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 Twenty-Three
A Tavern in Havana
Kagome had never been to a tavern in her life. She had hardly ever even been out this late in her whole life, past eleven o'clock. In fact she could count on one hand the amount of times she had been allowed to stay out after dark when she was living within the shelter of her parents house, within the confines of Port Royal. Once it had been for a friend of the family's wedding, a boring and proper occasion that had a dinner party afterwards that had only lasted till ten o'clock at night. Another time she had been allowed to stay out till all of ten thirty for her friend Eri's wedding, she had been allowed the same for her friend Yuka's, and then again for her friend Ayami's. Just recently she had been allowed out late one more time, the last time her parents had ever dictated a curfew for her.
That time though, there was no wedding or after party, she had been allowed to stay out because of her invitation to dine with the Captain of a fictional navy ship and for that matter a fictional Captain.
That affair had been proper, dignified, and full of propriety, they had eaten like ladies and gentleman, they had taken all the proper precautions and dressed in the most delicate of ways. But that was in the past and unlike those weddings, unlike that proper dining table from her first ever dinner with this pirate crew, this affair—her current place to dine—was far from being dignified, proper, or even polite.
The room was filled with thick cigar smoke that clogged her lungs and vision, floating in the air like a bulky fog of poisonous volcanic ash. It was packed with the smell of alcohol and the sound of glasses being knocked together as men and women alike talked loudly over the deafening music of a strange quartet (which was playing instruments she didn't recognize), the sound of which made her ears ring in her head.
The smell of their food also suspended in the air, hovering and melding with the smell of tobacco and Cuban rum. The combination taking over all her senses as people ate, as people danced while others were still not done with dinner, as men propositioned ladies, as ladies propositioned men—these people—these insane laughing happy dancing people—they were like nothing she could ever image or ever believe to see.
They were a far cry from the people she had known in her home. Her home had been a quiet place to dine, a place full of napkin arrangements, forks lined in rows, this spoon for that and that spoon for this, a knife in the right hand and a fork in the left, eating only bits the size of the pinky nail, tapping only the corners of one's mouth after each bite, and of wine glasses that were perfectly distinguishable from water glasses—with no signs of any other drinks to be drunk.
These people didn't eat in that dainty manner she was accustomed, even on the pirate ship they ate more civilly than here. They used napkins, this place had none the people merely wiped their hands upon their pants or the ladies used the bottoms of their skirts. On the ship they had a spoon, knife and fork, in this place there were merely hands, a hand for a spoon and a hand for a fork, and teeth for a knife. On the ship they even had wine glasses, they had ones for ale and water too but here, in this pub, this tavern, there were no wine glasses only beer and ale mugs and shot glasses for rums and liquors.
And the Captain, and Sango, and Miroku—they fit right in.
Kagome glanced at them as they ate, using bits of bread as spoons so they could enjoy what the Captain had referred to as yellow rice and beans, apparently the traditional feast of the Cuban citizen. She watched almost grossly interested as the Captain sitting across from her flattened a piece of puffy bread, pushing it with his fingers until it was smooth before he turned to his bowl and dipped it in, bringing it upwards until a swell of beans rested on top. Quickly, making sure none fell, he plopped it into his mouth, munching on his own creation with a happy smile on his face.
Carefully, Kagome glanced at her untouched food, her will for a knife and fork becoming so strong that she was sure everyone around her could hear the thought projected into their heads. She took a deep breath and bit her lip, the want for a napkin increasing as well as she imagined the food on her fingers—it was unsanitary, it was wrong, it just was not done.
"Psst?"
The sound caused her pause and quickly she darted her head in the direction of Sango who was looking at her with a gentle smile. "Sango?" She questioned softly but still loud enough that the other girl could hear her over the roar around them.
Sango smirked and rolled her shoulders. "The first times always the hardest." She told her as she reached across Kagome in the most uncivil of ways and took a piece of Kagome's bread from the table. Carefully, she shaped it in the same manner the Captain had, being careful to pull the corners up as if she was making a toy boat to float in the surf of a wave. "Trust me," She said as she continued to mold the bread. "It's good food." She mumbled as she finished the small bread bowl, reaching towards Kagome to hand her the makeshift spoon. "Just give 'er a try."
Kagome stared at the piece of bread in Sango's hand, her eyes drawn to the finger marks in the yellowish crust. She gulped, almost afraid because of some mundane mental block that stuck out in her head.
"Never toch your food, Kagome," Her mother sat at the table with all the silverware in front of her elegantly arranged. "Even if it fallz from ze plate." She held up a delicate hand reiterating her point to a tiny seven year old Kagome. " Conzider food zat tochez ze table inedeeble."
Kagome frowned at the memory of her mother giving her one of her first table etiquette lessons. She couldn't remember any longer what the occasion had been that they were preparing for but that didn't mean she didn't remember the lesson by heart. "It's the truth, right Mama?" Kagome questioned the mother in her head as she bit her lip afraid to touch the food she was being offered with her bare hand.
"Alwayz use your fork," Her mother picked up the object with her left hand. "And knife, never allow your 'ands to toch your food." The woman picked up her knife in her right and motioned for Kagome to do the same. "You must never switch your 'ands." She pointed at Kagome deliberately with her fork as Kagome shuffled the knife and fork childishly. "Fork in ze left, knife in ze right, never backwarts." Her mother continued to speak her french accent brisk as she watched Kagome's glazed expression. "Are you listening Kagome?"
"Unfortunately," The present Kagome grumbled to herself as she looked up towards Sango's reassuring face.
"Take it." Sango told her firmly as she waved the bread up and down, her smile patient and reassuring.
"But I can't." She silently voiced, her eyes pleading. "I—I can't do it, that's not what I was taught." She frowned at her own inner voice. "Of all the things to have stuck, it had to be table manners—." She internally muttered.
As if sensing Kagome's thoughts Sango's smile grew gentle and understanding. "I know it goes against everything you were ever taught," She said to Kagome's amazement. "But Kagome—were you taught to be you," Sango emphasized by placing her free hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Or to be someone everyone wanted you to be?"
Kagome's head shot up and her eyes moved from the bread to Sango, wide with a profound realization. Even if it was only eating with her hands—the very act was in direct defiance to everything she had ever been taught or had ever been told to do. It was more than just touching her food with her bare hands—it was saying goodbye to a way of life she had always known. It was saying goodbye to being the rich daughter of a wealthy man. It was saying goodbye to her mother, to her brother, to her father, to her friends—to all those people she had missed earlier in the day. But would it be so bad to say goodbye to oppression and say hello to this? After all, she wasn't the girl of Port Royal—she never had been—but if she wasn't Kagome Dresmont then who was she?
As if in slow motion Kagome saw the people around her, laughing, smiling, dancing; they were happy, they were legitimately happy, they were free. Sure, they might be poor, yes they might be stuck in horrible living conditions compared to her childhood but what was a clean house with a large roof when you could smile and laugh as freely as these people smiled and laughed? She watched as two lovers kissed out in the open for all to see, showing affection with no fear of judgment, she watched as the band played instruments she had not seen and one in particular she now knew quite well. A chin holding tight to a shoulder, a piece of wood in-between flesh, a bow in the right hand and the neck of the instrument in the other as a man played with his whole and entire soul, freely moving his fingers, passionately moving his body in time with the song. His every motion a happy explanation.
Like a flash, in her mind she saw the Captain, his eyes closed as he played, his body swaying back and forth, his face drawn into lines of complete concentration. And she heard the song and she heard the voice, it was like she was seeing in slow motion the whole of his performance all over again. And then the voice stopped, the music stopped, the world came back to her and she heard the Captain's voice loudly in her mind—loud enough that she swore he was screaming it in her ear.
"I'll teach you."
In that moment, Kagome knew that she would learn more than just how to play a violin. She would learn how to really be herself—not the girl she had been taught to be.
In a rush, the world speed back up only a minute or two having passed and Kagome found her hand reaching out towards Sango's unable to stop. Kagome smiled, she didn't want to stop it anyway—after all she was ready to say goodbye—goodbye to the her that wasn't really her. She took the bit of bread and without thought or hesitation she dipped it straight into the beans, pulling it to her mouth just as the Captain had. And thus found herself drowning in a taste bud sensation she had never before experienced. It was the taste of corn, of flour, and of black beans. It was the best thing she had ever eaten—for what reason she wasn't sure. She swallowed delighted and just as she was about to reach for another piece of bread, this time ready to shape her own bread boat, that beautiful baritone voice sounded across from her.
"Is it good?" The Captain said, his smile wide on his face as he rested his chin on his hand, his elbow leaning on the table. "I was wondering when you would get the nerve to eat it."
Kagome epped' and blushed furiously as she realized he had been watching her the whole time. "It's not bad." She told him turning her head away, her nose in the air doing her best to hide the redness of her cheeks.
Inuyasha smirked and broke off a piece of bread himself, flattening it before scoping up some of his yellow rice. "If you like that," He told her as he plopped the food into his mouth. "Then try the rice," He hummed with pleasure as he chewed. "Reminds me of home."
"Home? Is he, South American?" Kagome wanted to ask but a part of her told her that it was a subject left for a better time, a time when they were alone and not surrounded by others. So instead of asking she turned her attention to the Captain's rice, blinking several times as she looked at the Captain with curiosity.
"Here," He pushed the bowl of rice towards her. "Scoop some up and try it."
She blushed, never in her life had she shared a bowl of food with a man before and yet—it really, when she thought about, wasn't a big deal. Bravely she flattened a piece of bread and scooped up the rice just as the Captain had told her too, eating it just as she had with the beans before. Her eyes grew wide and the smile doubled on her face. "That's really good!" She commented as she reached for another piece of bread, shaping it even quicker this time.
"I thought you'd like it." The Captain laughed out as he went back to eating.
Beside him Miroku waved towards a woman that was passing them, a bar maid dressed in clothing exceptionally similar to Sango and Kagome's. "Miss, are those ripe?" He questioned as he pointed to a strange fruit the girl had in a basket on her hip.
"Que?"
Miroku blushed and scratched his head before the Captain put his hand to Miroku's forehead, pushing the man backwards until he practically feel off the bench, landing on the floor as an array of people stopped to laugh.
The Cuban girl covered her mouth with her hand laughing as well as the Captain looked at her dryly, completely ignoring the man currently rubbing his tailbone on the ground. "Estan esos maduros?"
The girl blinked several times, coming back to her senses and looking at him with confused eyes. "Disculpa?"
"Estan esos maduros?" The Captain repeated slowly as he pointed at the fruit ignoring Miroku's glare as the man came to sit in his seat again.
"Oh!" The girl sounded as she turned the basket to face the Captain, showing him the yellowish contents.
Kagome watched with narrowed eyes, the fruit looked very familiar, like something she had seen in Jamaica, a banana. It was a food that only the poor really ate and she had personally never tried one seeing as they were rarely served in her station. Confused she taped her chin and leaned towards Sango beside her. "What are those?" She questioned the other girl quietly, trying not to drawl the Captain's attention to herself as he studied the fruit, inspecting it. "They look like banana's and yet not like a banana, you know?"
Sango nodded from her place next to Kagome. "They're plantains." She supplied as she mashed a bit of bread using it to scoop up some rice form the communal bowl.
Kagome nodded her head in understanding having heard of the fruit but never having seen it. Just like the banana, plantains were not commonly eaten by her social class and when they were they were not eaten in this apparent raw form. Instead they were fried or mashed and severed in manners similar to an Irish potato. The sound of the Spanish language came to Kagome's ears bringing her back to the present.
"Estan bien maduros," The girl told the Captain excitedly as Inuyasha put down a fruit he had been sniffing. "Perfectos para comerlos frescos. Cuantos le gustaria, señor?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver looking coin with a man's head etched into it. "Cuantos puedo tener con una crown?"
The Cuban girl taped her chin with her free hand, the other clutching the basket tight to her side as she thought. "Una crown serian cinco," she shrugged and tilted her head to the side. "Yo creo."
The Captain nodded and handed her the crown. "Esta bien por mi," He told her as he waited for the plantains in return. She accepted the money gladly and handed him a bundle of greenish, yellowish plantains. "Gracias."
"Por supuesto. Gracias por su compra!" Business done she hastily left the side of their table, disappearing into the crowd.
"There you go boy, all yours." The Captain handed Miroku one of the fruits as he pulled one off for himself as well. Miroku accepted the fruit still steaming as he glared at the Captain, his eyes showing pure anger. "What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha asked innocently as he began to peel the plantain slowly after pinching the top.
Miroku's eyebrow twitched and he closed his eyes tightly. "Is that how its gonna be?"
"Yep," The Captain responded bluntly as he took a bite of the fruit, chewing it thoughtfully. "Whatcha gonna do about it?" He added, it looked almost like he was trying to pick a fight.
Without saying a word Miroku stood, his eyes closed and his posture angry. Taking a deep breath his eyes flashed opened and looked around him, scanning the crowd, searching for something. Kagome and Sango watched confused, both tilting their heads to the side as Miroku turned and looked behind them, scanning every direction.
"None of our crew's in here." The Captain said suddenly as he took another bite out of his plantain, his posture completely relaxed as if he knew what was coming. "I made sure to go to a tavern they would avoid."
Miroku turned back to him, his eyes fire. "Is that a fact?"
Inuyasha took another bite of the plantain, munching happily on the sweet contents. "Sure is." He told Miroku through a mouth full of food.
"In that case," Miroku placed his hand on the Captain's shoulder. "Fuck you, Inuyasha!" And with that he violently shoved Inuyasha off of their shared bench.
Sango and Kagome both watched with their mouths opened wide in shock. "Miroku?" They breathed together both not believing what they had just seen. It was one thing to play in private but they were in public and that was the Captain—the dreaded pirate Captain Inuyasha!
"What?" Miroku replied as he started to peel his own plantain, sitting back down. "He deserved it!"
The telltale laugh of the Captain reiterated that point as a clawed hand gripped the edge of the table, bringing upwards a head and a set of shoulders that were shaking with entertainment. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Shut the hell up." Miroku replied angrily as he took another bite of plantain. "Why did you fucking shove me?"
"You were in the way." Inuyasha replied evenly.
"You could have talked over my head!" Miroku yelled back, a noise that didn't even disturb the people in the bar.
Inuyasha shrugged taking a bite of his own fruit, "And where's the fun in that?"
Miroku growled very realistically, "I'll show you fun." Miroku threatened a glint in his eye.
"I'd like to see you try." Inuyasha retorted back with a deadly smirk.
Miroku opened his mouth to continue the playful banter but the moment was interrupted by a rather drunk man crashing in-between Sango and Kagome his mug of ale tipping to the side—all over Kagome's clothes and lap. The instant cold made Kagome gasp and stand straight up, the mixture seeping to her skin, the smell going into her every pore. She quickly brought her arms around herself, covering her now see-through dress.
Across the table both the Captain and Miroku froze, taking in the sight of Kagome drenched and the man barely keeping his head up looking at Kagome with swirling eyes. Beside both Kagome and the drunken man Sango quickly stood her eyes wide as she too took in the sight her hands drawn back to her head in an effort to keep herself from becoming drenched in ale as well.
In an instant the Captain seemed to unfreeze as he practically jumped across the table snarling as he grabbed for the drunken man, getting a hold of his shirt before flinging him away from their table, away from the soaked Kagome and the stunned Sango. The man sailed backwards crashing into another table, sending food and ale and rum and chairs everywhere. The musicians stopped playing, the loud talking died to a murmur, and the whole of the tavern became an eerily quiet place as one of the men from the upturned table slowly stood brushing food from his clothes. He turned and looked at the Captain as he wiped some beans and rice from his face, his eyebrows knotted in anger.
"Fucking mutt." He said slowly in English as his blood red eyes with tiny black slits for pupils lit on the Captain's own golden ones. "You fucking ill breed fool."
Kagome watched amazed as the comment seemed to strike a nerve within the Captain, the man rolling his shoulders backwards and bringing his chin up, his eyes bright with determination and—almost a slight arrogance. On the other side of the table Miroku had also stood, a strange, dark look on his face, as if a piece of information was being left out.
Kagome narrowed her eyes in thought—it was really strange, normally insults didn't seem to affect the two men but this time, they looked absolutely pissed. Had the demon said something so terribly appalling? "Fucking mutt, you fucking ill breed fool." The words replayed in her head, they didn't seem too terrible, just insulting. So what was so offensive? Before Kagome could ponder the thought any longer, Inuyasha came to stand in front of her, separating her from the threatening demon.
"At least I'm not some fucking pussy." The Captain replied to the cat demon's comment from his place in front of her, a smirk clearly present in his tone.
Every hair on the other demon's body seemed to stand on end as he opened his mouth and let out a horrible hiss. The other men at the table stood as well all of them exhibiting signs of being from the blood line of the famous cat demons, a rare and difficult finicky breed of demon that had nearly been wiped out because of their own overconfidence and haughty attitudes.
"Listen," The cat said as his friends stood behind him, their tails flickering with irritation, their shoulders squared. "If you want to wipe your nose and pretend that was a sneeze I'll go along with it boot licker but if you say one more word I'll kick your ass!" The cat demon hissed out as he stomped towards the Captain, eye level with the six foot tall dog.
"Keh," Inuyasha smiled at him as he moved forward his nose almost touching the other demon's nose not intimidated at all but the cat's hiss and threat. "Open your fucking ears mouse chaser and listen close." Inuyasha opened his mouth showing off dangerous glistening fangs as the tavern became so silent that a needle falling to the ground would have sounded like a boulder crashing in a land slide. "You," He pointed at the cat. "Are," He said slowly, determined. "A," He put one finger hovering over the cat's nose. "Fucking." He paused and the room seemed to lean forward waiting for the already known word. "Pussy." With that he flicked the cat's nose and all hell broke loose.
The other cats behind their leader charged without hesitation attacking the Captain, swallowing his whole body up in a mass of demon fury. Miroku jumped across the table in a rush moving between Kagome and Sango so quickly that he appeared to be nothing more than a purple and black streak. Immediately he joined the fray, hauling one cat after the other off of the Captain as the Captain punched and kicked his way through the six attacking felines all the while snarling as they hissed.
As if this was some sort of cue the other patrons of the tavern broke into a frenzy of shouts and jabs, melting the whole bar into a mass of confusion and violence.
Kagome felt panic swell in her throat as she watched the tavern turn into a giant fight, people who weren't even involved in the skirmish taking part in a mass brawl. Tables were upturned and drinks were thrown as people punched at each other, both attacker and recipient far too drunk to actually make a clean hit. Terrified she backed herself up against the table, placing her back to the closet wall so she could maintain a good visual of her surroundings. She ducked as a glass flew past her head, her arms coming up to protect her from harm as she heard the glass shatter against the wall.
"What the fuck!" She screamed in her head, her own ability to cuss not even fazing her as she watched the room erupt into a fit of unbelievable mayhem. Gulping and backing herself up further away from the chaos she desperately searched for the Captain among the sea of both human's and unruly demons. "Where are you?" She muttered under her breath, her eyes scanning the large crowd of blonds, burnets, blacked haired folk, and the amazingly bright colors of demon folk. "Silver," she mumbled, "Silver where are you?" She bit her lip. "Come on puppy ears!"
And then her eyes caught sight of him, the ears erect on his head calling her attention. "Inuyasha!" Her mind shouted, delighted that he was still there, still fighting.
The Captain was currently hitting a man in the gut, his golden eyes filled with a look she had never seen on his face before—absolute and utter and complete and total delight, thrill, and exhilaration.
He looked entranced, engrossed, one hundred and twenty percent in his element as a punch connected with his jaw and his head turned at an inhuman angle before his head whipped right back into place—his smirk even larger as he pulled back a fist, past his head and swung it straight into the cat's nose, blood exploding like a sea of red, which he easily dodged so it wouldn't touch his person.
A man jumped on the Captain's back and she gazed amazed as he reached behind himself, strong hands gripping the other man behind his head before leaning forward and easily throwing him to the ground, the unknown assailant landing flat on his back, only to be kicked in his stomach by the overzealous Captain.
It was then that Inuyasha turned to look at her, his eyes catching her own as he dodged a chair that was being thrown from one side of the room to the other. His eyes glistened with a childlike, boyish amusement, his mouth formed into a smile so wide that it looked as if it was about to split his face. And then his eyes turned away from her, looking some place to her right, she turned following his gaze in time to see Sango blocking a punch that was coming for the older woman's face before she returned one of her own to her attackers gut, doubling the man over just as easily as any man in the room could.
Kagome couldn't believe the action, she couldn't even imagine being able to hit something—someone—the way Sango just had—especially in such a low cut tight fitting dress. She turned away from the sight in time to see the Captain duck out of the way of a cat demon's claws before coming back up and delivering his foot to the other man's face. Her jaw dropped instantly at the sight, not even daring to believe that she had just seen the Captain kick a man in his chin—she had never seen anyone who could kick that high, she had never even conceived that it was humanly possible.
The sight of purple out of the corner of her eye drew her away from the Captain for only a moment as she took in the sight of Miroku jumping onto a table, escaping the claws of what appeared to be another cat demon—one of the leader's men no doubt. Her eyes stayed trained on him amazed as he brought his foot over the man's head, slamming it down as an axe slams into a piece of wood. Instantly, the man's eyes rolled back into his head as he crumpled to the ground, a heap of dead weight, left for other fights to trip over.
The smirk on Miroku's face reminded her distinctly of the Captain as the purple clad man jumped off the table, dodging a glass that had been thrown his way by another enraged fighter. Taking it in stride Miroku merely laughed before grabbing the drunken mug throwers head and sending it straight into his knee repeatedly, until the man's nose was sure to be broken. Nauseous over the bloody display Kagome turned away, flinching as she turned just in time to see the Captain punch a man in the face so hard that she was positive the man's head turned around like an owl.
Taking a deep breath she hid herself further in the shadows, taking in every facet of the fight, growing used to the gruesomeness and becoming impressed by the capabilities of those fighters who were on her side.
She gazed amazed as Sango flipped a man straight above her head, sending him into several others behind her, knocking all four out in seemingly one motion. She watched utterly stunned as Miroku blocked a human's punch with his own bare hand before grabbing it, pulling the human towards himself and using his free hand to punch him in the stomach, hard enough that the man (once released) fell to his knees coughing. And she stared completely flabbergasted as she watched the Captain—watched the man Inuyasha jump, kicking both legs upwards at the same time in an aerial split, hitting two me on the chin simultaneously, both men's head snapping backwards from the force, only to be grabbed by the Captain upon the man's descent and knocked together, their heads hitting each others, creating a noise loud enough that it was heard above all the other noise within the tavern.
It was with this technique that Inuyasha's eyes turned, as if searching for her. And lit on her again they did, checking on her and as they did they instantly grew wide before he jumped on a nearby table, and sprang in her direction.
Confused by the action she narrowed her eyes and then felt a feeling of panic when she noticed a hefty man coming right towards her. Before she could even scream she felt something take hold of her waist and gasped as she was literally lifted into the air and then she was moving—moving so fast that she had no idea what was happening. Before she knew it she felt cool air hitting her face and the smell of salt instead of tobacco and ale. Her feet suddenly touched solid ground and she gulped opening her eyes, unsure of where she was or what had happened.
Stunned Kagome turned to look at her rescuer only to find the face of the delighted Captain right next to her, his breath surprisingly even and his eyes sparkling with mirth as he smirked at her.
"You okay?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with the joy of the fight.
Kagome gulped as her ears took in the sound of the gentle baritone; her eyes staring at him, taking in the man she had known existed—and yet, had only briefly been exposed to. This was the man of the legends, the man who knew how to fight, the man who knew how to kill, this was the man—this was the man her mother had told her about in fabled legend, this was the Pirate Captain Inuyasha—he did exist and yet, he wasn't scary at all.
In fact, his joyous smirk, his delighted eyes, his tense muscles, his extraordinary fighting skills, his posed fighting form, the fact that he had protected her, protected her from the drunk man who spilled his drink on her, protected her from the other who had been really aiming to hurt her—it made her feel—tingly. "What is this feeling?" She questioned herself. "I should be scared but," She felt her face flushed. "I'm not, I'm something wholly different."
Quickly she looked away, embarrassed and slightly ashamed, her eyes were instantly drawn to the place that her ears told her was still filled to the brim with angry fighters. Sure enough, she saw the tavern, the front door opened wide allowing her to see a variety of objects flying this way and that, along with people who flew too or at least threw punches.
"Sorry 'bout that," The Captain's voice rang out in the fresh air, his voice anything but sorry instead only sounding somewhere between relaxed and hyper.
She turned to him, looking at him as his eyes lit on the tavern, happy, almost pleased.
"I've been looking for a way to expend some energy." He told her evenly as he rubbed the back of his head, an adorable gesture. "I had hoped to only use Miroku for that but then—that cat demon was just too damn convenient." He gave her a sideways grin. "I didn't mean to rope you into it."
Kagome looked at him, her heart starting to race in her chest as she once again saw the true man behind the many masks. The boy—the eighteen year old boy who was blunt and boastful, who liked to fight, who simply enjoyed the feeling of adrenaline he got when he challenged another person, when he won, when he proved himself to the world. In a way, it was the man from the legends, but in another light it seemed that the man from the legends was only a small part of a many faceted individual.
A smile formed on Kagome's face, a feeling of lightness overtook her heart, she felt great, she felt happy, she felt delighted, she felt that adrenaline too. "That was fun." She managed to say as a bright smile broke out on her face, "I mean, being drenched in ale not so much and the fighting's a little scary, but the food and the dancing and even the banter, that's fun." She started to laugh, an action that was quickly becoming a constant facet of her personality.
The Captain looked at her surprised, his eyes catching her own, as if he just realized that she was really there, that he was really there—that the two of them were alone. Suddenly the air around them grew thick and heavy, hanging above them like a weighted cloud.
"Um," He tried as he looked into her big grey eyes, the turbulent sea in them changing to something else—to something both confused and accepting at the same time. "These eyes," He found himself thinking. "They're beautiful Kagome's eyes are."
Inuyasha felt a smile come to his face, a smile that only a few people in the whole of the world had ever seen—Kikyo had, his mother had, Miroku had, perhaps even Sango, Totosai, and Myoga had seen it or more likely had only been privy to a hint of it. It was a shy smile, with one fang hinting underneath his lip, his eyes looking directly at her half lidded—approving—accepting. "Kago—." He tried to say but failed as his cheeks lit red, truly revealing how young he was. For every brash thing he said, for all his innuendo, when it came to Kagome Dresmont he was just eighteen.
Kagome felt her cheeks flush and her heart begin to pound in her chest, beating against her rib cage, there was just something about this man, something about the very person, the exact person in front of her that was extraordinary.
"Shit," The sound of Miroku screaming brought both Inuyasha and Kagome out of their strange trance. "Captain we better get out of here. I'm not wastin' bullets in this fight!"
Inuyasha watched as Miroku ran out of the building, Sango following him, along with a very angry looking cat demon with a fighting pistol drawn. Unfazed it appeared, Inuyasha simply hollered back "I never run from a fight."
"Then why are you out here?" Miroku shouted to him as he turned and looked back at the cat who was trying desperately to both run and load. "Being outside the fight is running from it!"
"I was saving Miss Dresmont!" Inuyasha yelled careful to call her by her 'proper' name as he bent his knees low to the ground, while bringing his fist to his face, cracking his knuckles. "I wasn't running."
Miroku ignored him. "Will you take care of this already?" He yelled as he ducked as the sound of a gun shot rang threw the air, barely missing his head, a few stray hairs separating from the others as the bullet grazed him, floating down in front of his face. "Captain!"
"Such a whinny pup." Inuyasha mumbled as he suddenly sprung up from his crouch, seemingly flying over Miroku's head, landing before the cat demon. "Oi, leave my pup alone." He growled as he popped his neck from side to side.
"Tsst," The cat spit to his side reloading the pistol so quickly it was hard to tell what he had done until the resounding clock of the barrel being drawn was heard. "That's a human and you're a fucking mutt, that ain't no pup of yours."
Inuyasha smirked, looking at the cat from behind his bangs. "So like a cat to only look at the surface." Inuyasha growled as he showed his fangs, his ears flattening on the back of his head. "Sankontessou." He yelled out as his claws slashed towards the cat demon, a bright yellow light following them in a dangerous ball of whirlwind strength.
The cat dodged it barely, his whiskers burning as the large waves of gold whirled in front of him, almost catching his head but instead only catching the pistol, easily splitting it in two.
The cat's eyes grew huge, his lip quivering as he stared at the now two part gun. Shaking he looked back at the Captain who simply smirked, raising his eyebrows—daring the cat to even try, "Holy shit," The cat said looking at Inuyasha with utter disbelief, frozen in place.
"I get that a lot." Inuyasha replied, "But I bet I can make you say worse." He opened his hands, popping the knuckles as he shaped his fingers in the same formation as a condor's talons. "Should we find out?"
The demon shook his head back and forth violently before scrambling away hastily on his hands and knees, his paws ripping at the sand so he could make a hasty retreat back into the tavern, where a much safer fight was still taking place.
"Western demons." Inuyasha mumbled as he shook his head slowly from side to side, his words a great source of confusion for the people left around him. "They've all forgotten how to use their claws."
Turning back around towards the others he smiled, his expression one of absolute pride in himself. "Let's go to the ship."
Not one of them protested, but all of them wondered, what he had meant by the word 'western.'
-break-
A gentle calm hovered over the Caribbean as the sun slowly rose, touching the water, the Island of Cuba, and the ship the Shikuro all in a delicate turn. Slowly, the ship warmed as it methodically bobbed in the sea as the tide leisurely eased, ebbing away from the wooden haul and then lapping against it, pushing the ship up before it sank back down, a slow and familiar rhythm to any man who was permanently a part of the sea.
Inside the Captain's cabin Inuyasha stood looking out at the awakening world, his mind and body already alert as he stood next to the bed he hadn't slept in last night or the night before that or the night before that. In fact, he hadn't slept in his own bed but twice since Kagome Dresmont had come aboard his ship and both those times she had not been in the room but Miroku had been there instead. Inuyasha sighed, bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose before he gradually turned sniffing the air as he did, taking in the scent of the girl who was currently sleeping only a mere three feet away from where he stood.
"Kagome." He whispered into the dawn light as the sun's rays caught her hair causing it to shine, a silky beautiful look, tantalizing and exotic. He smiled at her as he took in the sight of her head lying sideways on her pillow, her right cheek propped up by her other hand that was supporting her head as she slept soundly. Her body turned slightly to the side, showing him delicious curves that existed underneath the white cotton sheet. He couldn't help the slight build of pressure he felt in his groin and bit his lip, hurrying to turn away from her, almost angry at his own reaction.
He had never in his life been as attracted to anyone as he was attracted to her. Kagome did things to him that shouldn't happen. All it took was one glance at her, one innocent look at her figure or her sleeping or awakening face and he found himself wanting her badly. The way she treated strangers, the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she mothered the little Shippo, hell even the way she challenged him. The way she just seemed to know everything he knew, her knowledge of literature like Shakespeare, her knowledge of ships, her love of the sea, all of it made him practically scream with undeniable desire.
"What's wrong with me?" He mumbled as he set down on his bed, staring at her form. "I'm acting like a bitch in heat."
He growled at himself, bringing a hand up to yank on his hair as a form of self punishment. The sound of a pup mumbling in his sleep drew him back to Kagome's form and he raised an eyebrow as he caught a glimpse of the baby foxes' red hair that hide beneath the blanket, nuzzled up to Kagome's chest. He growled again—this time annoyed that any creator other than himself should have the privilege to lay so close to the curve and swell of her breast. "Lucky brat." He thought as he turned away from both Shippo and Kagome opting to stare outside into the lightening world. Without his consent, the image of a love long past slowly began to form in his vision, another girl from a time that seemed so long ago coming into his mind. He could see her laying sleeping in much the same way Kagome was now but the memory, although beautiful, still made his heart clench in his chest as he saw Kikyo's eyes opening, looking at him with pity and hated both compiled into one.
"What do you want, demon?"The woman set up in her bed, bringing the sheet around her frame, her long straight hair brushing down to her waist as she awaited his answer.
Inuyasha kept his mouth closed, knowing she would be angry that he had come on a night where he remained a demon, instead of transforming into a human.
"Why are you here?" She stated as she brought the covers tighter around herself, her eyes looking wary. "I told you not to come unless it was a new moon."
He looked at her, taking in her huddled form, his heart clenching tightly in his chest. "Can't I just come to see you, Miss. Cummings?"
She bit her lip and looked away, her eyes haunting in the dull light of a waning moon. "Not like that."
Her words were like a dagger in his heart, slowly twisting around in a cruel and painful circle, killing him slowly with only the emotional pain it caused. "Why not?" He asked into the dark, his eyes filling with hurt and pain.
"You're a demon right now."She told him bluntly as she looked straight into his face, her eyes saying it all. She didn't trust him, not like this, she saw him as something worth hating, worth destroying, only fit to live if he was in a human form.
Inuyasha felt his heart clench in his chest, didn't she know that changing the person's form did not change the person's mind? "But," He whispered into the dark, hoping that his words would change her mind. "I'm still me."
Silence. She hadn't been able to deny it but that hadn't made a difference. Inuyasha felt something prick in the corner of his eyes, something he refused to let continue any further, refusing to let himself feel the pain again. He hadn't allowed that feeling to overcome him since his mother's death over three hundred and ninety years ago. After all, that woman was the only woman who had ever been worth shedding tears for.
Still, he couldn't stop the wave of depression that hit him as his whole body fell into a place he hadn't been in for fifty years. A place of anger, a place of pain, a place of heart break, a place he just wanted to forget and yet the world wouldn't let him—it never would no matter how much he wanted it too. Clutching his fist at his sides he turned back to Kagome, his eyes drawn to her chest, to her gentle breathing. One—Two—Three—Four.
"They breathe the same." He told himself as his eyes moved upwards towards her face, studying every curve now that she was still with her eyes closed. "They look the same." His eyes roamed over her hips, over the gentle curve that slowly formed her leg. "They curve the same." Inuyasha covered his eyes with one hand, "Why can't I get past it?" He mumbled out into thin air. "I know that she isn't her but—I can't help but notice every similarity despite the differences. Why?"
"Because you're afraid."
Inuyasha's eyes snapped opened absolutely terrified that he had heard an answer. He looked around, half expecting to see Kagome sitting up or Miroku or Sango in the doorway or even Shippo awake in the bed and yet, there was nothing. The voice had sounded so real, as if it came from a person standing just beside his ear but all his senses told him he was alone, or at least alone in wakefulness. He gulped—knowing without having to know that the voice had come from inside of him.
"I'm afraid?" Inuyasha questioned himself again, already knowing the answer. Yes, he was afraid, he was afraid that if they looked alike then they would act alike. He feared that Kagome would reject him just as she had done—that she would hate him when she found out about his origins about his father—about his mother. Now that all the memories of her were coming back to him, he found himself more and more afraid, afraid that he was wrong, afraid that Kagome—that she and her were more alike than just a common face.
He began to stand up, prepared to leave the room, to leave his thoughts, after all he would only know the truth once he saw the sister. She would know—she was a Miko after all and they knew things, knew them easier than he would. He walked across the wooden floor, ready to gain some much needed rest before they left for Louisiana but stopped when familiar words filled his mind.
"Miss Dresmont, may I kiss you?"
He turned quickly, looking at the exact spot where he had stood and said those words to her nearly a month before. "I asked her?" Inuyasha stayed frozen in his spot as the memory seeped into his mind, the image of her as he asked, as he posed his question, unsure of why he had posed it. "Why did I ask? What was the point?" There was no point or purpose, his mind told him. He had asked simply because it was proper and he was playing the part of a proper man—a proper man kissing an engaged woman while he was pretending to be married— "Okay so that's not the reason but—then—what is?" Why had he asked her? Why was it so important to him that he gain her permission? "Because you've been burned once before." His mind responded as a haunting memory filled him to the very core.
"Can I kiss you?"He asked as he stepped closer, reaching to touch the woman before him, his hand almost making contact with her cheek.
She stepped away, avoiding him, wrapping her hands around herself in a sign of protection. "No."
Slowly, Inuyasha brought a hand to his head, grasping his hair as his whole face drew into a line of confusion, a line of thought. He had forgotten, he had forgotten that time, she had rejected him, she had told him no, she had told him that she would never kiss a demon. But, Miss Dresmont—
"Yes."
"She said yes." Inuyasha looked at Kagome then, his eyes taking her in—seeing her as just Kagome and no one else, and she was beautiful and lively. He could see her smile. He could see her blush when he kissed her hand. He could feel her heart race as they danced. He could see the delight in her smile when she stood on the deck taking in the breeze. He saw the sparkle in her eyes when she first saw a mast, when she first saw them dock, when she first went into port. He saw her absolute rapture when she saw the violin. He saw her amusing amazement when she tasted beans and rice. He heard her reaction to her first true fight.
"That was fun."
Kagome was different than Kikyo, each time he had a doubt that became even more apparent. She had kissed him when he was a demon, she had said yes without thought. She hadn't rejected him at least not in the way another girl had before her. Making a decision that he hadn't even known he was debating, Inuyasha stood up and bent down to kiss Kagome's forehead, a silent gesture in a now lit room. He exited the cabin, slowly closing the door with the now fixed handle before he walked towards Miroku and Sango's room. He knocked on the door lightly, his knuckles banging on the wood just loud enough to awake the groggy man inside. He heard the stirring and the muttering and the slight cussing and chuckled lightly, "Miroku wake up." He called through the wood.
He perked his ears up to catch the nearly silent reply of, "I don't wanna."
Placing his lips to the door, Inuyasha responded. "I don't care, I'm leaving the ship and you need to watch it."
He heard the sound of Sango mumbling in her sleep and then a heavy sigh that came from none other than Miroku before some stumbling and the sound of clothes being put on before footsteps came to the door and the handle shook as it opened a fraction, a shirtless, pants on Miroku standing looking at him with eyes that could kill. "What now?"
"Watch the ship, I'm leaving." He said bluntly as he attempted not to laugh at Miroku's current state of dress.
"Aye," Miroku acknowledged realizing now that he wasn't talking to his father, he was talking to his Captain. "Where are you going, Captain?" Miroku asked as he stretched and yawned before scratching the back of his head.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the younger man's stretch but otherwise ignored it. "Into town."
"Why would you do that, nothings opened?" Miroku pointed out as he leaned against the door frame, using it for support.
Inuyasha only smiled in response, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to leave. "The place I'm going is opened, its owner never sleeps." He told Miroku as he started to walk away. "I'd bet money on that."
"I'll turn to my post after I get dressed Captain." Miroku waited for Inuyasha's nod of approval before he quickly returned back into his cabin, grabbing the rest of his clothes and hastily dressing, by the time he was done, the Captain was long gone, already traveling along the dusty streets of the port town alone in the vacant predawn world, Havana still nearly asleep.
The place Inuyasha was headed, however, was already awake, a tired old man inside, working on his trade, carefully crafting a strange eight shaped piece of wood, held by a tiny bridge with four distinct cables.
End of Chapter
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Congrats to Byss for being reviewer 500!
Edited for Content 5/11/2011, 8/1/2012, 8/14/2012
Bonus Point:
What does Sankontessou literally translate into?
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
The answer was Kirara, pronounced, Kilala in Japanese because the Japanese do not have individual sounds/characters for either 'r' or 'l', instead they are both recognized by the same alphabetic character which is pronounced more like an English 'l' than an 'r.' Congrats to the winners:
pApAw, The Things We All Hold Dead, pepsiiilvrrr, Coka Cookie Cola, SilverStarWing, RavenShadow, LittleMargarita, inukagome9193, Warm-Amber92, Mikomi, Regina lunaris, DeAunna, starfireten, Byss, InuKag4eva, ravenreux, TheRealInuyasha (she'll love Latin, I took it in high school!), Purple Dragon Ranger, James'Lover13. Serenity095, 3lue 3utterfly, Litle C, glon morski, Angel, .Flip-0v3r., AriaLuvsInu, NiceStories
Notes:
*I am not a Cuba expert, I just researched a little, if anyone has any concerns please let me know*
Music – Cuba is largely influenced by both Africa and Spanish musical traditions. Therefore most of their instruments are influenced by both of these cultures. It is because of this that Kagome doesn't recognize some of the instruments right away.
Food – Much like its music, Cuba's food was influenced by both the Spanish and the African (The latter being because of slavery) and also from the Dutch. Black beans and yellow rice are a staple of Cuban cuisine along with shredded and marinated meats, however this would have been far more expensive, so it is more likely that people in taverns would have been given cheaper foods. Plantains would have also been a popular food, generally served like a Potato would be in America, fried or mashed, although when very ripe they were eaten like a Banana.
Dining – Cuba favors a communal meal, the whole family eating family style. In the 1700's most taverns throughout the world would have served family style but would not offer silverware as it was easy to steal and verily valuable. Therefore it was common to either eat with ones hands or construct your own silverware as Inuyasha does in this chapter.
Next Chapter:
(I dare you to guess, hint, it's eight shaped)
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 5/11/2011