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 Ten:
Ramifications
Kagome woke up in a daze, her eyes blurry and her head aching as if she something had hit her repeatedly in the back of her skull. Confused, she closed her eyes tightly, hoping the pain would go away. After several seconds the pain began to ebb and she opened her eyes once again attempting to focus on her surroundings once more. A brownish haze met her vision after a moment and she blinked as she looked at what she thought was a plain brown wooden wall. She closed her eyes tightly once again, hoping to force her vision to clear but as she opened her eyes one more time she realized it was hopeless, her vision only continued to become fuzzier with each movement of her eyelids. Opting to just leave her eyes close instead, she concentrated on the feel of her body.
She was lying down, she realized, something soft touching her finger tips. "What?" She frowned as her fingers slowly moved over the material, it felt like cotton, soft light cotton. "Clothes?" She guessed at first but knew somehow that she was wrong. This material didn't feel like clothes, it felt like something distinctly familiar to her, something she just couldn't place. With great effort she forced just one eye opened looking downwards at the material she was currently laying on. "Red, a sheet? Am I," She tried to put the thought together. "Am I on a bed?"
Confused, she crinkled her nose and forced her other eye opened, this time everything was not as fuzzy and came into focus after only a moment. For a moment she thought about trying to push herself upwards but the second she attempted to move her arms, a pang ran through her shoulder causing her to grimace. "Okay, ow." She grumbled internally as she stared at the red sheets that lined the bed she was laying on, part of her feeling as if she was missing something in that color. Baffled, she glanced at her body looking for anything that wasn't so out of the ordinary only to find (much to her own surprise) more ordinary things, "What am I wearing?"
Carefully, she reached and touched the edge of the jacket that encased her upper torso, her fingers outlining the places where buttons should have gone. "They're torn off, all the buttons are torn off," she noticed as her fingers lazily traced the threads that were supposed to secure the bone fastenings. "How?" She questioned, perplexed as she ran a finger over the threads one at a time. "They look almost like someone took a pair of scissors to them." Bewildered, she narrowed her eyes, drawing her eyebrows together in a tight knitted line. "Who did this, who cut the buttons off my jacket?" She tilted her head, the feeling of her hair moving against a soft pillow lost to her as she stared at the strange clothes. "Why I am wearing it in the first place?" She felt a wave of dizziness fill her mind and shook her head forcefully.
She felt drunk, perhaps she had drank too much after dinner brandy (although that was not her habit), whatever it was she felt like she had been or still was intoxicated.
Kagome closed her eyes tightly again, waiting for the dizzy sensation to pass. After several minutes it finally did and she breathed a sigh of relief before she opened her eyes again. Immediately, her eyes zoned in on the jacket she was wearing once again and traveled downwards to take in the sight of men's pants as well as men's boots. "This has to be a dream." She told herself as she wiggled her toes just out of curiosity. Sure enough the boots moved from the action, confirming that her feet were indeed the feet that resided in them.
"Oh dear." She whispered to herself as she moved her feet one more time, this time her eyes catching sight of something other than men's boots on girl feet. "Is that a foot-board?" She questioned herself as she forced her elbows to dig into the bed, propping herself up so she could take in the mahogany wood of a bed frame. "It is a bed but its not my bed," She concluded as she looked at the beautiful polish on the expensive wood not recognizing it in the least. "If it's not my bed, then whose bed is it?"
Dazed, Kagome forced herself to sit up on the foreign bed, her eyes wide as she looked around the surprisingly familiar and yet completely new room, which she was sitting in. Her expression grew from daze to surprise as the objects that surrounded her became more familiar with each sweep of her gaze. Red curtains, a red chair, a mahogany desk smothered in charts, weapons exotic and unknown lining the walls, a bookshelf filled to the brim with books she had both read and only heard about. She glanced down at the bed she was currently sitting on, her eyes seeing the red as if for the first time as understanding completely consumed her. "This is," Her eyes widened. "The Captain's bed!"
Suddenly, as if it had been premeditated, the door to the room opened and in walked the very man himself, grumbling under his breath, cussing with almost every step he took. He walked over to the desk, not even noticing her presence it appeared as he mumbled to himself, huffing with annoyance as he began to sift through the mass of seemingly unorganized papers before growling in frustration. "Bloody map," He grumbled as he closed his eyes and clamped his mouth shut. He put his pointer finger and thumb on the bridge of his nose, pinching it slightly in a soothing gesture before sighing. "Deep breath," He mumbled and opened his eyes again before bracing himself against the desk in front of him, a finger tapping loudly against the wood as he studied the papers intently.
From her spot on the bed, Kagome could just make out his face as he stilled, his hands clutching the edge of the desk firmly with the one finger still tapping. Confused by the lack of confidence in his stance, she tilted her head to the side trying to take in the the look on his face. His lips were drawn in a tight line, creasing forming around his mouth making him look older, his eyes were narrowed, focused and intense, worry lines forming at the corners and underneath his eyes lids. She had never seen look like this, look like he was in pain.
Kagome bit her lower lip, her heart reaching out to him for a second, reaching out to that confused and pain filled face. She tried to brace herself and stand from the bed but instantly stopped as the pain from earlier returned to her shoulder. Tentatively, she reached up her fingers grazing over the obvious mark she felt in the spot the pain had generated from. She winced as her fingers moved over the welt mark on her flesh, the sensation of it almost like a scar underneath her fingers.
And then, like she had been hit by a bolt of lightning, all her memories of what had happened came crashing down into her psyche. She remembered deciding to run away from home, she remembered cutting her hair and escaping on her families small boat, she remembered hiding on board the ship, she remembered the men finding her in the Orlop, she remembered not being fast enough to get away and hide before they saw her, she remembered how excited they were, she remembered the two men tying her up, she remembered them hauling her to the man deck—where they had proceeded to fight over her. She remembered Pet—Miroku coming out to stop them, she remembered the Captain appearing moments later. She remembered her confusion when he had treated her like dirt. She remembered him holding her. She remembered the woman stepping forward. She remembered the sneers of the men. She remembered the feel of his lips—
All of Kagome's thoughts froze, her hand touched her shoulder but she felt no pain, she only remembered him biting her neck.
Hot white rage formed in front of Kagome's eyes at the thought. "How dare he!" She yelled in her mind as she looked at the Captain with hate filled eyes. She wasn't sure what he had done but she knew for a fact that he had no right, no right whatsoever to bit her as he had to say what he had.
"This bitch is mine!"
He had no right to claim her as his bitch. No one in the world had that right, she had proven that when she had left Port Royal. Vaguely she touched her shoulder—somewhat guessing as to why he had bitten her. Hastily she moved her shirt down enough to bare her shoulder for her eyes to see and glanced at it at an awkward angle. There on her skin she saw the dog looking back at her, beautiful and white with strange markings underneath it, they looked like the squiggles of an uneducated child only too deliberate to just be random. It kind of shocked her, to see that dog looking into her eyes, staring at her as if it was completely aware that she was currently looking at it. Flustered she looked away, letting the fabric drop back into place. "Why a dog?" She couldn't help but wonder through her fury.
She glanced at him, taking in his appearance. Something about him just screamed dog to her, what it was she wasn't really sure, "I bet he's a dog demon," she concluded as she studied him leaning over the desk, her anger rising in her throat the more she watched him. "His race isn't important anyway," She gritted her teeth as her hand unconsciously raised back to the mark clutching the fabric that covered it once more between trembling fingers. "Why did he do it? What does it symbolize?" She bit her lip as the first mate's face came back to her, after the Captain had finished the mark. The man had looked pained and sorry, as if he wished he could have done something to prevent such an atrocity. "Whatever this mark symbolizes," Kagome realized as the image of his face stood at the forefront of her mind. "It can't be good, if his face is any indication."
With that thought, she glared towards the Captain once again, rage boiling underneath her very skin as she took in the man. The man who had kissed her bare knuckles, who had danced with her so beautifully, the man whose hand she had kissed, the man who had kissed her as a husband does his wife, the man who had truly listened to her—the man who was nothing more than a fraud. He had lied to her, he was no Navy Officer, he wasn't even married, it was all a lie. He had wormed his way into her heart—seeing her as nothing more than a passing spectacle for him to watch and manipulate—and then, once done with her, had taken the heart he had earned and crushed it.
Once again Kagome felt utterly stupid. She felt stupid for falling for him, she felt stupid for thinking she should leave her home and start over. She felt stupid for feeling accepted by these people who had just used her for their own gain. She looked at the cabin around her—her love of the sea dwindling as she the thought of everything that had happened. She felt stupid, especially for believing in herself, for being fooled into believing in herself. And she hated him for it, she hated this pirate for what he had done to her.
Kagome closed her eyes, feeling the tears beginning to form behind her eyelids. "It would have been better if I had never known," She told herself as the tears pushed against her lashes. "If all this was still some romantic idea to me, instead of this messed up reality." She felt her bottom lip tremble as the thoughts washed over her. "I hate you." She told the Captain in her head. "I hate you for ruining this for me, for showing me I'm just a stupid little girl with stupid little dreams."
Glancing up she glared at the pirate, blaming him for everything that had gone wrong, for every ideal he had trashed. She had never thought to hate a man for his station in life or for the choices he made—but now—she saw this man for what he was. He was someone who didn't care about other people, he was no better than a rapist or a murderer, he didn't care about her, he didn't care about anything other than himself. The anger again lit in her heart—anger directed at her own naivety. She touched her shoulder again, the anger building from the slight caress of her fingers on her marred flesh.
It was then that Inuyasha looked at her, his eyes going from surprised to almost sorrowful as he took in her state. Slowly, he brought his hands away from the desk, bringing his back up straight as he looked over her with his bright yet tired gold eyes. "You're awake." He said softly his voice horse and oddly regretful as he spoke.
Kagome ignored the tone however, as anger clouded her perception. All of her hate building up inside of her, preparing to unleash itself on the unsuspecting victim. "What did you do to me?" She hissed at him, her eyes filled with fury as she showed him the mark on her skin so he would understand what she was referring to.
Inuyasha couldn't help but glance at the mark on her shoulder even though he already knew what she was referring to. His heart sped up at the sight, a small part of him, a primitive part of him, found the sight insanely desirable. He drew his hands into tight fist as he stared at the flesh, at the dog that watched him with the bright red eyes, a smirk almost appearing on its muzzle as if it was filled with pride for having been put on such delicate porcelain skin. The demon inside of him growled with pleasure, yearning to touch the milky white of Kagome's shoulder, to suck on the spoke underneath the mark where unknown symbols formed but at the same time the human inside of him grew quiet, contemplative. The human felt horrid, the human understood the look of anger on the young girls face—the human felt the same only its anger was directed at itself. "I claimed you." He finally answered her question, his voice that of his human, full of regret.
"Claimed me?" She repeated, her face contorting into a look of uncertainty as she watched him start to pace back and forth across the room. "What does that mean?" Even if she had a good idea, she still had to make sure she fully understood what it meant to be 'claimed.'
Inuyasha sighed loudly, his pacing stopping just long enough so he could bury his hand in his hair. "I put my mark on you." He spoke honestly, his hand dropping from his hair to reach for a necklace around his neck, fingering it nervously. "I'm a dog demon and we mark our bitches so no one else will touch them. It's a physical claim, like a," He dropped the hand around the small gemstone and made a slight gesture with his fingers as he thought. "A ring, its like an engagement ring."
The room grew silent as that information filled the air. "A claim, like an engagement?" Kagome tried to take it all in, "Does that mean we're intended, a couple?" She touched the mark wondering if it could come off like an engagement ring could. Hastily she looked at him, believing the analogy to be literal; he must be able to revoke the claim. "Take it off." She said. "If it's like a ring you can take it off."
The Captain let out a deep breath that he hadn't even known he had been holding. "I won't." He informed her sternly, his expression a mixture between being sorry and determined. "It can be removed but I won't do it."
"How dare you!" Kagome finally yelled, her courage exceeding any fear she had of him. "I'm not some—some—," She clutched her hands to her sides so hard that her knuckles popped before she was able to say the word out loud. "Bitch you can claim. Now take this spell or whatever it is off me this instant!"
Inuyasha looked at her, his bangs hiding his eyes from her view but still allowing him to see clearly. He had known she would react like this, but would she understand, would she understand why he had done it, could he even find the words to explain it to her?
"Stop stalling and take it off." Kagome started again not accepting his pause. "Just, just," She closed her eyes tightly before finally screaming out the last words. "Take it off you bastard!"
"Wow, I didn't know a lady could use such language." Inuyasha commented dryly as he watched her huff in front of him, her anger coming off of her in waves. "I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be," He grumbled as he started to pace back and forth once more, his hands going behind his back as he moved. "You're my bitch."
"Excuse me?" Kagome questioned as she stood up, surprised that she was still very much unafraid of him. "How dare you, I am nobody's bitch."
"It had to be this way, I had to claim you." He said back as he put a hand to his head, rubbing his temples once more. "This is not turning out the way I wanted it to." He thought as he came to stand next to his desk once more, leaning his back against it and crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her.
"You had to do this?" She hissed through clenched teeth, her face contorted into a look of pure disgust. "You had to take your disgusting fangs," She bit through the word as if she meant to eat it. "And bite into my skin," She pointed at him, her finger shaking as she did. "To mark me like some barbarian?"
Something in her tone, in her anger reached into his demon blood and pushed his frayed and fragile nerves. Unable to stop himself he turned his eyes towards her anger filling him as he began to reach his breaking point. "Why doesn't she understand." He felt the words bubble up inside of him, the demon in him growling and begging for control. "I did this for her, for her protection!" The rational part of his pain knew that as a human, Kagome wouldn't understand instinctively the purpose of such a mark but the irrational side, the side that was scared she wouldn't accept him that she was prejudice, was way to far gone to realize that anymore.
"Listen here bitch," He found himself spitting out the words as he pushed away from the desk. "I did it to protect you!" A combination of his fear for her safety and his overall anger getting the better of him he continued to scream. "With that mark you will be safe on this ship, without it the men will rape you," He took a step forward towards her punctuating his words with each step. "Kill you, use you however the hell they want and there will be nothing," He stressed the word as he reached the end of the bed. "I can do about it."
Kagome actually felt her mouth close shut at his word as she took in his face, seeing the anger and distress building in his eyes. He didn't look humanoid anymore, he looked wild and untamed and exotic. His hair was actually bristling like a dog when its cornered and his eyes were dilated, his mouth hanging opened as he panted, his broad chest moving with each deep breath.
"Do you understand?" He spoke, his voice low as he leaned towards her, his sharp golden eyes boring into her very soul.
Turning her head to the side, trying to lean away from him Kagome sealed her lips tightly and gave him a short nod.
Inuyasha watched her nod and felt himself relax a little bit, she was accepting his words, that had to be a good sign. Inside of him the human roared in triumph some of its hope returning while the demon growled in pleasure, acknowledging that its potential mate was behaving properly. Inuyasha gulped at the feeling, that demon was pleading with him, telling him to make a move. "No," He told it forcibly, "She is not our bitch."
"She wears our mark."
"Shut up." Inuyasha told it not realizing he had spoken out loud and growled causing Kagome's scent to fill with fear. Instantly he calmed, trying desperately to control his temper, there would be no hope if he didn't control himself.
Kagome watched this battle war across his face, not understanding it at all. But then he looked at her and for all of a moment she saw a look she couldn't recognize. It was as if he was looking at her with pity, with want, with need, with anger, with self hate, and with lust all at the same time. It passed over his face quickly and he growled at her, his expression contorting into an elongated frown. She thought about scooting backwards on the bed away from him but stopped herself as his expression changed again into something, thoughtful and reflective.
"Why are you on my ship?" He asked a scowl on his face but a warmth in his words as he attempted to ignore the battle taking place inside of him.
Feeling her heart pound against her ribs Kagome dug her fingers into the crimson blanket and replied trying to sound haughty and brave but failing. "I ran away from home."
"I guessed that much," He told her as he leaned away, the gemstone catching her eye for just a second as it spun on its golden chain, "But why did you?" He looked her dead in the eye, taking her focus away from the white jewel on his necklace.
Blinking a few times she thought on his question, wondering really what the answer to it was. "I'm here," She whispered out her voice sounding unsure at first before becoming extremely blunt. "Because I didn't want to be there. I figured anywhere was better than there." She continued, her voice strong as she looked at him, returning his earlier scowl with practiced ease. "I just didn't expect to be surrounded by pirates."
Inuyasha glanced at her uncertainly, fear piling in his chest as he remembered what Sango and Miroku had said about this girl never being able to accept them because they were pirates. What if Kagome Dresmont hated them, hated him because he was a pirate? What if this girl was so petty, so shallow that she changed all her opinions on him, on Sango, and on Miroku simply because they were pirates. "No," He told himself. "She wouldn't change it just because of that, would she?" Part of him doubted her and believed that she was just enough of a society girl to change her opinions based on his current occupation but, in the back of his mind he knew that might not be her only reason. On top of lying about being a navy officer, he had hurt her both physically and mentally so much so that she now hated him. Despite that knowledge however, he couldn't shake the feeling of fear that seeped deep into his very soul, the feeling that she was prejudice, was narrow minded, and filled with unfounded hate. Inuyasha gritted his teeth, it was a feeling he wanted desperately to destroy.
With a deep breath he began to build a tight barrier between himself and Miss Dresmont, just in case his fear was realized. It was a subconscious behavior he had learned long ago, meant to guard him and protect him from the countless emotional trauma's he had endured since he had come screaming into the world, a new born infant already hated by all. He scowled at the thought and took another step towards her, the narrowed look on his face becoming even deeper imbedded in his skin protecting him like a moat protects her king. "What did you expect?"
"I expected what I saw before." She bit back arrogantly as she crossed her hands over her chest. "You deceived everyone, called yourself a navy officer," She looked at him, tears threatening her eyes that he blatantly ignored. "Dressed in navy-men clothing, talked like an uneducated man, and lied," She paused and gulped down the word as if to make it disappear. " You lied about your state of matrimony."
"So what?" Inuyasha replied, the scowl still on his face as his whole body seemed to tense as if ready to spring.
"So what?" She said back in anger as she pushed herself forward on the bed. "So what is all you can say? There is a big what, a giant one. If I had known you were an egotistical pirate I never would have come on board!" Her anger got the best of her as she spoke but she didn't care. "That's all you are, some mutinous pirate with no respect for people, laws, or order." She found herself rising from the bed, screaming as she pushed her feet onto the floor finally coming to stand tall and strong before him. "You came into our town disguised as the crown's navy and lied to everyone as if your words meant nothing to them as if they meant nothing to you." Kagome stomped one foot on the ground as hard as she could, closing her eyes as she threw her head side to side in her rage. "You're just low pirate scum."
So this was it, Inuyasha thought to himself, everyone had been right about her. Kagome Dresmont was no different than any other girl from Port Royal, even if she did like the sea, even if she did love sailing, she was still a pampered girl of society, a girl who feared the pirate, who hated him. His eyes grew sad for a moment as he thought of that, she could never be with a pirate, she saw him as nothing more than lying scum. He snorted at the thought—trying to push back his own feelings of disappointment. Instead he let that disappointment turn to anger, anger and embarrassment. He had thought this girl liked him for who he was but in the end, like everyone else in his life once she had known the truth she had turned on him, hated him. Instantly, subconsciously, his mind fought to protect him from another rejection, causing him to react in anger to her hateful words.
"Well sorry I didn't want to just walk into a port with pirate's colors." He said snidely as he walked towards the windows at the back of his cabin, his heart twisting in his chest, it was a silent indication—the only indication—that Inuyasha was in distress. "I guess for me wanting to live is just far more important than truthfulness."
Kagome was almost taken aback by this new sound of anger in his voice but she too instantly reacted to it with her own rage. "You lied about everything though, important things, things more important than your masquerade as a navy officer."
Inuyasha couldn't stop himself from smirking, at least she got the masquerade part right.
"You pretended to like me." She accused, her body flashing with hurt and anger for all of a second causing Inuyasha pause. He turned to look at her, to look at those grey eyes so full of an emotion he couldn't place but as soon as that emotion had reached fruition it disappeared, replaced by undeniable hatred. "And then it turned out," She spoke softly, her voice filled with venom. "You were just another lying, horrible, murdering pirate."
Inuyasha looked at her and felt his heart drop in his chest but pushed the sensation away. There was no denying it: Kagome Dresmont hated him. It was so evident in her voice just then, so evident in fact that he couldn't even bring himself to admit to her that it hadn't been pretend. He knew if he admitted that now, she would probably just through it back in his face, tell him that it didn't matter anymore because he was a pirate: a lying, horrible, and murdering pirate. Inuyasha felt the human in him grow smaller and smaller, turning into a soft voice in the background of his mind. It was a voice that was in pain, breaking. "Miss Dresmont hates us," that small voice was saying as it slowly faded into nothing, "She hates us like everyone does, our family, demons and humans both. She hates us because of what we are." Inuyasha could almost see the small human form of himself, sitting in the proverbial corner of his mind, knees drawn to his chest, saying over and over again. "She hates us."
"I know." Inuyasha found himself saying out loud, agreeing with that figment of his imagination (if that was what it really was).
Kagome turned towards him, "What?" She asked harshly her face showing some confusion.
Inuyasha watched her for a moment, his eyes glazing over it appeared as the human inside of him became so small he could no longer hear its soft voice. The demon rose to the occasion, however, taking over the part the human had left behind. "Sorry for any inconvenience." It replied shortly almost snarling.
Kagome frowned and stepped away from him at the words. "Is this his real self coming out?" She clutched at her jacket, pulling it together in front of her chest, trying to hide behind the torn buttons and sheep skin. This was not the reaction she had expected when she had asked Inuyasha if he had pretended to like her. Really, she wasn't sure what she should have expected but a part of her had hoped he would say he really did like her and that it hadn't been some sick game or an award winning performance. "In the end," she realized, "It was nothing more than a game, a lie, a performance—a game that ended with the prize being my broken heart." Looking down at her feet, her pain settling in her breast she spoke softly. "Just let me off at Charleston."
Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't do that."
Kagome practically hissed and marched towards him, completely unafraid. It was a strange action, Inuyasha thought. "So now that I'm here you're going to use me." She accused as she stopped only a few precious feet away from him, her hands on her hips as she glared. "You marked me like a demon bitch, so now I'm your bitch? Well I've got bad news for you Captain Smith—."
"My name's Inuyasha, remember?" He interrupted, his eyes blank from any true emotion making him appear almost snide. "Smith's a fake name, my dear."
Kagome wanted to scream. Firstly because she had forgotten the earlier declaration, second because it was another thing he had lied about and third because of the word 'my.' "I am not ever going to be your anything!" She screamed at him, her face going red with the effort. "I hate you; I hate you, I hate you, you God damned pirate." All of her hurt came out of her as she cried out, the words pouring from her as the feeling of betrayal, the feeling of hurt and embarrassment, came over her full force as she jabbed her finger into his chest, poking him with every syllable. "So you leave me at Charleston or I swear—." She froze as Inuyasha suddenly reacted, reaching out and grabbing her hand, holding it between tight clawed fingers.
Inuyasha felt the anger in his heart start to build as he help her hand, the gesture both electrifying and sickening to his stomach. He had really liked this girl and yet—his greatest fear was coming true. Girls didn't go for pirates, girls didn't like the pirate type, and even a girl like Kagome who liked the sea would never like to live on the sea as a pirate. She held a romantic interest in the sea, seeing it as a beautiful place, the place of cheap novels that woman often read frivolously when their husbands were at work and no kids were in the house.
Miroku and Sango had been right—they had been very right and he had been the biggest fool of them all to think this girl would still like him even after finding out the truth behind him and his crew. He had been a fool to think she would be okay with him lying to her, with him appearing to turn on her, with him marking her against her will—he really couldn't blame her for hating him but still, it hurt. He really wanted to tell her, to tell her that he had not meant those harsh words, that he really had done it all for the best—but she wouldn't listen, he knew she wouldn't. He was nothing more than a pirate lying, murderous, raping, scum in her eyes.
"Listen Miss Dresmont." He said, his voice like acid as his anger from the situation fell onto her. "I can't drop you at Charleston because we're not going to Charleston and unless you want me to drop you off at one of the finest, sleaziest, pirate ports in the world, you might want to shut your pretty fucking mouth."
"You have no right." Kagome said her eyes filled to the brim with fury. "I demand—,"
Inuyasha dropped her hand instead choosing to grab her shoulders cutting off her words, his own anger finally spilling from his heart like a flood. He felt disgusted with himself, he had liked a girl who hated what he really was—simply because he was a pirate she hated him, spoke to him like he was trash. Briefly he wondered if she would hate him even more if he admitted he was a half breed also (in more ways than one). He didn't even want to know what she would think of him then. With that thought currently the forerunner in his mind, he made a decision—if she wanted a nasty pirate with a bad attitude then that was what she would get.
Resolved he clutched her arm tightly with one hand, while the other went to her chin before he looked right into her eyes, pushing his thoughts aside for the present conversation. "While you're on this ship you will do what I say." He told her firmly, his eyes filled completely with resentment. The sight making Kagome lose any confidence she had in herself at all. "So shut up." He whispered harshly. "I have marked you as mine." He nodded towards her shoulder. "So you will be protected on this ship. But if you so much as step a toe out of line I will remove the mark and leave you to the crew or—," He bent forward and licked her chin lightly, the sound of her heart skipping a beat thrilling his ears. "I'll punish you." He moved away from her chin and kissed a trail from her jaw to her ear.
Carefully, he allowed himself to enjoy her one last time, letting his demon blood finally take control as it had wanted, if only slightly and only for a minute. The demon in him howled with victory, glad he had finally decided to let him at the girl. He had after all, put an intent claim on her, which caused his demon side to catch fire at the thought of putting the full-fledged mate mark on her neck. It would be a good threat also—the threat of having sex with her—even if he would never do such a thing, it would help prove a point and in an odd way it would protect her further. As long as she listened to him, he could protect her but if she didn't—he was afraid of what could happen to her on a pirate's ship. Even he couldn't prevent all harms. So maybe, if he had a proper threat, she would listen and stay safe. With that thought, he kissed the spot below her ear, marveling in the scent that lingered there, her natural scent.
Kagome felt her body heat up at the contact, all of her sexual desires for this man that had formed back at Port Royal betraying the way she felt now. She moaned involuntarily when his lips came to her ear and sucked on it lightly and allowed her body to ache into him when she felt him bite her ear lobe before licking around its edge. He trailed his tongue back to her jaw bone: the sensation causing a strange feeling between her legs, a burning that made her toes and fingers curl. Suddenly, he pulled back and looked at her catching her eyes with his own and smirking as he brushed one hand over her cheek. Coming back to herself she raised a hand to slap him but he caught it easily between nimble fingers causing her to panic and try to pull away but he stopped her with a feral growl. Shaking, she looked up into his face and cringed when she noticed the the twinge of red in his normally all gold visage. He smiled at her and brought his hand to her hip stroking it gently.
"This will be your punishment," He whispered to her as he let his demon act on impulse, grabbing her ass and pulling her forward into his body.
She gasped as she felt something touch her, it was hard and firm on her stomach and somehow she knew what it was without having to see it. He rubbed against her for a second and Kagome felt her body lit on fire at the sensation. She wasn't sure where the sensation was coming from but she knew exactly what was causing it. He pulled away from her and she moaned desperately wanting to feel him even closer.
"I don't think it will be much of a punishment though," He trailed his hand behind her, his fingers brushing over her ass again. Kagome shivered at the touch and involuntarily closed her eyes as he brought his hand back to her hip, his thumb stroking gently against the fabric of her jacket. Part of Kagome wanted him to pull her towards him once again and was disappointed when he didn't, instead chosing to lean forward and whisper in her ear. "I think you'd enjoy it." Before he let go of her and Kagome instantly fell to the ground.
She felt flushed and hot all over and it was the knowledge of that sensation that made her realize what he had been doing. Even though she had never had sex in her life, she had heard from her friends what it was. They had all talked about it after getting married or rather, they had all complained about it. They had told her it hurt and was boring and that it was disgusting and painful when their husbands touched them.
Kagome looked at the Captain and felt a new wave of heat hit her, nothing he had done had hurt or been boring or been disgusting. In fact every action had been the opposite and that realization was what made her feel disgusting and hot all at the same time. Wrapping her arms around herself she closed her eyes tightly her voice trembling as she spoke. "It would still be rape." She said still not daring to look at him. "Your punishment would still be rape."
The demon motivating Inuyasha smelt the air, taking in the telltale sign of a woman aroused. "I can't rape the willing."
Kagome's eyes popped open and she glared at him in complete hatred as she stood shakily to her feet backing away from him as she wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Her face was set into a thin line as she opened her mouth to speak. "I would never want to sleep with you."
Inuyasha took a step towards her and she felt herself become filled with fear. She backed up and found her backside in line with a table, glancing back she noticed the charts and maps and the desk chair—she gulped, there was no where left to go.
She looked back at him just in time to come face to face with his deadly golden eyes—they looked different than they had the moment before, the red no longer dominating his vision, only twinge at the sides. He put one hand beside her, firmly on the desk, and leaned forward. Her heart raced in her chest as he reached a hand up and touched her short hair gently. Bending forward he kissed her lips ever so slightly and Kagome found herself hard pressed to not enjoy it. He backed away and looked her dead in the eye again, his eyes taking on a whole different hue—they were almost gentle, the red now completely gone from his vision as he sighed and touched her cheek gently, he almost looked like he regretted his actions. Slowly, he leaned their foreheads together and Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. Every touch of the hand, every kiss and caress, everything he had made her feel didn't amount to what this made her feel. This simple action made her heart pound faster, made her feel like she was making some huge mistake—like she had completely read him wrong.
She was so engrossed in this thought that she jumped from the feel of his breath grazing her skin when he began to speak again.
"I will never make you do something against your will." He declared softly as he backed away and kissed her head the same way he had the last time they had been in this room. "I'm a better man than that."
Kagome's eyes narrowed in confusion. He had threatened her, given her advances and yet, he was declaring he would never do anything she didn't want. Why would he say such a thing? What was the Captain's angle? He had hurt her, he had lied to her about himself, he had tortured her heart, he had leaned his head so intimately against her own and then kissed her forehead as if it was a sacred jewel. "Captain—." She whispered softly.
He quickly backed away, cursing himself for the declaration, for the way he had just lost control. Mentally he berated himself, wanting to just go jump overboard so the water could cool him off. "What the hell am I thinking?" He asked himself as her scent of arousal, confusion, and fear wracked his mind. Never in his life had he lost control like that, never had his demon been awakened to that extent. He could still feel it, the demon inside of him pushing at his senses.
"I want her." It said over and over again, begging him for control.
"I never should have marked her," He grumbled internally but at the same time he knew, it was his only choice. She would be safe with his mark, under his protection, no one would touch her, "She'll be safe, she'll be safe from anyone." He licked his lips an odd realization haunting him. "But can I keep her safe from me?"
Ignoring that uncomfortable thought he turned away from her and started to head towards the door no longer wishing to be in the room with her any longer. But before he could make it to the door, before he could even step away from the window he was currently beside, a scent hit his nose, a familiar scent. He knew it well, in fact he had smelt it on more than one occasion from two women very important to him. Sango had smelt of that scent often during her first year with them but then it had gradually declined leaving her a natural orange smell that never went away. His mother, on the other hand, had smelt of that scent so often during his childhood that sometimes it was hard for him to remember what her naturally scent was. Especially at night his nose had been plagued by that scent wafting from his mother's form to his own as they shared a bed in shaggy surroundings.
He frowned deeply at the thought bringing a hand up to the gemstone that rested on his chest memories of her and that scent in his nose causing his eyes to burn for only a fraction of a second. He gritted his teeth together as he forced the memory away and clutched at the gemstone hard before dropping it from his hands in fear of breaking it. It bounced against his chest and burned momentarily as he raised his hand to touch its familiar smooth surface once more. For just a moment he found himself not thinking of his mother or Sango but of something in the far reaches of his mind that he could not locate. It felt as if there was another instance where he had smelled this scent but what or when or who escaped him.
Moving his hand away from the gem against his chest, Inuyasha closed his eyes taking in that unmistakable scent of unhappiness but not just any unhappiness, the kind that comes from a deeply rooted pain, which can never be properly healed. With that scent in his nose, he turned around and looked at her taking in her broken and small form that set on the floor. One hand supporting her and the other clutching the front of the jacket that was still hanging opened, the white shirt underneath just as see-through as it had been on deck but he couldn't even bring himself to stare, let alone enjoy the sight of her perky breast through the garb. Instead he looked to the one spot he knew he needed to, he looked at her face, he looked at her stormy grey eyes, rain seeming to pour from that storm.
"What do you want from me?" Her words came out so soft he had to perk his ears forward to hear but in the end chose not to listen.
Instead he glanced out the window looking at the sea as the ship continued to move down the coast. He noticed a pod of dolphins behind the ship, dancing and playing in the surf the vessel created the sight making him smile ever so slightly. He could even hear them, talking to one another with little clicks and dog like barks. A friend of his, an otter demon, had once told him upon his own request (or really the request of an eight year old and curious Miroku) that dolphins were very fun to talk to, intelligent and witty. He would have to take his friends word for it, after all, he could only talk to dogs and certain breeds of wolf.
Inuyasha drew his eyes away from the pod and looked back at Kagome who was still sitting, silently watching, waiting for an answer. He sighed at the look on her face, knowing that he didn't really have one, he didn't know what he wanted from her.
"You want her."
The demon inside of him whispered, he chose to ignore it. Maybe he did want her, his human and his demon both. That was a first for him, an absolute first, usually the demon only wanted a quick rut in the hay and the human wanted to talk and flirt but right now both the human in him and the demon had come to a mutual understanding—they both wanted Kagome Dresmont in every possible way.
Inuyasha pushed the idea from his head, even if he wanted her, he couldn't have her—she had made that perfectly clear. With that last thought, he glanced at Kagome, it was time to ask as he always had.
"Do you have something to live for, Miss Dresmont?" The question seemed odd.
Kagome narrowed her eyes, completely forgetting her earlier question and instead focusing on this new one. She had heard in the legends and in the bedtime stories that the dreaded pirate Captain Inuyasha always asked someone this question before he killed them and their answer was the difference between their continuing life and life ending death. "Do I have something to live for?" She asked herself as she looked down at the hard wooden floor for all but a second before she turned and looked back up at him, her eyes on him, staring at him, waiting on him it appeared. She shook her head after a moment and looked down at the floor once more, the hand supporting her opening to touch the smooth surface with a flat palm before she looked back at him with conviction. "Do you, Captain Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha's eyes went wide, he felt like a fish out of water. No one had ever asked him such a thing. No one had ever questioned him on his own question. Looking at her now he realized what his answer was and it scared him—it outright made him feel insecure and terrified. Keeping that feeling down he tried to find a witty remark to her question, tried to find some means of answering her but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't think of a single thing other than the one conclusion that was running through his head—the thing he never wanted to say out loud to her or anyone.
Kagome smirked and looked at him with determined eyes. "If you can't even answer your own question," She said with a conviction he almost feared. "Then why should I?"
Gaining some composure he took a deep breath and smirked at her. She backed away a little confused at his sudden confidence and watched as he stepped towards her. Reaching out he presented her with his hand, offering it in such a way that she couldn't deny him. Hesitantly, she reached and allowed his calloused fingers to wrap around her own and pull her upwards off the ground and onto her feet in a sweet motion. "You win this one." He conceded and much to her surprise kissed her knuckles gently, his lips touching her skin so featherlight that she was almost certain it had never happened. "Miss Dresmont." He pulled away and touched her now short hair and felt himself twinge at the sight. "Why did you cut your hair?" He asked suddenly.
She reached up and touched the short locks, a blush forming on her cheeks from the kiss as she glanced away from him. She couldn't believe he had done it and despite her anger with him, she found that she couldn't deny the sensation. She couldn't even fight it. "I wanted to blend in, so I wouldn't be found."
He accepted the answer with a snort. "Better luck next time." He walked towards the door, wanting to be away from her now more than ever. The slight kiss he had given her hand had reignited a lot of feelings in his human mind and the fact she hadn't pulled away made it even worse. Maybe, he could win her back—change her mind about pirates over time. He laughed internally at himself, wondering how he could be such a dense optimist.
"Yes, next time." She said in a small voice.
His ears twitched on his head trying to pick up her words and Kagome saw them move for the very first time. She felt her whole mind blank at the very sight of them. They were singlehandedly the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life. The urge to touch them rocketed through her like a virus, the urge to see if they were really covered in fur shook her to her very core. She wanted desperately to rush him, to touch those ears, to fondle them, while his lips touched hers, while his hands roamed her back and drifted lower to her—
Kagome's eyes went wide at her thoughts and she felt angry with herself. She hated this man, this man was a pirate who had marked her against her will and threatened to rape her for any disobedience she showed him. Kagome looked up at him and tried to see the man from Port Royal but he was very different from this man before her—everything about him was different, not just the adorable ears.
Looking at him now she thought it funny that she had recognized the Captain out of the navy uniform so easily. With his long hair and ears he really didn't look like the same man, who had worn the powdered wig and the three cornered hat. In fact he looked almost like a completely different person, especially with the change of clothes in mind. And yet, she realized, she had known who he was instantly, even before he had spoken out on the deck. The second she had seen him, the first moment when she had looked up at him, she had been able to tell who the man in the red jacket was. "I wonder why, why could I recognize him if he looks so different?"
Inuyasha paused as he started to reach for the door handle and turned around looking her once more in the eyes to help get his final point across, "Stay in the cabin where you're safe."
As his eyes pierced into her it dawned on her how she had recognized him without having to see any other features or even hear his voice. "His eyes, it was his eyes. Those molten honey eyes—I would know them from miles away."
Not bothering to get an answer from Kagome, Inuyasha grabbed the door-handle and turned it with a mechanical click before walking out of the room the figure of a smaller man rushing around him not bothering him in the least as he disappeared into the hallway.
"Miss Dresmont?" The man asked as he entered the room, taking in the sight of the still stunned Kagome. "Oh my lord, Miss Dresmont!" The voice repeated her name drawing Kagome's attention to the man who had Mrs. Smith or who Kagome had been introduced to as Mrs. Smith's face and voice.
Seeing the recognition on Kagome's face, the older woman wrapped her in a tight hug, saying the words 'sorry' over and over again but Kagome wasn't listening, she was still looking at the now closed door wondering what kind of man the Captain really was. He was not the man from Port Royal but that was not to deny that there was always fact in fiction, a hint of truth is always in falsehood. This man may have been acting but even actors played the parts that fit them best.
So who was he? Who was Captain Inuyasha, what kind of man was he? Was he the Inuyasha of fairy tales and bedtime stories or was he the man who held her hand, who danced with her, who talked of the sea?
"I'm a better man than that."
The words echoed around her head as the older woman hugged her tightly and apologized over and over again, her voice muffled by Kagome's shoulder as she cried. The sound of those tears weakening all of Kagome's resolve as she found her own arms wrapping around the unknown woman, holding onto her as the flood gates opened and Kagome allowed herself to cry and to wonder if Captain Inuyasha was indeed a better man.
End of Chapter
Please Review
Edited for Grammar, Syntax, and Content 6/10/2012, 7/15/2012, and 7/30/2012
Bonus Point:
What do you think the funny squiggles underneath the dog mark on Kagome's shoulder are?
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
Good job people, yes the answer is episode 135 The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master. If you've never seen it, know this, they all get drunk because of this special Sake mist on top of a mountain and Sango hits on Inuyasha, asking him to run away with her. Kagome, who is also drunk get's pissed and sits him so much that eventually he just keeps getting slammed into the ground without her having to give a command. Ah, delightful. So congrats to the winners!
TheRealInuyasha, Laken, Coca Cola Cookie, Warm-Amber92, and The Anime Chosen One
Next Chapter:
Destination Decided
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 3/6/2011