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-Two
Memories
Inuyasha's hands gripped the wheel his breathing harsh and his heart rate spiked. His eyes darted to the ship that was still coming towards them although its progress had slowed down substantially. He gulped, "Come on." He mumbled under his breath as he looked from the Thunder, to the men racing around him, to Kagome whose hands were still hoisted above her head. "Faster." He grumbled as his hands began to shake. "Move faster!" He yelled commanding the men around him who didn't even flinch at the snarled order; instead they only screamed back short replies of compliance.
"Oars at the ready!"
He heard Miroku yell from below, the young man's words echoing through the ship. He licked his lips, he knew with the oars they would be able to move fast, way faster than the Thunder even at her top speeds.
"Tame-e that riggin' on the main sail-u!"
He heard Myoga yell from above, the man's squeaky accented voice hitting his ears hard, causing him to wince at the horrible pronunciation. Even after nearly four hundred years of being in the English speaking world, Myoga still sounded awful. He glanced up at the small man he had known his whole life, his eyes studying him, staring at him, wondering only for a brief moment what he was thinking. If he was thinking about Kagome. He had to know, Myoga had to have recognized that power, right? Myoga would have noticed the Miko in Kagome, right? And if that was true then, had he known all along? Was he aware before even Inuyasha was?
"He is older than me." Inuyasha admitted to himself, knowing that Myoga was a few centuries older than him (well, quite a few actually, more like a few hundred). "I wonder if he knew a real Miko, like the ones in the temples with the Hoshi's too?" Inuyasha let out a sigh, a sort of longing coming to him in that moment, a vague memory of a temple he had visited as a child with Myoga as one of his escorts. He could almost see Myoga, hiding in the background of the memory, Totosai beside the man, a faint smile on his wrinkled face. In front of them, another image formed, a beautiful smile and bright brown eyes. "Okaa-san." He thought the name, allowing it to echo throughout his mind as he thought of the woman whom had raised him.
"Onegai!"
The word hit Inuyasha's mind causing him to snap awake, the voice had sounded strange, it was his mother's voice but she was speaking his father's tongue.
Inuyasha took a deep breath and shook his head, pushing the thought away. Now was not the time to think about such things, or such memories, if they were in fact memories. It wasn't important right now, what was important was living.
"Are we ready, Myoga?" He shouted, holding the wheel so tight that he thought it might crack under the pressure of his hands.
"Sail-u ready, Captain!" Myoga yelled, the sound of the sails bellowing in the wind backing up his statement, the ship lurched forward harshly from the action as they caught the breeze.
"Oars Miroku!" His voice boomed, he knew without a doubt that Miroku would hear it.
Sure enough the sound of Miroku's command came mere seconds later, followed by the sound of the water around the ship being disturbed heavily from the oars breaking its surface. He gripped the wheel, turning it slightly, his mind aware that they were still in the channel. When Kagome had unleashed her power over the ship they had come to a standstill, unmoving in the mouth of the Mississippi. The vulnerability of such a position had weighed heavily on his mind, but now they were moving reassuring him that they were going to escape. He glanced to their side, looking towards the lit up ship fair off in the distance, it was moving slower and slower, unsure and confused. A slow smile warmed his every feature as he glanced towards the girl who was causing the illusion that covered them from deadly eyes: Kagome might have saved their asses after all.
"Keep your eye on the depth." He commanded, his voice carrying to the front of the ship where Mr. Charles yelled his understanding. Inuyasha nodded pleased, his eyes focused on the goal before them: the place where the water was clear enough to highlight the moon, reflecting the stars and the universe above it as well; the freedom that was the Gulf of Mexico.
The sound of the sails whipping in the wind accompanied by Myoga screaming at the men to tighten up the jib, caused him to smile. For such a tiny man, Myoga sure could be commanding. Inuyasha felt the wind take the boat as the command was fulfilled, the combination of his men rowing below and Myoga's sails above causing them to move at an uncomfortable, unrealistic speed. Normally moving through the mouth of a river was something that would be done very slowly, with patients and timing, but right now they didn't have time for patients nor timing.
"Sandbar-u," the sound of Totosai's voice hit the air from his place at the front of the ship helping Charles check the water's depth. "Hard to starboard-u!"
"Aye!" Without second thought Inuyasha hit the wheel hard, causing the ship to jerk and quickly turn. There was not another man who's hands could change a ship's heading as quickly as Inuyasha's could. The ship seemed to lurch from the action, a wave at the mouth of the river catching them sideways because of the adjustment.
"Captain!"
Inuyasha's eyes darted to the stairs leading up towards the helm's deck, his eyes lighting on a frazzled and barely dressed Sango, her hair out a loose, something that she never allowed to happen. "I'm a little busy right now!" Inuyasha screamed at her turning away quickly from the one and only Sango. He felt his body raise upwards as the ship started to fall back into the water while they continued to push forward dangerously, the small sandbars and tiny river islands pushing the water of an ebbing sea into the ship roughly.
"What the fuck?" Her voice rang out into the air, no doubt just now seeing Kagome for the first time. "I was asleep five minutes!"
He could hear the panic in her voice but ignored it, his eyes staring intently at the life threatening peril before them. "Not the best time, Sango." He told her firmly as he turned the wheel back to the ship's larboard side coaxing the movement carefully. It wouldn't do to move the ship too fast and risk it tilting into the water. With a ginger hand, he held the ship steady until it righted itself without depleting their current speed. Below the oars did not miss a single beat, just as Myoga didn't above. The small flea demon adjusted the sails, reconfiguring the jib as they went in and out of the wind, easily matching their new heading. "Keep those eyes sharp!" Inuyasha commanded, his blood rushing through his veins, the adrenaline pumping through him, the demon in him slowly beginning to surface once again, this time for the pleasure of the fight, instead of fear for Kagome's safety.
"What are we running from?" Sango questioned as she rushed to stand beside him, her apparent hysteria having passed in favor of helping him with the wheel.
He glanced briefly at her hands as they came to grip the side of the helm, helping him to keep it in place as the ship was jostled by the tide. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he really didn't need her help to keep the ship steady, he understood her need to help him. Sango had always done her best to help them with whatever they needed. She would fight for her ship because it was her livelihood, it was her life, and just like any man she would stand with her crew to protect such a precious part of her existence. Smiling slightly at the girl, he turned the wheel carefully, allowing her hands to move with his own as he answered her. "The Thunder."
"What?" She practically screamed into his ear, her earlier hysteria seeming to come back instantly. "Have I missed everything?"
"Pretty much," He told her as they held the wheel steady together, their hands naturally moving to each take one side of the wheel. "Miroku will catch you up later, I'm sure."
He could almost hear Sango gulp before she opened her mouth to speak again, this time her voice calm and contained. "Is she glowing?"
He took a deep breath, his eyes staring out at the sea before them as his hands gripped his side of the wheel firmly, keeping them as steady as possible as they continued down the straight, heading towards the mouth of the river. "Just a little." He admitted, almost scared of how she would react.
"I probably should be," She paused glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "More surprised than I am, right?"
Inuyasha turned his head to look at her, his expression one of confusion, could Sango just accept a glowing girl that easily?
"Come on," She snorted giving him an almost disappointed smile as she interrupted his look correctly. "I've been living with you for three years," She told him bluntly before giving him a flirty wink. "Nothing surprises me."
"Too bad Miroku got to you first." Inuyasha mumbled with a slight chuckle, his earlier panic decreasing at her easy acceptance.
"Straighten it-to up-pu Captain." Totosai called up to him suddenly, the sound of the old man's voice breaking up the calm between the two.
Inuyasha obeyed without question, Sango obeying as well as their hands moved together, tilting the ship back to the right, straightening it out even more just as Totosai had commanded. Both of them knew that, at this moment, they had to trust Totosai; luckily, both trusted the man with their very life.
"Go-e to-u the starboard-u!" The man called again, his old voice sounding horse, he probably hadn't yelled like that in years.
"Hai." Inuyasha yelled without thinking, his natural speech pattern taking over the more he listened to the nearly impossible to understand accent of Totosai. It had felt more and more normal for him to speak that way again since he had started teaching Miroku. So normal that he didn't even notice Sango's odd look or questioning stare.
"Coming up on the mouth Captain, not even quarter of a league left."
Inuyasha nodded, his eyes focusing on the dark Gulf before them. He could see the change in the water with his sharp eyes, the change from river water to salt. It was something that only demons really noticed, a color so slight that the average person would not even be aware of its existence. The smell of salt assaulted him suddenly, making his heart gallop. They were close, the smell of the sea was upon them.
His eyes looked towards Kagome, his tongue snaked out of his mouth to wet his lips, "Hold it just a little longer." He thought as he held the wheel steady with the help of Sango to his left. "I know you can do this, Kagome, if anyone can it's you."
The wind whipped his hair into his face causing his eyes to close for only a moment. He growled shaking his head harshly, knowing he couldn't remove his hands from the wheel for anything, not even a hair. The thick mass of hair flew back behind his shoulders and out of the way, allowing him to see Kagome once more.
"What's happening?"
He heard Sango ask but he couldn't even think to answer, it was obvious, her glow was fading, her hands were starting to lower, and her knees were starting to bend. He gasped as the shield started to flicker, a predecessor to it disappearing. "Kagome," He yelled catching the ship off guard his hands still glued to the wheel unmoving. "Please, if you can hear me listen," He shouted at her, his voice sounding stern and commanding, and oddly full of unwavering reassurance. "Hold it just a little longer." His voice lowered to a level only she and Sango could hear. "Just a little longer Kagome, you can do it. I know you can, you're strong." She didn't respond: her knees only bent more while her elbows continued to buckle. The barrier that protected them flickered like a star as she began to fall, slowly degrading as Kagome lost control.
"Captain?" Sango whispered as her eyes darted from Inuyasha to Kagome, her heart beat accelerating in her chest. She didn't know what the young woman was doing, why her hands were in the air or why she was glowing but she did know that it was important, extremely important based on the Captain's pleading tone.
Inuyasha blinked rapidly searching for the right words, his eyes darting everywhere as they fluttered from opened to closed. He wanted to abandon the wheel, run to her and help her but he couldn't. He glanced at Sango beside him, she was strong but not experienced, she couldn't do it, she couldn't make it through the river mouth at least not at this speed and at night. He cursed, wishing he had trained Sango better, wishing he had made Miroku spend more time with her at the helm. He needed to go to Kagome, he needed to help her but, "That's not my part to play," He realized, his hands going slack for a second causing the ship to instantly jerk toward starboard.
"Captain!"
He heard the shouts of at least twenty men and cursed as he gripped the wheel tightly once again, his eyes glaring at Sango.
"I'm sorry." She muttered apologetically as she tried to hold onto the old wood even tighter.
"Damn it." He spat out but his words weren't directed at Sango, they were directed at himself. What could he do? What could he say that would make Kagome fight and keep her fighting just a little longer. "Everyone on this ship has to fight," He told himself as his mind raced for anything he could think to say. "Fighting's the only way we live." He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, his personal motto running throughout his head: "We fight to live." His eyes snapped opened, the words finally coming to him like waves come onto the shore. "Kagome," He called again, his voice still only loud enough for her ears and the ease dropping ones that were Sango's. "We fight to live right?" He asked rhetorically praying that his voice would actually reach her. "And this is your life too," His voice was strong, confident, and truthful. "So fight for it."
He'd never know for sure if she heard his words but he did know that it that moment the barrier grew brighter, her knees went straighter and her hands rose all the way back above her head once again, her body expending more and more energy, fighting for them.
"Ship-pu about-to to break-u the channel-o." Totosai suddenly yelled breaking up his thoughts.
Inuyasha smirked, they were going to make it to the mouth and once they did they would go be able to hit a straight shot, the fastest possible thing they could do. "Myoga, can you see the Thunder?" He shouted upwards, his eyes still stationed in front.
"Myoga see her," The man yelled back within seconds as he watched the ship off in the distance. "Ship-pu stope-e."
"She's stopped?" The thought ran through his head, hitting him hard. The Thunder wasn't following them, the Thunder couldn't see them, Hiten was not going to find them. "How far are we from them?"
"At-to least a league!"
"A league, fuck yeah." He breathed in deeply, his heart rate slowing from the news. "I want at least five leagues between us and them and I want it twenty minutes ago, understood?"
"Aye, Captain!" The men around yelled as they focused on their tasks keeping the riggings and the jib under control, moving the oars in time to keep their steady speed forming.
"Break!" Totosai suddenly yelled, the proper word sounding strange as the ship slipped out of the river, birthing itself from the channel as it hit the opened sea, the currents of the ocean taking them instantly, guiding them outwards. "We are-e in the Gulf-fu." The old man yelled excitedly, the rest of the men cheering from the knowledge that they were now in opened water, a place much safer than the channel.
"Let's get the hell out of here!" Inuyasha screamed as well, his voice happy, delighted even. The men easily complied, the ship increasing in speed almost instantly, going even faster than it had been in the river, an amazing feat for an amazing vessel. Inuyasha smirked his eyes going to Sango, he knew she could steer in opened waters, no problem. "Take the wheel," Inuyasha commanded her. "I'll explain everything later or—Miroku will." He told her hastily motioning quickly for her to take the wheel from him. "Totosai will navigate below just listen for him."
"O-kay—," She stuttered but moved to take the wheel despite her lack of confidence, her eyes wide, her expression one of being completely and utterly lost. "But I can barely understand him!"
"You'll be fine Sango!" Inuyasha reassured but his voice was distant already, not really listening to her. "Now do your job!" He commanded firmly, his voice sounding strained as he moved away from her, his expression growing tight, the cheer in his eyes leaving, replaced by doubt and trepidation.
He stepped slowly forward, standing on the other side of the wheel, his eyes staring firmly at Kagome before him who was still standing, her arms still extended into the air, the glow still amazingly strong. He winced as if waiting for her power to attack him. It didn't, it didn't even seem to acknowledge him. He gulped, she had to be exhausted but were they far enough away to risk her letting their protection down?
Before he could ponder the question any farther, however, the barrier flickered catching him off guard. It wasn't like the first time, this time it was a glimmer, a slight shimmering that made the shield appear solid as if it was reflecting the world around it like a mirror. He looked towards the side railing, his eyes taking in the sight of himself looking back, a looking glass greeting his gold eyes. His eyebrows shot up into his hair line, his head tilting to the side amazed as he took in the sight of his dirty face, hands and clothes, "I need to bathe." He thought oddly from the sight and then blinked surprised when it went black.
His brows shot upwards again, this time he was unable to see himself perform the action. His eyes slowly adjusted to the change from mirror to darkness, until he finally realized that it had not gone black at all, it had disappeared completely. Inuyasha was now looking out at the ocean and at some stars twinkling on the horizon. Hastily, he whipped his head round, his expression one of panic as he looked for Kagome, she was still standing just where she had been but her hands were at her sides, the light was gone, and she was no longer glowing.
His mouth opened slightly as if he was going to speak but no words came out so he just shook his head back and forth pretending that shaking his head was what he had meant to do. Suddenly her knees buckled, she swooned and fell straight backwards, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Acting on instinct, or perhaps intuition, Inuyasha grabbed for her, catching her before she fell flat backwards onto the ground. Lowering himself to the ground with her cradled in his arms, he gazed into her face, taking in the way her head tilted to the side, her eyes closed but not tightly, just barely, as if she was half asleep.
"Did I," Her voice whispered catching him by surprise. "Did I fight?"
His face was the picture of surprise as her words hit his ears, "So much for never knowing if she heard or not." He mused to himself, the words barely registering in his mind as he pulled her close to himself, his eyes going unnaturally soft as he spoke, Sango the only person privy to his actions. "Yes, you fought so-o-o good." He stressed, his teeth showing as he gave her a crocked grin.
"That's not very good grammar." She joked softly, her eyes appearing to grow heavy as her breathing evened out and she began to drift away from him. "For a pirate." Her words trailed off, her eyes closed completely, missing Captain Inuyasha's loving and relieved smile.
-break-
Kagome slowly opened her eyes, or tried to open them at least but it was hard, as if some unseen force was preventing the small muscles around her eyelids from moving. She groaned, she turned, the sound of rustling sheets hitting her ears as she moved, the feel of soft cotton touching her skin causing her brow to knit tightly confused. She didn't remember lying down, or falling asleep or even going to bed in the first place and yet—
She brought a hand to her side, touching the soft material of the cotton bed sheet, the feel of the yielding and inviting fabric enough to make her curiosity dampen and her longing to sleep return. She sighed contently, allowing her body to relax into the bed and her aching head to unwind as she prepared to sleep once again. She could open her eyes another time, she decided as she allowed herself to drift back to sleep. She could wait to be awake, wait for a time when her head wasn't hurting so much and her eyelids were cooperating and willing to open without a fight. Yes, she could wait, she could sleep a little longer, dream a little longer.
"Dam-m-n too hot."
Her eyes snapped opened, the sound of the curse and the barely comprehensible sentence hitting the air just loud enough to bring her straight out of bed in fright. Her heart pounded in her chest as she grabbed the sheet clutching it around her for protection against the very male voice that she had just heard. It had been familiar which was a good thing, however, there was no male in this world that was familiar enough with her to be sleeping in the same room let alone so close she could hear him distinctly.
Her eyes darted around, it was dark still and there was no candle burning in the room to help her see. She blinked trying to find the source of the unsavory language but failed, her eyes weren't properly adjusted to the lack of light just yet. She squinted in hopes of being able to see better, she frowned, it made no difference in the darkened room. Her hands began to tremble as she held the sheet tighter to her breast. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned back to her search, this time looking over the room slowly, taking her time, studying every shady corner, hoping to find the source behind the noise. The sound of shifting startled her, the ruffling of sheets made her eyes widen as her mind put two and two together, suddenly, as if it had always been painfully obvious, she knew the source of the sound.
Nervously, she turned her head, a slow almost painful movement that took all of her concentration to perform. Sure enough, much to her shock and horror, there was someone in the other bed across from her, only a few precious feet away. She could tell instantly that it wasn't Shippo, the body was far too big, and she knew it wasn't Sango because the body was, well, far too big. That left only two options, two different people who might be in the room with her, it could be Miroku which was highly unlikely or it was, more than likely, the person who owned the bed in the first place, the person who always slept there yet hadn't since she had arrived on the ship, it was of course (she realized) the Captain.
Her heart started to pound in her chest even harder, the very thought that he was the one laying in the other bed striking her to her very core. He had never slept there while she was in the room, not even once to her knowledge. He always left her alone and spent the night outside or (as Sango had told her once) the Captain would sleep in his bed but waited until she was already asleep to lay down for the night and he was always sure to rise before she awoke, it was a crafty plan, crafty enough to leave her unaware of his presence or (really) allowed her to ignore it. Whatever he did or wherever he slept, however, one thing was for sure: she had never seen him sleep there, not even once, not even a nap above the covers. She had never even seen him on the bed, let alone in it. He had sat on the edge once but that hadn't been for very long and she hadn't been in the room for very long but, still, point being he had never done it, never, ever, ever, slept there when she was awake in the room as well.
"Not once," Kagome told herself with a gulp as she clutched the sheets around her, only vaguely realizing that she was still in fact dressed and there was no need to guard herself. "I can't believe he's right there, asleep." Her face flushed at the thought. "Right there." The idea repeated itself her face growing darker as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Just—there—asleep."
The thought trailed off as suddenly the Captain's cabin was flooded with gentle moonlight as the ship turned allowing the moon to enter the room. The light instantly highlighted the Captain's features, showing them off from his position facing her on his side. Her mouth went dry at the sight of the moonlight as it poured in the window, the light reflecting in his hair like the moon reflected the sun, creating a halo around his temple which highlighted his face, framing it between two large shimmering forelocks and a set of choppy bangs. Upon closer inspection she realized that it wasn't only his hair that the moon highlighted, it was also his expression, calm, almost innocent as he slept. She had never seen his face like this—
"No," She mentally corrected immediately, "I have."
She licked her lips moistening them as memories came back to her, the memory of him at Port Royal when he had kissed her hand, the memory of him at the Port of Spain when he had told her his age, the memory of him after the fight at the tavern in Havana when he had apologized to her for the fight itself, the memory of his shy nervousness on the night he had given her the violin, the most recent memory from New Orleans when he had come back to Kaede's drunk.
"I've seen this face so many times before." She thought as she slowly shook her head her own smile matching his schoolboy one. "That look of boyish charm—."
With that smile on her face she continued to watch, taking in his still features, glad that now she actually had the time to do so, had the time to look at him, really look at him. His eyes were closed, long lashes fluttering every now and then as if he was dreaming, his eyebrows wiggling every once and a while (they were surprisingly thin for a man she noticed for the first time.) He had high cheek bones, she noticed also, tan like the rest of his face but also strangely rosy, a natural underscore to his features. Currently, his lips were parted, taking in slow deep breaths.
She froze as her eyes were drawn to those lips, lips she had touched personally on more than one occasion. She knew for a fact they were as soft as they were red, as subtle as they were inviting. Her skin flushed at the thought, she remembered what those lips could do, the places they could touch. He inhaled quickly catching her off guard, his lips worrying as he mumbled something incoherent in his sleep.
Kagome flung herself away from him in utter and complete embarrassment, turning her red face to the side, refusing to face him, as one hand races to touch her cheek while the other made home above her heart clutching the material of the bedspread to her chest. She took in a harsh breath, her ears practically twitching on the sides of her head, trying to hear any movements he made in case he had woken up. It felt like hours as she waited but was more likely only seconds before she dared to take a glimpse at him.
Her face softened at the sight, he had snuggled his head into his pillow, his nose touching the fabric gingerly as he scented the pillow case (at least that was what she assumed he was doing). She cracked a small smile at the way his nose then turned scenting the air lightly before a relaxed grin threatened the corner of his lips. He looked so young, so calm and temperate. He didn't look like a pirate or even the least bit dangerous, he just looked sweet, almost naive.
He mumbled something to himself again, something that sounded suspiciously like her name. She narrowed her eyes leaning towards him slightly, hoping to catch his mumbled words should he chose to speak in his sleep again but nothing came. He merely reached blindly still deeply asleep, grabbing at the blanket, pulling it up over his shoulder as he curled in the bed moving from being sprawled across it to lying in a tight ball, his hands clutching at the sheets like a little boy, like Shippo. "I wonder if most boys never out grow things like that?" She closed her eyes shaking her head hard back and forth, attempting to control her swelling emotions. "What am I thinking?" She chastised herself. "Anyone could see he's just sleeping like he sleeps, everybody sleeps like they sleep regardless of age."
But that still didn't mean that it wasn't remarkable and fascinating to see the difference between the Captain awake and the Captain asleep. Seeing him like this, watching him as he slept, was so different than watching him when he was awake. When he was awake he was always animated, lively, his expression constantly changing, constantly morphing and moving with his every feeling but here asleep, it was different. He was calm, he was peaceful, and she liked seeing him like this because it reminded her of all the other times she had seen him—really seen him—seen the eighteen year old boy that was the demon pirate Captain of the ship the Shikuro.
She smiled, that thought giving her ease, it was no big deal that he was in his bed, no big deal at all. Nodding to herself, agreeing with herself she simply let the feeling of awkwardness go, let the fact that he was there go until that is, he said her name.
"Ka-go," It trailed off but finished strong. "Me." He smiled as he snuggled deeper into the pillow, breathing in its scent. "Kagome." He repeated, the sound crystal clear, not a mumble but a full-fledged perfect pronunciation.
Her heart started to flutter, a very different sensation compared to the earlier pounding, her mind barely comprehending the fact he had spoken but knowing it had in fact happened. Shock overcame her, the blanket fell from her grasp as she scooted closer to the edge of her bed unconsciously wanting to get even closer to him so she might be able to hear him a little better.
"You—," He groaned slightly before inhaling deeply. "Smell."
Her face feel for all of a second before she noticed something odd, he was smiling, his lips still slightly parted, showing off fangs that poked out from between them as his lips worried together as if preparing to speak again. She leaned in close, gulping as she wondered if he was dreaming, wondered if he was really trying to fool her or play a prank and was actually awake and had been awake the hole time. The fluttering of her heart turned to fluttering in her stomach then as she noticed his lip opening again, preparing to speak again, she silently prayed for sweet words instead of coarse ones.
"Nice."
Her heart instantly stopped dead in her chest, her eyes widening to the size of tea saucers as her face flushed heavily, a deep bright red, the sentence naturally combining in her mind to complete his unintentional admittance. "He really thinks I smell nice." She whispered delighted, even though she knew he had told her before pretty much the same thing. Still people were far more honest in their dreams than in life, so to hear him mumble it to himself must mean it was really true.
He shifted again, moving to lay on his back, popping his neck absentmindedly as he did before settling down, sinking back into the sheets once again, his ears catching her eye as they twitched on his head.
She bit her lip, trying to resist a sudden urge, a familiar urge. "I wonder," She mumbled to herself as her palms started to itch, she had felt those ears before, she knew they were soft or at least she thought they were. She had only held onto one for a brief moment but at the Port of Spain so she really didn't know if they were as soft as she had thought.
She let her tongue wet her lips, as she squirmed slightly from her position on her bed. What would it be like to hold those furry ears longer than only a second? What would it be like to rub them, pet them, become truly—acquainted with them?
"He is asleep—," She silently reasoned as she shifted in the bed, moving the blanket away from her so her feet could slip out from under the covers to the ground. The wood was cool under her toes and her heart was wild in her chest as she approached him, a million thoughts hitting her all at once. What if he woke up? What if he caught her? What would he do, what would he say, how would she react to what he did or said?
She pushed the thoughts away as she reached for him, her hand shaking slightly as she walked the short distance to his bed, knelling down beside it wordlessly as her fingers hesitantly reached above his head preparing to assault his ears or at the very least feel the fur to see if it was as soft as she remembered.
"Hm—grrr."
She froze, the sound of his grumble and growl halting any further movements she might make. Her eyes closed in reflex, paranoia hitting her. "Please don't be awake, please don't be awake, please don't—," She chanted as she slowly opened one eye to see him, he wasn't awake but he was something, something just wonderful enough to stop her investigation of his ears instantly.
He was—peaceful, he was innocent looking, harmless and (dare say) vulnerable. He looked so open, so honest, so innocent, so youthful, so sweet, so sincere. If he had been awake Kagome was sure she could have asked him anything and he would have given her a straight answer to any question she might ask—
"Question?" Kagome narrowed her eyes, the thought hitting her strangely as she brought her hand back to herself, perching it atop her breast in a tight fist. "An answer? A question? Why does that seem so important all the sudden?"
Blinking she leaned away, setting herself back on her heels beside the bed, her mind spinning slightly. She closed her eyes tightly as the room began to loop around, her hand coming up to touch her forehead as if trying to contain the headache or really the memories threatening to pour out.
There was something, something about a question, something in that question's answer, there was something there, something important, something she needed to remember. Her eyes closed tightly, an image projecting onto the back of her eyelids, fuzzy and hard to focus on. She could see a light, it was running through her, she could feel it running through every nerve, every part of her felt—powerful as if she was nothing more than sheer energy. She could just remember it forming within her, starting in a place hidden away in her stomach before it traveled throughout her every limb, coming to rest at the tip of her fingers where it all pooled, collected.
"Please."
The word echoed in her mind but didn't release her from the power of the memory. She could still feel that power moving within her, reminding her of what had transpired not too long ago. She remembered the sensation of that power building, more and more energy sweeping threw her body from her core to her fingers where it built, an orb of pure power formulating in her hands.
"Stop."
Emptiness, she remembered emptiness. The power vanished, she remembered it vanishing but it wasn't gone, it was contained, she opened her eyes but she wasn't in the Captain's cabin anymore, she was looking at herself holding an orb of light in her own hand as if she was watching the memory play out before her very eyes.
"Do you have something to live for, Captain Inuyasha?"
It was her voice but she hadn't spoken, it was his question but she had asked it. She looked at Inuyasha who was standing across from the Kagome of the memory, he looked confused, he looked surprised, he was looking at the other Kagome with an almost unnatural hidden fear. His mouth dropped opened his eyes darted back and forth and then he spoke, sounding timid (it scared her):
"Do I have something to live for?"
Kagome's eyes snapped opened for real as the voice of the Captain seemed to fill the room waking her from her dream—from her memory.
Instinctively her eyes darted to his bed but his face was the same, his expression just as relaxed, his look just as gentle and calm as it had been only moments before. Her breathing started to change, becoming tight and uneven. The headache began to intensify and her heart began to suddenly clutch in her chest. "What's happening?" She whispered into the dark, perplexed and terrified by her strange memories.
Afraid, she brought a hand to her forehead, standing up from her spot beside him, staggering back to her own bed as she clutched her head with one hand while the other moved to grab at her shirt, touching the spot where a dull pain was forming in her heart. There was something in that pain, just like there was something in that question, in its answer.
"Do you?"
His voice hit the air just as it had moments before and she screamed, pain filling her to her very core.
"Ah!"
The sound left her before she could even hope to control it, pain splitting from her heart to her head. She brought one hand to her mouth, the other staying on her head as she fell back down in the bed her mind screaming from the pain that was searing through her. She felt tears start to prick at the back of her eyes, the pain becoming so intense that she had to bite her hand in order to keep from screaming once again. "Please stop." She pleaded with herself, the tears now running down her face as she bit into her hand harder, the taste of blood filling her mouth. "I can't take it!"
She vaguely registered the sound of sheets, the sound of someone's feet hitting the floor, and then the feel of a hand on her back, the feel of another hand bringing her hand away from her mouth.
"It's hurts!" She said without preamble, not even caring who was currently helping her, the pain so intense that she rightfully just didn't care. "Make it stop."
"Concentrate," A stern voice called to her, soft and familiar, commanding yet gentle. "Just listen to the sound of my voice and focus on it." He paused for a second, clearing his throat as he tried to think of anything that would calm her. "Just a um—focus on what I gotta say—and don't think about the pain."
She nearly smiled when she heard him hiss.
"Sorry didn't mean to remind you about it but," He sounded frazzled, it was endearing. "Just focus on me okay."
She felt the gentle caress of his hand on her back, she felt the pain in her head start to ebb; she felt his hand clutch her own tighter and then the sensation of the bed sinking slightly on one side as if someone had just sat down on it beside her. Carefully, so as not to agitate her head any further, she opened her eyes to look at him. The first thing she saw was gold, bright beautiful gold, staring at her, worried, carrying, hopeful.
She felt her heart stop in her chest when she realized just how close those eyes were, just how close the rest of his face was, how close his lips were. She jumped away frightened by the close contact, her arms wrapping around herself tightly, her shoulders attempting to shrug off his hands. "I'm okay." She told him truthfully before raising her head, a flush on her cheeks. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He replied his own cheeks rather rosy with his own embarrassment. "You used a lot of energy, so it's only normal that your body would have a hard time waking up afterwards."
She blinked at the statement, it sounded odd, and yet, she knew, somehow she knew exactly what he was referring to. She blinked, part of her unnerved with her own memories, refusing to believe what was slowly becoming so clear. "They're dreams." She told herself blindly. "It wasn't real." She continued not wanting to admit it to herself. She shook her head, pretending she had no idea. "What do you mean?"
He gave her a strange look, a look that clearly said he didn't believe her. "Don't you remember the barri—um—what you did?"
She froze, her eyes scanning the room, moving back and forth quickly, taking in everything without really focusing. Was it really a memory? She did remember something, something about asking a question receiving an answer—a bright light, power building. She had remembered that earlier but there was something else she remembered, something distant, as if it had happened long ago and yet she knew that wasn't true.
She breathed out, her eyebrows narrowing, her jaw dropping slightly as she shook her head slowly back and forth as if trying to shake some sense into it. She could almost see it, it was on the tip of her mind, the arrow, she could see the arrow, it had been pointing, the arrow of the compass, it had glowed and pointed. She remembered that, she remembered but what had happened afterwards, what should she remember next? Had she built that power, had she asked that question?
Her eyes lifted to Inuyasha, staring at him as if he had the answer, she knew he didn't.
"Kagome?" He started to speak but she put her hand up silencing him with the easy gesture.
"I remember something." She told him as she tilted her head to the side, her hand falling down to rest on her lap with its mate. "It's vague and fuzzy."
"Tell me," He pressed from his spot next to her on the bed. "Even if it seems pointless."
"The compass." She began blinking slowly, her hands fidgeting with one another. "The arrow it pointed, like it did with the Shikon shards and—it glowed." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him, asking him to explain to her what had happened.
"What happened after it glowed?"
She sniffled and looked away from him, bringing a hand up to run through her short hair, pushing some of the strands that actually made it into her eyes out of her face. "I—," She stopped, froze, something in her mind's eye catching her attention. The compass had glowed, yes, she remembered that but when it had glowed she had heard something, something calling to her.
"Kagome."
She jumped, Inuyasha jumped with her startled by her sudden movement. "What the hell!" He growled, angry with himself for being frightened
"It spoke to me!" She turned to look at him her face alarmed. "Something called my name I think it was the compass, it called to me."
"Called to you?" Inuyasha repeated bewildered.
"Yes," She nodded quickly her eyes swarming as memory after memory began to hit her. "It called and it called and I remember feeling scared and a little crazy and then—," She paused the words dying on her lips as she slowly turned to look at him.
He stared concerned as he took in the stormy turbulent mist that was her eyes, the moonlight behind him reflecting in them, catching small flakes of brown that he had honestly never noticed before. They were hard to see, unnoticeable when caught by the too bright sun, or the shadows casted from a lamp's light, they were a shade that could only be seen in near darkness, so hidden from the world were they. He smiled despite himself the almost golden brown flakes warming his heart despite her eyes current chaotic appearance.
"Everything went dark."
Her words brought him out of his musings, making him focus on her instead of just her lovely eyes.
"Everything was dark," She continued her eyes starting to look almost distant as the memories came back to her causing her hands to worry in her lap. "But—not completely like the times before."
He quirked an eyebrow as he watched her shift slightly on the bed. "What do you mean?"
"I remember."
His eyes knitted and he looked down at her confused. "Kagome?"
"I remember." Her voice caught in her throat.
She remembered everything, she remembered the compass, her name being called, she remembered walking to the deck, up the stairs, she remembered promising to make them invisible, she remembered the power, she remembered the screams and the groans, she remembered the Captain pleading with her asking her to stop, she remembered ignoring him until his pleas had nearly died. Tears started to form in her beautiful eyes as she brought her hands to her face but didn't raise them to touch her cheeks, instead only allowing them to hover centimeters away from her skin and tears.
"Is that what a Miko is?" She asked suddenly, the tears slipping from her cheeks, her hands posed to catch them but not moving to perform the act. "Do they kill demons without caring?"
"No," He told her hastily as he reached for her instinctively, she hit his hand away, he froze, his eyes widening, he actually looked (dare she say) hurt.
She stared at him, ignoring the darkness and sadness in his gold eyes, her arms wrapping around herself, as she looked at him like a scared doe cornered by a hungry wolf. "I could kill you."
He snorted throwing his hands up in the air, not believing that she had slapped his hands away from her because of that. "You couldn't!" He told her bluntly.
She grapped at him and shook her head hastily. "You felt that power, I remember you," Her eyes darted around in thought. "You told me to stop, you were—you were dying!"
He bit his lip and turned away rolling his eyes. "That power can't kill me." He told her firmly starting to feel uncomfortable. It was true her power couldn't kill him, just a part of him, the demon in him.
"Why not?" She challenged her eyes blazing. "You're a demon and Miko's purify demons, like I—like I did with Manten," She stumbled over the words a bit, afraid to admit what she had really done, before continuing. "And I could have very easily done that to you too."
"No you couldn't." He argued shortly again.
"Am I missing something here?" She bit out sharply. "You're a demon, so that's how this works." She stressed, her hands moving wildly attempting to aid in her explanation.
He clutched his fist. "Damn it Kagome, let it go, you wouldn't have killed me so don't worry about it, it's over anyway."
"No!" She told him firmly. "I want an explanation so care to explain why I wouldn't kill you," She continued pushing him mentally. "Because last time I checked a full demon—"
He snapped cutting her off throwing his hands in the air angrily—pissed. "It's because I'm not a full dem—," The words froze on his lips, died completely, his eyes widened horrified as he took in her now confused look, his hands still posed above his head unmoving.
"What do you mean?" She asked timidly. "You're not—."
"Nothing." His words came out harsh, unjustified. "It's nothing," he stood from the bed, moving away from her as if she was a leper. "You shouldn't worry about shit like that. You saved us," His breathing came out in pants as he spoke, wild. "Without your barrier we would have had to fight that mother fucker Hiten and I just don't fucking fell like it today." He moved across the room hastily his back facing her as he grabbed for his jacket on the back of the chair, his back rigid as he pulled it on never making eye contract. "Get some sleep," He told her as he rushed for the door. "You'll need it after expending that much power."
"Inuyasha?" She tried to call after him but her words fell on deaf ears as the door slammed shut. She winced at the loud noise, wondering if anyone had been woken up by it but the thought slipped away quickly as a more pressing thought hit her mind. "He was about to say—demon."
Her eyes narrowed and her head tilted to the side, her nose wrinkled and then suddenly her whole face lit with a dawning realization. "It's because I'm not a full demon." She whispered his sentence memories rushing her, memories more powerful than any of the others she had experienced today.
"You," He continued on breaking up her thoughts. "Don't care who I am, what I am, do you? You 'ike this form not 'ike her und him, 'ight?"
"His form," She whispered, her chin trembled at the thought. "Like he has different forms, different parts of the same self."
"Nee-chan, he want'd me ta be a demon." He told her softly as if he was telling a great secret, unwittingly and truthfully he was. "Kikyo—she hat'd the demon, she wished, you know 'hat I wasn't a demon, 'hat I—she want'd me to be a human."
"A demon form," She slowly concluded. "And a human form, both wanted him to be in different worlds, because he is of two worlds—." She stared off into space, disbelief raining over all her other emotions. There was no way, it was impossible, this proved nothing. She shook her head in disbelief.
"Fucking mutt, you fucking ill bred fool!"
Another memory hit her, this one more powerful. She remembered the look on his face, the way he had seemed so legitimately hurt, she remembered thinking that the words themselves had not been that horrible just insulting unless—unless.
"A mutt," She repeated out loud everything suddenly falling into place, slowly but surely. "It's offensive because he's a mutt, he's not full he's—mixed. Half." Slowly she felt her body fall back onto the bed, her legs giving out as something finally clicked, striking her completely fully, and confirming the answers to her unknown questions.
"Have you ever met a half demon?"
She let the words fill her for a moment, pondering them, there meaning. Was she reading too much into this, was it too many coincidences at once? Probably not, after all, why would someone ask a question that didn't relate to them somehow?
"You only ask something if it's significant, if it," She stopped her hands worrying together in thought, wondering, guessing, trying to figure out where exactly her thoughts were taking her. "Has a purpose." She muttered. "So what's his purpose? What was the purpose behind the question?" The thought trailed off, an odd feeling swelling up inside of her in that instant. She knew the purpose, she knew without even having to answer her own question, she knew it well, his intention, his—everything—literally.
"Have you ever met a half demon?"
She felt new tears swell in her eyes, spilling out onto her flesh. Shaking slightly she brought a hand to her cheek, catching the first of the wave of invading droplets on her finger, bringing it away to study as if she was surprised it had actually fallen.
Her tears were understandable, however, even if she wasn't aware of their natural need. After all it is an odd sensation, an overwhelming moment of understanding when one realizes, that yes indeed, they had—she had met a half demon before and had not even been the least bit aware (until this very moment) that she in fact knew one of the most despised creatures on earth but that wasn't why she was crying.
No, the reason for her tears had nothing to do with prejudice, had nothing to do with hate or anger or even pity. She cried because she couldn't figure out for the life of her, why he didn't want her to know.
End of Chapter
Please Review
Edited for Content and Accents 6/5/2013
Bonus Point:
Name the episode in which Kagome watches Inuyasha sleep. (Hint: She's studying for a test and all hell breaks loose.)
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
Well, well, there is always a debate going around with this trivia game. Kikyo uses a Bow and Arrow to pin Inuyasha to Goshinboku, specifically she uses a sealing arrow, thereby not killing him but instead putting him to sleep until Kagome released him fifty years later. Congrats to the winners!
Regina lunaris, HeavenlyEclipse, Purple Dragon Ranger, blackandwhite125, NurNur, hedgewitch13, booklover2theextreme, inu-luva123, glon morski, TheRealInuyasha, Warm-Amber92, SweetHunniiBunnii, AriaLuvsInu, AnimeRomanceFreak1990,
Chapter Fun Fact:
The title of this chapter has dual references/meanings, as many of my titles do. It stands for Kagome remembering being in the 'Miko State' for the first time as well as her putting all of the clues (her memories) about Inuyasha's secret together for the first time, therefore discovering that he is in fact a hanyou.
Next Chapter:
The Awkward Lesson
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 9/1/2011