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?

81. Preparations

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).

Chapter Eighty-One

Preparations

This first section contains material that is NOT appropriate for readers under the age of 18, please be advised.

Sango laid on her side in her and Miroku's bed, staring out the window of the Shikuro, studying the night. Little stars twinkled before her eyes, forming constellations she neither recognized nor cared to think on. Presently, her mind was much too focused on other, more important, matters to take any time to appreciate a twinkling star. Inhaling deeply albeit quietly, the girl glanced towards Miroku who was sitting at his desk, back turned to her as he worked on something unseen. "I wonder what he's doing?" She asked herself as she watched his hunched back tense and relax as his focus came and went.

When she had awoken some time ago, to the sound of Miroku shuffling about, she had been surprised to find him there. In all honesty, she wasn't sure when he had entered the room or when Kagome had left, having been sound asleep for both incidents. At first, the sight of the man had brought her great comfort (she loved him dearly after all) but, after some thought, she found herself not wanting to address him. An innate and irrational fear had settled within her. Although she logically knew Miroku would love her despite everything that had ever happened to her (And, for that matter, always had), she still felt as if that loved was conditioned.

"Why would he want me anyway?" She thought to herself, tears welling in her eyes from her unreasonable thoughts. "Especially after—all those things that happened were just thrown into his face again." She closed her eyes and tried desperately not to make a sound that might alert him. "Stop it, Sango, stop it!" She commanded herself as she bit into her lip hard to stop a squeak from leaving her mouth. "You're being stupid—he loves you, you know he does." The tears swam in her eyes, finally falling from them to hit her cheek. "He always will—." She told herself but a voice of doubt within her told her that wasn't possible, no man could possibly love a damaged woman such as her. "Costa proved that the moment he told my mother I wasn't—a virgin."

"Don't let him control you."

A voice suddenly was booming within her head, causing Sango's eyes to snap open with disbelief. She froze in her place on the bed, her whole body seeming to tingle with the sound of the kind voice she easily recognized. "Kagome?" She thought, her watery eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Don't let his actions affect your thoughts."

Before the girl could stop herself, she gasped, the sound coming across as more or less a sob mixed with disbelief. Instantly, Miroku turned around towards her, pushing the chair back to stand at exactly the same time. "Sango?" He questioned as he dropped his quill, the Nihon-go sentences her had been practicing on the parchment forgotten. "Are you okay?"

"I'm-m-ma f-f-fine." Sango managed to say as she pushed herself upright on the bed, her hands coming up to rub at her face. "It's-s ju—s-it's nothing." She reiterated as she forced her breathing to come back under control, an action she was sincerely failing at. "I just—that was Kagome's voice—why did I hear Kagome's voice?" Inhaling sharply to regain control of her voice, she sniffled once and twice before gaining enough control to speak evenly. "Don't let me-e—," She paused as her control began to slip away. "Interrupt," She pronounced the word forcibly before opening her eyes to look right at him with a watery smile. "Your work."

Miroku stared at his wife's tear stained face, hate for the man who had caused her pain coursing throughout his body. Without a word, he stood from the chair and started towards her, the look of surprise that crossed her face completely ignored. "Nothing," He spoke calmly as he made his way towards her, the girl shaking her head. "Is more important," He reached the bed, kneeling down beside it so as to make himself less intimidating to her. "Than you."

Looking down into Miroku's beautiful black eyes, Sango felt the slight control she had gained begin to slip away against her will. Drawing her lips into a tight line, she tried desperately to hold onto the last small gain of control she had but the action was much harder to perform than she could have ever thought. Her lower lip trembled and her eye lashes fluttered with tears she couldn't hold back. Squeezing her eyes shut, she brought her hands up to cover her face not wanting him to worry or see her like this for that matter. The soft words of she had heard in Kagome's voice echoed in her head and she began to shake.

"Don't let him control you."

Her eyes snapped opened from the words, the sight of her palms the only thing she saw, as she resisted the urge to gasp once more. Unable to stop herself she pushed herself away from Miroku, shoving her back more firmly against the headboard of the bed. Her hands shook against her face as her eyes adjusted to the dark room, able to make out the concerned face of her husband from between the gaps of her fingers. "Am I really," She questioned as she watched the way his brow crinkled with concern as he brought one of his hands up towards her. "Letting him control me even now?" She asked herself as she felt Miroku's hand brush against her arm.

"Sango?" He whispered softly as he rubbed his fingertips against her forearm. "Talk to me."

The girl shook her head hastily, keeping her face covered for a moment longer before she felt his fingers tighten on her arm and gently pull one hand away. Instantly, she was met with the complete sight of his caring eyes, the black of his irises seeming to shine with concern. "Miroku—." His name was beautiful in her mind, a soft reminder of all the times he had stayed by her side. A lump formed in her throat that she tried desperately to gulp back down but the action was futile.

"It's okay," Miroku mumbled to her as he brought a hand up to her cheek. "I'm here." He told her as he rubbed away some of the tears on her skin. "I'm always here."

Her lip trembled and the tears in her eyes sprang free onto her cheeks. For just a moment the strange voice that sounded like Kagome in her head was greatly ignored, replaced by the love and care of a sweet husband. "He would—never," The thought rang in her head, the sure truth behind it making the tears flow even faster. "He would never leave me." She knew that was the absolute truth, no matter what she thought of herself or what had happened to her, she knew Miroku would never leave her. "It was silly to even think otherwise." With those words echoing in her mind, she launched herself towards him. Unhindered, she nearly fell off the bed in her attempt to grab him and cling to him, wanting nothing more than to hold onto him forever.

For his part, Miroku merely wrapped his arms around her as he supported her weight so she wouldn't fall. Her tears soaked through his jacket within moments and the sound of her cries became natural to his ears even faster. His arms tightened around her, holding her to himself as he closed his eyes against the sight of her brown hair. "I love you." He whispered as he pressed his nose against her neck, her body shaking from the admission.

"I l-l-o-v-v—." She tried to express the same sentiment back to him but the words became jumbled on her tongue.

"I know." Miroku tightened his grip around her, gently patting her back so as to comfort her.

It was impossible to tell how long the two stayed in that position: Sango on the bed and Miroku on the floor, both of them somehow wrapped around each other. To an outsider it couldn't have looked to be a more uncomfortable arrangement, their bodies contorted in the most awkward of ways and yet, they both seemed strangely and completely content. Outside, the moon hung high in the sky, the light of the waning crescent nearly as bright as the sun itself. It highlighted the two as they held onto each other, Sango's tears beginning to subside with each and every second she stayed in her husband's arms.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Sango sniffled one last time and, wanting to be just a bit closer to her husband, pushed herself even farther forward. Allowing herself to relax against Miroku, Sango didn't realize how much she was teetering off the bed until it was too late. Her balance compromised, Sango squeaked as she fell forward off the bed, straight on top of Miroku. With a loud thump, the spouses ended up in a heap on the floor, Miroku laying flat on his back while Sango pinned him from above.

"Ow." The man groaned as Sango's knee managed to dig into his stomach and her elbows pressed into his chest.

"I'm so sorry." She panicked as she tried to push herself up and off the man. "Let me just—." She tried to move her leg off his stomach, while the other tried to worm its way out from between his own. Unfortunately for both, their bodies were too far tangled for Sango to simply move off of him. Instead, their tangled feet acted as an unforgiving rope, which only served to pull Sango back down while sending her right elbow into Miroku's shoulder.

"Ouch!" The man gasped as her elbow dug into the tender muscles where his arm connected to his neck, his hands squirming behind her back as he tried to untangle himself.

"Sorry." Sango panicked as she pulled back away from him in time to see his eyes practically roll back into his head. "I didn't mean to."

"I know," Miroku inhaled deeply through his nose and looked up at her with a pain filled eyes. "Just—hold still." He smiled at her the best he could under the circumstances and managed to free his hands so as to grab her hips.

The feel of his hands on her hips made Sango's whole body go still, the sensation rocking her to her core. In the back of her mind she felt instant panic. "Please no!" She begged, feeling as if at any moment she could be consumed with memories she never wanted to remember. "I don't want to remember." She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the memories to overtake her.

"Don't just wait." The sound of Kagome screaming in her head made her heart leap into her throat. "Do something!"

"Do something?" The words seemed to repeat instantly in her mind but in her own voice instead of Kagome's. She felt Miroku tense underneath her, the man seeming to realize what was about to happen and preparing for the worst.

"Don't let him control you."

Her eyes opened once more, the face of her husband, his head turned to the side as if prepared to be hit greeting her vision. The sight itself made her stomach turn as she realized Miroku was already expecting her to lose control and take her anger out on him. "I have to do something." She realized as she watched him wanting nothing more than to protect him. "I can do something." She told herself even though the words sounded shaky in her own head. "I don't have to think of you!" She screamed before even one memory of the man and the horrors he had committed could surface in her head. "You can't control me!"

The sound echoed loudly in her head but, unfortunately, it just wasn't enough. The memories still began to creep into her consciousness. The dangerous quality of them making her freeze in terror. She could see his smile, she could hear his laugh, she could feel his hands on her skin. Her whole body shook as the images began to flood her, memories she wished to simply destroy overtaking her.

"It didn't work!" She yelled at the Kagome within her min, hating that image with all her heart for having given her false hope. "Damn it," She cried out as the memories began to eat away at her very skin making it crawl. "What do I do?" Her heart hammered within her, Miroku's hands on her hips gripped her tighter and suddenly she knew. "Miroku—."

Her eyes opened slowly as the name consumed her, running throughout her every synapses, connecting thought after thought in her head. Memories of Miroku and all the kind things he had ever done or said flooded her mind, washing over the darker ones that threatened her. Her stomach knotted for a moment and her heart pounded harder in her chest. She found herself surrounded by memories of him within an instant, the dark ones fading away. It was as if Miroku was replacing everything the other man had ever done, as if he was destroying Costa and his evils with every smile he had ever given her and every sweet sentiment.

He knelt down in front of her as she cowered against the wall, his face sad and almost confused. "You're far too beautiful not to look at." He told her while she cried.

She remembered him telling her once in the beginning, his words sincere and sweet, although she hadn't believed them then.

"How could I not love you?" He said as he sent her a disappointed yet charming smile, his black eyes filled with the emotion that had left his tongue. "I've loved you since the moment I met you," His fingers brushed against her cheek, their tips warm and inviting. "I just didn't know it then."

She remembered the sound of his voice on that particular deep dark night: sad and almost chastised but purely honest.

"You're my world now, Sango." He whispered into the night as he looked at her with hooded eyes.

She remembered the way his shoulders and back had looked in the candle light as he laid on his stomach next to her: sexy, muscular, and smooth.

"Nothing you could ever say," He leaned against the window as he spoke, his expression taunting. "Would make me love you any less." He sent her an almost amused grin as if he found the situation somehow funny. "No matter how hard you try."

She could see the smirk on his face as he looked back at her from the window, his naked ass tantalizing in the moonlight. Sango felt her whole body shutter as memory after memory surfaced in her mind each one more lovely and salacious than the last.

Below her, Miroku opened one eye to look at her the anticipation of when she would explode making him almost paranoid. The sight of her frozen above him, unmoving, her eyes distant and lost in some unknown world of memories made that paranoia turn to panic. "Oh no." He thought to himself and closed his eyes, half expecting Sango to explode just as she had when she had first come aboard the Shikuro. Much to his surprise however, he didn't hear her panicked shouts or feel her furious punches, instead he heard only a soft loving sigh.

"Miroku." She mumbled and he opened his eyes in time to see her beautiful smile.

"Sango?" He whispered back as he took in the sight of her above him. Her messy brown hair was falling over one of her shoulders, the ends curling as they nearly touched his face. Her bright brown eyes were warm and inviting, almost pleading. Her sweet red lips were plump and parted, a little wisp of breath moving between them as she looked down at him. "Damn." He found the words escaping him as she smiled suddenly, a little dimple forming on the right side of her mouth.

"Damn." She repeated and lowered her head, unable to stop herself. Within seconds their lips met in a wave of heat and headiness. Sango growled from the sensation, the leg that had been on Miroku's stomach sliding off of him in order to slip into place beside his hip. Within seconds, the leg between his own was lifted as well, coming to rest on his other side, allowing her to straddle him and her chest to press against him as they continued to kiss huskily.

Miroku couldn't hold back the moan that left him when he felt her breast press against his chest and her core rest against his already throbbing manhood. His whole body arched just slightly against her, wanting nothing more than to press into her. "Fuck." He breathed out, his breath already coming in pants as his hand began to claw at the hem of her shirt.

Within seconds, and without her consent (not that it was needed), Miroku pulled her shirt over her head tossing it aside as her breast bounced slightly from the action. His eyes widened at the sight of the twin peaks completely exposed, his mind barely comprehending that Sango had been walking around with them unbound. Unable to hold back the growl of pleasure that left his mouth, he practically ripped one of his hands off her hips, bringing it up to touch the small, yet perky, left orb.

Sango gasped loudly from the sensation before releasing a hoarse moan, her eyes nearly rolling back into her head. "Don't stop." She just managed to say as Miroku raised up his head and captured one nipple between his lips, sucking on it eagerly while his other hand massaged her hip. The girl moaned loudly from the sensation of his lips upon her flesh and ground her hips down against him.

Instantly, Miroku released the nipple in his mouth as his whole body nearly jerked from the sensation. "Oh—god." He moaned with appreciation as he ground his hips back upwards against her already feeling as if he wouldn't be able to last much longer than a few seconds let alone minutes. "Fuck Sango." He growled and within the span of only a literal millisecond, flipped them over so that her back was pressed onto the ground. "Take off your pants." He begged her as he hastily grabbed for his own belt buckle, his hands shaking so badly that he actually wasn't able to get a grip on the metal piece.

Luckily for him, Sango still had control of her hands. Pushing herself upwards, until she was sitting up with her legs straddled on either side of his hips, Sango grabbed for his belt buckle. With barely composed fingers, she managed to undo the belt, the sound of scrapping metal making both of them, somehow, even more ready.

With the belt undone, Miroku managed to push his pants off his hips just enough to free himself. Eyes immediately going back to his wife, pupils large and dilated he watched excitedly as she untied the string to her own clothes. His breath came out in shuddering pants as he watched her push the material off her hips, somehow managed to lift her leg up beside his head to kick one pant leg off, the other still tangled around her leg.

"Shit." Miroku growled, unable to resist the urge to grab for the flesh of her leg, placing it on his shoulder so he could kiss her ankle.

"Oh," Sango whimpered from the sweet feel of the kiss, her head lobbing back as she lowered herself to the ground. Blatantly, she ignored the pant that was still wrapped around her leg and instead reached up to grab at the front of Miroku's shirt. Yanking him forward towards her, her leg still over his shoulder, she growled low in her throat. "Now." She commanded him and Miroku couldn't help but obey.

Grabbing for her leg, as gently as he could in his fevered state, Miroku pushed the appendage to his hip, coaxing her to wrap her legs around his waist. With his pants just far enough down to accomplish his goal, Miroku looked directly into his wife's eyes. Sango was staring back at him, a wild almost Amazonian look in her brown orbs. For a moment, he contemplated why this was happening after everything that had occurred over the course of the past few days. He knew it didn't make sense but his body was failing to listen to his head. He thought to clear his mind, to move away from her and reassess what the hell was going on but (oddly enough) Sango was not going to allow that.

Tightening her legs around his waist, Sango pulled the man forward before he could protest, her body lined up perfectly to accept his own. Instantly both of their minds became lost in a rush of sensation, the two of them moaning loudly from the feel of their bodies connecting with one another. Groaning, almost in pain, Miroku buried his face into the side of Sango's neck, her hair soft against his eyes, nose, and mouth. "Damn it Sango." He growled as he held completely still, his body nearly to the point of exploding.

Below him, Sango moved her hips forward, her own body reacting to his as if her every pore had become hypersensitive to his touch. She couldn't explain why but at the moment she was so turned on that she was positive it wouldn't take much to send even her over the edge. Normally, it took a lot of work on Miroku's part: countless kisses and touches to her most intimate of regions being required before she succumbed to the sensations; this time however, all bets were off.

Unable to stop himself Miroku bucked into her, his panting loud in her ear as he lost himself to the sweet feel of her hot wet body surrounding him. With each thrust, Sango felt him hit a sweet spot deep inside of her, hard. The sensation rocked her to her very core, her muscles tightening as they tried desperately to feel him more fully.

"Sango," Miroku's voice was near pleading as he pushed himself up away from her, bracing his hands on either side of her head. "Dam—," He panted and growled, trying with every fiber of his being to last longer. "Shit, you feel good." He groaned and bucked even harder, bringing his knees up beneath himself so he could get more leverage.

Sango bit her lip as the beautiful sensation of her body coiling with pleasure made its way inside her core. "More—." She begged as the sound of his flesh slapping against her own rang out in the air. "Miroku, please."

Miroku growled and bit the inside of his cheek drawing blood. The sensation of pain was just enough to hold him back a little longer as he pushed himself inside her harder and harder. Seconds before he thought he was going to lose it, she suddenly bucked sharply beneath him, her mouth opening wide in a silent scream as she lost herself to him.

"Thank god." Was all he could managed to think as he thrust into her hard, his control snapping with his release. Groaning, he just managed to lower himself down on top of her, his hands moving from her hips to encase her head. Fingers were lost inside her hair as he continued to shift within her, the pleasure of losing himself so intense that he thought he might pass out. Whimpering, he held her tighter, his lips searching out the side of her neck and her ears, needing something tangible to kiss and suck on.

Beneath him, Sango withered, her whole body continuing to spasm as he rocked slower and slower within her. Her hands reached up to wrap around him as his fingers continued to massage her head. The little kisses he was placing to her ears and neck made her whimper and return the favor, pressing her own lips to the side of his sweaty face. The salt from his sweat was hot on her tongue and she moaned from the spicy taste as her body finally began to cool down. "Oh," She breathed out, the sound of her voice heady in the quite room. "God I love you."

Unable to respond Miroku continued to rock within her for a few more moments as he licked the skin behind her ear absently. Finally, coming back to himself enough to think clearly once more, Miroku forced himself to move off of her, afraid of hurting her with his greater weight. Rolling onto his back beside her, he opened his eyes and blinked as the light of the moon on the ceiling entered his vision. The sight seemed somehow surreal as he felt the wood of the floorboards dig into his back. The normalcy of the sensation made him frown as he finally recieved just enough blood in his brain to actually think.

With his mind once more clear, Miroku felt (quite frankly) confused. "How did that even happen?" He spoke out loud accidently, the woman beside him suddenly laughing from his words.

"I have no idea." Sango said as she brought a hand up to rest on her stomach, her own heartbeat galloping in her chest.

Turning his head to look at her, his mouth opened with surprise Miroku glared. "You—." He started to blame her but stopped himself, knowing it was probably more so his fault than hers. "Damn it." He brought his hands up to cover his face as he moaned not with pleasure but with distress. "I'm sorry."

Completely stunned by his words, Sango pushed herself up to her elbows and looked down at him. "Why?"

"Where you are right now," Miroku tried to form a coherent thought as he gripped his hair with his hands hard. "Everything that happened and that—Serdenga—I shouldn't—."

Sending the stammering man a strange smile, Sango suddenly raised a finger to touch to his lips stopping his words. "Don't worry so." She chastised carefully as she watched Miroku narrow his eyes as if amazed. "You're the kindest man," She spoke slowly as she stared at him, one of her hands coming up to rest on his chest. "I've ever met." She bent down and pressed her lips gently against his own.

Excepting the kiss without even closing his eyes, Miroku blinked carefully. "Are you feeling okay?" He muttered as she pulled away from him, the hand on his chest massaging him through the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm fine." Sango told him as she shifted somewhat uncomfortably, not from the conversation but from the wetness between her legs. "I need to clean up." She thought to herself, looking around for a clothe she could use but seeing none.

Ignoring her words, Miroku pushed himself up and grabbed for her shoulders, holding her in place. "Look at me Sango." He commanded her, watching as she turned to look at him with a firm frown.

"Okay." She spoke slowly as she watched him, part of her feeling somewhat anxious.

"How," Miroku tried to think of what he wanted to say but found his mind oddly blank. "I just—why?" He finally settled on as he rubbed her arms reassuringly. "Just why—did we do that—after everything?" He gulped as he tried not to say something too upsetting. "Usually after an experience like that, you have flashbacks for weeks."

Sango pursed her lips and looked down at the space between them without really seeing either her or his somewhat nakedness. "I think," She hesitated for just a moment as she too sorted out her thoughts. "It was something Kagome said." She finally admitted as she raised her head up to look at him.

"Huh?"

"She told me, that I can't let him own me anymore." The girl tried to explain both to her husband and herself. "And that—well—I don't think that's really all of it." She shook her head as she tried to make sense of her own thoughts. "When Kagome—saw my memories," She chewed on her lower lip, the feel of Miroku rubbing her arm just comforting enough for her to continue. "I think she did more than just see them. It was more than empathy." She looked at Miroku with big confused eyes. "I think she—," The girl shook her head quickly, feeling a bit frustrated. "I don't know—it's like she stayed with me in a way." She stopped herself from speaking as her mind raced to make sense of her own words.

Miroku felt his mouth open wide as he listened to his wife. "She—stayed with you?"

"I can't explain it," Sango growled in frustration as she shook herself to clear her head. "She—when I started to panic she—." The girl closed her eyes and snapped her mouth shut at the same time. "Never mind." She told him hastily and for good measure crossed her arms underneath her chest so he would be distracted. "I'm just—not thinking clearly."

Sure enough, Miroku's eyes instantly moved to her swelling breast, easily distracted by the tantalizing sight.

Thankful he had been properly distracted; Sango sighed but kept her arms in place none the less. "I don't know what I was even thinking." She told herself and shook her head. "It's just so crazy—like Kagome's in my head or something." She started to laugh off the thought but before she could, the sound of Kagome's voice raided her mind once more.

"You're not alone."

Sango felt her heart stop in her chest as the words from what was now the previous day entered her mind. "Could she," She felt her whole body shake from the possibility. "Really stay with me—?" Her hands dropped as her thoughts ran through her, echoing loudly in every corner of her head. "Did she leave a part of herself—with me, is that even possible?"

Shaking himself back awake, Miroku blinked a few times as he came back to himself. "Idiot." He chastised as he realized he had been so easily distracted by just his wife's chest. Sighing, he brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "Well," He tried to put his thoughts back on track, his mind still fuzzy from both sex and confusion. "I guess as long as you're—." He looked up at his wife watching as she jumped slightly as if not prepared for him to speak.

Blinking a few times, she offered him a little smile finally. "Sorry," She apologized and moved to sit on her knees. "I—kind of got lost in thought."

"I noticed." He sent her a little smile, his eyes barely catching the outline of her shirt laying on the ground. Reaching for it, he fingered the material absently his mind racing towards the matter at hand. "Sango," He began slowly as the soft cotton somehow seemed to help him control his wondering thoughts. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked one more time as he drug his eyes away from the shirt to look at her.

The girl didn't speak for several seconds as she studied her husband, wanting to say hundreds of things to him in that moment but, honestly, not knowing where to start. "Miroku," She paused for just a second as if to gather her own thoughts. "I don't know what Kagome did," She admitted as she brought her arms around herself once more, but this time in more of a motion of subconscious protection than to distract him. "But, whatever it was, she gave me," She sniffled slightly and turned her head upwards to look at the ceiling. "Strength I didn't have before." She looked back down at him, watching as his face started to fall just slightly. "Not that you haven't been amazing," She quickly reassured him, reaching forward to place a hand against his cheek. "You've help me so much, you know that, right?"

Miroku nodded his head slowly and leaned into her touch ever so slightly. "Yeah."

She sent him a sweet smile that turned thoughtful within seconds. Dropping her hand back to her lap, she drew her lips into a tight line for a moment before, much to Miroku's surprise, she sighed. "I appreciate everything you've done for me." She told him without looking at him, her face turned downwards towards the floor. "But Kagome," She lifted her head, sending him a pleading look, begging him to understand. "She understands in a way no one else could."

Miroku was silent as her words filled him, understanding the importance of them within an instant. "She does, doesn't she?" He spoke quietly as he too remembered what Kagome had experienced the day before.

"Yes," Sango nodded slightly and began to fidget in her spot as she debated whether to tell Miroku what else her and Kagome had discussed. "And—Kagome," She hesitated for one more second as she gathered the courage to speak. Normally, that wasn't a hard feat for her but at the moment, everything seemed to be a little hard. "Gave me an idea, um—that is, there's something I want to do."

The man raised an eyebrow in question as he looked at his wife. "What's that?"

"I want to confront him." Sango's voice was far stronger than she thought it would be in this very moment. "I want to rub it in his face that I'm fine and happy." She bit out the words, feeling more powerful with each one. "I want him to know that he can never control me," Her voice grew a little louder and a hell of a lot firmer with every word. "Ever again."

Miroku froze from her words, already knowing them to be an impossibility. A small voice in the back of his head begged him not to tell her quite yet. "Let her hold onto that happy thought." It pleaded with him, almost commanding him to do so. "Think of how she's acting, how normal she's been—without that thought what would happen?" The man winced, he knew what would probably happen, what could possibly happen but it wasn't his place to control such a thing. "I can't just not tell her—I have to tell her." He told himself as he glanced back at his wife. "Um—," He found the words stop on his tongue as he looked into her fiery eyes, her half naked body highlighted by the moonlight. He gulped from the sight and did his best to control both his thoughts and urges. "Well, I guess we should get dressed." He told her as he presented the shirt to her abruptly. "This isn't a conversation we should have naked."

"Um?" Sango whispered with confusion as she took the offered shirt gingerly. "Why is he—he's just ignoring me." She gritted her teeth and stared at him, a million thoughts racing in her head as she watched him hastily grab his belt. "Hey!" She reached for him, grabbing for the hands that were just now starting to put the buckle back in place. "Don't just ignore me."

Miroku winced in surprise from her words, dropping his hands as he looked at her. "Huh?"

"You're ignoring what I said." Sango continued on, letting him go now that she had his undivided attention.

"No," Miroku spoke hastily as he slipped the belt into place, dropping his hands. "I—I just—," He fumbled, trying to think of the right thing to say. "I think we should be—dressed," He finally settled on as he looked at her still naked body, unable to deny that he was starting to feel a bit randy again. "For this, conversation, you know?"

Sango raised an eyebrow deliberately as she assessed the truth behind Miroku's words. "He has a point." She told herself as she clutched the shirt tightly in her hands. "Besides even that—someone could walk in at anytime." She glanced at the currently unlocked door, just now realizing how vulnerable Miroku and herself had been for the past few minutes. An uncharacteristic blush spread across her cheeks and she held back a squeak of embarrassment. "Um—yeah," She agreed with Miroku her anger leaving in favor of potential embarrassment. "We should."

He watched as she stood up and brought her shirt up and over her head, putting it back in place easily. For a moment, he debated telling her how tantalizing she looked with the oversized shirt on and nothing else but, in this particular situation, he thought better of it. Inhaling deeply, he finished straightening his clothes quickly and stood to his feet. In front of him, Sango had moved around to the other side of the bed, towards the jug of water they kept inside their cabin at all times. He watched her for several seconds as she removed the pant still wrapped around her leg and dropped it on the ground before grabbing a small towel that rested on the edge of the jug. Wetting it, the girl brought it to her skin cleaning herself off silently while Miroku watched.

The fact that he knew exactly what she was cleaning away filled him with some sort of strange testosterone indorsed pride that he quickly pushed out of his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he chose instead to focus on the conversation that needed to be had. There was no telling how his words would be taken by Sango, there was no telling if she would even be able to listen to them, but he knew he had to tell her and the sooner the better.

The sound of the rag being wrung out and placed back on the side of the jug awoke him from his thoughts. Lifting his head back to look at his wife, he watched as she pulled her pants leg over one foot and then the other before sliding them up her body and back over her wide hips. "Well," She began as she tied the draw string in the front of the pants, turning to look at him over her shoulder. "Where were we?"

"Um," He licked his lips awkwardly for a moment, his eyes focused on her hands as they tied the knot firmly in place. "There's something you need to know."

Sango froze and dropped her hands from her waist, surprised by the sudden shift in the conversation. "Okay?" She drew out the word as she sat on the edge of the bed her eyes focused completely on him. "What is it?" She asked, her shoulders tensing as she studied him waiting for an answer.

"Here's the thing Sango," Miroku started slowly not quite sure how to bring up such a topic. "Kouga—well—he knew of him." He paused for a moment as he watched Sango take in his words, contemplating them carefully as if she wasn't sure who Miroku meant. "Costa." He clarified, only to wince as Sango froze at the name, turning to look at him with wide eyes. "And—he knows that he—." He trailed off as Sango stared at him from the other side of the bed.

Calloused fingers gripped at the bed sheets as she leaned forward towards him. "He's what?" She pressed adamantly, her eyes seeming to burn as she took him in.

Miroku held his breath for all of a second before he allowed the information to slip from his lips in a rush of air. "He's dead."

Sango didn't more, she didn't breath, she didn't think, she didn't do anything but sit straight up right and still. Her brown eyes stared at Miroku unseeing and unable to comprehend any sights that penetrated her pupils into her brain. "Dead." The word seemed to skip about her head almost mockingly so. "Costa's—." The name fell from her lips, the very sound of it seeming to shatter against the floor as it did so. She felt her whole body tremble, her hands shaking and her heart hammering.

"Dead." Miroku reiterated as he stood slowly from his chair not sure what he was going to do but positive he should do something. "He was murdered."

Sango's head snapped upwards to look at her husband. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish and her eyes watered with expectation. "Murdered?" She whispered the word, the very feel of it foreign to her mouth. She couldn't believe that he was dead, let alone that someone else had killed him. A great sense of relief flooded every part of her being, the little girl inside of her that Costa had abused feeling truly safe for the first time in over five years. The adult in her however, felt a very different emotion begin to course through her veins. "Who did it?" She bit out the words as the feeling of resentment contorted within her.

"I don't know." Miroku told her carefully as he watched the emotions play across her face. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting from her, relief maybe, but the sight of her brows knitting and her eyes narrowing was not what he had expected at all. "She looks, furious—out of every possibility furious never crossed my mind."

Sango digested the information slowly, her mind racing to think of anyone who might have committed the deed. "Maybe father?" She thought to herself but quickly shook off the thought. There was no way her father was capable of such an act and even more so, there was no way he would ruin a promising career by killing off a diplomat. "Does it even make a difference?" Sango asked herself as that strange combination of relief and anger began to well within her. "No matter who killed him, the fact remains—he's dead." Her hands balled into unnaturally tight fist, her nails actually nicking into her skin. "And now I'll—I'll never." She winced as she remembered her earlier conversation with Kagome. "I'll never get the chance to confront him." Unable to hold herself back, Sango pulled her hand back and much to Miroku's amazement, punched the wall beside the headboard of the bed.

The old wood splintered under the force of the hit and Sango's blood splattered as her knuckles were torn open. Instantly, Miroku jumped onto the bed his eyes focused on his wife's bloody hand. "What are you doing?" He asked as he reached her, grabbing for the appendage to survey the damage.

Sango let him take hold of her wrist without thought, the pain in her hand nothing compared to the anger welling inside her. "It's not fair!"

"It's okay to be mad."

The woman's eyes snapped opened from the words, Kagome's gentle voice seeming to refresh her mind. Her lip trembled from the gentle caress of the other girl's words and she closed her eyes. "I shouldn't be though." She told herself, hating the fact that she was so angry over that bastard's death. "He deserved it—I should be rejoicing, I should be happy, it should—." She clutched her fist, the feel of the splinters in her hand digging into her skin, sharp. The words she wanted to say stung her as well, to her very soul, but she couldn't deny them.

"It should have been you."

She closed her eyes tightly as the Kagome in her mind said them for her. "It really should have—it should have been me."

"Sango?" Miroku gently pressed as he watched the quick change from anger to blunt upset. "Talk to me, please?" He asked her softly as he reached for the wash clothe Sango had used earlier to wipe off her busted hand. "What were you thinking?"

"It's not fair." Sango told him, her eyes still closed and Kagome's words still in her head.

"You mean," He tried desperately to understand what she was saying. "That," He narrowed his eyes in disbelief unable to fathom how Sango could feel bad for the man's death. "That he's dead?"

"No!" Sango quickly responded, the adamant way she spoke instantly reassuring Miroku's worries. "I just—." She growled slightly to herself as she watched Miroku begin to clean off her hand. Gently, the man wiped away the blood with the cloth, revealing each and every splinter to his dark eyes.

"Let me get some tweezers." He told her as he dropped the cloth back on top of the jug before jumping off the bed.

Sango sat silently as he moved, opening one of the drawers of the desk hurriedly, the sound of various lose instruments shifting within loud to her ears. For several seconds he dug, clanking metal objects and rustling papers the only sound in the room until he released a loud grunt of success. Within moments, he was back on the bed, the pair of metal tweezers in his grip and ready to be used.

"Hold real still," He told her as he held her hand in his much larger one, his eyes focused on the tiny slivers. "Or it will hurt."

"Okay." Sango whispered, as she watched the man carefully manipulate the instrument so that he could pry each splinter out one by one. The sheer sweetness and care behind the action seemed to calm Sango's heart, the heat that had been building in her beginning to ebb ever so slightly with each brush of his fingers. "Miroku?" She whispered his name, watching as he raised his eyes up to look at her, a comforting smile touching his tense face.

"I don't think we'll need to bandage it." He told her, his voice coming across as both calming and reassuring all at the same time. "The bleeding should stop and the wounds close real quick."

Sango glanced at her hand, there were only a few splinters left, ranging from large to small in size. Her blood had already stopped running down her hand, none of the little wounds really deep enough to be too dangerous; just as Miroku had said. "Thank you." She told him genuinely as she ducked her head down to look at the floor between them. For several seconds, she didn't speak, but instead stared at the floor, her thoughts running over what Miroku had just informed her of. "Someone killed that man. And I didn't even get a chance to confront him; not even one." She told herself, the feeling of relief short lived as her stomach knotted with frustration. "It's not fair."

Miroku quirked an eyebrow from her words and lifted his head back up to see her face. "Huh?"

"Him dying," Sango tried to explain even though it barely made sense to herself. "It's not fair." She shook her head and tightened her fist against Miroku's hand, the movement making each cut ache. "It shouldn't have happened." She told him even as another thought she didn't voice popped into her mind. "At least not yet."

Miroku's eyes widened from her admission, his mind rushing to interpret it correctly. "What?" He breathed out the word as his heart dropped into his feet. "She thinks he should have—?" He tightened his grip on her hand, ready to confront her thoughts but much to his surprise she beat him too it.

"I wanted—to confront him first." She shook her head almost feverously before tilting it up to look at him more fully. "I wanted to rub in his face that I turned out fine." She bit out the words as she looked at Miroku, her eyes swimming with the pain of all her years. "I wanted him to see that he can't own me, that he isn't more than dirt under my feet." She practically snarled, the hand he held in his own shaking from her words. "And now—I never will!"

Miroku was silent as he stared at his wife, wanting nothing more than to find some way to make her feel even the slightest bit better. "What can you even say—?" He asked himself, not knowing what words or thoughts could even hope to comfort her or reassure her. "What is there to say?" He bit his lip as he watched her look down at the ground once more, the top of her head all he could see. Her shoulder's quaked just a bit and he felt his heart clench in his chest. "Sango—." He tried to speak but all the words he could think to add to her name seemed wholly inadequate and useless.

"I just," Sango finally continued, her head still bowed but her eyes shut tightly so as to block out everything around her. "I could—I don't know," She opened her eyes and stared at the ground. "Close it somehow."

"Close it?"

"Yes." She raised her head and looked at him with watery brown eyes. "Closer. I just need to finish this and I thought that confronting him would be—how I finished it." She sighed as if all hope had simply rushed out of her body. "But now—that's never gonna happen."

Miroku's heart went out to his wife, wishing he could somehow take her pain away. "What can I do though?" He thought to himself as he held her tiny hand in his own much bigger one. Instantly, Miroku's eyes lit up as an idea rushed through his head, something he was surprised to have forgotten so quickly. Lifting his head back up to look at his wife, he sent her a strained but promising smile. "Maybe it can."

"Huh?"

"Kouga knows someone who can help us," He explained slowly as the girl before him frowned with confusion. "Someone who knows the man who killed Costa," He turned his eyes back towards the few splinters left in her hand, preparing himself to remove them. "If you want, Kouga will take us to him," He glanced up at her hesitantly, not sure how she would respond. "After everything with Ayame's done, of course."

Sango felt her heartbeat jump in her chest. "It might not be the same," A small voice whispered in her mind, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kagome. "But at the very least—you'll be able to tell the man thank you." Sango composed all her features, the prospect making her feel more calm than anything else probably could have. "Yes," She spoke softly as one more splinter slipped from her knuckle. "I want to, I really do." She told him, an unseen weight that had been resting on her shoulders for years finally beginning to break away and shatter on the ground.

-break-

It was only a few hours before dawn would break over the Shikuro. By magic or just perhaps will power, they had made it to the coastline of Sardenga just as Inuyasha had predicted, with plenty of time to spare. Standing at the bow of the ship, Inuyasha and Kagome looked out over the astonishingly calm waters quietly, their eyes focused on the murky quiet shore. A lighthouse with a strikingly pale beam was sweeping over the coast, the lighthouse keeper truly awake to man the light.

The Captain of the Shikuro frowned from the thought, he knew that a lighthouse could very well house not only the keeper of the precious flame but also lookouts as well. "The good news is they're probably looking for an armada." His gold flicked towards the dark Shikuro, sweeping his eyes over the entirety of the ship checking for any little speck of light: there was none, per his orders. "With all our lights out," He turned his attention back towards the cliffs of the coast. "It's nearly impossible to see us if we stay out of the light—unless." His gold eyes glanced over to his right side where Kagome stood, her fingers delicately grabbing onto the railing. He smiled at the little digits, memories of their smooth surface touching his cheek making the demon inside of him nearly purr. "Kagome." He spoke her name unintentionally but she turned none the less.

"Yes?" Her bright grey eyes blinked a few times, surprised he had broken the silence.

Barely aware he had spoken, Inuyasha's eyebrows jumped into his hairline from her unexpected words. "Um," He stuttered slightly before shaking his head and simply sending her a gentle smile. "Just—thinking about you."

Kagome blushed and giggled all at the same time, her expression sincerely sweet. "You shouldn't focus on me when there're more important things at hand." She joked with him while playfully shoving him away from her.

"In my defense," Inuyasha joked back while dodging her hand expertly. "I was thinking of you and the important things." He motioned towards the port town that was just now coming into view.

Kagome quirked an eyebrow from his admission and turned herself sideways to look at him more fully. "And how do I and those things," She flicked her wrist in the direction of the town sarcastically. "Go together?"

The dog demon's smile slowly seemed to evaporate from his face as he inhaled deeply. "More so than you know." He told her while turning his body back towards the town once more.

Kagome narrowed her eyes in curiosity, one of her hands hesitantly reaching for his arm. Little fingers brushed up against his rather large clothed bicep, the dog demon not even flinching from the contact. "What are you talking about?"

"I guess," Inuyasha didn't look at her as he spoke, his profile only showing her the serious nature of his lips, chin, and eyes. "I've been putting this off too long anyway." Shaking his head, he finally turned to look at her.

The sound of the ocean seeming to coo around them was not nearly relaxing enough to make her forget the severity of his face. Every feature was drawn tight, almost as if something was greatly paining him, from his nose to his lips to even his dark eyebrows; everything about him was taunt and oddly contained. It was as if he was trying to hold something back; an emotion perhaps that he was still unwilling to share with her. "Inuyasha?" She said his name slowly and once more reached for his arm, brushing her fingers against his sleeve. "What have you been—putting off?" She asked her hand beginning to slip away from him.

The dog Captain inhaled sharply in response and with reflexes she couldn't even hope to achieve, grabbed her hand before she could pull away. "Wait." He commanded her softly, his thumb instantly rubbing against the back of her knuckles.

Kagome gasped from the contact as bare skin met bare skin. Only briefly did it occur to her that he and she had touched each other far more intimately than simply by ungloved hands. In her defense however, it wasn't every day that he bluntly grabbed for her in front of the entirety of his crew so brazenly. "It's almost—surreal whenever he does something like that." She told herself even as the Captain brought her hand towards his chest holding it there.

"I promised myself once," He began strangely as he pressed the back of her hand against his heart. "That I would never—put you in danger."

Kagome raised an eyebrow in complete surprise while tilting her head to the side. "Why would you prom—?" She started to ask but he silenced her with a strange look.

"Silly girl," He whispered and Kagome had to stop herself from slapping him from the insult. "I care about you and I—," He cleared his throat and suddenly looked away from her appearing shy. "I never want anything bad to happen to you, not if I can help it."

Kagome's momentary anger ebbed from the sweet words and she relaxed her body. "Silly boy." She insulted him back, the Captain's head snapping towards her angrily. Chuckling to herself, Kagome shook her head at him and reached up to touch his cheek with her free hand. "As long as you're with me—nothing ever will."

Inuyasha blinked from her words, his hand holding her own above his heart tightening. "She really does trust me." He thought absently to himself as he sent her a well placed smile. "I'll do my best to live up to your expectations." He told her and lifted her hand away from his heart finally, instead placing it to his lips.

The young miko gulped from the sweetness of the gesture. The warmth of his wet lips against her slowly roughening skin was still, to this day, one of the kindest and most erotic gestures he had ever made to her. "I know you will." She told him and held back the urge to simply lean forward and kiss him. No matter how much she wanted to do so, she knew there were more important matters to attend to at the moment. "Now—what danger do you have in store for me?" She asked as he pulled away from her, still rubbing a thumb over the back of her hand.

Frowning to himself, Inuyasha licked his lips absently and turned to look up at the helm's deck where Myoga stood with Kouga. The wolf demon was standing firmly with his arms crossed over his chest and an antsy look about his person. "He's growing anxious." Inuyasha thought to himself, knowing that every moment Kouga was separated from his mate was another moment of hell for the name. "And so am I." He inhaled deeply before releasing the breath with only a bit of pain in his chest. "We need your gift Kagome." Inuyasha told her bluntly as he looked down at the slight girl standing in front of him.

"My gift?" She knitted her eyebrows together and bit her lower lip slightly. "Which one?"

Feeling rather stupid and a bit disgruntled, Inuyasha finally released her hand so he could cough/choke. "Forgot there was more than one." He mumbled mainly to himself before motioning towards the city in the distance. "We need you to make the ship invisible."

Kagome nodded expectantly and moved her now free hand her hip, mimicking the strong willed Sango the best she could. "Sounds easy enough to me." She told him courageously, a smirk of pride forming on her face. "I think I pretty much got invisibility figured out."

Inuyasha couldn't resist smiling at her in return, a bit of pride for his mate bubbling in his chest. "She's changed so much—for the better." He told himself as his heart welled at the sight of her loving the strength he could feel coming off of her. The feeling did not last long however, as he remembered the other half of their current plan. "A barrier is only half the battle." The words echoed in his head ominously. "That's not all."

Kagome's confidence seemed to jump off of her face from his words. "Huh?"

"There will be people in the city waiting for us," Inuyasha frowned as he spoke, not really liking the idea but knowing of its importance. "Kouga and I can move fast—but not fast enough to go undetected by a hoard of demons." He explained as he brought a hand up to his neck and rubbed unconsciously at a knot gathering above his left shoulder. "I don't care to admit it," He growled slightly from his words: they were completely true. "But even I'm not good enough against the kinds of demons on this island."

"What kind of demon are they?" Kagome wondered as she watched his tensing shoulders, her inquisitiveness peaked. Generally speaking, wolf, dog and fox demons were among the top of the food chain, so to speak. It was hard to find a demon that those species feared and when they did, it had to be a demon of amazing strength and limited weakness.

"Mongoose." Inuyasha said the word as slowly as possible, the hairs on the back of his neck actually standing on end from the thought.

"Mongoose?" Kagome repeated the word having honestly never heard of it before.

"They're from Egypt natively, Kouga says they came over under military contract." Inuyasha explained absently as he shook his head. "Typically they're pretty good natured but when threatened or when fighting they're—," He licked his lips absently and turned toward Kagome to send her a warning look. "They're the only demons I know who would gladly go head to head with a snake no matter how much poison's in its fangs."

The young woman's eyes opened wide from the sentiment.

"And if they're willing to do that then—," He hesitated only a moment, not wanting to put her off but really wanting her to understand the situation. "We," He motioned to himself and absently over his shoulder at Kouga. "Shouldn't be a problem." He inhaled sharply and brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "Normally, I'd just go in there and hope for the best; however, Ayame kind of hinders that idea." He glanced at her hoping she would understand his concern. "We need to ensure she's protected."

"I see." Kagome bit the inside of her cheek as her understanding of what Inuyasha wanted her to do came to fruition. "So you want me to—go with you?" She looked up at him waiting for his honest clarification. "With these death defying mongooses?"

He licked his lips and shrugged his shoulders meaningfully. "Yes."

"And you want me to—?" She let the question dangle wanting him to fill in the exact blanks he had left unsaid.

"To erect a barrier around us if we need it."

Kagome's eyes went to the size of saucers. "For how long?"

"However long it takes."

The girl felt her heart pound in her chest from the prospect. "But I don't have any idea how long I can hold one." She told him even as her hands began to shake. "And I—I've never held one while moving."

"I know." Inuyasha nodded his head firmly and held up a hand before she could protest even further. "This is just a worst case scenario." He told her honestly; knowing that he believed those words wholeheartedly. "With any luck we'll never know if you can hold a barrier while moving." He thought to himself as he watched the indecision cross Kagome's face. Biting his lip slightly, he moved on to the real reason they needed her with them, not the potential scenario's but the real one. "What we really need to think about is Ayame—," The use of the woman's name made Kagome perk up instantly, the indecisiveness turning to focus. "Kouga says she's strong but we don't know what shape she'll be in. We might need you there to protect her with your barrier until we can move her."

Kagome thought to argue, to tell him that Miroku or Sango would be far better suited for this kind of endeavor but she knew that was a lie. Miroku could fight and Sango could fight but neither one of them could actually protect someone with supernatural force. Around Kagome, as if responding to her very thought, the wind picked up, encircling her almost playfully. Her hair whipped into her face and unconsciously she raised her hand up to catch the strands between her fingers. The movement was comforting as was the calming sea breeze.

Watching Kagome's stressed move, Inuyasha frowned wondering if the assignment might be too much for the girl. "She's only been using her powers a few months." He told himself as he resisted the urge to shift his weight from foot to foot nervously. "Maybe we're asking too much too soon." He growled slightly to himself and opened his mouth to tell the girl not to worry and that there were other ways.

In the end however, the dog demon never got the chance to voice his concerns. The girl dropped the little curl between her fingers and sent him a brazen smile, her eyes lighting with decision. "Do you want me to erect one around the ship first?" She asked, and Inuyasha felt his heart clench in his chest both out of fear and love.

"Yeah—," He told her and forced a trusting and believable smile onto his face. "In about five minutes."

"Right away," Kagome sent him a smile that made his heart jump in his chest. "Captain."

-break-

Standing in the middle of the ship with her bow in hand, Kagome felt her heart leap just a little in her chest. Once more, as with every time she had ever done this, every member of the crew was watching her. Most of them, who were used to this phenomenon by now, were sitting on barrels or hanging from ropes; the ones not used to it however, were strategically positioned behind objects or high enough up in the canopy that they felt safe. Despite their positioning, Kagome couldn't help but let the hundreds of sets of eyes make her feel nervous.

Trembling ever so slightly as she knelt down on the ship's wooden deck, she licked her dry lips in an attempt to quell her nerves. "They don't have to stare like that," She mumbled to herself unaware that two men, standing not too far away from her, could in fact hear her. "It's just a barrier."

Inuyasha held back a snort of laughter and shook his head from her words. "Only Kagome could see this as normal." He thought to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest his fingers unconsciously gripping at his sleeve. In spite of his complete confidence in her, he couldn't help but be a bit worried. She was his mate after all, and it was his job to protect her, even if that meant protecting her from herself. How he was going to accomplish such a feat, he really didn't know.

Standing beside the dog demon, having heard Kagome's words as well, Kouga shifted anxiously. "Meticcio," He muttered as he stood next to his cousin, his eyes staring at the young woman with the bow. "Can de bella real-ly do dis?" He asked as he glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes." Inuyasha told him his voice firm with conviction even as his claws nicked into the fabric of his jacket absently. "She's quite good at it, actually." He further tried to convince the demon lord, although (to a certain extent) he felt as if he was trying to reassure himself as well.

Kouga knitted his brows from the Captain's words but decided not to argue with them. Turning towards Kagome once more, he felt his heart almost hiccup in his chest. "Dis all depend-a on her." He told Inuyasha softly as he watched Kagome close her eyes in concentration.

"If that's all we're depending on," Inuyasha growled slightly, not liking Kouga's hidden meaning behind his sentence. "Then we should be fine." He bit the inside of his lip and forced himself to remove his claws from his jacket. The material made a strange groaning rip sound from the retraction and Inuyasha frowned knowing he would have to fix the tear later. "Get a hold of yourself." He commanded silently as he looked at his young mate. "She'll be fine—we'll be fine. I have to—I have to trust her and myself." Breathing in deeply, he felt the true trust he had for Kagome build in his gut, telling him that this was a hundred percent right.

Kouga opened his mouth to reiterate his own anxieties but before he could express so much as one feeling, the wind around Kagome began to pick up. It was as if the wind itself had been lured off its normal path to encompass the girl. Eagerly, it flowed around her creating a tight circle as it rushed pulling at her clothing and her hair in the most hypnotic of ways. Every little curl about her crown seemed to flutter with the supernatural breeze, swirling in tight knit circles. The hem of her shirt pulled, the lack of jacket on her small body making the hidden curves underneath the thin material even more apparent than they had ever been before. She looked absolutely tantalizing, mesmerizing and undeniable as her fingers gripped the bow a little tighter and she inhaled deeply through her nose.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open a beautiful white-pink glow seeming to highlight their natural grey color. The white pinkish tint seemed to flow throughout her, first her cheeks and then her neck taking on the eerie hue before it settled in her shoulders and quickly glided down her arms into her hands. The bow, threaded between her fingers as it was, began to glow the instant her palms accepted that unknown power and then, as everyone held their breath around her, the power flowed out.

"Magnifico." Kouga just managed to say as he watched the power flow out across the ship. His ears twitched on the sides of his head as some of the men whimpered, their whole body's quaking as it approached them. The demon king also felt the undeniable urge to shake, his eyes going large as saucers as the strange white wave of power washed underneath his feet. He had to resist the urge to jump away from it, not wanting anyone to see even the slightest weakness leave him.

"It won't hurt you." Inuyasha mocked from beside him anyway, his eyes knowingly glancing at the other man.

"Bastardo." Kouga growled but for the most part ignored the younger demon as he watched the power begin to surround the ship, creating a dome like bubble that was reaching farther and farther up above their heads.

Finally, at the very tip of the highest mast, the bubble came into complete fruition and in one anticlimactic moment, connected and closed above their heads. An amazed murmur sounded throughout the ship, men expressing their own disbelief despite having seen the girl's power many times. For her part, Kagome simply stood back up; the glow and wind that had encompassed her already gone from her person. Grey eyes, wide and opened, looked up to survey her handy work with a bright smile.

"It gets just a bit easier each time." She thought to herself as she held onto the bow, happily pulling it to her chest. With a sense of accomplishment bubbling in her chest, she turned towards Inuyasha whom she knew to be behind her. "It's done."

He smiled at her in response, watching as her grey eyes lit up even brighter from even just the silent praise. "Good work." He told her delighting in the way her face lit up even more. Motioning to her with one clawed hand, he turned his attention towards the helm's deck above them where Miroku stood at the helm, Sango by his side. "Well," He turned towards Kouga, his golden eyes focused once more on the task at hand. "Now that we're hidden, we need to figure out where to go."

"I figured-eh tat would-a be obvious." Kouga grumbled just as Kagome came to stand by the Captain's side.

"Maybe to you." She quipped before she could stop herself, his eyes widening as she realized she had said the words out loud. "Um—King Kouga." She added trying to cover up her mistake and horrible manners.

Beside her Inuyasha held back a laugh and shook his head before turning towards the stairs leading to the helm's deck. "Thank you for that, Kagome." He said silently as his ears twitched from the sound of Kagome quickly following him. "Come on," He called to Kouga over his shoulder absently. "We can see better from up here."

Kouga grunted in response but followed none the less, his blue eyes staring at Kagome's back as she mounted the stairs. "Such-eh loud mouth," He mumbled absently, Inuyasha just barely able to hear it from his spot a few stair steps ahead. "On such-eh piuttosto ragazza."

"Damn right she's a pretty girl." Inuyasha growled to himself as he resisted the urge (for what felt like the millionth time in just the past hour) to simply turn around and punch Kouga in the face. "She's my loud and pretty girl." He added almost subconsciously as his eyebrow started to barely twitch. Composing himself, he reached the top of the stairs. The sight of Miroku standing at the helm, beside his surprisingly calm wife, made Inuyasha (for perhaps the first time ever) slightly nervous. "I haven't talked to her—since the incident." He licked his lips as he crossed the helm's deck, Kagome just now coming to walk beside him. "How's it going up here?"

"A lot better now that the barrier's up." Miroku answered as he sent a thankful glance towards Kagome. "It was getting pretty nerve racking knowing we could be spotted."

"Glad to be of assistance then." Kagome sent him a sweet smile before turning her attention towards Sango. "How are you doing?" She asked bluntly, knowing it was far better not to hide what everyone already knew.

Sango smiled at Kagome in return, her brown eyes appearing far more vibrant than one would ever have thought them to be after such an incident. "I'm fine," She gave Kagome a meaningful look that caused all the men to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Thank you Kagome."

Kagome's smile brightened even further at the words, knowing that Sango was not simply thanking her for just asking a question. "Of course." She spoke sincerely even as a little bit of doubt jumped into her head. "It is odd that she's so calm," She told herself, her mind jumping with different explanations for Sango's change in attitude. "Maybe—our talk really did help."

Clearing his throat in order to capture everyone's attention once more, Inuyasha looked at each person standing around him briefly before opening the much needed conversation. "I think it's time we—assessed what we're about to do." He waited to see if anyone would contradict him but of course, no one did, not even Kouga. "I think it'd be best to go along the beach," He turned and pointed out into the distance with one clawed finger. "We'll anchor somewhere in the deep water." Inuyasha suggested as he crossed his arms over his chest once more. "And take a shore boat in—it'll be harder to see."

"Are you sure tat is wise, meticcio?" Kouga growled slightly as he looked out across the landscape.

"Yes," Inuyasha huffed and resisted the urge to smack the man in the back of the head. "Maybe later." He told himself even as his eye began to twitch.

"But," Kouga continued on as he turned back to the experienced seaman, sending him a distrustful wince. "What about-eh de port?"

"If we go to port we'll be sitting ducks," He pointed out towards the distant dock in within the island's interior, the structure nearly hidden by nighttime fog. "Escape will be—well—not impossible but pretty damn close." Carefully, he trailed his finger towards a sheltered beach only a league or so away. "It'll be much safer if we stay out in the open," He nodded sharply as he lowered his hand but kept his eyes on the tiny cove hidden beach. "So we can get out fast."

Kouga snorted but found he couldn't disagree. Sharp blue eyes looked out over the ocean, narrowing dramatically. It was one thing for the wolf demon to conduct a fight on land; it was another thing entirely for him to try to lead a sea fight. He really knew nothing of ships and had never really cared to. Growling slightly, he turned his blue eyes back to his cousin and motioned with his chin for the other man to continue.

"Now that that's settled." He rolled his eyes at the other man as he spoke before turning back towards his son. "Miroku," He turned towards the man on the helm not even waiting for eye contact to begin. "I want you to stay in the cove as long as you can."

The human man frowned slightly as he adjusted their heading towards the cove Inuyasha had indicated. "Even if the barrier dissipates?" He inquired, his words somewhat threatening to their potential plan. "I mean—how long will it actually last?" He turned his head slightly to the right, looking towards the very person who had created the barrier.

Holding her bow a little tighter to her body, Kagome frowned and glanced up at the shimmering barrier above their heads. "I don't know how long it will last." She admitted, the wolf demon's eyebrows raising into his hairline from her words. "With the amount of power I used—maybe an hour or two but no more than that." She shrugged her shoulders slightly and offered the group an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Sango instantly spoke up, her voice drawing everyone's attention. "Without the barrier we wouldn't even be able to get remotely close." She reassured before turning her eyes towards the Captain, a plan forming in her own mind. "You want us to stay here as long as we can, right?" She pressed as she watched the golden eyed man stare at her suspiciously. "Then we will, even if the barrier dissipates as long as no one sees us, we can just stay put."

Nodding slowly, unsure of how and why Sango was acting so eerily normal, Inuyasha agreed with her. "That's fine," He spoke carefully, forcing himself to maintain a neutral tone. "But if anyone spots you or heads for the ship, just get the hell out."

"Aye." Miroku stepped in and nodded his head firmly as his hands tightened slightly on the wheel.

"Good." Inuyasha licked his lips and tilted his chin back in thought for just a moment. "Kagome, Kouga, and I will go to shore and try to be back as quickly as possible." He continued to explain not missing the way Miroku looked at him as if compelled to argue. "Hopefully, before the barrier falls."

"You'll have to be like lightning." Sango commented as she glanced at the wolf demon, sending him an almost mocking look. "I hope that won't be too much trouble."

Kouga gritted his teeth from her words and looked about ready to simply snap at her but refrained. Even he found her behavior rather odd, so odd in fact that it seemed better not to question her. Snapping his mouth shut, he turned his attention back towards the other demon. "Tat won't be-eh problema." He told him while sending Sango a strange look at of the corner of his eye.

"I'm sure." Inuyasha's face contorted into an amused grin even as Sango's strange behavior nagged at the back of his mind.

With his hands still holding the wheel firmly, Miroku ignored his wife's strange behavior in favor of focusing on something he found more currently pressing. "I can't believe he's taking Kagome." He blinked as he looked at the tiny girl, trying to imagine her on a battlefield of any sort. "It just doesn't make sense." He turned his eyes towards his father watching as the man continued to hold in a burgeoning laugh. "Captain?" He began slowly not really wanting to question his father's decision, especially in front of Kouga, but needing to ask none the less. "Are you sure you don't want me with you?"

"The fewer the better in this case." Inuyasha told him honestly, it wouldn't do on a mission such as this to overcrowd the rescue party, which would only attract attention. "Besides, having you on the ship ready to go will give us better odds of escaping." He added nonchalantly, not realizing that his son had been trying to refer to Kagome's participation in the party albeit in a very subtle way.

Knowing better than to argue further with his father while they were on deck, Miroku gave in without a fight even as he shot Kagome a worried glance. "Understood." He voiced his agreement but couldn't stop himself from turning his gaze towards Sango, looking for her own disapproval to make him feel more comfortable with his. The woman merely sent him a reassuring smile however, that somehow told him she too believed Kagome to be the right decision. "Everyone's lost it." He thought before he could control himself, his whole body tightening at the prospect. Inhaling deeply, he licked his lips and turned his black eyes back towards the sea before them and more specifically towards the little beach in the distance. "It won't be long—a quarter hour at the most before we're there." He narrowed his eyes as the land grew closer and closer to them, anticipation beginning to turn in his gut.

Standing silently to the side, his heartbeat beginning to pick up in his chest, Kouga fidgeted slightly. Thoughts of Ayame jumped in and out of his head, thoughts of her safety, of everything that could have happened to her while he was gone, dangerous thoughts, and, not to mention, horrifying ones. Reaching a hand up, he wiped some anxious sweat from his brow and turned to look at the young miko at the Captain's side. "Meticcio?" He questioned, his voice so low that none of the humans could actually hear him.

"Yes?" Inuyasha inquired, maintaining the same hushed undetectable whisper.

"Can—," He paused for just a second as the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end. "Can de bella real-ly do everyting you said-eh?"

Inuyasha was quiet for several seconds before he was finally able to answer Kouga truthfully. "She can do anything." He told the other demon before abruptly moving away from the group and towards the railing of the helm's deck. Leaning over the railing, one clawed hand gripping it on either side of his body, he stared down at his crew. "Oi!" He yelled to grab their attention, his golden eyes instinctively searching for faces to make eye contact with. "Get a shore vessel ready—," He paused and looked up towards the quickly approaching cliff side. "You got ten minutes!"

"Aye!" A wide variety of men confirmed the command and began to scramble around the deck. The sound of ropes and voices throwing commands back and forth reached the ears of the small group assembled on the helm's deck within seconds. The men down below scrambled to meet their Captain's expectations, their hands moving hastily as they untied the shore boat and prepared to connect it to the pulley system to lower it in the water.

Watching them, his hands still holding on tightly to the railing, Inuyasha felt a lump begin to form in his throat. The anticipation of what was about to happen flooding him almost violently. It would only be a matter of time before they were on their way, Kouga, Kagome, and himself literally going into unknown waters. The demon in him growled at the prospect of Kagome's safety, wanting nothing more than to leave her behind. The Captain in him however, the human in him, knew this was the best choice. Kagome was the person for this job and he knew that as truth. Pushing himself away from the railing he drug his eyes away from his crew's preparations and sighed.

"Almost time." Inuyasha licked his lips and turned back towards the three humans. By perhaps fate or a stroke of luck, his eyes instantly fell on the delicate Sango.

Much to his surprise, she was simply standing next to Miroku silently, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Brown eyes were staring out across the opened water, their depths as warm as they had always been and filled with a strange sort of certainty he couldn't quite explain. In fact, it almost made him feel uncomfortable. Those eyes looked completely calm and collected, no signs of any trauma from the incidents down below located in those chestnut irises.

"This is—really weird." He frowned to himself watching her carefully as she tilted her head to the side as if in thought. Suddenly, her eyes sprung opened wide, the change in her pupils making the Captain actually wince. "Oh no—," He started to internally panic, thinking what he was seeing was a sign of immanent distress; much to his own surprise however, it wasn't.

"Captain," The girl spoke hastily as she dropped her arms to her sides and looked at the dog demon expectantly. "You should take some supplies." She suggested, her words nearly going straight through the dog demon's head. "Bandages and such—just in case Ayame's hurt."

"Um," Inuyasha stumbled over his words for just a second as he looked at the woman in complete shock. "Something is really out of place here." He thought as he side glanced towards Miroku, watching his son for any further comment, the boy could only shrug. "Thanks for the help." He thought sarcastically to himself before turning back towards Sango. "That's—a great idea." He managed to say to the woman, sending her a pleased smile that only came across as slightly strained. "Why don't you—go ahead and do that?"

"No problem." Sango smiled at him and started towards the stairs, brushing past an equally amazed Kagome.

"Strange." The girl thought to herself as she watched the older woman run towards the stairs. "She seems so—," She struggled to find the right words but in the end was unable to think of anything better than simply: "Okay." She frowned and let her own thought begin to dissipate as an explanation took its place. "The talk really did work." She told herself even as a nagging feeling in her gut contradicted her. "There's no way a simple talk could change someone that much."

Only a few feet away from Kagome, Inuyasha too was watching the girl as she disappeared down the stairs. "I feel like I'm missing something." He thought to himself as he brought a hand up to unconsciously rub at his tense shoulders. "What happened to Sango after I left?" He wondered, his eyes going towards the woman who had stayed with her. Looking at his mate, he couldn't help but feel as if she had done something more they hadn't seen. "Could she have—is it even possible?" The dog demon shook his head not even believing in his own thoughts. "Should I ask her?" He looked towards Kagome who had wandered away from him once Sango had left. "Would she even know?" A small voice whispered from somewhere deep inside of himself, making him blink in surprise.

Standing only a few feet away from him, Kagome looked just as puzzled as himself. The girl was still with her grey eyes focused on where Sango had been and her forehead wrinkled in thought. She looked absolutely determined as if she was trying to assess the meaning of the world as a whole and not just the actions of one woman.

"She doesn't know either." He realized as he watched her cross her arms over her chest and narrow her eyes. He frowned and started to open his mouth to ask the girl, only for another thought to interrupt him completely. "Miroku might."

The dog demon turned his head slowly towards the other man, watching as he guided the ship with a firm grip and alert eyes. He started to open his mouth to question the man but paused as he heard the shuffle of Kagome's feet behind him. Turning back towards the girl, he studied her antsy footsteps with curiosity.

"Kagome?" He called towards her as she glanced down the staircase as if looking for something.

"Hm?" The girl jumped a bit and turned to look at him over her shoulder. As if just realizing he had been the one to call her, she sent him a little smile that barely reached her worry lined eyes.

Unnerved by the strange tint to her normally carefree face, Inuyasha frowned. "What's wrong, Kagome?"

Instantly, Kouga and Miroku both turned towards the extraordinary girl, the Captain's words echoing in their heads. "Something's wrong?" Miroku's paranoid voice shook in the air making Kagome blink in surprise as she looked between the three men

"No." She told them honestly while biting her bottom lip. "Well," She shrugged a bit and brought a hand up to rub at the back of her neck. "Nothing's wrong—I just—was thinking of Sango." She paused for a second, glancing between Miroku and Inuyasha exclusively. "Do you think," She sent them a strange smile that neither man could really accurately interpret the meaning of. "It'd be okay, if I went and helped her?"

It took a second for Inuyasha to process the girl's words but when he finally did he nodded without hesitation. "Sure." He told her, the girl's face brightening from the prospect.

"Thank you," Kagome practically jumped to attention, glad she would be able to go down below and talk with Sango once more. Although she didn't find Sango's behavior as odd as the men did currently, she was curious as to what had brought about such a drastic change. "I'll be back!" She called over her shoulder as she headed towards the stairs quickly.

Watching her disappear down the stairs Inuyasha took a deep breath, "I guess—she's just gonna ask Sango outright." He realized but knew that was not an option for himself. Turning towards Miroku, he looked at the other man carefully for several seconds wondering how he should phrase his question. He didn't want to make it sound as if Sango was behaving strangely, making Miroku worry wouldn't due at the moment. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, his mind deduced a proper and discrete path. Walking the short distance towards his son, he came to stand by his side. "Did you talk to Sango about Costa?"

"Yeah," Miroku spoke calmly but his body did tense from his own words. "She wants to meet with the contact, she wants to know." Out of the corner of his eye, Miroku saw Kouga turn his attention nonchalantly towards them, his demonic ears listening in on the conversation.

"Maybe that's what made her—so normal." Inuyasha told himself but found that answer to be pretty implausible. Finding the man who killed your rapist had to be therapeutic in and of itself; however, there was no way it brought about a change in personality so quickly. Crossing his arms over his chest, the dog demon frowned but didn't voice his concerns for now. "That's good then—that she wants to go." The Captain nodded his head both firmly and honestly. "As soon as everything's over," He glanced over at the silent Kouga sending him a firm look. "You'll take us to the man who can help?"

Kouga looked towards his fellow demon, sending the man a carefully controlled nod of agreement. "Naturalmente." He told the other demon with a firmly mocking snort.

Inuyasha ignored the snort completely and turned back towards his son. "Naturally." He translated and Miroku sent him a contained grin.

"I kind of gathered." He laughed to himself but there really was no humor in the sound.

The dog demon's ears twitched from the sound and he narrowed his eyes. "Everything okay?" He pressed, watching carefully as his son fidgeted from the words.

"Yeah." He somewhat lied, wincing as he realized that Inuyasha could tell he was lying. He had found this out the hard way throughout his childhood.

Sure enough, Inuyasha frowned darkly as he smelt the scent of a liar in the air. "What happened?"

"Otou-san." Miroku began slowly as he looked over at his father trying to tell the man with just his eyes that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Spit it out, pup." Inuyasha looked down at the top of his son's head, the obvious height difference between the two men glaring.

"Um—well," Miroku tried to speak but found his voice stuck in his throat. He really wanted to ask the man for his opinion on all the things that had happened between him and Sango over the past few hours but in the end decided against it. It simply was too personal of a topic to share. "Now's not the best time—," He side glanced towards Kouga, trying to write off his lack of response on the presence of the other man. "Can it wait?"

The dog demon gave his son a strange look but accepted his words for now. There was simply too much going on around them to really focus on minor incidents. "Okay." He turned his attention back to the looming beach, his eyes staring intently at the distant sand, so intently in fact that he, at first, didn't notice when Kouga stepped up beside him.

"Meticcio."

Inuyasha blinked and turned to look at his cousin, the sight that greeted him was one that he could honestly say he had never seen. Kouga's face looked like stone, intent and focused, the blue of his eyes were even such a deep shade of contemplation that they almost appeared black. His lips were drawn into a tight line and his ears on the side of his head were tilted slightly forward trying to hear every single sound the night had to offer them. All the muscles in his neck were taunt, the veins and nerves actually protruding as he stared ahead at the beach Inuyasha had previously been watching. He looked, for all pretenses, as if he was about to head into the most important battle of his life; which, to Kouga, this battle probably was the most important one he would ever fight in.

Without turning to look at the silent half demon, Kouga cleared his throat, his whole body seeming to grow just a little more ridged before he spoke. "Ayame is-eh my world." The words were so blunt that Inuyasha actually felt uncomfortable hearing them. "And I'm-a trusting-eh you," He finally turned towards the younger man looking him dead in the eyes. "Con li mio bella." He forced every ounce of meaning in his voice into his eyes. "Dis bet-ter work."

The dog demon didn't even bother to grow angry at the obvious threat in Kouga's voice. For once, he fully understood where the other man was coming from. "This is his mate." He told himself as he looked into those cold blue eyes, seeing not hostility but trepidation mixed with true fear. "If it was Kagome—I would say the same thing." Nodding his head at the wolf leader acknowledging his words, Inuyasha offered him what was probably the only sincere smile sent between the two. "Don't worry, I know it will."

The wolf demon snorted slightly as if not believing a word Inuyasha had said. The way the veins and nerves in his neck seemed to relax however, told a far different story.

-break-

The ship's galley was a quiet place currently, all of the men on board the vessel out on deck and not taking up residence in the normally loud room. The shelves, which were in general pretty well stocked were currently overflowing with food provided by Kouga. Fresh fruit and vegetables as well as salted meats, rare commodities on the ship, were practically overflowing from some of the barrels and secured shelves. Kegs of both wine and beer, made sloshing sounds as the ship rocked back and forth; the sound oddly relaxing to the two women standing in the galley side by side.

Standing in front of a normally tightly sealed cabinet, Sango pulled out various medical supplies. Beside her, Kagome watched as Sango carefully scrutinized each vile or bottle with her mellow brown eyes. Clutched between anxious fingers, Kagome held a small brown knapsack wide opened for Sango to put the selected medicinal objects within. Originally she had simply followed Sango to the galley in order to simply talk with her; thus, how she had been so easily enlisted into holding the bag, she wasn't quite sure.

"It's so odd," Kagome thought to herself as Sango continued to place supplies with the sack: dressings, bandages, herbs left over from their time with the Cherokee, and a few ointment jars. "She seems so relaxed—almost at peace with everything I guess." The girl tilted her head to the side, while still trying to be discrete about the fact she was studying the other girl. "Was our talk really that powerful?" She asked herself but her mind already reasoned that no talk could ever cause this much of an emotional turn.

Looking down into the knapsack, unaware of Kagome's pressing thoughts, Sango mentally calculated what else might be needed on the trip. "Ointment for burns—I got that; and some for stings and such; bandages—anything else?" The girl shrugged as she turned to eye the contents of the cabinet for just a second longer before sighing. "I guess that's fine." She commented as she reached for the cabinet door, closing it once more before tying the securing rope back in place.

"That's it?" Kagome questioned, blinking in surprise as she was suddenly brought away from her thoughts on Sango and back to the present.

"Seems so." The older girl nodded firmly as she finished securing the cabinet door. "The ointment in the wooden box is for burns and the herbs 'er for cuts and such," She explained to the other woman without missing a beat. "Just put whatever you need on the wound and then cover it with the dressing," She pointed to a bit of rolled up off white cotton in the bag. "And then a bandage." She pointed to a denser looking bit of rolled up clothe. "That should be good enough."

"Doesn't sound too hard." The younger woman said as she watched Sango begin to tie the bag back closed with the cotton strings. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she glanced up at Sango's face slowly, watching as the other woman concentrated on her work. "I wonder if she's putting up a front." Kagome reasoned as she bit into her bottom lip apprehensively. "Maybe it's just all an act to make us feel better." The young girl licked her lips as she allowed Sango's memories to run over her for just a second, dangerous and deadly. "If I were her," She shuttered slightly before sending Sango a truly pitying look. "I know I would do the same."

Realizing that she was being watched intently, Sango's hands stilled on the string of the rump sack and she frowned. Turning to the side, she looked at Kagome and teasingly waved a hand in front of her face. "Can I help you?"

Kagome blinked and immediately turned bright red for having been caught staring. "Sorry," She apologized and held the bag just a little tighter between her fingers awkwardly. "I didn't mean to stare."

Sango nodded her understanding but frowned none the less. "You don't have to walk on eggshells around me," She told the other woman as she took the bag straight out of her hands with a slight huff. "You know?"

The miko lowered her head as if a bit ashamed as she let her hands dangle in front of her. "Of course," She told Sango, as she laced her fingers together awkwardly and fidgetted. "I sorry—really I am, I was just lost in thought and I," She stumbled over her words, feeling pretty stupid for the way they sounded. "Didn't realize I was staring."

"Lost in thought, hm?" Sango stopped her hands from tying the strings of the sack completely and sighed. "About me, you mean?"

"Yes." Kagome didn't bother to deny as she watched her friend lower the bag to the ground. It landed with a soft little thud onto the wooden floorboards, the sound almost seeming to mimic Sango's own tired sigh. "I suppose I really shouldn't be." She offered not sure what else to say in a situation such as this. "But I just couldn't help but think it a bit odd that you seem—." She faltered unable to think of a word to use that wouldn't be taken in the wrong context.

Watching Kagome shift from foot to foot nervously, no words coming from her mouth, Sango allowed her shoulders to slump. "I seem fine, maybe?" She offered as she looked away from the other woman and towards the small port hole of the ship's galley. Outside, the darkness of the night, combined with the brightness of the moon made a beautiful sight, an almost supernatural blue color seeming to overtake the sky.

"Yes, fine." Kagome agreed as she allowed her own eyes to follow Sango's looking outside at the cool moon.

For several seconds both women were quiet, neither knowing exactly what to say to the other. Crossing her arms over her chest, Sango bit her bottom lip, her mind wandering over everything that had happened during the course of the past few hours. "You're not alone." The words seemed to jump inside her head, almost tripping over themselves to be heard. "Can words like that really be so powerful?" The young woman wondered as she closed her eyes against sight the blue moon. "Maybe—but to do everything they are—to make me feel the way I am," She shook her head unable to fully appreciate her own thoughts. "That seems so—impossible." She told herself even as one reality rang true in her head: she still felt fine. She didn't feel angry or filled with hate (at least not as much) anymore. She actually felt a bit at peace. "I guess," Sango finally told Kagome. "I am fine."

The younger girl turned her head to the side, sending her a look of absolute disbelief. "Really?"

The sound of Kagome's amazed voice made Sango chuckle ever so slightly. "Seems kind of crazy, right?"

"Just a bit," Kagome whispered her words sounding almost like a challenge to Sango's sanity. "I mean—just a few hours ago you were," She paused not wanting to explain exactly how Sango was but wanting her to at least remember. "And now—." She allowed her words to trail of, giving Sango time to assess the situation more fully.

"Now—I'm calm." Sango supplied as she looked down at the younger girl. "I feel calm and—I guess—accepting." She watched as Kagome narrowed her eyes looking up at her with curiosity building in her grey eyes. "Kagome, I know it may seem impossible." She offered being careful to leave out the strange voices in her head from everything she was about to tell Kagome. "And it's kinda hard to explain but I guess," She hesitated in an attempt to find all the right words, if there were any. "Just knowing I'm not alone—knowing you're here with me," She felt the words leave her mouth but didn't bother to expand on them, she didn't need anyone thinking she was crazy. "And that you understand," She looked down at the ground as the words hung in the air for just a second. "Made me just a bit stronger—and now I'm finally strong enough to finally, not let it go but, I guess—deal with it better, really handle it." She lifted her head, watching as Kagome looked at her, almost seeming a bit confused. "I'm not gonna let it control me anymore." She continued on, feeling as if Kagome was looking at her with confusion because she really didn't understand what she had said. "And that's because of you."

"Could I really do so much?" Kagome wondered even as a little voice in her head told her: yes, she most certainly could. "I did all that?"

Sango smiled as she watched the girl's grey eyes swirl with a mixture of beautiful black and white. It was as if every force on the planet was located in those eyes, dancing within them. "And more," She whispered as she looked at those knowledge filled eyes, soaking in everything they had to silently say. "More than you'll ever know Kagome."

"I'm glad." Kagome hesitated a second before continuing. "I've always felt like, I wasn't any good to anyone on this ship." She raised a hand up to stop Sango from interrupting her, waiting until the girl backed down before continuing. "I felt pretty useless, in all honesty," She smiled slightly and shifted slightly away from Sango, refusing to look at her as she explained herself. "But now—I guess," She shrugged and glanced up at Sango, the confidence that was building within her evident on her youthful face. "I can be of help."

Sango shook her head quickly and sent Kagome an almost mocking look. "Of course." She told her bluntly nearly wanting to smack the girl on the side of the head for not having realized that fact sooner.

Kagome giggled at the blunt sound of Sango's voice and sent her a delighted smile. "I may not be able to fight," She nodded her head sharply and grinned. "But at least I can—help you, even if it's just," She bounced a little as she stood, as if thinking to herself. "Something small."

Sango was silent for a moment as she looked at Kagome, not believing that the girl thought her deeds to be small. This was the woman who had cloaked their ship in invisibility, taken away hate from the hearts of corrupted men, stopped bullets with barriers, created arrows from her spiritual energy alone, and even experienced another's memories in order to share their pain. None of those deeds were small, they weren't even close. How she could even think that her role on this ship was so insignificant, Sango would never know.

Reached forward to place a hand on the other girl's shoulder, Sango made sure to look her straight in the eyes. "Believe me Kagome," Her voice was straightforward and brokered no room for even the slightest of arguments. "There was nothing small about what you did for me."

Kagome blinked as she took in the words, the warmth of Sango's palm through her clothes making her feel oddly small. It was almost like her mother was looking at her, talking with her, placing her hand on her shoulder and she was the small child in need of esteem. Before she could stop herself, her lower lip trembled ever so slightly and she forced herself to nod in understanding.

Watching the emotions play on Kagome's face, Sango, despite her very nature, felt the urge to yank Kagome forward into a tight unrelenting hug. "Thank you Kagome." She whispered to the other woman as she hugged her, her own lips beginning to tremble as her own gratitude took hold of her nearly closing her throat. "Thank you so much."

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter when will arrive on the Island of Serdenga where Ayame is supposed to be held captive. Kagome will be along for the ride with Kouga and Inuyasha. There's no telling what fun that might bring, no? On another note, I am glad some people are finding these particular chapters personally motivating or simply personal. I promise I will do my best to see with empathy and thus, accurately depict the emotions felt by someone experiencing these same travesties, with the context of the story in mind, of course.

I really do hope, even if they don't help you, that they at least remind you that you too are not alone even when it feels as if you are. As Kagome said:

"None of us really ever want to be alone and yet because of our differences we feel we always are. Whether its blood, our station in society, our parentage or a horrible event that changes us; we always feel alone; as if the rest of the world could never understand us. To see with empathy is to tell someone—they're not alone."

Bonus Point:

In the anime, the term "Black Pearl" is used many times in reference to something very important. This term does not refer to a pirate ship, obviously (no pirates in the original anime lol), what does it actually refer to?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

Kouga found Ayame on the night of the lunar rainbow. At that time, he promised her that the two would marry, when she was old enough. For a long time, Kouga pretended that he did not remember such an incident, even though he clearly does by the end of the episode.

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Notes:

Mongoose - Mongooses live in southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, as well in Puerto Rico and some Caribbean and Hawaiian islands, where they are an introduced species. There are 33 species, ranging from 1 to 4 feet in length and 10 oz to 9 lbs in weight. Some species lead predominantly solitary lives, seeking out food only for themselves, while others travel in groups, sharing food among group members.

18th Century Medical Supplies – On a ship such as the Shikuro, there would have normally been a barber (not the modern kind). In the 18th century, the barber would have been versed in basic medical techniques such as leeching, minor surgeries (cut off your leg, anyone?) and remedies for sickness. Obviously, the Shikuro does not have a barber but instead relies on the Captain and other crewmen's basic knowledge.

A Ship's Medicine Cabinet/Chest – At least in simple cases like seasickness, nausea or diarrhea this cabinet was probably useful. It would have contained all kinds of ointments, lotions and herbs, but also dressings and bandages. It would have also contained a kind of instruction manual, which was written by a trained physician on land that the barber or whoever (although it was illegal to perform medical procedures unless a barber or doctor) could follow.

Next Chapter:

Serdenga

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

7/19/2013