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?

80. Kyōkan

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).

**Editing in progress, I apologize for any inconvenience.**

Chapter Eighty

Kyōkan

Inuyasha stared at Sango, her words at the forefront of his mind. "Kagome saw her memories?" He gulped not believing what was even being implied was in fact possible. He had never heard of such an amazing thing: a miko who would seamlessly read someone's mind. It seemed wholly make believe, a fairytale that a mother might use to make children tell the truth or obey when they were being impish. "It's impossible," He told himself even as his belief of its impossibility wavered. "Can Kagome really be that—powerful?"

Suddenly, the ship jerked, the movement making all five people in the room seemingly come back to reality. "We're moving?" Miroku stated the obvious as the muffled sound of people yelling commands outside on deck reached all their ears.

The Captain blinked suddenly from the prospect, his mind slowly processing their movement, turning it into something more important. "Myoga." The name dropped from his lips as if it was a brick and not a word.

"De flea?" Kouga questioned, having trouble following the direction of the conversation completely. His English wasn't really that bad and he understood them well enough but the intermixing of words from a language he had never heard before made it very hard to comprehend what was being said.

"He might know." Inuyasha looked directly at Sango and Kagome, both women staring back at him with big wide eyes. "Myoga—he knows a lot about miko's, a lot more than me."

"Really?" Sango whispered hopefully as she touched Kagome's arm.

The girl herself had not said a word as she simply sat frozen on the ground. Thoughts were running about her head, loud and fitful. "Did I—," She hesitated, her eyes staring at the floor beside Sango's knees. "Did I really see her memories—is that even possible?" Her lips trembled from the thought as she mentally ran over what had happened in her head. Every moment of the encounter played back in her mind, taunting and toying with her, the thoughts making her whole body shiver with promise. "Those things that happened to Sango—I wasn't just seeing them; at the end, I wasn't just watching her memories—," Kagome felt her whole body tense, the feeling of that man's hands on her skin still haunting her. "It felt like I was living them—I was living Sango's memories."

"I'm gonna go get Myoga." Inuyasha told them as he started towards the door, his body nearly shaking as his mind was overrun with a thousand thoughts. "Keep an eye on her." He directed the words to Sango who accepted them with a hasty nod. Without another thought, Inuyasha darted from the room, moving as fast as he could to collect the knowledgeable old man.

Sitting silently, Sango stared at Miroku who looked as perplexed as she, his black eyes frozen as on her. The human man thought to ask her a question, to pick her mind of her own memories from the encounter but he couldn't bring himself to say a word. "I just—I wouldn't even know what to say." He told himself as he finally gave in and allowed his feet to give out underneath him, lowering himself gingerly to the floor.

The movement seemed to be a sign for Kouga as well, the confused wolf demon glancing at Sango with some sort of newfound begrudging respect. Maybe it was because she had stood up to him so fiercely or perhaps it was because she had proven herself to be a dominant female in the ships 'pack,' whatever the reason, he directed his question at her and not at Miroku. "What-eh is a miko?"

Sango's eyes darted towards him at the sound of his words, the woman giving him a perplexed look for all of a moment before she responded. "Una strega o sacerdotessa." She spoke to him in Italian, her eyes turning towards Kagome who was still focused on the floor, unmoving and stuck inside her own head. "Kagome è una potente," she explained further, telling Kouga of her underlying potential. "Ma non addestrato," While also explaining that the girl had never properly been trained.

"Capisco." Kouga voiced his understanding and leaned against the wall far calmer now. It amazed him that a girl such as Kagome would be a priestess like the ones of old.

He had always known of their existence, they were a plague among demonity. Demons feared them more than they feared each other, more than they feared mother nature, more than they even feared plagues and wars. Priestesses, witches, female and male humans of extraordinary powers were the bane of most demonic existence for they were the only creatures that could easily kill a demon.

Glancing at Kagome now, Kouga wondered if she could kill him, if she had that power like the priestesses/witches of old. The answer seemed obvious: yes, she did. However, the answer wasn't that simple. The power might lay in Kagome, untrained as Sango had suggested, but it wasn't a power that he could see Kagome using to kill with. He could just tell, Kagome was not the kind of human who would kill simply to kill.

Sitting on the ground, unaware of Kouga's fixation with her, Kagome stared at the floor still in deep dark thought. "I saw what Sango saw." She told herself as her whole body trembled. "I felt what Sango felt, I was inside her head experiencing everything she experienced." She finally closed her eyes against the idea. "But why—why did I see those things and feel those sensations?" She bit her lip hard trying to keep the sound of her own repulsion at bay. She wished she had never experienced such a horrific act of demon violence. It had been horrifying, stressful, and even now was lingering in her mind, a dangerous presence filling up her head. "I'll never be able to unsee those things." She told herself, the truth of her words not even really comprehended even by herself. "So why? Why did I—?" Her eyes opened before either the question could be asked or the answer could be reached, the sound of footsteps running down the hall alerting her to Inuyasha's approach.

All four occupants of the room turned their attention to the doorway as Inuyasha filled it. Underneath his arm, seemingly tucked away, was the old flea demon his large eyes rounded. Eagerly, Inuyasha sat Myoga down shoving him into the room with his foot as he grabbed for the door. It wouldn't do for anyone to overhear the conversation that was about to come. The old demon looked almost traumatized as he stared at the mess of the room, the spot where Kagome had been sick and the girl herself still leaning against the wall catching his stark attention.

"Myoga knew there-e was-u screams." He bit his lip as he stared at the mess. He had heard the commotion quite easily, as had every other demon up above, but they all had ignored it. They were used to such strange sounds upon their ship, sadly. "Inuyasha-sama?" The man turned towards his lord slowly, his larger than normal eyes questioning. "What-o is Myoga doin' here-e?" He asked and glanced towards the two girl's once more. It was obvious that whatever was going on had to involve the two women on the ground, side by side.

"You know a lot about mikos," Sango cut in before Inuyasha could even attempt to explain anything to the old man. "Right Mr. Myoga?"

The flea frowned somewhat and turned to cast a critical eye at Kouga who was now off the wall and looking at him expectantly. Carefully, he glanced towards the dog demon in the room, waiting for permission to speak in front of the despised monarch. Inuyasha nodded his head once sharply, the flea demon taking that as a sign of approval. Licking his hidden lips, he turned towards Sango once more and fidgeted his hands. "Hai." He nodded his head up and down as he spoke, Inuyasha not bothering to correct the slip into Nihon-go.

Interpreting the word correctly, Sango moved away from Kagome only slightly ready to pose the next question. Just as her mouth opened however, Kagome reached forward and placed one of her small hands on Sango's shoulder. The older girl jumped somewhat and whipped her head around to look towards the untrained miko. She half expected to make eye contact instantly with the girl but instead found herself looking at the top of her head. "Are you okay?" Sango's voice was filled with worry as she stared at the girl.

Instantly, Inuyasha moved across the room his heartbeat nearly stopping flat in his chest from the sight. "Koi." The word slipped out, one he had never actually in his life used.

Myoga flinched from the sound, his small body turning towards Inuyasha so quickly that he grew dizzy. "Inuyasha-sama?" He whispered but no one paid him any attention, all of them focused solely on Kagome.

Approaching Kagome slowly, Inuyasha lowered himself to the ground watching as Kagome's hand on Sango's shoulder shook for just a second. Suddenly it stilled, the girl seeming to gain control of herself again. She inhaled once deeply and then twice before raising her head and looking straight at Myoga. Her grey eyes caught the light for just a moment making them appear almost demonic as she stared at the flea. "Can miko's," She asked her voice so quiet in the room that Myoga nearly didn't hear it. "See inside people's heads, Mr. Myoga?"

The flea demon didn't speak for a moment, his mind focused solely on Kagome's eyes. "Utsukushī," He thought unable to deny that she, in that very moment, was by far one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen. "Ano—." He finally frowned as he tried to remember what Kagome had actually said. He had been so focused on her eyes that he had forgotten to listen to her words. Turning towards the Captain looking particularly meek, he tilted his head to the side, "Wakarimasen." He told the man who hastily confirmed.

"Can they read minds, see memories," He offered and Myoga nodded quickly with his what Inuyasha realized was still false understanding. "You know— dokusha o ki ni?" He used the strange phrase meaning 'mind readers,' the word causing complete comprehension to dawn on Myoga's face.

"Yes, yes," The man nodded and turned his gaze towards Kagome. For a long moment he studied her, his expression going from understanding to deep thought. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he nodded his head. "Myoga have-e, heard-o stories," He paused for just a seconds as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Of-fu gifted miko-sama who have-e," He licked his lips slowly with some confusion in his eyes. "Myoga no—um—," He moved two of his six arms carefully in front of him. "Ikutsu ka no miko-sama wa seishin-tekidesu."

"Saikikku?" Inuyasha whispered everyone in the room drawn to his words. "Miko's have psychic powers?" His mouth opened in amazement, he had never thought that a miko would be able to possess such a talent.

"Kagome's psychic?" Miroku's voice was filled with disbelief and wonder. "She can read our minds?"

"It-to is not-u that simple." Myoga spoke slowly as he continued to think, his hands brought up around his body carefully. "Miko-sama not easily-y read-o mind." The flea demon tried to word his sentence as carefully as possible. "Miko-sama—see deep inside, guarded thoughts. She not-to know people-u thought, not like-e Saikikku she know important—feeling-u."

"You mean," Kagome started to put together what Myoga was telling her, her voice tight. "I see—how they feel?"

"Kagome-sama," The old man took a step towards her. "Tell-u Myoga what-to happened?"

"I—Sango was in pain and I—wanted to help her." Kagome brought her hands up around herself subconsciously for comfort. "I told myself, I just wanted share her pain so it wouldn't be—so painful." She shook her head carefully back and forth while biting down on her lip awkwardly. "And then I—I just touched her face." Kagome's voice wavered as the memories started to bombard her once more. "And I saw—everything." She turned towards Sango not wanting to upset the girl but unable to stop herself. "I saw you as a little girl." Her voice cracked for a moment, a little smile building on her face that made Sango feel warm inside. "I saw your mother and father—how happy you were," Her face began to fall as the man's charismatic face seemed to magically form in front of her own. "And I saw him."

Unable to stop herself, Sango gasped and brought a hand up to cover her mouth. Her heart hammered in her chest but she found it wasn't as painful an experience as normal. Typically, when she thought of the man, heard mention of him, or even when she met someone else with the same name, she found herself in instant panic that she couldn't control. Shaking her head, Sango didn't stop to question her strange reaction further. Instead, she moved a little closer to Kagome her expression filled with curiosity. "You saw—what happened?" She asked, her voice small but somehow filled with at least a bit of unnatural strength.

The miko across from her nodded her head and shivered slightly. "The things he did, the things he said," Kagome clutched her hands tightly around her middle as if she needed to feel her own body's reassurance. "I saw—I heard—I was there for," She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "All of it." Her eyes snapped opened and she looked directly at Sango with deep and unrelenting trauma in her eyes that everyone in the room could see. "It was like I went back in time. At first I just watched but then-n-n," She stuttered and her teeth began to shake like she was cold. Once more her eyes closed and she pulled herself a little farther away from everyone. "I felt." She inhaled shakily as tears began to build behind her closed eyes. "I felt everything."

Inuyasha stared at his mate absolutely horrified, his eyes focused on her and her alone. Slowly, he lowered himself to the floor a scant three feet away from her but didn't dare to touch her even as she cried. "Damn it," He thought to himself as he watched her desperately wanting to do anything at all to make her feel better. "There's nothing I can do—shit!"

Still standing in the same place Inuyasha had situated him, Myoga also looked at Kagome. The flea demon's small black eyes however, saw Kagome in a completely different light than the other occupants of the room. "Kyōkan." Myoga whispered, his jaw actually dropping opened in amazement as he stared at the young miko, fixated. In all his life he had never met a miko that actually possessed such an extraordinary ability. They were rare and often they were hunted down and killed because of the danger such a gift possessed for normal demons.

"Kyōkan ka?" Inuyasha mumbled as he turned towards the stunned Myoga. He narrowed his eyes in thought from the sound of it, trying to think of an English equivalent for such a word but coming up empty handed. Finally, Inuyasha shook his head and gave the old man a strange look. "Sono tango wa nani o imi suru nodesu ka?" He asked, Miroku tilting his head to the side as he waved his hand.

"Kagome-sama wa." Myoga explained to the Captain quickly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Kyōkan no okurimono to miko desu."

Miroku frowned from the words, actually understanding a little over seventy percent of them. "She's able to see with—Kyōkan—what's that mean, I never heard such a word?" He wondered just to himself right before the Captain opened his mouth.

"Empathy." The word finally fell from Inuyasha's lips and he raised his head to look at Myoga. "Kagome is a miko with the gift of empathy." He translated Myoga's exact words amazed.

"The gift of empathy?" Kagome asked confused, her whole face contorting as she tried to grasp what he meant.

"Kyōkan," Myoga repeated the word slowly as his eyes shifted to look at everyone in the room.

Quietly, he assessed their different expressions looking for any telltale signs of fear. After all, when you find out someone is a mind reader of a sort, there is typically a logical progression to fear and hatred. For all of a second, his eyes settled on the silent Kouga, watching as the man contemplated everything they were saying. There was something about his silent stance that made the old flea nervous but he pushed the thought aside, trusting that Kouga was not enough of an idiot to even attempt to harm Kagome anywhere near Inuyasha.

Clearing his throat, he moved his eyes towards Kagome fully prepared now to explain the words. "Kagome-sama can look-e into the heart-to of people-u and experience their-i pain."

The young girl nodded her understanding easily. "I kind of already knew that." She told herself as she finally allowed her arms to loosen around her middle. "But I don't have any idea why I can do it." She shook her head and held back the urge to sniffle. "But why, Mr. Myoga?" Kagome frowned darkly, the very idea making her a little sick. She didn't know if she could handle seeing anything like she had experienced ever again. "Why would I—be able to do that," She tilted her head to the side and shook it slowly. "What's the purpose?"

"Myoga—does not-to know." The old flea offered her an apologetic smile and scratched the back of his head. "Miko-sama who have-e kyōkan are rare," He told her while sending her a strange approving glance. "Myoga not-to know how they use it-tu or why-y."

Listening closely, Inuyasha licked his lips before turning his attention away from Kagome and towards the old man. "Could," He hesitated for only a second, his eyes darting towards Kouga who raised an eyebrow from the sight. The dog demon growled low in his throat for a second before going ahead with his question. "Okaa-san," He used the Nihon-go word without thought. "Do it—see with empathy?"

All three humans perked up from the familiar word. They knew by now that 'Okaa-san' was the Nihon-go word for mother, just as 'Otou-san' was the word for father. With this knowledge, they found Inuyasha's question particularly interesting. That is, they all knew the woman had been particularly gifted; meaning, she could see the shards without any aid. A miko with that kind of natural gift had to be able to do something as easy as see with empathy.

Unaware of the meaning of the word, Kouga perked up as well but for fully different reasons. "Meticcio?" He growled slightly as he took a step away from the wall to catch the other male's attention.

Irritated and anxious, Inuyasha turned and raised an eyebrow as he looked at the other demon. "What now?"

"Dis word—Ocaa-san-eh," He butchered horribly, his face contorting in such a way that made him look as if he was about to sneeze. "What-a does-eh mean?"

Inuyasha hesitated for a second not sure if he wanted the other demon to know the meaning behind such a word. It might sound strange but Inuyasha felt the need to protect that word as if revealing it would tarnish it in some way. In the end though, he found it easier to simply admit the truth than to deal with Kouga throwing a hissy fit. "Mother."

Much to Inuyasha's surprise, Kouga didn't make a joke or an improper comment. The wolf demon didn't even smirk or laugh, he simply puckered his lips thoughtfully. "Meticcio's mamma was a," He inhaled as he tried to sort out his thoughts, a look of disbelief starting to form on his face. "Sacerdotessa?"

"Yes." Myoga was the one who supplied the answer this time much to Inuyasha and Kouga's surprise. "Izayoi-sama was-u buery gifted." He explained his voice soft and respectful. "Demo," He looked down at the ground while placing his hands behind his back carefully. "She did not-to have-e kyōkan."

Kagome felt her chest deflate just a little. She had really been hoping that the woman had shared her gift in some way shape or form. "At least if she did—I wouldn't feel so alone." Something about Kagome's own thoughts made the girl freeze, her eyes widening as a small voice in the back of her head chuckled strangely.

"Alone."

It seemed to say to her and she frowned darkly as she tried to understand what the voice meant. "Alone—." She whispered, her words catching everyone off guard. There was something about them, perhaps the breathy way Kagome had said them, that made everyone in the room feel their importance instantly.

"What are you—?" Sango reached for her and touched her arm, the contact making both girl's jump as a bit of left over static seemed to crackle in the air. "Ow."

"Sorry." Kagome immediately apologized as she reached for Sango's hand, no static sparking this time. As she touched Sango's wrist however, she was greeted with the odd sensation of her stomach dropping to her knees. "You were alone." She whispered cryptically as the four men in the room looked back and forth at each other in worry.

"What are you talking about Kagome?" Inuyasha asked as he sent Myoga an anxious look asking the man for guidance but Myoga could offer none.

"Sango was all alone," Kagome continued speaking, her voice sounding deeper and far wiser than it should have for one her age. "No one understood what happened to you—you were alone."

The other woman looked at her with wide eyes, a fear seeming to build behind them that couldn't even begin to be explained.

"That's such a horrible thing we never think about, isn't it?" Kagome contemplated softly as her eyes grew a more vivid grey. "It's scary to be alone, it's hard to be alone—," She giggled slightly before speaking again. "It's lonely." She smiled but the look didn't last long. Her hand suddenly dropped from Sango's own and she closed her eyes. "None of us really ever want to be alone and yet because of our differences we feel we always are." She opened her eyes, the grey orbs swirling fitfully. "Whether its blood," She looked directly at Inuyasha, the dog demon feeling nervous under her gaze. "Our station in society," She looked from Myoga the servant, to Kouga the king both men squirming under her gaze. "Our parentage," She looked at the orphan Miroku who had never known his father and watched his mother die, "Or—," She finally turned towards Sango, the other woman looking at her horrified. "A horrible event that changes us; we always feel alone—as if the rest of the world could never understand us."

Kagome lowered her gaze away from all of them, bringing her hands into her lap. Her heart beat quickly in her chest as she stared at her hands, watching her tan skin carefully for several moments. After what seemed like an eternity, she inhaled sharply and closed her eyes against the sights of reality. In her mind's eye, she saw the man above her once more and she heard his grunting and smelt his horrid breath. It all seemed so real to her, so real in fact that she could assume she had in fact lived through the experience and that was a gift.

"To see with empathy," Kagome began once more, her eyes still closed tightly. "Is to tell someone," She opened her eyes slowly and lifted her head to look at the other occupants of the room. "They're not alone."

The realization hung in the air loudly, a feeling of solidarity running throughout the room that was hard to explain to someone who hadn't been there. It was as if, in that moment, everyone in that room felt connected somehow to the woman on the ground. They felt understood by her and known by her. They felt comfortable with her and had a strange need to tell her everything and anything about themselves jerked awake in their stomachs.

For Inuyasha, this feeling was especially strong as he realized for the first time why he had so easily been able to tell Kagome anything from the moment he met her. "I always known." He told himself as memories of their time together began to manifest within his head. He could still remember when he had told her of his age, of his heritage, of his mother and father, all those secrets that had spilled from him so easily. "I just knew naturally that Kagome—would just listen and I wanted her to." He felt a lump form in his throat. "I knew she wouldn't care or judge—she'd see with empathy."

Maybe it was instinctual but it was truth, Inuyasha had always known of Kagome's gift and he found, out of all her gifts, it was the one he must thankful for. For Inuyasha too, did not want to feel alone.

Sitting across from Kagome, Sango stared into the younger girl's eyes watching the woman carefully as her words repeated in her head. "They're not alone." Her lower lip trembled and she fought the urge to whimper. "They're not alone." She heard the words again and had to close her eyes against their meaning. "I'm not alone."

Turning towards Sango, not actually aware of her thoughts but somehow sensing what the other girl was feeling, Kagome smiled. "By experiencing your pain, Sango." Kagome began to speak slowly, waiting for the other girl to lift her head and look at her.

Drawn to Kagome's voice, the other occupants in the room gasped as they took in Kagome's features. In that moment, the girl didn't look eighteen or even twenty, she looked far older than the oldest demon in the room. Her whole expression was wise and knowledged in such a way that even Myoga couldn't hope to know the things she knew. It was an extraordinary sight that made everyone's thoughts come to a screeching halt as they waited for the wise woman to speak.

"I was able to fully understand you." Kagome continued on as she gazed at Sango with such love and understanding that the other girl's eyes filled with tears. "And truly was able to know you."

"Kagome?" The girl shook her head, her voice coming across as begging, begging the girl not to continue. "I can't—I can't take—."

"I know you Sango." Kagome continued anyway, unhindered by the other girl's voice. "I understand."

The other girl shook her head as if trying to tell Kagome such a thing was impossible. It was all too hard to believe. "It's impossible." Sango told herself as she watched Kagome's grey eyes become lighter and lighter as if seeing the word clearer and clearer. "Is it impossible?"

"I've felt what you felt." Kagome told her not bothering to explain the truth behind her words; she knew she didn't need to. "Sango," She paused as the other girl bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to overflow. "You're not alone."

Sango sobbed and all the men in the room (including Kouga) felt the urge to run to her and prevent her pain. "How can you," Sango tried to argue unable to fathom how any of this was possible. "You can't just—."

"But I can." Kagome adamantly denied her and reached forward, touching the other girl's chin. "Believe me Sango," She told her as she forced Sango to look right at her. "He can't hide in your head anymore."

Sango opened her mouth to protest once again but Kagome sent her a smile that made all thoughts of protest leave Sango's head.

"I've seen the real him Sango," She spoke firmly, staring straight into the other girl's eyes. "I've seen the man without his mask." She used Sango's very words, the girl gulping from their sound. "His ugliness, his foul breath and putrid cologne."

Sango's whole expression dropped into surprise. She had never told anyone about his cologne before and yet Kagome knew of it. Maybe it was the evidence she needed but for whatever reason Sango finally allowed her guard to drop and started to believing what Kagome was saying.

"I've seen it all," Kagome continued on as she allowed her fingers to drop from Sango's chin, "You're not alone in that anymore."

A feeling of great affinity built inside Sango's body. Long ago she had accepted what had happened to her, which had actually been pretty easy to do. Not long after that, she had accepted that it was not her fault in anyway shape or form, which had been harder. And then, with Miroku's help, she had even accepted the fact that she could be loved despite her tragedy. Still, even after all that progress and acceptance, the pain had still remained. It was a vast feeling of loneness and helplessness that had still wormed its way into her heart. She had still felt alone.

"But now," Sango thought and Kagome began to smile as if the girl knew what Sango was thinking. "For the first time," The tears of happiness welled in her eyes as last bits of anger, resentment, and hate began to fall away from her heart. "I feel," Looking into those strangely wise, ancient eyes, she saw herself. "Like I'm not alone," She reached for the other girl, wrapping her arms around her middle as tears of camaraderie and happiness washed her cheeks. "I'm not alone."

-break-

An hour later, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kouga found themselves sitting in the Captain's cabin once more with wine in hand and a chart between the three. They were silent as they stared at the chart all of their minds on the two women they had left sometime earlier. After cleaning up the room and fixing the slightly damaged door, the three men had left the girls curled up together on Miroku and Sango's bed. After an emotional episode such as that one both women had been exhausted (and the men for that matter). A break was desperately needed but there was no time really for one now, at least not time for everyone to have one.

"At least they can rest." Inuyasha told himself silently as he looked over their charted course absently. "But really," He took a sip of his wine enjoying the fruity taste. "To believe the things Kagome can do." He leaned back farther in the chair taking his eyes off the chart to look at the ceiling. "She's amazing."

Across from him, Kouga found himself bombarded with similar thoughts, although his at the moment were focused on something far more material and less abstract. "Meticcio," Kouga's quiet and almost neutral voice taunted the dog demon. "I've gather-eh tat de girl, Sango—," He said her name, his strange respect for her budding even further now. "Something—most orribile, 'appened to 'er?"

Inuyasha glanced at Miroku who was also sitting so deep in thought that he didn't hear the question. Unable to gage if the man thought telling Kouga was appropriate or not, Inuyasha made the decision himself, deciding that after the episode in the other room, there really was no harm done. "Sango—was, um," He attempted to word his sentence delicately. After all, subjects such as this had to be handled delicately. "Raped."

Kouga's ears twitched on his head as he took in the words. "De poor woman." He spoke his words neither sarcastic or truly pained, just neutral. "Men who-eh rape-e our women," He continued on and leaned back in his chair. "Deserve-eh de worst possible form of hell."

The dog demon felt the urge to agree with the man but before he could Miroku finally spoke.

"With any luck he's already there." The young human man growled, his hands shaking slightly in front of him.

"Yes." Kouga agreed as he studied the other man carefully for a second. He thought to ask why Miroku had taken the girl as his mate even after everything that had happened to her but in the end decided against it. The reason was obvious anyways, Miroku loved the girl and that was all that mattered. "Tell me," Kouga prodded Miroku although not about his earlier thoughts. "Dis man—de bastard, what-eh do you know of 'im?" He posed the question, watching carefully as Miroku sent him a strange look. "I mean—where was-eh 'e from?"

"Serdenga." Miroku crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "I figured that was obvious."

Kouga snorted and sent Miroku an impatient glare. "Insolente cucciolo."

Inuyasha snorted at the use of the word 'pup' knowing that Miroku would have been none too pleased to be called such a thing by a man like Kouga. "Seriously," Inuyasha entered the conversation, his entertainment from the word only lasting a few seconds. "What do you know about this man, what'd Sango tell you?" He asked, feeling pretty curious himself.

Miroku shrugged in response and reached for his glass of wine on the table. "He wasn't a king or anything," He told the other two men as he brought the glass to his lips and sipped. "But he was the viceroy." He exhaled slowly and brought the glass of wine to his knee. "He might still be."

"Did she-eh tell you 'is name-e?" Kouga pressed even further, his adamant nature making Miroku narrow his eyes.

"Why do you wanna know?" He asked defensively, sitting the wine glass back down on the table with a faint thud.

"I might-eh know him."

Miroku's eyes opened wide from the very thought but it made sense that Kouga would know such things. Serdenga was his worst enemy, so he had to be well informed about their movements, their government, and their leaders. Without that information he would leave himself opened for attacks and problems that a man such as himself would not be stupid enough to leave unchecked. Still, that didn't help one fact: "She never told me."

"Hm," Kouga released the sound through his nose and crossed his arms over his chest after depositing his own wine glass on the table. "When-eh did it 'appen?"

"What?"

"When?" Kouga spoke more firmly as he sent the boy an impatient glare. "If-eh I know when, I can-e tell you 'is name."

"Really?" Miroku's voice was skeptical but intrigued all at the same time.

"Yes."

"It would have been five years ago," Inuyasha supplied as he counted back in his head how long Sango had been on the ship. "Around 1777."

"Francesco," Kouga spoke the name without thought, he didn't need to. "Francesco Costa."

"You knew him?"

"I knew-eh of 'im." Kouga shook his head, a look of actual malice crossing his features. "Costa was a—most awful man." He licked his lips absently. "If-eh de rumors were true, tat is."

"What do you mean was?" Miroku asked, catching on to Kouga's careful wording.

"De man, tat bella's rapist." He spat out the word, his eyes narrowing. In demon culture rapist were the lowest forms of human life. Demons viewed the act as the desecration of something completely innocent and the destruction of someone who deserves nothing but respect. For a man to rape a woman was the equivalent of spitting on her whole family. "Is dead."

-break-

Kagome laid on the bed next to Sango, her eyes opening as if something out of the ordinary had snapped her back into wakefulness. She wasn't completely sure what could have awakened her but she had a pretty firm guess. Sitting up, she adjusted her clothes absently and looked around the room. The men had long since gone, leaving the two women to rest before the events of the next day. It was a kind gesture that Kagome was sure she hadn't needed; Sango however, had needed it greatly.

Turning her attention to the other woman on the bed, Kagome frowned softly. Sango was lying on her side, curled into herself like a helpless child. It was a look Kagome found both heartbreaking and unnatural. "You're supposed to be the strong one." Kagome spoke quietly in the room not wanting to wake the tired girl. "It seems—so strange for you not to be."

Sango winced in her sleep as if acknowledging what Kagome had said. After several seconds she finally calmed once more and sighed just loud enough to be heard.

"Sleep well Sango." Kagome told her softly and turned her attention away from the other girl to look out at the room once more. "It's almost awkward." She thought to herself as she imagined the hundreds of times she had been in this room with Sango. "All those times, Sango was comforting me—listening to me." She frowned and brought her knees up into her chest. "And I wasn't even thinking about the pain she kept hidden inside." She shook her head and buried her face into her upturned knees. "I was selfish and blind, I couldn't even see her." The girl closed her eyes against the fabric of her knees and inhaled slowly.

She sighed from her own blindness and pulled her eyes away from her knees. The sunshine coming through the window over took her for just a moment and she winced from surprise. After several seconds her eyes adjusted to the light and she blinked allowing herself to see Sango and Miroku's room; a room she knew all too well. She knew every corner (she had practically lived in this room in the beginning): she knew all the books both in cases and under the bed, the weapons, the exotic decorations from mainly the Americas, she knew of the clothes hidden in the old wardrobe and in Miroku's trunk. She knew this room but she hadn't known the person in it.

Suddenly, something on the corner of the bed caught Kagome's eye making her blink. "Sango's book." She whispered to herself and reached for the old tome. "Paradiso perduto," She read the old title out loud absently, recognizing the book with ease. "Paradise Lost, Milton." She turned the book over in her hand and looked at the back. "Strange for it to be in Latin," She shrugged to herself as she began to thumb through the text, which had originally been written in English. How Sango had found a Latin translation she wasn't entirely sure but, considering Sango was Italian, it made perfect sense for her to read it in a language closer to her own. "I wonder if she reads English well—if at all?"

Kagome turned the book over in her hands several times before deciding to open it to the crumbled page Sango had been reading earlier. Gingerly, she smoothed out the pages, her eyes almost absently wondering over the Latin words. Her mind translated easily as her eyes swept over the pages of epic poetry, reading sentences here and there without truly retaining them. It was when she arrived at book four that Kagome's eyes suddenly stopped and her mind took in a particular sentence in full.

"Never can true reconcilement grow," Kagome's mind translated each word automatically, the benefits of her education showing. "Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep—."

"Hate begets hate."

The voice boomed in Kagome's head and the girl felt a lump form in her throat within seconds. "Hate begets hate." She whispered, Milton's words seeming to trace themselves in her mind. "Never can true reconcilement grow, where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep."

"Her hate begets more hate."

"Sango's—hate?" Before Kagome could stop herself, the book slipped through her fingers falling off the bed and clattering on the ground. Needless to say the sound awoke the fragile Sango instantly, making the girl practically jump upright in the bed.

"Who's there?" Sango growled, her voice strong and resilient as it ever was.

"Sorry." Kagome quickly apologized as she grabbed for the book on the floor and turned back to Sango. "The book fell, that's all," She ignored the other part of the strange incident, the almost premeditated words of Milton rattling her to her core. "You can go back to sleep."

It took Sango only a few scant minutes to realize that it had been Kagome who had awakened her. Reaching up and rubbing at her eyes tiredly, she shook her head at the girl and sighed. "It's okay." She told her and pulled her hands away with a sigh. "No harm done."

Kagome smiled softly and nodded at the girl as she placed the offending book in her lap. "Go back to sleep." She told her gently once more as she arranged her feet underneath herself. "We have a long day tomorrow," She tried to keep her voice even as the words of Paradise Lost teased her mind. "And you're gonna need it."

"I could say the same to you." Sango smirked, a bit of her old self coming out that made Kagome's heart feel just a little lighter.

"I know." She agreed and moved to cross her legs on the bed so as to be more comfortable. "I don't know if I'll be needed but I should be ready, shouldn't I?"

Sango snorted and held back a yawn at the same time. "Of course you'll be needed." She told Kagome as she leaned back on the pillows a little more comfortably. "We're gonna be sneaking into some dock with thousands of people waiting to kill us." It was safe to admit Sango was exaggerating some, but only some. "We'll need all your gifts."

Kagome frowned and before she could stop herself spoke, "Yes—gifts." The words hung in the air, Sango not having to ask to know which gift in particular Kagome was speaking of.

"Empathy." She spoke the word and fidgeted slightly from her spot on the bed. Several minutes passed in which neither girl could think of a single word to say. Finally, after who knew how much time had passed, Sango inhaled deeply and looked Kagome right in the eye. "I want to know," She spoke firmly, waiting for Kagome to look right at her before she continued on. "What all did you see?"

"You were a cute little girl." She told her even though she knew that not only had she told Sango that already but also that was not what Sango was asking.

Sango laughed slightly and looked down at the bedspread. "Thank you." She managed to say but the words sounded like propriety and not honesty.

Knowing this, Kagome brought a hand away from the book and touched her forehead, rubbing. "I saw—," She continued slowly much to Sango's pleasure. "Your father, your mother, you," She looked up at Sango with pained filled eyes that silently begged for interruption; it never came. "It seemed like all of you were happy."

"Yeah." Sango agreed, her face growing almost thoughtful as she brought a hand down to rub against the blankets. "You know—I have five brothers too."

Kagome blinked in surprise never having realized that Sango in fact had siblings. "They weren't part of what I saw—I guess they weren't involved."

"Four older and one younger." Sango continued on as she allowed her fingers to muse against the sheets. "And even with all of them constantly playing and fighting and learning instruments or fancy foreign languages," She shook her head and looked towards Kagome. "I was happy in my place, not like you."

Kagome didn't dare say a word as she watched Sango silently.

"You were never happy, were you?" It came out as a question but Kagome knew better than to answer. "I was," She continued on, her voice taking just a minute to crack before she regained full control. "I thought I was so lucky." She spat out the words and grabbed for the bedspread with tight unrelenting fingers. "We were engaged when I was twelve, you know—my father loved him." Her lower lip trembled, not from sadness or tears but from anger and resentment. "That man he loved so much," She looked right at Kagome her eyes burning with untold anger. "Raped me the first time when I was thirteen."

If Kagome hadn't already knew these things, she would have been sick. In fact, sitting there quietly listening to Sango's story, she did feel sick because she had experienced that rape firsthand just as Sango had seven years prior. She just see him in her mind's eye with his charismatic smile and his dark navy eyes, proper and promising. It made her feel dirty.

"Once a month—for two years," Sango continued on, pulling her eyes away from Kagome to look at something else that wasn't there. "My mother made me visit him, she would go see relatives nearby and leave me there with him." She stopped speaking for a moment, a spark of bitterness towards her mother giving her pause. "So as—," She inhaled sharply before forcing the words out. "To get to know him better."

The other girl frowned, her heart twisting in her chest as she thought of those words. "Sango really did get to know him, the real him." She told herself and closed her eyes against the feeling building in her chest. It was almost like she felt what Sango felt at any given moment or, that is, Sango's feelings were becoming her own with every moment.

"Hate begets hate."

Her eyes snapped opened as the words repeated themselves within her. "Her hate—makes me hate." She realized instantly as she brought a hand up to her chest. Much to her surprise, the Shikon no Tama underneath her clothes brushed against her fingers. Instantly, she felt everything about her grow hotter and hotter, angrier and angrier, her whole soul filling with the emotion. "I hate him." She told herself as she closed her eyes, images of Sango's father forming in her head. "I hate her." She referred to Sango's mother as she saw the woman's identical smile float in her head. "And I despise him." The thought consumed her as she saw the bastard's face.

Kagome felt the darkness of those feelings wash over her, taunting her loudly in the most unpleasant of ways. A small part of her though, wanted to let them, wanted them to consume. She wanted to hate that man, she wanted to despise him, to kill him over and over again in her head. She wanted him to die in the most horrible ways she could imagine. In fact, she got a sick kind of pleasure out of watching him drown, his neck snap as he was hanged, or his face melt in infernal fire. She really, wanted to see him die.

"Stop it!" She yelled at herself not allowing herself to fall into the trap her mind was presenting her. "He may be a horrible, horrible person but—," She closed her eyes as she tried to control herself. "I can't let that dictate who I am." Kagome breathed in deeply and opened her eyes. "I'm a better person than him, he doesn't deserve even my hate." Her whole body seemed to snap back to itself and she shuddered as feelings she barely understood racked through her.

Without her consent, her hand seemed to be ripped from the jewel and Kagome found her thoughts ebbing almost instantly. Relaxing her entire body, Kagome tired her best to let her feelings go and control them. Deep down she knew this was for the best. After all, hate begets hate and people with hate in their hearts tended to be blinded by it. Looking at Sango now Kagome knew if she allowed herself to be blinded by that hate, she would never be able to help Sango. Her biases wouldn't allow her to help the other girl. In much the same way she had with Kouga, Kagome allowed her emotions to ebb away like a midnight tide and instead focused not on anger but understanding; understanding of Sango.

"It must have made you feel," Kagome began to speak, watching as Sango turned towards her slowly. "Abandoned," She spoke from the depths of her heart. "And—betrayed, every time your mother left you with him."

Sango opened her mouth to deny Kagome's words but found she couldn't. That is, she knew Kagome's words were true and she knew out of all the people on this ship Kagome was the only one who could speak truth on the matter. Pulling her eyes away from the other girl, Sango sighed heavily. "I blamed her." She admitted as she looked towards the slightly opened window. "I blamed her for a long time—how could she just leave me—why didn't she notice?" Sango shook her head frantically as she watched the little white curtains dance with the breeze. "I tried to tell her, over and over and she never heard me!" She whipped her head around towards Kagome instantly and glared at the girl. "Why didn't that bitch hear me?"

Kagome maintained a completely neutral face as she listened to Sango's voice break from her pain. "I know—you want answers." Kagome spoke quietly even as her own mind asked Sango's question over and over again. "But, there's really no telling why." She tried to speak as logically as possible but it was becoming harder with each breath, her own experience making her rail against the woman as well.

"I know why," Sango tisked and crossed her arms over her chest cynically. "Because in the end, your daughter's life really doesn't matter, does it?" It wasn't a question Kagome would ever allow herself to answer. "Daughters—they're for auction, they're property and that's their lot in life." Her voice became surprisingly calm as she shook her head and looked back at Kagome. "I guess like you—I finally refused to be that girl."

"What?" Kagome asked only slightly confused.

"You ran away," Sango informed Kagome with a shrug. "You basically said to your mother that you wanted freedom and you took it."

Kagome nodded as she thought of her mother back in France. The woman, in the end, had been glad to give Kagome her 'freedom,' the young girl only wished it would have been a realization that came much earlier.

"I did the same thing," Sango continued on unaware of Kagome's thoughts. "On the day of my wedding, something inside me snapped." She laughed lightly to herself and tilted her head back as if allowing unknown sun to wash over her face. "The blue dress he had made especially for me—I was wearing it in the garden, contemplating throwing myself into the fountain," Her voice was so monotone that it actually made Kagome feel uncomfortable. "He—I don't know—scented me out." She paused for just a second and tilted her chin back down. "I was standing there, preparing to drown myself and he can up behind me," She hesitated for a second as her eyes grew darker and her jaw grew firmer. "And laughed."

"How could he do something so cruel?" Kagome spoke the words without thought, her eyes widening from the revelation. As much as she told herself the man didn't deserve her hate, she couldn't help but allow herself to feel the emotion just a little bit.

"He told me I would always be his, even in death." Sango continued on as if she hadn't heard what Kagome had said. "At that moment, all the hatred in my heart burst and I turned around and slapped him clean across the face." She laughed openly, the memory apparently a pleasant one amongst a sea of horror. "His eyes actually turned red and before I knew it he had me on the ground, punches to my face and kicks to my ribs." She shook her head, the pain of it all crossing only Kagome's mind and not her own. "I don't know how long it was until mamma showed up, she stopped him and he—," She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "He told her: she's not a virgin."

The memory of the demon's threat loomed in Kagome's head. To use such a threat was not only sadistic but unnerving. "He knew it would destroy her in every way," Kagome shook her head and tensed her own jaw. "And he still did it with no remorse at all."

"Mother believed him," Sango opened her eyes slowly, the brown color of her irises seeming dull. "She was humiliated that her only daughter had committed adultery." She clutched her hands tightly at her sides and resisted the urge to punch something. "I tried to tell her, to explain but—she turned her back on me."

Kagome licked her lips not wanting to interfere with the story but needing to know its conclusion. "What did you do?"

"I left and I never looked back, I had no other choice." Sango turned towards her, her eyes so honest that they made Kagome tremble. "The Captain and Miroku found me days later in a little tavern a few town's over." She shrugged and a little smile began to form on her face as she recalled the incident. "If it wasn't for them I don't know what would have become of me." Inhaling deeply, she tilted her head up using gravity to stop her tears. "I hate him—from the bottom of my heart," She shook her head hastily. "No—my soul, I hate that man."

"Never can true reconcilement grow," The words once more jumped into Kagome's head, the book still in her lap seeming to burn her flesh. "Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep—." For a moment, Kagome contemplated what the sentence meant, her mind fixated on one word and one word alone: reconcilement. "It's not that Sango should reconcile with him." She told herself first and foremost. "It's that she needs to reconcile with herself." She pursed her lips thoughtful allowing Milton's old words to guide her now. "Just as I needed to reconcile with myself—I needed to realize that my hate does nothing but produce more." Kagome brought a hand up to touch her lips. "Its worthless, like a British Pound in the middle of the Congo."

Still, despite Kagome's epiphany one problem remained: how to convince Sango of such things. Even though Kagome had experienced Sango's pain first hand there was still a difference in their perceptions of the events. For one, Sango had truly lived them and for another Kagome saw the world differently.

"I was born to see this way, to understand, to empathize, to see the world with eyes unclouded by hate." Kagome looked directly at the other girl. "But how do I teach someone else to do the same?" The young miko sighed knowing there was no perfect answer. "I don't blame you for hating him." She finally told Sango, realizing that her words were the truth, she would never blame Sango for her feelings, after all, she had them too.

"The bastard stole everything from me," Sango told Kagome as she resisted the urge to spit, her hands trembling in front of her. "Everything!"

Kagome bit her lip, understanding exactly where Sango was coming from but seeing in a way Sango could not. "Sango," She began slowly, already knowing that her words were not going to go over well. "That man deserves everything he will ever get in life." She told her adamantly, stressing each word as much as possible. "But he doesn't deserve the right to shape yours."

All of the anger in Sango's body seemed to drain from her as confusion took over. "What do you mean?" She asked, her eyes narrowed and her expression one of disbelief.

"Don't let him dictate how you think." Kagome continued on as she let her fingers run over the old binding of the book. "You can let your hate for him rule you until it takes over your every thought," She explained waiting for Sango to explode. "Or you can—reconcile with it, let it go, free yourself from it."

The room was quiet for several minutes as Sango stared at Kagome as if the girl had grown another head. Finally, she began to shake her head back and forth, her jaw dropping as she did so. Kagome closed her eyes against the sight, bracing herself for what she knew was going to be deadly. "How," Sango bit out the word, pushing herself off the bed. "Do you expect me," She pointed at Kagome as she spoke, her finger jabbing with every word. "To just let shit like that go!"

Kagome flinched from the words and found herself asking the very same question. "How do you just let that go—why would you?" She asked herself even though she really already knew the answer; Milton had made it pretty clear. "Because—in the end—you'll always be his, just as he said." She interrupted the sentence as she saw fit: without true reconciliation, hate will only consume and if it does, hate wins.

"That fucking bastard can't touch me here!" Sango cursed, the sound of each word making Kagome's eyes widen in surprise. She had heard Sango cuss but never that much in one sentence.

"Sango," Kagome tried again as she looked at the other girl desperate to get through to her. "Because of this hate—he's controlling you even now. He said he'd always own you and he's right." She pleaded with the other girl, wanting her to listen even though she wasn't sure she wanted to listen herself. "Until you realize he's not worth even one moment of precious thought," She paused for just a second to catch her breath before continuing. "He will own you."

"So," Sango growled sarcastically and crossed her arms over her chest as she paced the room. "I should just let it go." She sent Kagome the most sardonic smile she could muster. "I should just fucking pretend it never happened?" She growled low in her throat as she practically spat in Kagome's direction. "I should just walk around pretending he never once threw me down and—."

"Enough!" Kagome finally broke through, her voice actually making Sango's whole face contort with surprise. "That's not what I meant." She explained hastily trying to use her time as wisely as possible. "I just think, you should look at this from a different perspective."

"There's a different one?" Sango growled but Kagome choose to ignore her.

"Instead of focusing on the shit he did," The curse was so loud and threatening that it made Sango's mouth drop open with surprise. "Think of what it caused." Kagome paused to see if Sango had anything to say but the other girl was so stunned she found herself unable to speak. Realizing she now had Sango's full attention, Kagome motioned to the room around them calmly. "Look where you are," Her voice was gentle now and full of sweet caring. "Think of the happiness you have now."

Sango's whole face fell as she looked at the other girl, her mind slowly processing what Kagome was saying.

"The Shikuro," Kagome continued on carefully as she glanced at the beautiful room around her, Sango's room. "The Captain," Her voice grew fond as she thought of the man who had saved so many: Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and herself. "This whole life. This happiness," She looked towards the girl thoughtfully. "You would have never known it; just as I wouldn't have, if I hadn't run away."

"Kagome—." Sango's voice was small, like a child's that had just been reprimanded.

Kagome's lips trembled as she spoke. "And believe me, that man—," She closed her eyes, allowing the hatred in her heart to hastily rush through her, embracing it before she let it go. "Is a—," She paused for a second reaching for the right word. "He's an asshole, the worst kind of asshole." She spoke from pure experience and Sango knew that, "And I honestly hope he lives a miserable life." The words were loud in Sango's head, mainly because she never imagined that a girl like Kagome would have spoken them. "But hating him, being angry, will do nothing but make you hate more and become angrier." She bit out each word purposefully, wanting Sango to hear them all. "It'll take over your whole life, until it's all you are." The grey eyed girl looked directly at Sango hoping her point was finally coming across. "And if that happens, then he's succeeded in truly possessing you, owning you." She tried to do her best to look into Sango's very soul in that moment. "And you will never be free—never."

Unable to stay standing, Sango finally allowed herself to lower back down onto the bed carefully. Kagome's words were reverberating within her loudly, telling her their importance even as she wished to deny them. "It's true though, isn't it?" She acknowledged the thoughts coming from some place deep inside of herself. "He may not have my body—but he does have my mind." She hated herself for admitting it but knew she couldn't hesitate in doing so. "I hate," Sango stopped herself as she looked towards Kagome. "I don't like," She reworded expertly as she studied the other girl's patient face. "That you're right."

"Neither do I." Kagome agreed with perfect honesty lacing her voice. "I think—it'd be a lot easier just to hate him." She explained softly as she shifted on the bed. "Hate seems to be an easy emotion to use."

Sango blinked from the words, surprised by them and their intent. "I never thought of that." She shook her head and pushed the thoughts aside for now. "It doesn't matter though, that bastard isn't worth my time."

"He's not." Kagome readily agreed and nodded her head sharply. "He's not worth another thought."

Sango bit her lip before she could say another word to the other girl. While she agreed that the man wasn't worth another thought, a small part of her still wanted to face him. She wanted to rub it in his face that he hadn't owned her, that she had become happy and successful, and loved despite everything he had ever done to stop her from accomplishing such goals. "I still wish," Sango finally spoke as she placed her hands in her lap. "I could see him one more time—to rub my life in his face."

Kagome looked at the other girl thoughtfully before her eyes lit up with thought. "Maybe you can."

-break-

"What?" Both Inuyasha and Miroku's eyes grew huge, the two speaking in perfect unison their horror. It seemed downright unbelievable that a man they had both wished dead for years would, in fact, be dead.

"He's dead?" Miroku nearly jumped out of his chair, his eyes bugging out of his head from utter shock. "Can it really be possible?" He asked himself even as his heart pounded in his chest from the sheer possibility of its truth. "Please say it's possible."

"How long?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he absently reached for his son, pulling him back down into his chair.

"'e died," Kouga thought for a second, mentally calculating how long it had actually been since the man had been the viceroy of Serdenga. "Five year-eh ago."

Miroku instantly looked at his father, both men knowing that the notated five years could not be a coincidence. It had been nearly to the date five years since they had first encountered Sango in a lowly tavern. If the man had been dead five years, that could only mean one thing: he died almost immediately after Sango left or perhaps, while she left. "Could she have—," Miroku stopped the thought before it could really take hold of him. "I could see her doing it now but then, she was so broken, there's no way."

Inuyasha watched the emotions play across Miroku's face, realizing that the boy had come to much the same conclusion as himself. "Sango probably didn't kill him but it's no coincidence that he died around the time she left." Turning back towards the wolf leader, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in contemplation before posing a further question. "How did he die?"

Kouga made a show of licking his lips before clicking his tongue once. "De rumor was," He began and leaned back in his chair while crossing his arms over his chest. It almost seemed as if his every move was being done for dramatic effect. "'e was murdered."

Miroku felt his breath catch in his throat and a happy feeling bubble in his chest. "Do you know this for sure?" He pressed wanting to confirm that the bastard had in fact received exactly what he had deserved.

"I know 'e is dead." Kouga shrugged as he spoke all the while nodding his head as if to confirm. "But de murder was-eh rumor—probably-y true."

Finding the whole conversation oddly suspicious, Inuyasha leaned forward sending Kouga a look that seemed to say 'don't mess with me.' "Were there people," He began to ask, glancing sideways at the anxious Miroku. "Who wanted him dead?"

Kouga snorted as if amused and reached for his wine. "Tat is, 'ow you say," He swirled the wine in his glass for a second as he thought. "Puttin' it mildly-y?" Kouga chuckled at his own words before his eyes narrowed darkly. "Dis man—was-eh 'ated by most umano."

"What for?" Miroku frowned darkly, although he didn't understand Italian he knew the word for 'human' when he heard it. Crossing his arms over his chest, he narrowed his eyes at the king and waited patiently for the explanation.

"'e 'ad a nasty 'abit." Kouga's voice took a dark turn and he frowned as he looked into his glass. "More dan once," He glanced over the rim of the glass to look straight at Miroku. "'e was-eh accused of rape by de umano servo 'e employed."

The room went near silent as the words penetrated both Miroku and Inuyasha's psyche's.

Kouga shrugged and clicked his tongue thoughtfully. "No one tought much-eh of de accusa and it went ignored."

"Why?" Miroku bit out the words, realizing that if these accusations wouldn't have been ignored then his wife might not have suffered the pain of experiencing their realities for herself.

"Because—," Kouga spoke nonchalantly, unaffected by his own words. "Dey were only-y umano."

It was Miroku who, for the first time, saw red and not his father. "My wife was one of those humans!" He stood from the chair so fast that it clattered to the ground as he practically jumped across the table. "You knew that asshole was a known rapist and you said nothing!" He spoke irrationally, his love for his wife and his wish to protect her fueling his sporadic thoughts and actions. "You could have saved her if you would have just opened your mouth."

Kouga jumped up seconds before Miroku could actually grab him, his demon reflexes allowing him not to spill his wine. "Get your-eh cucciolo," He snarled at Inuyasha as he looked down at the 'pup' with disgust. "Under control-a or I'll do it per you!"

"Touch him and die." Inuyasha instantly threatened back but grabbed for Miroku none the less. Yanking the other man back he pushed him down into his chair and held him unwaveringly by the shoulders. "Calm down pup." He commanded and released an unconscious growl that Kouga understood to be a sound meant for relaxing pups. It was a sound only a father would make to a distraught child.

Miroku continued to struggle against his father for a moment, his helplessness with the situation only making him more furious. "That rotten bastard." He spoke quietly, his voice filled with rage that Inuyasha knew was not actually directed at Kouga but at the dead man.

"I know." Inuyasha agreed calmly and relaxed his hand just slightly as Miroku began to calm a bit. "I know." He repeated and lowered himself into his own chair while maintaining a close, comforting distance. "So," Inuyasha turned back to Kouga now that the situation had calmed considerably. "He was often accused?"

"Yes, per umano many times—però, once-eh it was worse." Kouga nodded as he sat back down in his own chair, straightening his clothing as he did so. "A demone." He explained before taking a large drink from his wine glass, finishing off the contents. "'e was-eh accused of raping a demone Nobilis da Napoli."

"A demon noble." Inuyasha translated the words off handedly without taking his eyes off Kouga. "From Naples."

"Yes." Kouga agreed and finally sat his empty wine glass on the table with a soft clink. "Many-y assumed de man was murdered because-eh of tat incidente." The wolf demon shrugged his shoulders and sent Inuyasha a pointed look. "You know as well as I tat a demone rape is considered more importante dan a umano."

Inuyasha reached across and stopped Miroku from lunging again before the man could even move. He too wanted to lunge across the table and beat Kouga to a bloody pulp; in the end, the only thing that stopped him from doing so was one fact: Kouga was right. In demon society, human's were viewed as vermin, cockroaches that spread disease and breed to quickly to kill easily. They were tolerated at best and in places such as Kouga's Kingdom they simply didn't exist except as servants and poor farmers. That was just the way of demon life in this section of Europe. One day, he hoped things would change but he wasn't going to hold his breath. Even a woman such as Kagome couldn't hope to change this much hate.

"Tell me Kouga," Inuyasha licked his lips as he stared at the other man. "Was anyone ever accused of the murder?"

"Yes." Kouga nodded his head slowly, something about his eyes in that moment suggesting he didn't believe what he was about to say. "According to the rumor-eh," He paused, his face growing so serious that it actually made Inuyasha and Miroku both wince. "It was-eh umano."

"A human?" Inuyasha's voice was a breathy impressed whisper. It was exceedingly rare to here of a human that killed a high ranking demon. "That's nearly unheard of."

Beside him, Miroku felt his anger ebb as he heard the words. He too knew that a normal human would never be able to actually kill a demon, or at the very least, would never think to do such a thing. "Do you know who?"

Kouga turned his eyes towards Miroku and seriously contemplated ignoring the pup. In the end however, he found himself unable to do so. He too understood the protective instincts one had for their mate, and he wasn't about to deny that Miroku was acting from his own. "No." He told him bluntly before learning back in his chair with a slight frown on his face. "But-a," He paused and glanced towards Inuyasha expectantly. "I do know-eh of a demone who would know de truth."

"Really?" Miroku whispered in absolute surprise. Truthfully, it shouldn't have been surprising that the king of an entire empire would have connections, but in that moment Miroku couldn't believe his luck enough to think clearly. "

"After all of dis is done Meticcio," Kouga turned and looked directly at Inuyasha his eyes full of promise. "If-eh we live and Ayame lives," He sent the other two men a dangerous look, telling the Captain and his son that the woman better live. "I will take-eh you to him."

Inuyasha couldn't believe his ears as he stared at Kouga. "That might be the kindest thing he's ever done." He told himself completely baffled by Kouga's actions at the moment. For a man who had spent the majority of his time torturing Inuyasha throughout his time in Italy, it was strange to see him being so pleasant.

"Thank you." Miroku spoke for them both from the bottom of his heart, a gesture Kouga brushed off instantly.

"Dis is not per you—but per your mate-e." Kouga gave both men strange looks, seeming to assess them critically before smiling. "Both of dem." He nodded once as if to confirm that he was in fact telling the truth. "I can't-eh help myself," He chuckled slightly to himself and actually wiggled his eyebrows. "I always had-eh soft-a spot per a true bella."

Ignoring Kouga's strange look completely, Inuyasha shook his head and licked his lips. Glancing outside he noticed that the sun was already high above them, indicating that it was already nearing noon. "Kouga—this is all well and good," Inuyasha turned back towards the man civilly. "And I appreciate it but I think now we need to focus on the present once more."

The wolf demon narrowed his eyes but didn't question Inuyasha in the least. "Yes." He folded his arms across his chest and brought himself back into focus once more. "We need-eh plan."

"That does pose a problem," Inuyasha snorted and leaned back in his chair as well. Subconsciously he mimicked Kouga's position, hands crossed over his chest and chin tucked down in thought. "We don't even know where she's being held." He began, the sound of Kouga releasing an amused whine making him looked at the man gravely.

"Tat is not necessarily true." Kouga told him a genuine smirk in place that made Inuyasha narrow his eyes.

"They told you in the letter didn't they?" He growled and before Kouga could even confirm or deny his words, the Captain rolled his eyes. "I hate you with all my heart." Inuyasha deliberately spoke the words as slow as possible so Kouga would understand them all.

"I could say-eh the same ting." Kouga agreed as he reached inside his jacket removing from his inner pocket the same letter from earlier. Carefully, he unfolded it and placed it on the table in front of the other two men. "Dey are surprisingly," He pointed to an address that had been listed at the very end of the letter. "Not in de palace."

Not knowing address markers for Sergenda himself, Inuyasha frowned at the writing and turned his eyes away from the paper completely. "A private residence then?"

"Why a private residence?" Miroku jumped into the conversation, his own suspicions that something was not right driving him to speak.

Kouga frowned and licked his lips. "It is much-eh easier to guard a small building versus a big palace." He supplied before sighing tiredly. Closing his eyes, he reached up and rubbed at his forehead, for the first time since the day had started, he looked truly distressed. "Dey have planned well." He growled before slamming his hand down on the table in front of him. "Dey will surround it." He threw his hands up in the air and growled. "And de second dey see me—dey will signal to kill-eh 'er!"

Inuyasha frowned darkly knowing that Kouga was speaking the frantic truth. After several seconds of thought, his eyes opened wide as a fitful realization sunk into the pit of his stomach. "They can't kill her if they don't know we're there."

Kouga raised his head and looked at the other man in complete surprise. "What?"

Inuyasha smirked, pride for the woman he loved seeping into his every bone, muscle, cell, and membrane. "You saw what Kagome did." He began cryptically catching Kouga's interest almost immediately.

Beside him, Miroku frowned for just a second before a slight smile spread across his face. "Kagome's barrier?"

"Exactly."

-break-

More than four hours later, Inuyasha sat in his cabin unmoving, his eyes focused on the wide opened window. Outside the sun was beginning its descent, the hours of the day having slipped so quickly by that Inuyasha wasn't exactly sure where they all had gone. After they had formulated there plan, the group of barely amicable men had begun to split up. Kouga, almost immediately after the conversation was finished, had returned to his own quarters where his servants would no doubt be waiting on him hand and foot. Miroku on the other hand, had stayed with his father reading a book in order to calm himself, until a little over fifteen minutes ago.

Despite the fact Inuyasha knew the boy was back in his own cabin, however, Kagome hadn't yet returned. "I wonder what's keeping her?" He thought to himself as he leaned back tiredly in his chair. "Probably just staying with Sango." He told himself as he allowed his head to rest on the back of his chair, closing his heavy eyes. "I haven't been this tired in—forever." He commented to himself as he allowed his mind to begin to drift. "I should rest a little at least—before—." He inhaled slowly as his mind began to fully turn off just as the doorknob twisted opened.

Jumping up in surprise from the sudden sound, Inuyasha turned towards the door with fully dilated eyes just in time to see Kagome standing with the handle wrapped between her fingers.

"Inuyasha?" She smiled at him as she stepped into the room, looking pleasantly surprised. "I thought you would be asleep by now." She said as she shut the door quietly behind her. "Miroku mentioned that you both were gonna rest a few hours while we sailed." She told him as she crossed the room without hesitation, removing her jacket as she did so.

Tracking her with just his dilated pupils, Inuyasha resisted the urge to sigh with relief. "I couldn't really sleep." He lied easily, not wanting her to feel bad for actually having awakened him.

"I understand." Kagome sent him a faint smile as she dropped her jacket on her trunk before crossing the room to her bed, her feet practically dragging. "After everything that happened today—who could sleep?" She laughed slightly as she reached the bed and instantly sank down on top of her sheets. "I ache all over." She thought to herself as she reached down to untie her boots, her fingers shaking slightly. "I guess what I did to Sango took a lot of energy."

"Sleep will come," Watching Kagome as she removed her boots Inuyasha resisted the urge to yawn. "To those who wait." He offered her a little chuckle as he too finally crossed the room towards his own bed.

"I could be waiting till sunrise." Kagome joked as she finally slipped off her shoes, her feet glad to be free of the constricting boots. "That's so much better." She sighed with relief as she dropped the boots to the floor and reached behind her for the sheets on the bed.

Inuyasha laughed slightly at her words and with tired limbs allowed himself to fall onto his own bed. Laying flat on his back he closed his tired golden eyes and thought only of the few hours of sleep he was about to obtain. "I could sleep forever." He told himself as he used his own feet to push his boots off, each one making a thudding sound as it hit the floor.

Arranging herself under the covers of her own bed, Kagome looked out across the room. It was still pretty bright outside and thus within, the windows having been left opened wide enough to allow the cool breeze into the cabin. It was a nice touch and extremely refreshing, especially when one was used to the bitter cold found farther up north. Feeling extremely refreshed by the cool wind, Kagome smiled to herself before turning towards the Captain. The man was laying across his own bed sideways still, his hands underneath his head and his eyes closed as he breathed in evenly.

"Is he asleep?" She wondered and turned onto her side so she could look at him more easily. "Inuyasha?" She whispered just quiet enough that if he was in fact asleep she wouldn't disturb him.

Not actually asleep yet Inuyasha grunted slightly on the bed in response. "Yeah?" He questioned her, his eyes still closed and his hands still cradling his head gingerly.

Kagome smiled from the sight and sound of him. "He looks so sweet." She thought to herself as she took in the boyish features of his handsome face. "Go to sleep." She told him not wanting to disturb such a charming sleeping face.

Inuyasha growled slightly and his eyes snapped open from her words. Raising his head up he sent her a chastising, almost bored look. "How can I sleep now?" He asked the look on his face turning playful. The ears on his head twitched quickly, moving like little leaves on a giant tree. "Go ahead and talk," He made a show of sighing loudly before pushing himself up off the bed only to turn and plop back down on his stomach facing her. "I'll listen."

Kagome gulped as she watched him stare at her, one hand underneath his chin to hold it up. His hair was draped across his back and his shaggy bangs were nearly covering his molten gold eyes. It was a sexy sight to say the least, a sight Kagome really needed to ignore. "Well—," She cleared her throat feeling a bit flustered as she watched his ears twitch from the sound. "Can I ask you something?" She began slowly as she cuddled down in the sheets, a little voice in her head telling her it would be much nicer to snuggle with him.

"Of course." Inuyasha sent her a strange look as he raised an eyebrow awkwardly. "You can ask me anything," He shook his head at her as if finding her funny. "You know that."

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek at his kind words as her stomach flip flopped. "He's so handsome." She told herself unable to take her eyes off of his quirked eyebrow hidden in his shaggy hair. For the briefest of moments, her mind flickered back to the previous night. She could still see his smoldering eyes and feel his hands as they taunted her skin, brushing up her thigh. Instantly, Kagome's body heated up and she had to resist the urge to release a little moan.

Sitting across from her, Inuyasha gulped loudly as her smell reached his nose. The ears on the top of his head shot up as his nostrils flared from the absolutely intoxicating scent of her. "Fuck."

Unaware that Inuyasha had in fact smelt her arousal, Kagome shook her head hastily to clear her thoughts. "Not now!" She told herself, feeling embarrassed for actually having to say the words even if only to herself. Pulling herself back together, she shifted her thoughts back to the important matter at hand: Sango. "Is there anyway," She spoke hastily, as she pushed the thoughts to the farthest place in her mind she could think of. "We can find that man?"

Inuyasha heard her words but didn't understand them for his life. His mind was already much too fuzzy from the scent of her arousal accompanied by the faint scent of her heat. "What?" He managed to say even as he stared straight at her, his body reacting from the scent in the most pleasant way.

"The man," Kagome spoke again unaware of his reaction to her. Shifting awkwardly in her bed, she tried to think of the most delicate way to phrase her words. In the end, however, she realized there just simply wasn't a delicate way to put her sentence. "Who raped Sango." She spoke bluntly, her words finally penetrating even the aroused mind of a dog demon.

Inuyasha's whole demeanor changed as her words echoed loudly in his head. Pushing himself up right on the bed, the dog demon's arousal instantly vanished. "Oh," He froze, his eyes wide and his surprise evident on his face. Slowly, he shook his head from side to side and turned so that he was sitting upright on the bed. "—it's impossible." He told her as he crossed his feet, one hand innocently reaching up to rub at his neck.

"It can't be too hard, can it?" Kagome argued back not realizing that she had cut off Inuyasha's words before he could fully explain them. "Sango knows the man," She spoke quickly while Inuyasha stared at her, waiting for an opportunity to interrupt her. "All she has to do is give us enough information so we can find him."

"It's not that simple." Inuyasha finally jumped in but once more found his words cut off before he could truly explain himself.

Huffing, Kagome pushed herself up in the bed enough to where she could actually put her hands on her hips. "And just why not?" She bit out, the sound making Inuyasha's ears flatten to his skull for just a second.

"Because—." He drew out the word making sure Kagome was really listening before he continued. "According to Kouga," He cringed slightly from having to say the name in her presence. "He's dead."

Outside, a rather large wave chose that moment to crash against the side of the ship. The sound of rushing water and the way the vessel moaned consumed them both for several seconds. Two sets of eyes turned towards the window watching as the sun reflected the coloration of the crisp Mediterranean water. Staring at that color Kagome felt her heart sink in her chest, "If he's dead," She thought to herself as the beauty of the seascape rushed before her eyes unseen. "Sango will never get her moment to confront him." Her lower lip trembled from the thought not feeling bad for just Sango but also for herself.

Even though those things had only truly happened to Sango, Kagome still felt the same urge as the other girl to confront the man. To a certain extent, she really had experienced the things Sango had experienced and even though she saw the world in a different way, she still couldn't resist the slight animosity that built inside her from those experiences. Kagome's hands tightened into fist as images from the incident rushed into her mind. She could still see him, hear him, and smell him, the sights, the sounds and the scents making her anger even greater. Before she could stop herself, a trickle of hate began to build within her once more. The creeping sensation gnawed within her stomach, threatening to overtake her.

"Stop it!" A voice inside of her commanded and Kagome's hands snapped back opened. Coming back to herself, Kagome shook her head clearing away her thoughts as best she could. "He died?" She whispered the word in disbelief, the sound of her voice making Inuyasha come back to himself as well.

"He was murdered." He corrected, pulling his eyes away from the window to look at Kagome. "Five years ago," He explained even further while watching her carefully as she adjusted herself on the bed, sitting up with her back to the headboard. "Right after Sango left."

"Who did it?" Kagome was finally able to whisper her surprise starting to wear off just slightly.

"Kouga didn't know a name," Inuyasha continued on, reaching a hand up to his head to scratch for just a second nervously. "But he was pretty sure—the murderer was human."

Kagome blinked rapidly at the admission, the impossibility of it making her purse her lips in bewilderment. "No name?"

"No, not even an initial." Inuyasha told her frankly watching her expression as she knitted her brows and frowned. "But," He paused waiting for her to lift her head and look at him expectantly. "Kouga said he knows someone who might have information on him."

"Really?" Kagome's eyes lit up with her own excitement. "There might be a way after all," She told herself as her heartbeat picked up a bit in her chest. "Sango might not be able to face him but she can at least meet the man who killed him."

"After everything's done with," Inuyasha continued on as he placed his hands on his knees absently. "Kouga will take us to the guy." He waited for Kagome to look up at him in surprise, her grey eyes swirling from the possibilities. "Miroku was gonna talk to Sango about it, see if she wanted to meet him."

"I know she will." Kagome told him before the room went silent once more, neither Kagome nor Inuyasha knowing just what to say. The young girl pulled her knees up to her chest as the silence overcame them. As the adrenaline was leaving her and the safety Inuyasha's presence provided filled her, she found herself strangely reflective. "Naraku." The name seeped into her mind, the man himself seeming to jump into her head. "He could have—he might have," She felt a lump form in her throat as the possibility hit her for the first time. "What happened to Sango, could have happened to me."

The air in the room suddenly felt colder as the thoughts ran throughout Kagome's mind. It was a pleasant realization. If she had not run away that man, terrifying as he was, could have done so many things to her and at the time, she would have been able to do nothing about it. She would have become Sango, her mother, might have even treated her as Sango's mother did. Kagome took in a shaky breath, the sound of it causing Inuyasha to immediately fixate his eyes on her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, the sound of his voice making her jump a little bit.

Scared eyes turned towards him, opened like a doe who has seen the hunter. "Inu," She whispered, her voice catching in her throat. After several minutes, which felt like an eternity, she finally forced herself to say his name. "Inuyasha?" The name came out as a question, as if she was asking him permission

The dog demon looked towards her, his golden eyes catching in the minimal sunlight. "Yeah?"

"Things like that," Kagome brought her hands around her body, holding herself tightly as she tried to sort out her own thoughts. "What happened to Sango," She looked towards him, her eyes large and terrified. "I—." Tears finally started to build in her lashes once more. She had been doing so well to control them and now they were finally slipping down her face once more.

Getting up from the bed without a second thought or single hesitation, Inuyasha crossed the short distance to Kagome. "It's okay," He whispered softly while lowering himself down onto the bed beside her. Instantly, she reached for him grabbing a hold of his shirt with balled up fist.

"It—scares me." Kagome admitted as she pressed her face into Inuyasha's shirt in an attempt to stop her tears from being seen.

Trying not to growl, Inuyasha placed his chin on top of her head and wrapped his arms around her small frame. "Me too." He told her honestly, glad she wasn't able to see his concerned face while her own was pressed against him. "But Kagome," His voice was soft and comforting as he rubbed one of his hands against her arm. "I won't ever let anything like that happen to you or Sango," He whispered the words into her hair, her scent and the scent of her tears making him release the tiniest of whines. "Ever again."

Kagome opened her eyes against his white shirt, not daring to look at him for even a moment. "That's a promise you can't keep." She told him, the negativity of her words actually making Inuyasha flinch.

Pulling away from her, Inuyasha placed his hands on her shoulders staring at her with a frown. Big grey eyes stared at her in return, the tears that were washed over them making them sparkle. "Kagome," He said the name so firmly that the girl could do nothing except stare at him vulnerably. Inhaling sharply, he thought to reassure her, to lie to her and tell her that it was a promise he could keep but the dog demon knew that was a lie. There were never any guarantees in life; life was far too unpredictable for that. "But that doesn't mean—I can't at least try." He told himself firmly as he moved one of his hands from her shoulder to place on her cheek. "You're right," He told her while rubbing his thumb against her soft flesh. "I can't promise you anything but—." The word hung in the air as he leaned forward towards her, placing his forehead against his own. "I will damn well try."

For several seconds, they both stayed in that position, their eyes closing against their very wills. The feel of Inuyasha's breath on her cheek as he rested his forehead against her own was oddly comforting, much to Kagome's surprise. The natural scent of his body, a woody and heady musk, made her smile as she took it in. "You're nothing like him." She thought to herself as her grip on his shirt loosened and her heart in her chest calmed. "Nothing at all."

"I can promise you." Inuyasha finally whispered before pulling away from her. Her eyes fluttered open as did his own, the two looking at each other openly. "I will always do everything in my power to protect you."

The girl smiled as she looked at his honest face, believing his every word. Slowly, she allowed her hand to leave his shirt and raised it up to touch his cheek with just the pads of her fingers. Inuyasha blinked several times from the action, his whole expression a little flustered as she brushed her fingertips against him. "I trust you." She whispered a little breeze from outside entering the room just in time to muse her hair. "I lo—." She froze, the words so close to leaving her mouth that she could almost taste them.

Inuyasha felt his heart pound in his chest as his mind realized exactly what she was trying to say. "Kagome—." He whispered her name, the sound of it making her shudder pleasantly before closing her eyes. "I," He wanted to say the same words but just like her found himself far too shy to say them. It was one thing to know that you loved someone, it was a far different thing to let them know you did. Gulping, he tried to think of anything he could say instead; words that would be a lot less dangerous than the ones he wanted. "I'm," He tried again, his voice catching in his throat as he took in her grey eyes, the irises so opened and inviting that it made him want her more than anything or anyone. "I wanna kiss you."

The words floated from his mouth and she instinctively responded by tilting her head upwards a little bit more. "Then kiss me." She almost demanded, her eyes closing just as his lips came in contact with her own. The gesture was short and sweet, their lips molding together softly as they expressed the words they could not yet say to each other.

"I love you."

They seemed to whisper as the sun began to take its final descent outside the window. Finally, after several seconds Inuyasha pulled away from her, the scent of her heat making the sweet, chaste kiss far more dangerous than it should have been. The demon inside of him practically begged to touch her, to rub its claws against her skin, to taste her in the most intimate of ways, but he denied it for now. "We should," He hated himself just a little bit as he spoke. "Get—sleep, yeah."

Kagome frowned slightly from his words but she knew exactly what he meant. Still, a part of her didn't want to lose his comforting body heat just yet. "Would you," She whispered, a blush spreading across her face with every word. "Please, stay with me," She closed her eyes and fought the blush on her cheeks that threatened to almost consume her face. "Sleep with me."

Inuyasha felt his body instantly respond to her words, interpreting them as something far more meaningful. "I—um I." He stuttered as his body begged him to simply throw her down on the bed right then and there.

Realizing the way her words sounded, Kagome turned bright red, the color filling her face this time. "I mean, sleep here," She tried to phrase as she looked anywhere but at him. "With me—not—that other thing—just lay down," She pulled her body away from him and covered her face with her hands. "Never mind." She moaned with embarrassment, the demon hearing it loud and clear.

Gaining control of his own urges, Inuyasha reached forward and grabbed for the hands covering her face. Pulling them away, he sent her the most reassuring (and not perverted) smile he could muster. Without saying a word, he brought her hands to his face and lightly kissed the back of her knuckles.

Kagome felt her whole face flush from the gesture; unable to deny that one solitary kiss on the back of her hand was by far more erotic than a million kisses to her lips ever could be. The sweet kiss was short lived however, and suddenly she found his hands moving towards her back, cradling her gently before lowering her towards the bed.

"Inuyasha!" Her words were breathy and hard to hear but he ignored them.

Gingerly, Inuyasha coaxed her down until she was lying next to him and sent her a smile. "Relax." He whispered, the sound of his voice making her tremble a bit. As slowly as possible, he lowered himself down beside her, being careful not to move too quickly and frighten her. Finally, he found himself laying at her side, his golden eyes resting on the girl who stared at him stiffly. He offered her a tender smile before reaching towards the blankets that covered her.

"What are you doing?" Kagome's voice was near panicked but he ignored her as he reached for the covers and pulled them to the side.

"Trust me." He told her softly and much to his amazement she didn't argue but instead simply watched him as he slipped underneath the sheets.

Instantly, his warm body heat brushed up against her side, the sensation making butterflies flutter in her stomach. Desperately, she tried to control her breathing as his body grew closer to her, the man sliding up against her without any words of explanation. For the briefest of moments, she wondered what his plan was and what they might end up doing together underneath the blankets. The feel of his hands brushing against her stomach made her gasp, her eyes going huge as she watched the outline of the hand underneath the blanket. Much to her surprise however, the hand didn't move again, simply rested on her stomach as he snuggled into her side.

Comfortable, Inuyasha sighed and coaxed Kagome's head until it rested against his shoulder. Gingerly, he placed his chin on top of her soft hair and closed his eyes. The fingers sprawled over her stomach began a gentle message, the pads of his fingers delighting in the feel of her. Only absently did the demon within him growl, the abstract concept her stomach represented making it almost possessive. "Pup." It mumbled but Inuyasha ignored it instead focusing only on her scent and the comforting feeling of having it in his lungs. "Is this okay?" He asked her as he allowed his hands to continue to rub over her stomach.

Kagome didn't say anything for a few seconds as she grew used to the feel of his body so close to her own. They had only shared a bed twice in their time together and each time they had been separated by great distance. Now, she found her cheek pressed against his shoulder and his hand on her stomach, moving intimately. It felt as if it should be unnatural, as if she should be hesitating and horrified even, and yet it wasn't. It was: "Perfect."

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: Sorry that the chapter is a little late, there was a holiday in America (Independence Day), which also happens to be my brother-in-law's birthday. So not only did I took some time to celebrate the holiday but I also watched my sister and his kids all day as a present to him. Needless to say, not much writing was done while watching a nine and four year old. But I hope you liked the chapter and I know we will all be anxiously awaiting the excitement to come! It promises to be riveting.

Bonus Point:

In the anime, when Inuyasha and the gang first meet Ayame, it is because she is looking for Kouga. Why was Ayame trying to find Kouga? (Hint: A promise he had made).

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

Ayame and I both have red hair (Mines more Auburn)! Congrats to the winners:

Scorpioprincess18, wytney, Cagome, FridayzGirl, avengeme, NurNur, Asian Delicacy, Team D0bby, TaoGrace, RockStarAnimeLover, KuramixMidnight, IkutoTsukiyomi'sGirl, kan78, ClowOcean, AiydanWarrior, kittyzwuvme1234, SpunkyAnimeLuver, WingedGift

Notes:

Viceroy – A regal official who runs a country, colony, state, or city province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. At the time of the fiction, Serdenga would have been ruled by The House of Savory who assigned a viceroy to handle all immediate and local laws/problems. The viceroy at the time of Sango's rapes (approximately 1775-1777) was actually a man named Filippo Ferrero. Out of respect to this man, I have not used his actual name and instead created a fictional character to take his place.

Next Chapter:

Serdenga

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

7/6/2013