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-Four
Kagome's Violin
Sunlight slowly entered the Captain's Cabin of the Shikuro as said ship turned into the afternoon light for the first time that day. Gingerly, the light landed on the drapes warming them first before traveling, seeping slowly, touching the wooden floors and ancient weapons—heating everything in its wake, an unbearable temperature—the midsummer temperature of the Gulf of Mexico. The sun's rays leisurely became more and more intense as the room warmed up, no window opened to offer a cooling breeze to the sleeping occupant within.
Nestled in the warming cotton sheets, Kagome slept her body and mind exhausted from the day before. Tossing back and forth she tried to get more comfortable, the heat of the room causing her to sweat in her white cotton shirt and black pants, an outfit she often slept in for modesty's sake. Squeezing her eyes shut she turned, flipping back and forth in her bed, the heat causing her dreams to turn into strange heat induced imaginings—
She found herself surrounded by white, a white void, with nothing in existence except her.
"Where am I?" She questioned as she looked around her, taking in that absolute white, it was like nothing she had ever seen: just an endless expanse of whiteness as if all color had been erased from life. "Why am I here?" Her words seemed to echo around her, touching every inch of the whitened world becoming the only source of color there, literally projecting in the air, hovering above her head. Confused she stepped back only to have the back of her heel come in contact with something concrete, something solid.
"Wo!" She gasped as she suddenly tumbled backwards, landing hard on her tail bone, an action that surprisingly didn't hurt at all.
Blinking in carried perplexity she turned from her spot on the ground and dropped her mouth opened at the sight that met her—church steps, pristine church steps, and then the sound of the bell in the steeple ringing enthusiastically. She stared at those steps squinting her eyes so she could see the tower the bell rested in, and then back down from the top of the bell until she came to gaze at the giant ornate wooden doors of a million year old church. Those doors were calling to her, telling her to walk thru them, to move up the stone steps leading to them.
Carefully, she stood and placing one foot before the other she began her short ascent, it seemed to be taking forever, as if the steps multiplied every time she almost reached the top before she finally found herself at those doors, staring at the intricate carving on the wooden entry. She bit her lip as the stages of her life were presented to her in a series of wooden pictures: her birth resting in her mother's arms, her childhood playing in the sand and waves, her adolescence where her mother struggled to teach her manners, her teenage hood where her defiance began to show.
And then below all these tiles laid two more, set aside from the rest as if they were not a part of the original set—or at least were not yet. The first was an image of Naraku, sitting in her mother's parlor, looking off into the distance blankly and the second was of the Captain kissing her hand in their very first meeting, from what seemed like so long ago.
The sight made her panic, made her heart beat rapidly in her chest as both images infiltrated her every sense. Turning quickly, her eyes shut tightly Kagome blocked the images out—refusing to allow them to touch her senses. And as she did, she was met with a new feeling, a familiar sensation, the feel of salt-rich air.
Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes, blinking rapidly she took in the sight of a changed white world. No longer was there an endless white expanse but instead one of endless blue. The image of a giant moving sea, calm like a pond, met her every sense, sight, touch, smell, sound, taste—everything was filled with the sea.
In that moment, she felt her heart lurch; she had a feeling that a choice laid here—a church behind her and the sea before her. She knew without a doubt which one she wanted to chose, she knew it without any deliberation or query but—was it possible?
Kagome studied that clear blue, not a ship upon it—if she went towards it now, she would drown. There was no ship to sail away on, there was no way she could swim far enough to reach some distant shore. She couldn't go there—couldn't go into that sea, she had no choice but to walk inside the church.
"Goodbye."She whispered, although she had no idea who or what she was really saying goodbye to.
Feeling chest fallen Kagome turned away from the beautiful blue water and looked back at the proper wooden door—it was tall—almost foreboding, appearing to rise forever above her head. With a deep breath she placed a hand on the door, half expecting the action to burn her flesh but it didn't, instead, the door seemingly opened by itself, moving slowly a loud, low creaking noise resounding off the walls of the church as the door fully opened revealing a white walkway, and a million people staring at her—Naraku standing at its end.
She backed away, his intense gaze boring holes into her flesh; tears welled in her eyes, threatening to wash over her eyelashes down her cheeks. "No," she told herself but she knew she had no choice. Heart breaking in her chest she stepped forward into the church's entryway the sound of her heels clicking on the perfect marble floor.
"Kagome!"
She froze and turned to the call, there was only one person in the world who called her Kagome other than her family—a person she was beginning to know well.
A smile broke onto her face as she saw a speck on the horizon, a ship with blackened sails, a dog shinning from its flag.
"Kagome!"The call came again.
"Inuyasha." She whispered, not even hearing when the door behind her closed and the opportunity that laid there slowly ebbed away, disappearing into a place that had once held great potential but now held nothing other than dying nightmares.
Kagome opened her eyes, the rocking of the ship awakening her or perhaps the strangeness of her dream. Sitting up she stared blankly at the wall as she desperately tried to remember what she had been dreaming about that had been so strange but no matter how hard she focused, she couldn't remember anything other than sadness and then great delight. Huffing she stretched in her bed, her eyes blinking several times as she took in the light from the window.
"So bright." She mumbled to herself as she brought a hand up to her eyes, rubbing the sleep filled haze away from them. She yawned, bringing a hand to her mouth to cover it and stretched again, her hands extending over her head as she inhaled deeply, holding her breath before expelling it sharply. "I slept so good."
"That's not very good grammar for an educated woman."
Kagome practically jumped out of her skin as the voice rang throughout the Captain's room. Looking around frantically her eyes lit on the Captain who was sitting at his desk, a parchment before him and a pen in his hand, his back turned to her as he focused on his work.
Feeling anger and embarrassment well up in her heart Kagome brought the sheets up to cover herself as she snapped at him. "What would a," She searched desperately for the right word, "Pirate," It was the only thing she could think to call him. "Know about grammar?" She gritted her teeth, her face growing warm.
"Plenty," Inuyasha replied bluntly as he put his quill back in the fountain and studied whatever it was he was working on. "I have read Shakespeare you know."
Kagome bit her lip, feeling highly annoyed since someone was making fun of her so early in the morning. Grunting she pulled the sheets tighter around herself, glaring into the back of the Captain's head.
"Staring at me will not make me go away." He told her as he shifted some papers around on his desk as if he was searching for one in-particular. "You are staying in my room after all."
Kagome blushed even brighter and gave up, falling back flat onto the bed, covering her head with the sheet. She groaned, feeling her head start to ache. It had been such a good morning only moments before, albeit filled with a rather strange dream she couldn't for her life remember, but now—now it was plan irritating.
From his spot sitting in the desk, Inuyasha glanced back at her instantly feeling a little guilty for irritating the girl when she had only just woken up. "I didn't mean to wake you." He said into the air in lull of apology, startling her into sitting back up, the sheet dropping around her waist.
"Pardon?" She questioned sure she had misunderstood. After all, it appeared that the Captain was in a mood to annoy her this morning, not make her feel special.
"I didn't mean to wake you," He repeated for her again. "I just needed to check one of the charts," He held up the paper he was working on in order to show her. "You know, so I can make sure we're headed in the right direction."
Kagome nodded dumbly, letting her feet move to the side of the bed, touching the floor with just her toes as she glanced around for her boots, her pants and shirt already on but not tucked into each other. Finally seeing her boots she grabbed her stockings, throwing them on her feet hastily before slipping each foot into a shoe. Standing she began to tuck in her shirt as she moved across the cabin, her curiosity fueling her movement.
She didn't notice the drastic change in the Captain's posture when she came to stand behind him, or the way his ears stood straight up, his whole body tense as she glanced over one broad shoulder. In fact she was quit oblivious to the way he gulped and shifted slightly as she studied the map of the coastal region of North and South America that lay before him, a path marked off with small dashes running from an Island notated as Cuba to a mainland port in a section labeled Louisiana.
Not even thinking of repercussions, or perhaps too naive to know of them, Kagome leaned over the Captain pointing at the Port of New Orleans her front pressing into the Captain's back rather innocently after all, she had touched him before so what was the big deal? "This is where we're headed?"
Inuyasha bit his lip hard, drawling blood as he felt her small petite breast push into his back, the gemstone he had given her bouncing against his shoulder blade as she leaned away and then back close again. "Oh my God," he practically screamed in his head as he glanced backwards at the young woman pressed slightly against him. "She doesn't even realize does she?" He told himself as he struggled to maintain some control. "When did she become this relaxed around me? Damn it!" He shivered as his body stirred to life the demon in him snarling with pleasure.
"Mate." It said deep within his mind.
"Not mate!" Inuyasha yelled back as he closed his eyes tightly.
"She wears out mark."
"Our mark is a lie." Inuyasha told the voice bluntly, the demon only snarled in return going silent soon after but still staying close to the surface very much awake and aware.
Taking a few deep breathes Inuyasha gently moved her hand away from the paper, causing her to lean away from him so he could actually think to answer her. Internally sighing in relief, he turned to look at her full on—as was typical when conversing—only to stop, words caught in his throat. Her shirt wasn't tucked in yet and she didn't have her jacket on, which meant the cotton shirt she was wearing was simply hanging around her curvy form, highlighting her sensuous features, especially the soft swell of two young and perky breasts. "Shit," The word range in his mind, the demon inside him smirking but failing to say a word as Inuyasha forced himself to finally answer her. "Yes," He barely got out as he felt his instincts begin to stir within him, the demon's silent retaliation. "That's where we're headed."
"Oh," She nodded and leaned back just a little one of her hands coming up to touch the jewel around her neck, fingering it lightly as her free breast moved against her arm causing Inuyasha to stare. "Have we already cast off?" She asked, her face drawn in a line of confusion, completely oblivious to his internal conflict.
"Hum," He nodded with a grunt as he continued to watch her hand playing with the jewel, brushing against her skin and causing the shirt to open just a little bit between the buttons. "She's trying to kill me." He thought to himself every part of his being wanting nothing more than to just grab those sweet breasts, kneading them between his clawed fingers. "Get a hold of yourself!" He screamed internally as he ripped his eyes away from chest to stare into her face in an attempt to cool his urges. "We left hours ago." He told her, his voice sounding oddly uncontrolled and tight at the same time. "Hours."
Still oblivious to the Captain's odd change in tone, Kagome continued her hand still kneading the jewel. "We left really early in the morning then, didn't we?"
"Not really," Inuyasha told her as he blinked several times and shook his head, gaining control over his body after a few seconds of intense focus, the demon in him backing down only slightly, as if it was waiting for the opportunity to strike. "Just don't look at her hand." He commanded himself as he began to retrieve focus once more. "That's it just don't look keep looking at her face." Expelling a long deep breath he pushed his chair backwards, standing up, glad certain parts of his anatomy had decided to stand down. "We cast off around eight or so."
Kagome's eyes opened wide and her hand released the jewel as realization seemed to dawn on her. "What time is it now?" She asked expectantly, a slight uneasiness in her voice.
Inuyasha sniffled a sigh of relief when he noticed her hand had moved, "Around eleven or twelve." He told her nonchalantly as he grabbed one of the maps from his desk, rolling it up into a tight cylinder before shoving it under his arm, preparing to take it back to the helms deck where it was needed, far away from where the object of his lust was dwelling.
"It's already that late!" Kagome panicked as she brought her hands to her face, she had never slept so long in her life, she was always up at dawn, attending to her chores and her studies. To sleep so long, it was downright indecent unless one was sick. "How did I sleep so long?"
"It's no big deal." Inuyasha told her as he hastily went to leave the room, stopping once he reached the door, his hand hesitating on the handle as he glanced at an object carefully hidden beside his desk. Although he was sure Kagome would not snoop in his room, he still didn't want her to even guess what laid within that case.
Still, when was he going to show her, when was he going to present it to her, gift it to her, bequeath it to her? Gathering his courage he let go of the door handle and forced himself to face her, the words leaving his mouth before he was prepared to say them.
"You need all the sleep you can get." He waited until her eyes focused on him, the two looking at each other, both expecting something but not yet knowing what it was they both completely jointly craved. "After all, tonight you'll be up late."
Kagome felt her heart pound in her chest, the meaning of those words, their implications, could be so many different things, dangerous things, things she wanted to experience, things that made her tingle in places so secret even she didn't know where they were and she was far too scared to actually explore. "Why?" She stuttered out as she crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably.
The Captain looked back at her, his tongue darting out to lick his lips before he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth biting on it in his own awkwardness. It was in that moment that he noticed the subtle change in Kagome's scent, his eyes widening as he took in her delectable aroma, a fragrance he had not truly smelt coming off a woman in years: anticipation, excitement—need.
Inuyasha gulped, the knowledge seeping into his mind as slowly as the sun had seeped into the room. He felt his own desire return, he felt his own need intensify but he squashed them down, dampened them, and obliterated them. Even if it was possible, even if her opinions had changed over the course of these few weeks since he had marked her, he just couldn't—not yet. His eyes glanced back at the hidden case and his heart lightened, even if that wasn't possible yet, maybe something else was.
He chuckled a little, a strange sound coming from someone who was also slightly uncomfortable, and then he smiled, his eyes lighting on her, nervous but expectant, as if he was excited about something, but afraid at the same time of the repercussions it might cause. "Tonight," He began as he opened the door, his voice a whisper so none would over hear. "We have a lesson."
With that he left a startled Kagome in his wake, the door still opened showing her the vacant hallway. She felt an odd sensation fill her, that smile he had given her before he left was the same smile he had shown her at the Port of Spain in the back alleyway as he looked up at her from the dirt, his eyes young and sparkling—like a boy—a schoolboy (as they often said) who was giddy and filled with sneaky anticipation.
-break-
Night covered the Gulf of Mexico, a dark shroud that seemed to hang over opaque waters, an endless space of hollow tranquility, and nestled within that expanse was a lone light, rocking and bobbing in a pattern fitting of the waves. Hovering, ghostly, highlighting the outline of what appeared to be a ship, moving silently along the coast of what would soon be called a part of the United States, but was currently in the hands of the honored French King Louis XVI. And sitting in the forefront of that gentle but bright illumination was the helm of the infamous pirate ship, the Shikuro, and the two people still awake upon its deck.
The faces of those two figures were brightened by the lamp's eerie light, making them appear ethereal in the shifting flicker of its flame from where it was mounted to the railing of the deck.
Standing before the helm itself was the Captain of that ship, tying a piece of rope to the wheel in order to keep it steady as he used his hands for better things. And standing a ways from him, leaning against the railing by the lamp was none other than his claimed, the woman he had marked, the woman he had barred from the world with bared teeth—the woman, the societal lady, Kagome Dresmont.
She stood watching him, her misty eyes trained on the man that was slowly changing everything she had ever been told. In only a few short weeks he had changed her opinions on so many things, from eating properly to piracy to demons to feelings.
"Well that should do it," The Captain commented as he dropped his hands away from the rope, satisfied with his work. "There aren't many islands in this region so I shouldn't have to worry about steering." He turned and looked at her, his eyes almost seeming nervous. "Are you ready for tonight's lesson?"
"Sure." Kagome shifted from foot to foot nervously, Inuyasha's apparent nervousness adding to her own awkward feelings. Yes, she was excited for her lesson, it was a dream come true to be allowed to learn something as rare as a violin, especially for a woman but being alone with the Captain, particularly now after whatever had happened—happened, was even more nerve racking than normal.
"Alright," The Captain agreed with a nod, as he walked around the wheel so he could pick up his violin case, holding it with large clawed hands, the Captain hesitated slowly drumming his fingers on the leather with quiet contemplation. Suddenly, he took a deep breath before turning to Kagome his eyes appearing decisive and determined, if not a little apprehensive. "Give me just one second," He licked his lips. "Okay?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes as the Captain set the case back down before dashing away from her towards the stairs, not waiting for an answer. "Wait!" She called after him, stopping him briefly, his head darting back to look at her appearing panicky. "Where are you going?"
"I forgot—something—," He told her, his eyes shifting as he backed away from her slowly. "—I'll just be a minute." He called while grabbing the rail with one hand, pushing himself over the edge with it as his other hand hovered in the air for balance, opting to forget the stairs in his hurry. "Be right back!" He called.
Kagome stood frozen in her spot next to the ships railing, listening to the retreating sound of the Captain's boots on the wooden deck. Blinking a few times she tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows all the way up in her hairline.
"Okay," She said into the night air as her confusion mounted to a climax before she seemingly decided just to give up on attempting to figure out whatever it was he was up to. With sure feet she moved to the side of the rail once again, leaning her elbows on the long wooden object as she rested her chin on her crisscrossed arms.
Taking a deep breath she turned outwards, looking at the dark night landscape before her. Just like the other night it was almost entirely black, the only light being from the lamp and a small sliver of moon as well as some stars. Overall, the light was not too affective for seeing long distances but it did allow her to see out a little ways taking in the sight of the water that lapped at the ship's sides as it continued to slowly cut through the current, moving at a snail's pace compared to the speed in which it could move when the rowers took their stations.
Absentmindedly, Kagome reached a hand up to touch her hair that was swaying in the slight night time breeze. Wrapping a curl around her finger by her ear she twirled it, her thoughts drifting much like the tides far below her feet, mulling over the past few week silently. "It's been a very eventful few weeks." She told herself as her shoulders hunched with weariness. "So many things have happened, so many things have changed."
Leaning backwards slightly, just enough so that she could see the stars above her head, she thought of all those changes, all the things that were so different now in her life. Just a mere month ago she had lived in a totally different world. A world full of dresses, stays, and perfect hats for perfect hair. A world full of rules, regulations, propriety, a world filled to the brim with guidelines, laws, and directions. It had been a controlled environment where her life was completely and utterly dictated to her. She knew how every minute of every day of every month of every year of her life would play out. From how she woke in the morning, to how she ate breakfast, or lunch or took tea and then dinner—to who should met, to who she married, to how she would even live—all of it was completely controlled.
Even her dreams were.
Kagome felt tears prick her eyes at the very thought. She hadn't been allowed to have dreams, or wants, or needs. She had been told what her dream was, told what her want was, told what her need was. She was to marry, she was to gain money from the union, she was to gain honor from the union, she was to gain so many things—but none of those things were for her, they all were for her family, her legacy, her purpose, the only reason she was even born.
But now, that had changed, hadn't it? "I'm free here." She whispered into the night air as her hand slowly, unnaturally, subconsciously let go of her hair and touched her shoulder, her eyes widening as she remembered what laid there. "This mark it's the opposite of freedom, isn't it?"
It was a perplexing thought. This mark dictated she was owned, she was someone's responsibility, she belonged to someone else, like a slave, a servant, it was the same, he could control her, control her dreams, control her wants, her feelings, her everything. That was the way of blood thirsty pirates, that was the way of the legend of the Captain Inuyasha, that was how it was, it was controlled, it was dictated, it was known, just like her life back there, back at Port Royal, it was timed, it was written in permanent ink, it could not be changed, or molded, she had no control and yet—
"That's a lie." Kagome covered her mouth as she said the words, not believing she had spoken them out loud. She felt her heart pound in her chest, she felt a lump swell in her throat. Slowly Kagome sank to the ground, landing on her knees, her hand still clasp before her lips as a haunting realization hit her. "I'm more free here, marked, branded like some slave, than I ever was at home."
With great slowness her hand left her mouth as a hundred thoughts washed over her.
Here she was free to play the violin. Here she was free to go to taverns and drink. Here she was free to eat with her hands. Here she was free to dress as a man. Here she was free to be on the sea. Here she was free to be more than what she thought she could be. Here she was free to live without propriety. Here she was free to be Kagome—the real Kagome, not the one expected of her, not the one she had been groomed to be, not the one whose hopes and dreams had been lies, torn down by the authority around her. Here she was just—Kagome.
She wasn't the girl who was strange, she was no longer the un-marriageable Kagome Dresmont.
"How Ironic." She thought as she felt tears moisten her eyes as she dug her hand in her shirt to touch her shoulder, really touch it with her fingers. "To be enslaved and freed, all at the same time." Closing her eyes from her spot on the ground she felt a smile come to her face. "And it's all because of—Inuyasha." The name rolled from her lips as her heart slowed in her chest, the poundings growing shorter and shorter between beats as she heard his soft voice echo in her head.
"I was wondering, if you minded me calling you by your first name the other night?"
Kagome felt her face flush hotly, it was symbolic, no one had ever just called her Kagome besides her immediate family. All of them, her friends, even some relatives, they had all called her Miss, called her Dresmont, called her a lie. And yet—
"Would you mind, if I continued to call you that, at least—," He added. "When we're alone?"
He wanted to call her, Kagome. He wanted to call her—Kagome.
She felt tears enter her vision; they were watery in her eyes, making it hard to see. She was just Kagome to him, she was not Miss Dresmont or Miss Kagome or Dresmont just alone—she was Kagome, plain old Kagome, just Kagome, just herself and nothing more, she wasn't a Dresmont, she wasn't a daughter of society, she wasn't a socialite, or someone doomed to marry for social relevance, she wasn't just a dowry, or a name, or prestige. She was a person and he, the Captain he was one too. They were both just first names—not titles. She was Kagome and he, he was, "Inuyasha."
The name made her stomach tingle oddly, she felt so dirty saying it and yet she felt so exceptional when it left her lips, slipping from her mouth like a sigh. He allowed her to call him by his first name, he had given her permission, which had to mean something, it had to mean a lot, to her knowledge only one other person on the ship called him by his first name and that was Miroku who viewed him as a father, whom Inuyasha viewed as a son. And now, she was allowed to say it too (even Sango didn't call him Inuyasha and she had known him for three years, she was practically married to his son and still called him Captain or jokingly papa.) And yet, Kagome was allowed to call him Inuyasha! She felt her whole body tingle as that information filled her. "I call him Inuyasha and he calls me Kagome," Her eyes snapped open as the thought filled her. "That—that means something, doesn't it?"
If he wanted to call her by her first name—then that meant, she was more than just some girl to him. She was more than a last name, more than a woman who had secretly boarded his ship. She was more than the girl at Port Royal, more than just that whirlwind romance. She was someone—worthy of knowing him. That was what it meant. That was whys she knew so much about him already, was allowed to get away with so many things already. He considered her worthwhile.
She felt her heart swell in her chest and without her consent moved her fingers until the were touching the gemstone around her neck. The second she came in contact with the smooth surface she froze the cool feel of the gem causing another thought to build in her. "Maybe, that's one reason he gave it to me." She whispered into the night as she looked downwards pulling the jewel away from her chest so she could get a better look. "If I'm worthwhile then," She took a deep breath. "He could see giving me such a jewel to keep safe." She blushed ever so slightly before laughing at her own thoughts and dropping the jewel to her chest. "You're being silly Kagome, you don't even remember him giving you the necklace." She frowned and resisted the urge to touch the little gem once more. "Still, I have to wonder why he did and if it does have something to do with whatever's happening now."
She closed her eyes and sighed heavily as uncertainty weighted in her heart.
"I won't know unless I ask him." She told herself as she opened her eyes to see the milky sky above her. "And I—I just can't do that." She closed her lips tightly as the words left her mouth and turned her chin back to the floor once more to stare at the dull wood. "Its kind of fun to imagine though," She thought as she looked at the wood grain intently. "If it was true then that could men a lot—it could change our dynamic, couldn't it?" The blush returned to her cheeks ten fold and she bit her lip as a smile formed on her face. "Maybe we could finally pick up where we left off on Port Royal and I'd see that man again." Her heart thumped in her chest and she felt like a little girl thinking of fairy tales. "The true man behind the masqueraders mask."
Kagome could only sincerely hope—desperately hope that, that was the case.
The sound of the door opening and closing softly, a slight clicking noise from below, and then the Captain appearing from nowhere as he jumped back over the rail in the same manner in-which he had left, brought her back to the present.
"Sorry it took so long," Inuyasha commented as he walked towards her only to stop a few feet away, an appropriate distance for conversation. "I didn't want to wake the bra—aa—pup." Or as the case really was—he had needed the time to gather himself—to prepare himself for the great risk he was about to take.
"Is he still asleep then?" Kagome questioned as her innate maternal instincts filled her.
"Yeah, I didn't wake him," He muttered as he refused to look at her, shifting this way and that, a case hanging from his hand. "Thank god for that."
Kagome didn't hear his remark as she looked at his hands, interested in the familiarly shaped object. It looked remarkably like the Captain's violin case at least in figure and material. It was the same almost rectangular shape with similar leather work covering the hard wood. It had no belt buckle like fastens holding it closed, however, but instead appeared to have a clasp with what looked to be a key hole. A wooden handle jutted out from the side of the key hole in the shape of an angular 'C' from which the Captain's hand held onto the odd object, grasping it so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
Slowly, Kagome drew her eyes away from the case, opting to look into the golden eyes of the nervous Captain instead. What she saw there was something akin to a young boy giving a flower to his childhood crush. His face was tinted red, his eyes knitted into thin slits from which his pupils looked this way and that, never making contact with her, and his mouth was set in a thin line, not a frown nor a smile, just a straight seemingly indifferent line. His shoulders were tense, drawn up with his head slightly down as he swayed, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot but the thing she noticed the most about his stance was his ears—they were gone. She raised an eyebrow as she realized this and stood to her tip toes so she could attempt to see where the two fury appendages had disappeared to. Narrowing her eyes, she realized she was simply too short to see them and she huffed, missing their twitching presence atop his head.
Standing before her Inuyasha blinked, noticing the scrutiny she was placing on the tip of his hairline. "What are you looking at?" He grunted, his nervousness making him sound gruffer than he actually was.
Without much thought Kagome responded, "Where are your ears?"
Taken aback, Inuyasha's whole posture changed, immediately causing the two fury appendages to spring forth from his hair, twitching to catch her voice better. "My ears?" He asked giving her a strange look. "They're on my head, where else would they be?" He added dryly while giving her a look that clearly said he sound the question stupid.
Kagome blushed considerably, "I just couldn't see them a minute ago." She informed as she looked away, taking her eyes off the appendages, ignoring the sneaky voice in her head that said, "I want to touch them." Keeping her eyes low, she spotted the strange rectangular case again, her mind flashing back to the mysterious object in the demon's hand. "What's that?" She questioned drawling the conversation away from her ludicrous question, her eyes moving upwards to look at him once again.
Inuyasha shifted nervously, looking down at the case, he took in the sight of it, every nerve in every part of his body telling him to just go ahead and disappear, it would be easier than actually breaking down and presenting the 'gift' to her. Letting out a deep breath he set the case down in front of her and reached into one of his pockets, producing a tiny one pronged key on a silver chain. Handing it to her without engaging her in eye contact he nodded towards the case that now laid flat on the ground.
Kagome took the key into her hand and looked at it curiously, the chain glistened in the lamplight reminding her of the other chain around her neck, the one that was once the Captain's but was now in her care for reasons no one had explained to her. She watched the key as it glistened at the end of its own chain, she was sure it opened the case before her but—what lurked within that leather object? Glancing at him for conformation or perhaps reassurance she waited until he motioned with his hand to open the case.
"Go on." He told her seeming grumpier than he ever had as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking pointedly away. "It won't bite."
Kagome nodded, gulping as she took the key and placed it within the keyhole, pushing all the way through until it stopped. Timidly she turned the key to the right waiting until she heard a click and the case opened just a fraction. She once again glanced at Inuyasha as if asking him for a sign, he gave her none (much to her displeasure) and only continued to stare off into the distance, his ears twitching on top his head—listening even when he refused to look.
Taking a deep breath Kagome put her hands on the case, pushing on the new leather with slightly trembling hands. It opened slowly, her fingertips pushing it upwards as a slight squeaking noise reached her ears from the metal hinges on the side. She narrowed her eyes, attempting to see what was within the leather work in the dark night and when she did, she gasped, the reddish content within the last thing she had ever thought to see and yet had somehow expected.
Inuyasha flattened his ears to his head at the sound of her gasping and the case lid falling to the wooden deck as she dropped it. The sound of strings rattling in an out of tune chorus reached his well trained ears and caused his eyes to flash open taking in the sight of Kagome knelt beside the leather case on her knees, one hand touching the strings of the mahogany instrument while the other gingerly touched the leather of the violin's case.
His eyes traveled to her face, taking in the sight of watery grey irises as she allowed her fingertips to run over the finely finished wood, touching it delicately as if she was afraid that it might break, her eyes a stormy show of both happiness and disbelief. He watched her as she looked at the instrument touching the smooth surface with delicate little fingers.
"They're so small." Inuyasha seemed to realize as he watched those hands fiddle with a string. "I never really noticed, but Kagome—," He followed her hand to her body, hidden underneath bulky clothes, clothes that made her look bigger than he knew she was. He could remember how small she was from when he had first held her—the time when they had danced together and he had pressed that small body against his own. He gulped, "She's so small."
Suddenly, her face turned to him, the well of tears making him distinctly uncomfortable. He had never in his life been able to deal with a woman crying—he could blame his mother for that.
"Is this—," Kagome interrupted his thoughts, but stopped momentarily unable to even get out the words. Her eyes simply continued to overflow with seemingly happy tears as she looked at him, her face an expression of pure astonishment. "For me?"
Inuyasha nodded his whole body stiff. "For the lessons." He mumbled as he looked away from her, gulping. A part of him, he assumed the more human side, wanted to go to her, to wrap his arms around that small frame again, to hold her to him, to comfort her, to—he shook the thoughts away.
"Lessons." Kagome repeated with a large smile on her face.
"Yeah," he said while uncrossing his arms, bringing his hand behind his head to rub the fine hairs, a gesture he didn't realize Kagome understood already, better than his words. "It's a lot easier to teach someone if you both have a violin instead of having to share."
The answer was gruff but the thought behind it was beautiful. Kagome smiled so widely that her face felt stretched as she stood looking at the Captain with adoration in her eyes. She wanted to thank him to really thank him, better than she could with words, better than she could with gifts or airy notes she had been taught to send as a girl. A well of emotion overflowed within her, telling her to rush him, to throw her arms around his middle, to hug him tight, to place her lips against his own beautiful soft moist ones—
Instantly Kagome went bright red and looked down at the ground feeling distinctly like she had just moved towards the realm of true sinful thoughts. Unsure how to proceed, she found herself obeying propriety over her own want, "Thank you." She said dignified, the phrase proper and yet unfitting.
"You're welcome." Inuyasha responded awkwardly, saying it simply because he was used to saying you're welcome after someone told him thank you. He felt slightly disappointed, almost cheated that she hadn't done something more—more—gracious or something that really showed true gratitude. Maybe she was faking it, maybe she was trying not to hurt his feelings, maybe she was pretending so he wouldn't get angry at her and yell or punish her.
Inuyasha mentally shook himself, he knew that wasn't the case—her tears—he could smell the legitimate feelings in them, it was a talent he had developed as a child. He knew fake tears from real ones and hers were real. These were genuine tears, they were happy tears, she was happy—but still he really wished she had shown him more appreciation for his kind gesture. Feeling deflated he started to turn away to pick up his own violin to begin the lessons but stopped when he heard Kagome stand up from her spot on the deck floor.
He turned to look at her, expecting her to have the violin in hand, ready to play but what he saw instead was very much the opposite. She was standing, her hands empty but still clasped together in front of her body, tightly holding on to each other as if the action was providing her with much needed courage, her eyes were still tear filled but now those tears were more controlled, only falling to her cheeks when her eyes simply could not hold them back anymore. She blinked several times, attempting to see through the wetness, before she looked at him, looked him straight in the eyes, looking directly into him—all the way to his soul.
Inuyasha felt his heart race at the sight, her eyes were full of such deep and honest gratitude that he felt his whole body fill to the brim with bliss and happiness. Feeling relief he allowed himself to smile at her softly, shyly, his cheeks highlighted with just a hint of rosy red. "I'm acting like a pup," He internally berated but he couldn't help it, he couldn't help but smile especially when her cheeks became more tinted from his gesture and she looked away bringing one small hand to her heart. "She's so—beautiful." His psyche whispered and he immediately agreed.
She looked back at him then, tilting her head to one side as she showed beautiful white teeth in her wide toothy smile. "Thank you," She said to him again, her eyes closing with delight, her voice soft and sweet this time, hinting with something that made him tingle all over, "I love it, Inuyasha." She said it slowly, the name drawing out over her lips as if it had been a million syllables long, the longest word ever spoken, the most pleasure giving, the most sensational, the word that held every romantic connotation in the whole of the entire world in its pronunciation.
Inuyasha gulped, unsure of what to say. There was something about the way she had said that, something that made his heart pound in his chest, beating hard against his rib cage, almost to the point of pain. "What should I say to her?" He questioned himself as he slowly let his arms fall from their tight crisscross over his chest. "What can I say?" He looked at her watching her adorable smile, taking in her innocent expression as his chest grew tighter, uncertain. "What do I want to say?"
He wanted to say many things—he wanted to let her know many things and yet, he knew it was impossible to say those things, impossible for them to leave his mouth as long as the everlasting presence of her was in the back of his mind. Yes, they were different, they were different in so many ways but if they were connected—if they were really incarnation and reincarnation—then what did that mean?
"I'm so confused!" He screamed in his head wishing desperately that he could just look this beautiful, gorgeous, innocent girl in the eyes and tell her all of the dirty little secrets that rested in his scared heart or more importantly all the dirty things that he wanted to do to her, wanted to tell her, wanted her to know. "Kagome." He started to say, a part of his mind pushing him to just grab her and kiss her, a kiss reminiscing of Port Royal.
Her eyes opened and instantly the dark pooling stormy sea that was their grey existence hit him and he went weak in the knees.
"Inuyasha?" She whispered, as if knowing that something should happen—something had to happen.
"What am I? Some kind of bitch!" Inuyasha yelled at himself as his name rolled off her tongue in that same way, that same convoluting way which made his whole body tremble. "I'm a pirate!" He berated himself as he felt his mind go a little numb. "I don't feel this way about anyone, no one, I don't fall like this, I don't succumb to a woman's smiles or innocent gestures! I'm over four hundred years old God damn it!"
He felt like he was eighteen—he knew he was only eighteen—she reminded him that he was only eighteen.
Closing his eyes so his mind wouldn't be befuddled by her simple gestures and motions he took a deep breath and finally opened his mouth again. "I'm gla—," He started but found his voice dead in his throat, against his will. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He whined to himself as he tried to force himself to finish his sentence—it wouldn't come. Giving up he sighed and opened his eyes once again, scratching the back of his head as he looked at her through his bangs.
Kagome smiled as she took in the sight, he was a scary man, a tough man, an intimidating man but—underneath that he was also a very young man, a nervous and slightly awkward man. "I'm glad too." She supplied for him finishing his thought, knowing that nothing was going to happen, it wasn't the right time but it was progress that was for sure.
Carefully, she bent down and picked up her violin, tucking it under her arm, holding it just as she had the other night, the way he had showed her. Plucking the first string she confidently voiced its name. "G."
Inuyasha frowned and somehow smiled at the same time. "That's E," He told her and watched as her face broke into a silly grin.
"Opps, E then," She stroked the string allowing the high pitch sound to flow in the night's air. "And then A," She plucked. "And D," She plucked, "And G!" She finished with one last brush of her fingertip over the string, that same silly smile on her face.
"You're a horrible faker Kagome," Inuyasha told her with a grin, knowing she was doing it all on purpose, knowing she was doing it to make him feel more comfortable. He thanked her for that.
Kagome gave him a devious look. "Faker, I'm not faking anything."
He grinned and shook his head. "Yeah right," He gave her a sideways grin that made her face grow hot. "Well, who cares, it's time for our next lesson!"
"Alright," Kagome held her new violin tighter. "I'm ready, what are we learning today."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows, looking around as if he was about to tell her some great secret that should never be overheard. "Today we learn the D Major Scale."
Kagome nodded her head several times in understanding. "D Major Scale."
"Yes." He walked over to his own violin case, quickly undoing the straps and pulling out the instrument, running his fingers over the string to check for proper sound. "Can you guess the first note?"
"A," Kagome said without hesitation her face drawn in a serious line that made Inuyasha do a double take, raising his eyebrow at her concerned. "Do you really think I'm that dumb?" She told him haughtily as she gave him a mocking smile.
"I don't know, you do read Shakespeare." He commented with a devilish smirk, hoping she understood his underhanded meaning. "And you know what they say about Shakespearians."
She merely grinned. "Well you read him to, so what's that say about you?" Came her comeback as she lifted her eyebrows in triumph.
"Touché." He mumbled secretly impressed, tilting his head to the side he gave her another toothy grin, one that let his fangs glisten in the torchlight. "So what is the first note?"
"I don't know, maybe—," She drew out playfully. "D?"
"Fuck," he said as he draped his arm over his own violin, plucking the opened D string. "People should cower from your genius."
She laughed, a bright and cherry sound in the pitch black night. Inuyasha looked up at her as that sound reverberated in his mind. Something seemed to click within him then, something strange happening in his psyche as he watched her laugh. He watched her cheeks flush, watched her teeth show from her opened mouth, watched her eyes closed and relaxed. Everything about her then, everything, even the way her short curly hair moved in the night wind, even the way the tears had left stains on her skin, even the fact she was laughing at him, all of it made Inuyasha's heart feel warm, made him feel comfortable.
It was a feeling, he could honestly say he had only ever experienced once in the whole of his four hundred and four years of life—no—the statistic was now changed. He could now honestly say that he had only ever experienced the feeling twice in the whole of his four hundred and four years of life. The first had been with his mother and the second—the new one—the one he honestly couldn't believe was real. It was happening now, he was feeling it again for the second time.
"Somehow," He said to himself as he watched her, his whole body feeling completely at ease. "Without my ever noticing it," He continued. "I feel so natural." His inner dialogue trailed off as she turned to look at him, her gentle smile warming him even more. "Having Kagome near."
End of Chapter
Please Review
Congrats to ilovetosmile for being reviewer 550! Edited for Content 8/2/2012
Bonus Point:
"Somehow without me ever noticing it, I feel so natural, having Kagome near." Name the episode this line comes from. Double points if you can point out the other original anime dialogue used in this chapter.
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
In the dubbed anime it is Iron Reaver Soul Stealer…but literally it is four different words combined San-Kon-Tesu-Sou, much like the compounding in most Germanic languages, these four separate words combine to make a new word, Sankontessou. To gain a literal translation each word must be translated individually. San: scatter, kon: soul or spirit, tetsu: iron or steel, sou: nail or claw, tetsu+sou=tessou, so literally the translation is Scatter Soul Iron Claw, although most reorder it to Soul Scattering Iron Claw. Congrats to the winners!
Menarie, Miley4prez, cdyvortex, Inuyasha Fan, InuKag4eva, glon morski, Purple Dragon Ranger, ravenreux, Warm-Amber92, Regina lunaris, meravina, MissieMae, SilverStarWing, DeAunna, AriaLuvsInu, James'Lover13, TheRealInuyasha, AnimeRomanceFreak1990, Angel
Also congrats to all of you who figured out it was a violin! It is shaped like an eight, and has a bridge (the part that holds up the strings is thusly called) and the four strings are 'cables' because a rope bridge can have suspension cables.
Notes:
Louisiana – at this point in time Louisiana would still be part of France because this fanfiction takes place in 1782 and the Louisiana Purchase, which bequeath the French land to the United States, did not take place until 1804 when Napoleon took control of the New Republic of France as its first emperor and sold the land.
Fun Fact:
The name Orleans comes from the son of the first technical King of the Franks, from which the French people originate. Clovis I, upon his death gave a section of the kingdom to each son Soissons (Neustria), Childeburt (Paris), Orléans (Burgundy), and Metz (Austrasia). (It was common for Monarch's to split the Kingdom between their sons). France was eventually reunited and the first real King of France (the first to ever have that particular title) was Louis VIII in 1226.
Next Chapter:
Louisiana (Tentative Title)
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 5/18/2011