didn't have much time.

Quickly, she walked towards it on the beach. Her feet heavy in her father's large boots, she came to a small row boat belonging to her younger brother. Pushing it into the sea, as she had seen done several times, she jumped into the small vessel without preamble, her eyes still trained on the ship. It appeared that the only light was that of the Captain's room still. She gulped; she hoped the Captain wouldn't see her coming towards the vessel.

Again she reached up and touched her hair before she sighed softly, "I'm sorry, Captain." She said as she began to row towards the bobbing ship.

A part of her knew exactly why she had said that.

-break-

Some hours later found Inuyasha standing at the helm of his ship, his hands running along the ship's wheel slowly. He wasn't actually steering, no, the ship was still stationed in Port Royal, waiting for the right time to strike. He was simply lost in thought, lost within himself, thinking about someone else other than himself. "Miss. Dresmont."

His eyes glanced up as the sun continued to rise above Port Royal, casting a beautiful yellow hue over the landscape of the port town. He sighed as the light took over the town, dawn had been some time ago but they had decided to wait just a little bit longer before the attack began. They wanted to wait for the nine o'clock changing of the guards, since they had missed the five o'clock change. It was best to attack a port during a guard change when the city was at its most vulnerable. He had done this so many times, attacked a town and raided it, that he knew exactly the best methods. It was almost a game to him, attacking port towns and yet this time, he got none of the same thrill he normally did.

Usually, he felt his demon blood awaken within him, fighting for control, clawing at his mental barriers but this time, it was dormant seeming to be completely docile. Inuyasha rubbed his forehead at the thought, longing to be lost in that blood lust and rage. He gritted his teeth as the wind picked up around him moving his familiar long red velvet jacket about his thighs.

"This is who I am." He told himself as he felt his clothes move against his skin. His baggy pants pushed against his legs, their black material soft, unlike the itchy wool of the navy uniform. His white simple undershirt was also soft as it brushed against his chest, airy as it moved. They were clothes designed for fighting, not constricting and not tight. "I can't be the man she wants, it's better for her, better if she stays away."

He stretched his whole body, his arms above his head, popping his shoulders and neck. He twitched his ears voluntarily atop his head and grinned at the feel of the wind touching the tiny hairs of his fur. His hair brushed his waist and he clicked his tongue in pleasure. He was free, free on the sea once again, he was once again free to be the man he really was, the pirate Captain Inuyasha of the ship Shikuro.

And even if it was a little sad, even if there was a part of his heart that was screaming at him, he knew it had to be this way.

He glanced at the Port and made himself smirk, his thoughts forced to the back of his mind. There was only one other ship in the Port, thank god for that, and it was a mere sloop. When it came to a battle of speed a sloop, although technically faster than any other Galley on the Caribbean, would not out race his ship. That was the reason he had taken so much time designing and changing his original vessel. He had been able to adapt it for maximum speed and fighting capabilities. There was not another ship like it and that was why he always won.

"Miroku!" He yelled over his shoulder, the younger man rushed up the stairs and appeared at his side in no time.

"Captain?" He addressed while wiping some sweat from his forehead. He had been working all morning preparing for the attack.

"Did we scrape the underside last night?" Inuyasha was referring to cleaning the bottom of the ship, freeing it of barnacles and snags that were typical of boats. A ship that had too many things stuck to her bottom was slower than a clean ship. Inuyasha made sure, if he could help it, to keep the bottom clean before all major raids on land or sea, unlike the typical navy ship that didn't bother. His ship might be fast but he wanted to make sure he had every possible advantage.

"Aye, we're clean." Miroku replied as he looked at the men who were busy gathering guns and ammunition. They had already loaded the first round of cannon balls and were now stockpiling other small ammunitions next to the cannons for easy access.

"Alright." Inuyasha took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We're gon'a destroy the dock, and then go to Gallows Point."

Miroku nodded, they had already been over the plan a few times. First they would do a cannon strike on the docks, followed by a fire strike to keep the people busy. While the officials of Port Royal were attempting to put out the fires they would take the ship around the island to Fort James and then Gallows' Point—at which time they would do the same to the Gallows. He smirked at the idea of destroying the dreaded Gallows, it was something that had long been coming.

"A cannon ball for every man hanged." The Captain said as his ears twitched with the wind.

"We don't have that many cannon balls." Miroku looked at him with a smirk.

"Then we'll load 'em with whatever we can find." Inuyasha yelled. "Get Sango, she'll fit in a cannon."

"That's my wife!" Miroku countered, his face flush with both annoyance and mild anger.

"Was my wife yesterday." Inuyasha commented bluntly, his face filled with a loopy smile.

"Yeah, well she's my fucking wife today, so leave her be you pompous ass." Miroku laughed heartily enjoying the banter.

"Ah, who needs a woman anyway," Inuyasha counted as he winked at Miroku. "When you got a boat full of good men."

"A man who wants to fuck." Miroku snickered, his hands crossing over his chest. Around them a few men chuckled.

Inuyasha glanced at the men and then back to Miroku. He leaned forward, his ears leaning with him, the men around mimicking his forward lean so they too could hear. Once he was a few inches away from Miroku's face he chose to spoke. "You can fuck a man."

Both of them looked at each other, their eyes locked in a battle. Neither one wanted to back down, neither one wanted to say anything. Miroku searched his mind for a counter, for some witty remark but none came to him. He was about to look away, to give up when a voice chimed in behind him.

"But only he can fuck me."

Both men turned towards Sango, who was once again dressed up in much the same fashion as Inuyasha and Miroku both, only her coat was green and she wore a hat on her head with her hair stuffed underneath it in a tight bun. She looked every bit the role of a male pirate, down to the dirt on her cloths and her face.

"I think that's still fucking a man when you look like that." Inuyasha muttered while pointing at her, his eyes focused on Miroku. "That's why you make her dress that way, right?"

"I find it oddly kinky." Miroku replied with a shrug. "Sometimes," He leaned towards the Captain whispering loudly. "I even make her leave the hat on."

Both men burst into laughter at Sango's expense. The woman rolled her eyes and walked towards them. Standing beside Miroku she glared at the Captain before looking out at the sea and onto the Port. "When do we attack?" She asked, her voice and question bringing the seriousness back to the current situation.

"Whenever we're ready." Inuyasha replied.

Miroku took a deep breath, all of his momentary happiness leaving him at the prospect of what was about to happen. He knew this was not going to end well. No pirate had escaped Henry Morgan, no man had lived who had defied him. He glanced at the captain, taking in the smile on the man's face, the look of complete determination. He wished he could be that confident. "We're ready now. We're just waiting for the guard's shift."

Inuyasha reached into his jacket and pulled out his spy glass. Putting it to his eye he looked at the post of the guard that they could easily see, he hadn't moved in over three hours. "Guy hasn't moved and it's been a good three hours and a bit. They'll have to change soon."

He handed the glass to Sango who took it without question. She had pretty good eyes for a human and could be trusted to keep an eye out for the inevitable change of the guard.

"Go ahead and raise the anchor!" Inuyasha yelled, the crew now also dressed in their normal clothes, rushed to obey.

"Gunner's get to your post!" Miroku yelled out, men running around them, preparing. "Winds coming from the north Captain."

Inuyasha smiled. "It always comes from the north in the Caribbean." Inuyasha touched his hand to his chin at the thought. "We'll head to Hispaniola once we're done, that way we won't have to fight the wind going up the coast."

"Which port?" Miroku questioned as he kept an eye trained on Sango, waiting for her to give the signal.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Hell if I know, we'll just fucking figure it out later."

Miroku glanced back at the Captain, taking his eyes off Sango to study the older man. He didn't appear to be sad on the surface. Matter of fact, he looked how he always looked, happy and ready for a fight. But, underneath that look, deep in the Captain's eyes, Miroku saw something that only someone who had known him for a long time could see. There was sadness in his eyes, a certain dullness in their color as he looked off at the Port. And underneath that, there was something Miroku almost feared—disappointment.

"Guards Shift!" Sango yelled breaking up Miroku's thoughts. She hurried past Miroku and gave Inuyasha his spy glass before she took the Captain's place at the helm. All the master's on the ship repeated the signal yelling out to one another until every master knew that they were only moments away from attacking.

"At the ready!" Miroku called out as men down below prepared for his next and last signal before they took out the dock of Port Royal.

They rushed about, grabbing their flint and their stones—preparing themselves for the initial strike. Behind them the second man stood, ready to reload the cannon in an instant.

Inuyasha took a deep breath of the salt air, he was ready for this, he couldn't wait another second for it. But somewhere—someplace in the back of his mind—he felt a twinge of regret and deep overwhelming remorse. Images flashed in his head, her smile, the way she danced, the way she had kissed his hand, the way her lips had looked the second before he kissed her, the knowledge of the ship she held, the way she spoke about a life at sea, the dreamy look in her eye when she stared off at the world of the deep gazing at it's waves.

Inuyasha shook his head violently and looked out at Port Royal. Wherever Miss. Dresmont was, he hoped she was safe, preferably at her home. He looked towards the houses that lined the coast of Jamacia, knowing full well which home Kagome lived in with her mother and father. All the men were under direct orders to not aim anywhere near that home or any other homes. It was not in his way to kill innocence; the Navy yes, government officials' yes, but women and children, innocent people—never. The only place they would aim for was the dock and once they changed directions, the Gallows.

"Fire at will!" Miroku yelled and the ship shook as fifteen well aimed cannons fired all at once.

He watched as the docks seemed to explode into a massive ball of flying wood and projectiles. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of men screaming. Luckily the only people on the docks were men of the sea, no women or children could possibly be affected by the action—at least not at this time of day.

He heard the cannons being reloaded, this time they were filled with oil soaked cotton, a favorite of his ship. In fact he had been the first pirate to ever do it back in the 1680's. At the time he had been very young and not a Captain yet, he was merely a young helmsmen. He had suggested the idea to his own Captain, Captain Sharp, and the man had liked it. Right before they were fired onto the port they were lit, creating a deadly ball of flame causing two things to happen on contact. First the target caught fire and second, depending on the target, it might explode.

The cannon's began to fire again, this time not as one but as individuals. It was to be expected, some of the gunners were newer than others, it was harder for them to reload as fast as the older hands. He watched as the docks caught, fire spreading so quickly that the docks began to look like a mass of orange and yellow. It was obvious to anyone who saw those lapping flames that the docks of Port Royal were going to burn all the way into the sea.

"Hoist the colors!" Inuyasha yelled, the only command he needed to give. He had taught Miroku so well that he often just let Miroku give all of the commands, regardless of battle or not. His job, in the end, was to take the big things into account—the things Miroku often forgot to look for. That was why he was Captain, because he could think of ripping the mast from the ship and because he was strong enough to do so.

Inuyasha watched as his flag was hoisted above the vessel. It was black, a black flag with a solid silver dog on it, with red glowing eyes and blue pupils. He looked at that dog and took in the sight of his father. He had never told a soul, he had never mentioned it to anyone. "Shi, death, kuro, black." He said as he looked at his colors and then glanced down at his ship."I hope I've done you proud with Shikuro, father." He patted the side of the ship, speaking its real name for the first time in a week.

"Oars, ready!" Miroku yelled and received another man's acknowledgment a few moments later. "Row!"

They began to move in the direction of the Gallows, Sango currently at the helm directing them.

-break-

"What in the world?" Kagome whispered for the belly of the ship as she heard a loud boom continue over her head.

She had made it to the ship shortly before dawn and climbed a small rope ladder that had been left hanging on the starboard side. From the deck it hadn't really been that hard to sneak down below. Very few men had been out, in fact the only people on deck had been working at the foremast, too concerned with their task to pay attention to Kagome as she climbed the side of the vessel. She had to admit it was much easier to do in pants than it had been in a hoop and petticoat.

After she had made it unhindered onto the vessel she had rushed to the stairs and run down below, the tour with the Captain had come in handy in that way. She knew the whole ship because of it.

Once there she had seen no one as she made her way to the ladders of the ship, she had crept down them silently, years of evading her mother finally paying off. In total, it had maybe taken her thirty minutes to board and hid upon the ship, out of sight and out of mind.

(Or at least out of everyone else's mind but the Captains.)

She had remembered the place she was hiding from her tour, it was the Orlop, a place way below the main deck of the ship and off in a corner where they stored some extra containers of the cured meats and water a vessel needed to maintain its crew. Very few people ventured into the Orlop unnecessarily, so it was her perfect hideout among the barrels. Even if someone happened to come down to the stores they wouldn't be able to see her if she made it all the way to the back of the hold. And even a demon wouldn't smell her because of the high smell of salt in the room.

Now, nestled among the barrels she felt a certain amount of fear enter her. Although she had not heard the sound in a few years, she was sure she knew what it was. "Cannon fire." She whispered before she desperately looked around for a small hole to look out of. Quickly she realized the disadvantage of being in the Orlop, there was no means of looking out.

Kagome gulped as the ship rocked with more fire. "Who are they firing at?" She wondered out loud, her mind reeling. She was almost certain they had not started to move and even if they had there was no way they were in unsafe waters yet. It seemed ludicrous. Maybe someone had ventured into the harbor and was attacking Port Royal?

"No," Kagome shook her head at the thought. No man would be so stupid. Even if Henry Morgan lost the initial fight he would hunt you down and make sure you died a painful death. Kagome took a deep breath and looked around her at the barrels. If they were still in Port, assuming no other ship had ventured in, then who were they attacking?

Kagome bit her lip, the only logical place would be the port itself but, this was a navy ship, they had no reason to attack the port town.

The sound of rather loud footsteps filled her ears and Kagome felt her heart leap into her chest. She looked up but couldn't see above her because of how tight together the floor boards above her were and also for the fact that the candle in the room was going out. The sound of feet stilled and she heard the sound of wood scraping against wood.

"All right men, row!" The sound of a man's voice hollered above her. A drum started and the tempo was fast as they suddenly lurched forward.

Kagome's eyes widened as she was shifted with the barrels. "What the hell!" She cursed loudly.

It wasn't very lady like.

-break-

Inuyasha watched thrilled as Gallows' Point came into sight. It was the end of an era, even if it was rebuilt it wouldn't be the same Gallows' Point that killed Charles Vane or his old friend Calico Jack. Its destruction would be a symbol to the people of the Caribbean, a pirate can't be stopped, a pirate would not be threatened, a pirate's life was only that of the pirates—and if you messed with one pirate, then you messed with all pirates. And nobody likes an angry pirate.

Slowly, he made his way back to the helm, as he watched the people on the shore try to regroup for retaliation. The attempt made him smile, Miroku had told him that Fort James was not well made and that it was in fact not well armed. Inuyasha scuffed at the thought—these people were idiots. No cannons on a fort? They deserved what they got.

His demon blood began to pump in his veins, thrilling him as he heard the telltale pounding in his ears. It was making him feel light headed, it was making him forget. He licked his lips, enjoying the feeling of letting go of his thoughts as he came to stand beside Sango. She was steering with ease, something she often did very well but didn't like to do. Sango didn't like to be on deck when they did this sort of thing or fought this sort of way.

Inuyasha had never really cared what she did during the raids and attacks but sometimes he wondered why it bothered her. No other aspect of a pirates life did, so why this one? He supposed it was her upbringing, the part of her that had been a lady. A lady could not hurt a fly—neither could Sango—that is, unless the fly was a wasp. Sango had no problem fighting pirates, she had no problem with a bar fight in a salon or tavern but when it came to raiding passenger ships or firing at ports, she just wasn't able to do it.

Slowly he stepped beside her and put a clawed hand over her own on the wheel. She looked at him surprised. "What are you fighting for Sango?" He asked in a soft voice.

She looked at him and he saw something in her eyes, as if she was remembering someone. "This is the Gallows that killed Calico Jack, that killed Charles Vane."

Inuyasha nodded, remembering both men fondly. Sango had known Charles Vane but she had never met Calico Jack, only heard Miroku and Inuyasha's stories of the tough cuss. But she had known Charles Vane—he had always been kind to her and had even given her a 'wedding' gift when he found out her and Miroku were to become exclusive. It had been a beautiful necklace that was secured on her neck even now.

"It is the very Gallows." Inuyasha nodded, his own mind thinking of the two men he had known for many years before they died. "That killed our friends."

"I want to destroy it, for them." She looked up at him for only a moment, as if daring him to defy her.

He smiled instead and took his hand away, looking where they were headed; she was going to take them right by the Gallows. He looked below to the main deck where Miroku was watching for the right time to tell the men to fire. It was a well planned and dangerous attack strategy—or at least it would have been dangerous had the Fort behind Gallows Point been equipped with cannons. Inuyasha snickered—the Gallows was as good as dead.

"Do you have something to live for?" He spoke so softly that Sango was almost sure she had imagined it.

When Inuyasha turned to look at her expectantly, however, she relented to the fact that he had truly spoken. Looking at the helm for a second she thought—what was the thing she lived for now, she had many. She had so many since the Captain had taken her in. When he had brought her here, all those years ago, she had been unsure of what her new life would entail. In the end it had been far better than any life she could have concocted. She was respected, she was loved, she was wanted, she was allowed to be what she had always wanted to be: herself.

"I do have something," She said into the wind as they approached the port. "I have you." She whispered it and looked at him with a smile, "I have Miroku," She looked down at the first mate who was counting down the seconds until they came to pass the Gallows. "I have this ship." She patted the helm with affection. "I have a wonderful life, a life I want to keep on living."

Inuyasha smiled at her and placed a hand on her manly clad shoulder, giving the small arm underneath a squeeze. "You make a great sister-in-law or daughter-in-law, I really don't know what to call it." He laughed lightly and looked at her with a sideways grin.

She smirked and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Sister to a dog? Daughter of a dog?" She huffed and turned the helm a few degrees. "It's a pirate's life for me."

He laughed heartily and bent down, kissing her cheek with a sloppy sound. She pretended to gag but laughed all the same. Pulling away he reached for the wheel, turning the ship a few degrees back in the other direction. They were coming at the Gallows' fast, the advantage of having some demon crew men. "Right after we pass the Gallows, hit the wheel hard, I want us turned around and sailing with the wind immediately."

"Do you think they'll follow us?" She asked somewhat concerned at his need for a quick retreat. The Captain was one to gloat and showboat, running the second they were done wasn't his style.

"They might. They have one ship and Henry Morgan is an arrogant fucker." He commented before he turned back to her. "I don't wan'a take a chance."

She nodded, her eyes trained on the impending sight of their target.

-break-

"What the hell is going on!" Henry Morgan yelled as he was woken from his bed.

The demon stood to his feet, the sound of cannon fire filling his ears. He rushed to his window in time to see the whole of the docks clasp under the weight of over fifteen cannonballs. "Shit." He whispered as he took in the sight of the dock falling in on itself. People were running from the sight, people who had been unfortunate enough to already be awake.

He fell to his knees, looking out the window just barely from his position on the floor. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he couldn't believe the amount of damaged wood that was flying through the air.

"Master Morgan!" The sound of his maid's voice made him stand and turn towards the door. The maid, an old raccoon stood huffing in the doorway, her eyes wide in fear and panic. "Th' ship, th' ship from th' harbor, she's attackin' th' port ser."

"The ship?" He asked in a small voice. He had seen the ship, it had been in the harbor for a week but according to reports was merely a Navy Officer's private vessel. The men at the docks had told him that the man and his wife were traveling to see relatives when they had lost a mast in a storm but, no private vessel would have cannons on it.

Morgan grabbed his pants off a nearby chair, hastily putting them on along with his jacket, ignoring the maid as she wept and pointed at the destroyed docks. He was just about to run outside when the sound of more fire entered his ears and then the maid's scream of fight.

He turned back to the window in time to see the onslaught of flaming projectiles. He rushed to the pane and looked out at the docks of Port Royal, they were one fire.

"Master," The maid blubbered as she looked at the docks as they burned. "Master, they're gon'a burn all the way down ta th' ground ser." She fell to her knees, hugging herself.

"Father?"

He turned behind him at the sight of his youngest son. "Naraku, stay with Mrs. Weston." He pointed at the maid. "Don't leave for anything!"

The young boy nodded and walked vacantly over to the maid, placing a hand on her shoulder as he looked out at the burning port. Because his father had left, because the maid eyes were filled with tears—nobody saw the smirk on his face as he watched the pain of Port Royal, the flames that threatened its destruction.

-break-

Morgan found himself on the street and in a scene of chaos all at the same time. People were screaming, some injured and others' simply in a state of utter panic. Racing down the road he watched the pirate's vessel as it followed the line of the harbor. It wasn't firing anymore but it was still a worry.

"Mr. Morgan!"

A shout hit his ears and he turned to take in the person coming towards him. "Mr. Dresmont!"

The human man came up beside him running with him, although he was older and human, he managed to keep up with Henry very well. "Do you know what's going on, sir?"

"The ship in the harbor attacked."

Mr. Dresmont looked at him in shock. "It attacked?"

"Yes," Morgan replied as he continued to follow the ship off the coast, it was very apparent that the ship was heading towards the corner of Fort James. The thought made him instantly worry, Fort James had no cannons at the moment, they had been redirected to another Port a few months ago, protecting the outer Island instead of the inner Island.

"My daughter has spent time with the Captain and his wife."

Morgan looked at him in shock, his eyes widened at the thought. "She has!" He exclaimed as thoughts entered his head, none of the thoughts good.

"Yes, my wife said they have become good friends in the days they've docked." Kagome's father continued on, panting slightly from exertion. "She has had dinner with them both here in port and at the ship and helped them shop in town. My wife said the first mate was a very nice man as well as the wife but she never met the Captain."

Morgan took all of this in. If his son's fiancé had spent time with them and gotten to know them, then perhaps she could help with the situation. "Go get your daughter, we'll need her help!"

"Yes sir," With that Mr. Dresmont left Morgan's side, heading for a daughter, that was no longer home.

Henry reached Fort James after a few minutes and looked out at Gallows' Point. Around him several men were standing, waiting for orders but he had none to give them. Without cannons they were sitting ducks. Even if they did fire a gun at best they would kill maybe one or two crewmen but the ship would still be sailing without being hindered.

His eyes studied the ship as she came around towards them, her oars moving fast, accelerating her. Suddenly his eyes widen as a flag was hoist above the sails, a white dog, red eyes, blue pupils.

"Captain Inuyasha." He said into the wind. He had heard of this pirate, he had heard of his colors. This was the man responsible for a thousand deaths, the demon Captain who had sailed the sea for over sixty years. He was a trophy to the official who killed him, he was a prize to the man who managed to tie the noose around his neck. His death was the most sought after in the Caribbean.

Glancing to his left he noted a man with a spy glass. Rushing him, he pushed the man out of his way, taking the spy glass from his hands. He put it to his eye and looked out across the sea, looked out at the man standing at the helm, another man directing it at his side. The sight of silver hair caught his attention and he slowly put the glass down, staring with naked eyes at the man at the helm. He grinned.

"You there." He called to the man he had taken the spy glass from.

"Yes, sir!"

"Ready the ship in the bay." He grinned even wider. "We have a man to put to the Gallows."

The man beside him nodded and ran off in the direction of the mangled dock, not wholly sure how he was going to accomplish the fete of getting a ship ready when he couldn't actually reach it. After all, Shikuro's cannons had most likely destroyed both the docks and all their shore vessels there.

Morgan's happy nature didn't last long, however. In fact his happy nature was doomed to failure when he saw the sight of the cannon's raring back and then the following explosion. In fact all bits of happiness Morgan had ever known disappeared when he saw the first hit on Gallows' Point. He watched in utter horror as a cannon ball off course hit the edge of the Fort, men scattering at the sight.

He fell to his knees as one of the cannons fired another flaming weapon. It hit the island off shore dead on, destroying what little wood was left on impact. His sharp eyes turned towards the ship, finding the helm within seconds, and finding the Captain on the helm even quicker. He could just make out the Captain's figure and the fact that the Captain was waving at him.

Morgan didn't need a spy glass to know there was a smirk on Captain Inuyasha's face.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: This might be the only Chapter for this weekend because it is twice as long as normal. Depending on my ability, I might post again on Sunday or Monday. Once again, it depends on reader response and continued motivation.

Thank you for all your kind words and reviews, and now bonus points!

Bonus Point:

Why would Sango be called the Coral of the Sea? What is the connection between Coral and Sango?

Double points if you can name the movie that I used to inspire Kagome's transformation into a man.

Last Chapters Bonus Points:

And the answer is: only time will tell who's right and wrong! This bonus point will come back to haunt you.

Notes:

Charles Vane – another pirate who lived in the early 1700's and was hung in the same year as Calico Jack. I am tweaking his death, however, so Sango could have known him.

Captain Sharp – another pirate who lived in the early 1600's on the Caribbean.

Fun Fact – Calico Jack get's his nickname from his favorite jacket, a calico colored velvet coat he was known to wear, basically, all the time.

Author Fun Fact: For those of you who have not read A Language Made for Love, my user name actually has a lot of significance to that fanfiction. Inuma Asahi De, means Dog Demon's Sun Rising with Moon and in my previous fanfiction it was Inuyasha's pen name because he was a writer. Ain't that a trick!

Bonus: the only reason I created that account was for the fanfiction A Language Made for Love. Otherwise my original fanfiction . net account name was Flarechick. I haven't logged on to that account since…eighth grade. God knows that's been forever.

Next Chapter:

The Stowaway

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED 2/26/2011