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?

79. Kagome's Sight

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 Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).

**This Chapter depicts scenes of violence that some might find offensive or simply not want to read. I have tried to write these scenes as I write every scene, with reality and courtesy to my readers in mind. That being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter and if you do not want to read these particular scenes, know that I will offer a summary of them at the bottom that will let you know, for storyline purposes, their basic content.**

Chapter Seventy Nine

Kagome's Sight

The Shikuro was almost ready to launch itself by the next morning, its crew having been prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Standing on board her deck, Inuyasha and Miroku carefully directed their men in storing some last minute supplies (provided by the wolf demon king himself). The dog demon's mouth watered from the sight of salted pork and even more impressive delicacies he hadn't seen on a ship in years: lintels, leeks, garlic, tomatoes (how Kouga had found them in winter he had no idea), turnips, and even mustard plants as well as numerous grains to be used for baking.

"We're gonna eat so well." He told himself as he imagined the millions of things Sango could cook up with such ingredients. Inuyasha's happiness was short lived however, as his nose picked up the scent of his cousin finally making his appearance. "Damn." He growled to himself as he turned away from his men storing the food to look down at the gangplank.

Sure enough, standing with his back straight and his hands behind it like a military general, was Kouga. Much to Inuyasha's surprise, though, the demon was not dressed as smartly as was typical of him. In place of his polished clothes and fine Italian leather were riding boots and a pair of plain brown cotton pants with a matching brown jacket. The most flamboyant part of the whole ensemble was the white ruffle of the man's shirt peeking out from the velvet brown.

"He really dressed down for this one," Inuyasha thought off handedly as he watched Kouga reach behind him. Almost immediately a hand presented Kouga with a stylish brown leather hat, which had a white plum sticking out of it rather garishly. The dog demon raised an eyebrow from the sight but didn't bother to think anything of the rather proud plumage. Instead, his eyes focused more on the man that had given the hat to Kouga in the first place. "Oi!" He yelled down immediately as he laid eyes on the two ever present guards, who at the moment looked more like attendants with bags in their arms and weapons. "Non ho mai detto che potevano venire." He spoke deliberately in Italian so none of his men would know the details of any conversation he had with a jerk like Kouga.

The wolf demon shook his head at Inuyasha's words, not caring that the man didn't want his two guards to come onto his ship. Motioning to them with one tanned hand, he started towards the gangplank, the two following him without needing any more of an order than simply Kouga's wave. Seething silently, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and looked towards his men who had paused to watch the strange exchange. Sending them a menacing glare, they immediately returned to work, all that is, except Miroku.

"What was that all about?" His young son asked as he came to stand at his father's side, making sure he whispered low enough so none of the crew could hear their exchange.

"Look." Inuyasha motioned with his chin towards Kouga who was slowly making his way onboard the ship. "He brought servants."

"Huh?" Miroku turned his eyes towards the wolf demon, spying the two guards from the day before easily. "Alright then," He shrugged nonchalantly as he watched the two absently. "So be it, right?"

Inuyasha sighed from his son's words but he had to agree. There was really no sense in making a big deal out of the two idiots coming with Kouga. Beside even that, the two men barely spoke English, so it wasn't like they would quickly make friends with his crew. To his knowledge, not one man on the ship spoke Italian, the exception being himself and Sango (who, for all pretenses and purposes, wasn't actually a man).

"So, one more time," Miroku spoke suddenly as he watched Kouga near the top of the gangplank. "Why are we doing this?"

"Kagome." Inuyasha answered bluntly, not even bothering to come up with a better excuse. He had already told Miroku of the conversation between Kagome and himself anyway.

"Right-t-t," He drug out the word even as protective instincts for his father and his wife made him tap his foot nervously. "Anything for a pretty girl, I suppose."

"That," The Captain inhaled deeply and glanced at Miroku out of the corner of his eye. "And she was right."

Miroku blinked at the words but knew what his father meant. He had heard second hand the conversation the Captain and Kagome had the night before (the more scandalous parts excluded, of course) and he realized that Kagome had made a lot of sense. "That doesn't mean I have to like the bastard though." Miroku resisted the urge to growl, just as Kouga finally came to stand on the deck of the Shikuro.

"Come on," Inuyasha motioned with his chin towards Kouga. "Let's go greet the asshole."

Miroku snorted from his father's words and nodded his head before following the man gingerly, his arms still crossed over his chest. "Lead the way." He mumbled as they started towards the gangplank where Kouga had stalled, a disgruntled look on his face.

"Welcome to the Shikuro." Inuyasha greeted, although his voice didn't sound like a greeting at all but more like a half formed snarl.

Kouga glanced at him for all of a moment before turning his eyes towards the Shikuro, studying it slowly. After several seconds, he turned back towards the Captain, raising a disappointed eyebrow. "Dis piece-eh shit is your ship?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call my ship shit." Inuyasha growled under his breath glaring dangerously at the man. The demon in him doubled the glare, not one single part of it actually liking the fact the wolf demon was in its territory. "Rival male." It grunted, its hackles rising and its instincts telling it to simply go ahead and attack the other male, to get his death over with. Luckily, the thought was easily ignored by Inuyasha, but was still highly appreciated.

"I'm just-eh being honest." Kouga defended a little smirk forming on his face that made even Miroku want to punch him. "Now—where-eh our we staying?"

Inuyasha didn't miss a beat as he watched Kouga with narrowed gold eyes. "I have an empty stateroom for you." The dog demon smiled, the look strained and menacing. "You'll have to share though." He informed curtly while motioning towards Ginta and Hakkaku. "Phillip." He called towards a random crewman who was assisting the loading of the ship.

"How can I help ya, sir?" The slight man, a demon of most likely mixed linage of a fox and a bear maybe, approached the Captain.

"Take these two down below," Inuyasha ordered while motioning towards Ginta and Hakkaku. "To the room next to Master Myoga's and Totosai's."

"Yes, sir." The man nodded and looked towards the two wolf demons expectantly. "Follow me then." He told them even though they barely knew English. The two wolf demons looked at each other confused for only a moment before they glanced at Kouga.

The leader jerked his chin in the direction of Phillip and without another word needed, Ginta and Hakkaku obeyed. Together the three men quickly moved towards the ladder that led down below, disappearing within seconds along with Kouga's suitcases.

Crossing his arms over his chest as he watched them disappear, Kouga turned his eyes towards Inuyasha with a large frown on his face. "So I don't get-eh de Captain's cabin?" He questioned only a slight tease in his mainly serious voice. "I figured it'd-eh be obvious to give-eh to me."

"Listen Kouga," Inuyasha's voice dropped and he leaned forward, the other man bristling from the close proximity. "I'm doing you a favor and you might want to remember that before you open your fucking mouth." The words came out as a barely controlled hiss. "You're on my ship now, not in your damn palace."

Kouga narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring as he leaned towards Inuyasha. "Meticcio." He spoke the word slowly, watching with satisfaction as the veins in Inuyasha's forehead pulsed angered.

"Inu—um—Captain!" The sweet call of Kagome's voice broke up the two men before Kouga could say anything in response.

Backing away from each other, they both turned to see the sweet face of Kagome now dressed in her normal attire once more. The wolf demon felt his jaw drop from the sight as Kagome crossed the deck. The girl looked, for all pretenses, as if she was a very young boy of no more than fourteen. The disguise was so good, in fact, that Kouga only knew it was her from the sound of her voice and the beautiful smell of her natural perfume.

"Incredibile." He whispered under his breath as he studied the way her clothes drapped around her, disguising her feminine frame in such a way that tantalized. He found himself wanting to know what was underneath those clothes, the sights that could not be seen except by a man who was skilled enough to coax her to undress for him.

Not aware of Kouga's wolfish thoughts, Inuyasha allowed himself to smile at the girl as she approached. He too, much like Kouga, found himself appreciating her normal clothes. Albeit, he appreciated them at the moment for other reasons. "I bet he can't stand the sight of her now." He smirked oddly to himself just as Kagome reached him.

"I was wondering—," Kagome started to say before her words caught in her throat and her head turned towards Kouga, just now realizing the man was standing there. "Pardon," She apologized quickly, old manners her mother had instilled in her kicking in once more. "I didn't see you King Kouga." She offered him a strange curtsey that didn't look at all proper while wearing pants. "It's good to see you again."

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched from the kindness of the greeting and he sent Kagome a blunt glare that the girl promptly ignored.

Smirking as he saw the Captain of the Shikuro send the girl a well placed glare, Kouga found himself unable to resist his next move. "Bella," He greeted her sweetly, reaching forward and grabbing Kagome's hands. Distracted by the way Inuyasha's whole body tensed, the wolf demon did not see the slight grimace that crossed the girl's face when he did so. "How nice-eh to see such-a prêt-ty face aboard such an ugly ship." He bowed to her in only what could be called a charismatic way.

"You flatter me, King Kouga." Kagome tried to smile but the look of pain that graced her features made the expression appear more like a frown; a frown that Kouga seemed to adamantly ignore.

"Let go of her." Inuyasha growled from behind the other man, reaching for him to literally kill him. Kouga missed the strike, removing himself from Kagome's side with a quick wink in her direction.

"I am sor-ry-y, Captain." Kouga turned to the Captain and offered the man an apologetic bow, but anyone could tell the action was more mocking than respectful. "I did not mean to touch-eh what is yours."

"Sure you didn't." Inuyasha muttered and turned back to Kagome quickly, sending the girl a strangely forceful look. "Go back with Sango." He commanded, the sound of his voice telling Kagome that she better not argue with him. "I'll talk to you later."

"But—." Kagome tried to speak, looking downright surprised from the way the Captain was addressing her.

"Do as I say." Inuyasha bit out the words, hating himself just a little as he said them but knowing Kouga needed to see his dominance over Kagome. It was a sad instinct that was buried deep within demon culture, the need to show other males that you had power over your mate. Of course, Inuyasha also knew instinctively that he, like any male, would regret the move later. After all, in demon culture, the man was not really in charge or that is, he was in charge but only for show. In the end, the woman was the one who called the shots but only behind the scenes; it was a fact all demons acknowledged but never spoke about out loud.

Kagome opened her mouth to protest but stopped when she noticed Miroku shaking his head just behind the two demons. The human male (who knew a lot more about demon culture than probably any other human alive currently) gave her a gentle smile that said to ask about the incident later. "But why?" She conveyed the message with her eyes, watching as Miroku jerked his head in the direction of his and Sango's cabin, as if to say, ask Sango. "Why can't I just ask now?" She wanted to pose the question but stopped herself when she turned back to the Captain. "He looks pretty stressed." She realized as she took in his tense shoulders and squared jaw. "Kouga's stressing him."

With that one thought in her head, she gave into the Captain's words, even though she still didn't like it. Really, she didn't like it at all, but at the moment what was she to do? If she said something, the man would only become more stressed or worse Kouga would use it to his advantage. Kagome knew that an environment like that over the course of the next few days would not be a pleasant one for any of them. In order to make their current arrangement the least stressful for everyone then, she needed to bend just this once and give Inuyasha a bit of a break.

"Still doesn't mean I like it." She mumbled internally as she sent the Captain a bit of a forced smile. "Alright then." She spoke quietly, her voice tight and strained to the point that Inuyasha had to resist the urge to take back his words. "When you're ready I'll be with Sango." She spoke the last words abruptly before turning on her heel and leaving, her shoulders so tense that Inuyasha could actually see them shaking.

"I'm going to pay for that later." He told himself but was thankful she had at least listened for now.

Kouga (who unknown to Inuyasha had a mate very similar to Kagome) watched the anger seep from her tight shoulders with amusement. "Dis is going to be a very-y nice trip," He spoke thoughtfully while turning towards the Captain, his eyes seeming to sparkle with mirth. "Wid a beautiful view, no?"

Turning towards Kouga, Inuyasha sent him a look that would have killed a normal person. "I don't know how I'm going to get through this without killing you." He thought, trying to convey all his emotions through simply his eyes before turning away from Kouga completely. "Myoga!" He yelled, his voice almost a bit too high pitched to be appropriate for a Captain of a ship.

"Yes, sir!" Myoga called back from high above them in the riggings.

"As soon as the ship's loaded," Inuyasha told him loudly his voice quite a bit stronger now. "Get us the hell out of here."

"Aye."

Kouga raised an eyebrow and turned towards Inuyasha expectantly. "'e's still alive?"

The dog demon gave Kouga a short look but nodded his head none the less. "He'll live forever."

"Fleas always-a do." Kouga snorted slightly as he spoke the sound grating on Inuyasha's nerves.

"Let's go to my cabin." He mumbled and turned towards the staircase where Kagome had disappeared. "Today is going to be a very long day." He told himself, the sound of Kouga and Miroku's feet following him actually giving him a headache.

-break-

"Can you believe that?" Kagome asked Sango as she sat down at the desk in Sango and Miroku's room, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "He talked to me like I was no better than a servant." She hissed out the words, her eyes landing on Sango who had a book in her lap but her eyes weren't on it.

The older girl had been listening patiently to Kagome's story of what had transpired on the deck mere moments before, her expression sympathetic but also surprisingly contained. "It's probably because Kouga was there." She voiced as she toyed with one of the pages of the opened book absently. "Demons have strange ways of showing dominance," Her expression tightened as if her own words had sparked another thought entirely. "Especially when it comes to women."

Kagome inhaled from Sango's words. She really did understand them but that didn't make what Inuyasha had said feel any less mean. "That doesn't make it right."

"No," Sango agreed with a heavy sigh. "It really doesn't." The woman brought a hand up to her face and rubbed at her eyes; she felt tired. "But as long as Kouga's around he probably feels he has no choice." The woman lowered her hands back to her lap, sitting them down on the book absently. "His instincts are telling him to show Kouga that he's the dominant male on this ship." She frowned slightly as memories she had long suppressed tried to push their way into her mind. "We're just the easiest way to show that."

"Ug," Kagome grunted and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's always women who get that job, isn't it?" She bit out the words as she spoke, the sheer power behind them making Sango finally truly focus on her.

"It is." She agreed softly, even as her fingers tightened on the page of her book, crinkling it.

Not noticing the way Sango's fingers dug into the delicate paper, Kagome looked out towards the window. "Kouga." She spoke quietly, her words taunted with only the smallest bit of distaste now. "He is a very—frustrating person isn't he?" She paused for a second, the word 'frustrating' just not powerful enough to address what she actually meant. "If I had ever met a bastard, it would be him."

Sango blinked in surprise from Kagome's choice of words, her fingers losing their grip on the already crinkled pages. "Why Kagome," She laughed slightly but the sound really had no mirth even though she did find Kagome's words funny. "I didn't know you could use such language."

"I'm sorry," Kagome blushed bright red as she realized what she had actually said out loud. She really hadn't meant to. "I know I shouldn't speak ill of him, I mean I understand him and his predicament, and he isn't all bad really—I just don't like what he's done to the Captain and—," She cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly in the chair making it squeak. "He keeps—." She grimaced and shook her head feeling uncomfortable just thinking about it.

"Flirting with you?" Sango offered and by the look on Kagome's face knew it was the right guess.

"Yes," Kagome sighed exasperated. "I mean, he's charming," She frowned slightly, not liking herself for saying the words. "But he knows I'm," She shrugged her shoulders, not willing to actually say what Sango already knew. "And besides, he has a wife"

Sango shook her head and offered Kagome a strange little laugh that sounded once again more pained than amused. "That doesn't matter to Mediterranean men."

"What?" Kagome tilted her head to the side, curiosity spiking from Sango's words.

"They appreciate beauty," Sango's voice became both breathy and almost angry all at the same time. "And you are quite beautiful." She spoke more naturally as she turned and looked at Kagome, surveying the girl's body. "Bright grey eyes and shinny curls."

"But he hasn't flirted with you!" Kagome argued back, feeling uncomfortable being called beautiful when she had never thought herself to be that pretty.

"Well," Sango glanced at her book, her eyes landing on the crinkled pages for the first time. Quickly, she brought her fingers to the page, hoping to save them before they were ruined. It was an action Kagome finally noticed, the younger girl watching Sango smooth the pages with wonder. Kagome honestly had no idea when Sango had crumbled them. "There are other reasons for that." Sango continued, grabbing Kagome's attention once more. "I can't believe you don't see them, Kagome."

"See what?" The younger girl blinked coming back to reality as Sango addressed her.

Sango looked up at her slowly as if amazed she hadn't actually noticed something that Sango found obvious. "Kouga's game."

Kagome narrowed her eyes not understanding what Sango was talking about. "There's a game?"

"Yes." The older girl resisted the urge to sigh but it was obvious she wanted to. "Kouga is trying to mess with the Captain's head at every turn." She frowned, her fingers stilling on the page of the book she had been smoothing back out. "He's trying to rattle the Captain's every nerve and you are the easiest target he has."

"But why?" Kagome asked as she focused completely on Sango's words once more, ignoring her strange behavior for the time being.

"Because." Sango resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the girl. "He knows actually fighting the Captain would be more trouble than it's worth now that the Captain's older." She gritted her teeth for a second, frustrated that she had to explain something this simple to Kagome. "So he's targeted something easier—his mind."

The tone of Sango's voice bit into Kagome making the girl actually wince. "Something isn't right." Kagome told herself as she watched Sango grabbed the pages of the book once more, crumbling them again. "She's been this way since the other day, since Serdenga was mentioned." She bit her lip and shifted awkwardly in her chair. "Sango is everything okay?"

The girl blinked in surprise and drug her eyes back up to Kagome, ignoring the once again crumbled book in her lap. "Huh?" She tilted her head to the side, processing Kagome's words slowly. "I'm fine." She finally told her, offering the girl a bit of a strained smile that made Kagome worry even more. "Why do you ask?"

"You've been," Kagome hesitated not sure how to word what she wanted to say exactly. "Acting a bit—off the past few days." She finally settled on, placing her hands in her lap and allowing her fingers to worry together.

Looking truly surprised, Sango dropped her hands from the book altogether and gave Kagome a troubled look. "What?"

"You seem angry—," Kagome paused and glanced up at Sango from just the tips of her eyes. "I just—I feel like I'm working on your patience just by sitting here."

Sango opened her mouth to protest Kagome's thoughts but stopped herself before she could say anything. For several seconds she went silent, thoughts coursing throughout her head. "Have I been acting different?" She asked herself but she already knew the truth behind her words. She had been acting differently and she couldn't help it. The closer they grew to that island, the more intense her memories became until they consumed her every thought, eating away at her mind like ants that consume a fallen fly. "I'm sorry." She whispered and closed her eyes in another attempt to shut out her own thoughts. "It's just been a hard few days—you know with Kouga and the Captain—its stressful."

Kagome saw the pain on Sango's face easily and read it just as well. She wasn't a stupid person, she could put two and two together. "Sango's from Italy, her parents disowned her and she left because she was raped." The girl told herself as she watched Sango actually move the book completely from her lap, shifting it to rest beside her on the bed. "Could it be—that being here is bringing back those memories?" The younger girl bit the inside of her cheek before standing from the chair, taking a step towards Sango. "There's more to it than that, isn't there Sango?" She offered as she crossed the room but Sango quickly shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it." She stood just as abruptly as Kagome and moved away from the girl, her hands coming up to cover her face. Whether she was hiding from Kagome or covering up tears, was hard to tell.

"Please Sango," Kagome pressed as gently as possible as she stood between Sango and the door, her grey eyes watching as Sango's shoulder blades grew more and more tense by the moment. "You can talk to me."

Sango growled at Kagome's words and snapped her head around, screaming at the girl as she did. "What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' don't you understand?" She bit each word out as she said them, the sound of her voice so fierce than any other person would have given in a left her alone; but, not Kagome.

The miko offered Sango a patient smile, a smile of understanding from someone who had never experienced her pain. "It might help if you do."

Sango rolled her eyes and dropped her arms around herself in a hug. She inhaled shakily, the tears in her eyes now apparent to Kagome since Sango was facing her. The woman's lower lip trembled and she shook her head, a look of true despair in her chestnut eyes. "Please, just let it go."

"You can't keep that much anger bottled up inside you Sango," Kagome spoke, her voice calm and sweet, the sound of it making Sango's body tremble just a little less. "I know firsthand." She remembered her revelation from the night before; she remembered how her hate had started to consume her until even her eyes turned black. "It's not healthy."

"Kagome," The older girl said her name slowly, the sound of it tense and tired. "I can't do this now."

"If you don't do it now," The younger girl sat down on the bed where Sango had been, patting a spot next to her with one hand. "When will you?"

The older girl frowned darkly from Kagome's words and turned away from her ignoring the gesture completely. For several seconds, she stood with her back to Kagome, unmoving. Her shoulders tensed and relaxed over and over again, a great debate raging within herself. "You're such a fool sometimes Kagome." Sango thought as memories from what seemed to be a different lifetime danced about her head. "You want to fix this but—this isn't something that can be fixed." The woman inhaled shakily and brought a hand up to bury in her bangs. Grabbing the short ends of her hair tightly she pulled as if the very action could remove the thoughts from her head. "She won't leave this alone though; it's not in her nature."

It didn't take long for Kagome to prove Sango right. "Is it—," Kagome offered up the words, watching as Sango tensed once more, her hand still buried in her bangs. "About what happened, before you came aboard the Shikuro?"

"You don't know when to stop do you." Sango whispered slowly, her words sounding agitated as she gripped her hair even tighter. "That's probably how you got the Captain to talk so easy, huh?"

"Maybe." Kagome agreed slightly as she crossed her feet on the bed, only absently thinking how nice it was to be able to do so once more. "You can't sit like this in a dress, that's for sure."

"The man can't resist you," Sango went on pretty much ignoring Kagome's reply. "You know that, right?"

Kagome frowned from the words, part of her wanting to deny them adamantly but another part of her realizing Sango was using them to change the subject. "Maybe I should let it go." Kagome told herself as she looked at Sango's tensed posture. "At least for now?" The young miko frowned but knew her thoughts were probably right. Sango didn't seem to be in any state to talk about what was bothering her. "I do." She agreed with Sango's words, allowing the conversation to drop for just a second so that Sango might calm down.

"It's funny," Sango laughed slightly but the sound didn't really feel like laughter. "He—before you, I never really heard him use sweet words."

Kagome frowned at Sango's sentence, "What do you mean?" She asked, genuinely curious about what Sango meant.

Sango smiled thankful that Kagome appeared to be falling for her misdirect. "He's just not one to use them." She schooled her features and finally turned around to the look at the other woman. "Except with you."

Kagome blushed faintly even though she knew what Sango was saying was true. "He is very kind to me."

Sango flinched and gulped down a bit of bile that rose in her throat from Kagome's choice of words. "I said the same thing once." She whispered not realizing she had spoken until Kagome looked up at her surprised. "Um—sorry, I wasn't referring to the Captain." She tried to cover quickly, mistaking Kagome's look for jealously (a mistake Sango normally would never have made.)

"I didn't think you were." Kagome told her and the older girl's eyes widened knowing she had been caught. "Who, were you talking about?"

For the first time, in many years, Sango felt like a small child being questioned by a doting mother. Her mother had been very doting, she was the only daughter in a house a boys, it was only natural her mother made her a proper lady. Looking at Kagome now, some part of Sango's mind skewed her face and for the briefest of seconds she saw not an eighteen year old but a middle age house wife with eyes just like her own. It was a face she couldn't resist, a face she couldn't lie to, a face she missed desperately. "A man I once knew." She whispered the words unable to stop them as she stared at the woman in front of her.

Kagome blinked in surprise having not expected Sango to release the information so quickly. "What was his name?" She attempted to press but Sango shook her head in fear, her breath starting to come in and out in great big pants. "Sango?" Kagome uncrossed her legs and moved to stand from the bed as she watched the older woman bring her hands around her middle, her eyes wide and panicked.

"Make it go away." She said suddenly as she backed up away from Kagome until her back was actually to the wall. "Make him go away." She cried out again as she closed her eyes tight and brought her hands up beside her head, the images haunting her mind. She could see him above her, his eyes a misty blue, almost navy. She could smell the expensive fragrance of his cologne, a spicy scent that made her sick. She could feel his breath against her cheek as he grunted above her, panting in her ear while she cried. She could hear him as he whispered things into her ears, telling her how lucky she was to be chosen by a man like him. "Make him stop!"

Kagome nearly fell backwards as Sango screamed, the sound ear splitting, hysterical, and very much unlike anything Kagome had ever seen the girl do. The girl was in a little ball now against the wall, her body having fallen down it as her memories encompassed her so completely that she didn't even know where she was.

"Make him stop, make him stop, make him stop." She yelled over and over again, the sound unrelenting and terrified.

"Sango!" Kagome cried out and tried to get back to her feet but the girl was too far in the past to hear even a word.

-break-

Seated around a small conference style table inside the Captain's cabin of the Shikuro, Kouga, Inuyasha and Miroku stared at Inuyasha's chart of the Mediterranean. All three had a glass of wine in their hands (provided by Kouga of course), which they were sipping at while they looked for the most convenient route to take to Serdenga. They needed a route that would not place them to close to the shipping lanes where they might be detected but one that was not too out of the way. It wouldn't due for them to take five days to get to Serdenga when they could make it in one by another (albeit more dangerous) route.

"So which side of the island are we heading towards?" Inuyasha asked, as he looked at the routes he had marked off on the map over the course of nearly two decades.

"Acc-ording to de informazioni we were given." Kouga spoke carefully as he looked at the map, his wine glass already half empty. "Ayame was-eh taken to Cagliari." He finished and pointed towards the city with one of his clawed fingers. "Right dere."

"Cagliari?" Inuyasha blinked a few times as he stared at Kouga's finger positioned over the city on the east side of the island. "The capitol, right?" He raised his head to look at the wolf demon for confirmation.

Kouga shrugged in response and removed his hand from the map as he leaned back in his chair. "You could-eh call it tat."

"Huh?" The dog demon raised an eyebrow from Kouga's words, trying to figure out what the man meant. Smirking at the Captain because he knew something that Inuyasha probably did not, he took a long sip of his wine. Inuyasha rolled his eyes from the deliberate act and growled. "Just get on with it."

"De House-eh of Savory," Kouga told him immediately after finishing off the last of his wine. "Has control of Sardegna now."

Inuyasha nodded his head feeling slightly stupid for not having realized what Kouga had meant. "They took power towards the mid century." He shook his head roughly as his own annoyance with himself mocked him. "How'd I forget that?"

Glancing at his father, waiting for the man to respond to Kouga's words, Miroku took in the annoyed look on his face with knowledgeable eyes. "This is gonna be a long trip." He thought to himself as he turned back towards his cousin catching the man's attention with a wave of his hand. "Have you ever had any problems with the House of Savory?"

Kouga raised an eyebrow as if put off by Miroku actually talking to him but responded to the human none-the-less. "To put-a it bluntly," Kouga cleared his throat trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. "Yes."

"How so?" Miroku inquired while his father turned his attention back towards the conversation and away from berating himself.

"Dey want my ter-ritory." Kouga supplied as he sat down the empty wine glass on the table and pointed towards the edge his kingdom. "Dey've been t-ying for the bet-ter part of de past two centuries to take-eh it from me," He motioned to the edges of Spain which he currently owned and then to Corsica. "When France got Corsica, dey were very upset." He smirked slightly as if that fact actually made him happy. "But Spain and de other parts, I always manage-e-d to take-eh back—," He smiled to himself before the look turned into a slight frown. "At least, parts." He shrugged and tried to look unaffected by what he had just said

The dog demon narrowed his eyes at the strange muttering but nodded none the less. "So you think the House of Savory took Ayame."

"I know dey did," Kouga raised his eyes to send Inuyasha a well placed glare. "Dey were just ar-rogant enough," He growled low in his throat, his hate for the people who had done this showing on his face. "To give-eh me a calling card."

"What?" Miroku whispered, looking downright surprised as he glanced towards his father for answers. He had heard nothing from the man about the abductors leaving information behind. "And from the looks on Otou-san's face neither did he."

"Dey sent a let-ter," Kouga continued on and reached inside his inner jacket pocket producing a small white envelope with a broken seal. "Telling me dey had taken Ayame."

Inuyasha stared at the letter as if he wanted to set it on fire. "Why didn't you tell me there was a letter?" He bit out the words angrily as he stared at the piece of parchment in Kouga's hands.

"Does-eh it really mat-ter?" Kouga sent the man a rather rude smirk as he spoke, waving the letter in his hands like it was a sardonic white flag.

Inuyasha thought to snarl at the other man but in the end realized that, it really didn't matter. "Okay then—fine," He spoke as patiently as possible while actually closing his eyes in order to achieve the maximum level of said patience. "What did the letter say?"

"Tat dey would only give her back," Kouga's face grew serious for a moment as he opened the letter and looked into its contents. Focused on its text, he read over a few lines with steadily gaining anger. "In exchange-eh for my sur-render." He folded the letter back up almost violently, his very aura seething.

"You're not even at war." Miroku spoke before Inuyasha could, his whole face teaming with confusion.

"We don't have-eh to be for dem to want my country." Kouga spoke to Miroku as if he was nothing more than an idiot child, which to Kouga he might as well have been. "Dey want my empire to fall into deir hands, so dey can expand deir own."

"I see." Miroku mumbled and lowered his head in thought for a moment. "It's really a brilliant idea."

"Yes." Inuyasha agreed but didn't look wholly convinced about the plans perfection. "But it can't be fool proof." He licked his lips as he spoke, looking towards Kouga who actually sent him a nod to continue. "If we go in under cover of night, we'll be able to get Ayame and get out." He told Kouga firmly believing in the power of his idea. "Worst comes to worst you start a war."

Kouga shrugged from the idea, trying not to show Inuyasha either approval or distaste at the moment. "Either way-y," He glanced down at the chart, his eyes mapping the leagues between where they were currently positioned and Sardenga unconsciously. "I imagine us going to war," He spoke truthfully as he leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees, his eyes still focused. "Probably, within de next ten years."

"Really?"

"De world's changing." Was Kouga's only response to Inuyasha's short question. Pushing himself back up, his back going straight he looked at the man with renewed eyes. "So how soon can dis heap of scrap wood get us dere?"

Ignoring the insult, Inuyasha calculated the distance to Sardegna in his head. "With my oars out and a favorable wind," Inuyasha traced the best route he could think of with the tip of his claw. The other two men in the room followed the route carefully, their eyes staring just as Inuyasha's claw hit their destination. "We'd have to row all night, but I'd say," He nodded carefully and looked back up at Kouga firmly. "By this time tomorrow."

Kouga covered up his actual surprise quite well as he heard the Captain's estimate. Truth be told, that was significantly faster than any ship Kouga was in possession of and that astounded the man. Still, it was a bit too slow for their actual needs. "We need to be dere earlier," He told the Captain knowing that an attack in daylight would risk Ayame's life. "At de very most dawn."

Inuyasha inhaled sharply, his mind running over the possibilities. Getting there by dawn would mean somehow shaving off at least two hours of their expected journey, probably more to be safe. "And that's a lot of time." He frowned darkly to himself and turned to look at Miroku. "What do you think?"

The human frowned for all of a second and brought his hands up to cross over his chest. "I think we've made harder things happen." He offered and finally sent his father a reassuring smile that spoke volumes.

"Alright then," Inuyasha looked up at Kouga and sent him a daring smirk. "We'll be there before dawn tomorrow."

The wolf demon raised an eyebrow but didn't deny their words. Truthfully, he didn't have a chance to because it was at that moment that a piercing scream ripped through the air. Both demons immediately covered their ears with their hands and gasped from the sheer pain of such a loud noise hitting their eardrums full force.

"What the hell is tat!?" Kouga yelled as he held his hands over his ears, the action actually doing very little to block out the sound.

Trying to think through the noise Inuyasha's eyes snapped opened as one thought hit him square between the eyes. "Sango." Shooting up at the same exact time Miroku did, both men ran for the door nearly colliding with one another in their effort to get outside the room. Kouga for his part followed behind at a much slower pace, he knew better than to get in the way of two men rushing towards one of their women.

Outside in the hallway, both Inuyasha and Miroku ran, the human male keeping up with the demon without so much as a single problem. His own fear for his wife and his own adrenaline were more than enough to make him move a million times faster than even the quickest man on earth. At the same time, Inuyasha and Miroku hit the door to the room where Sango and Kagome were supposed to be. The wood splintered from the action, unable to withstand the force of two full grown men hitting a door at their top speeds.

Kouga's eyes widened from the sight amazed that a human and a half demon were able to do such extensive damage. "Dey are more powerful den I t-ought." He shook his head from the thought, shaking it from his mind before pushing forward through the door frame.

Immediately, he was greeted with the sight of the woman Sango cowering against a wall. The girl's hands were buried deep within her hair, holding the strands so tightly that they appeared to be moments from pulling out. Her screams filled the air as tears streamed down her face, gathering wildly on her chin. She shook her head quickly back and forth every so often, muttering the words 'no' over and over again as she tried to make herself into a smaller and smaller ball. It was almost as if, she wanted to disappear.

"What's wrong wid—?" He started to say but was interrupted as Miroku's panicked voice filled the air.

"Sango!" He called, his voice raspy as he took in the sight of Sango pressed up against the wall, her body in a tight fetal position. Moving across the room without thought or care for Kagome who was still standing dumbstruck beside the bed, he practically threw himself on the ground, reaching for Sango with shaking hands. "Sango, sweetheart." He whispered to her but the woman was so terrified that she slapped his hands away, begging him to stop.

"Please," She whimpered and pushed her back even farther against the wall as she sobbed. "No!"

"Meticcio?" Kouga questioned as he looked between the dog demon and the frantic girl. "What 'appened?"

The dog demon shook his head in response. "I don't know." He whispered and, feeling helpless, turned towards the only person in the room who really knew what was going on. "Kagome?" He called to her as he made his way towards the nearly as hysterical girl. "What happened?" He pressed gently as he came to her side, reaching for her. She jumped at the contact and raised her hand as if about to slap him but Inuyasha caught her easily. "It's okay." He told her firmly, waiting for her to realize who he was before he started to speak again. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Kagome's voice was so fragile that it nearly broke Inuyasha's heart. "She's just—we were talking—."

"About what?" Inuyasha pushed further as Kouga came to stand behind them both completely confused.

The wolf's eyes stared at Miroku as he tried to touch Sango in any way, shape, or form. Each time he tried however, the girl cried harder and pushed at his hand even more furiously. "Dis isn't right." He narrowed his eyes and looked back towards Kagome expectantly just as the girl answered Inuyasha's question.

"About—how she's been—off," She struggled to find the right word but could really think of none better. "Since we got here."

The dog demon nodded in response, understanding exactly what Kagome was referring to. "Go on."

"And then, I don't know." The girl reached for him, grabbing hold of him as she tried to sort through her own thoughts. "She was—something—a man once knew and then—she—I asked about him and she," The girl shook her head and pointed towards the cowering Sango so as to finish what she was trying to say. "T-t-there."

Inuyasha and Kouga both attempted to follow her muddled words, neither quite understanding what she was speaking of. "Do you understand?" Kouga asked the other demon but Inuyasha merely ignored him instead focusing solely on Kagome.

"Where you talking about—Serdenga?" He asked her as he practically held her up, her weight falling nearly dead in his arms. "A man from Serdenga?"

Blinking back helpless tears, Kagome nodded adamantly, not the least bit surprised that the Captain had caught on.

"Maschio from-eh Serdenga?" Kouga questioned only to be expertly ignored by the dog demon and human girl both.

Finally managing to put together just enough of what she had said to realize what had happened, Inuyasha immediately turned towards Miroku. "Miroku?" He called towards the man as he tried to even touch his wife, being as gentle as possible with her. His only acknowledgement of his father speaking to him was a slight nod of his head. "It's Serdenga." Inuyasha informed, both men knowing what Sango's fit was truly about now. "It's been years since she had one quite like this."

Miroku didn't say a word for several seconds as he dissected the potential behind the island's name. "This place must bring back every memory she ever had of the bastard." He told himself, wishing there was something he could have done to prevent Sango's pain. "I'd kill him," He gritted his teeth, his eyes never leaving his wife as she thrashed randomly at some imaginary attacker. "If I ever saw him—I would fucking kill him." He growled low in his throat and took a deep breath in order to control his emotions. "Leave us." He commanded and Inuyasha moved to readily obey.

"We need to leave," He told Kouga who nodded not wanting to actually be involved in such a mess. Grasping Kagome's arm, Inuyasha began to move to leave, the wolf demon already headed towards the door. He never made it more than a few steps however, before Kagome refused to go.

"No," Kagome pressed pushing away from Inuyasha so he couldn't just drag her with him. "I can't leave her."

Inuyasha glanced at Kouga who had turned and given him an almost mocking look. Growling low in his throat he held onto her tighter, refusing to let her go. "Kagome." The dog demon said her name in a hushed whisper as he pulled her towards himself. "Miroku can handle this." He assured, the sound of Sango's crying upping to screeching once more giving him a headache.

"No." Kagome spoke the words sternly, her eyes never leaving Sango. She had only seen the girl this way once before and it was terrifying to see her like this again. "This isn't Sango," She thought, something inside of her pulling and tugging so desperately that she knew it wanted her to do something. "This is—someone consumed by pain and hate and despair." She stepped forward, pulling away from Inuyasha surprisingly easily.

It wasn't because Inuyasha wanted to let her go; however, it was because he honestly couldn't hold onto her. Something in Kagome had changed as he was holding her back, her body becoming almost electrified but not with a burning energy. The air around her crackled dangerously but felt soothing, gentle, and kind. "What's happening to her?" He wondered as he helplessly let go of the girl, the energy pulsating and pushing him away from her.

Kouga, for his part, stepped back even farther towards the door, his eyes widening as he took her in. He had never seen anything like what he was witnessing now. "Bella—," The word barely left his lips as he studied the way her body pulsated with the bluish electric charge. It looked almost like lightening but somehow not nearly as deadly, at least it made one feel as if it wasn't deadly. "Stregheria." He whispered the Italian word for witchcraft carefully, his blue eyes never leaving the girl.

Sitting in front of the whimpering Sango still, Miroku felt the cool heat behind him and turned hastily. His eyes immediately settled on the carefully approaching Kagome, her grey eyes filled with both tenderness and worry. "What the hell?" He thought to himself as the energy building around her crackled before his very eyes, a blue shock snapping above her head.

"Miroku move!" Inuyasha commanded and Miroku knew to obey. Scurrying to his feet, he pushed himself out of the way of Kagome's approaching form.

"What is she doing?" He asked his father, fear for his wife and for Kagome as well making his heart pound in his chest.

Inuyasha only shook his head, completely confounded as he stared at Kagome as well. "How the hell should I know?"

"She's-eh your mate!" Kouga yelled from Inuyasha's other side, his expression just as comfounded as the other two.

"That doesn't mean shit." Inuyasha bit back in panic, his mind jumping between different levels of fear and intrigue.

No longer able to hear the conversations behind her back, Kagome crossed the room, her eyes focused on Sango's crying form. "So much pain." She thought to herself as her energy began to wrap around her causing her hair to actually float around the crown of her head. "Old pain—never forgotten." Tears formed in her eyes as she slowly lowered herself down in front of Sango. "Sango," She whispered so softly that Miroku, Kouga, and Inuyasha nearly didn't hear. "Let me share your pain." Her voice was charmingly gentle the sound making Sango's tears stop and her head lift.

Much too all three men's amazement, Sango was suddenly calm once more, her watery brown eyes looking at Kagome with disbelief. They watched as Kagome smiled softly, her eyes seeming to make Sango even calmer, and then, she placed her hands on either side of the girl's face. Sango's eyes closed instantly and Kagome's energy dissipated as if it had never in fact existed. The room became dark for a second as if all the light in the world had decided to fade at once and then—.

The room was consumed by white.

-Caution-

"Hee hee ha—."

The sound of childish laughter filled Kagome's ears making them twitch on the side of her head much like a demons. "What is that?" She asked herself and tried to open her eyes. A flash of off white met her gaze and she winced attempting to keep her eyes opened. After several seconds of staring at what she presumed was an off white wall, she finally allowed her lids to close once more. "I feel tired." She thought to herself, her weightless body oddly relaxing, making her want to sleep.

"Ancora una volta Pappa!"

Kagome's eyes snapped open once more, the sound of a little girl's voice and the one word Kagome could understand waking her further. The image of the white wall filled her sight once more and the girl tilted her head to the side in surprise as she found herself standing straight up. "I could have sworn I was floating." She told herself as she looked towards her feet in time to see the ground beneath her. "A wood floor." She realized just before the sound of a small child squealing made her jump and turn around.

The sight that greeted her had not been one she was expecting. All around her were children's things and children's toys. Small china dolls sat at individual seats at a tiny miniaturized table that was prepared for tea. Lying on the floor, in various stages of dress and undress were a few rag dolls that appeared completely homemade and three very expensive stuffed animals the likes of which she had never seen. There was lace everywhere, on the table, on the doll's clothes, on the curtains, and all of it was bright clean white fitting of a little princess.

"What is this place?" She wondered as she looked around, her eyes suddenly falling on the most darling child she had ever seen.

The little girl was dressed in miniature adult clothes, a stay and hoop in place as she sat on the nursery bed, the white linens of it making her pretty light blue dress seem even brighter. Her beautiful dark brown hair was tied up above her head with a well placed blue bow holding it firmly in place. Brown chestnut eyes sparkled as she looked in front of her at a man Kagome knew had to be her father. Concealing one of his hands was a puppet of bright yellow and orange fabric, which the girl appeared quite taken with, her cherry lips opened wide with her laughter.

The puppet danced as the man sang a silly song that Kagome could not understand, the girl bouncing in her seat as she tried to follow along. "Could she be?" Kagome wondered as she took in the tiny features of someone she knew quite well. "Sango?"

As if her voice had shattered the quaint reality, the image turned to pieces all around her making Kagome flinch and scream. The sound of glass breaking filled her ears as she watched the world seemingly collapse at her feet. Every doll, every teddy bear, every wall and piece of china, the little girl and her father, all shattered into a million pieces, falling to the ground until there was nothing left but darkness.

Uncertain of where she was or what was happening, Kagome took a step backwards her foot echoing loudly against the floor as she stepped down. Once more, as if triggered by the sound of her feet, the world awakened color filling her vision all around her. It was like a picture was being painted right before her very eyes as she found herself within a manor. Every detail coming to fruition just as paint strokes fill a canvas. A dining room table made out of oak, eight chairs made of the same material but with cushioned seats, a statue of armor against a wall, a Persian rug upon the wooden floor, and the same little girl standing by a white curtained window.

Kagome blinked as she took in the proper girl, her hair tied up once more above her head but this time with a beautiful bright blue hat trimmed with expensive white lace. Her back was to Kagome as she looked out across a landscape the unseen girl could not make out from her position. But despite having the girl's back to her, Kagome could tell that she must have been around eleven or twelve now, a proper lady in the making who was most certainly no longer a child.

Suddenly, as if hearing something Kagome had not, the girl turned away from the window and looked towards an opened doorway off to her right. The turn revealed the girl's perfect porcelain complexion and fine painted face, her cheeks bright red and her lips a matching rouse. "She's beautiful." Kagome thought as the girl's face suddenly contorted into a terribly nervous frown.

"Sango?"

A woman called and Kagome blinked from the sound, the voice sounded like Sango's in an odd sort of way. Turning in the direction the voice had come from, Kagome gasped as she saw a replica of the woman she had come to know walk through the murky doorway. She was identical to the present Sango, tall and shapely, with beautiful dark brown hair and chestnut eyes. There wasn't a single difference between them that Kagome could see.

"Mamma?" The girl fidgeted nervously, her eyes anxious as they assessed her mother.

The woman smiled brightly at her daughter, the child's face lighting up in response. "Essi hanno convenuto." The woman announced and the girl clasped her hands in front of her in delight.

Suddenly, everything sped up around Kagome, the sheer intensity of the shock from the abrupt movement making Kagome nearly fall backwards on the spot. Before she could settle and understand what had just happened, Kagome found herself standing in a small parlor. The couches were all a deep red color and the wood a much lighter balsa, there were several intricate paintings undoubtedly commissioned by the most gifted of painters and even a tapestry taking up the entire south wall with such elaborate needle work that it nearly seemed unreal.

She blinked once, then twice as the girl seemed to materialize in the middle of the room, this time with a charmingly handsome demon at her side. He was much taller than the now thirteen year old, hovering nearly a full head and so above the little girl. "He looks older than her too." Kagome thought as the man knelt down in front of the little girl, his hair sandy blond and his eyes navy blue. He smiled at her and she in return smiled back, appearing sweet and shy. "She's happy to see him." She told herself as the man offered his hand to the little girl.

"Bella." He whispered the word, his voice a soft sweet baritone that made Kagome shiver.

The girl blushed from the sweet words and looked down at the floor shyly. After several seconds, she tilted her chin back up towards him and presented him with a brilliantly stunning smile.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze, the smile on that little girl's face the brightest thing in the entirety of the room. Kagome's breath caught in her throat as she stared at it, the rest of the room growing darker and darker without her noticing. Black, dripping like waters from a thick swamp, oozed out from the floors and the walls, seeming to eat away at all the happy colors that surrounded the young girl. It crept about Kagome, the feel of its lackluster heat making her sweat uncomfortably as she watched it grow closer and closer to the child, as if the darkness was going to consume her as well.

Terrified for the girl, Kagome tried to take a step forward, her hand extending out to grab for her. The ooze wrapped around her feet before she could, yanking her backwards with such force that Kagome chocked on her own scream. Hot, wet, tar like liquid latched onto her body, pulling her down as if she had stepped in quicksand. Panicking, Kagome looked for the girl, hoping that she had not found herself inside the dangerous liquid as well.

The sight of the girl's smile was the last thing Kagome saw before she was consumed in black. The hot tar went down her throat, choking her, the sticky substance latching onto every part of her body that it could. It wormed its way around her yanking her down farther and farther into a nothingness she could not see. "Help!" She tried to cry out but her mouth wouldn't open, it was almost as if something was covering it besides the tar; a hand perhaps or something even more sinister.

Her hands clawed through the tar, in an attempt to uncover her mouth. She had to breathe; her lungs were beginning to burn from lack of oxygen. Desperately, she grabbed for the tar around her mouth, yanking and ripping it. The substance didn't feel like tar however but instead like flesh, like a hand covering her lips harshly. Panicking, Kagome grabbed the hand with both of her own and with one great yank removed them much to her own surprise.

"No!"

Kagome was finally able to yell as her mouth at least became free. Hot air rushed into her lungs and she felt thankful for the relief but only for a second. Suddenly, the tar grabbed her hands throwing them down against something soft beneath her. She tried to pull her hands free, to get away from the black tar but she found the action almost as impossible as trying to breathe.

"Per favore!"

The little scream was loud in the dark, the sound ripping from Kagome's own throat. She didn't have time to even understand how she had said 'please' in Italian and neither did she care. Desperately she tried to struggle against the unknown substance that was holding her down, but she found herself completely overpowered. Urgently, she tried to raise her arms, the feeling of something wrapping around her small wrist becoming more and more apparent the more she tried to get away. "I have to get out of here." She told herself desperately as her wrist began to ache and her head began to pound. "I have to get out—I have to—."

"Smettere di lottare."

The sound of a man's voice made Kagome's thoughts stop dead in her mind. "Stop struggling." The words automatically translated in her head, something she didn't have time to question. The tar disappeared from all around her, the sticky hot feeling replaced by one that was even worse. She felt the heat of breath against her cheek and the preasure of fingers against her wrist to the point of nearly bruising. The feel of cool air on her skin in place of what usually was fabric, however was far, far worse, surreal, and sickening.

The sound of flesh slapping against flesh hit her ears and the first feelings of pain she had never before experienced caused her eyes to well with tears. Frantically, she tried to pull away, tears running down her face as she gasped and cried. "Fermata!" The Italian word for 'stop' ripped through her throat in a voice that was not her own, the strange sound making Kagome's eyes finally snap open. It was an action she would later regret.

Navy eyes, heated and lustful met her gaze as well as his firm jaw line, drawn tight from clenching his teeth. "Silenzio." He commanded, the smell of his expensive cologne making her sick to her stomach. "Sei mia," He continued on as he slowed his pace, moaning in her ear while he tried to hold himself back wanting to enjoy the moment even longer. "In modo da essere tranquillo e lasciato finire." He mumbled in her ear and Kagome found that she understood every word.

"Silence," She heard his words parrotted back to her in English. "You're mine," Her skin began to crawl with her own disgust, the feel of him invading her small body and of his hands as he gripped her hips, making her cry harder. "So be quiet and let me finish—."

He grunted suddenly above her, his face contorting into a look of ecstasy that made Kagome cry harder. His breath hit her cheek, pushing against her hot and musty, a smell she would never quite forget. His hands held on tighter, his body moved faster, the pain grew more and more intense and then he snarled.

His weight sunk down on top of her until she almost couldn't breathe the pressure of his chest against her own too much for her to bear. He mumbled something incoherent as his breathing came back down and she squeezed her eyes shut in response. A childish part of her truly believed that if she couldn't see him, then he wasn't real. Suddenly, the bed shifted, the wood squeaking and the weight lifting all at once. She didn't dare open her eyes to take in the sight however, she was much too afraid.

"Se dici a qualcuno, il matrimonio è spento." Were the first words he said, Kagome's eyes snapping opened from the sound of them.

"If you tell anyone," They echoed in her head loudly just as she saw him standing beside her dark and looming. "Then the marriage is off." She wanted to scream at him, to tell him how fantastic that would be but she knew that a marriage of this kind would never come again now. Demon's would know within moments what had happened to her and none would ever take her hand.

"Non po 'le idee sia." He whispered the words as he leaned closer to her, his body large and threatening. Those navy eyes stared into her own, a sickening smirk forming on his face because he knew he had all the power.

"Don't get any ideas either." She gulped as the words seemed to jump inside her head making perfect sense.

"Tutto quello che devo fare è dire a tua madre e tuo padre che non sei vergine," His breath was hot and toxic making her feel so sick that she nearly had to gulp down the bile in her throat. "E che vi getterà via come la spazzatura umana che sei." She felt the tears run down her face as she listened to his words, knowing them to be completely true.

"All I have to do is tell your mother and father that you are not a virgin," She sniffeled, her world falling apart all around her as she accepted his words as truth. "And they will toss you aside like the trash human you are."

-break-

Grey eyes snapped opened, the face of Sango greeting them immediately. The young miko felt her body quake at the sight, the horrors she had just witnessed seeming to replay over and over again in her mind until her stomach finally turned over one too many times. Falling onto her hands and knees beside Sango she lost what little control she had over the raising bile in her throat and gagged. The sound of her vomiting filled the room, all three men panicking from the sight.

"Kagome!" The Captain reacted first, despite the god awful smell and moved quickly to her side, knelling down next to her and rubbing her back as she continued to retch.

Unsure of what else to do, Miroku quickly moved to a nearby jug of fresh water, dashing to the Captain's side quickly. Kneeling next to the girl, he offered the Captain the water, who took it an immediately sat it down for later use. There was no way Kagome could drink right now. Completely hypnotized behind them, Kouga's whole body froze.

Never in his life had he seen anything like that before. "Sacerdotessa." He thought over and over, his amazement that Kagome appeared to be a 'priestess' clouding any further ideas of helping Inuyasha or Miroku.

Sitting on the floor against the wall, Sango blinked slightly her eyes taking in the room as if she hadn't been able to see it for quite some time. "What happened." She thought to herself as a strange calmness settled over her that she just couldn't quite explain. The world felt slow around her, tranquil even, the relaxing atmosphere making her (temporarily) forget what had just happened to her. Sighing almost happily, she leaned back against the wall prepared to close her eyes and finally, after several days of restless to no sleep, drift off.

Still reeling from her experience Kagome winced as she finally felt the Captain's hands on her back and cried out, pushing herself away from the Captain as she held back the urge to gag again. "Don't touch me!" She yelled, Inuyasha's eyes going huge as she screamed the words.

The sound of them broke Sango out of her magical relaxed world, her head snapping in the direction of Kagome who was staring wide eyed at Inuyasha.

"Kagome?" The Captain whispered as he stared at her, watching her pupils dilate to the point of impossibility for a human. She looked almost wild, her expression so fierce and determined that he knew better than to reach for her. "It's like, she's running on instincts." He told himself as he watched her bare her teeth as a demon would when they felt threatened. "Kagome—," He tried again as she looked at him without really seeing him. "It's me, Inuyasha." He whispered, speaking to her as if she was a scared rabbit and not a girl.

She searched his face, the grey so stormy that it almost looked like her irises were in fact a real moving storm and no longer just a color. Finally, after several seconds, Kagome seemed to come back to herself. Her breathing went from ragged pants to more even gulps and her eyes returned to normal. "Inu—," She spoke softly as she finally recognized him, seeing him not as the man from her strange experience but as a wholly different one.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at him, but not ones of despair or pain. These were tears of unbelievable need, the tears of someone who badly needed comfort. Her lips trembled and without a second thought she launched herself into his arms and began to cry. Dumbstruck, Inuyasha held the girl as her tears soaked through his jacket and his shirt within seconds. He had no idea what had just happened in the few seconds Kagome had been touching Sango but it didn't seem right that she should react this badly.

Having witnessed Kagome's reaction, Sango's eyebrows raised up into her hairline. "Kagome—is she okay—what happened?" She wondered as she tried to remember everything that had happened today. She remembered waking up in the palace, coming to the ship and preparing to leave. She remembered Kagome coming into her cabin and telling her about something the Captain had done and then nothing. "I don't understand." She whispered, the sound of her voice making Miroku finally snap his attention back to his wife and Kouga come out of his revere.

"Sango?" Miroku's voice was almost timid as he knelt back down next to her, his eyes wide and on the verge of being traumatized. "Are you okay?"

Sango turned her head slowly towards her husband looking at him perplexed. "Yes—," She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as she looked into Miroku's worried black ones. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't remember?" He asked as Kouga looked between the two his own curiosity peaked.

"I—remember this morning and Kagome coming in here," She turned her gaze towards the Captain bits and pieces of her memories starting to connect. "She was mad at you."

Inuyasha's ears went back on his head and he held Kagome a bit tighter to his chest. The girl in return pushed her face even deeper into his shirt, the tears still coming, large and pained. "And then what?" He pressed as he rubbed his hand up and down her back not knowing what else he should do to comfort her.

"Then I—." Sango's eyes went wide as the conversation finally came back to her, the peace Kagome had given her mind only temporary it seemed. She remembered exactly what she had said, telling Kagome about the kindness of the false man. Her hands began to shake a little but not nearly as badly as they should have.

Reaching forward, Miroku touched the back of his wife's hand to comfort her, the woman actually not jumping from the touch much to his own surprise. "What happened?" He gently asked, his face filled with apology for what he knew was something hard for her to talk about.

"I thought about back then," She explained slowly, finding it much easier to speak than she thought she would. "About—that man." She refused to say his name as she always did both Miroku and Inuyasha nodding in understanding as Kagome continued to cry. "I'm sorry," She apologized and brought a hand up to her face rubbing slightly. "I must have—it was terrible remembering that."

"We understand." Miroku offered softly as he dared to pull her towards him. The girl came willingly, her head landing on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"I saw everything," She whispered softly into his ear, the Captain and Kouga easily able to hear her. "And I—I couldn't stop it."

"Don't worry about it." Inuyasha called towards her, watching as her chocolate eyes opened to look at him. "I've heard worse." He offered her a reassuring smile, Sango giving him a strained one in return.

Kouga snorted from the words as his ears continued to ring from the sound of Sango's screams.

"Thank you." The woman told the Captain from the bottom of her heart as she clung to Miroku a little tighter, her arms going around his waist.

Face buried in the Captain's jacket, Kagome tried hopelessly to control her crying but the task seemed impossible. With each attempted calm breath she took, the images from her experience pushed into her mind once more. She felt as if she couldn't control them, as if they were consuming her and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Still shaking she tried to focus her mind on anything other than the images of that man. The feel of the Captain's jacket against her face was the first thing she could think of. Using all her will power she focused on that jacket, on the texture of it and the softness of the velvet.

"It's so soft." She told herself as she leaned her head deeper into it, her mind clearing as she forced herself to think of nothing but the jacket itself. "I can see it—red." The image floated into her mind, followed by the man inside it.

She could see his silver hair as it rested against the long sleeves, the fine strands almost whimsical. She could hear his voice in her ear, whispering sweet words of comfort and love. Gradually, her heart rate came under control and her breathing went back to normal as the images of red velvet, silver hair, and the sounds of his comforting voice filled her.

Finally able to truly focus, Kagome allowed her mind to turn back to what had happened in an attempt to understand it. "I felt bad for Sango—for her pain." She thought to herself as she remembered Sango's tears, the sight breaking her heart. "I just wanted to understand it and to help her." She could almost feel the thought as it made its way from her heart to her head. "So I—I touched her face." She told herself, remembering that part of the incident clearly. She hadn't understood the compulsion in the least yet she knew it had a purpose. "I touched her and then I—where was I?"

"You saw."

She opened her eyes against the Captain's chest, seeing the tear strained fabric of his jacket. The words were loud in her head, "I saw—," She blinked slightly as her hands began to shake. "I was, oh Sango." She shivered against Inuyasha, the sight noticeable to the one other woman in the room.

"Kagome?" The girl called, causing the bewildered men to look down at the miko as she finally pulled away from Inuyasha seeming to be back to her normal self.

She inhaled deeply several times, her face still too obscured by Inuyasha's chest for anyone to see. Her shoulders quaked once then twice before they finally stilled along with the rest of her body. Her hands released their grip on the Captain's jacket and she fully pulled away. Inuyasha took in the sight of her flushed face, her eyes bloodshot and red and her lips oddly pale. She looked as if she had seen a ghost and then been beaten by it. Panic welled in his heart for all of a second until she suddenly turned away from him, looking straight into Sango's eyes.

The two women stared at each other, none of the men in the room quite understanding what was happening. A silent exchange passed between the two as Kagome pushed herself fully away from Inuyasha. "Sango." She whispered the name, the sound of it a breathy cry as her lips trembled. "I'm so sorry." The tears sprang to her eyes as she spoke; the realization of what she had experienced hitting her solidly in the gut.

Sango narrowed her eyes in confusion not exactly sure what the girl was talking about. Before she could question Kagome's words however, Kouga chose that moment to cautiously reaffirm his presence in the room. "What 'appened?" He asked Kagome, not wanting to wait for the two women to finish whatever they had started before the men could figure out what had happened. "Bella?"

Kagome froze as the word seemed to shoot through her. She could hear it, repeating over and over again in her head as that man looked down at her with a gentle smile, a pure mask, on his face.

"Bella."

He said, that charming smile instantly melting into one far more menacing. Her skin began to crawl as imaginary fingers touched her and pain exploded throughout her body, in her wrist, in her neck, in her head, and especially in her thighs and legs. Horrified, she pressed herself into the Captain, a terrified look crossing her face. "No!" She cowered unable to control the instinct. The feel of even the Captain's hands trying to comfort her became too much after a moment and panicking, she shoved herself away from even her intended as well. "Stop—don't touch me!"

"Meticcio," Kouga growled as he watched the terrified girl, stepping closer to her without really realizing he had actually been the one to cause the reaction. "Let go of 'er!"

"Back off Kouga." Inuyasha growled back as he watched Kagome helplessly. "What the fuck—first Sango and now Kagome—how is this even possible?" He thought powerlessly as he watched her press herself against the wall, her hands shaking as they grabbed her head. "Kagome's never—. She had no reason to do this—. Why is she—why?"

"Don't ignore-eh me Meticcio." The wolf growled and Inuyasha stood to face him with a loud snarl.

"King Kouga," Miroku tried to stop the impending fight, standing up with his hands in front of himself. "Please—."

"—stay the fuck out of this." Inuyasha took over before Miroku could finish his sentence. The demon in him was wholly agitated, the thought of its mate in such horrible pain and of another male trying to overstep his bounds and help her, making him near crazy.

"No," Kouga threw back, his expression taunt as he felt his own chivalrous nature commanding him to protect the small girl. "Not until dis girl is not-a crying." He took a step forward, bearing his teeth in such a way that Miroku knew could only lead to bloodshed.

Stepping between the two as quickly as possible, he held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "Come on," He begged the two, his voice desperate as he glanced at the withering Kagome, the yelling seemed to be exasperating her cry's. "We need to calm down."

"Damn it!" Inuyasha snapped his own worries for Kagome fueling his anger towards Kouga further. "Get out of the way Miroku." The command was so firm that Miroku found that even as a human he knew better than to tempt fate and disobey. Stepping to the side hastily, he looked towards Sango whose own face was drawn into tight horror.

"Make them stop." She pleaded unable to think of anything else to say as the situation grew more and more painful by the second. "They're making it worse."

"I know," Miroku's voice was downright panicked as he looked between the two men. "You try getting in the middle of that!"

"This doesn't fucking concern you." Inuyasha continued to growl low in his throat, words only Kouga understood leaving him, "Obey!"

"Lesser male obey." Kouga shoot back in the same tongue as Inuyasha, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling.

Still sitting against the wall, Sango stared at the two men, her eyes moving from them to the stock still Miroku. "I have to do something." She told herself as her eyes finally made their way to Kagome who was still leaning against the wall, looking so small and fragile that it broke her heart. "I have to stop them." Her heart tore in her chest as she watched the way Kagome pressed herself against the wall, tears overtaking her. "The way she's acting—its almost like," Sango's words died before they were fully voiced. The woman suddenly seemed to realize exactly what was happening. "Impossible." Her heart stopped in her chest even as her mind told her the honest truth. "She—."

"I'm sorry."

She saw Kagome's face in her mind's eye, the girl's traumatized eyes watching her carefully as she apologized. "She knows." The girl whispered to herself, she didn't know how or even if it was actually possible but it had to be so. Kagome knew what had happened to her, Kagome knew it and it was killing her. "It's almost like she lived it too." She frowned knowing that was impossible.

The sound of a low dangerous growl broke Sango's attention suddenly, her eyes going towards the two demon men. They were inching closer to each other now, their instincts driving them to attack each other. The sound made Kagome cry out more, something about their snarls triggering her hysteria even more.

Unable to stop herself, Sango shot to her feet and in a loud commanding voice yelled: "Enough!"

The two demons in the room stopped immediately, both of them freezing from the sound of a female's commanding voice. Although no dog demon or wolf demon would ever admit to it, the females of their packs had a tendency to really be in charge. The males merely postured and made it seem as if they were, that is, until a female got pissed off enough to call them on it. Needless to say, both men instinctively listened as Sango continued to yell at them.

"Can't you see you're making it worse?" Her voice was filled with anger that they couldn't even comprehend. "Of course not," The sarcasm dripping from her every word actually made Kouga's demonic ears lower on the side of his head. "You both have your heads so far up your asses that you couldn't even notice." The girl took a deliberate step forward, placing herself between Kagome and the two demons. "So, both of you, until you pull your heads out enough to see again," She threw her hand towards the door, pointing outside. "Get the hell out of my room."

Inuyasha's mouth dropped open as did Kouga's but neither man actually moved as they stared at the woman. "Sango—?" Inuyasha tried to question her but the girl growled in response, pointing more adamantly at the door. "Come on!" The Captain returned the growl and motioned towards Kagome. "I should be here, she's my mate."

Sango considered his words for a moment and then nodded her head. "Fine but you better calm the hell down." Under normal circumstances, Sango's words would never have been said in a million years towards the Captain of the ship but at that moment, the girl simply didn't care about properness. Kagome was in trouble, she was in pain, and she was scared, there was no way Sango would allow anyone to make that worse based simply on not hurting their pride. With this in mind, she turned her icy eyes towards Kouga, sending the man a deadly look. "Why don't you get situated below?" It was not a true suggestion but more or less a command. "I'm sure your bags need tending to."

"I should-eh stay too." He argued with the girl, taking one step forward as if to prove his point.

"Why?" Sango pronounced the word with such slow daring, that Kouga actually bristled.

He opened his mouth in an attempt to come up with a reason, any reason but he honestly could think of none. Kagome was not his mate, she was not his intended, she was not really in need of protection, or even an advocate to speak for her (obviously this female had her best interest covered perfectly.) He was useless in this room, completely and utterly so, and yet he wanted to be here. He wanted to know what had happened, what this girl was and what it was she had just done and there was no way a little girl was going to stop him. "I don't have-eh to lis-ten to you, puttana."

Inuyasha's snarl was so loud when he heard the word for 'whore' that Kouga actually jumped. "Don't you dare call her that!" He yelled all the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Before Inuyasha could react beyond his snarls and yells however, Sango (much to Inuyasha's surprise) laughed right in Kouga's face. "So you need insults to prove your point?" Her words were bitter and mocking. "That must mean you have none."

Kouga's whole face went as red as the Captain's jacket, he opened his mouth to argue with the girl but at the last second thought better of it for whatever reason. Snapping his mouth shut, he relaxed his shoulders and straightened his clothes. After they were situated once more, he looked right towards Sango with darkening eyes. "She 'as-eh powers." He explained as evenly as possible, realizing that this girl would not allow him to control the conversation. "Stregheria, no?"

Sango narrowed her eyes considerably but nodded her head for Kouga to begin speaking again.

"I want-a know why she use-eh them." His voice was firm and full of promise as he turned to look towards Kagome with actually worried eyes. "Tat is all." He told them before turning his eyes to glare at Inuyasha. "I deserve to know—especiall-l-y as a demonio on this ship-a."

Inuyasha licked his lips slowly, calming down considerably now that Kouga was only expressing concern for himself and not for Inuyasha's mate. "Fine." He bit out the words, sending Kouga one last glare before he turned back towards Sango. "That okay?"

Sango snorted and gave both men a fixed, almost motherly, glare before promptly turning and ignoring them. Carefully, she focused all of her attention back on the still cowering girl, wishing only to make her feel better now. "Kagome." She whispered as she knelt down beside her, not daring to touch her yet. "It's okay—he's gone now." She whispered softly, still confused about what had happened but knowing enough to realize where Kagome's fears lay.

The girl, still shaking and with tears in her eyes, pulled her hands finally away from her face. "He's gone?"

"Yes." Sango continued to speak, realizing that Kagome wasn't actually talking about Kouga, especially since Kouga was still in the room.

"Really?" Her voice was small and almost childlike, causing the now silent men to all stare with disbelief.

"Yes, really and truly." She whispered as she reached out and touched Kagome's cheek. "He can't hurt us anymore, I promise." She tried, watching carefully as Kagome took in her words and processed them. Just as she expected, they caused the girl to immediately relax just a little more.

Behind them, Inuyasha and Miroku exchanged strange looks from Sango's words but Kagome seemed to understand perfectly.

"Thank goodness." She breathed a sigh of relief, her whole body posture seeming to change as she came back to herself once more. Her grey eyes found Sango's face immediately, a look of complete relief filling her. "Sango." She spoke the name so thankfully that it actually made Sango's heart clench in her chest.

"Kagome," She reached forward and soothed the other girl's hair gently glad that she had come back so easily to herself. "You're back."

"I don't remember leaving." Kagome blinked slightly and frowned darkly. "Wait," She reassessed as the memories once more flashed before her eyes but this time not as blatantly. Bringing a hand up to her face, she rubbed her eyes for just a second, trying to see if she could make them go away completely; expectantly, they did but only slightly. "I—I do remember," She brought her hands away from her face and looked towards Sango once more. "I do."

Sango bit her lip, not sure how much she should press the issue and what she was about to say. "Tell me," Her voice was calm and yet shaky all at the same time. "Did you—did you see what happened—."

"Yes." Kagome nodded her head slowly as she pulled her body into a slightly tighter ball. "I saw everything." She closed her eyes, the bile rising in her throat for just a moment before she controlled it. "I felt everything."

"Oh god." Sango lowered herself back onto her bottom.

"What—?" Inuyasha moved forward as he took in their words paranoid and anxious and worried all at the same time. "Sango—what is she talking about?"

"Inuyasha, can miko's," She started to ask, her own jumbled thoughts making her pause to think for just a second. "See your memories?"

"Huh?" The dog demon's eyes widened in surprise. "See memories?" He wondered out loud, searching his mind for any evidence that such a feat was possible. He found no memory of such a thing but in his defense he really didn't know all that much about miko's. He knew more than the average person, that was for sure, but he wasn't an expert by any means. "I have no idea." He told her honestly as his heartbeat started thundering in his chest.

"What's a miko?" Kouga ventured to ask but no one paid him any attention, their minds far too fixated on something much more important at the moment.

Turning towards Inuyasha, her expression both worried and amazed at the same time, Sango opened her mouth to speak. "I think," She shook her head back and forth, almost unable to voice her own thoughts. "Kagome saw mine."

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: Although the history being addressed in these past few chapters is accurate, there are a lot of liberties I am taking. 1782 in European history was a year leading up to a lot of turmoil. The French Revolution is being set into motion for 1789 and the country of Italy is in the process of being unified under the House of Savory. Trying to explain all of these political issues would take more chapters than this book already consist of, so I will be leaving off a lot of the more complicated parts of Gonea and Sardinia's political past and present in order to save time.

Sango Scene: The scenes in this chapter depicted Kagome experiencing Sango's life. She saw: 1. Sango with her father in a fancy nursery room. 2. Sango waiting for her mother to tell her something important i.e. that she was officially engaged. 3. Sango meeting her fiancé for the first time, a demon man who was quite older than her (normal for the time period) 4. Sango's rape, which Kagome experienced firsthand, through a gift that has yet to be explained.

Bonus Point:

Okay, I know it's silly and really easy, but—what color is Ayame's hair? (Bonus Note: My hair is kind of the same color, naturally).

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

In the anime, there is a very poignant scene where Inuyasha attempts to join a ball game the villagers (perhaps noblemen) are playing. They toss the ball aside when they see him and he chasing after it to join the game. Upon turning around however, the villagers leave and call him a 'hanyou' as they depart. This is the first time Inuyasha is ever confronted with the word. His mother, who has been watching calls to him and Inuyasha goes to her. Confused by the new word he asks her what it means—and she cries. This is the first time Inuyasha ever sees her tears…congrats to the winners!

Kovia, andrell, NurNur, 14 inu-kag, scorpioprincess18, ravenraymoon, IkutoTsukiyomi'sGirl, AKEMI SHIKON, kittyzwuvme1234, Team D0bby, beccaosa, Asian Delicacy, avengeme, Cagome, KaUiA, Glon Morski, TaoGrace, AiydanWarrior, RockStarAnimeLover, KuramixMidnight

Translations:

Non ho mai detto che potevano venire. - I never said that they could come.

Ancora una volta Pappa! – Again, Papa!

Essi hanno convenuto – They agreed.

Next Chapter:

Serdenga's Secrets

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

6/26/2013