Shikuro: A Caribbean Fairy Tale

by Inuma Asahi De

Inuyasha was as bad as pirates came, according to his legend. Kagome was a woman of propriety, destined to marry for her family's honor when all she wanted was to live on the sea. What happens when their eyes meet by chance or perhaps by daring fate?

44. Her Use

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 Forty Four

Her Use

"Wake up bitch! I said wake up!" Naraku practically yelled as he hauled the unsuspecting and half asleep woman to her feet hastily.

The wind enchantress moaned from the action, "Owe—ano." She grumbled her voice coming out in a faint squeak at first, while her bright dangerous red eyes fluttered just partially opened in an attempt to figure out what was rousing her so rudely. "What—," She whispered as she eyed Naraku's hands which were still pulling at Hiten's white cotton shirt, shaking her slight. "Kus—." She started to cuss but stopped when her eyes finally came in contact with the man in front of her. She went quiet, her expression tight—and strangely knowledgeable. "Let-o me go!" Her voice turned snide as she harshly pushed Naraku's hand from the borrowed blouse unapologetically, the action causing her to fall back onto the bed when his hand released her.

Naraku bared his teeth at her unwelcomed shove but didn't move to reach for her right away as his dark eyes flashed treacherously in the dim candle light. "Those are my words." He told her bluntly, his voice just barely a hiss hitting her ears as he took a slow step forward, his shady visage an image that would be forever burned into the back of her brain. "Who are yuu?" He spat, his eyes continuing to blaze, the opaque fire within their depths pushing, seeking.

The female demon licked her lips in response as she lay vulnerably on the bed where she had fallen, inclined backwards, holding herself up by her elbows, her bare legs exposed not because of lack of cover but because her inner skirt had been soaked and the material was clinging to her, translucent in the pale light. She pushed herself upwards, her eyes never leaving Naraku as she studied him darkly, turning her body and positioning her knees until she was sitting on them in a much more dignified manner, which left her strangely knelling as it were before Naraku who stood only a foot or two away from her beside the bed.

"Answer me." Naraku commanded her again, this time his voice dipping low—dropping a complete octave, making it even scarier and more perilous to listen to.

The female demon seemed to come out of a trance at his words as she smiled ruefully up at him, the smirk on her lips made even more noticeable by her blood red lipstick. "That's no way-u to speak to a lady." Her voice came out, silky, smooth, sexy; the sound of it sending a shiver down the nearby Hiten's spine.

Naraku only snorted, however, unaffected as he threw his head back laughing. "I don't see a lady." He told her without missing a beat as he rolled his shoulders backwards and gave her a mocking smirk of his own. "I see some whore who's on my ship," The smirk fell, he leaned forward, lording over her, intimidating. "With no explanation." He raised his eyebrows in suggestion. "Perhaps that should be—somehow amended?"

Kagura raised her own eyebrows mimicking him in response, her dark blood ruby eyes widening naturally from the action but not from fear, it seemed to be more from curiosity than anything. "I have no explanation." She answered his questioned, apparently deciding that his other comment was best left alone. "And I don't-to know why I'm on this ship-pu." She continued bluntly before side glancing, looking at the other man, at Hiten, briefly as if she was just now realizing that someone else was in the room, before moving her eyes back to Naraku.

Naraku narrowed his eyes, "What were you doing in the middle of the Gulf," He rephrased his original question as he stepped even closer to the bed. He was now almost chest to face with her; her face looking at his chest as she continued to sit on the bed. "On a feather?"

"Flyin'," She told him only briefly before she turned her head to the side, glancing at Hiten, studying him as her voice trailed off, her attention having been snagged by the much older demon who was standing just a little ways away, taking the scene in quietly—his face the picture of contemplation. Her strange bloody eyes seemed to darken for a moment as she watched Hiten, giving him a look that clearly stated she had not expected to see him here or had not expected him to stick around. She wrinkled her nose after a moment of scrutiny and turned back to Naraku dismissively as she began to speak again, her voice taunting. "What-o else would yuu do on a feather?"

Naraku growled low in his throat but the noise didn't seem to break her strong will in the least as she turned to look at him that hoity smile on her lips irking Naraku to no end. "Answer the question," He drew out slowly between tightly clenched teeth. "What were you doing in the Gulf on a feather?"

"I told yuu," She threw back as she brought one of her hands up to run over her wet hair. She grimaced when she found it to be as soaked as the rest of her. "I was-u flying—," She shrugged, looking down at her lap here eyebrows raising as she took in her current state of dress with another grimace, which quickly turned into a look of acceptance—after all there were far bigger issues at hand here than a wet dress—issues she had sworn to resolve. "I will not fail-u." She thought as she took a deep breath looking back up at Naraku with confident eyes. "I can't." She told herself bluntly before continuing again. "There was a storm-u—I lost control and the last thing I remember-u is wind," She counted the word off on her pointer finger. "Rain," She counted this one on the middle finger. "Wet," This one was oddly on the thumb. "And a sail-u." She dropped the thumb to count this one, using the last two digits on her right hand to demonstrate her four points.

"That was the sail of my ship." Naraku told her as he took a step away from her no longer needing to intimidate her quite as much since he had received a relatively decent answer.

The wind demon watched with only vague awareness as the other man flinched behind Naraku visibly as the word 'my' left the man's lips. "He's the Captain." She concluded as she pieced the unspoken information together before looking back at Naraku with interest, "This man though—he has-u all the control—the master of the ship-pu?" She wondered as she turned back to Naraku, clicking her tongue as she took in the sight of the man—no boy—in front of her. "He work-u fast." She snorted. "I must have hit the sail-u," She spoke softly her words mocking but her voice dry. "I recall hittin' something—," She reached her hands down as she spoke, smoothing Hiten's white cotton shirt as if it really was a dress. "It could have been yuur sail-u unless there are other tall-u structures that-to aren't sails on your ship." She looked up at him without moving her head, resulting in her rather large ruby eyes peeking out from beneath a clump of wet black hair as she leaned forward, the much too big shirt falling just slightly from her left shoulder because of the motion, revealing a tantalizing amount of flesh. "Demo," She let the word fall from her lips only somewhat aware that they wouldn't understand it. "I've never heard of anything like that-o."

Naraku felt his face flush for perhaps the first time in his life as he took in the sight of her, her wet hair mused along the side of her face, those large precarious ruby eyes peeking out from beneath it, and the shirt that was slightly undone at the top, as if Hiten had missed a button, sliding down her slim shoulders, the tops of her perky breast just visible. Momentarily distracted he growled, the sound lurching throughout the room—the scent of his appreciation not lost to the wind. Carelessly, he clutched his fists at his sides a little tighter, the sensation of a sharp object cutting into his hands causing him to flinch.

Blinking in confusion he brought his hand up to his face, his eyebrows shooting up so high they became lost in his hairline as he took in the sight of the forgotten gemstone. "The jewel?" He blinked, completely hating himself for having become distracted by something as trivial as a feminine body. Without hesitation, he snarled, any arousal he might have felt squashed as the sound rebounded in the small cabin loud and deadly. "This jewel—where did you get this jewel," He sneered at her but the girl still stayed strong, she didn't even blink. "Tell me where it came from, whore, tell me!" He yelled out while thrusting the small jewel in her face.

Kagura shrugged without a word, reaching up to tuck a piece of still rather damp hair behind her ear absently. If she was shocked by the implication or by the piece of ornate jewelry in Naraku's hand it never once—even for a second showed on her calm and collected face. "Looks pre-e-tty." Her voice was still light and airy, just as the rest of her appeared to be.

Naraku narrowed his eyes as he took in the sight of her staring at him calmly, those bright red eyes boring into him intently, so intently in fact that they almost looked downright suspicious. "Where did you get it?" He questioned her as he held up the jewel, his voice even.

"I found it," She told him as she waved her hand at the jewel as if it wasn't the least bit important to her in the slightest. "It was shinny I picked it up-pu."

"Where did you pick it up?" Naraku pressed, his voice actually starting to sound gnawing. "Name the exact location."

She tapped her pointer finger to her chin as she shrugged her shoulders smirking at Naraku, her lips taunting as she slowly drew out her next sentence. "I can't-to seem to remember-u."

"Damn it!" Naraku screamed again as he lunged for the small woman, grabbing the front of Hiten's shirt that was sliding off her small frame so hard that some of the button's popped off from the strain of lurching forward. "Tell me!"

From the sidelines, Hiten who had been watching the verbal sparring match in front of him keenly also lunged forward on instinct, grasping Naraku's arm and pulling him back before the younger man attempted to strangle the girl.

"Fuck Hiten, let me go!" He snarled as he struggled against the firm hold desperately trying to get to the woman who was withholding something he knew was vital to everything he was trying to do.

"If you kill her, we'll never know." Hiten reasoned as he held onto the slight man. For a boy who looked so small, the kid could certainly hold his own.

"Stay out of this." Naraku hissed as he finally managed to dislodge Hiten from his waist but instead of going after the woman on the bed again, he merely straightened his clothes and growled low in his throat as he eyed her still sitting on her knees as if nothing had happened.

Sitting there, undisturbed the wind enchantress didn't move, didn't bit her lip, didn't blink, didn't turn away, instead she just sat there watching the two men as they both breathed deeply from their exertion, not even a small amount of fear entering her eyes as she observed them blankly. She wasn't afraid, it was written on her face—she didn't fear Naraku Morgan at all in fact, she seemed to know what to expect, her face said that she—she had known—and that pissed Naraku off even more.

"Will you just answer the stupid question!" Naraku groused as he straightened out his jostled clothes, his sinister eyes fixated on her just waiting to strike again.

"I'd tell yuu," Kagura replied her whole demeanor sincere in a very artificial sort of way. "If-fu I could remember-o."

Naraku took a deep breath before releasing it harshly, his patients dissipating quickly. "Maybe," He whispered into the night air, his words a pleasant promise as he stepped towards her slowly. Behind him Hiten tensed waiting to jump in. "I need to jog your memory."

"It's-u hard to jog," Kagura shot back demurely as she licked her lips slowly, pausing for effect. "What-o has truly been forgotten."

As soon as the words left Kagura's mouth, his hand hit her face. The sound of the slap echoed in the room loudly, hitting the walls, reverberating, resounding, repeating on every surface that could possibly elicit the sound of an echo. Blood trickled down the wind demon's face, a slow thin trail that ran from the middle of her bottom lip to her chin, the lip itself clearly busted opened, producing the shallow dribble.

From behind Naraku, Hiten felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end as the sound died in the night and the smell of blood entered his nostrils, surprisingly nauseating him. He had smelt the blood of many men, of many virgins and matrons, he had smelt the blood of sailors, of his brother, of his mother and father, he had smelt the blood of death and even the blood of birth but none of those instances had made him feel ill, he had never even once found the aroma to be even a little bit nauseating.

In fact, he could almost say that the pleasure he got from the aroma of blood pooling around a person's body regardless of who the person was or the personal attachments he associated with them was sickening. But now as the scent of this woman's blood hit his well trained nose, he found that it made the pit of his stomach turn, made his head feel a little light, almost dizzy—but even more surprising than that turning in his stomach, even more surprising than these sudden and previously unknown feelings of nausea and dizziness that he had never once experienced from the sight nor smell of blood, was the fact that both the sight of it trickling down her face and the smell of it hitting his nose were pissing him off.

"I will not ask again." Naraku's words cut into the tension mounting in Hiten's shoulders. "Where did you find this jewel?"

The wind demon, who had not even bothered to look up since her face had been unceremoniously backhanded, didn't say a word as she continued to look to her side, the blood running down her chin the only visible part of her face, her hair having obscured the rest of her features from both Naraku and Hiten as she silently sat, unmoving.

Hiten started to take a step forward a small bit of compassion still left within him burning as he started to reach to push Naraku out of the way (with enough force to push him through the wall of course) and go to her but he froze when the wind demon finally began to move her shoulders slouching as she raised her head slowly. Her eyes, dark red and as crimson as the blood that pooled on her chin, stared at Hiten as if knowing what he was about to do. She blinked slightly and smiled, her scarlet orbs becoming strong and defiant, telling him with no words that she was fine, that she had everything under control.

At a loss for words himself, Hiten nodded and stepped back away from the master of his ship—for now he figured it was best to trust her. After all, if she could still smirk after being back handed by Naraku, then she could handle herself.

The wind demon closed her eyes in way of saying thanks before popping them back opened, turning both blood red gems to face towards Naraku, giving him her strongest, sternest, and most rebellious glare. "I did not-to find it." She told him as she moved to wipe the small trail of blood from her face with the back of her hand.

Naraku scowled at her, the lines of his face harsh. "Then where," He bluntly questioned, "Did it come from?"

She touched her lip feeling the split before she brought her hand away looking for blood. Finding none on the tips of her fingers she let the hand fall back to her lap. "I don't know where-u it came from."

"Then why is it here?" Naraku fumed as he held up the shard in the light between his thumb and pointer finger, letting it sparkle. "Where did you get it, howam I holding it right now if you didn't find it!"

"I given it." She told the angry weasel demon firmly as she motioned with a flick of her wrist towards the shard in the palm of his hand. "It was not found-o, it was—," She pursed her lips. "Handed."

The steam of anger seemed to leave Naraku at those words, his eyes narrowing with confusion as he stood up slightly straighter, leaning away from her as he tried to gauge her words, "Is she lying still?" He wondered as he gritted his teeth tightly. "Who handed it to you then?"

The wind demon didn't speak for a minute and Naraku (to his credit) didn't press her during that long pause in the conversation. Instead, he waited patiently as the young woman stared at him, silently weighing her options it appeared. "What-o I tell him?" Her eyes shifted from him to Hiten, moving back and forth between the two men as if the answer to her still undefined and internalized conundrum she was facing was located within the two men or in the space between them. "A lie, the truth-u? What do I say, what would they want-o me to say?" She sucked in a deep breath and held it, already knowing the answer quite well. "They'd tell me to go with my gut-o and hope he falls-u into my hands." She sighed, a unknown conclusion having been reached, and looked Naraku directly in the eyes prepared to speak. "Perhaps, it is not-to the person who gave me the jewel-u that you should be concerned about-o."

Naraku gave her a distrustful look, his eyes narrowing as he took in the features of her face, trying to find any traces of falsehood in her blood swiped visage. "If I shouldn't be concerned with them," He swallowed breathing deeply through his nose, "Then who should I concern myself with?"

The wind demon looked down at her lap, shielding her face as she smiled, pleased with herself. "It worked, I can't-to believe it worked." She thought before looking back up at the man before her, her face once again trained in a dark and tight line, with just the hint of a grin left on her slightly turned up mouth. "Yuu should concern yuurself with-u." She told him that slight upturned corner of her mouth growing as she spoke. "The hand that received it-to."

Naraku raised one eyebrow as he glanced down at her verily normal hands. Even for a demon they looked surprisingly human, they held no claws, the nails were well kept, clean but the same natural color of any human female. In fact, the only thing that made them look even remotely special was the fact that they looked so human but were stuck on demon hands. "Maybe," He reasoned as he looked back to her face that was drawn in a patient yet annoyed glare. "That's what makes them odd, the fact that they're—so human." He glanced at Hiten who was also looking at her hands, his expression almost bored. "I've never seen a wind demon's hands so I have no idea what they'd look like but Hiten doesn't seem surprised by them, so they must be normal, that only makes sense." Frowning to himself he turned back to the unnamed woman, eyeing her tightly. "And why should I concern myself," Naraku tilted his head to the side. "With the hands of a whore such as yourself?"

She smiled devilishly, the word 'whore' seeming to roll off her back like water. "Because," She held up her hands ready to put the last nail into her well made coffin. "The hand-o that received that jewel-u, is-su connected to a demon with the ability to find them."

For a moment, Naraku thought she might be playing some sort of prank on him, egging and goading him on, running him in circles so he might lose his train of thought and forget what she had said before about receiving the jewel from another's hands but as he looked into those ruby eyes, at the darkness that tinted there edges and at the stern sincerity behind them, he found himself unbelievably believing her. "It's almost too good to be true." He thought as he bit his lip. "If she can find them—if she knows how, then I—I have a great use for her, but—?" He licked his bottom lip. "Is that why she's saying it? It's some king of ploy to save her own ass?" He bit his lip this time, drawing a small amount of blood that he quickly licked away. "It could be just that—a ruse, still, it'd be a very perceptive ruse on her part." Naraku popped his neck and took a deep breath; even if it was a ploy, he would be foolish not to follow the lead that had been dumped into his lap. This could be his only chance of hunting down the shards of the Shikon jewel. "It's not like that old hag's telling me anything, this girl—she could be my only chance." He reasoned before speaking again. "How?" He demanded, decision made.

The wind demon smirked, the smile on her face clearly that of a true temptress, an enchantress that hides within the shade of the woods, waiting for the innocent or more likely—just the terribly naive; her red eyes, like two giant rubies within the confines of a buried treasure, sparkling as her equally red lips parted to speak. "With these-e ruby eyes."

-break-

Kagome pulled her hand away from the violin that she had been strumming on for a hour or so as; repeating cords up and down its neck while her pointer finger, positioned just above its bridge, plucked the strings. Grimacing, she stared at the red tips of her long fingers and sighed before bringing just her pointer finger of her right hand up to her mouth to kiss slightly, willing the slight rawness of the fingertip away. Grumbling to herself, she put the appendage in her mouth hesitantly as she turned her eyes to the man standing across from her, drawing on the finger slowly to sooth the pain as she mumbled around it, "I think my fingers are bleeding."

Across from her, leaning against the railing of the helms deck Inuyasha automatically snorted, not even bothering to lift his head (a good move in the long run) as he messed with his own violin, bracing it against his stomach while he held it out in front of himself, tuning it distractedly. "No they're not." He told her as he used his thumb to pluck his 'A' string, letting the sound resonant around him before he grabbed a peg and turned it just slightly, ever so slightly, his face the picture of concentration.

"How do you know?" Kagome pouted as she held the violin in one hand while she studied the fingers of the other carefully—one looked as if it was blistering. The slight welting of the flesh reminded her of a time when she was a child and had burned herself on a hot pan that rested atop a boiling hot stove. Her fingers had been red and angry afterwards for over a month during which time they had blistered before the dead skin had peeled and new pink flesh had come from underneath. Although, her fingers weren't that angry a red as they had been when she was a little girl, they still stung substantially. "I never thought learning to play the violin would actually hurt." She reasoned as she brought her pointer finger back into her mouth before thoughtfully adding. "But it's still worth it."

"If you were bleeding," Inuyasha broke her out of her thoughts as he mumbled under his breath still seemingly completely distracted as he plucked the string a few more times in quick secession, his face drawn into a tight line. "I'd smell it."

She gave him a dry look as she pulled her finger away from her lips and let out a small 'hum' like noise as she turned her nose up to him, starting to feel foolish for her earlier words. She blushed slightly, the color twinging just on the bridge of her nose as she grumbled to no one in particular, "Pesky demon nose."

Inuyasha glanced up at her words, an unconscious smile forming on his face as he took in her sweet look of annoyance. She had tilted her head back and away from him and closed her eyes in her huff as she held the violin by the neck firmly while trying to cross her arms underneath her chest (an action that wasn't entirely possible while one was holding a violin). Chuckling, he shook his head as he finally lowered his own instrument to his side before reaching up to pop his neck as he often did after playing for any substantial amount of time. "We've only been playing for maybe an hour or so at the most." He told her with a yawn, stretching his hands above his head at the same time leisurely. "Your fingers are fine."

"Well not all of us have super demon endurance." Kagome grumbled as she sat down on the deck without a care or thought, her back twinging slightly from having stood holding the violin for so long. Silence fell over the two as her words rang out into the night but it was comfortable—a genuinely comfortable silence.

Ever since there talk a few days prior, a truce seemed to have been agreed upon, one that was as silent and unspoken as their current comfortable arrangement. Kagome really couldn't put her finger on why that short conversation within the Captain's cabin had changed so much between them but it really seemed that it had. Something about it had prompted a change in attitude from the Captain, a change she was kind of afraid to completely embrace. Not that she was against his now much more relaxed manner but she was kind of surprised by it. He had always been so uptight about everything (even though Sango had told her once that the Captain seemed naturally more peaceful in her company), so it was truly very strange that the edgy man was now almost tranquil at times.

She had been starting to think that their relationship (if it could have been called such a thing) had been greatly compromised by the incidents that had happened in their time spent with Jinenji and his mother, but that one conversation—short and simple, heart pounding and a little embarrassing—had seemed to erase whatever uneasiness had formed.

"I guess he was afraid that I'd say something or give him away." She reasoned gingerly as she reached for her violin case putting the instrument he had given her in it with great care. "Still," She glanced up at him though her long thick lashes. He was leaning against the railing the violin laying across his stomach, held in his hands like a Spanish guitar, his thumb lightly brushing over the strings—a soft hum resonating from them as he plucked. "It just—," A thought tickled the back of her brain against her will. "—all seems too simple, like there has to be more bothering him than just one secret." She tapped her chin as she mentally relived the past week and a half. "It felt like he was pulling away for a different reason, something so much bigger."

Kagome looked down at the violin sitting in the case, her eyes gazing at the beautifully crafted wood, so ornate as it laid against the soft fabric that lined the case protecting it from scratches and other forms of damage. With a sigh she looked away from it, her mind thinking of the cushion that lined that casing—protecting the violin, shielding it from things it was not meant to know.

She glanced upwards taking in the nighttime cloudy sky, the storm had passed days ago, in fact, it had been at least two days since it had rained. Two days since they had spoken during that stormy night; two days and yet clouds still remained. "Clouds?" She thought vaguely as she studied the clouds that obscured the starry sky. "Clouds that neither the weather," She glanced downwards sadly. "Nor myself can make disappear."

She sighed drearily as she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on the tops of them, her arms wrapping around her body, hugging herself slightly as she once again looked at her violin; studying that protective satin. "Maybe like the satin of this case, he's trying to protect me from something?" She found the question hard to push away as she took in that lining and protective layer. "Did something happen when we were with Jinenji?" She tried to think of anything, anything that she could remember—of course there had been many things that had happened in that short amount of time but this would be something big, huge, something that had caused him great pain—great pain in association with her.

She licked her lips as she pushed herself to remember all the nuances of that one week. Nothing stuck out more than it should have but one thing did bother her. The faces—the faces of Inuyasha, of Haniyama, of Jinenji—after the incident with the villagers there faces had changed.

She wasn't a dumb girl. She knew from the moment she had awoken that something had been horribly wrong. She had seen it in Haniyama's face when the old woman was taking care of her and thanking her, she had seen it in Jinenji's as the tall demon thanked her and apologized as if he had been terribly guilty over some unknown plight (even though the horse demon always seemed to look guilty, even when there was nothing he had to be guilty for), but most of all she had seen it in Inuyasha's that first morning she had woken up after being unconscious for three days. He had looked so tired, the slight wrinkles and blackness around his drooping eyes had been distinct and deep as if something had horribly aged him in only a few short hours. His shoulders had been hunched and his normally godly height had seemed to have been shortened, as if he was carry a tremendous weight on his shoulders. All of these things had been worrisome to her but, one thing above all the rest, had worried her more.

His eyes, they had changed since then. The way he looked at her, had changed since then. In those beautiful golden orbs there had been a new found sort of guilt that trumped Jinenji's, an indisputable remorse mixed carelessly with something else—shame, disbelief, amazement, wonder, unquestionable and perhaps undeniable relief; a lot of emotions had been there and all of them seemed to say—something happened—something bigger than just the secret of my heritage—something—something—

"Something horrible," She knew it was true as she saw image after image of that pained face looking at her, straight at her or out of the corner of his eye—watching her, keeping an eye on her, even if he wasn't talking to her. "Something—when I was passed out—something happened during that—what was it—three days I was asleep?" She shook her head slowly as she tried to think of any plausible event that might have triggered such a look, however, she wasn't able to come up with one. Still, just as Kagome was not dumb, neither was she deaf.

"She died!"

"I wonder if those words, what Sango and I overheard had anything to do with it?" She thought as she reached out touching the lining of the case gingerly. She remembered waking up to the sound of Miroku's voice but she couldn't pin point what the man had been yelling. All she really knew was that immediately after her eyes had snapped opened, she had heard the words, "She died" right before seeing Sango with her ear pressed against the wall and eyes five times their normal size.

Kagome almost giggled inaudibly at the memory, before her face turned into a sad line as the memory of those words, as the memory of the desperation in his voice, of the pain and tormented nature in which they had been birthed into the hearing world came back to her fully and completely. "She died," The thought hovered just inside her brain, taunting her and teasing her mercilessly.

Briefly, she glanced at Inuyasha again, he was still strumming on the violin his eyes closed and his head tilted downwards as he listened to himself play, his ears twitching every once in a while, turning this way and that to take in the sound better.

"Maybe he—maybe he was talking about me?" She thought to herself, the voice in her head sounding small as she tried to convince herself that he had been screaming at Miroku with such a raspy broken voice because of her and not someone else. Logic often dictates these things, however, and the logical part of her mind told her one blunt truth. "I—I don't remember dying though."

Yes, she didn't remember dying per say but she did remember a dream—a strange and impossible dream, a place bathed only in white with a disembodied voice as its only resident. The feeling of weightlessness, the feeling of floating, drifting, as if she was balancing on air—she remembered that too—it had been indescribable, that sensation. She remembered thinking to herself, asking herself if she was in fact dead—she had thought she might be, in the dream she had thought it possible but that unidentified disembodied voice had told her it was not. She was not dead, she was merely regaining something—energy—she was replenishing herself because she had worn her body out to the point that it could no longer sustain her soul.

"I remember, I remember everything it said but—." Kagome looked at her upturned knees, her eyes staring at the dark fabric of her father's pants. "That was just a dream." She told herself plainly but something in her—something way beyond the need for logic told her to not brush the dream off so hastily. There was something unreasonably real about what had happened in that dream, something so tempting that she felt as if she should revisit it, study it, give it more time to fully be processed in her brain. Kagome shook her head slowly back and forth, her eyes traveling to look at the wooden floor of the ship vacantly, her mind too far away to actually see the dark brown planks. "It was just—a dream." She blinked, those words sounded oddly like lies. "I wasn't dead." She blinked again, those words sounded oddly like truth. "I passed out and had a very strange dream—like the other times I've used my powers, it's just like that—." Those words, sounded oddly like a mixture of both.

"Still, if I wasn't the one who died, then," Her mind continued to reason as she looked upwards at the night sky taking in the sight of a lone cloud as it hovered above the ship, passing them as if it was just another vessel in the night, "Who did?"

"She died!"

Kagome gulped, the sound actually audible to her ears. Closing her eyes tightly to push all traces of the thoughts away she sighed heavily as another possibility, one she didn't want to admit was even remotely possible, taunted her. "Maybe, " Her voice sounded shaky, sounded almost hurt even in her own mind. "Maybe it was Kikyo." The name actually made her physically flinch. "After all," She felt something similar to a tear form under her tightly closed lashes. "I know Kikyo died."

"Kagome?"

She jumped as his voice entered the air, the sound of it gentle, almost laid back. "Yee—e—s?" She drew out the word with a stammer that caused Inuyasha to raise an eyebrow

"You okay?" He asked gently, his voice laced just so with concern and such gentlemanly patients that she couldn't help but look up and take in his face.

His posture was as laid back as his voice, his whole body looked so—well—relaxed as he leaned against the railing, the violin held to his body as his plucking hand rested at his side, limp and waiting to play again. It was a sight she found endearing, a sight that showed the man before her as he really was. He was not just the pirate Captain Inuyasha, most feared of all the seas (the biggest bad ass to have ever sailed the Atlantic and all other oceans he had known), he was a man who enjoyed the violin, who read people like Milton and Shakespeare, who spoke every language ever spoken it seemed and who liked—who liked her company—the company of a strange tomboy of a woman who also read Milton and Shakespeare and enjoyed the violin.

"I'm fine," She told him softly as a blush came to her cheeks from his gentlemanly concern. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Inuyasha didn't say anything for a moment as he took in the sight of her. Truthfully, he had been watching her for a while, ever sense she had chosen to set her violin back into its case. It seemed that since she had, the girl had been lost completely in thought, doing nothing but sighing and frowning as she looked at her hands or at the sky or at the wooden planks of the helm's deck floor. He chewed his lip thoughtfully as he tilted his head to the side, wondering what could possibly be bothering her to the point that she would lose focus so completely. "I wonder—if she remembers?"

His heart tightened in his chest at the mere thought, he honestly hoped that she didn't. He didn't want her to know how close she had actually come to death. She didn't need to know that. She was—far too happy and fancy free to know about such ugly things as his failures and her death.

He opened his mouth to answer her question but closed it as he saw the somewhat reserved look of her face. It was like she was begging him not to say something but he wasn't sure what that something was. He shifted slightly and adjusted the instrument into a more comfortable position before clearing his thought. "No reason in particular." He told her as he shrugged his shoulders, the violin in his hands resounding as his sleeve brushed over the strings faintly. "You've just been sitting there sighing and shaking your head for the past five minutes," He gave her a quick glance before looking down at his instrument again. "So I was starting to wonder, you know," He pursed his lips and then sighed deeply to himself, the sound seeming to tell Kagome how truly hard it was for him to speak as he was. "If you've got something on your mind."

"Nothing really—," She said quickly her earlier musings mocking her as she pushed them away. Now was really not the time to bring up the fact that she had overheard his and Miroku's yelling match, "Especially now that we're finally talking again." She told herself as she worried her hands in front of her up turned knees. Still, Kagome had never been good at telling lies. "I mean I do have—," She gulped as the words stumbled out of her mouth before giving him a bright but fake smile. "Something on my mind but it's nothing of great 'portance."

He frowned at her words, looking at her, studying her intently for a moment. He knew that was a lie, he could smell the lie coming off of her—not literally really—but he did pick up a distinct change in her scent as she spoke, the scent of apprehension and nervousness: scents commonly associated with lying. He also picked up the sound of her heart beating quicker, of her pulse point jumping underneath the lovely skin of her neck, flickering, pulling his vision to that place above his mark. Inuyasha licked his lips as his attention slowly sunk to that neck, soft and subtle, begging and taunting.

"Snap out of it!" He practically screamed at himself as he pulled his eyes away from her, knowing now was not the time for lusting. He took a deep breath to clear his head before he turned back to his previous train of thought. "What could she possibly be thinking about that she wouldn't want me to know?" He frowned, "Her death? Could she know about that? But why wouldn't she tell me—I mean—she would know that I know, right?" He shook his head mentally, choosing to keep a tight eye on her externally, hoping she would crack and answer his unvoiced questions.

Kagome licked her lips under his gaze, blushing as his eyes grew even more intense and focused. "Please believe me." She begged silently as she reached up and tucked a growing strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes followed the gesture, watching her nimble fingers with such a growing interest that she found herself blushing and moving her hand away from the side of her head hastily. "Why does he look at me like that?" She thought as she ducked her head, staring at a spot on the floor as the blush tinted her cheeks even darker.

"I understand," Inuyasha told her, accepting her answer for now (only because he was not willing to push her when she looked so irresistible in the moonlight). He cleared his throat, his voice gruff and raspy as he spoke. "We all have stuff that—um well fuck." He growled slightly annoyed with his own inability to speak. "You know stuff we just think about."

Kagome looked up at him from the sound of his voice alone, taking in his appearance once again. He hadn't moved, he was still standing there his plucking hand dangling by his side; useless, refusing to play as he in turn stared at the ground, a slight coloring of his cheeks just catching her eye before he spoke again, breaking up her thoughts.

"You're done for the night?" He asked suddenly as he tilted his chin towards her filled violin case: the action successfully closing the other topic for now, allowing her secret thoughts to slide into obscurity for just a little longer.

She blinked rapidly glancing down at the case only briefly before looking back up at him. "Oh—I guess, yeah." She muttered distracted by his strange straight yet hunched posture; it seemed like an impossible way to stand and yet there he was, leaning, slouching and yet standing pristine all at the same time. "He really is an enigma."

"How are your hands?" His voice questioned bluntly as he raised one eyebrow in question.

She frowned at the obvious segway but glanced at her still stinging hands once again without a word. Her fingers were red still, slight welts forming where blisters seemed to make their homes on the very tips of the appendages. She tried to close her hands experimentally but found the blisters to sting particularly strongly from the action. "How long does it take your fingers to stop hurting?" She mumbled mainly to herself but the question wasn't lost on her one man audience.

"No idea," Inuyasha told her honestly as he reached for his own case not to put the violin away but instead to grab his bow. "I need a distraction." He told himself slightly as he spoke different words out loud. "Never had that problem myself," He told her bluntly as he reached for a small knob that rested on one end of the bow, tightening the many small strings that made up its length by twisting the knob round a few times. "Guess it's the demon blood."

"I'm going to write a nasty letter to your father." Kagome grumbled good naturedly as she lowered her hands away from her face and like a well trained poodle folded them in her lap daintily before scowling and draping them over her knees more boyishly. "It's just not right that he gave you those superhuman violin fingers."

Inuyasha chuckled slightly but the sound wasn't as cheerful as it should have been. "I don't know if it'll reach him," He whispered as he looked up towards the sky, searching the clouds, his mind drifting far away, a fuzzy image standing at the back of it—a smile, a high silver ponytail, armor, so much armor. "But you can try."

Kagome frowned from the tone of his voice and tilted her head to one side as she watched him look upwards and out at the sky. "Why wouldn't it reach him?" She questioned but the second her words left her mouth she knew the answer. Kagome's mouth hung opened and her eyes doubled in size from her panic as the truth and lack of sensitivity in her own statement scorched through her very veins. "I'm so, so, so sorry." She said as she ducked her head down low, not even daring to look at Inuyasha as she silently berated herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

As if sensing that she already had her answer, Inuyasha didn't say a word, he only glanced at her briefly taking in her hunched over appearance with calm and collected eyes. The scent of her guilt and her own anger with herself was strong in the air, the smell making his nose actually twitch with disgust. Guilt and anger never did smell good, even on a woman who smelled as intoxicating as Kagome. He shook his head and took a deep breath, the memories of his father cloudy and best ignored. "Otou-san wa—?" He started to think but stopped himself with a sigh as he brought his bow back to the strings, his fingers not even really bothering to set into a particular place as he drew the bow across the instrument, the sound permeating the air.

Kagome blinked as the sound of the bow scraping against the strings of the violin met her ears. She wasn't sure what the note was, she knew it wasn't a so called opened string—she knew what those sounded like—no, he had placed his fingers down on the string, creating that lovely smooth and low sound. The noise echoed around them for a moment before it went suddenly still, causing her to blink rapidly and look up because of the abruptness of the quiet.

Her eyes met his instantly, the gold penetrating the gray of her own so deeply that her heart stopped and she barely heard him when he started to speak.

"Don't be sorry." He told her bluntly before dragging his eyes away as he balanced the violin on his shoulder. He glanced at the finger board, staring at the unmarked places his fingers needed to stand in order to make the correct first note. Blindly, even though he could see quite clearly, he placed just one finger down on the opened 'A' string and pulled the bow across, the sound was gentle in the night. "B," He thought to himself as he image of his mother filled his mind.

"Okay, Inu-chan," She spoke softly as she motioned on her violin, setting her pointer finger down in the 1st position on the opened 'A' string. "This is 'B' it is the first note in the song we're learning today, can you try?"

Inuyasha shook the memory away and frowned as he pulled the bow over the string again: the memory came back even stronger.

"Okaa-san?" He mumbled as he played the 'B' note over and over again. "What's the name of the song we're learning?" He asked, curiosity filling him. She had yet to tell him the name, a fact he found odd.

The woman frowned for a moment, her eyes going far off, her expression tightening as she lowered her violin from her chin and looked at him with eyes completely composed of sadness. "Watashi no ai."

"My love." Inuyasha translated subconsciously as he came back to the present, "Her love, my Otou-san." The comment came out way darker in his mind than it should have. "Otou-san." He thought again as he took his middle finger and dropped it just barely a centimeter away from his pointer finger, "C#."

Kagome gulped as she watched him, so lost in thought before she looked away from him back towards the wooden deck of the Shikuro all the while shaking her head disappointed in herself. "I shouldn't have made light of your father—," She told him without looking at him, the music stopped, not abruptly like seconds before but decisively.

"I'm never going to get to play today, am I?" He asked gruffly prompting her head to snap up and her eyes too blaze.

"I'm trying to apologize." She told him fiercely as she frowned.

He gave her a pointed look down the bridge of his nose before responding. "And I told you not to." He clicked his tongue smugly as she looked away her lips drawn in a tight unaccepting line. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"But—," She grumbled as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye her arms crossed over her chest. "That was a very rude and thoughtless thing to say," She spoke quickly so he couldn't possibly stop her. "And when you say something like that its only customary that one apologizes."

He shook his head as he positioned the bow back on the strings, running it over one of them quickly before reaching up to a beg to tune the noise slightly even though it was already perfectly tuned. "Don't worry about it." He told her honestly. "This place isn't exactly someone's stateroom or anything so it's only natural that some custom's slide and besides," He added bluntly, his face serious. "I like the super human violin fingers he gave me even if he is dead." He told her jokingly, a slight chuckle escaping him as he tried to let her know it was okay, that he wasn't mad and that she shouldn't feel bad.

Kagome looked at him sadly as the joke rolled off her back, images of her own father coming over her. "If it were my father," She thought to herself with a slight shake of her head. "I wouldn't be able to joke. How can you joke like that, Inuyasha?" She wanted to ask him just that but something inside of her stopped the question from rolling off her tongue, perhaps it was the look in his eyes, the look that said to just let it go; just let it go at least for now—so she let it go, not saying a word.

"Thank you." Inuyasha thought but didn't dare to voice as he brought the bow back to the strings. For a long moment, he just stood there his eyes staring off across the vast ocean as he watched small lights flicker from some ten or fifteen leagues to their right—lighthouses perhaps on the shore of far upper Florida. Carefully, he lowered the violin, keeping it on his chin but lowering the neck to let his burning arm rest. "Watashi no ai." The words sounded sad even in his thoughts but that sadness was not for his father: the lover his mother had lost; or was it for his mother whom had been taken by the grim reaper not even ten years later.

It was for lovers of a different sort, lovers of his own. A lover who had died, a lover he had saved. He snorted to himself, "I can't call her a lover." His eyes turned sad as he glanced at the violin still propped against his shoulder. "Either one of them." He looked up at the girl who was watching him, her eyes upset and angry with herself for having spoken to him as she did. "I saved her, Miroku was right about that. I saved her but," The thought trailed off momentarily as he tried to find the courage to say what he was thinking. "She isn't my lover. She's just a girl I saved. Like Sango. She's Sango." He looked away his thoughts turning to a different girl who had looked at him with vastly different eyes. His heart clenched in his chest and he had a dangerous flashback to that different girl run through his head. "It's almost feels like Kikyo all over again." He told himself but his words felt hollow. "No, with Kikyo is was worse," He found himself admitting. "Kikyo was my actual lover but she, she," He closed his eyes finding that it took all his will power to admit what he was about to. "Kikyo didn't love me, she didn't accept me at all."

"I like your puppy ears better."

He smiled faintly at the memory of Kagome's words. "Kagome, she accepted me without a second thought." With a will of their own, his fingers came back to the violin, mounting the neck as it raised back into proper position, the bow finding its way to the strings as his fingers found their way to the first note.

Kagome was startled by the tune and the familiarity associated with it. It was soft and sad at first, just as she remembered—a soft and gentle tune hinted with anguish, lost love, and turmoil. She leaned her head back as the sound of that tune took over the whole of the Atlantic, filling the air, filling her mind, filling everything around her with the soft sound of a very well accomplished violin player and his violin.

She closed her eyes against the world as the melody filled her, the sound so enchanting that she thought herself within a dream, with nymphs and fairies that had been sent to enchant her as she slept. Softly she hummed along as the tune started to repeat itself, Inuyasha having already gone through the whole melody once. "It's such a sad song." She thought as her humming subsided but the tune itself continued to be heard in the dark Atlantic night. "Love of mine—his love—Kikyo—." She opened her eyes slightly before closing them again tightly, sadness hidden and evident within their depths. "I wonder, how she died?"

She frowned as the melody neared the end once again, the sound trailing off, the last bit of the song falling faintly to her ears as his bow seemed to slow over the strings, light and airy, gentle and wane as if this time he was going to simply finish and not repeat the verse but instead of the song finishing as she expected the violin continued to play, starting off softly the tune familiar yet different. He wasn't repeating himself this time, instead—an addition to the melody met her waiting ears along with new words she had never heard before, sung in that same almost melancholy baritone voice.

"Love of mine come back to me,

Do not go onto the sea,

Love of mine please take my hand,

Come back to the land."

Her eyes opened quickly, desperately wanting to take him in as he played into the calm night, his soft baritone making its way out across the ocean which became its' harmony as the sea water moved against the side of the ship, the sound of it lapping a whimsical feature. She found that he was no longer leaning, in fact his body was as straight as he could make it, maybe even a little curved at the spine. The violin was tucked dangerously tight under his chin as the bow moved deliciously upon the cords, as if the utensil was moving over silk instead of a violin's strings.

"Love of mine come back to me,

Your home is not the sea,

Love of mine do take this hand,

You belong on land."

His gold eyes were closed tightly as he balanced the neck of the instrument on his thumb, his forefinger shaking violently causing the string to hum as the notes collected in the air, creating an intense swell of musical verbosity that clutched at her chest telling her what the words meant even when her heart begged with her, telling her it did not want to know. "Kikyo," The thought seemed to hit her darkly and squarely in the chest. There was no way to deny what she was hearing, she was too clever not to understand that a song about lovers would have both sides of the story inner woven into it. "This part of the song, this is Kikyo, Kikyo's words."

She closed her eyes, matching his closed eyed stance as he continued to play. A part of her wanted to believe that it was still Inuyasha's point of view as the first half of the song had been, him telling the world in verse about the love he had lost and the never ending search to find her once again but these words, she knew—she knew who had spoken them, perhaps even composed them and she knew what they meant. "She didn't want him to go." She felt a tear form in her lashes. "She wanted him to stay with her—be with her."

"Love of mine this is not fair,

That I'm left waiting here,

Please just look upon this shore,

And see my waiting world!"

"Left waiting?" Kagome felt the question pop in her mind as the violin music struck her over and over again with its potency. "You could have gone with him—you could have stepped into his world but you didn't—you didn't want anything to do with the real man, did you?" As if lightening had struck her Kagome's eyes widen and she turned to look at the man who was still so enraptured in playing. The thought had hit her before when she had first found out about the mixed blood that ran in Inuyasha's veins but now—it was different—now those words were coming from Inuyasha's mouth. "It wasn't just the sea that separated you—was it Inuyasha?"

"I long for part of you,

In it, I know there's home,

But you're not made for land,

You cannot take my hand."

"She—she—." She felt the tears prick her eyes as the thought hit her like a cold realization that one can't ignore. "She only wanted part of him." She didn't even bother making the sentiment into a question, she knew it was true. "Like all the other people in his life, Kikyo couldn't—accept him. That is, all of him." She shook her head. "This part of the song isn't about her waiting for him—it's about telling him that she can't love all of him, that she—she only wants one part of him—the human." Kagome bit her lip. "I could never—I can't even imagine asking him to give up a part of himself—I like him—," She glanced at the gorgeous, Adonis of a man before her. "Just the way he is."

"I longed once to see you

In you there could be home

But we aren't fitting hearts

So I'm glad it's time to part."

"She left—he left—?" The phrase repeated in her head as he repeated the song, not even bothering to sing the first part that she knew so well. "I'm confused—So I'm glad it's time to part—I guess it was her parting? If it was that's a really mean way of saying it!" Kagome bit her lip as she tried to figure out what the last words of the song could mean without her own bias or anger with Kikyo clouding her judgment. "Maybe—." The thought seemed to hang write on the tip of his proverbial tongue. "That's when she died. She didn't leave, he didn't leave, she died—and they had to part."

Kagome drug her eyes upwards to look at him as he repeated the last part of the song without singing once again. She wondered if he was trying to tell her something, if he knew what she had been thinking about earlier, if he knew that she was wondering about the woman who had been her once, from whom she had received her gifts and her curses. If he intended it, she would never know but despite that she still felt her heart swell in her chest with pity and with an unknown feeling she was still too scared to really sort out. "I'm sorry." She whispered suddenly her voice causing him to pause, the violin which had been moving as if by magic coming to a literal screeching halt.

"Shit!" He hissed as he dropped the bow to the deck, the beautifully sculpted object clattering to the ground, his other hand just barely managing to hold the violin within the safety of his fingers as he brought the now free arm up to cover his already laid back ears as best he could. "Aaa—www—," He inhaled sharply, the sound bazaar as he slowly lowered himself to the deck, reaching blindly for the violin case. "Ummm—gaw. Fuc—da—shit." He motioned with his hand wildly trying to get her to grab the case for him.

As if coming out of a stupor, Kagome jumped up and grabbed for his case and the violin, taking it from his fingers with care and placing it to rest amongst the soft velvet lining. Without a thought she grabbed for the discarded bow, easily maneuvering it back into its home while she watched him anxiously. "Are you okay?"

He didn't respond as he hid his head between his upturned knees, raising only his pointer finger in response as if he was attempting to tell her he just needed a moment.

"Okay." She responded to the unvoiced request as she listened to him breath sharply in and out as if he was actually trying to keep a specific rhythm going.

Finally, after several minutes he lifted his head and gave a sheepish smile as he reached up and massaged an ear absently as if trying to coax it to stand back up. "I haven't done that," He mumbled very quietly. "In at least a hundred years." He winced as the sound of his own voice hit his head making his already mounting headache come on even faster. "Fuck me—god damn pesky demon ears." He grumbled harshly stealing her earlier words intentionally. "I should write a nasty letter to my father."

Kagome had to put a hand over her mouth to keep the smile hidden on her face; she felt ashamed, she felt horrible that she found it funny. "It's his father, how can I lau—," The thought trailed off as her eye caught his face that was peeking out at her from underneath thick bangs. His eyes were gleaming, playful but twinging with old pain, a pain she understood yet had never experienced. She felt her heart reach for him, felt the smile slip into observation as her hands lowered to her chin. He smiled at her in return, a little gleam, a twinkle in his bright golden eyes—like he was begging her, pleading with her to laugh, to bring him some joy through great pain—pain he wasn't yet ready to share with her but at least let her see.

She sniffled as her heart clenched in her chest and then she forced herself she smiled. He seemed to catch the forced nature and as if on impulse twitched the ears atop his head, the slight movement catching her eye, causing her to smile for real as a little flutter of her heart caught her off guard. Unable to hold it in she giggled and he let out a throaty chuckle in return, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Inuy—," She tried to speak but no words would come as her the laughter pushed itself upwards and out causing her to burst into loud laughter that she never could have hoped to cover with a hand. And with that cheerful noise both their thoughts, worries, revelations, and conundrums were forgotten as their silly laughter rang into the sweet night air.

-break-

The Shikuro bobbed up and down in the harbor of Charleston a mere week later, the ship already docked and secured, the Port Fees already paid and the proper people already fooled into believing that the Shikuro was a British Merchant ship and not a pirate ship.

The rustle of wind in a sail greeted Kagome as she emerged from the small hallway that housed both the Captain's Cabin and the First Mate's Cabin to stand on the Quarterdeck of the Shikuro, clothed in the garments of a woman for the first time since they had stopped in Havana. The dress she wore was borrowed, of course, from Sango and didn't exactly fit her very well. It drooped around her chest for her breast were nowhere near the size of Sango's (even though Kagome's breast weren't exactly small), it wrapped a little loosely on her hips for her hips weren't as wide as Sango's, and it hung a bit too low to the ground for she wasn't nearly as tall as Sango either.

"I look like a boy next to Sango." Kagome grumbled as she looked down at herself, one of her hands reaching to touch the material absently before she sighed heavily. The dress was really unbecoming on her, it made her look like a little girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes. Kagome frowned at the very thought, "I've always looked like that though, no matter what I'm wearing."

She shrugged to herself glancing down at the dress one last time taking in its only becoming feature: the deep aqua color of the fabric. That part of the dress was beautiful, like the color of the water located just off of a beach, light and happy and charming and welcoming—simply Kagome. It suited her even where the fitting did not. That on its own made her very happy even if she wasn't pleased with being dressed as a woman again but the Captain had actually insisted this time, telling Kagome and Sango both that since they were in a respectable settlement they had to look respectable for fear of drawing too much unwanted attention.

As Miroku had put it, Charleston wasn't nearly as bad as Port Royal, it's people didn't necessarily kill pirates on sight or anything, but they were still the people of a Port Town that considered itself respectable. Thus, while they might not kill a pirate just because they were a pirate, they were not too fond of their presence. And they really couldn't be blamed for not being fond of them. Pirates were known to attack towns like this and raid them and because the Captain didn't want this town to see them as a potential threat, he had decided to try to blend in as much as possible. He had even gone so far as to change out the flag to the Union Jack, so he could claim they were a merchant ship for the duration of their stay just as a precaution.

After all, at the moment the change to merchants over pirates wasn't too farfetched and not even really a lie. "We are carrying that stuff Miroku bought to sell back in La Mobile." Kagome reasoned as she leaned against the railing of the ship on her elbows unaware of the commotion that was currently unfolding behind her.

"This is fucking shit!"

Kagome flinched at the loud curse, her eyes widening as she whipped her head around in time to see the crew of the Shikuro in a fury. "What's going on?" She wondered out loud as she stepped backwards until her back touched the railing her eyes scanning the crowd that was gathered tightly in front of Miroku.

"We're here for the our purses—."

She recognized the voice easily as the man who had just yelled.

The man in question stepped forward out of the throng of crewmen, his fist raised above his head towards Miroku who was standing on the helm's deck looking over the railing out at the crew of the Shikuro gathered below. "We're not here for the good of you and yer conscious!"

Kagome blinked rapidly in realization as she took in the man's words. "Miroku must have told them about the Shikon Jewel, he was supposed to today." She thought as she started to inch her way towards the entrance to the Cabin Hall once again.

They had decided upon their arrival in Charleston that Miroku would be the one to make the announcement to the crew as was custom on pirate vessels. He was the Quartermaster and first mate, after all, and it was part of his job to make such announcements in place of the Captain who would only become involved if the situation turned violent and required muscle to be resolved.

Now, with the announcement in full swing Kagome was pretty sure the Captain would eventually be needed. A great number of the men seemed to not like the idea of going out of the ship's way to obtain the Shikon Jewel, a treasure that wouldn't even make them any money. It was basically work without pay to them and on a pirates ship that was a good reason to mutiny.

A few men behind the first rebel yelled their agreement but none of them stepped forward to join him, that at least, was a good sign.

"Calm down," Miroku called over them, yelling only so he could be heard not because he was angry. "While we search we will still be making a profit!" He explained, his face stern but his overall tone not rough.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Another man yelled as he came to stand next to the first dissenter.

"Simple," Miroku continued although his patients seemed to be dwindling as he clutched his hands into fist causing his knuckles to go white. "The search for the jewel will only dictate where we go, as we're traveling we'll maintain our ship as we always have." He allowed his hands to relax as he brought them up motioning to the crew around him, uniting them. "If we see a trader vessel to take, we will take it; if we see a town worth raiding, we will raid it; if we see the navy, we will scour them." He brought his hands down then to his sides as he took a deep breath. "I know we are a democracy," His voice spoke strongly. "However, this is a mission that is for the good of all, this is something bigger than ourselves, if we turn our back on it we are turning our back on the world."

Kagome had almost made it all the way back to the hallway when Miroku's speech came to a conclusion, she glanced up at him one last time preparing to step into the safety of the hallway when the crew began to yell and scream, "So much for trying to be discrete." She flinched at the noise, glancing towards the port to see if any people milling around had stopped to stare at their ship. "We probably should have had this talk before docking."

"How can ya 'ay that mas'er!" A man yelled from within the thicket of people. "We ain't longe' for the 'orld."

"Yeah!" Another agreed. "The world turne' its back on us a long 'ime ago!"

A bunch of men pumped their fist in agreement, whooping and hollering as Miroku tried to yell over them, his eyes glancing at the dock. Luckily for them they had gotten a space that was relatively far away from the other ones, so hopefully their conversation wasn't over heard and people would only ignore the yelling. It was normal to hear crews shout and groan or complain—so hopefully the people that could hear them wouldn't over think the noise or better yet wouldn't think to listen to it.

With a deep breath Miroku began again, his eyes fixed on the crew once more. "That may be so but if we don't do this, we will be no better than those who disowned us!" He argued, his words actually stopping some of the men in their tracts, the logic of the argument only lost on the inanely stupid. "We'd be no better than the crown, is that what you want?" Miroku threw the very thought in their faces, shoving his hands in the air as if exasperated. "Is that the kind of men you want to be, the kind who won't help the common man simply because you cannot be bothered?"

The men on deck seemed to soak in the words, the two dissenters seeming to lose their fight as they watched the men around them start to mull over Miroku's speech.

"We aren't those men, we're aren't that crown which failed us!" Miroku continued as Kagome watched in awe as he took control of the ship with simply words alone. "We are men of fortune, we are men of morals, we will not back down from a fight, we will not turn our backs on the men and women of this world who are trampled by the crown and to do that we—," Miroku punctured each word with a thrust of his fist into the air. "Must—fight!"

As if charmed by Miroku's very voice, almost every man of the crew started to shout and cheer, words of agreement and honor and pride leaving them as their voices became a mass of jumbled words.

Miroku raised his hands elegantly as if asking for silence, which he easily received before he continued. "We are not the crown," Miroku stated bluntly, seriously his voice quieter now (still loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to be overheard), a smile formed on his face as he raised one hand over his head, adrenaline building in him as he watched the deck come to life in anticipation of his next words. "We are pirates!"

And with those words every man on board screamed except the two who had stood up to the Quartermaster. Both men looked around, as if realizing how small they were in comparison to the number around them who elected to fight, fight against the principles of decency and prosperity, against the men and women who would rather allow the world to die than protect it. It was in that moment that those two men found themselves the outcast of the vessel, they were no better than the crown who had betrayed them, they were nothing.

Kagome watched Miroku amazed at the elegant words, at the sheer diplomacy of it, her hands dropping to her sides her previous destination forgotten now forgotten. "Such, diplomacy." She thought as she took in the proud smirk on Miroku's face as he watched the men yell and whoop. "These men, who make their living killing and stealing and plunder, they have diplomacy?" It was such an odd thought that it made Kagome actually furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "It's like he's a King, trying to keep his country from rebelling. I never thought a pirate's ship would be like that." She brought her lip between her teeth in awe. "I always thought hat pirates would sooner kill than talk, that the Captain made all the decisions and killed those who disobeyed." She shook her head in disbelief. "No one ever told me that they settled things through words, at least—they try to before they fight."

Kagome smiled as she took in that world, a new understanding that had slowly been building within her coming to fruition. "They're not bad men at all, they're good people who were just rejected by a society that doesn't understand them." She nodded to herself. "Deep down, they're good people who are willing to fight for their rights and their race, even when people of prosperity would never dream of it. And I guess in a way, that makes them better than the crown."

"We fight to live!" Miroku shouted above the roar, the men echoing him as some stomped their boots and others banged their fist on barrels that were left on deck while some even rattled chains, riggings, and ropes all of them trying to make the noise louder, make the impact greater.

"We fight to live!"

"We fight to live!"

"We fight to live!"

It continued to echo, the fraternity around them exhilarating. Kagome watched astounded as even the two men who had been left behind finally joined in, whether they had decided it was simply safer to do as the masses were or if they had been sucker in to the hysteria didn't matter, what mattered was the fact that Miroku had single-handedly caused a whole ship to step outside of the realm of normality and into the realm of the unknown. No one on this ship knew what the road ahead would bring but all the men at this moment, could not and would not, for even a second, fear it.

The Captain stepped out from the hallway then, silencing the ship with just his scent and presence on the dock alone. He stood to his full height, his gold eyes filled with fire as he stepped forward, his boots sounding like thunder as he took each deliberate and long step. "Alright men, now that we're all in agreement, let's get back to business!" He shouted continuing where Miroku had left off easily. "We're in this port to make some money—be on your best behavior and I'll make sure there's at least five gold pieces in each hand by tonight!"

If Kagome thought the roar of the men when Miroku spoke was intense and attention drawling, there was no telling what this was by comparison. She actually covered her ears as the sound invaded her every sense, nearly making her go cross eyed until a hand on her shoulder not five seconds later caused her to jump. She turned, ears still covered to see the Captain's face right next to hers. She flushed darkly and took a step back as she noticed his lips moving but couldn't make out what he had said. "What?"

"Are you ready to go?" He repeated as he motioned for the gangplank.

She knitted her eyebrows in response, "But what about Miroku—Sango?"

"They got stuff to do here." He motioned towards Miroku making her look back in time to see him coming down the stairs, his body language completely and utterly focused and in charge as he calmed down the crew with just his presence before he gave the order to unload. "I think its best we leave Miroku to the cargo and go scope out the town, maybe even start haggling."

"Haggling?"

"Hm hum," He responded as he took her arm without even looking for permission. "We got'ta get a good price, I guaranteed these guys five bits a piece—," He lead her towards the ramp, as he looped her arm with his pulling her closer to his side as he gingerly draped a hand over her own, locking her into place effectively. "I mean, you think they're loud now," He continued on, looking ahead deliberately. "Wait till I don't deliver."

Kagome nodded, but she really wasn't quite focused enough at the moment to notice his half hearted joke as she stared at their looped arms and his hand that rested on her own, vaguely realizing that this gesture meant more than a million words. Timidly she looked up at him, really taking him in for the first time today. He wasn't dressed as he had been when he came to Port Royal, with his navy clothes and his wig and proper state hat but he still had changed his attire to be more appropriate than what he typically wore on a day to day basis.

He had changed out his vibrant red jacket for a more mute deep blue one that suited him in an entirely different way than the red. He had his white gloves on and he had taken the time to polish his normally scuffed and ragged boots to the point that they gleamed in the sun. He had tied his long silver hair into a much more proper pony tail at the nap of his neck, as was fashionable now a days and had even gone so far as to wear a hat, the evidence of a black bandana underneath it just barely sticking out from its place under the worn out three cornered hat. "I wonder if he wears the bandana to protect his ears?" She thought to herself as she studied the little slip of black fabric she could barely see. "I bet the fabric of the hat rubs against them," She shuddered at the thought. "That must hurt and well—I know they're sensitive." She mused as she was reminded of the night a little over a week ago when she had seen how truly sensitive those ears could be.

The memory should have made her smile, but it didn't. It turned her whole face into a decisive frown as she remembered what had caused his sensitivity in the first place. "The screech of a violin." She heard her own thoughts but even her thoughts seemed far away. "Playing that song."

She lowered her head as they reached the dock, coming off the gangplank, his arm felt warm against the side of her chest but left her cold as far as she was concerned. It was such a hollow sensation, the feel of his warmth, it almost seemed like a joke. "That warmth, doesn't—." She stopped the thought right then and there unable to press on with it any further. A slight prickling in her chest brought her free hand upwards to touch the soft silky fabric of her proper, albeit unfitting, dress.

Slowly, her mind turned away from his warmth, moving to the reason for the sensation that was developing in her breast. "That song." She whispered in her mind. "Every night this week—he's played that song." Her real thoughts pushed to the surface, her real pain came to her. "Every night—just before dawn," She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as he directed her with skill, not once jarring her or causing her to lose her balance or run into something or brush against something. "Just when you think I'll be dead asleep—you play that song." She bit her lip as they started down the street, her eyes catching the sight of another man and woman walking towards them but slightly off to the left.

The lady was beautiful, her dress a sage green that suited her bright blue eyes. She turned to her male counterpart and smiled, pointing at something in a nearby window, her lips red and charming moving quickly as she exclaimed about the unknown object happily. The man merely smiled and nodded his head, entertaining her words as he gently caroled her back onto his arm, putting his hand on top of the green clad girl's own hand before directing her away. They looked to be husband and wife; a husband walking with a wife, a wife walking with a husband: a sweet gesture.

Kagome bit her lip as she looked at them, her own face reflecting in a nearby shop window as they passed it, the rippling image catching her attention. Even with her ill-fitting dress, she kind of look like that girl, except her hair was short and styled only with a slight whimsical curl but otherwise, she looked like that girl and Inuyasha carefully holding her arm as he was, looked like that man. She gulped, and turned her eyes back to that other girl whose blue orbs had landed on her. The two woman smiled on impulse as was proper, and inclined there heads as they passed each other both dignified, tall, and for all pretenses, perfect examples of propriety. The moment passed, and both women looked away as was proper.

"What did she see?" Kagome wondered as she turned her head back forward and glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. "Did she think he was my husband, did she think I was his wife?" Kagome looked down as the thought taunted her and caused her to blush. "We look nothing like them, there's no mistaking that we're just—we're not husband and wife," She thought, unable to think of what they were. Friends? The sentiment left her feeling cold. Perhaps, something just bordering the indecent? She blushed, that sentiment made her feel hot all over.

"Whatever we are, one things for sure," She looked up at him, her earlier musings finally coming back to her as she pushed aside all thoughts of the woman who had mirrored her on the other side of the street. "You're hiding things from me." It was a fact, not a statement. "Why?" She questioned just as she had earlier. "Why do you wait till I'm asleep to play that song, Inuyasha?" She glanced at him one last time, just out of the corner of her eye, taking in his strong chin as his eyes stared ahead, darting this way and that looking for signs of danger, perhaps. "What are you hiding?"

She didn't want to read any farther into it—just like she didn't want to read any further into her reflection in the window—but no matter how hard she tried, she found it impossible not to.

End of Chapter

Please Review

Edited for content 2/4/2012 and for Accents 6/5/2013

Chapter Fun Facts:

Once again the lyrics of the song in this chapter are written by me but can be sung in accompaniment of the piece from Full Metal Alchemist 'Brothers.' There are actually three versions I wrote of the song, this is the one I like the best.

Bonus Point:

Time for a history bonus! What Countries flag is the Union Jack? Hint: I honestly can't think of one—google?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

You got it folks, that's right, Aladin and Genie's and Robin Williams (oops, that wasn't an answer). Congrats to the winners:

Flamendwaterislochnessmonste r, INUKAG INLOVE, AnimeFanatic123, .God, Glon Morski, InuKah4eva, NurNur, Alice's Secret Lover, SweetHunniiBunnii, StrikerTheWolf, Litle C, Laken, kittychic0895, HentaiLemon, HeavenlyEclipse, Purple Dragon Ranger, horsechick, TheRealInuyasha (good on the falling lol), ANGEL-SKyBluE, TiffyTaffy0409, Summer Jasmine, RockStaeAnimeLover, InuEared Miko of Darkness, Gun toten Girly, AriaLuvsInu

Hiltothedance: Sorry I haven't read that one. I'll look into it though. Good on the falling—I mean flying! You too NiceStories!

Next Chapter:

We Fight to Live

See you then!

UNEDITTED

POSTED 1/30/2012