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?

84. Time

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-Four

Time

Keade stepped out onto the deck of the Thunder her blue eye covered up once more, hidden from the world but still able to see even through her patch. The sight of the fearless full moon hit her vision almost immediately as it shared space with the still awake sun in the sky. "The moon is out early today." She thought to herself as she kept an eye on the small almost translucent orb. "I wonder if Kagura knows what that means—?"

The thought trailed off, leaving Kaede's mind completely as she walked along the deck. Around her, working crewmen ignored her movements purposefully. They were so used to seeing the old woman on the deck that they didn't even take notice of the fact that there was something different about her face today. Normally, the old woman smiled regardless of the weather or the people around her. She was a naturally happy person but today, her face was somber, hollow, and almost scary. Their ignorance to the change in her personality was probably for the best however, or at least, it was more convenient for Kaede who wished more than anything not to be noticed.

The old woman looked out across the sea, glancing at the Shinigami which hovered in the distance. The sight was ominous: a Shinigami prepared to finish a contract as soon as the sun slipped below the horizon. Her feet stopped as she studied her fellow death god, watching it's dripping skin as it continued to slide away from muscle. It was a disgusting sight, one that made her feel dirty and positively disgusted with herself.

"I could have been just like her." She told herself as she imagined her own body's eventual decay. Of course, her decay would not start for at least another forty years or so, at the very least. Regardless, it was not something she ever wished to experience. Closing her eyes for just a moment the old woman smiled slightly. "It is far better to die today than to wither tomorrow."

She chuckled and smirked from her own words as she opened her eyes once more. The far off creature was still the highlight of her vision though and she frowned. There was something almost depressing about the creature hovering on the horizon and not just because Kaede saw herself in her. The life of a Shinigami was a pathetic one when it reached this stage. They didn't even look natural anymore; they were death personified. It was almost as if Kaede was watching a corpse decompose from a grave but there was none.

A shudder ran down the old woman's spine and she shifted uncomfortably her eyes unable to leave the Shinigami in the distance. Suddenly, a ring of light began to bud around the creature, its body illuminated against the backdrop of an ailing sky. The first stages of the transformation were beginning now, the soul in the decaying body preparing itself for the transfer to a new host.

"Kagura's body would last you a great deal of time, wouldn't it?" Kaede thought vaguely as her old hands unconsciously rubbed together. "A good five—six hundred years, probably more." She licked her lips and glanced down at her old wrinkled fingers, a slight smirk forming on her face as she studied her own aging features. "What a surprise it shall be, hm?" The old woman snickered slightly even as her heart clenched a bit in her chest.

Lifting her head up and away from her hands, she blinked once then twice, clearing away the potential for tears. She would not cry; she wouldn't dare. Forcing herself to move forward once more, the old woman started towards her destination again. She only had a few short hours to accomplish a great feat. After all, once the sun had set, it would be too late. The Shinigami hovering in the sky would swoop down faster than a hawk stalking a mouse, leaving the old woman with not even a single hope of saving the young one.

"I will do everything in my power." She told herself as she walked along the deck towards the small wooden door that lead to Hiten's cabin. "To ensure you live, Kagura."

She passed the staircase as her words echoed in her mind, the sight of Naraku at the helm not even registering in her head. Luckily for her, the sight of the old woman moseying around deck didn't strike Naraku as all that important either. He simply continued to drink his wine as he looked out at the ocean ahead of him, his thoughts loud in Kaede's head but easily ignored. She didn't have time to deal with him today or the problems he presented. There was someone else she had appointed to such a duty and she was sure she could fulfill it well.

Kaede's face fell into shadow as she ducked underneath the slight overhang of wood that guarded Hiten's door. The coolness of the breeze doubled in the shade and she shivered not from her own fears but instead from cold. Sniffling slightly as her old bones began to ache, she gritted her teeth, resisting the urge for them to chatter. The old Shinigami eye underneath the patch danced as it looked at the door, already knowing what laid within. Her human eye narrowed as she looked at the contours of the wood, her mind wandering to the occupants within.

"Dear lord, I should have checked what they were up to." She told herself as she tilted her head to one side, not really wanting to look past the wood grain but knowing it was better to check before knocking. "I hope they're—decent." She mumbled to herself as she used the Shinigami eye to peer inside the room conveniently. Sure enough, she spotted the two in bed (as she had predicted); however, they seemed to be unengaged at the moment. They were merely cuddled together, Hiten's head pillowed on Kagura's covered chest. "That's surprising." The old woman thought to herself with a shrug as she raised her hand up towards the wooden door.

Carefully, Kaede knocked at Hiten's door, the gentle sound so quiet that she knew only the demons within would be able to hear it. Immediately, Hiten raised his head upwards, the demon having been still alert although obviously asleep. The blankets fell from his chest as he stretched, revealing his fine toned muscles and rippling abs. Face turning red, Kaede shut the Shinigami eye straight away, forcing the image out of her head. She had no desire to see anyone naked at the moment, no matter how attractive they might be.

"Now's just not the time." She chastised herself but couldn't resist replaying the sight in her head a few times. After all, he had been quite handsome to look at and Kaede wasn't exactly dead just yet.

The sound of shuffling from within and muffled voices drew Kaede's attention away from her improper thoughts and she drew in a deep breath. Somehow, although she had realized this time would come, she found herself oddly unprepared for it. Within only a few precious seconds, Hiten would open the door and she would have to step over the threshold of it. The prospect was both terrifying and, at the very same time, relieving. It had been three days since she had realized what was going to happen this very moment and she had been dreading it horribly. The very fact that she was finally standing here, prepared and ready, was somewhat reassuring and disheartening all at the same time.

"I've lived my life." She told herself as the little feelings of doubt prickled in her chest. "Kagura deserves the same." The words were truthful but that didn't mean they didn't sting ever so slightly.

A slight growl from the other side of the door told Kaede it was going to open even before Hiten's hand brushed the handle. The old knob turned slowly and two shiny black eyes peered out from a surprisingly dark room. He had, much to Kaede's delight, dressed hastily it seemed before answering the door. A pair of pants barely held up by his own hips graced his lower half and a shirt that appeared to be backwards covered his front. His normally neatly braided hair was loose about his face and brushed against his chin as he looked at Kaede. The sight of her, making his face draw into a line of tight curiosity.

"What do you want?" He asked abruptly without even bothering to say a single word of greeting.

Not bothering to correct the boy or even offer him a sarcastic comment, Kaede nodded at him and smiled. "I need to see Kagura." Her words were blunt, the sound of them making Hiten open the door just a little wider as he leaned against its frame.

"Um," He stuttered for a second as he looked behind him towards the half naked girl on his bed. "Now?" He asked as he turned back towards the old woman, sending her a strange look.

"Yes." Kaede informed him sharply as she contemplated simply pushing herself past the man and into the room. It would probably be far easier to get into the room if she just forced herself inside but, at the moment, Kaede honestly felt far too tired to attempt such an abrupt intrusion. "It's urgent." She settled on telling him instead as she sent him a sweet smile.

The young demon sent her a suspicious look before turning his attention towards Kagura once more. "You okay?" He asked her even as she looked away from him and towards Kaede with already knowing eyes.

Dropping the sheet from around her chest, revealing that she had dressed herself in one of Hiten's shirts, the girl licked her lips. "Hai." She answered him and Kaede simultaneously in Japanese both understanding her but for two very different reasons.

Turning back towards Kaede, the thunder demon shrugged slightly to himself before motioning Kaede into the room. The old woman didn't hesitate to enter, crossing the threshold of the door as she forced her mind to go completely blank. It wouldn't do to think of the significance of such a subtle step right now. "If it is at all possible," She spoke carefully as Hiten shut the door behind her. "Could you leave us alone, Mr. Hiten?"

The thunder demon's mouth fell opened and he started to bristle from the old woman's words. However, the sight of Kagura turning towards him, her beautiful ruby eyes seeming to plead with him made him snap his mouth shut. There was something in her gaze that told Hiten he was missing a rather significant fact. What it was he didn't know, all he did know was that he didn't like it at all. Still, he licked his lips and crossed the room to his boots and jacket without a word against the request. Grabbing the two articles, not bothering to put them on, he headed towards the door. "I'm gonna check on the men." He told them abruptly, his ego not allowing him to admit that he was obeying their combined orders.

"Gracias." Kagura whispered towards him, the simple word causing him to pause. He had taught them to her not long ago while they had been cuddled together amongst his soft cotton sheets.

"De nada." He replied evenly as he reached for the handle disappearing out the door without a second thought.

Kaede glanced after him as the door clicked closed a slight smile hovering in her tired eyes. "He really is a sweet man." She commented gingerly as she turned back towards Kagura who was just now standing up from the bed.

"Hiten-sama is," She spoke softly as she smoothed the long shirt that hung around her frame, not caring to dress herself up anymore for Kaede. "Very kind-i."

"I agree." Kaede told her as she watched the girl's small fingers trace the ripples of the fabric until all of them were gone.

The room grew quiet as Kagura turned her attention away from the now flat fabric and towards a small chair by the desk. Her ruby eyes focused on the object, staring at it without seeing it truly. She inhaled deeply after several long seconds and shook her head. "Please," She broke the silence abruptly as she motioned towards the oak chair. "Sit." She tried to smile but the smile didn't reach even a corner of her face.

Biting her lips from the sight, Kaede moved across the room, her tired feet dragging the ground as she approached the offered seat. Within seconds, she lowered herself down onto the hard wood, her old body not actually appreciating the stiff seat as much as it should have. Regardless, she finally managed to send Kagura a pleasant smile as the chair squeaked under her weight. "Thank you."

The wind demon returned the gesture with a slight nod as she lowered back down on the bed, sitting on its edge. The quiet filled the room once more as Kagura folded her hands properly in her lap. Both sets of worn yet delicate fingers draping against one another as she pushed her back straight, sitting with pride. "I suppose-e yuu noticed." She stated rather than asked as she looked at the old woman with accepting ruby eyes.

Shifting slightly to one side of the chair, Kaede sent the younger woman a sad yet oddly mirthful smile. "You thought I wouldn't?" Her voice was coy but the nature of it went unnoticed by the preoccupied wind demon.

"Maybe it-to was silly of Kagura," The wind demon tilted her head back and closed her eyes, a slight smile on her face. "Demo," The word hung in the air as she sprawled the fingers in her lap, brushing the digits over the exposed surface of her thigh. "I had-u hope yuu wouldn't-a."

"I can understand that." Kaede replied as she glanced out the window, looking not at the death god but instead at the beautiful sea. The sun was hanging lower now, the color of it reflected in the dark blue water a strange orange as it began to sink towards the place where blue met blue.

"Tell me," She turned towards the older woman slowly, watching her every move. "Why-y are yuu here, Kaede-sama?" Her voice was tight as she spoke, the sound telling Kaede that the young woman was already resisting the urge to cry. "Do yuu wish-i to watch?"

"No." Kaede spoke softly as she looked towards Kagura, allowing herself to finally show the girl true emotion. Her human eye watered slightly and she reached up without another thought to grab for the eye patch that hid the other. Pulling it away from her face with a slight snap from the fabric, she revealed even the sorrowful look of the Shinigami blue eye. Kagura gasped softly from the sight realizing the significance of those eyes appearing sad. It was not a normal ability that a true Shinigami would ever possess. They were creatures of death and the thought of someone dying was not one to phase them. "Kagura." Kaede began slowly as she allowed that hauntingly beautiful blue eye to stare straight into the other woman's soul. "I wish to stop it."

Kagura's whole body seemed to snap to attention as she took in those strange words. Her heart stopped dead in her chest and a wave of hope rushed over her that she couldn't even begin to describe. "Nani?" Her native language came to her tongue before English could even enter her mind.

Kaede didn't respond right away as she too felt a wave of emotion run throughout her. Unlike Kagura however, it wasn't warm and reassuring or full of potential, it was cold and sad and even, a little lonely. "Not matter how well one accepts the inevitable." She told herself silently, her own thoughts reassuring her in an odd way. "Fear can still reign in your heart." A lump formed in her throat and she inhaled deeply in order to push it back down where it belonged. "Kagura," The wind demon's name felt heavy on her tongue, a strange but peculiarly poignant sensation. "I want to make a deal with you."

Kagura blinked in response not quiet understanding what Kaede meant. "Deal?"

The old woman nodded and brought an old wrinkled hand up to touch her face. "It's the only way." She explained as she rubbed one hand over her Shinigami eye as if it was tired.

"The only-y way for-u what—?" The wind demon felt her mind begin to fill with the possibilities behind Kaede's words.

Dropping the hand from her face, Kaede raised her head to look directly at Kagura, knowing the impact her next words would have. "For you to live."

Kagura's whole body went rigid. She hasn't thought of such a possibility: to live; it seemed as if there was absolutely no way she could live. She had chosen her path the moment she agreed to take the Shinigami eyes for Sesshoumaru and that was a path that could never be deviated from. She had heard legends of those who had actually tried to defy the contract of the Shinigami and all had eventually succumbed to the beast's power. No matter how far they had run or how well they had hidden, every last one of them had been found. "Kaede-sama," She stuttered as her mind tried to wrap around the prospect of Kaede's words. "Are yuu serious?"

"I am." Kaede spoke slowly as if she was afraid Kagura wouldn't understand or even hear her words. "You must make a deal with me if you wish to live."

The wind demon gulped uneasily as she felt her heart pound against her ribcage. Although she knew Kaede would never make a deal with her which would bring her harm, part of her had to wonder what kind of deal Kaede could possibly make with her. She already had the Shinigami eyes, so there was no way she could take Kaede's eyes. At least, that was her understanding of the way such deals worked. A person was given the Shinigami eyes in exchange for their body and after that, another deal would never be made or so she thought. Even more so, she had to ask herself, would taking Kaede's eyes for herself even be helpful?

"I have-e no idea." She looked towards the old woman, shaking her head confused. "What-to are yuu talkin' about?" Kagura whispered as she stared at Kaede as if she was insane.

"I want to offer you a contract," Kaede spoke as bluntly as possible as she laced her finger's together and sat them in her lap. "My Shinigami eye for yours."

Kagura couldn't think of a single word to say as her eyes were drawn towards that one brilliant blue eye. "A deal—." The thought seemed to echo within her loudly, so loudly in fact that she couldn't hope to ignore even the tiniest bit of it. "Kaede-sama want-to make a deal?" Her heart thumped in her chest as she realized that Kaede would only offer if she knew such a deal was possible. "I—I—could-u live?" She whispered the words, watching as Kaede nodded at her slowly her face a sad firm line that didn't register in Kagura's head. If it had, Kagura probably would have realized that nothing in life is as simple as a mere even exchange.

Instead, her mind focused on only the personal possibilities of such an exchange. Life. Kagura would be alive. She would live to see the sun tomorrow and the moon the next night. She would go to sleep, warm and satisfied within Hiten's bed. She would wake also at his side, just in time to see an expression he sent only to her: a smile. And in years to come, that satisfaction and his smiles would only grow, and her happiness would be cultivated by them both. It was a beautiful thought and potentially a beautiful life.

But how would she ever live it? How could such a thing be possible? Deep down part of her wondered, if it was possible for Kaede to perform such magic, then how would it be done? The exchange of Shinigami eyes was a complicated task when there were no complications. But this time, there was a big one besides even the fact she was under contract. Kaede only had one eye, so during the exchange there would not be enough eyes to go around, literally. So, should she go through with such a deal, she had to wonder: would there be a vacant cavern in her face or did the Shinigami possess the ability to make eyes magically appear? The thought didn't last long however and before she could think on the strange possibilities even further Kaede spoke once more.

"If I take your eyes," She explained as her finger's began to twiddle nervously. "The contract with your Shinigami will be broken."

Shaking her head back and forth with pure disbelief, Kagura opened her mouth as if to speak. It took some time before the words actually formed on her lips but after a few patient moments she was able to speak. "Kaede-sama are yuu—sure?"

"I'm technically a Shinigami Kagura," The old woman sent her an amused smile that truthfully held not even an ounce of amusement. "Of course I'm sure."

Somehow, Kagura couldn't say she was convinced. There was something strange about what Kaede was suggesting, impossible even. "But-to—my eyes-u are another Shinigami," She stuttered as she spoke, almost hating herself for questioning such a life saving plan. "If-fu Kaede-sama take them won't-to my Shinigami come for-u yuu?"

"Yes." Kaede's answer was as truthful as it was a deceitful. "It will try to take this body." She motioned towards herself as she finally managed to pry her fingers apart. "It will have no choice if it wants to live."

"So," Kagura looked at her skeptically, her ruby eyes shining as they began to believe Kaede's every word. "Shinigami-sama won't-to take mine?"

"No." The old woman allowed the words to fall from her mouth, the sound of Kagura's voice (sweet and innocent) making her feel validated. "I'm making the right choice." She told herself as she felt all the love in Kagura's heart for Hiten begin to reawaken. The potential for an actual life with the man, consuming Kagura's every subconscious thought. "Your Shinigami can't take your eyes if there is a contract between us." She sent Kagura a reassuring smile as the warmth of the girl's emotions made her very skin tingle. "Because the very act will cause the contract between you and her to be broken."

"It will?"

Kaede simply nodded in answer before beginning her explanation once more. "If her eyes aren't on your body," She explained easily as her own worries and fears began to seep away replaced instead by the potential of Kagura's very life. "Then there is nothing she can do. She will have to come after me instead."

"Ano?" Kagura paused unsure as she looked away from Kaede, her face the perfect picture of contemplation. "What-to about Kaede-sama?" She looked up at the old woman, studying her from the place behind her eye lashes. "—won't Shinigami-sama try-y to take Kaede-sama body?"

For a moment Kaede hesitated, she didn't really want to tell Kagura the truth. Telling the wind demon the truth would only serve to make the woman feel guilty, it might even prevent her from agreeing to the contract and that was something that Kaede couldn't dare risk. "Don't worry." She spoke carefully even as her own racing heart told her she was a fool. "I'll be fine," She felt herself starting to hesitate but shook the feeling off with a slight laugh. "I'm a Shinigami," The lie became smooth as she closed her eyes hiding the physical manifestation of such a lie from Kagura completely. "Not even another Shinigami can hurt a Shinigami."

Kagura opened her mouth to protest but no words really came, she truthfully had none to begin with. "If –fu I make-e this deal with yuu," She finally managed to say, her every word slow and drawn out. "Kaede-sama will," She paused as she tried to comprehend what she was trying to ask. Finally, after a few moments of solid contemplation, she brought her arms up around herself and sent Kaede one more suspicious look. "Take-e my body when yours start-to to rot?"

"No." Kaede answered firmly having already prepared for such a question. "This will be a different kind of deal Kagura." She told the wind demon carefully, not wanting to give too much information away but also not wanting Kagura to question her motives. "I will give you my one good eye and you will give me the Shinigami ones." The words sounded truthful enough and that's because these words simply were. "Since your eyes are Shinigami, I will never have a need to get my blue one back—I can simply use the red ones if I wish to trade for a body." Her last words, on the other hand, were pure fiction if fiction was ever said.

Kagura's eyebrows narrowed as she took in the words, not sure at all how to handle them. "How is-su tat possible?"

Kaede offered her a slight shrug as she leaned back in the chair attempting to appear nonchalant. "The ways of Shinigami are strange and complex."

"Soka." Kagura mumbled quietly, Kaede's act working wonders on her.

"Don't worry Kagura." The old woman whispered carefully as she leaned forward in the chair once more. "After this deal you will live a normal life," She whispered the words carefully, watching as Kagura lifted her head, listening to them with an opened mind and heart. "As a normal demon with an extraordinary gift." She motioned towards the blue eye that sat within her face, the bright blue in stunning contrast to her wrinkled skin. "You will not be a Shinigami, you will not have to worry about her coming for you or me." Kaede had to stop herself from flinching at her own words. "You can be happy," She felt the lump forming in her throat once more but she pushed it down with one large gulp. "Like you always wished to be."

The possibility of living a normal life caused all doubts to leave Kagura's mind. "I agree—," She turned to Kaede, her ruby eyes shining as she spoke the most binding words in the Shinigami vocabulary. "I indenture-e myself to yuu, Kaede-sama." She closed her eyes and bowed her head in the most respectful fashion she knew of. The top of her hair greeted Kaede's vision and the old woman felt her heart lighten in her chest once more.

Carefully, Kaede smiled and bowed her head in return, mainly because she dreaded looking Kagura in the eye when the girl raised her head. The words of the contract jumped into her mind for the second time in the same day as she looked down at her lap. Her old wrinkled hands tightened just a little bit against the confines of her skirt but they relaxed within mere seconds. The weight of the world had already started to drop from her shoulders. A strange light feeling engulfed her and she had to stop herself from chuckling quietly.

Despite the impending and looming nature of her own death she felt joy begin to bud in her heart. "Kagura will be safe." She told herself as her immortality escaped her, her fears of death and her own longing to live evaporating as she closed her eyes. "And with Kagura—my job will still be done."

-break-

The Captain's cabin on the Shikuro was cast in shadow, the haunting sun outside providing valuable light to the world within. Exhausted, Inuyasha sat in a chair by the window, the gentle sea breeze of the late afternoon making him feel far more tired than exhilarated as it normally did. On the bed before him, in a place that seemed to have become a pattern, rested Kagome curled within herself. The soft sea breeze touched each and every one of her curls, ruffling them as it passed through the room. The sight itself was enchanting, or at least it should have been. At the moment it seemed somehow different, perhaps unnerving.

The dog demon inhaled sharply as he tried to pinpoint what it was about the sight that made him squirm a little. Truthfully, he couldn't even begin to explain it. There was just something, wrong about the way her hair was mused by the breeze. Normally, each little curl would move as if it was being spirited away from her body but now, they seemed to merely waver for a moment before falling back into place. It was as if her whole demeanor had changed in that instant during which he had been passed out.

Inuyasha sighed heavily and brought a hand up to rub across his face. His skin was clammy to the touch and he had to resist the urge to gag from the feel. Ripping his hand away he growled slightly, sharp gold eyes looking down at the girl with worry and fear protruding from his every feature. For a moment he thought to reach for her and to touch her but he stopped himself for reasons even he couldn't exactly comprehend. A strange feeling welled up in his heart that he didn't like at all and with a deep breath he grimaced.

"How many times will I find myself sitting here?" He whispered into his cabin as he looked at Kagome lying on the bed. "It's almost like I'm always here." He leaned his head back and looked up at the old floorboards above him. "You just can't stay out of trouble can you?" He couldn't resist the slight smirk that formed on his face. In truth, he was proud of her, so very amazingly proud of what she had managed to accomplish.

She had killed probably a good dozen or so mongooses with what appeared to be a single strike. It was an extraordinary feat for a girl so young and untrained, how she had managed to accomplish it he couldn't even begin to digest. Still, there was something just as unsettling about Kagome's great achievement as there was about her hair's strange lackluster quality; something, he didn't quite understand himself. To Inuyasha, Kagome's deed had been a godsend, she had saved them before death could take a tight hold onto their throats; to Kagome however, she had done something horrible.

"I'm a monster!"

The words echoed in his head, the sight of her face tear stained and hopeless making his stomach knot. "Kagome." The name dripped from his lips like rain water as it drizzles and falls into a tiny pond. "Does she really think that?" He wondered as he looked down at the girl once more, her peaceful sleeping face a stark contrast to her panicked one only a few hours before. "Knowing Kagome—she does."

The sigh that left his mouth this time was nearly inaudible as if he wished for no one to hear of his own worries. From the moment he had sat her down inside the small rowboat, she had been silently inconsolable. Her eyes had appeared distant and that scary shade of black that made his skin actually crawl ever so slightly. To the unobservant eye (or the eye that simply wished not to observe) she probably had looked nothing more than tired as she sat on the boat. To Inuyasha's eyes however, she looked inconceivably broken. He hadn't even be able to explain it at the time, all he had known was that she looked perpetually disgusted with herself in a small subtle way.

"Not even Sango and Miroku really noticed." He thought to himself as he brought a hand up to his head, running his fingers through his hair. "They thought she was just tired—but then again—I really didn't bother to tell them what happened."

And that was the truth. Inuyasha hadn't said a word to either Sango or Miroku about what had happened. He hadn't even dared to utter the idea to Kouga or the now awake Ayame, it was simply suicide for Kagome if he did so. Instead, he had merely told them that Kagome was exhausted and they, seeing her glassy eyes, had accepted the fact quite easily. That didn't mean though, that Sango and Miroku hadn't sent him strange looks. They, having known Kagome just as long as himself, were quite aware that there was something wrong that was more than simply tiredness. To their credit, however, they didn't ask; at least, not yet.

"With any luck, they'll wait a few days before they start questioning her." He cleared his throat slightly as his golden eyes turned away from Kagome and out into the sunlight. "By then, she'll probably be pretty much back to normal." He shrugged his shoulders at his own suggestion, a tiny part of him actually laughing at it. "She just," He paused, something about his own thought making him feel dirty in a way he couldn't even begin to explain. "—she'll have to get over it, sometimes people die so you can live." He finished the thought anyway as matter of factly as possible. "That's the way the world is." He nodded his head once sharply but the movement wasn't satisfying. "Nothing more to it—."

Deep down, in the part of Inuyasha that was completely solidly human, he knew his words were a lie. Well, not so much a lie as they were calloused and not truthful to who Kagome was as a person. Kagome wasn't a murderer, Kagome wasn't a killer, Kagome wasn't violent, and Kagome wouldn't hurt a fly. She was a sweet and gentle woman who purified the very hate from people in order to stop violence. For her to kill was a travesty against her very nature. All of this, Inuyasha knew but in that moment refused to acknowledge because acknowledging that fact was the equivalent of realizing how far Kagome had fallen.

The girl moaned softly in her sleep, the sound making Inuyasha's ears perk up on his head slightly. For several seconds he watched her intently, trying to see if she would move at all. The slight twisting of her body as she relocated onto her side was really all the movement she made. Her arms were still wrapped around herself in an effort to provide necessary comfort and her brow was still relaxed as if she was lost in a pleasant dream. For a moment he hoped she would open her eyes so he could talk with her. He desperately wanted to talk with her, to sort out everything that had gone wrong on Sergenda but, of course, Kagome didn't wake. Instead the girl simply fell even more expertly into her sleep leaving him alone with his further thoughts.

"What would I even say to her?" He wondered as he watched her every movement (or lack thereof) carefully.

The thought continued to float about his head, every possible combination of cheerful words he could address her with budding in his mind. Every one of them however, felt lackluster and flat. Leaning back in the chair, Inuyasha absently moved to prop his feet up on the side of Kagome's bed. He rested his head once more against the back of the chair and absently stared up at the ceiling. Carefully, he allowed his mind to wander, memories from only a few scant hours before entering his head. He could hear her as she screamed and called herself a monster, the pain and darkened color of her eyes consuming him.

"What's wrong with you?" She whispered as her shame mounted in her very soul, consuming her as her whole body shivered with raw emotion. "How can you—even," She spoke so softly that the nearly snarling Kouga in the background didn't hear her. "Look at me?"

Inuyasha shook his head instantly of the memory, hating the way her voice had shook and her eyes had pleaded. Licking his lips he pulled his feet from the bed and leaned forward, the chair legs clicking as they touched the ground once more. Growling slightly, he looked down at Kagome sending the girl somewhat of a glare. "How can I not look at you?" He told her once more as he studied her delicate face, his heart clenching in his chest. "I always want to look at you." He whispered into the room, his mind beginning to slow down as three sweet words consumed his thoughts. "I love you." In that one instant, Inuyasha's mind actually froze, every single thought in his head grinding to a halt as a memory he had yet to remember surfaced brilliantly at the front of his brain.

"Damn it Kagome." He finally snapped, unable to deal with the emotions running throughout his own body. "I'm looking at you right now and all I can fucking see is you." He let the words flow unhindered as they raced about his head begging to finally be said. "And I love you."

The room was silent, so much so that Inuyasha was positive he heard himself gulp. "I—?" The thought was nearly dead in his head, as if he couldn't possibly wrap the entirety of his mind around it. "Did I—actually—?" Instantly he brought a hand to his head, grabbing his bangs and yanking at them as if he was trying to wake himself from a dream. He barely remembered saying the words and yet he knew it had actually happened. "I told her—I told her I loved her?" He felt his mouth open, his chin dropping as panic began to well up in his chest. "I told and she—."

He looked down at the girl still laying prone on the bed his mind reeling with fear. It was in that moment that he realized the far more terrifying aspect of his declaration. Not only had it been shouted at her, not only had he cussed at her but Inuyasha had also told her he loved her and she had shut down and not said a word since. A knife twisted in his heart as a daring thought entered his mind, taunting and teasing him.

"What if—that's why she hasn't said a word?" He felt a lump grow instantly in his throat and he found it difficult in that moment to actually swallow. "No—no—no!" He shook his head violently feeling like a stupid child. "What am I saying?" He leaned back and grumbled to himself. "She probably didn't even hear that—not after what happened." He resisted the urge to stand up and bang his head against the wall. "I'm an idiot for even thinking she'd be more upset with me—saying—that—than the mongooses." He told himself, the thought absolutely horrible but his mind racing with the possibilities of adolescent thinking none the less.

The youth in him, the part of him that was still very much a child in many ways (as his grandfather so kindly put it), began to grow alarmed. There was a distinct possibility that he had put his foot, very skillfully, into his own mouth. To admit something so sacred and with such great potential for heartache in the heat of battle was a death wish and went against everything Inuyasha knew. He had never, not once in his life, admitted he loved someone except his grandfathers, his mother, and once to Miroku, his own son. He was not the kind of man who expressed feelings that were deep and made one vulnerable.

"Damn it." The dog demon couldn't stop the curse from leaving his lips. "Why'd I have to open my big fat mouth?" He felt the demon within him snarl at his own words, telling him that he was wrong to be so upset. To Inuyasha's credit, he rightfully ignored the demon's lack of concern. "I'm such an idiot!" He brought his hands up to his head and smacked himself straight in the face once.

An undeniable feeling of helplessness washed over him and without his permission his foot began to tap upon the floor. Golden eyes turned towards Kagome, looking at the girl as if begging her to awaken and, at the same time, begging her not to. Part of him wanted to talk with her desperately to clear the air, to take back his words or maybe (just maybe) hear words of her own. The human in him wasn't holding its breath. It knew they were practically engaged and that she had promised herself to him in every possible sense of the word. It knew her mother had approved and that her uncle was jackass. It knew that she must at least like him and yet, love was something totally different.

Slowly, his eyes raised up towards her just in time to see the sunlight wash over her face momentarily. It highlighted her more gentle features and showed the way her cheeks moved as she breathed in her sleep. It was a tantalizing sight and it made him feel even more exposed. "Do you—." He started to whisper the words but his mouth shut before he could finish them. "Love me?" He finished only in his mind, the logical part of his brain knowing the answer but the bruised part of his heart not willing to believe it. "Ah!" He yelled inside his mind and stood up from the chair.

Turning away from the girl, he began to pace throughout the room, the sound of his boots against the wood surprisingly quiet. He felt as if a storm was raging within his head, his mind the thunder and his heart the lightning. Part of him wanted to believe that once Kagome awoke this whole incident would be cleared within seconds and another part of him was focused on her reaction. Kagome hadn't said a word and that very thought was haunting and terrifying. Her black eyes had merely stared at him in an unnervingly dark way. Inuyasha stopped pacing as the image of those eyes jumped within his head. All thoughts of love and the implications of his words drifted away as he instead focused on those eyes: Kikyo's eyes. A shiver ran down his spine and a cringe built up on his face. Kagome's lack of words might have been disheartening but those eyes were even worse.

"The path between light and darkness is a hard path to negotiate."

The dog demon stopped pacing as the words from his dream assaulted his psyche. "Okaa-san?" He mumbled into the thick air of the ever darkening room. Slowly a frown took over his face and he crossed his arms over his chest in thought. "What the hell does that mean?" He asked himself and not to his surprise found no answer.

Mentally exhausted the Captain brought his hands up to his face once more and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. A slight pounding started in the upper corner of his left temple and he held back his pain filled growl. He tilted his head back and rolled his neck against his shoulders as the pain began to build. He shook his head against it but the action did no good. Inhaling the somewhat musty scent in the room, he held back a sneeze the action making his head hurt even more.

"Damn it." He cursed under his breath as he brought his hands to his head, holding the side of his temple as if the pressure might relieve the headache, it didn't. Opening his eyes, he looked over his shoulder to the still slumbering Kagome torn. He really wanted to stay by her side, to be there when she awoke to comfort her and hopefully talk with her but at the same time, he could honestly say he just wanted to leave this room even more. "I'm sorry Kagome." He whispered as he began to inch towards the door. "I just—I need some fresh air."

The words felt stiff as he spoke them but he didn't bother to think of them for very long. Turning away from her completely, he reached for the already close door handle and slipped from the room without another word. Perhaps though, if he had been paying just a bit more attention to the room behind him, he would have noticed that those strange black eyes were no longer closed but instead opened.

-break-

Kagura laid on Hiten's bed flat on her stomach, his shirt removed from her body, leaving her bare. The curtains were drawn, hiding the sight from the world outside of the ship and hopefully (although unlikely) the Shinigami which lurked there. The smooth crevice between her shoulder blades was visible to the room and the nearby flicker of an innocent candle caused shadows to dance upon the smooth white flesh. The images those shadows created cascaded over every ripple of muscle underneath her skin as she shifted almost uncomfortably. Kagura knew already what was to come in the moments leading up to her completed contract with Kaede.

Closing her ruby eyes, the sight of the fresh white sheets fading behind her sealed lids, she winced. She could still see her Shinigami, she could see its tortured eyes as it glared at her waiting for its moment to rip its clawed hands into her flesh. A shudder ran down Kagura's back and her eyes snapped opened before she could relive the horrifying experience too distinctly. After all, she would be experiencing it again in reality in only a few short moments.

That thought in her head, she glanced behind her towards Kaede who stood in the middle of the room. The small cabin was cast in a dank sort of darkness that she couldn't even begin to describe. That same chilly shadow clouding Kaede's every movement as she crouched on the floor. In one of her old wrinkled hands she held an old inkwell they had found on Hiten's desk. The vile shook as she dipped the finger of her opposite hand within it, using the old appendage to carefully create a haunting image upon the floor.

In all honesty, Kagura couldn't say she remembered this particular image from her first ceremony with the Shinigami who now hovered outside, and yet she knew it must have been there. Gulping, she moved her eyes away from Kaede, the sound of her as she grunted enough to remind Kagura of the old woman's task.

"I'm almost done." Kaede's voice echoed throughout the room, plaguing Kagura's every thought.

"Hai." Her voice was small, fears and doubts within her burning her very soul. What if this failed? What if the Shinigami still came for her? What if she—what if she—what if she died? The terrible thought gripped her throat to the point of suffocating her but she couldn't let them go. They were rooted so deeply in her brain that there was no use screaming for them to leave.

"I apologize in advance." Kaede spoke again, responding to Kagura's halfhearted "yes" with no true commentary of her own. "But—it will be over soon." She gently reassured as her ancient Shinigami eye looked down at the strange transmutation circle she had created. "If only the Alchemist knew how close they were to being right." She mused silently to herself as she studied the strange pattern with thoughtful fascination. "You can exchange things for one another, just not—coal into gold." The thought fluttered out of her head as the Shinigami eye closed involuntarily before opening once more to take in the circle it had created.

The outer edges of the drawing were nothing more than a perfect circle, the lines of ink thick and encompassing as they housed the delicate works within: A triangle facing exactly north, pointing in the direction of the top of the world. Another triangle, this one upside down and overlapping it, pointed exactly towards Kagura who was facing south. Together they made a fevered star that encased a bold dark hexagon. Kaede had made sure the ink that created the strange shape was as thick as the outside circle, showing the importance of its inclusion. And in the middle, wrapped within the confines of this bizarrely painted image was the drawing of a hauntingly knowledgeable eye.

That eye stared at her as if it knew, before even her, what would happen in the world. The dark pupil housed by the muscles of a gleaming iris, the color of the wood underneath her feet, stared up at her. It seemed to dare her to contradict the knowledge it held, knowledge it could not possibly know, and yet somehow seemed to contain in its delirious fake reality.

Dragging her eyes away from the object Kaede inhaled deeply. "Are you ready?" She asked knowing that the response from Kagura was no but would still be said aloud as yes.

"Yes." Kagura told her, her voice faint but still audible even to Kaede's old ears. "I am."

Kaede nodded once to herself before reaching for a small knife she had placed upon the table beside the drawing on the floor. Taking it into her hand, she watched as the candle light made it gleam, the small penknife seeming far more dangerous than it actually was. For a moment, she swore she couldn't breathe as the full magnitude of what she was about to do hit her square in the stomach. "Can I do this?" She wondered once, knowing that her reluctance came not from her will to live but instead from her own principals.

She was about to hurt Kagura, unimaginably so, but she knew in order to allow Kagura to live it was an action she must take. Closing her eyes, the Shinigami blue one moving quickly as if in protest, Kaede imagined the ceremony once more; allowing it to overflow in her mind. Already she could hear the screams of Kagura's pain, the sound invading her every sense so completely that her head actually began to spin. Her heart twisted violently as she imaged the blood and the suffering and the horrors that awaited, feeling them in every fiber of her being.

"For her life." A voice whispered within her, one that strangely did not sound at all like her own. Opening her eyes, Kaede realized who the voice was and she couldn't help the faint smile that overtook her face. "What is a little pain compared to life?" Licking her lips, Kaede didn't dare answer the Shinigami within her but instead drew the knife up towards her fingers, placing it against the tip of one.

Her right hand shook, the knife made a strange metallic nose as it reacted to her unsteady grip. Kagura drew in a sharp breath knowing that the inevitable had come. The old woman felt her life begin to slip away already as she lowered the knife against her flesh. The sharp sensation of mounting pain nearly took her breath away as she sliced into her finger. Instantly blood welled up to the surface of her hand and her eyes snapped open to watch the dark red thick hot liquid as it tainted the color of old tan flesh.

Her hands still shook and her Shinigami eye, if it could have, seemed to moan with delight. "Blood." She whispered the word knowing it had to be said, before she glanced at the wooden iris of the transmutation circle's eye. Kneeling down, dodging the still wet black ink, Kaede brought her bleeding finger towards that empty iris and smeared her blood to give it color.

The already haunting eye seemed to spring to life as her blood filled in the necessary dye it needed to be complete. The thick liquid poured from her self-inflicted wound until it filled in every single part of the iris. Pulling her hand away, the old woman clutched her fingers into a fist, the warm liquid still seeping from the knife cut. The eye in the middle of her circle stared back at her, lifelike now that it had fill and substance.

"And so it begins." She told herself as she looked down at the eye just in time to see it blink as it came truly into life.

-break-

The soft click of the door as Inuyasha exited the room was lost on Kagome as she lay looking out the opened window of the Captain's cabin. Her black eyes studied the landscape with new clarity. She could see everything so clearly now that it was almost painful to keep her eyes opened. Everything was almost sharper than it should have been, her vision nearly perfect as it took in the ugly sight of the cloudy sky. The grey in each and every gibbous making her stomach turn just a little more. The pale blue that rested behind them, tinted with the rosy shade of the setting sun, telling her of the truth behind the world: that the world was full of blood no matter where she chose to look.

Closing her eyes, Kagome bit her lip trying to pull her thoughts away from the vision of the bloody sky and instead focus on the soft movements of the calming ocean. The ship rocked back and forth, a leisurely pace that for a moment made her feel as if she had misjudged the sky. Before her mind could drift to much calmer thoughts however, the ocean turned and twisted the ship about. Outside she heard the distant call of someone ordering the rigging to be tamed and the sails to be tightened; the voice sounded familiar but she wasn't in a state to think of the person's name.

"A storm." She thought only vaguely to herself as she forced her eyes to open and see the clouds again. Sure enough, their gray was changing, becoming darker and darker as they took on both the qualities of the approaching night and also, the birth of the burgeoning gale. Studying that darkening quality, Kagome couldn't help but notice that the fading sun was continuing to paint the sky in red. Only this time, the color didn't remind her of blood but instead something far more disheartening. Deep inside that color, she could see the deadly images of flames burning hot as they consumed fat.

Against her will, her mind released upon her a series of what were now haunting memories. Wave upon wave of relentless remembered sights began to push against her skull causing her head to instantly pound with their ferocity. The sight of flesh bubbling as it was slowly cooked on the bone, the smell of burning hair disgusting in her nostrils, and the sound of screaming, pleading, and utter despair as the owners of that hair, flesh and bones were seared alive clamored into her ears. She could see one mongoose in particular as he tried to breathe, the power of her arrow having damaged his very lungs as his body was consumed by fire. He was gurgling up blood, a squeak of sound ripping from his throat as his own claws desperately tore at his neck in an attempt to beg for mercy.

His bright black eyes looked right at her, an entire life seeming to pass between them as he silently begged for the pain to stop. She remembered looking back at him, hate forming in her heart as she thought of the people behind her. She remembered the way he had fallen to his knees, the brightness of those eyes fading as his flesh turned black against the hot flames. She remembered her mouth forming the words as she narrowed her eyes:

"Go to hell."

And he had obeyed. One last time he spat up his own blood, his dark eyes went listless as life fled him and then, they had rolled back into his head. He had fallen to the ground with one loud thud, landing on top of another man whom had already passed on only a few precious seconds before. His body had twitched violently as the nerves that were still alive experienced the last moments of pain he would ever feel. Before long however, even the twitching stopped and in a man's place remained only a burning corpse devoid of life. The smell of his flesh as it began to drip from his very bones had assaulted her nose but she had felt neither sick nor regretful.

Kagome Dresmont had merely felt accomplished and righteous and—most sickening of all—proud.

Coming back to herself, Kagome half expected to throw up but not even a lump formed in her throat as that man's vacant expression seemed to stare right into her even now. The ship rocked once violently and a new command was yelled from outside but Kagome didn't hear it or even guess at its importance. Instead, she looked into that man's eyes. He seemed to still be in front of her, staring at her even now. He looked so real that she was sure she could reach out and touch him. Her arm quivered underneath the blanket and shaking she pulled it out from the strange warmth. She couldn't resist, she had to know if this figure before her eyes was real or an afterimage left by guilt.

Shaking, she allowed her fingers to move forward, the charred man's burned face beginning to actually move. She paused in disbelief, her hand hovering in mid air as the blackened flesh around his cheeks pulled into a tight frown. "You killed me." He whispered, his lips moving and disintegrating all at the same time. Right before her eyes he turned to ash, his body disappearing both from this earth and from her tortured brain.

Shocked, Kagome yanked her hand away and desperately closed her eyes against the sight as she waited for the vomit to rise up in her throat but it never did. With shaking lips, she opened dark black eyes once more and briefly wondered what was wrong with her. "Why—why don't I feel sick?" She asked herself but the thought did not have much time to develop, however, before another figure entered her vision, another man she had watched die.

She could just see his hand out of the corner of her eye as he grabbed the end of the bed. The crispy flesh of his charred fingers clutched at the sheets by her feet, yanking himself upwards for her to see. His half melted face looked up at her from the floor as he continued to claw desperately at the sheets. Her heart caught in her chest and she knew at any moment she would scream but the sound never came. At least, it didn't come from her. The half melted face of the mongoose guard contorted into anger and the hand grasping at the sheet grabbed hastily for her foot. She could almost feel the heat from the flames as his fingers, or what was left of them, connected with her toes, grabbing hold of them underneath the covers.

"How could you?" He asked her as his still burning skin began to succumb to the might of her power. "You—," He drug out the word as he pulled at her foot far too weak to actually make her move. "I had a wife—a child—a life."

Kagome felt tears form on her lashes but didn't dare to deny him or to even move from the haunting hallucination. "I'm sorry." She wanted to say but the words wouldn't come as the hand tore away from her and he gasped from pain.

"Monster!" He screamed with his very last breath as he fell to the floor and disappeared as if he had never existed.

Unable to control herself, Kagome shot up from the bed, scrambling to leave the warmth of the covers as her mind began to warp. "A monster." She repeated his words as she threw her back against the wall. The sharp edges of the unsmoothed wood dug into her flesh but she welcomed the pain. "I'm a monster." She told herself again as the room began to change, the emptiness of it replaced by a little field of bodies.

They were piled everywhere: on the desk, on Inuyasha's bed, in the chair and on the floor. Their black skin hung off their bodies revealing flaming bone as they continued to be consumed by flames. Together, they moaned and cried, some of them pleading for their lives while others begged to see their wives or even mothers. One mumbled a name over and over again, apologizing to the unknown victim of his death. 'Isabella,' he repeated, the sound of her name growing more and more depressing with each breath he took.

"Monster." One of them suddenly whispered as it caught sight of her from the desk, leaning against the old wood as his flesh turned black and his eyes went dead. Within seconds he fell into a pile of bones and ash, his skull completely devoid of flesh as his very bones began to burn.

Another moaned to her right and she gasped as she saw the dying man hull himself upright on the bed. Bones showed through this one's flesh, the clothing that had covered it already completely destroyed by her power. Slowly, his head turned around, the little hair that had survived the burning seeming to dance evilly about his head. Bright blue eyes looked straight at her, the color the very same as her mother's. "Monster—." He whispered but the sound of his voice was not male but female. Instantly, she recognized the whimsical quality of her mother's accent leaving his mouth making her finally feel truly sick. "Monster." It repeated as another charred corpse seemed to appear at its side.

"Monster." This one said its voice sounding almost like Miroku's as it leaned against the windowpane beside the bed, staring at her with dark brown eyes.

The sound of a groan to her right made her head snap away from the probing eyes. "Monster!" Another yelled from the door and she managed to move her head around in time to see bright green eyes like Shippo's scrutinizing her.

Back sliding down the wall, Kagome clutched her head as she felt the words consume her very soul. "Monster—monster—monster." She said to herself, repeating the word over and over again as it became part of her, embedding itself in her identity.

The sound of a throat being cleared right in front of her made her head spring back up from her hands and her stomach turned instantly at the sight. Right before her was another charred corpse, its bones sticking out from its flesh and a wisp of red clothe still barely containing its nearly nonexistence body. Shaking, she forced herself to tilt her head upwards to see its face. Somehow, beneath the charred flash she could already tell exactly who she was looking at. Bright gold eyes snapped opened as if to confirm her thoughts and Kagome's heart stopped immediately in her chest.

"What have you become?" He said, the sound of Inuyasha's sweet and gentle voice causing her whole mind to shut down.

"What have I—what have I become?" She repeated as that creature too disappeared into the ground, melting away into absolutely nothing. "What have I become?" She said again as those gold eyes consumed her every thought and every worry and every single part of herself.

Deep inside her, a sinking feeling began to eat away at her conscience. Unable to coup with such a sensation, she brought her hands up towards her face, covering her darkened eyes from the rest of the world. She already knew the answer to the question; she knew exactly what she had become. Admitting that out loud however she would be admitting something she couldn't dare believe. It went against everything she thought she was, every part of herself she had come to accept as her true identity. To admit to the reality was to say that the passed eight, almost nine months had been for nothing and that she had not gained even an ounce of true understanding of herself within that time.

All around her, the bodies of the dead began to assemble once more, each compelled to force her to face what she had in fact become. "Monster—." They whispered into the ever darkening room, their own charred flesh contributing to the lack of light surrounding her. "Monster." They whispered as they pressed themselves closer to her, some of them actually brushing against her knees now. "Monster." They continued as their still hot fingers brushed against her legs.

Pulling her knees to her chest, the sensation of their burning skin against her own sickening, Kagome started to cry. "A monster." She finally admitted, unable to deny what the skeleton's in her closet had began to chant. "I'm a monster." The tears plummeted down her cheeks, streaking her face with their saltiness. "I know—I know—I know—," She buried her face in her knees, not even realizing that the chanting had ceased. "I knew before you told me." She gasped as the lump finally formed in her throat and acid burned her tongue. "I know—I can't—I can't even believe it." The tears were hot as they burned her face the sensation only reminding her of the people she had killed. "What I am—what have I become." She gasped and brought her hands up to grip at her own hair, yanking on it to the point of pain. "I'm no different than a common murderer." She would have screamed but the lump in her throat prevented her from breathing deeply enough to. "A monster who kills before using words, who murders before trying to understand!"

In the back of her mind, she felt and heard a quiet voice trying to speak to her, to say something in contradiction to her own thoughts but she ignored it. There was nothing anyone could say that would change what she was.

"—and I love you."

The words were loud in her mind, the sound of his voice so distinct that there was no use denying who had said them. Kagome knew he had said them, she was there, she had heard, and she had frozen immediately after they had entered the air. She hadn't known what to say or even think, all she had been able to do was stare blankly into his face as he grabbed for her. For the briefest of moments, she had allowed them to consume her and reassure her but that had only been a moment.

"Lies."

Kagome nearly jumped as the pain filled voice consumed her ears, growling as another burnt mongoose seemed to crawl straight out from underneath her bed. She stared at it as it crawled on its belly towards her, two black gleaming eyes staring into her very soul. Something about those eyes made the lump in Kagome's throat double in size. Uncomfortably, she pushed her back even farther into the wall as it seemed to slither towards her like a snake. The creature smiled in response, the image filling Kagome's mind with realization: this was not a man (she pressed her back farther into the wall); this was a woman.

"Who?" The woman whispered as she came to sit at Kagome's feet, her eyes stirring with a color that wasn't quiet black but instead almost white. The sight was enough to give Kagome pause as she watched the two colors beginning to mix; changing to grey. "Who," The woman continued as her eyes became fixated, the color overwhelming them and filling them. "Could love you?"

The sound of her own voice was lost on her as the charred flesh of the creature's face actually seemed to flake away. Each little piece of black flesh floated to the floor, revealing tan skin and rosy cheeks. The hair that had been burnt about her head began to grow once more, covering her head in a series of wavy curls. Kagome couldn't breathe from the sight as she came to realize the face she was looking at was none other than her own. The look alike grinned in response, seeming to be amused by Kagome's look of utter shock.

"Surprising isn't it?" The duplicate mumbled as her lips became a tempting red. Newly reconstructed fingers reached out and touched Kagome's knee, running over them with sensual slowness. "But really not important." She tilted her head to the side, some of the curls falling against the crown of her head. "What is important—is his lie." She squeezed Kagome's knee, the normally comforting gesture mocking. "He could never—ever," She drug out each word with cruel slowness. "Love you."

Kagome wanted to argue immediately, to tell the face that reflected a dying version of her own how wrong it was. "He loves me." The thought barely sounded in her mind as the creature that reflected her grew closer.

"Lies." It whispered again, her voice raspy in quality but still sounding so much like Kagome's own that it was unnerving.

"Shut up!" Kagome screamed just as the burned face began to smile even more sadistically.

"You know—it's true." The other creature said in a sing song voice, the sound making Kagome sick. "You can't deny it." It whispered, the mockery of the sound not lost on Kagome.

"That's enough!" Kagome tried again but the creature merely laughed as it carelessly walked its fingers from her knee to her tie. "What the hell do you know anyway?" Kagome growled as she patted the hand away, the sound of the slap loud in the room.

For a moment, the creature feigned hurt as she pulled her hand to her chest but soon her pout turned into amusement once again. "I know everything." It taunted as it came to her feet, licking its lips dangerously. "After all," It tilted its head to the side as it looked up at Kagome, its eyes becoming blacker and blacker until they perfectly mirror her own. "I am you—the other part of you."

Heart pounding in her chest, Kagome watched in horror as her own face was reflected in those pupils. "What?"

"I'm the part of you—," It whispered as it leaned down towering over her, its face growing closer and closer to Kagome. "That you want to be."

"No!" Kagome reached up and tried to push the creature away from her but the action was useless. Her hands simply moved straight through the person as she laughed mirthlessly.

"You can't get rid of me." She sneered as she leaned even closer towards Kagome's face. "I'm you Kagome." She whispered as she grew so close Kagome could somehow feel breath upon her cheek. "And you're me."

Kagome pushed herself as far back into the wall as she could without simply falling through it. "No." The word was firm and flimsy all at the same time.

"You can't deny it." The creature whispered as she opened her mouth slipping her tongue out between her reddened lips.

The pink appendage dragged itself across her lips for a few seconds before she disgustingly managed to slid it against Kagome's cheek. Gasping in horror, the other girl pushed herself sideways along the wall, her hand coming up to wipe hurriedly against her cheek in repulsion.

The creature merely laughed at the gesture as she straightened herself and looked down at Kagome amused. "We even taste the same, you know."

Kagome's whole body went ridged from the words and she had to force herself to actually make eye contact with the woman. "What the fuck?" She cursed her voice somehow calm and petrified all at the same time.

Ignoring Kagome's words, the woman tapped a finger to her chin almost playfully. "I think I taste," She wrinkled her nose, the sight odd to Kagome who felt as if she was looking threw a broken mirror. "—a little darker."

Shaking her head slowly from side to side, unable to comprehend what the hell was happening, Kagome's lips quivered. "What are you?"

"Why dear," She leaned forward, sending Kagome an almost demented wink. "I'm the darkness inside you."

-break-

Closing the door with a soft click, Inuyasha allowed himself to breath in the already crisp smell of the Mediterranean from the hallway. The pain in his head subsided ever so slightly from the beautiful fragrance and the Captain smiled only to frown a second later. Normally, it was Kagome's scent that relieved his headaches and warmed his heart but standing in the hallway now, Inuyasha could honestly say he hadn't even smelt Kagome's scent.

With his hands still on the door, Inuyasha resisted the urge to simply walk back in the room. It was almost as if he needed reassurance that she was in fact within it and that her scent was real. Before he actually went through with the entrance however, he sighed and ignored his own insane thoughts. "I'm just being—I don't even know—ridiculous?" He laughed slightly but the sound was as hallow as a bamboo shaft.

Forcing himself to remove his hand from the doorknob, Inuyasha walked the short distance of the hallway quickly. The sound of his men as they called to each other from various places on the ship made his ears twitch. The smell of the sea mixed with the uncanny and ever present stench of Kouga caused him to snort and roll his eyes. Briefly, he contemplated how truly terrible it would be to throw his cousin overboard but in the end decided it was for the best that he didn't (at least for now).

"Maybe when we're a bit closer to shore." He told himself with a smirk as he stepped out into the mellow sunlight. "I don't want him to drown—." The thought trailed off in his head and he had to stop himself from changing the words to be a bit more truthful.

Golden eyes surveyed the whole of his domain as he walked the deck. Men he barely knew the names of nodding to him out of respect as they went about their jobs preparing for a possible sea fight at any time. The sight of young Shippo in particular actually made him smile as he watched Myoga instruct the boy in the loading of flint into older guns. It was a sweet gesture from Myoga that made him think of Miroku when he had been that small.

"I taught him—just like that." Fatherly pride welled up in his chest from the thought and he had to stop himself from smiling too wide in front of his crew. It wouldn't due for the men to see their Captain with a soft and gentle grin on his face, in fact it would probably only lead to a possible mutiny. "I'd like to see them actually try." The dog demon snorted just to himself as he pulled his eyes away from the warming sight.

Bringing his hands above his head, the young dog demon stretched absently. His shoulder's popped against the treatment, followed by his elbows and even his wrist. He moaned just under his breath, the relief of each joint snapping back into place, quite frankly, exhilarating. Dropping his hands back to his sides, he shook himself once, closing his eyes against the sun as he popped his neck as well. Feeling much more limber and comfortable, he smiled as he turned to their larboard side, his gold eyes surveying his domain. Much to his chagrin though, all he laid eyes on was the one intruder in his domain.

"Kouga." He grumbled as he took in the unpleasant sight of the wolf demon leaning against the railing of the ship, looking out over the sea.

Ears twitching on the side of his head, the wolf demon turned just enough to look over his shoulder at the other demon. A coy smile formed on his face instantly and he turned around, leaning one elbow against the railing gingerly. "Meticcio." He greeted with a smirk that told Inuyasha immediately to be leery of whatever this conversation was about to bring. "'ow good to see da metticcio—really-y."

"You as well." Inuyasha replied to the rather insulting greeting as he glared at the slightly older man. "Bastard." He grumbled even as he took a few steps forward towards the other man, prepared for the long and arduous conversation at hand.

Placing his other elbow against the railing, the wolf sighed comfortably before glancing once more over his shoulder. "I am," He started to say, his head still turned away from Inuyasha. After several seconds of observing something Inuyasha didn't really care to see, Kouga turned back around, the smile still on his face. "Glad-eh you're 'ere." The wolf demon told him while Inuyasha deliberately raised an amazed eyebrow.

Holding back a smirk of his own, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and gave Kouga a truly doubtful look. "Why?"

The wolf demon didn't bother to hold back his own smirk as he pushed himself off the railing and gutted his chin out to motion behind himself. "Look-eh dere."

"Huh?" Inuyasha grumbled and looked over Kouga's shoulder absently, boredom overtaking all his features. The sight that greeted him was one he had been looking forward to for the past few hours. They were approaching the tip of Serdenga, the end of the islands shoreline just ahead of him. "Thank goodness." He thought as he watched the ship grow closer and closer to the last of the sandy beaches. The slight flicker of something in the distance made him narrow his eyebrows, however. "What the hell?" He mumbled as he stepped forward closer to Kouga, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out the distant object.

The strange glistening multiplied as he watched, first one slightly shinny object and then another appearing on the distant horizon. Perplexed, the Captain grabbed for the rail, his hands needing something to hold onto as he studied the objects in the distance. Hastily, he reached for his inner jacket pocket as his curiosity and paranoia took hold of him. The feel of the cool wood of the spyglass was somehow comforting to his fingers as he removed it from its hiding spot. Without another thought, he brought it to his face as he extended it, desperate to see what was lying in wait for them off the edge of the coast.

"There's no way they could have gotten ahead of us." He thought as he placed the glass against his eye. "It's impossible, we're much too fast and Kouga—he wouldn't be this fucking calm if it was them." He reasoned just as the distant objects seemed to come into focus from the power of the spy glass. The sight of a bright red cross on a solid white background was the first thing he saw before it multiplied by over twelve. "No way—," He whispered as he dropped the spy glass from his face and turned to Kouga completely amazed. "You had an armada follow us?"

"Of course," Kouga merely shrugged as he looked towards the approaching ships unable to see the details of the flags but proud none the less. "What-eh else should-a I 'ave done?" He asked snidely and Inuyasha sent him a glare.

"You're an ass." He said bluntly as he opened his jacket and placed the spy glass back within his pocket. Although he hated to admit it, the presence of such a large armada made him feel quite a bit better about their situation. It was one thing to be on a fast pirate ship, it was another to be a fast pirate ship with an entire armada backing them up.

Kouga sent the Captain a glare from the insult and crossed his arms over his chest. For a long moment, both men were silent, neither one saying anything as they both looked out across the sea. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Kouga dropped his arms and with a rather loud sigh, leaned against the railing of the Shikuro once more. "Meticcio." He spoke the insult carefully, the inflexion of his voice making it come across as less of an insult and almost more of a term of endearment. "I—I, dere-a is something to say."

"Yeah?" Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows feeling almost uncomfortable because of Kouga's strange voice. The wolf demon nearly sounded contrite for lack of a better word.

Kouga was quiet for several seconds before he snorted and pushed himself back up away from the railing. "We'll transfer-eh de gold to your vescello." He waved his hand towards the ship to reiterate his point. "Dere should be enough-eh to get-ta you however far you need."

Inuyasha looked at the wolf demon actually a bit surprised as the proud man crossed his arms before his chest and lifted his chin smartly in the air. "Good." He nodded unable to think of anything else to say.

"And-a," Kouga continued on one last time as he peered out the side of his eye towards the approaching armada. "Dere is-a one more ting," He licked his lips as he paused as if contemplating what he was about to say. "Regarding tat uomo." He worded cryptically using the Italian word for 'man,' which Inuyasha's jumbled mind did not translate right away.

"Huh?"

"Your other female," Kouga whispered as if he didn't want the words to truly touch the air. "De man she is looking per." He pronounced the word purposefully using the English this time without thought.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he realized exactly what Kouga was talking about. "Yes, yes," He nodded his head sharply as his earlier thoughts left his mind in exchange for focusing on something less confusing. "What about him?"

"He," Kouga began slowly, as he clicked his tongue, almost seeming nervous. "He is-eh in trouble—in de—." The word rolled off his tongue almost dark and dangerous. "Prigione segreto." He glanced towards Inuyasha, his bright blue eyes seeming to flash with almost guilt.

"A secret prison." Inuyasha repeated his words in English as he tried to understand them. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kouga cleared his throat gingerly and looked away from Inuyasha, the action deliberate. "It is—not an ordinary-y prigione." He told the other man bluntly as he dropped his arms down from his chest and frowned. "De prigione is per humano."

Inuyasha felt his heart stop dead in his chest as he absorbed Kouga's strange use of broken English. "Human?" The word barely registered in his head as he stared at the truly penitent man. "What on earth are you talking about," He bit out the words as he began to realize the depth of importance attached to them. "A human prison?"

"Dere is a prigione tat was built by de combined demone aristocrazie here." He explained as the very hair on his neck began to actually bristle from Inuyasha's harsh stare. "De House of Savory, de Spanish Monarchs, de Court of Italia," He paused as he turned completely away from Inuyasha before adding the last part. "E il moi."

Inuyasha's mouth practically dropped open as Kouga admitted he was involved with the making of a human prison.

"Together," The wolf demon continued on as if Inuyasha was not glaring at him. "We built a prigione designed especially per humano traitors." He cleared his throat and tilted his head back, seeming to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his face for a moment. "Or really-y," He added as he looked back down at the floor of the deck before glancing at Inuyasha. "Humano murders."

"Shit." Inuyasha didn't know exactly what to say as he heard Kouga's words, they seemed absolutely horrific and also telling. "The man who killed Costa is there?"

"He is." Kouga nodded once sharply as he crossed his arms over his chest once more appearing almost uncomfortable.

Staring at Kouga with disbelief mounting in every fiber of his being, Inuyasha growled. "You know for sure?"

"I do." Kouga didn't bother to lie as he looked straight into Inuyasha's furious eyes. "He was-eh sentenced to hard-a labor until de day he died." The older man explained bluntly and for the first time since the conversation had started, unapologetically. "It is a far more-e fittin' punizione dan simply death."

The pirate demon could actually say that there was something about Kouga's cold words that made him sick to his stomach. There was something dangerous about his utter lack of concern for the poor human soul that was trapped in an inherent hell. "He killed a rapist," He spoke the words slowly, the deathly quiet nature of his voice actually making Kouga tense. "And you sent him off to die?"

"He killed a demone!" Kouga argued in return as he looked at Inuyasha half of his expression calloused and the other half actually regretful in a way.

If Inuyasha noticed the trace amount of regret however, he didn't bother to acknowledge it. "He killed a rapist!" The Captain yelled, the sound of his voice causing everyone on deck to actually pause and turn towards the two men. "A mass fucking rapist." He snarled as Kouga's whole body began to bristle preparing to defend himself if necessary. "He deserved a metal not a death sentence."

"He killed a demone." The wolf used the same argument once more, his whole demeanor becoming more agitated. "Dere are laws against dis and he knew dem."

"What?" Inuyasha snapped not even believing that Kouga's words could have ever been spoken by a supposedly civilized man. "That bastard raped my daughter." The dog demon exploded not caring how his words might sound to anyone around him. "He deserved to die."

Kouga scoffed at the words and sent Inuyasha a disapproving glare. "Tat is not importante." He told Inuyasha point blank not realizing the horrible nature of his word at all. "She was-eh justa humano—who cares?"

Inuyasha actually saw red, hot vicious red. "You fucking bastard!" He snarled as he grabbed for Kouga by his neck, digging his fingers into the other man's shirt as he practically lifted him off the ground. All around him the crewmen froze, the sight of their Captain about to enter into a fight drawing all of their attention. "How dare you even suggest that she's less important than a fucking rapist demon!"

"It's de truth." Kouga spat back as he growled low in his throat, telling Inuyasha in no uncertain terms that he was about to defend himself. "Let me go," He ground out in English as well as his hands raised up to grab at Inuyasha's arms. Instantly he sank his nails into the other demon's flesh, the blood hot underneath his claws. "Now."

"I dare you." Inuyasha whispered back in the lowest most threatening voice he could muster. "You won't win this time." He continued on, loving the way Kouga's eyes actually widened for the briefest of seconds as if realizing that Inuyasha's words were in fact true. "And you," The dog demon continued on, goaded by that look of actual fear that was just behind the surface of Kouga's eyes. "Know it's true."

Looked in a stale mate, Kouga dug his claws a little bit deeper into Inuyasha's arms but the dog demon didn't even flinch from the short lived pain. Growling, the wolf thought fast, trying to figure out anyway he could get out of the situation with his life. Every instinct in his body was telling him that there was danger here and that he was going to die if he didn't do something soon. After all, it was one thing to make fun of and threaten another demon; it was another thing entirely to threaten a demon's children, especially their daughters. Demons were ferocious when it came to their women and apparently even half demons were not an exception to this rule.

Kouga's upper lip twitched as he began to bear his fangs, trying to intimidate the other demon but to no avail. Inuyasha's grip on his shirt simply grew stronger until the fabric in his hands began to groan from the strain. A button popped suddenly, snapping free of the confinement of its sticking. The little ivy object flew passed Inuyasha's head before landing on the planks of wood beneath their feet. It circled a few precious times, the sound loud in everyone's ears, Inuyasha's, Kouga's, and every single crewman who had stopped to watch.

His heart thumped in his chest loudly and the wolf demon felt a rather large lump begin to grow in his throat. He had to do something and he had to do it now. Still baring his fangs, the wolf demon thought quickly, his mind racing as suggestions poured within his brain. Finally, right when he felt Inuyasha's grip begin to tighten even further, a true solution popped into his head. "Tink about it." He whispered low in his throat, the words not loud enough to be heard by the men around them. "Not only would-eh you lose." He spoke trying to preserve his pride.

The dog demon snarled from the words but Kouga continued to speak.

"You would-eh not know where de prison was." The wolf demon hastily continued, bitting out each and every word as they sank into Inuyasha's head.

The dog demon's whole body shook as he processed exactly what Kouga had said. Deep down he knew what Kouga was saying was true, without the bastard wolf they would never be able to find a secret prison. Even if by chance they did, it would probably take months if not years to collect enough information to ascertain a possible location. And that was time they didn't have. "This is not about you." Inuyasha heard a voice sound in his head, the very nature of it suspiciously like Peadar's. "This is about her." The logic filled him to the very core. "Don't let your pride damage her further."

Hating himself a little Inuyasha tightened his grip on Kouga one last time before shoving the man away as hard as he could. The wolf demon's back hit the railing and he snarled openly in return to which Inuyasha growled, the two combining to make a dangerous sound. Eyes narrowed as he glared at the other demon, Inuyasha barely registered the fact that his crew had formed a rather large crowd around them. It seemed that every member was waiting anxiously to see their Captain put another person in their place. However, even Inuyasha realized that was not going to happen no matter how much he wished it would.

"What the fuck are you looking at!?" He snarled at his crew, every last man immediately darting away from their Captain and the other man. None of them were actually stupid enough to dare provoke the wrath of their Captain any further than necessary. With the audience dispersed, Inuyasha returned all of his attention back towards Kouga, his whole body tense. "Tell me where it is." He demanded as he dug his feet into the wooden deck of the Shikuro even more so.

Kouga glared at the other man out of the corner of his eye but answered none the less. "Asinara."

The dog demon's brows raised in surprise at the word, he could honestly say he had never heard of such a place before. "Where the hell is that?"

"Another isola," Kouga told him as he straightened out his jacket while not bothering to look at the other demon. "Off-eh de northern coast of Serdenga." He explained as he pointed out across the ship and towards the tip of the island nation, which they had already passed. "It's uninhabited—at least-eh," He glanced at the dog demon, exchanging his glare for a smirk. "Tat's what dey say."

Catching on to what Kouga meant, Inuyasha straightened back up as well. "So the prison's there?"

"Yes," The other demon spoke carefully, his voice filled with undeniable hate. "Deep within de trees." He reached up and straightened his clothes, the missing upper button of his shirt making it rather hard to arrange his collar properly. "It is run-eh by a demone," He continued on, his eyes never leaving the other man as he preserved his dignity the best he could. "A man more ruthless dan I." He dropped his hands to his sides, looking away from Inuyasha quick enough only to glance at the mocking button on the ground. "Go dere," He mumbled as his eyes rushed back towards Inuyasha's face glaring at him with such searing hate that it made the other demon actually sweat. "But watch-eh your humano closely."

"Why?" The demon ventured to ask as he stared into those angry blue eyes, hating the way they seemed to pierce his very soul.

"He does not-a care who dey are—," Kouga spoke slowly, feeling once more as if he had the upper hand in this conversation. "To 'im all humano are scum," He bit out the word as he took a step forward towards his cousin, staring at him with all the hate he could possess filling his vision. "Underneath-eh his feet."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes slightly not liking Kouga's words at all. "A human hater." He gathered as the other man came to stand right in front of him. There was no more than a foot of space between the two men, the closeness allowing the dog demon to actually feel the wolf's breath on his face. Growling a warning the dog demon didn't dare to move, he wouldn't let Kouga have the satisfaction of watching him step down, even if it was only because of his breath.

"And," The wolf continued, trying to be as intimidating as possible. "Whatever-a you do, do not," He bit the words, his mouth seeming to rip them apart of his spoke each one. "Let him see," His blue eyes moved away from Inuyasha's face and instead turned towards the other man's head. "De abomination upon-eh your head."

Inuyasha's ears immediately went back at the insult and he clutched his hands at his sides. He wanted nothing more than to simply punch Kouga in the face at that moment but the wolf demon (to his credit) had taken a step to Inuyasha's left. "Back off." Inuyasha snarled, regardless of Kouga's change in position.

The wolf demon smirked once more in response, feeling as if the upper hand had finally returned to him. "Dis is a warnin' for your own good, meticcio." He continued on as he pointed up towards Inuyasha's head. "Unless, you want him to cut dem off, no?"

The dog demon had to seriously suppress the whimper that built up in his throat from the suggestion. His ears were a particularly sensitive part of his body. Even when the wind happened to ruffle the fur the wrong way he grew uncomfortable. The thought of someone taking a knife to one of the appendages was enough to make his eyes water. Clearing his throat and composing himself, he sent Kouga a well placed glare. "I'd like to see him try."

"So would-eh I." Kouga agreed as he took another step away from Inuyasha discretely.

Not rising to the bait as Kouga would have liked, the dog demon merely crossed his arms over his chest. In some small way, he realized that Kouga was actually helping him even if it was in the most annoying way possible. There was no true reason for Kouga to actually inform him of the guards hated for humans and yet he had. There was also no real reason for Kouga to tell him the location of the prison and yet he had.

"The guys an ass," He told himself as he continued to glare at the other demon. "But at least he told me." Sighing loudly, hating himself just a bit for what he was about to say, Inuyasha snorted. "It will make Sango happy—that you told me." He told Kouga, the words the closest to a thank you he could actually muster.

"I only-y do what-eh I promised." Kouga told him in return and Inuyasha knew that was the closest to a 'You're Welcome' he would ever get in return. "One of dese days," The wolf demon continued on as he crossed his arms and glared at Inuyasha even harder. "You will know your place, meticcio."

For some reason, a reason Inuyasha would probably never understand, the dog demon simply smiled. "I highly doubt it." He replied evenly and much to his own surprise watched as Kouga actually laughed slightly.

For a moment the two men were quiet as their glares turned to looks of somewhat understanding. It was as if in that moment a bound was formed, one of familial interest and understanding. Perhaps even more so, it was a bound of respect, mutual respect that had never truly been in either one's thoughts:

For Kouga, it was as if he was seeing the other demon before him for the first time as a man. A man who fought for his family, for his pups and his lover, a man who would do anything to protect them, a man who was in many ways very much like himself (a fact and thought he would never ever confess to.) For Inuyasha, it was as if he was being respected for the first time as a living being. Kouga was a bastard he let him know that he was nothing more than dirt underneath his feet but in that moment, the bastard was looking at him with some strange gaze of respect. It was awkward and yet, it felt good.

"As soon-eh as de ship's reach us," Kouga started to talk as he looked away from his cousin looking distinctly uncomfortable. "And you have-eh your gold, I will leave." He told him quickly, glancing out over the coast towards the ships in the distance. They were growing closer and closer by each passing minute.

"Thank god." Inuyasha replied, his voice far from being sarcastic as he too looked out over the sea towards the approaching armada.

"One more thing." Kouga spoke up one last time as he turned and looked Inuyasha straight in the eye.

The younger demon quirked an eyebrow in response but didn't say a word as he watched Kouga prepare to speak.

"Never come-a back here ever," Kouga punctuated the word with a stab of his finger in Inuyasha's direction. "Again." He finished smartly, not bothering to weight for Inuyasha's reply before he turned on his heel and left.

Watching the other demon's retreating back Inuyasha couldn't help but snort. "That's a promise I intend to keep." He told the retreating back, not missing the way Kouga paused for just a second as he spoke. "Kouga."

"I sincerely-y 'ope so." The wolf demon called over his shoulder one last time, not bothering to look at his cousin as he finished his reply. "Inuyasha." The word was spoken with such coldness that for a moment Inuyasha didn't realize that Kouga, for the first time in his life, had called him by his proper name.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! It is one that unleased a lot of interesting information. As for next chapter—well—its time for the ritual of the Shinigami and I do believe Inuyasha and his group will be visiting a prison! What fun will that be, right? On a side note, yes the inspiration for Shinigami's came from death note—just as the transmutation circles in this chapter came from Full Metal Alchemist!

P.S. HopelessRomantic183 = You are the only one who caught on to the importance of Kagome O'Lionsigh, awesome job! I have left many hints about the significance of that name *wink wink*.

Bonus Point:

In what movie did Inuyasha's Rosary break?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

The Japanese word for "I love you" is Aishiteru. Congrats to the winners!

AiydanWarrior, Guest, KuramixMidnight, Leomae, kittyzwuvme1234, Asian Delicacy, Cagome, Glon Morski

Next Chapter:

Rituali Sanguinem

(Ritual of Blood)

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

9/2/2013