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 Thirty
The Mouth of the Mississippi
Captain Inuyasha stood at the helm of his vessel, his hands on the steering wheel, his sharp eyes looking out into the twilight speckled sky as he guided the ship around the many small banks that lined the peninsula and mouth of the Mississippi River. It probably wasn't best that they were navigating this tough terrain at dust when the light wasn't exactly favorable but, he knew, it was prudent they leave the coast as soon as possible, after all, pirates often died that spent too much time near the unfriendliness of land.
"We're coming up on the swell Captain."
His ears twitched, swerving on his head in the direction of Miroku's voice. The telltale sounds of heavy boots hitting ascending steps alerting him to the man's ascent from the quarterdeck to the helm's deck. He glanced quickly at the staircase, just in time to see Miroku's shoulders emerge as he climbed the flight of stairs, his face drawn in a serious line.
"Once we hit the swell we'll be in open seas." Miroku continued on as he made his way to stand by his father's side. Shoulder to shoulder with the man he trusted more than anyone in the world but also knew the least about.
"Understood." Inuyasha mumbled as he turned the wheel slightly his eyes going up to look at Myoga who was perched in the crow's nest, the flea's sharp demon eyes apt at seeing the direction of the water's current in the fading light. He smirked at the knowledge, most ships didn't have this advantage, the demon sight advantage. "Myoga!" He yelled his voice carrying in the dusk world hitting the small man's ears easily.
"Aye Captain!" The flea demon responded without taking his eyes off the sea, scouting ahead, vigilant.
"Which way?"
"Starboard-u would be bests-u." Myoga shouted down as his eyes scanned the relatively calm sea before him.
The waters were clear like a pond in the middle of spring and the surf was calm. As calm as if it had been nothing more than a field of grass on a silent plane. It was so calm in fact that it almost made it hard to see the land around them as it blended in however, that did not detour Myoga who knew the seas like the back of his hand. He knew her waters, knew her motions, and he could easily tell where she started and where she stopped.
"Don't turn to far-u," He called down to the Captain as his sharp eyes picked up a familiar but deadly sight. "There-e a sandbar-u!"
"What's the distance till we pass?" Inuyasha called back as he strained his eyes, they weren't as good as Myoga's were, Myoga was a full-fledged demon, and a flea demon at that, a species known for good eyesight and the ability to jump amazingly high. Still, despite this the Captain was not inept, although it was not as clear to him as it probably was to Myoga, he could still see the shape of something darker than the water up ahead, something that didn't reflect the light like the water around it did.
"Quarter of-fu league at-to most Captain!" Myoga called down again as his sharp eyes measured the distance for the Captain a talent he was known for. "It-to large bar!"
"Thanks." The Captain called as he slowly started to turn the ship starboard trusting in his old friend's judgment. "Miroku, where are Kagome and Sango?"
Miroku raised an eyebrow at the once again complete and blatant use of informality the Captain took with Kagome's name but didn't say a word, vowing instead to bring it up the next time they had lessons. "They're below, Sango thought it best they stay out of the way for now."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes at this information as he tilted the wheel slightly more starboard choosing to focus on the sea before his ears twitching on his head listening for the slightest squeak from Myoga, just in case they ran into unknown trouble. "I guess it never occurred to her we might need her." He muttered to himself but let it go quickly, knowing he had no right to really be mad with Sango.
She was a human and not as knowledgeable or experienced with sailing at night as the rest of them were and thus she would not be much help above deck a fact she was well aware of. She was better off below, out of the way, where she could be of the best use: keeping Kagome safe should anything go awry.
"Kagome." He blinked a few times as the name came and went his mind too muddled and too tired to really focus on the girl at the moment. He closed his eyes tightly for only an instant before opening them and blinking once again rapidly surprised that they actually felt heavy and tired. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually felt legitimately tired. "God, when was the last time I had a hangover?" He wondered as he felt the slight pounding in the back of his skull ease a little. "When was the last time I drank—like that?"
He huffed; he honestly couldn't remember the last time he had been that drunk, so drunk in fact that he could not—even if he tried—remember what had happened the night before. It was fuzzy, like a puzzle with the pieces scattered in his brain. He remembered the whiskey bottle he took from Kaede, he remembered it being suddenly empty, he remembered the bar he had found, the rum there (it had tasted good), he remembered closing time, he remembered starting to walk home, he remembered the other bar, being kicked out of it (perhaps he started a fight; he wasn't sure) and then he remembered stumbling down the road back to Kaede's, stopping by a barrel, falling, and then a hand reaching for him, the sudden feel of soft skin as he wrapped his own hand around a slender wrist, and then a pair of stormy startled grey eyes.
Inuyasha paused, his heart beat accelerated and he took a giant deep breath as a feeling of being completely overwhelmed hit him. "Grey eyes—?" He questioned himself, he knew that there was only one person in the world who had grey eyes like those he was imagining; those beautiful, deep, reassuring wide grey eyes that stared full of turmoil and discourse at him like a tide on a beach before a storm hits the land. "Was she there, was Kagome there?"
He brought one hand off the wheel, bringing it to his head, gripping his hair in his fingers as he felt the pounding in the back of his skull suddenly intensify. Closing his eyes he inhaled thru his nose until his chest felt like it would explode, only then did he exhale harshly pushing all the air from his lungs.
"Useless." He muttered as he forced the memory to go away, there was no point in trying to remember something that had happened when he had been drunk besides if Kagome had been there he would have known, she would have said something, the girl wasn't good at keeping secrets after all. Yes, it was probably just a dream anyway; he probably just passed out and dreamt of her. He opened his eyes wide at the thought, "What if I dreamt of her?" He tilted his head in thought part of him wanting to remember that dream, especially if Kagome was the star. "What did I dream about that would have her in it?" He smirked at the thought but regretted it instantly as the pounding in his head amplified tenfold as if his mind was punishing him for his dirty thoughts. Bringing a hand to his face he rubbed his eyes trying to rid them of the unnatural heaviness and sleepiness that was settling over him. It did little to no good. Irritated, he exhaled slowly rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Damn headache."
"Captain?"
His eyes snapped opened and he hastily turned to Miroku. "I completely forgot he was standing there." He realized quite shocked. "Yeah?"
Miroku gave him an inquisitive look but said nothing about his odd behavior, choosing to shrug it off instead. "What are your orders for me ser?"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, it was rare for Miroku to actually ask for orders, the boy usually just somehow knew what he wanted, knew what there was to do, knew without even having to think, let alone ask. Clearing his throat he brought a hand to his head scratching the back of it as he thought of an order, a fitting order. He glanced around, it looked like every job was being fulfilled currently, Myoga was on watch, Samuel was checking fathoms, Totosai was currently fixing a hole in the front deck a few choice men helping him with the job, a few other men were working in the sails taming riggings and checking lines to make sure they were tight and he was navigating. Other than those jobs, there really wasn't much else to do above or below. In fact, all the men that were currently below were either asleep or drunk, off duty for the night, not needed till the dawn.
"Um—," He grumbled as he closed his eyes tightly and sighed. "There's not really anything to do."
Miroku gave him a lopsided smile. "Surely you can think of something." He prodded as Inuyasha glared.
Blinking Inuyasha looked around him trying to think of anything that Miroku could do for him at the moment. "I don't need a navigator, Myoga's doing that," He told himself as he steered the vessel almost absently. "I don't need him to steer I'm doing that," He tapped a claw against the wood of the wheel. "So what else is there to do?"
"Captain watch-i bar, gettin' close-e!" Myoga yelled from above them breaking apart the Captain's thoughts by giving him an idea at the same time.
"There," He grumbled as he turned the wheel slightly to the Larboard before turning to look at Miroku smugly. "Go—look at the side, keep your eye on that sandbar and tell me if we get too close."
Miroku nodded slowly, his eyes trained on the unfocused Captain, watching him sharply. He licked his lips unmoving as if routed to the spot.
"What?" The Captain whispered harshly when he didn't obey right away. "I found you a job so do it!"
Miroku bit his lip leaning forward closer to the Captain's ears so no one might hear except him. "You seem a bit—hung-over Otou-san."
Inuyasha's eyes darted towards him at the words his face turning an odd shade of red either from embarrassment or more likely, anger, "Go do your job pup!" He commanded as he gripped the wheel tightly in his hands eyes once again focused on the job at hand.
Miroku smiled but gave him a slight nod anyway as a sign of respect before he walked away. He moved to the side of the ship just as he had been told and took a deep breath of the impending night air. It was cool tonight, the wind coming off of the Atlantic almost chilling as it hit the water of the river and the sea before gusting up the side of the ship quickly. "It's a bit cold tonight, a rather pleasant change from the heat of New Orleans." He spoke as if talking to himself but Inuyasha knew better.
The dog demon watched unmoving his gold eyes staring at the boy he had raised before he shook his head, turning away from his ward, mumbling something under his breath that Miroku couldn't make out.
The black haired man turned just his eyes shifting to get a look at his father as he glanced over his shoulder. "I'm sorry Captain, I didn't quite get that."
Inuyasha snorted. "Believe me it was nothing good." His gold eyes darted to Miroku narrow and cold yet underneath that warm and almost, albeit oddly, entertained. "Now get to work." He finished lifting his eyebrows, daring Miroku to challenge him further.
Miroku smiled used to the treatment and to the odd affection. "Aye Captain," He told his father as he turned away his eyes refocusing on the sea.
Squinting he looked down into the black water the light of the setting sun enough for him to see the small sandbar as it peeked out of the river, only a few hundred yards away from them but still close enough to be a threat. He licked his lips as he watched the water lap at the edge of the sandbar, gently hugging the edges of the land before losing its grip and falling away back into the river-sea. "I wonder how many fathoms the water is here." He questioned silently as he stared down the side of the ship, the murky river water told him nothing.
Looking upwards he stared down the length of the boat his eyes searching for the crewman who should be checking the water as they moved. Sure enough hovering at the front of the boat was Samuel with a rope that was knotted at well honed intervals in his hands. He was human, but well trained when it came to the sea and measuring fathoms, Miroku knew if they were in any danger Samuel would let them know but from the looks of it, the sand bar was far enough away that it would not change the water's depth too drastically, thus leaving them with safe passage.
Miroku looked back down at the sandbar, taking in the vague outline that he could just make out as the sun began to fade behind the horizon, vanishing from the earth for the night as the bright moon rose over their heads taking its place in the night sky, supplying them with minimal but adequate light. It was a beautiful change, the pinkish sky fading into nothing but dark black as the milky way formed above them, a tapestry of stars and planets and galaxies they knew nothing of, a world they had no idea existed, a place so far beyond them that their minds could not even comprehend it.
"Nichi," Miroku mumbled the word for sun under his breath as he tried to remember the words for moon and stars. He knew he had learned them, he had written them a hundred times just in his first lesson with the Captain, not to mention all the times he had practiced them alone. Straining his mind he forced himself to remember, pulling the word as if from nothing into the air. "Getsu." It rolled off his tongue as he stared at the moon, taking in the fullness of the celestial body before his eyes turned to the stars around it, fumbling for their name as well. "Hoshi."
"That's very good, Miroku." The Captain called from his spot only a few feet away at the wheel, his eyes liking the change from light to dark, his hangover liking it even more than his eyes.
Surprised, Miroku turned to look at him his face clearly showing how stunned he was that he had been overheard. "You were listening?"
Inuyasha gave him a dry look. "My ears aren't just for show you know." He said with a snort.
Miroku felt his face slightly flush at the words but didn't comment right away as he looked at the sky above his head. "Sora?" He whispered out, his voice sounding slightly shaky as if he wasn't sure the word was right.
"Hai." The Captain told him as he turned the wheel again. "Myoga, how we doing?" He called upwards to the small flea.
"Good-u Captain," The small man replied as he leaned over the edge of the crow's nest to look down at them both. "Just-to hold ship-pu steady-y and we'll be in the sea soon!"
"Excellent," Inuyasha let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It was a relief, a major relief, being on land was a scary thing when one was a pirate, after all, sea legs and land legs are two completely different things and it's rare for one man to possess both. "Tell me when we hit the mouth!"
"Yes, Captain," The tiny man called down to Inuyasha as he kept his sharp eyes focused foreward. "Should be there buery soon!"
Inuyasha smirked, his hands holding the wheel steady just as Myoga had mentioned. "Oi, Miroku?" He called over to the younger man, his voice sounding strange to Miroku's ears, as if it was thick with something, specifically an accent. "Sora ni wa," He began as he took one hand from the wheel to point at the sky. "Nanidesu ka?" He questioned his eyes turning to look at Miroku who could only stare back completely dazed.
"What?" Miroku muttered as he gave the Captain a look that clearly stated there was no way in hell he had understood what had just been said.
"Sora ni wa nanidesu ka?" The Captain repeated motioning to the sky once again with one clawed hand.
"Sora—ni wa," Miroku spoke slowly knowing he would not be let off the hook, he had to try. "Nan—i—desu ka?"
"Hai." The Captain said with a sharp nod of his head secretly impressed that Miroku had pronounced every word as well as he had.
Knowing what he had to do, Miroku closed his eyes searching the back of his mind, diving deep into his memory for all his recollections about his lessons that rested there. "I know Sora means sky but what about the sky?" He questioned out loud as he rubbed his chin, trying to think of the other words in the sentence he knew. "Ka," He sounded out the last syllable in the sentence. "Is Hiragana, it makes it—a question, right?" He opened one eye to look at Inuyasha for a hint. "Ka at the end of a sentence means it's a question?"
Inuyasha shrugged but nodded his head in agreement all the same, his eyes staying focused on the wheel and the sea before them.
Miroku smiled in triumph as he continued to think. "Nani is also a question but specifies what kind of question, hm?" He thought hard back to the time Inuyasha had explained the question words of the unknown native language: how, where, when, why—what. "It means what!" He realized as his eyes snapped opened and he whipped his head to the Captain. "Right, am I right?"
"Hai." Came the Captain's short but honest reply.
"So," Miroku concluded one hand still posed on his chin thinking. "It's a question about the sky," He tapped his fingers on the wood of the railing. "What about the sky?"
"Sora—," The Captain started slowly. "Ni wa," he paused giving Miroku a hard look. "Nanidesu ka."
Miroku narrowed his eyes. "Nani desu?"
Inuyasha smirked slightly while nodding. "Nanidesu ka."
"Nani desu ka?" Miroku frowned knowing the Captain was trying to tell him something, something about that word, 'desu' what did it mean. "Desu."
The Captain sighed drawing Miroku's attention back to him. "Nanidesu."
"Nanidesu?" Miroku parroted back as realization hit him. "It's one word. Nanidesu, but I don't remember learning that."
Inuyasha chuckled, "Nanidesu ka." He stressed the sound of the 'ka' as hard as he could while raising his eyebrows trying to get Miroku to understand without flat out giving him the answer.
Miroku blinked, "Ka?" He repeated the stressed syllable. "It's all part of the question, isn't it?" He realized. "Nanidesu ka is the question."
"Sora ni wa nanidesu ka?" The Captain repeated the question once again as he motioned to the moon and then the pointed at a star.
Miroku looked at the two different celestial bodies, the stars and the moon, confused. "He didn't say anything about the stars or the moon, they weren't in the question so why is he pointing at them?" Miroku grumbled internally. "They've got nothing to do with the sky, except they're in it." He started to shrug it off but then stopped as his mind slowed down taking in his own rant, understanding hitting him like a hammer hits a nail. "What is in the sky?"
"Sora ni wa nanidesu ka?" Inuyasha smirked, saying the phrase for the last time as he nodded at Miroku awaiting the answer.
"Hoshi." He told the Captain answering the question easily, a small (well major) part of him amazed that he had been able to do so, that he had been able to understand and now could reply. "To getsu."
The Captain smiled, a deep and reassuring growl coming from somewhere within his throat. "Segure." He told Miroku fondly as the smile turned into a smirk of fatherly pride.
"Captain!" The sound of a man's voice broke the rough praise.
Scrunching his nose in irritation the Captain darted his head to the front of the ship looking for the man who had addressed him. "What is it?" He growled out, his eyes darting about looking for the speaker among the few men who were still located on the deck.
"To the Larboard sir!" A man yelled, Inuyasha's eyes instantly catching sight of him as he waved his hands towards the Captain from the Quarterdeck, trying to catch the man's attention as he pointed towards the left side of the ship, the larboard side with one long and clawed demonic finger. "A light."
The Captain gave the man an odd look before turning his attention away from Miroku to look out towards the mouth of the river on their Larboard side. He squinted, his eyes trying to make out the presence of a light among the stars. It was a hard task, discerning stars from possible ship lights but Inuyasha knew well the trick to distinguishing the difference. A star stood still on the horizon, unmoving as it shimmered and shined; a ship light, on the other hand, would bob and weave as it was bounced by the swells and ebbs of the tides. He gritted his teeth as he looked feverishly, it would be bad if there was a ship out there, extremely bad, this was not the time for something like this to happen, not now, not when they had something so precious aboard, not when they had something that had to be protected at all cost.
He snarled in anger at the very thought, his eyes shining as the moonlight reflected in them. "Myoga!" Inuyasha yelled up towards the man as he stared Larboard, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. "What'cha see?" His question was met with silence, absolute silence. His ears twitched on his head, desperate for a reply from his long time friend and retainer. "Come on Myoga." He thought as he clutched his hands even tighter to the wheel, the wood groaning under his own strength. Taking a deep breath he loosened his grip slightly as he breathed in and out deeply to help calm himself. "Come on." He repeated under his breath this time.
Suddenly, much to both his relief and terror Myoga's voice flooded his ears. "Itzu right-to, ship-pu right!" The small flea called back the whole ship seeming to tense at the admittance. "Little over-u league away, it-to has white sail-u."
"Only a league?" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath as he chewed his lip. "Can you see a flag?" He yelled again, hoping that Myoga would be able to discern the mysterious ship's flag, they had to know what kind of ship it was, only then would they know how to react and how fast they needed to react.
Silence met his question again, his ears picking up the sound of Myoga grunting, then the slide of a spyglass. "Myoga can't-to tell. Light-to bad-do." Myoga called down sounding regretful.
"Shit." Inuyasha cursed as he brought one hand to his mouth, wiping it in thought. "Are they headed for the mouth of the river?"
"No Captain!" Myoga responded quickly this time, knowing that the ships current course was their absolute main concern. "They look-u bedded. Probably not-to want tackle the river-u at-to night."
"They're not moving, they're anchored for the night," Inuyasha bit his lip as he replayed the idea in his mind his eyes darting to the murky and tough terrain around them. "Even if they see us, it'll be hard for them to maneuver, so they probably won't pursue it'd be too much work but—," He licked his lips and glanced at Miroku whose eyes were darting between the sandbar and the other danger on their other side. "What do you think, Miroku?"
"They're far away and they ain't movin'" Miroku replied hastily, his eyes locking on the Captain's own irises briefly before they darted out into the darkness looking at the speck of light they were all currently enthralled with. "There's almost no way they can get to us."
"Almost is the key word in that sentence." Inuyasha replied evenly not the least bit convinced by his first mate and quartermaster's words. "Blow out the guide light." Inuyasha commanded sternly, his voice echoing through the ranks of men. Within seconds the guide light was extinguished throwing the tip of the ship into semi-darkness. They now were truly only guided by the moon. "Miroku have we cleared the sandbar?"
Miroku blinked rapidly having forgotten about the bar until he spoke, turning he looked over the side, taking in the bar as they continued to pass it, grazing by slowly, moved only my the winds whim. "Almost sir, just a few minutes till we're clear."
Inuyasha nodded his head firmly, his eyes trained on the light that flickered in the distance. He glanced up at the sails taking in the soft billowing black sheets, watching as they expanded from the slight favorable wind that was pushing them down the rivers mouth. He smiled, glad they were black, dark and hard to see at night, unlike the other ship on the deep blue sea tonight. "Myoga?" He called up to the tiny man in the crow's nest. "Tell me the second you can make out the flag, understood?"
"Aye sir."
Inuyasha nodded his head firmly his eyes locked on the small flicker of light he could just barely make out in the distance. He licked his lips, "This could be bad." He mumbled to Miroku who had come to stand by his side.
"I know." Miroku nodded his head smartly, leaning towards the Captain, his words so quiet only the demon beside him could hear. "We can't do this with Kagome on board."
Inuyasha nodded sharply. "I know." He glanced at the planks below his feet, imagining the small girl who lay in the cabin below them, young and naïve, gentle and sweet.
"If it's a navy ship we can run, even if it's the crown" Miroku whispered quietly, careful that no one heard a word of what he was saying. "The men will understand not wanting to get to close to them after Port Royal."
"I know." Inuyasha whispered back equally as quiet his eyes still trained on the small ship as they moved closer and closer with each passing moment. It was stationary in the water, bobbing up and down with the tide but that didn't mean it couldn't wake back up quick and move to take them down.
"If it's a passenger we'll just tell them that this isn't a good time to raid." Miroku continued in his hushed tone his voice the beacon of reason that Inuyasha always needed at his side. "They'll understand, it's night, you never want to raid at night when the lights bad and you can't quite tell if it's worth it—."
"That's not what I'm worried about, Miroku." Inuyasha cut him off his eyes locked on the ever growing speck on the dark horizon. The danger was increasing with each passing minute, the closer they got the more likely a watchman would see them. He hoped they couldn't see him, hoped they were human and unable to recognize the dark ship for what it was. He gulped, all he could do was hope.
"What are you worried about?" Miroku questioned, his eyes narrowing and his brow furrowing.
Inuyasha ran his tongue over his teeth before he glanced over at Miroku. "Pirates."
"We're pirates," Miroku exclaimed a bit louder than he had intended. Clearing his throat he continued a bit softer. "Why would we be worried about pirates?"
"We can run from the navy we can out run them like a rabbit outruns a fucking turtle," Inuyasha began his voice firm and full of experience. "A passenger ship we just ignore, they usually have no guns but a pirate—," He looked at Miroku his eyes conveying the message deeper than words ever could. "They will come, you know they will, we would, and how do you outrun that?" He paused trying to convey his own fear in his eyes the best he could. "How do you outrun yourself?"
Miroku stood still, his eyes searching the Captain's own, searching the man for further answers while knowing that the Captain's answer had really been enough. A pirate encountering a pirate was the worst possible situation to encounter on the open sea. Only a pirate really knew how to fight a pirate, their tricks were the same, their knowledge of the ocean was universal among their kind. The navy was full of idiots no matter what country it came from. Passenger ships were armatures, just attempting to settle on new lands but pirates, they were meant for the sea and the sea was meant for them. They knew, they knew better than anyone or anything how to survive on the ocean and because of that they knew the rules of competition, the survival of the fittest, the man who fights today won't have to fight tomorrow, so never leave your enemy alive. That was why the ship's motto was 'we fight to live' because for a pirate that was really the only reason they fought—to live. "What are we gonna do Captain?" Miroku finally spoke again, his voice tight, a far cry from his natural laid back demeanor.
"We wait." Inuyasha replied evenly as his sharp eyes stayed focused on the ship in the distance. It was much closer now, the white sails almost hauntingly beautiful as they clung to the mast hung in bed for the night only a mere half league away. It was then that something caught Inuyasha's eye, something that he could just now make out since they were now closer.
"Miroku," He commanded softly as he motioned the man to take the wheel.
Without question Miroku changed positions with the man his hands taking hold of the ships steering easily as he watched the Captain dig inside his jacket until he found what he was looking for. Removing the spyglass from his inner pocket Inuyasha opened it his own curiosity at the strange oddity compelling him to look at the ship more closely, even if it was a hard feat to accomplish in the dark. He brought the spyglass to his eye, adjusting it so he could see the ship's guide light clearly before pulling it up to look at the mast and the sails and the flag that flew among them.
"Myoga!" He yelled upwards, his voice carrying to all the men currently on deck causing them to freeze and stare at their strong and calm Captain. "Look at the flag, the flag above the ship can you make it out yet?"
There was the sound of rustling from above, the slid of Myoga's spyglass and then silence as the small man found the ship in his sights, looked for the flag, and then dropped the spyglass to the ground. "It-to Thunder, theThunder's flag-u."
Inuyasha and Miroku both turned to look at one another, their eyes staring at each other as if they were both in complete and utter disbelief—truthfully they were—completely and utterly. "Captain—," Miroku started to say but was instantly cut off as the Captain whipped his head away from him, his eyes focusing on the ship in the distance, his mouth moving before he even had time to think of the words.
"We're fucked."
For once Miroku completely and utterly agreed.
-break-
Naraku Morgan laid awake in his bed, unable to sleep, his dark eyes focused on the dark room, his sharp ears focused on the sound of his father's and Mr. Dresmont's snores. Rolling his eyes he sat up in his bed, glaring in the direction of the two sleeping men angered by their loud and obnoxious snoring, one on the floor and the other asleep in the bed next to him.
"Why do I have to sleep in here with you two?" He grunted as he threw his legs over the side of the bed, stretching in the darkness before he stood, popping his neck from side to side as he made his way to the door. "As soon as your use is met," He grumbled to himself as he turned the handle. "I won't have to deal with these sleepless nights any longer."
He opened the door as quietly as he could, pushing the solid wood with long white fingers topped with dark sharp nails. The door opened without so much as a squeak, allowing him to step onto the quarterdeck, where the air was silent save the sound of the sails and flag flapping in the wind.
He snorted as he looked up at the sails, taking in the sight of the Thunders flag, two grey clouds both spurting lightning on a bluish background as it wafted in the breeze, pathetically. His dark eyes ignored the demonic pirate flag, however, in exchange for looking at the equally pathetic quarterdeck.
He wrinkled his nose at the smell of the deck itself, it smelled of dead animals and waste, as if it had never been washed since its conception. Laying vicariously on it were crew members, drunk, passed out in their own vomit, surrounded by their own excrement and bottles of rum or whiskey. Naraku nearly gagged at the sight, a part of him wanting nothing more than to kill every crewman on the vessel but another part of him—the more cunning—more deadly part of him, knew now was not the time. After all, these men could be useful, very useful in the near future.
Smirking to himself he stepped onto the deck fully, turning his nose up to a crewman who was currently asleep in a coil of ropes, a battle of gin in his arms held protectively as if it were an infant.
"How disgusting." He muttered with a roll of his eyes before he started towards the other side of the ship, to the only other cabin on the ship, the cabin where one Captain Hiten was most likely currently located. "He's probably sleeping." Naraku reasoned as he looked up at the helm, he knew they were anchored for the night, his father had not wanted to navigate the river in the dark. "Pathetic," He ground out at the very thought of his father's cowardice, Hiten had told the man he could navigate the river easily day or night bit his father had still refused on the grounds that it was too dangerous. "It's amazing I was spawned from a coward like you, father." He told himself as he continued along the deck.
He paused momentarily when he saw the night's watch man sitting asleep on his stool, whiskey in his hands.
"How fitting." He grumbled with another roll of his eyes, "When I take over the ship you'll be the first to die." He told the sleeping man before he looked away his eyes landing on the door of Hiten's cabin his expression changing as he took in the sight of the insignificant man's quarters.
Hiten was the best thing that had ever happened to him in the entirety of his life and existence, for one reason and one reason alone, Hiten possessed in his broad forehead the one thing Naraku had always dreamed of having. Absolute power, complete and total control, the ability and power to control whoever he wanted and thus do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without so much as a word from anyone who thought he was undeserving and unqualified.
"Shikon no Tama." He said out loud the words rolling off his tongue as if he was born to speak the language they had originated from. "With your power I will finally have everything I ever wanted." He chuckled lightly, mirth located in the sound, a dark mirth that would have made any listeners skin crawl.
He grinned into the dark, his sharp eyes seeing easily in the bleak night sky just as any weasel would have been able to do. He studied the Milky Way over his head, took in the sight of constellations, of whole galaxies, the stars and planets reflecting in his sinister black eyes.
"I'll have everything." He spoke, his voice carrying but unheard by the drunken sleeping ship. "Everything and no one will be able to stop me."
But even stones can stop giants, this was a fact Naraku was not well acquainted with.
"Fuck!" Naraku cursed as he felt his foot land in something hot and sticky, chunky and revolting. As if burned he yanked his foot out of the repulsive substance, his stomach turning at the sight. "Why did we have to take this ship?" He asked himself repulsed as he looked for anything that might be able to clean his foot. He found it in the form of a mop bucket (a severely under used mop bucket) and a passed out crewman's shirt. "I don't care if the Thunder is a million times faster than the Hopewell, this is ridiculous!" He complained as his anger flared around him appearing to even radiate as he spoke.
Wiping the remnants of sick from his foot he hobbled over to the side of the ship to dispose of the makeshift towel he had stolen, watching with satisfaction as dropped into the water of the deep sea.
Smirking he looked back up, out on the horizon, back out at the stars, at the moon, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, his mind turning back to his thoughts back to his success. He was so close now, so close to finding the woman, finding the key, so close to knowing how to find the shards of the jewel, so close to completing his every hope, his every dream. All of it was there beyond the entrance to the Mississippi River, all of it was in New Orleans, was with the woman who had once held a shard of the jewel in her hand, was in the woman who knew how to find more of them—so he had been told.
He glanced at Hiten's Cabin and then back out at the scenery before him pondering if he should go in and wake the man to interrogate him further about the woman that supposedly was in New Orleans. He had been drilling him for information for weeks, extracting from Hiten every little bit of information he could possibly use. At this point, even Naraku knew it was over kill to try to get more, after all, after a certain point Hiten would probably just start lying so Naraku would leave him alone. The young boy smirked, either way it was still fun to see the brave man squirm.
Naraku chuckled deep within his throat at the thought, a devilish smile forming on his face as he decided to ignore Hiten in favor of studying the land before him. The moon in the sky, the mouth of the Mississippi before him, the stairs—
Naraku tilted his head to the side as something caught his eye among those stars, something that rested right on the horizon. He blinked several times as he took in the sight of something that didn't quite seem to fit in the dark night sky. "What is that?" He wondered as he stared hard at it, his brow narrowing, wrinkling as he took in the sight of strange yet familiar black sails.
-break-
Kagome sat with her legs crossed on Sango and Miroku's bed, Sango next to her stretched out appearing to have fallen asleep. On the floor a few feet away sat Shippo who was humming to himself as he played with a small wooden top that Miroku had given him. According to Sango the top had once belonged to Miroku when he was only a little boy, his first and only toy given to him by none other than the Captain himself.
She smiled as Shippo wrapped the string around the top mumbling to himself as he did so as if he was giving himself further instructions on how to use the simple toy. String wrapped loosely he brought it to the ground, holding it up with one hand while the other hand prepared to pull on the string just as he had been taught to do by Kagome and Sango only an hour prior. His eyes widened in delight when he pulled the string hard, the top spinning quickly as it was released from his hold.
"Wow!" The small kit cheered as he watched the top spin on the wooden planks, jumping when it hit a notch on the floor, the encounter causing it to fall on its side still spinning rapidly around and around. The kit laughed, giggling as he watched the top continue to spin despite having fallen over, his small green eyes staring at it with such delight that he appeared to glow with joy. "Kagome," He called the 'miss' easily dropping from the beginning of her name just as it had slowly done with everyone else. "Did ya see, did ya see!"
"I sure did." She told him with a gentle smile as the top started to slow down, its adventure coming to an end only for Shippo to grab it and make it start again. The smile disappeared from her face as Shippo looked away from her, her eyes going from happy and cheerful to dark and brooding as she studied the compass that rested in her lap.
Carefully she brought it up to eye level, looking it over intently, studying the writing on it inch by inch, strange character by strange character. Briefly, she wondered which one said Sesshoumaru and which one said Inu no Tashio; they had to be there, this was where the Captain had read them, this was where he had seen them, this was where they had been written by unknown hands so long ago.
"I wonder who Sesshoumaru is." She thought to herself as she fingered some of the writing nervously as if she was scared it might bite her. Sighing heavily she pushed the thought aside, dropping her hands to her lap and in effect the compass as well. There was no telling who Sesshoumaru was, or where the title Inu no Tashio had come from or what it stood for, or how the Captain knew them or how he was connected to them for that matter. There was just no way she could tell without first asking the Captain and that just wasn't going to happen.
Kagome sighed, leaning her back against the headboard of the bed, her eyes glancing down at Sango checking the older woman for any signs of life, she saw none. Sango was asleep, passed out on the bed exhausted. Kagome felt envious. She wished she could relax, she wished she could sleep, she wished she could afford to close her eyes and drift away but every time she did, every time she tried her mind refused to let her. It would bombard her with thoughts, with questions, with memories, with self doubts, with denials. And it would keep on bombarding her for hours until she nearly wept from her own heavy eyelids and tired mind.
Vaguely, she made out the sound of the Captain yelling out on deck, something about a flag she thought but chose to ignore. She didn't want to know, she had no will to know, knowing anything further would just hurt her head more. Kagome brought both of her hands up to her face rubbing her eyes before she slapped her cheeks gently trying to sooth her rumpled mind by waking it up. The action did no good. Sighing slightly, she brought her hand up to absently finger the jewel that rested just against her chest, her hands rubbing it subconsciously for only a moment before her eyes opened wide and darted to look at the small gem.
"Kikyo." She thought as she looked at the tiny little insignificant jewel and released it as if it burned. "I can't believe any of it," She thought as she stared at the innocent looking gemstone. "This—he gave it to her and then he gave it to me." Her thoughts paused for only a minute as the words sank in. "Kaede said his memories came back right when I used my miko power the first time and then—right after that he gave me the jewel." She bit her lip sucking it into her mouth in thought. "He gave me the jewel right after he remembered her. Why would he do that? " She closed her eyes and groaned low into the room. "I wish I could sleep." She mumbled to herself knowing Shippo was too distracted to hear. Sure enough when she glanced over at the playing boy he didn't even bat an eyelash only continued to wrap the string around the top for another go. She sighed, closing her eyes, her hands fingering the wood of the compass absentmindedly, the tips of her nails causing a light tapping to enter the room as she anxiously worried away at the compass' unfinished surface toying with the characters written there.
"Kagome—."
Kagome felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she heard her name drift through the room as if it had been carried on the wind from miles away. Her hands started to shake as her eyes darted around her a feeling of paranoia and desperation entering her heart. She felt like she was being watched, she felt like she was being spied on, stared at, stalked from a distance by a predator ready to strike. Breathing heavily she glanced down at Shippo who was watching his top as it spun once again, his bright eyes appearing unfazed, unhindered, unaware. She gulped wondering if he had heard the whisper, if he had noticed anything strange, if he felt the way she felt right now. Judging by his expression, he didn't.
"Kagome—."
She jumped as the voice returned this time not sounding like the wind but sounding like it was right there, right in front of her, in her very lap. With wide eyes Kagome swiftly yanked her head downwards taking in the sight of the compass in her lap, the compass that was glowing from its spot atop her legs. She stared at it, her eyes focused on it unable to look away. There was something strange about that light, something almost—comforting. It was in the slight glow of the compass, the energy that seemed to flow through it and into her as it touched her very being. It didn't feel like a predator, it didn't feel harmful in anyway, it felt warm, relaxing, familiar, like she had known it all her life, and in every life she had ever lived. Her eyes grew heavy, her mind grew fuzzy, and she smiled as she watched the light a visual lullaby.
"Kagome—,"
It called to her again, this time leaving Kagome feeling completely unafraid. She reached, she touched the wooden surface, she smiled and she suddenly knew what she was supposed to do, she knew without having to know that there was a predator outside, that there was a stalker hidden in the grass, that there was something that needed protecting and that she was the only one who truly knew how to protect it. She felt her eyes roll in the back of her head, she felt her memory grow fuzzy, she felt her whole personality everything she had ever done or experienced or felt or loved or hated, slip away from her. It was just like the first time, the time when Manten had threatened her with the choices of life with rape or death by disemboweling.
She felt everything slip away disappearing in a metaphorical black tide.
-break-
"What the hell are we going to do if they see us?" Miroku asked the Captain in a hushed whisper as the two men stood at the helm's deck, their eyes focused on the ship that now was only a quarter of a league away from them.
"I don't know." Inuyasha replied his voice even if not a little bit strained as he spoke.
His sharp gold eyes were fixed on the vessel watching it with such intensity that if he had been able to, it would have burst into flames from the sheer fierceness of his gaze. He, for the first time in his whole pirate career, had no idea what to do. This wasn't like any situation he had ever been in, usually, he would just fight, be the one to strike the first blow, raid, pillage, and be rewarded but this time, was different.
Inuyasha swallowed hard, "We can't fight, not with Kagome on board. That girl," He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "She can't see it, not a fight like this. It's one thing for her to witness a brawl in a bar but it's another thing entirely for her to witness a full-fledged life or death match between pirate ships," He winced at the very idea of Kagome seeing the bloodshed that would happen in a match between a pirate who had lost a brother and the pirate he most likely thought killed him. "What would she think, what would she feel, do or say if she saw me kill a man in cold blood with bare hands or with a gun or knife?"
A girl like her would never be able to look at him the same way ever again and that was something he couldn't lose. He couldn't lose that look in her eye, those grey stormy eyes filled with twirling emotions that both mirrored and distorted the ever pleasant smile on her rosy lips. He would rather fight for that smile a million times than fight the battle before him now.
"We need to get out of here." Inuyasha heard the words come out of his mouth but for a moment didn't believe it had been him who had spoken.
"You said it yourself," Miroku whispered harshly from his spot beside him. "You can't run from a pirate." He motioned towards the ship that was waiting at the rivers mouth where they were headed. "You've heard of the Thunder, its fast, everyone knows. If they spot us, even if they have to bring the whole ship back to life, they will still catch us."
Inuyasha nodded his head, agreeing completely, he had heard of the Thunder, he had heard of the brothers who sailed it, he had been there when one of them died, he had seen the ashes—the product of his death. He knew that Hiten, the older brother, the surviving brother would be out for blood, he would not let them get away.
"If they see us we will have to fight." Miroku concluded for Inuyasha, his ebony eyes showing a certain amount of fear and worry, worry for Sango, worry for Kagome.
He knew Sango could take any man in a fight, she was good with a gun, good with a knife, good with a punch or a kick too, but that didn't mean he couldn't worry because he also knew how much it hurt her when she had to fight to kill. Kagome, on the other hand, was a different case entirely. She was defenseless, she knew nothing of fighting, she knew nothing of how to survive in a true life or death match. She was young, naïve, and idealistic, and they couldn't be the ones responsible for destroying that.
He turned to the Captain, his father, his eyes pleading as an idea came to him, it was the only way, the only one he could think of that could possibly save both women from the experience. "The long boat." he spoke his voice tight, afraid of rejection. "You can put Kagome and Sango on a long boat."
Inuyasha turned to Miroku stunned by his words, "What?"
"We set them adrift, Sango can row them to shore," Miroku looked at Inuyasha, his eyes imploring, begging him to agree that it was a good idea. "When the fights over we go find them. Sango can make a signal fire, it won't be hard."
Inuyasha looked away from the younger man, his face drawn in an almost stern line. It was a good idea, that he knew for sure but he still didn't like it. The thought of Kagome being away from him, out of his sight and his protection was unnerving to say the least. "Damn." He cursed as he brought a hand to his forehead, the pounding from earlier returning with a vengeance.
"Mate." The demon in him growled. "Must protect mate!"
"I am protecting her." Inuyasha told it sternly. "This is the only way I can."
Growling he pushed the demon emotions back down to the place they rested deep within him, knowing that Kagome would in fact be safer away from him right now. "Alright, prepare a boat, if the Thunder starts to even look like its coming for us we'll set them adrift." Inuyasha commanded his voice sounding strangely tight. "Shippo too, he's too young for this."
"Aye sir." Miroku said hastily as he started for the stairs only to stop frozen to his spot, his mouth hanging open as he took in the sight of Kagome slowly coming up to stand on the helm's deck. "Cap—," He started to speak but stopped when her storming eyes turned to look at him.
"Wha—," Inuyasha's voice stuck in his throat as he took in the sight of the girl in front of them.
She was standing barefoot, wearing her shirt untucked with no jacket the outline of her breast clearly visible through the soft cotton material, her pants hanging loosely from her hips, her short hair moving as if touched by a breeze even though there was none.
"Kagome." Inuyasha whispered into the air his voice a soft tenor like a little boy that is amazed with a new discovery or toy. "Kagome what are you doing?"
Her stormy eyes turned to look at him, the grey soft and milky almost white as it stared at him as if she had never seen him before yet had known him for a million life times. "Inu—ya—sha." She sounded out slowly a smile forming on her lips even as her eyes appeared to dull further with each syllable.
Inuyasha felt his heart rate increase in his chest, felt panic swell within him, something was wrong, something was wrong with her and yet, somewhere inside of him he knew she was okay. He had seen that look before on her face, right before she did something extraordinary, right before she had saved him. It was the same look, the look that told him not to be afraid, told him to trust her, to accept her just as she accepted him.
Her eyes closed the smile growing even gentler if that was at all possible as she tilted her head to the side. "Do not worry." She spoke softly eyes still hidden by lids and lashes. "I know of what I do and I do of what I know."
Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows her words odd, her grammar strange. He blinked, took a deep breath and felt his heart lighten as her eyes suddenly opened, the grey depths looking even deeper and more astonishing than normal as if she suddenly knew every truth and every fault and every beauty that lay in the world around her. It was as if she could control it, as if she had created it, as if she was Mother Nature herself. And as she looked at him like that, with those knowledgeable eyes, those eyes that seemed to know everything about him, he felt oddly calm. He couldn't explain it, he couldn't even comprehend it, he felt like every worry, every fear, every pain, every horrid moment of his life meant nothing because they had all lead him to this moment, lead him to her dazzling grey eyes.
A faint pinkish glow began to form around her, touching every part of her, lighting up the helms deck with its gentle, beautiful glow. She smiled for it, her eyes closing again as if the light was a warm blanket readying her for bed.
The ship went silent as every man on board stared at her, as every moose, as every bird fixated on the girl the Captain had claimed as his own. She was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous as she turned away from the Captain and Miroku, her focus changing from them to the Thunder before them which was now neck and neck with the Shikuro as it started to leave the river's mouth for the opened water's of the Gulf of Mexico.
"You do not wish to be seen." She whispered, so quiet that only Inuyasha heard. "So I will make you invisible."
Inuyasha felt the urge to step forward, to rush and grab her, cradle her in his arms, protect her but he didn't, he couldn't budge instead, he only watched as she lifted one hand above her head and did something he hadn't seen a woman do in fifty years.
End of Chapter
Please Review
Congrats to me for hitting the 250,000 word count! Also thanks Kaelle for the great review, it was awesome! Edited for Content 8/4/2012 and accents6/5/2013.
Bonus Point:
Who was the first demon Kagome killed with her Miko Powers? America dub name is fine! (Hint: Without this demon or Buyo the cat Inuyasha and Kagome would have never met.)
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
Yes, yes boys and girls I love rum and Inuyasha loves rum, perhaps a little too much, congrats to the ones that got it right!
Kaelle, Wolfishmoon, Walefor-chan, glon morski, AriaLuvsInu, LittleMargarita, Purple Dragon Ranger, HeavenlyEclipse, SweetHunniiBunnii, InuKag4eva
And extra points to HeavenlyEclipse who said this in her review:
"I guess in this chapter's case it would fit Captain Jack Sparrow's words of "but WHY is the rum gone?" Well now we know...Inuyasha drank it all :)"
Notes:
Fathom: A form of measurement for depth, used at sea to judge the depth of water. A fathom is typically 6 feet in length. Measuring a fathom was commonly done by using a rope that had knots in it at 6 foot intervals.
Fun Fact: When burying a man at sea, it was required by most ships that the water be at least 5 fathoms or 30 feet deep. Arguably, this was because a body in any shallower water was more likely to rise back to the surface (this has since been disproven) but most scholars agree that it was more a sign of respect for the fallen comrade than anything else.
League: A form of measurement for distance. It is approximately 3 miles.
Japanese Translation:
Sora ni wa nanidesu ka?: What is in the sky?
Hoshi to getsu: The moon and the stars.
Segure: Excellent.
Next Chapter:
Kagome's Power
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 8/3/2011