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-Eight
Onaconah's Story
Inuyasha stood tall and silent in front of the desk of one Captain Bartholomew Roberts, the most feared and wealthy pirate in the whole of the Atlantic since 1719. Currently, the Captain was leaning back in his chair looking out the window with an air of arrogance or at least grave importance hanging about him so thickly that it was making the much younger (at least in a mental sense) Inuyasha sweat. Slight hums and grunts left his mouth every now and then as he seemed to debate silently to himself, his light colored eyes staring out over the ocean, gazing at it as if he were surveying his empire—to Inuyasha, he might as well have been.
It had only been a day since Inuyasha had just managed to save Captain Robert's vessel, directing it into a maze of reefs that the ship pursuing them had opted not to even attempt to tackle. It had been a risky maneuver but one that had paid off tremendously. Soon after, the Captain had been found down below with minor injuries to his head, from what the crew could gather, he had suffered some type of fall during one of the cannon blast and being human had been easily knocked unconscious when he fell off one of the ladders. It was something that could happen to anyone—truly anyone.
"I'm not sure what to say to you." Roberts muttered after several minutes of unleashing his scrutiny on the ocean's water. "You disobeyed orders—Myoga said you left your post." He glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of his hard, cold eyes. "You took over the helm, a job you have never done before." His voice was starting to get louder with each passing word as he turned more fully in his chair gritting his teeth as Inuyasha leaned as far away as possible without looking weak. "You nearly got my crew killed." He bit out the last word actually making it sound as if Inuyasha had held a knife to every crewman's throat and threatened them with death himself. "You drove my ship into the Costa Rican reefs." He stood up slamming his hands on the desk loudly, snarling pretty effectively despite his human vocal cords. "And!" He screamed as Inuyasha winced and closed his eyes waiting for the last fatal blow that would destroy his young pirating career.
But that blow never came.
Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at his Captain who was smiling at him gently, in a way Inuyasha had never seen the man smile before. "Captain?" His whispered, his voice shaky, all of his instincts were telling him this was a trap, that he should flee or kill the threat before it could kill him. Human reason was the only thing that stopped him from taking either course of action.
"You're an idiot." Captain Roberts said with a shake of his head but a large smile on his face as he lowered himself back into his chair. "But your idiocy saved all our lives."
Inuyasha blinked in shock.
"I see potential in you," He nodded his head as he spoke, as if agreeing with himself before an odd look crossed his face and he tilted his head to the side. "What's your name again?"
The young demon hesitated not really knowing how to take the sudden change in the man in front of him—it was just plain weird. "Inuyasha," He finally managed to say as he fidgeted, his youth making him nervous more than anything. "Ser."
"Last name?" Roberts pressed.
The young dog demon hesitated again but this time it was not out of fear of Captain Roberts or because of the man's strange disposition—no—his hesitation was brought on by something completely different. "My last name?" He thought to himself imagining that name, it was not a name his father had given him, his father had not really had a surname in the Western sense yet Inuyasha had been given one: one he had yet to use in the western world despite its importance. Names were, after all, vital in Western society, so much so that his mother had thought it best to give him one.
It was a name he never used, but instead tucked away in his heart just like her memory.
"Should I use it?" He wondered as he thought of her, that beautiful woman who had thought to give him a western last name. "If I use it now Captain Roberts will permanently brand me with it, could I stand that?" A part of him couldn't, and yet a far bigger part of him felt it would honor the name if he did. "Her name was a gift." He felt his heart warm—that name had been a gift, one of the greatest gifts she had ever given him next to the violin he so dearly treasured. "You taught me well, it's the least I can do." He sighed, it would only bring dishonor not to use such a lovingly bequeath gift.
"ó Loinsigh, ser." He whispered the name, part of him having trouble even saying it as his heart stung in his chest but another part of him realizing the importance of it, both to his stance in society and in honoring that amazing woman who had given him his very life.
"Hm," Captain Roberts smirked delighting in the name Inuyasha had just told him. "So you're from my side of the pond then?"
Inuyasha actually smiled slightly hoping to advert away from the question. "Abouts." He shrugged and hid his face, youth once again getting the better of him then, after all to humans he was barely 17 years old.
"Alright then, Mr. ó Loinsigh—."
Inuyasha lowered his ears, it was a lot harder hearing that name than he ever thought it would be. Even though it was just a name, it was somewhat sacred to him—it had been the name his mother had given to him, and it felt strange to hear someone say it aloud. It was almost as if Captain Roberts was destroying the names holiness by allowing it to pass through his lips.
Across from him Captain Roberts watched with curiosity as Inuyasha's strange ears lowered, a clear sign that something was out of sorts with the much younger man. Instantly, through years of learning and studying people, their dynamics and their strange behaviors Roberts came to a quick conclusion. "You prefer your first name, don't you?"
Inuyasha blinked startled at the man's perspective nature and nodded. "Aye, ser."
"Alright then, Mr. Inuyasha." He nodded his head firmly. "I like that, even though ó Loinsigh is a good pirate's name—we can work with Inuyasha—yeah—we can." He smirked as he looked over at his desk draw. "It's just odd enough to be easily remembered and not quite so odd that one can't pronounce it and so forgets it out of frustration." He reached into his desk drawer pulling out a pipe and stuffing it with tobacco. "But, anyway, I owe you Mr. Inuyasha."
"Ser I didn't do—." Inuyasha tried to interrupt but failed as Roberts waved him off with a hand.
"You saved us boy." Captain Roberts said as he set back in his chair, his feet up on the table as he reached for a match preparing to light his pipe. "You can't deny that no matter how hard you try." His voice was muffled as he held the pipe between his teeth, puffing at it as he dangled the match inside trying to get it lit. "I was incapacitated and you took on the ship when no one else would," A trail of smoke rose from the mahogany wood of the pipe as Roberts shook out the match. "Those actions of yours saved us all and that means that I," He took a long drag on the pipe, blowing a smoke ring idly before finishing his sentence. "—I'm technically, in your debt."
Inuyasha was silent, he had no words, at least none that didn't sound childish or foolish.
Captain Roberts chuckled as he took in the shocked expression, biting down on the wood of his pipe slightly before drawing in the smoke, savoring the flavor of the refined tobacco that teased his tongue. "I've been watching you, you know," He commented. "You've come through the ranks, made your way to rigger in only a year, you seem to enjoy the job but," He took a long drag before allowing the smoke to leave his nose instead of his mouth, the cloud rising above his face creating a strange veil. "That doesn't seem to be what you enjoy most."
Inuyasha licked his lips as he watched the smoke clear away from around the man's face, his nose twitching slightly. He had grown up with the smoke of tobacco constantly in the air but to this day he found it to be pretty intrusive upon his senses, at least to the point that he didn't smoke (at least not all that often, he was known to occasionally partake when stressed). Trying not to appear on the verge of sneezing, he waited patiently for Captain Roberts to continue.
"From what I've seen." The old man leaned backwards in his chair holding the pipe in his hands, allowing the tobacco to burn for a moment to produce more dense smoke. " You enjoy books far greater, don't you?"
Inuyasha frowned in surprise, it was true that he often bought books with his share when he went to port and that he had quite the collection in his trunk down below but he had never thought that anyone had noticed the strange enjoyment. "I do enjoy them, ser." He answered still perplexed.
Roberts tapped the pipe against his chin, throwing his legs off the desk in favor of leaning forward towards Inuyasha, his chin resting in a hand supported by one elaborately red clad elbow that was leaning against the hard wooden writing desk. "You can write too I can assume then?"
Inuyasha's frown deepened as he wondered whether that was actually a question or a statement; in the end, he decided, it was better to answer than to ignore. "Yes, ser."
The older man chuckled, seeming pleased as he puffed on his pipe. "Your first language English?"
Inuyasha licked his lips slowly, not really wanting to answer that question but knowing he needed to be honest. "No ser."
"Aye," Roberts licked his lips slowly, his eyes going wide not with surprise but instead with pleasure. "So you speak more than one?"
"I speak a few." Inuyasha continued honestly, looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute.
"Such as?" Roberts pressed, the pipe in his hands all but forgotten as he leaned further forward.
"You know um—," Inuyasha quickly searched his brain, suddenly finding it rather hard to remember what languages he had in fact learned over his years of traveling aboard. "Spanish and um French, German, and—um," He fidgeted again nervously. "Latin I can only read, but I can speak Gaelic and a—Portuguese too, and Greek, Italian, Celtic, and aaa Russian." He continued to list, his mind still racing to think of the others when Captain Roberts interrupted.
"That many?" The man whispered his face filled with astonishment as he leaned back in his chair.
"A few more than that I think," Inuyasha confirmed with a nod of his head. "I—I'm young but I've been around a bit."
For a few minutes Captain Roberts was silent as he studied Inuyasha, his mind seeming to be working double time formulating a plan. "How old are you, honestly?"
Inuyasha frowned, he was young, very young—he knew it wouldn't be a problem but he didn't want anyone to actually know his age, it could ruin him and his creditably. No demon would listen and take orders from someone literally half their age if not even more. If he wanted a chance on the sea then he couldn't let anyone know how young he was. "I—," He started to speak but Captain Roberts held up a hand to silence him.
"I said honestly," The Welshman reiterated and then smiled like a father smiles at a son. "So tell me but if anybody else ask—you're at least by human standards twenty-threee." He pointed the end of the pipe at Inuyasha and raised his eyebrows to make his point. "Got it?"
Inuyasha smiled faintly, his trust in this man starting to blossom as his fears somewhat ebbed. "Yes ser." He spoke licking his lips slowly as he looked down at the ground. "To humans," He started out, "I'm seventeen."
"Only seventeen?" Captain Roberts repeated shaking his head and leaning back in his chair once again to drag on his pipe.
Inuyasha looked up at him, watching his face for disapproval: he saw none, instead he saw only amazement, disbelief, and maybe a touch of pride. Before the younger man could think to comment on the strange look of his Captain the older started questioning once again.
"Can you count?" He asked suddenly out of nowhere. "You know arithmetic, not just one, two, three and that lot."
Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows but nodded. "Yes, I can."
"Weigh?" Came the quickly fired back reply.
Inuyasha blinked, his mind actually struggling to keep up with the conversation. "Gold, you mean?"
"Is there anything else ta weigh?" Roberts bit out slightly annoyed.
"No ser," Inuyasha said hastily feeling stupid. "Um sorry, yes, I can weigh gold and silver and such. I learned how as a boy." He offered up but didn't allow himself to tell the Captain exactly how he had learned.
"I'm not gon'na ask you where you're from." Roberts said just as suddenly as he had said anything else. "I know you're a demon," The man gave him a stern look, a hard look that spoke volumes, "And its seems you are very well educated demon."
Inuyasha gulped visibly, his heart beat accelerating. He hadn't even thought of this. It was strange in this day and age for a very well educated demon to be on a ship such as this. Yes, there were demon pirates but none of them were scholarly—they were typically monsters, sick and sinister to the core. They joined because they obeyed the instincts that laid within all demons, the instincts of their animal halves. The educated demons had learned to quell those instincts, the push them down and out of the way thus becoming the strength and intellect of modern society. And Inuyasha was a prime example of that kind of demon. "Ser, I—."
Roberts smiled then, his eyes seeming to convey a silent message. "I don't care about your past," He spoke his voice soft, "It has nothing to do with me." He glanced at the pipe that had pretty much burned itself out by now and frowned, reaching back into the drawer for something. "What matters is your potential." He fumbled in the drawer finally bringing the box of tobacco back out on the table. "You've great potential, Mr. Inuyasha." Captain Roberts smiled, the tips of his upturned lips nearly touching his ears as he dumped the unburned tobacco from his pipe back into the small snuff box.
"Captain—." He tried to stop the conversation, tried to deflect whatever was happening but Captain Roberts wouldn't let him.
"Hush," The older man spoke forcefully, even for a human he was downright intimidating. "I'm talking, you're listening."
"Yes ser."
"I've watched you a while, you're young, yes, very young." He sniffed slightly as he arranged both the pipe and the box of tobacco back into the desk draw his eyes on his task as he spoke. "But you're also very smart—smarter than the rest of these stupid slack jawed buffoons." He slammed the desk draw shut as he snorted in apparent distaste. "You have the potential to do great things but where you are now," He looked up, his eyes honest. "In your position on this ship, I doubt you'll be able to live up to that potential."
Inuyasha watched as Captain Roberts stood from his desk his large hands pushing himself up against the wood before he slowly turned around, his back facing the younger man as he walked stiffly towards the back windows of the Captain state room. Gingerly, he dropped a hand to the sill of one of the windows, his fingers brushing against the wood as he stood behind the large desk. After a few moments, he brought his hand away and put both hands behind his back, straightening himself upright to his full height. For a human he was tall, close to Inuyasha's own six foot self. Roberts cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, making him look every bit a king over a pirate.
"I'm going to make you an offer," He spoke, his voice bouncing off the windows glass before he turned and looking at Inuyasha over his shoulder smirked. The light outside shifted and flooded the window, giving him an unearthly glow as his light eyes bright with promise, with expectations seemed to sparkle almost playfully. "An offer you can't refuse."
Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly, the image of Captain Roberts standing in front of the back windows of the Shikuro's Captain's Cabin—what had then been the Fortune's Captain's Cabin—slowly disappearing, the dream, the recollection, the hallucination sinking back into nothing but a distant memory. "He just won't get out of my head, will he?"
He turned his head to the side, warm sunshine hitting his face, causing him to wince momentarily and groan before he recovered, his eyes trying to quickly adjust to the minimal amount of light as he lay prone on the panther pelt. After several unsuccessful seconds, he closed his eyes once again and took a deep breath willing himself to ignore the pounding that was starting once again in his brain.
"Morning?" He thought, just now realizing what the light in the hut must mean. He shifted on the pelt, his head responded with a slight throbbing pain that, although nowhere near as bad as it had been the day before, was still just enough to make him very aware that he was still not one hundred percent better yet.
Somewhere to his right a sound caught his ears causing them to twitch as the slight shuffling of someone moving about the hut hit his senses. He tried to focus on the sound but his mind was still far too fuzzy to really comprehend the noise. Absently, he lifted a hand to his face, attempting to shade his eyes before opening them once again to see if he could simply identify the noise with the easiest sense: sight. With minimal effort, he managed to maneuver the limb successfully, and draped his hand over his eyes leaving just enough room to see between his fingers.
After taking a moment to collect himself, he forced his eyes opened fully prepared for the light that was about to invade his vision only to find it missing. Confused, he brought his hand away from his face and looked towards the door to the hut, noticing instantly that the small curtain which covered it was hanging down, baring the light from entering. "Who did that?" He thought, only part of him realizing that the rustling noise might have been made by the curtain falling or perhaps someone lowering it.
The sound of wood meeting wood behind him diverted his attention away before he could ponder that point any further, however, and he tilted his head backwards just in time to take in the sight of Onaconah turning to give him a sideways glance.
"Good morning." The man said with a smile before he turned around once again, going back to whatever task he was doing knelt before the low shelf, his body blocking Inuyasha's view.
"How long," Inuyasha managed to whisper, only coughing slightly, his throat dry from sleep. "How long was I asleep?"
"Only the night." Onaconah informed him as he continued to rearrange things on the self with his back turned.
"Good." He whispered as he relaxed, allowing his head to fall back on the pillows as he turned his body to the side while being mindful of his leg. His eyes sought out Onaconah once he was comfortable in the new position and started to watch the man moving about the back of the cabin, reaching for this and moving that while he accomplished some unknown task. A slight crick began to form in his neck and Inuyasha growled slightly, lifting himself up just enough so he could place his arm underneath his head. Finding the adjusted position comfortable, he sighed heavily feeling safe now that he knew Onaconah was the thing, the person, that had made the noise his deadened senses had heard. "Thank god," He grumbled to himself, so quietly that not even the bobcat could hear exactly what he had said.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he breathed deeply enjoying the calming sensation of the sound of his own inhale and exhale. He felt for a instant that he could relax, that everything was safe at least for now and because of that he could afford to allow himself just a second to not think about the road ahead. "It's going to be hard." He thought vaguely, a part of him wishing to ignore his own thoughts and another part knowing that would be impossible. "That's what Captain Robert's said, wasn't it?"
His eyes opened for a moment, expecting to see his Captain sitting with his apple, but no such man was there. "The Shikuro," He asked himself, asked that figment of his imagination. "Can I find it, will I find them—?" The thought trailed off, as hard as it was to a admit, Inuyasha knew it was true: the likelihood of finding the Shikuro now was slim, hell it was downright impossible and that meant finding his family would be downright impossible. Inuyasha opened his eyes again but this time they didn't see anything, they didn't look for anything, they only stared blankly. "I might never—." He stopped and oddly let out a slight chuckle, a nervous one. "Calm down," He told himself. "I'll think of something, in the meantime at least I know Kagome's safe. I'm not alon—."
Inuyasha's eyes snapped opened and he tried to sit up but found his leg still a bit bum. "Shit." He cursed as the pain went up from his thigh to his hip and back down again, drawing Onaconah's attention.
"Common Dog?" The man questioned hastily dropping whatever he had been messing with and moving towards the pallet. "What are you doing?"
"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha ground out as he scented the air, looking for Kagome's scent desperately. There was only a faint mist of it lingering about, suggesting she had been gone for some time but had in fact been in the hut within the last two or three hours.
"Women teaching her to gather berries." Onaconah informed as he knelt beside Inuyasha placing a calming hand on his neck, pressing down at the knap with just a bit of slight pressure, in the same way any father would to calm down a pup. "Calm—this is not good—not for you or her, yes?"
Inuyasha glared at the man and swatted his hand away, glaring at him angrily. "I'm not some fucking pup." He spoke harshly, his worry over Kagome making him feel irrational.
"I would not lie." Onaconah responded strangely, ignoring Inuyasha words as he stared into the golden eyes of the other man, giving him a calm look that seemed to be every bit a challenge as it was a comfort.
Inuyasha gulped, he lowered his ears and took the time to think clearly, smelling the air discretely. There was no lie in Onaconah's scent that he could detect and he was good at detecting lies. "Damn it." He thought as he breathed in deeply, picking up the faint traces of Kagome's lily and salty scent. There was no distress in it at all. In fact, her scent smelt as if she was quite happy if not a little anxious, and rightfully worried. Feeling downright stupid Inuyasha huffed and laid back down finally relenting mainly because of his own embarrassment.
Onaconah gave him a look of approval as he stood without a word and walked back towards the low shelf, gathering a few things together before turning around once again, a turtle shell in his hand, the contents of it steaming. "Are you hungry?" The old man asked, his eyes apologetic, what he was apologetic for Inuyasha couldn't be sure.
Inuyasha nose caught the scent of the steaming bowl, his stomach gnawing loudly as he smelt the first telltale sign of food in what seemed like days. His pride told him to deny the comfort, told him that Onaconah was handling him like a pup and he should fight that but his mind told him he was weak and that Onaconah was his only means of strength. "Kagome's safe." His reasoning spoke loudly. "To keep her safe, I must be strong, food makes one strong." Inuyasha licked his lips and allowed himself to be consumed by the idea of food in his stomach. Pushing his wounded pride aside he turned his nose towards it, watching eagerly as the old man walked in the direction of the bed.
Onaconah chuckled as he sat down next to Inuyasha putting the bowl aside to help the younger demon into a sitting position.
Inuyasha growled faintly at the offered assistance but didn't refuse it just as Onaconah didn't back down. "My mate made the stew," He explained as he reached a hand underneath Inuyasha's arm to support him as the younger demon pulled himself up. "It has a—deer and um—," He struggled to remember the English words, as he helped Inuyasha turn to put his back to the wall so he could lean as he ate. "Beans. Very healthy." He added with a bright nod when he saw Inuyasha relax slightly, leaning comfortably backwards.
"Thanks." Inuyasha spoke low, his ears actually touching the back of his head as if he were ashamed.
Onaconah only smiled, the wrinkles on his face growing deeper as his lips turned upwards. "You're welcome." He spoke gently as he offered the bowl to Inuyasha who took it with a nod bringing it to his lips and began sipping the broth slowly knowing better than to eat too fast after having been unconscious, even if it had only been a day.
The hot liquid was soothing to his still dry throat and he closed his eyes savoring the taste of meat and beans as a small morsel made its way onto his tongue, the texture of the meat alerting every instinct within him. Delighted, he chewed, memories of eating similar dishes teasing his senses. Carefully, he lowered the bowl, his mind drifting away from him for a moment, the vision of the man he had not seen in years but seemed to be thinking of often as of late coming to his mind.
"Eat the soup boy," Captain Roberts said as he downed his own bowl, holding it nearly perfectly horizontal as he tilted his head back.
Inuyasha watched him with an eyebrow quirked before looking back at the bowl of questionable meat. He sniffed the concoction and blanched visibly, it smelled terrible as if the meat had gone bad. "It might kill me if I eat it." He told himself as he frowned darkly and used his finger to tap at the side of the bowl, watching as bit of unidentifiable meat or perhaps vegetable bobbed from the motion.
"It won't kill you." His Captain grumbled as if he had read his companions ming.
"I get the feeling," Inuyasha spoke calmly as he picked up the bowl and brought it to his face, eyeing it wearily. "That I shouldn't believe you."
"Just shut up and eat." Roberts ground out, his tone exasperated and his body hunched as if he was attempting to keep himself for hitting or strangling the young boy.
Inuyasha smirked and brought the bowl to his lips.
Inuyasha blinked, the recollection dissipating just as quickly as it had arisen. He licked his lips, he stared into the soup, "All these memories seem to be—coming back to me lately." He thought to himself as he watched his reflection in the brownish broth, small bits of bean or venison corrupting his likeness as the liquid swirled in the turtle shell. He closed his eyes blocking the sight out as he brought the bowl back to his lips taking a large gulp, the heat behind the liquid scolding his throat in the most pleasant of ways as he pushed the memories away before they could manifest further.
With a large gulp, he turned his attention back to Onaconah, a feeling of guilt weighing on him as he took in the kind face of the Indian man. A part of him wanted to apologize for the way he had acted but his pride would never let that happen in a million years. So instead, he sighed and with just the wisp of a smile on his face said. "Not bad." He sounded gruff as he offered a faint nod towards the other demon in an attempt to hide his melancholy.
Onaconah smiled as he sat back leaning on his hands that were laid out thoughtfully behind him. "My mate will be glad." He spoke honestly as he watched Inuyasha eat the contents of the bowl gradually, the younger man seeming to truly enjoy each and every sip as well as each and every small piece of meat or bean. "I see you feel better today, Common Dog?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded as he brought the bowl away, already having eaten most of its contents in the few short minutes he had been sipping at it.
"How is your head feeling?" Onaconah pressed as he watched Inuyasha chew silently.
Inuyasha swallowed deliberately and frowned as he watched Onaconah's honest face. The man looked genuinely concerned as he looked on, his dark eyes honest and wide. "Well, it's—," He sighed lowering the bowl to his lap, he felt even more guilty looking at that face. After all, this man had saved him, saved Kagome, brought them here and protected them, healed them—in short Onaconah had been nothing but kind and honest. "I feel like a jerk." Inuyasha thought to himself. "I'm a better man than this." He winced, remembering instantly the true importance of those words.
"I'm a better man than that."
Inuyasha sighed, he could almost see her face looking at him in shock as he spoke, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief. He couldn't prove himself wrong, he had to be a better man, even better than he had implied back them. He smiled and gave Onaconah his own apologetic look. "It's a bit fuzzy really but," He paused and cleared his throat, one hand holding the bowl while the other rubbed his neck in a nervous habit. "Your healer was amazing, I don't feel anything like I did yesterday."
"Yes," Onaconah's eyes sparkled at the compliment. "He is best at what he do."
Inuyasha nodded in return, raising the bowl from his lap and tilting it back disregarding manners just like his Captain as he finished the last of the soup with an almost loving sigh before handing it back to Onaconah with a respectful nod. "So, you're natives I presume?"
"We are." The Indian man spoke as he moved back towards the wall of the hut, dropping the turtle shell off in a small wicker basket that looked to house other dirtied dishes. "We are what you westerners refer as," He pursed his lips thinking. "Cherokee."
"Cherokee?" Inuyasha repeated his face drawn in a frown. He had heard of the Cherokee before, they were natives who had integrated into the foreign cultures of the Westward expanding nations easily. They were known for being relatively peaceful as long as no one trespassed on their lands and had even been known to marry among the Westerners who had settled in the area. Inuyasha smiled, these were kind and peaceful people—they couldn't have been luckier. "I've heard of you but I've never been amongst your people before."
"Not many men of your blood allowed here." Onaconah offered as he came back over, sitting down once again his minimal clothing making a strange sound as it brushed against the dirt floor.
Inuyasha squinted his eyes before raising an eyebrow. "Really?" He questioned surprised that everything he had just thought might be completely wrong.
Onaconah smiled apparently knowing what he was thinking. "It was not always like that." He spoke honestly but his eyes looked sad. "We used to allow strangers in the village—many white men who are good and kind came here but," He frowned darkly. "In recent years that change, not as many good and kind men as once were." He inhaled slightly and reached a hand back to rub at his neck, his old fingers working into his skin relieving knots of stress and tension. "You were badly hurt, though, it been wrong to leave you and Storm Eyes."
"Storm Eyes?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow even though he had a pretty good idea about whom Onaconah was referring to.
"The woman you call Kagome." He said with a toothy grin. "We name her Storm Eyes."
Inuyasha smiled thoughtfully, his face growing soft as he imagined those eyes, delicate and strong at the same time. "It's almost like they see everything," His subconscious whispered as a picture of those eyes filled him. A mixture of both light and dark, the only eyes in the world that were that particular shade of grey, that could see though you, that appeared to have thoughts all their own, that questioned, that asked, that wondered; they were the eyes of a powerful raging intellectual thunder storm. "Makes sense." He whispered after a moment, although the sentiment in his words sounded lacking to his ears.
"It did seem fit her, she like name." Onaconah smiled as he spoke, his face actually lighting up with a faint happiness as he watched Inuyasha adjust himself in the bed trying to find a comfortable spot. "The doctor says wound almost healed."
Inuyasha nodded his head and glanced down at the leg, the skin was no longer as red as it had been and the blisters were pretty much healed over. "Thank god for demon blood." He thought to himself as he reached forward, brushing his fingertips against the hurt limp. He hissed slightly when one particular—apparently still healing—piece of skin burned from his touch and brought his hands back hastily.
"You still not completely healed, though." The old bobcat chuckled as he stood back up for what seemed like the dozenth time and reached for a small bowl that was perched upon one of the shelves. Knelling in front of Inuyasha, he stuck his hand in the small basin, a greasy almost lard look alike substance coming back on his fingers. Generously, he applied it to Inuyasha's leg, the burning sensation almost immediately disappearing as a cooling sensation took over the still tortured limb.
"Thank you." Inuyasha grumbled as relief filled him. "I," He paused feeling foolish for ever doubting the intentions of this man. "I appreciate everything you've done," He swallowed hard, the physical manifestation of swallowing his pride. "I'm in your debt."
"Think nothing," Onaconah responded quickly as he backed away studying his application closely before reaching into the container one more time, preparing to apply another coat of ointment. "We did what right."
Inuyasha snorted wanting to argue that Onaconah and his tribe had gone far beyond what was required of a man who was simply trying to maintain a good conscious. "Thank you," He repeated watching the old hands massage the strange ointment into his leg again. "All the same."
"I'm sure you would have done same, Common Dog" Onaconah shrugged standing back up from his hunched position and walking the short distance to the back wall where he placed the container back on the shelf before reaching for a cloth to wipe the excess ointment off his hands.
Inuyasha smirked at the words, nodding his head in agreement before his whole demeanor turned serious once again. "I really do appreciate everything you've done," He spoke frankly, knowing he owed his life, and more importantly the life of Kagome to this man in front of him—he owed him everything. "Without you—Storms Eyes and I—we'd be dead."
The man merely gave him another full faced smile. "You would've figured something out."
Inuyasha snorted but backed down not wishing to run in circles with this man, at least not now when he had far more important matters to attend to. Experimentally, he moved his leg this way and that, his eyes watching it as the muscles moved underneath the still agitated flesh. Overall, it didn't seem to hurt that badly and the skin wasn't puckering which was a good sign.
"I should be able to walk by noon." He nodded his head and glanced at Onaconah worry his lip as the older man studied the wound as well, watching the rate at which the medication was entering the body closely. "He'll never go for it." Inuyasha lowered his head knowing it would be nearly impossible to convince the man but he really didn't have a choice. He had to start looking, for the Shikuro—for Miroku. He had already wasted plenty of time laying in this bed recovering, every second he did so draining his chances of recovering both his ship and his son. "I have to at least try, I have to try."
"I appreciate your hospitality, Onaconah." He said watching as the old man turned to look at him sternly, giving him a look that clearly stated he knew exactly what Inuyasha was up to. "But," Inuyasha sighed heavily. "I can't stay here any longer, I need to find my ship."
Onaconah closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he brought his hands out in front of him in a clear gesture meaning no. "Wait until you are better." He said firmly as if there was no room for argument.
Unfortunately, Inuyasha was always one to find even the tiniest bit of room. "I don't have time to wait." He shot back firmly before motioning to his mostly healed leg. "I'm almost healed anyway so—."
"You are not healed," Onaconah interrupted his voice firm and fatherly. "Your leg still blistered and head," He motioned hastily towards the injury that Inuyasha was unable to see. "Still in a very bad way."
Inuyasha frowned darkly, brushing the gesture aside with a wave of his hand. "That doesn't matter, my ship—," He paused tossing his head to the side and inhaling deeply, a pang in his chest making him growl. "My pup was on that ship," He turned back to Onaconah his eyes filled with determination. "My pup and his mate, you can't tell me to sit here while he's out there with god knows what going wrong." He waved a hand frantically towards the entrance of the hut trying to back up what he was saying by the disorderly nature of his gesture. "What would you do if it was your pup!"
The man grew quiet for a moment his old wise eyes focused on Inuyasha, calm and filled with so much pain that it made Inuyasha wince and sit back in the fur pelt with his mouth slightly opened. "You are not the only one." He whispered softly, darkly. "Who is missing a pup."
Inuyasha blinked once slowly and then twice as he watched the pain form on the man's face. "Did he?" He felt his subconscious whisper. "He did, he lost a pup, he truly lost a pup."
It was there, written on the man's face, written in the very deep crevices of wrinkles in his skin. This man had lost a pup and not just lost him in the sense that he didn't know where the pup was but in the sense that his pup had died. He had lost his pup completely, wholly, he could never get that pup back. "Something's going on here," Inuyasha knew that to be a fact. "It isn't just coincidence that this man found us, that he shares my pain." Inuyasha shook his head slowly back and forth. "It's no coincidence that he's a bobcat, that the flag was a bobcat's flag." He took a deep breath. "There're too many connections here, there're too many things adding up." He bit his lip. "It's just a matter now of explaining them."
He licked his lips, slanting his head to the side as he watched the old man with hard pressed, no nonsense eyes, that told the older demon to tell him the truth or else. "What's going on?" He asked firmly, his tone matching that look, a look that should have only belonged to a much older demon's face.
"Common Dog." Onaconah started to say but was cut off as Inuyasha growled low in his throat, a sound that meant he meant business.
"Don't you dare lie to me, something's been—wrong—since I saw you on that shore." Inuyasha spoke low, his voice so soft that if the other man hadn't been a demon he probably wouldn't have heard it. "Tell me the truth, what's going on?"
For a moment, the bobcat was silent, as if debating with himself and his own actions. Finally, he inhaled deeply and brought a hand up to his head, massaging the tanned skin with insanely dangerously sharpened claws. "Listen well Common Dog, for this affect you too." Onaconah spoke softly as he brought his hand away sitting down beside Inuyasha's bed his legs crossed and his hands tucked into his lap causing his back to hunch with what appeared to be fatigue. "There reason my son and I found you and Storm Eyes on beach—it was not a, a—how you say—coin-ci—," He gestured with his hand as if to make the word come that he couldn't remember.
"Coincidence?" Inuyasha supplied, eyebrows narrowed.
"Yes," The man's eyes lit up as he nodded his head vigorous before becoming melancholy again. "It no coincidence, Common Dog, not one at all."
Inuyasha didn't speak out of respect as the man seemed to try to get control of his thoughts. Onaconah shifted, he worried his hands in his lap, and blew out a well contained breath of air.
"My son and I," He began, his voice weary not from age but from pain. "Were by ocean looking at the ship—,"
"The one that was attacking the Shik—?" Inuyasha started to ask but allowed his voice to trail off when the older man gave him a stern look, one that he remembered all too well as meaning, shut up and listen pup. "Sorry." He grumbled.
Onaconah frowned darkly for a moment before continuing. "We heard cannon and we saw," He hesitated and looked away from Inuyasha as if ashamed. "Your ship as other ship attacked outside of Charleston."
Inuyasha mimicked his dark demeanor with a downhearted frown of his own. "Why were your watching the ships?" He asked, a voice in the back of his head nagging him, telling him that there was something there. This man wasn't on that beach to fish or something else mundane—he had another reason, a far bigger reason.
"The people on other ship," The old man hesitated for a moment, his voice caught in his throat as he attempted to speak. "They—a—used to be part of the people here." He motioned seemingly to nothing but Inuyasha understood the gesture none the less.
"That's why the flag was of a Bobcat?" He said more to himself than Onaconah as he put everything slowly together in his head.
"Yes," The other man nodded his head sadly as he spoke. "The people of that ship once a part of us." The old man sighed darkly, his shoulders hunching with so much shame that it seemed to come off of him in waves. "The Captain of that ship," He whispered into the air before looking at Inuyasha with such sad eyes that Inuyasha felt pity before the man even finished the sentence. "He once my brother."
Inuyasha felt his eyes widened, he felt the blood in his veins actually freeze for just a moment as his heart clenched tightly in his chest. He sat frozen, the man's words echoing in his head, "Brother?" He inhaled sharply as he tried to even comprehend what the older demon had just told him.
"Two hundred years ago," Onaconah continued, ignoring the look of complete shock on Inuyasha's face. "The white man came to our land, he saw our people human," He motioned with his left hand. "And demon." He motioned with his right before bringing both hands together. "Intermixed in one tribe," He kept his hands together, staring at them as if they offered some great insight into the story he was about to tell. "The white man believed that this was savage, that no human, no demon can mix and have pups." He shook his head sadly and brought his hands away from one another setting them in his lap. "They deemed our way of life barbaric, deemed our children evil."
Inuyasha shuddered, a cold sweat actually breaking out on his forehead. He more than anyone understood what it was like to be labeled as evil, to be deemed worthless in the face of society. It was a hard weight to bare for both the child and the parents.
"At the time I had already mated Hyalei, a human." He smiled slightly at the memory and then further when he noticed the look of surprise on Inuyasha face. "Yes, my mate human. You must met her, she like you." He gave a lopsided grin that Inuyasha knew was loaded—as if it was saying to the younger demon, I know your secret. If Onaconah knew, however, he said not a word only smiled for a few more seconds before his face darkened once again. "My younger brother was unmated, he young, much younger than I—centuries younger and he—," His voice stopped for all of a second before he seemed to find the courage to continue. "He fell for the white man's words. He fell for their talk of purity," He spat the word darkly. "For their talk of separatism and he—," Onaconah brought a hand to his face covering his lips with it before ripping it away and spitting out the last part. "He broke from tribe."
Inuyasha watched the older man as he worried his hands together, shame hovering over him after admitting such a sad truth. "Your brother left." The young dog demon stated softly, knowing a great source of pain was being shown to him. "He left and contradicted all your morals, denounced your whole way of life as if you had never been his brother."
"Yes," Came the faint reply to the rhetorical question as Onaconah hung his head low. "He found a boat that he steal from the white man and decided to start a new way of life—," Onaconah snorted as if that was some big joke. "A better way of life he call it—," This time he even chuckled darkly. "One filled with violence and hatred." The old man's eyes seemed to glow darkly. "But that not the half of it—that not all he stole."
Inuyasha gulped, not knowing in the least what to say, luckily no words were needed as the old man continued.
"He stole this tribe's greatest treasure." Slowly, the old man raised his eyes looking at Inuyasha intensely for a second before exhaling heavily. "My people were once in procession of something—," He spoke part of his voice sounding as if he didn't want to speak, as if he was trying to stop the words from coming but found himself unable to. "A magical orb given to use by the sun god." He lifted both arms up above his head in a gesture meant for the sun. "It protect our people in time of danger by making large barrier that—."
"Barrier?" The word tumbled from Inuyasha's mouth before he could stop it.
"Yes," The old man nodded looking guilty. "The barrier you ran into with ship—," He flicked his eyes upwards in way of an apologetic look. "My brother took the orb that created it with him."
"No—no way." Inuyasha barely managed to think. "That orb, that must be what has the shard in it, the shard must power it and makes a barrier."
The old man shook his head slightly. "Only certain members of bloodline can use barrier." He whispered holding up his hand showing the pumping veins underneath olive skin as he flicked his wrist. "My brother once was able but over years his heart grown too dark, so dark that the sun god take power away." He allowed his hand to fall hastily to his lap as he clutched both of his fist tightly. "Myself and my granddaughter now only ones left with power of the sun god."
Inuyasha took the information in slowly, trying to determine the significance of what the man was saying to him: his granddaughter and himself were the only ones—the only ones—, "She?" Inuyasha looked at the man remembering what he had said only moments before. "Your pup—the one you're missing—he took her?"
"Yes, he took her and—he," The old man closed his eyes as if in excruciating pain. "He came one day when the men were hunting—," He gritted his teeth, anger coming off of him in waves. "He killed my son's mate and took precious Grandchild. He not care if she have human blood, he only want power!"
Inuyasha felt bile raise in his throat as he remember the pain in the old man's eyes—he had lost a pup, a pup by mating but a pup none the less. It would be like losing Sango, someone he loved like a daughter, a daughter he got as a gift when she married his son.
"My brother—my brother killed his own blood to get little girl," The bobcat spat violently. "He killed her, stabbed her in heart like she nothing!" He snarled furiously, his eyes flashing the trademark killing color of red. "My son only had one pup," He held up one shaking claw. "He only had her by his mate, we must get her back at all cost," He dropped his hands, his shoulders dropping as well as he heaved in pain. "We must."
Inuyasha licked his lips, his own heart hurting as he watched the man filled with so much pain. "That's why you were on shore that day," He inferred. "Wasn't it?"
Onaconah nodded hastily, his emotions displayed predominantly on his face. "We there—we hoping that we find out where they, that other tribe hiding so we get to them but—," He looked up at Inuyasha with calming eyes. "We found you instead and you need help." Some of the man's anger seemed to dissipate as he looked at the younger demon. "I know my brother will not kill his great niece, she is of use for him but I do not know that she will be—," He paused his eyes searching the room for the right words. "—happy—here," He pointed at his heart. "And here," He pointed at his head. "She is so small, too small."
Inuyasha cleared his throat as he felt unknown emotions enter his heart. He had never raised a little girl but he could still imagine it, a small child with a chubby face and sweet large eyes, looking up with pink lips and rosy cheeks—all her happiness present in a beautiful gapped tooth smile. "Just like Miroku." He thought to himself, images of that dirty face and big black eyes making his heart ache. He had been so small, so alone, so scared, and so young. "How," He started to ask. "How old is she?"
"Only—," Onaconah lowered his head, his dark eyes even darker than normal. "Eight summers."
Inuyasha bit his lip darkly, even though he knew nothing of this species, he knew enough about pups to know none of them are that old when they are still in single digits, even humans.
"My son is beside self." The old man shook his head sadly back and forth. "First his mate and then his pup." He brought his hands up in a sign of defeat as if it was simply too much to actually bear. "He can't—he won't last long." He looked towards Inuyasha his eyes conveying what he was having trouble attempting to say. "You understand that though, you too have lost?"
Inuyasha nodded his head, his thoughts turning to Miroku, to Sango, to Shippo, his heart clenching as he imagined their faces. He could see that small child, that little beggar boy with his tiny cup, looking at him with sad sunken eyes that turned wide and amazed as he offered him a life. He could see the boy's smile of complete and utter happiness in the back of his mind and before he knew it that smile was the smile of a man. He could see that man, the man he had raised, the man he had taught everything he knew too. He could see the bright eyes, full of hope, of wonder—and Inuyasha knew he had been the one to put that hope there, the one to make those eyes bright.
He saw Sango next, Sango the second person to learn of that hope, her bright eyes a gentle doe brown sparkling with happiness. Miroku had been the one to really put that happiness there, he had been the one to give her back that spark of life but despite that Inuyasha couldn't help but think that he had done at least a little something to bring it back as well. He had given Miroku hope and Miroku had given it to Sango who had nurtured it just as Miroku had.
And then he saw Shippo, a tiny kit in Kagome's equally tiny arms. He was so small, and so damaged. Hiten and Manten had warped the small boy's mind, destroying him, destroying his family and tearing apart his heart and yet that spark was coming back alive. He could see it in the way Shippo smiled at Kagome, smiled at Sango. He could see it in the way the boy laughed, in the way he wished to learn. He could see it all over Shippo's face—the third generation of that feeling of hope.
And now—all three of them were gone, wiped from his life perhaps forever and there was nothing he could really do. He could search, he could scent, he could call more hounds than all of hell possessed and might never be able to find them. It would be impossible, downright impossible. After all, they might have sunk, they might have escaped and if they managed either one there would be no trail, the first because of death and the second because of the vastness of the world.
"All I can really hope is that they're captured." Inuyasha mused to himself, the thought dark and perhaps childish. "At least then if I stay here, I might find them one day." He smiled faintly to himself but internally he felt almost as if he wanted to cry or punch something or run and never return. "If only I had the compass," He thought as he slumped down, depression taking over his heart. "Then Kagome would be able to find the shard."
His thoughts trailed off then, something in the back of his head telling him that he had just said something internally that was rather important. Like a flash, a memory tickled his sense and he frowned darkly, the earlier fuzziness of what had happened on the ship making way for something different and completely lucid.
"You need to get the hell off this boat before one of those cannon's rips it apart!" He yelled as shoved the compass absently into the inner lining of his jacket (the table being too far away for his current level of patience) and grabbed hold of Kagome's arm before pointing at Sango. "You too Sango."
"I put the compass." His mind felt as if it was working in complete slow motion.
He yelled as shoved the compass absently into the inner lining of his jacket (the table being too far away for his current level of patience)...
"I put the compass in—." He blinked several times the scene running over and over again in his mind, taunting him with its simplicity.
...shoved the compass absently into the inner lining of his jacket...
He felt his breath catch in his throat. "I put the compass," His lips twitched with a hint of a smile. "In my jacket!" His face exploded into a grin as he hastily reached for the trim lining of his jacket only for his hands to come into contact with soft cotton. His whole body clenching with fear he looked down, his eyes lighting up with horror. "My jacket," He whispered looking down at the white shirt. "My jacket—where's my jacket!" He screamed, his eyes going to stare at Onaconah who was looking at him as if he was a lunatic.
"Your jacket?" The old man repeated as he glanced around the hut trying to remember where he had put the peculiar western clothing. His eyes found it quickly enough and he pointed. "It's just—over here."
"Quick then," Inuyasha commanded, using every ounce of his strength to stop himself for lunging for the jacket and messing with the healing process of his leg. "Hand it to me!"
The old man stood hastily, running towards the small shelves along the back wall of the hut, grasping for the jacket before throwing it in Inuyasha's general direction. The younger demon caught it easily, his expression one of almost manic proportions as he threw it opened to the inner pocket, reaching for the lining of the jacket, groping around trying to find what he had stashed there so hastily aboard the Shikuro. After a moment, he came up empty handed, his heart plummeting into his chest. "It's not there, I know I put it there?" He thought to himself as he allowed the jacket to drop from his hands, an odd sound of something wooden knocking against fabric and the ground catching him off guard.
He glanced at the jacket, he reached over with shaky disbelieving hands and patted it down going from the sleeves to the breast pockets and feeling nothing. "Who am I kidding?" He grumbled internally as he pulled his hands away, his fingers barely brushing the lower left hand tail of the jacket as he did so, his hyper sensitive skin just barely registering the firm quality of something that was not part of a fabric or lining of the jacket but was instead something diffidently much denser and unmistakably wooden.
He trembled, he actually trembled as he realized there was something in the lining of that jacket. "Holy shit!" He cried out as he took the jacket back into his hands and felt around finding the odd lump in the very bottom of the inner lining. With one claw and not even a single care, Inuyasha ripped the inner lining of the jacket opened, allowing the internal guts of fine wood and strange Japanese characters to spill out into his lap.
"The compass!" He cried out practically dancing in his seated position as he showed the small instrument off to Onaconah. Vaguely, he wondered how the compass had managed to get inside the lining of the jacket, he had never had that happen before and the inner pocket didn't have any holes so it couldn't have slipped down into the lining that way. Either way, it didn't matter—he had the compass in his hands, he had the key to finding Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and the Shikuro in his hands. "We still have it," He told the completely confused Onaconah. "With this we can find them!"
"What?" The older man said, his face one of perfect shock as if he was thinking of having Inuyasha tied down for his and everybody else's own safety.
"This compass," Inuyasha held it out his whole body filled with joy, his eyes moist with happiness. This compass could save them, this compass could reunite them, this compass was everything. "With this," His smile split his face. "Storm Eyes can find them."
End Chapter
Please Review
A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying the twist and turns of the story. I've been having a great time with this particular section. It was the one I was most excited about writing. Anyway, let's just see how this mess is going to work itself out now! After all, Inuyasha has the compass/Kagome and that other ship had a Shikon shard so it is now possible to find them. However, we still have no information on Miroku/Sango/Shippo/Shikuro. Did they escape? Were they captured? Did they go down with the ship? Did the ship sink (it doesn't seem like Onaconah actually stayed around long enough to find out)?
All this and more will be coming up next time!
Bonus Points:
1. Who is Onaconah's Granddaughter? (Hint: She is from the cannon Inuyasha Universe)
2. For fun, I want to see if anyone can spot the line I use in this chapter that comes from a famous Classic American Movie. (Hint: Mobsters)
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
As reviewer ravenraymoon said, "If there can be death spirits then let there be a ghost!" Inuyasha is in fact having a moment of spiritual connection brought on by a need to see someone who he associates with comfort and wise decision making. More on that to come in later chapter's though...congrats to the winners:
Warm-Amber92 (You might call it a spirit guide), TheRealInuyasha, HentaiLemon, Glon Morski, Nina Morenos, HeavenlyEclipse, Coka Cookie Cola, ravenraymoon, chronos-girl
Notes:
ó Loinsigh - Gaelic surname that means seafarer or exile; its modern equivalent would be Lynch.
Next Chapter:
N/A
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 4/6/2012