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?

86. Truth

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-Six

Truth

Miroku held onto the wheel of the Shikuro tightly as he looked towards the approaching armada ship. It was no more than two hundred feet away, the large vessel moving slowly as it prepared to position itself at the Shikuro's side. It was a tense moment for both crews. After all, there was a chance that the wind could change or a rogue wave could mess with their trajectories. It would only take one mistake for either ship to crash into each other, especially this close to the coast of the island where waters were far less predictable than they were in the opened ocean.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke Miroku's concentration only momentarily. He side glanced to see who was coming up the narrow staircase only to bristle when he realized it was none other than his father's cousin. "Just perfect." He growled to himself as he continued to hold the vessel steady against the waves. Even though they were currently anchored it was easier for him to pretend he was actually doing something, than to simply stand limply at the wheel's side.

"Pup." Kouga called his attention, the insult behind his words loud in Miroku's ears.

"Yes?" Miroku mumbled back as he tightened his grip on the wheel delighting in the feel of its smooth surface against his palms; it almost seemed to calm him.

Kouga looked at the young man who was, for all pretenses and purposes, his cousin of sorts, a human cousin; an idea that didn't necessarily sit well in his stomach. "Tell de Meticcio I'm-a leavin'for moi." He commanded, the firm nature of the authority making Miroku narrow his eyes at the older man. "Also—tell de Meticcio that you-a are an hour away from de island, no?"

Miroku was momentarily surprised by the announcement but in his current state couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by it. "Only an hour away—well I guess that's good news." For a moment, Miroku thought to simply nod at the man and let him on his way, yet, something stopped him. He would never in a million years be able to explain it but something deep within him suddenly had something to say to the wolf demon before him and it wanted to be heard. "King Kouga," He spoke carefully, making his voice go as low as possible so no one would actually hear him speak. "I have something to say to you."

Kouga raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. "What?" He spoke the word flatly and properly, the correct pronunciation not throwing Miroku off in the least.

"You may think we're scum—Sango and I," Miroku's hands clutched into fist as he thought of Sango, the beautiful woman who had been tortured for years by some demon bastard. "Hell all humans or demons with human blood." He added with words actually stinging his tongue as he imagined his father, the man who took Kouga's every insult and seemed to merely shrug it off; how he did that, Miroku couldn't imagine (nor did he know about the scuffle on the deck). "But in the end, and listen carefully, I wouldn't want yer little pointy ears to miss even a word." He watched as Kouga's whole face went dark as he was bluntly insulted. "We're all the same. You, Sango, me, my father, Kagome—all of us."

Kouga shook his head amused by Miroku's words and for a moment appeared as if he was going to laugh but he stopped himself. "There is-a difference, pup—." Kouga started to say but was actually interrupted by Miroku growling.

"We all can know the same pains." The man let go of the wheel without bothering to put the rope in place. In the back of his mind, he knew that the ship was anchored and the sea was somewhat calm, no harm should befall them in those precious moments. "Your wife could know those pains." He took a step forward, watching as Kouga's eyes finally focused on him and a low growl began to build in his throat. "Imagine—your wife as a little pup," He paused part of him screaming telling him not to say what he was about to for fear of the powerful demons repercussions. "Being raped by that bastard."

Kouga snarled and looked as if he was about to grab for Miroku but the younger man actually growled back, the sound catching Kouga off guard.

"Imagine him threatening her with dishonor," Miroku bit out the words and took a step forward, closer to Kouga without so much as a second thought. "Imagine him hurting her, breaking her, slowly murdering her every time his filthy hands touched her innocent skin." The human man didn't realize it but his voice was raising and crewmen were starting to turn to stare. "Imagine her crying herself to sleep at night and then waking from nightmares of his ugly face!" The words were almost screamed. "Imagine her slapping you across the face, punching you, fighting you, because for a moment all she can see is him in front of her." Miroku felt his hands shake as he spoke, the anger in his heart towards Costa and Kouga combining into a dangerous intoxicating fury. "Just imagine," He spat the words, some of his saliva actually landing on Kouga's cheek. "Worrying every time you touch her, make love to her," The words were loud in Kouga's demon ears as Miroku deliberately drew out each and every sound. "That she's thinking about him and what he did to her."

"Enough." The word was spoken so low and with such venom that Miroku nearly didn't recognize it as a word, instead thinking it merely a growl.

"It's hard to imagine." Miroku continued on, not caring whether the word was a growl or not. "It hurts, doesn't it? And it makes you see red." He took another step forward even as he saw Kouga's claws actually gleam in the sun light. "Well my wife lives that," He spoke calmly, the change in tone actually making Kouga freeze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. "Every day and every night."

"What-a are you—."

"And you don't give a damn about her pain." Miroku finally backed up, the anger finally seeming to elude him for a moment as he looked away from Kouga. "Just because she's human." He snorted as if his words were actually a joke and not frightening reality. "You care more about the sadistic bastard who did it to her," He finally turned and looked straight at Kouga, his black eyes burning holes in the other man's pupils. "Just because he's a demon."

Kouga wanted to snarl, he wanted to punch the insolent human boy straight in the face and he would have. Before he could however, Miroku said something that caught him completely off guard, nearly knocking him off his own feet.

"I guess that makes you," The human boy paused for only a moment, appearing to collect his thoughts. "Even worse than him." Miroku let the words fall from his mouth, ridding himself of them as if they tasted bad. "Get off my father's ship," He finished coldly without looking at Kouga again. "And never come back again." Miroku turned around then and walked away without another word, a weight lifting from his shoulders. The knowledge that he had finally said everything that needed to be said reassured his mind, allowing him to relax mentally for the first time in over two days, nearly three.

Kouga stood stiffly unsure of what to do or what to say. He had never in his life had anyone talk to him like that whinny human pup just had. It was unnerving, so much so that he felt his clutched fists loosen; the fingers dropping relaxed to his sides. The wolf demon king looked down at the floor of the ship underneath his feet, a strange thought welling up in his person that he had never actually had before. He raised his head up immediately, shaking the disturbing notion away from his mind, it wouldn't do to think of such disconcerting things.

-break-

Inuyasha stood in front of his cabin door, the gnawing feeling in his gut making him slightly sick to his stomach. For the life of him, he couldn't really pinpoint why he was feeling the way he was. He knew, at least partially, that he was simply worried about Kagome's response to his own words. "I've only ever told one girl I loved her." Inuyasha thought to himself as a lump formed in his throat from the horrific memory. "That was the most humiliating experience of my life." He whispered into the hallway, trying to fight the memory off but unable to stop it before it jumped to the forefront of his mind.

The candle light danced on her back, teasing him as he watched coy shadows form on her shoulders. "You're beautiful." He whispered as he reached out and ran a hand along the smooth curve of her neck. "So beautiful."

She actually blushed in response, something Kikyo never really did. "I'm glad you think so." She whispered to him as she actually smiled up at him looking for a moment perfectly content. Her black eyes sparkled in a way he had never seen, the shadow of melancholy that normally filled her face disappearing for the barest of seconds.

His heart warmed from the sight, realizing that it had been he who had changed her normal look. "I made her smile—I made her eyes sparkle—I did that." He felt his own smile begin to overtake his face, the emotions building within him far too hard to actually contain. "I love you."

The words fell like bricks to the ground, loud in what had once been gentle quiet. The sparkle in her eyes vanished, the smile on her face pulled into an almost horrified frown. She pulled away from him and shook her head as if in complete disbelief as she grabbed for the blanket on the bed, wrapping it around herself hastily. "What?" The words were nearly snarled and some sort of deep hatred began to burn within her eyes. "What did you say?"

Inuyasha felt his heart stop in his chest and bile rise inside his throat. "I—." He didn't know what to say in response. There were no words to even think let alone speak.

Forcibly, Inuyasha tore his mind away from his own memories unable to bare them any longer. The damage was still done however; leaving him standing in the hallway with his confidence shot and his heart cold. A feeling of horrible exhaustion crept within his body and, for the first time, Inuyasha really realized why he didn't want to step inside that room. Yes, he knew there was something wrong and that he should be with her but—

Inuyasha punched the wall, splinters flying past his face and his tightly clutched fist leaving a distinct impression in the wood. The cracking sound echoed through the hall and he realized for just a moment that the sound might actually bring Kagome out of their room but he didn't care. He closed his eyes and a feeling of hate welled in his heart; hate for himself, for the pathetic half demon who could do nothing right. Old fears and feelings of worthlessness crept inside his heart; feelings he had shoved down so deep within himself that he almost forgot they were there in the first place.

"That was the last time I saw her." He told himself as the image of Kikyo danced behind his eyelids. It wasn't that he was upset over her lose; it was that his mind had made a horrible assumption that frightened him to no end. "She refused to see me after that night." He opened his eyes and pushed himself away from the wall sharply as fear mounted in his gut. "Kagome—."

He couldn't finish neither the sentence nor the thought.

Even if it didn't make sense or it wasn't possible Inuyasha knew it might happen. Kagome Dresmont might not love him, after all, love wasn't necessary for marriage or relationships. Love was something sacred and special but, most importantly, hard to find. A man could search for a thousand years and never find a girl who truly loved him. He might find a woman who shared mutual likes and dislikes with him, maybe even a girl who seamlessly enjoyed his company but to find a girl who loved you, completely and wholly, in the same way you loved her; well, that was utterly hopeless.

"She loves you, you know she does." A small voice said in the back of his head and Inuyasha grumbled in response, unable to believe it. "I'm an idiot!" He told himself and banged his head on the wall once. Why he was calling himself an idiot he wasn't quite sure, he only knew that it was true.

Pulling himself completely away from the wall, Inuyasha looked towards his cabin door once more. He knew, at some point, he would have to go inside, he would have to see Kagome, and he would have to see those black eyes. The memory of them made him shudder and freeze up for a second. At first he hadn't believed what he was seeing, assuming that her black eyes had merely been a trick of the poor lighting. That misassumption had only lasted a few moments, however, before his opinion changed. There was no denying their striking resemblance to the woman he had known and adored, once.

"Kikyo's eyes." He bit his lip, trying to understand why Kagome's eyes had turned that same black color. "That's just not—," He rubbed his face a gnawing suspicion tantalizing in his head. "It's almost like she's channeling her." He licked his lips at the very thought before shaking his head hastily. "No." He cut himself off as he tried to wrap his mind around Kagome's sudden change but no matter how he looked at it, his brain merely ended up hurting. "Damn it, that doesn't make sense—it's not even possible. Fuck!" He cursed and resisted the urge to bang his head again; it really was a nasty habit.

Deep down, Inuyasha knew that simply standing in the hallway would do nothing but make his curiosity peek. Eventually, he would have to go inside the room and see her. Eventually, he would have to ask her what was happening. Eventually, he would have to listen to her words. Eventually, he would find out why her eyes were black or maybe see that they were already back to grey. Eventually, he would have her answer. Eventually, he would know how badly he fucked up.

He hesitated before he took the first step, his feet feeling heavy and his body feeling drained. "Come on!" He yelled at himself and looked down at his feet actually glaring at them as if it were their fault and not his own. Finally, he ripped his eyes away and looked back up at the door. "I need to just grow a pair." He told himself firmly as he looked straight at his cabin door knowing exactly what he had to do.

With one deep breath, Inuyasha forced himself forward, his hand reaching for the handle of the door before he could reassess his actions. His heart pounded in his chest, galloping like a team of horses tied to a caravan. With a surprisingly steady hand, he grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open with one great motion. The light from an opened window in the cabin momentarily made him wince, the contrast between the darker hallway and the somehow bright room catching him off-guard.

Blinking back spots from his vision, he inhaled sharply, his canine instinct to take in the scent of the room first, compelling him. The fragrance of sea salt immediately consumed him and he had to hold back a smile. That is, until he realized that the fragrance was missing something, something essential. "Lilies—there's no trace of lilies." He thought to himself as he found the spots from his vision had left revealing the contents of the room.

If it would not have been for the sight that greeted him, Inuyasha would have debated the strange lack of lilies in Kagome's scent a little longer. As he stood in the room however, the thought died, consumed completely by the singlehandedly most erotic sight he had ever seen. There laying on the bed, her long legs dangling over the edge gingerly, was the center of all his current thoughts: Kagome Dresmont, half naked. Her upper body was barely covered by what appeared to be one of his white shirts, the hem of which was scarcely covering the top of her thighs, teasing the place just above her knee. It seemed that all she had to do was lift her hands above her head and he would become privy to the world underneath that sensual edge. He stared at that spot, unable to take his eyes off it as his groin tightened painfully. The demon inside of him snarled with pleasure and Inuyasha clutched his fist to the point of drawing blood.

"Shit—." His mouth snapped shut and his heart stopped in his chest as he forced his eyes to move downwards away from that dangerous spot. Unfortunately, the delicious and smooth curve of her calf as she kicked the air delicately was just as dangerous and succulent to watch with his golden eyes. "Oh—fu—um." He stuttered as his mind tried to wrap around the sight. With a deep breath he tore his eyes away from her legs, trying to find somewhere else to look but no matter where he turned his eyes, the image of her remained.

His heart began to race as the image of her overtook his mind. He could see the way the fabric of the shirt seemed to float around her midsection, the two peaks of her breast looking alluring covered in white almost see through fabric. Against his very will, his eyes found their way to her body once more, landing on her face for the first time. He half expected to see her eyes opened, watching him but instead he found them to be closed. He couldn't believe his eyes, part of him wondering if she had fallen asleep in her shirt; the other part, however, was already aware of how her muscles were tightening and loosening, a sure sign of wakefulness. Within moments, he found himself watching the curve of her neck as she tilted her head slightly popping her neck. The sight captured all of his attention and he tried not to groan. The sound escaped his lip against his will however, and suddenly he found himself staring into two steamy eyes. Inuyasha nearly lost his footing from the sight, even though he wasn't even moving but simply standing.

"You like it," She whispered, her red lips hypnotic as they formed each word. "Don't you?"

"Kagome?" He barely managed to say her name, unable to think as those red lips curved into the singlehandedly most sinful smile he had ever seen.

"That is my name." She teased and bit her lip, dragging her teeth against it slowly as her eyes burned into his very soul. "And I love the way you say it."

"What the—?"

"I hope you don't mind." She continued as she pushed herself up from the bed, moving her hands over her breast and stomach as if to smooth the fabric down. "I borrowed one of your shirts."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but found himself perfectly incapable.

"I think I look good in it." She teased as she pushed herself up off the bed, her feet hitting the ground with absolutely no sound. "It just—fits—in all the right places." She whispered but the sound was easily loud enough for his ears.

"Yeah." Inuyasha couldn't help but agree as he watched her body carefully while she stood beside the bed. He couldn't quite explain it but the sight of her in his own clothes made the demon inside of him feel somehow, possessive, in a way he wasn't completely sure how to handle.

She approached him slowly, her hips swaying back and forth daringly. "Do you like what you see?" She asked him and the dog demon nodded slowly, unable to really think or speak. "I'm glad." She licked her lips as she finally came to stand right in front of him no more than a hair's breath away. "Aren't you?"

He nodded his head as if he was in a trance and smiled slightly at her as he managed to study her body a little more openly. He had never seen this much of Kagome's skin before and it was downright gorgeous. She wasn't tan on her calves or thighs, the skin still the dainty light color her face and hands had been when they met. Something instinctual within him found the thought alluring, not because he preferred the lighter skin to her tan face and arms, but because he was the only one who could see it and probably ever would. That knowledge made the demon within him antsy, appreciative, and a bit possessive all at once.

Kagome giggled slightly from the look on his face and raised her hand up to touch his chest carefully. Inuyasha's heart stopped beating from the sudden slight weight as she ran her fingers along the buttons of his jacket. Each precious digit seemed to rack over the little bone buttons, pulling at them as if to undue them but not one came undone.

"It seems almost unfair." She spoke suddenly and Inuyasha snapped his eyes upwards to look away from her hand towards her face. She lifted her eyes slowly, the blackness making his fuzzy mind reel with something important, which he couldn't quite place. "You with so many clothes, and I—," She motioned with her free hand towards the shirt that just barely covered her. "Like this."

Any other man would have jumped her, taken her down to the bed and ripped the thin shirt from her body without a second thought. But Inuyasha, was simply not that kind of man. Instead, he ripped his own mind out of the fog that had encompassed him, finally snapping out of whatever trance he had been put in. He backed away from her and gently batted her hands off his chest as he took in her confused expression. "What's going on?" He asked as he looked her straight in the eye, his whole face drawn in a line of anxiety. "Have you—lost it?"

Kagome actually looked surprise, her eyes widening from his words before she pouted her lips appearing hurt. "What do you mean?"

"This isn't—." He looked down at her, his voice freezing in his throat. He wanted to say that 'this wasn't Kagome' and yet he was looking right at her; she was right there in front of him. There was no denying that. Still, this wasn't how Kagome acted and he couldn't imagine her ever acting this way; even if they had been together for fifty years there was no way Kagome would ever be this, sexual. "You." He finally allowed the word to drop from his lips unhindered. "This isn't you."

Kagome looked taken aback for all of a second, her black eyes going wide as if impressed before they closed completely. She was quiet for just a second until her eyes opened once more, taking in the sight of Inuyasha with that bazaar confidence that usually surrounds 'working' women. "Isn't this what you want?"

The dog demon felt his mind actually go blurry as the words floated to his ears, the sound nearly addictive but not completely so. "What?" He whispered out as he gulped a large lump forming in his throat.

"This," She motioned towards herself, her fingers spreading farther and farther apart as she covered the more alluring parts of her body. Inuyasha couldn't help but follow the path of her hand as they drew his attention to the way the fabric of the shirt clung to her breast, dipping between the valley and buckling around her navel farther down. "This is what you want," She allowed one of her hands to touch her hip, holding onto it as the fabric creased underneath, making it rid up a bit higher on her thigh. "Right?" She taunted as she lowered her head down a bit to catch his eye.

Snapping his attention back towards her face, Inuyasha inhaled sharply, feeling a bit light headed. "I—I don't understand." He managed to breathe, the sound of his voice almost a pant to her ears. "This isn't—it's not—right."

"What?" The girl laughed, she actually laughed, the sound catching Inuyasha completely off guard. She leaned forward, the shirt falling opened around her neck to the point that, if he wanted to, he could have very well have looked down her shirt. "This is who I am."

It was as if a spell was broken suddenly and Inuyasha immediately took a step back away from her. He shook his head forcibly and had to resist the urge to actually growl. "No." His voice was firm and full of conviction. "No."

"What?" Her mouth opened slightly as if in complete disbelief.

"No," He spoke again as thoughts rushed through his mind, trying to make sense of such a strange situation. "This isn't you."

She narrowed her eyes, an almost dangerous look awakening in her gaze that he could honestly say he had never seen before: "Liar." The look seemed to reverberate with that sentiment and then suddenly it changed. For the briefest of moments he saw the vaguest flicker of grey within her gaze. His heart lurched in his chest at the sight and his mind reeled with untold explanations.

Stepping forward he reached out his hand towards her as if wanting to suddenly grab her. The demon within him calmed for the first time since they had come back to the Shikuro, the underlying threat disappearing. "Kagome?" He questioned immediately as she stared at him wide eyed for just the briefest of seconds.

The sound of someone knocking on the door stopped Inuyasha from stepping even one inch further forward. His ears swiveled on his head towards the door and he could have sworn he saw Kagome following them before her expression morphed right before his eyes. Once again the grey leaked from her vision, replaced by the same black as moments before. The dog demon growled low in his throat as he watched it happened, as he watched her expression change once more.

"What the hell." He breathed out the words, bluntly ignoring the second knock on the door behind him. He already knew who it was anyway. He could hear the breathing of the person on the other side and he could smell the faint scent of his son easily as it wafted from underneath the door. The demon inside of him growled low in his mind, telling him that the interrupter should be punished but he ignored it, as he always ignored it. Something deep down inside of him told him not to take his eyes off Kagome. An old instinct probably left over from generations back in his ancestry telling him exactly what was happening.

The woman across from him smiled and tilted her chin downwards. "Aren't you gonna answer it?" She asked him and Inuyasha's hands began to shake slightly.

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

He heard his mother's voice in his head, his understanding of the words finally peeking completely. An old memory from deep within his past, possibly his childhood resurfaced in his brain. "There are light Miko's and dark ones—good and bad." It was a simplistic way of thinking but he knew it was true. Myoga had been the one to tell him, long ago when he had been a child. "The stories—he used to tell me stories of Nihon so I wouldn't forget the place—Miko's were in those stories." For a moment, he felt like a complete idiot, he had no idea how he could have missed the struggle building within Kagome. And worst than that even, he had no idea what to do about it. "But—Kagome," He tried to reason even as he watched her, seeing the truth right before his eyes. "She's sweet and innocent, you can't just change like that can you?"

"Otou-san!" Miroku finally yelled through the door, a bit of founded worry in his voice as he banged his first hard against the wood.

Unsure what to do, Inuyasha actually felt his leg twitch as if it too was unsure where to step: towards Miroku or Kagome. "Why did it take so long for me to notice?" He wanted to scream at himself but at the same time he knew exactly why he hadn't noticed. It had been his own childishness, his own fixation on himself and not his mate. "I should have paid more attention to her, I'm such an idiot." He chastised himself again, while never taking his eyes off her. The sound of Miroku actually turning the handle of the door made Inuyasha finally snap to a decision. "Just a second." He called over his shoulder, the rattling of the door knob instantly stopping from his words.

Slowly, he backed away from her towards the door, the demon inside of him snarling from the decision. Whether the demon was upset that it had been interrupted right when things were getting interesting, or it was upset because its mate was acting strange, he wasn't completely sure. All Inuyasha really knew was that Miroku was at the door and he needed to answer it before Miroku barged in and saw Kagome dressed in nothing but his undershirt.

His back found the door within seconds and he reached behind himself to grab the handle. The tips of his fingers brushed over the surface of cold metal and he exhaled thankfully. With one last lingering look at Kagome, he turned his eyes away from her and pulled the door opened, just wide enough to look at Miroku. "What?" He couldn't help but bark the word, the harsh sound making him wince.

Miroku narrowed his eyes automatically and frowned. "We just dropped Kouga off." Miroku told him his voice tight as he looked at his father through the slit in the door. Part of him wanted to ask why Inuyasha hadn't opened the door completely, the other half knew better than to open his mouth. "We're gonna head for the island now."

"Good." Inuyasha spoke softly unable to really form any other word than simply 'good.'

The hasty one word reply made the younger man even more aware of the strangeness of the situation. "Um," He started slowly as he tried to look passed his father's shoulder without arousing his suspicion. "Kouga said from where we are it actually won't take more than an hour." He explained gingerly as he internally cursed to himself. "It's too dark in their room to see." He thought, while easily maintaining the control of every one of his facial muscles, not allowing his father to see his frustration.

"What?" Inuyasha's head snapped up as he took in the words not noticing Miroku's odd behavior at all.

The sound of his father's surprise drew Miroku's thoughts away from the strangely hidden room and towards his oddly acting parent. "Yeah," He nodded his head as he tilted it to the side unable to hide his perplexity. "You can actually see it with the spyglass already."

"We're that close?" Inuyasha whispered with amazement, the thought drawing his attention away from the girl behind him for a scarce moment before it doubled his concern. "What the hell am I gonna do?" He was torn between a rock and a hard place. They had to go to the island now while they were still in the area and they couldn't just hang around. There were people who were undoubtedly after them by now; after all, stealing Ayame back had resulted in a massive causality for Savory, which meant they would soon be seeking revenge. "But Kagome—I don't even know what to do with her and I have to do something." He began to panic as his mind raced with possible decision after possible decision.

"Just a stone's throw." Miroku clarified, as he leaned away from the door and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, we better get ready," He licked his lips slowly, unable to stop his eyes from flickering backwards towards the dark room once more. "Have you told Kagome?"

Unaware of his son's shifting eyes, Inuyasha glanced behind himself looking at the girl with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes shining an almost oily black once more. For a moment he stared at her as she stared back, his mind unable to comprehend exactly what she was trying to convey through those eyes. Once more he wanted to hit himself straight across the face, hating himself for what he had missed. "I'm a terrible mate." The demonic side of him snarled in semi-agreement.

"Otou-san?" Miroku whispered the word as he watched the back of his father's head confused. "Um—is something wrong?"

Snapping back to himself, Inuyasha whipped his head around towards his son, blinking rapidly as if caught off guard. "No." He told Miroku even as a strange sensation welled within him that he couldn't explain. "And um—I haven't talked to her." He stumbled over his words as he answered the question. "Let me—talk to her," He paused far longer than he should have, the lack of sound making Miroku uneasy. "We'll be ready—soon."

"Sure." The man nodded although he too felt the same gnawing feeling in his gut that Inuyasha did. "Something's not right." He told himself, his mouth almost ready to open and confront his father. He was interrupted before he could, however.

Bringing one hand off the door and up towards his neck, Inuyasha let out a loud sigh. "You need to dress in servants clothes." He informed his son as he vaguely recalled what Kouga had said about the man who was in charge of the prison.

Miroku thought to protest but held his tongue instead. "Okay."

"I'll—be on deck soon." Inuyasha nodded once sharply and without another word towards his son, closed the door right in his face. His ears flickered only slightly as he heard the confused grunt on the other side of the door, followed almost immediately by slow footsteps moving in the direction of Miroku's room. "Thank god." Was the only thought in Inuyasha's head as he realized Miroku was leaving and not staying to bug him further.

"Interesting interruption."

Her voice was almost mocking as she spoke, the quality of it actually making his heart clench. "What the hell? Kikyo—even she never sounded like that." He thought to himself as he stared at the closed door, part of him not willing to actually turn and look at her. "I just—she—?" The dog demon growled hating that he didn't know what was to do or what exactly was going on. All he knew was that Kagome had killed the mongooses and she had done it so he, Ayame, and his bastard cousin would live. "And now—it's like she's gone insane!" He screamed in his head even as the argument fell flat in his mind. He knew this wasn't insanity, it was something far different and far worse.

"She will need much compassion if she is to walk that line and not cross it."

His mother's voice rang in his ears and he actually felt the sting of her eyes staring at him. "Could she be—walking that line?" A lump formed in his throat, a solid mass that made it near impossible to swallow. Her words echoed in his head, distorting all his other thoughts as he tried to comprehend them. "Between light and darkness." He whispered to himself as he heard her shift behind him, the sound of fabric loud to his attentive ears.

"You seem preoccupied." She spoke suddenly, the sound of her voice so different from the normal Kagome that it was almost as if a stranger was speaking and not someone he knew intimately.

Carefully, with all the control he could muster, Inuyasha turned around, his eyes finding Kagome within seconds. She was still standing in the room, her arms crossed underneath her breast making them appear far larger than they actually were. Her blackened eyes stared at him bluntly, an underlying hatred seeming to be kept within them. There was something important in those eyes and something even more important behind them. They certainly were Kikyo's eyes, the same cruelty and sensual ability to seduce present in their orbs. He couldn't deny that if he tried, it was all too obvious. And yet, it didn't make any sense at all. How could Kagome have Kikyo's eyes; why would she have Kikyo's eyes?

"She is," Inuyasha couldn't stop the thought from entering his head. "Kikyo's reincarnation." The thought sounded more dangerous than it probably was. "Could she be—channeling her?" Inuyasha immediately shook the thought from his head, knowing as he had the first time that it was damn near impossible. Reincarnations were completely separate from their incarnation. They were two different people who happened to have the same soul but in different lives. There was no possible way that they could share the soul at the same time. "Or is there?" Inuyasha mentally cursed from his own thought, hating himself just a bit for thinking it. Raising a hand up to his face he rubbed at his eyes and tried to collect his thoughts.

"You look tired." Kagome spoke softly, but the sensual quality in her voice remained, dangerous and almost contemptuous.

Ripping his hands from his face, Inuyasha shook his head as if to ward her off. "No." He told her as he watched those black eyes stare him down. "I just—I don't know what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong, my love." She smiled at him, showing off white teeth as she did so.

The words rung in his head, the sweet sentiment of her calling him 'my love' making his heart palpitate while at the same time making his mind race. He could almost see Kikyo in front of him, her dark irises neutral at best as she pulled away from him in the bed, moving away from him as if he had been on fire. The memory of what Kikyo had said after he had admitted his love for her resurfaced in his mind:

"Don't ever say that—ever again."

The pain from the incident was nothing compared to the realization that rocked his whole body now. "This isn't Kikyo." He told himself as he bit his lip, realizing that if Kagome was channeling Kikyo love would have been the last thing on her mind. "This is something different—and far more dangerous." He lifted his head to look at her and found her black eyes staring at him with boredom lacing their edges.

"You think too much." She told him but he didn't wince nor make a sound. "Why don't you let me relax you?"

He would never tell a soul but for a split second he actually contemplated her words; it was only a second though. Shaking his head violently, he stepped away from her. "Kagome—I—I think I know what's going on." Inuyasha looked at her with a combination of confusion and disbelief. "I have to—um—think first." He managed to say, knowing that he needed to get out of this room and that he needed to talk with someone he knew more about Miko's than he did. "Myoga." The name reverberated within him. He needed to talk to Myoga, he needed to ask the wisest and oldest person he knew about Miko's: about their lightness and darkness.

It was the only thing he could think to do.

Despite her confidence and brashly feminine nature as of late, Kagome was unaware of Inuyasha's thoughts. "Do you, now?" Her voice was almost derisive as she watched him, taking in his panicky expression with interest. The air around her seemed to crackle for just a second and Inuyasha felt his stomach fall into his feet.

The pure energy of a miko was not something to be messed with and as it surrounded the room he couldn't help but feel as if she was threatening him somehow. "Um." The demon within Inuyasha rippled with a sensation of fear for just a second as he struggled to think of something to say. "We need to get ready!" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.

The energy that hung so dangerous in the air immediately seemed to fizzle, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. "For what?"

"You heard Miroku." He struggled to think of the words to say. "Sango—her rapist's killer—we're gonna see him—get him."

"Oh," Kagome's voice was almost nonchalant and that scared him more than the crackling of her power. "So that's what he was prattling on about?"

Looking at her as if she had grown a second head, Inuyasha felt his heart actually sink. "She doesn't care?" He narrowed his eyes in disbelief, knowing once and for all that the person in front of him was not Kagome, not at all. "I have to talk with Myoga." He gritted his teeth as his hands started to shake. "Yeah—he was." He tried to speak as naturally as possible, attempting to disguise the compounding worry that he knew would cause his voice to shake.

"Well," She reached up a hand and brushed a bit of hair out of her eyes. "I suppose I should dress as a servant too then?" She glanced towards him completely unaware that his shaking was not because of her sexuality but instead because of her lack of caring.

"Yeah." He told her even though he was sure his voice must sound just a bit horrified.

She shrugged without another word and turned away from him, her hands moving to the front of the shirt before he even realized what she was doing. Within seconds, buttons popped opened, the sound of the fabric rustling making Inuyasha's body react against his will. He couldn't help but be aroused as he watched the fabric around her hips become looser and looser with each button she undid with her delicate fingers. The sight of the fabric around her shoulder's slipping downward made him gulp as it ran along the crevice of her back, revealing the smooth surface of her skin.

He began to pant without being aware of it as the shirt fell all the way to the ground, the soft and delicious curve of her ass making his palms sweat. As if she knew exactly what she was doing to him, Kagome turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder with smoldering black eyes.

"I knew you liked what you saw." She spoke slowly, each word seeming to drip off her tongue as she turned a little farther.

His eyes widened to the size of saucer's as the curve of one of her plump breast caught his eye and then the glisten of the Shikon no Tama as it hung in the valley between each breast. Inuyasha stared openly at her naked body, his whole expression filled with absolute appreciation and disbelief. Only hazily did he notice the jewel around Kagome's neck and only vaguely did he register that it was swirling with two different colors—white and black.

"I have to go." He managed to speak and without another word or even an acknowledgement of the strange coloring, turned around and left the room with hasty feet.

-break-

Kaede felt as if she had been hit over the head with the flat edge of a sword. Her mind was fuzzy and her body was aching in ways she could actually say she had never felt before. Groaning she opened her eyes, not prepared for the double sharpness of having not one but two Shinigami eyes within her head. It was like she could suddenly see the world was blinding clarity. Everything was sharp and focused, so much so that she felt as if she could see through the objects in her path if she so chose.

Blinking rapidly, her hands nearly shaking, she stared at the ceiling she had awakened to. The gifted eyes of the Shinigami could see everything upon that ceiling. They could see every possible color and colors that had yet to be invented. They could see every streak of wood grain and every bug that had made a home amongst the tiny lines. She could even see beyond them, her eyes penetrating the floor with ease she had never before experienced. As if by magic, she was looking at the burgeoning night sky, staring at a million stars that were just now beginning to appear, albeit faintly.

"How—," Kaede began to wonder as she closed her eyes unable to take the beautiful of such a sight. "How can having two Shinigami eyes be so different?" Her lip quivered for just a second and she had to actually take a deep breath in order to calm herself. Opening her eyes again, the image of the sky still somehow within her grasp, her jaw went slack. "Night!" Was the only thought that entered her head before she sprang upwards, throwing herself to her feet in a way that no elderly person should have been capable.

A groan to her left made her whip her head around before she could bolt for the door. The sight of Kagura laying face first on the ground, her body looking haggard and weak, greeted Kaede's new ruby eyes. It was no surprise that Kagura was still unable to move, even though Kaede was by far older than the wind demon; after all, her part in the ceremony had been far more severe than the Shinigami's part would ever be.

Still, Kaede couldn't help but feel worried as she watched the girl struggle to come back into wakefulness. "Kaede!" She called out the name hoping the sound would spark life into the beaten girl.

Sure enough, Kagura managed to roll herself over from the very sound, her body turning to its back with a strained push of her arms. Her eyes were still closed as she laid on her back, her mouth opened as she panted still trying to catch her breath. "Ka—," Just saying the one syllable was more of a struggle than it should have ever been. "—Sama." She managed to say, unable to pronounce even one vowel or consonant of the remainder of Kaede's name.

"Kagura, we don't have time!" Kaede hastily made her way across the room, her old feet moving over the now abandoned and lifeless transmutation circle without thought. In its center, what had once been a petrifying red eye was now a deadened, dulled, and unmoving painting. The gift of life that had been bleed into its surface completely gone.

"Time-i?" Kagura whispered but still didn't open her eyes as her in fact she squeezed them tighter shut.

"Yes," Kaede was panicking as she reached Kagura, her knowledge of what the night would bring making her heart pound in her chest. Hastily, she stole a glance towards the still closed window, the Shinigami eye slipping through the curtain easily, revealing the very last rays of sunlight. "We have to get on deck, now!" Kaede reached down and grabbed for Kagura, yanking the girl up off her back.

Instantly, Kagura's eyes snapped opened revealing a beautiful blue orb and, much to Kaede's surprise (and eventually Kagura's own) a soft off white one, so light it was nearly blue or maybe a very faint grey. It was a gorgeous eye; the eyes of wind demons always were.

Snapping out of her amazement, Kaede wrenched Kagura to her feet with one swift motion that didn't wholly make sense. There was no way Kaede, as old as she was, could be capable of moving twenty pounds, let alone over a hundred. Yet, Kaede did and with ease. "There's no time."

"What?" Kagura managed to speak as she gained what resemble shaking footing. "What-to time?"

Losing her patience, Kaede let go of Kagura and hastily crossed the room grabbing a shirt for the still topless girl and throwing it at her. "The sun Kagura." She explained even as a nearby groan caught her attention. Turning her head, her eyes widened for just a second as she saw the crumbled body of Hiten against the wall. The man was in bad shape, a few ribs most likely broken and maybe a leg or arm. "He's lucky he didn't go through the wall." Kaede commented to herself before turning back to Kagura who now had her shirt on and looked just as panicked as Kaede.

"It's time." She managed to say as her one blue eye and the other shockingly beautiful whitish orb danced with horror. "It's time-i—if-fu this does not-to work, I'll die." The thought raged in her head, echoing inside Kaede's against her will.

"I know." Kaede made sure to keep herself between Hiten and Kagura, she couldn't let the wind demon see how badly he was hurt. "I'll never get her outside if she sees him." She cursed herself silently, hating what she was doing with an unrivaled passion. "So we need to hurry." Kaede continued on as she motioned towards the door with one hand without daring to move. "If we're out there first, we'll have the advantage."

For a moment, it looked as if Kagura would agree and simply dart for the door. However, at that very instant a groan from the ground caught both of their attention. Within seconds, Kagura's one Shinigami eye had found the source of the sound and now was widening with horror. "Hiten-sama!" Kagura screamed as she looked down at the man she loved crumbled and in pain. Instantly, she jumped across the room, nearly flying as the wind picked up around her.

With amazing speed, Kaede cut in front of her before she could reach Hiten's fallen body. "We don't have time!" Kaede yelled at her as she grabbed the girl's arm pulling her away from the body.

"But," Kagura argued and pulled away while glaring at Kaede. "Hiten-sama need-do me!" She cried out and pushed away from Kaede who only managed to grab her arm again and drag her back. "Iya!" The wind demon howled and ripped herself away from Kaede, turning around quickly and snarling at her.

"We have to leave," Kaede tried to explain again as Hiten groaned once more before gasping for breath. "He must have broken a rib." Kaede thought absently as she listened to the demon wheeze almost violently.

"No." This time the wind demon spoke in English, her voice coming out as a low growl of frustration and anger. "I can't-to leave—." Her words were cut off by a sharp slap to her face. Her head spun to the side, her cheek went instantly red from the abuse, and her delicate skin stung horribly.

"This is not the time!" Kaede's voice was a combination of panic and honesty. "You are going to die Kagura."

The wind demon turned her head back towards Kaede at the words, her mind spinning as she tried to comprehend what was happening.

"If you don't get on that deck," Kaede reiterated speaking so carefully and calmly that it made Kagura's heart stop in her chest. "You—Are—Going—To—Die!"

Kagura felt her legs go weak as each word hit her like another slap to the face. She knew what Kaede was saying was true, she knew it better than anyone; however, that didn't stop her eyes from drifting down to the ground. The sight of Hiten as he curled into his side barely able to breathe at the moment tore at her heart but deep down Kagura knew what Kaede was saying was true.

"Hiten will live." Kaede continued to speak even as she felt the self hatred growing in her chest with every word. "But you will not."

Kagura's hands shook and her heart clenched violently in her chest. The decision was a hard one but in the end she knew exactly what she had to do. "Hiten-sama will live-i." She told herself even as anger welled within her. "Demo," She spoke out loud already knowing that Kaede would understand the language despite being from New Orleans. "Watashi wa shimasen."

Kaede nodded at the words, her Shinigami mind translating them with ease. "But I will not." She nodded her head and in response and sent the girl a strained smile. "We must hurry."

Kagura nodded sharply, her two eyes, one dark blue and one so light it almost seemed white, turning towards the thunder demon. "Ai shi teru." She spoke the words from the deepest region of her heart, knowing how powerful they actually were.

For a moment, Kaede felt as if she was intruding on an almost sacred moment. Her ruby eyes studied the pair, finding the connection that drew the two together with surprising ease; a slight red line, so faint that it appeared almost none existent. It was the same red line she had seen flowing from Inuyasha to Kagome all those months ago as she stood in her father's tavern. "It seems like an eternity since then." She thought to herself as she imagined that girl with the grey eyes. "That are—at the moment—black." A lump formed in Kaede's throat but she swallowed it down quickly. "But only at the moment." She reassured herself briefly, deciding to ignore her thoughts in favor of focusing on the present. "Let's go."

Kagura immediately turned back and sent Kaede a determined frown. "Hai."

-break-

Myoga carefully positioned the small child on his shoulders as he climbed up the rigging. Shippo, for his part, clung to Myoga's neck; even little brave demons could be afraid of heights. The wind swept around them, large gust from an incoming storm catching the old demon's hair (or better yet what remained of his hair.) On his back, Shippo's green eyes stung from the wind but he kept them opened as he looked out towards the fast approaching island. The trees that lined its banks were bending against the force of the wind, leaves being ripped from their branches with every gust.

"It's gonna storm," He spoke loudly, allowing Myoga to hear him even over the loud gale. "Ain't it?"

"Myoga think-u so," The man replied as he climbed a bit higher, guiding their bodies towards the top of the mast. "Shippo-chan."

Shippo smiled at the nickname, knowing exactly what it meant when Myoga took the time to call him –chan. There were few people on the ship that Myoga referred to in such a way: Miroku was one of them and his wife. Even Kagome was given the nickname from time to time but, most importantly, so was the Captain. Myoga used the term of affection when talking about Captain Inuyasha, behind closed doors at least. In the open, he referred to him as Inuyasha-sama, which Shippo had come to realize was not a term of affection but instead power.

"I wonder why he's a callin' him that?" Shippo scrunched up his nose but didn't think on the topic for much longer. They were already at the top of the mast, Myoga holding onto the ropes tightly with two of his six hands. The other four were fumbling in his waistcoat, looking for the spyglass he kept tucked away.

"Ano," He grumbled after a moment of searching until finally his hands hit cold metal. "Yosh."

"Are you gonna look?" Shippo wondered out loud even though it was obvious that Myoga was going to look out of the spyglass and towards the island.

"Hai," Myoga replied evenly, the young Shippo able to understand the word without difficulty. After all, he had spent most of his time over the past few months with Myoga and Totosai who primarily spoke Nihon-go in each other's presence. "De Island is close-u 'nough." He mumbled as he raised the spyglass to his eye, the tiny island becoming large behind the glass. Unfortunately, all he could make out was a dock and the sand of a beach off to its left. "No buildin'." He frowned to himself and lowered the instrument, not sure what to think exactly about what he had just seen.

"Myoga!"

The old demon jumped as he heard the call of his master below him. Snapping his head downwards at the same time Shippo did he frowned as he noticed Inuyasha's fidgeting stance below him. Head tilting to the side he clicked his tongue before waving a hand down at his Captain. "Hai!" He called and placed the spyglass back inside one of the inner pockets of his jacket. "Hold-o tight, Shippo-chan." He commanded and the fox kit obeyed without question.

Below him, Inuyasha blinked as he watched the tiny demon grab for a rope that was only a few inches away from himself. "He's gonna jump." Inuyasha mumbled to himself but couldn't really find the will to think about his own words too much. Instead he focused on something far more disturbing. "My voice's shaking—." The thought horrified him to his very core. "I'm shaking." He cleared his throat loudly, taking his eyes off of the quickly descending Myoga in favor of trying to control the slight shaking of his hands.

The sound of Shippo laughing hysterically made the dog demon actually jump as Myoga's feet touched down on the ground in front of him. The demon child automatically jumped from Myoga's back landing on the ground with a large smile splitting his face. "Let's do tat again!" The little boy cheered as he danced around Myoga's feet, the small flea demon smiling down at the child.

"Soon." He spoke gently as he petted Shippo's head, his old eyes becoming soft as he looked down into the child's green ones.

Inuyasha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the affectionate gaze, his mind recalling that same look on Myoga's face when he had been a boy and when Miroku had been as well. "It's like we were his children." He thought absently to himself but didn't allow the thought to consume him for long. "Myoga, I need to speak with you." Inuyasha interrupted the affection not missing the way Shippo froze and turned towards him with his head tilted to the side. "It's important."

The old demon straightened and looked towards his master with already intensely focused eyes. The hand on Shippo's head stilled for all of a second before Myoga turned back to Shippo and smiled gently. "Go find Totosai-kun, hm?"

The little kit looked confused for all of a moment, his eyes narrowing as if he knew exactly what was going on. Slowly, he turned towards Inuyasha the natural mischief found only in a fox's eyes bubbling up in his own. "So I gotta leave huh?"

Part of Inuyasha wanted to smile at the words, the other part wanted to just smack the boy. "Yeah," He crossed his arms over his chest trying not to show the boy the worry that was currently gnawing at his stomach. "Now obey Mr. Myoga," He tilted his chin towards the nearby entrance to the inners of the ship. "And yer Captain and scat."

The little fox scrunched up his face looking a bit put out but nodded his head once. "Fine—," He mumbled disappointed and turned away from the two men before hastily adding respectfully over his shoulder: "Captain."

Inuyasha couldn't help but feel that the word wasn't really said with any respect at all. In fact, it sounded almost like a curse coming from the kit's mouth. "Whatever." He told himself with a shrug as he turned back towards a contemplative Myoga.

His golden eyes met Myoga's own instantly, staring into their black irises dulled from age. Instantly, he felt as if Myoga was trying to read his mind, the old demon studying his every feature with upmost scrutiny. Suddenly, the man's feature's morphed into a straight line of worry, his skin actually becoming taunt as he gulped. "What-to izu it, Inuyasha-sama?"

As if he was talking to his father and not a retainer, Inuyasha actually felt as if he might begin to whine, the low whine that bubbled up in one's throat when they were talking to an elder and needed help. "Myoga," He said the name slowly as he straightened his back and squared his shoulder's refusing to look as if he was worried at all. "There's something we need to talk about."

Myoga nodded his head slowly as he became aware of the crewmen around them. Somehow the old man knew that this was not the time nor the place to discuss whatever it was Inuyasha wanted him to know. Clearing his throat, he side glanced towards the helm's deck briefly knowing it would be better if they talked up there. "Inuyasha-sama—."

Inuyasha cut him off before he could say another word. The dog Captain just needed to say something, to get the thought off his chest, and to have another mind know what was going on. "Nanika ga machigatte iru." He switched languages not caring who heard him speak the funny words.

Myoga narrowed his eyes from the words. "Machigatte?" He repeated the word for 'wrong' slowly as his old eyes searched Inuyasha's young ones. "Dō shita?" He asked wanting to know what was actually wrong.

"Kagome." Inuyasha said the name slowly as if it too had changed somehow just as she had. "Sore wa Kagome."

Inuyasha had thought that Myoga would looked shocked or at the very least a bit surprised but instead the old man simply pursed his lips. "Soka," He began quietly switching to English within seconds. "Myoga had-a feelin'."

A bit unnerved by Myoga's words Inuyasha growled low in his throat. "What are you talking about?" The dog demon switched back as well, slipping into his mother's tongue with ease.

"It-to had-u happen sometime-i." Myoga told him trying to appear apologetic as he looked at the man he thought of as a son. "Myoga just-ta hope it wouldn't-to be so soon."

Inuyasha's whole face went slack as he took in Myoga's words not even believing for a second that the man was admitting to knowing what was going to happen. "What do you mean?" He asked as anger welled up within him.

"All Miko-sama will experience such-i pain." The old man's voice was tired as he spoke and apologetic all at once. Carefully he brought one of his many hands up to his face, touching his eyes and rubbing for a moment as if in deep thought.

"What pain?"

"Tell Myoga what-to happened on island?" Myoga side stepped the answer, instead looking for answers of his own. "What-to did Kagome-sama do tat tire her?"

Inuyasha blinked and looked away from Myoga, his eyes glancing towards the crewmen that were within ear shot. None of them were actually paying attention to the conversation, which was good but he still felt uncomfortable talking about it within their hearing range. After all, demons who knew the identity of a Miko capable of killing a demon often found reason to kill her. With a firm jerk of his chin, Inuyasha turned towards the currently unmanned helm's deck, only absently realizing that Miroku must still be done below dressing for the part. The stairs squeaked under his boots like normal but even the consistency of the sound did little to comfort him.

As he rounded the last stair, he glanced behind himself towards Myoga who moved with such light steps that no sound came from any of the boards. For a moment, Inuyasha thought the lack of sound to be amusing but the humor only lasted for less than a second. Turning away from Myoga, he continued on towards the wheel. Even though he knew the ship was anchored, much like Miroku, he took solace in the knowledge that he could grip the old wood if he needed to. For a man who had been sailing the sea for almost seventy years, holding the wheel was the same as holding a blanket when one was a child.

"Inuyasha-sama?" Myoga's voice broke Inuyasha out of his thoughts and back towards the current conversation. "What happened-u?"

The dog demon inhaled slowly as he brought his hands up to the wheel, feeling the smooth wood. "There was—this—smoke stuff," He struggled to find the right words at first, not entirely sure how to describe what had actually happened. "I don't know what it was but if a demon breathed it they lost consciousness." He felt his grip tighten on the boat's wheel without any direction from his mind. "Kouga, his mate and I all breathed it and—we were out." He didn't even notice the confused look on Kouga's face as the little demon tried to understand what Inuyasha was talking about. "The mongoose I guess attacked and Kagome—." He continued on, the inclusion of the word mongoose seeming to make Myoga's tentative understanding solidify into something more substantial. "She killed them—all of them," Inuyasha spoke the words slowly, almost contemplatively. "When I woke up they were only charred flesh and burning hair."

A worried look crossed Myoga's face for just a second as Inuyasha finished the story. For the most part, the old man could fill in the rather large gaps that Inuyasha had left. Besides, even with these gaps, the old demon already knew exactly what was happening or at least, he was pretty sure he knew. "Inuyasha-sama," He began slowly as he watched Inuyasha's knuckles turn white as they gripped the wheel. "Kagome-sama did it-to in self defense?"

As if insulted by Myoga's words, Inuyasha's head snapped upwards and he nearly snarled. "Yes, of course." He bit out each and every word, his eyes blazing defensively. "She had to protect us. We were gonna die."

Myoga didn't appear affected by Inuyasha's outburst as he grew thoughtful. "Kagome-sama had-do no other option." He spoke quietly almost to himself as he tapped his chin with one of his many fingers.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but froze as a memory of Kagome's voice, the girl screaming in distress made him freeze. He could still see her horrified face as she yelled, as she looked up at him with tear stained skin, telling him all the things she could have done but didn't. "No—." He fought the realization internally but in the end there was nothing he could do. "She did say," He spoke out loud, even though he already knew that his words were somehow deadly. "She had a choice—she could have purified them, could have stopped them like she did Onaconah's brother but she—she didn't. She knew it."

Myoga's head drew upwards slowly, his already large eyes appearing even larger than normal. They searched Inuyasha's face, looking at every sign of aging he had developed over the past few days. The boy, for the first time, actually looked old and tired as if the whole ordeal was draining his life energy away. And unfortunately, Myoga knew what he was about to say was only going to make it worse. "Tat izu not-to good."

"Why not?" Inuyasha responded immediately, his eyes looking straight into Myoga's own, watching as the tired look on the old man's face mirrored his own.

"Kagome-sama," He began slowly, his voice coming across as almost apologetic. "Chosei to kill."

"But she was protecting us." Inuyasha argued instantly, his eyes staring at Myoga as if he wished the man to catch on fire.

"It-to does not matter-u." Myoga told him carefully as he ignored the intensity of those golden eyes. "When a Miko chooses-u kill evil over purifyin' evil, she awaken de darkness-u within her." The look of complete horror on Inuyasha face pushed Myoga to continue on without bothering to pause. "All creature born with-u lightness-u, darkness-u within them, even iko-sama." He paused for a moment as if collecting his thoughts as Inuyasha looked away from him and towards the deck of the ship. "Demo, Miko-sama darkness izu much-i harder to find." He explained, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "It-to only appear after Miko-sama has acted out-to hate."

"You think Kagome did that out of hate!?" Inuyasha seemed to finally come back to himself, the words spilling from his mouth before he could even think of them. "She did it out of love for—." He stopped himself before he could say the words but Myoga knew exactly what he was about to admit to.

"Inuyasha-sama—Kagome-sama hate not for yuu, it-to for mongoos-u." He gently explained, the comforting quality of his voice actually managing to calm Inuyasha even if his words didn't. "Kagome-sama hated tem, hated de fear mongoose cause, hated what-to mongoose had done to yuu and from tat hate her eyes became clouded." He paused for a second not quite sure what to add or even how to explain what was happening below their very feet. "And now—Kagome-sama izu battling with-o tat part of herself."

The dog demon Captain went quiet for a moment as he tried to process everything Myoga had just said. His eyes turned towards the floor once more, staring at the wooden boards as if he could see underneath them towards the woman that had stolen all of his affection. Unfortunately, a dog demon didn't possess such ability however, and all he saw instead were the jagged grains of the wood as they intersected one another. "What do we do?"

"There nothin' to do." Myoga's voice was soft and truthfully apologetic as well. "This izu Kagome-sama fight, Kagome-sama either overcome it or will change forever-i." The old man sighed as if tired and brought a hand up to his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a second before he continued, this time in Japanese. "Hikari to yami no ma no pasu ga kōshō suru no wa muzukashī pasudesu."

Inuyasha's head snapped upwards from the words, the softly spoken Japanese automatically translating in his head. "What did you say?"

"It-to izu old sayin'," Myoga explained carefully as his slight shoulders slumped as if he too was aware of the significance of his words. "About-to this."

The younger man frowned as he tried to understand exactly what was happening. "My mother—in my dream—she said it in English. The path between light and darkness is a hard path to negotiate." He thought to himself as he absorbed Myoga's words. "Where does it come from?" He managed to ask as his heart began to pound in his chest from the possibilities.

"Nihon." Myoga answered simply as he looked up at his master with strange eyes as if he knew exactly what Inuyasha was thinking. "Myoga told it-to Inuyasha-sama Okaa-sama once." Myoga's voice sounded distant as he spoke as if he was slipping into a memory. "When Okaa-sama went-to through same thin'."

-break-

The Shikuro bobbed in the water only a few precious yards away from a tiny dock that was meant for miniature shore vessels and not lumbering ships. On her deck, dressed in some of his finest (but not naval) clothes, stood Captain Inuyasha his golden eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked at the small Island. To any outsider, it had to look like nothing more than a normal uninhabited land mass overgrown with trees. The smell of donkey permeated the air however, and Inuyasha couldn't help but pull his ears back against his head slightly in thought. Although the smell seemed to be coming from a normal animal and not a demonic one, he couldn't help but think there was something off about the scent.

"It's almost like," He tilted his head to the side and drew his lips into a thin line. "It's meant to cover something up." Crossing his arms over his chest he snorted, already knowing exactly what the island was covering up. "Well they're doing a damn fine job of it." He mumbled as he allowed his gaze to run over the length of the cove, the beautiful blue water which lapped against the shore calming him despite the burgeoning darkness overhead.

It seemed that a storm was beginning to form from the west, odd for this time of year but not unheard of. The dog demon wondered if he should take the storm as a sign to wait before they dared step even one foot on the island. After all, if something went wrong it wouldn't do to be stuck in the cove waiting out a storm or, worse yet, stuck on the island itself. The dog demon tapped his fingers against his elbow contemplatively before inhaling deeply and releasing a sigh. In the end, he knew he couldn't do that to Sango.

"She's waited years to put this all to rest," He whispered as the Mediterranean wind picked up around him, blowing his ponytail (it made him look more civilized) about his back. "And finally she can." He closed his eyes against the sight of clouds forming in the distance as images of Sango formed in his mind. Before he could stop it, her image overtook him and memories of the past resurfaced in his psyche.

He could see her, hunched over the counter of the tavern, her eyes so lost, so dead, so beaten that she couldn't have brought even a spark of life into them if she tried. He remembered the look on the man's face as he walked towards her, looking her up and down with some sort of sick want. He remembered how Sango's eyes had shifted when he approached, looking at him without seeming to care. He remembered how she had been grabbed but hadn't fought back.

He remembered the very moment her eyes had connected with his. Those beautiful chocolate orbs had looked at him, completely broken but with something still left within their very soul. He had seen it in an instant: he had seen her crying out to him, begging him to stop whatever travesty was about to take place. He remembered the very moment he had stood up from his seat, his legs moving before his mind actually knew why he had to move.

Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes the memories beginning to ebb. It seemed like so long ago and yet it had only been five years. In the grand scheme of his life that was not much time at all. "Still," He uncrossed his arms and reached up a hand to push his bangs out of his face. "So much has happened in a very short amount of time." He couldn't help but let the slight smirk form on his face as he chuckled quietly. "So much, in five years—in ten years—eleven."

It seemed like only moments ago that he had found Miroku abandoned in a gutter and only moments after which, the little boy had become a man. Then mere seconds later, the man had found a mate, another tortured soul who had been thrown away just like himself. All these things had happened in mere seconds and they would end in just the same amount of time. Inuyasha didn't often think about that possibility; that reality. Shaking his head quickly, he pushed the thoughts away, the loneliness that was building inside of him almost devastating.

Quickly, he tried to think of something less disheartening. Instantly, an image of Kagome jumped into his mind and his breath hitched in his throat. "Kagome." He whispered the name, chills running down his body as he imagined her laying across the bed once more. Every silky curve tantalized him and the way her red lips just barely parted as she spoke to him made his stomach drop to his knees. "Damn." He whispered before reaching up and yanking on the end of one of his forelocks as if to wake himself back up.

The image of Kagome instantaneously was gone, wiped from his mind for just a second. The dog demon couldn't help but sigh from relief as his already galloping heartbeat began to calm in his chest. His legs felt weak as the adrenaline from the memory began to leave his body and the dog demon shakily took a step forward. Within seconds he made it to the railing of the Shikuro's helm's deck and grabbed hold of the newer wood that had been placed there a few months back by Totosai.

"I can't believe that she's—she's battling herself." He spoke quietly, talking to himself at a level which no one could actually overhear. "And that Okaa-san—did too." He added in his head, unable to force himself to speak once more.

Myoga had only told him a very edited version of his mother's story. The old demon had explained that his mother had once killed as well in an effort to save some small child she had met during her journeys with his father. In the end, the child had died as well as the creature that had attacked it and his mother—she had blamed herself for everything. Hatred had built in her heart to the point that she too had changed as Kagome had.

"Right down to her scent." Inuyasha mumbled as he allowed the story of his mother to slip away for just a second. "Just like Kagome." The dog demon sighed, the sound miserable in the sweet Mediterranean air. For the briefest of moments, Inuyasha's mind wandered to Kikyo. "I wonder if she ever went through this?" He tilted his head to the side as he searched his memory for any of the signs.

Truthfully, he had only known Kikyo for a little over a year, maybe a year and a half at best. During that time she had always been both warm and cold towards him. Warm when he was a human and cold when he was a half demon. He had always thought that was because of how she had been raised or her own prejudice but maybe it had been something else.

"It doesn't really matter." He told himself firmly allowing the woman of his past to slip away from him as she should have long ago. Instead, he allowed his thoughts to turn towards his mother once more and the story Myoga had told him. His mother had suffered in much the same way as Kagome. "The only difference is she came out of it." He shrugged his shoulders as the rest of Myoga's story seemed to taunt him. "Because of me—."

In the end, it had only been Inuyasha's existence that had saved his mother. The knowledge that she was caring an innocent child had awakened the lightness within her once more and she had overcome the darkest sides of her soul. For Inuyasha it was a heartwarming story, the connection he had felt with his mother when he heard it making him long to see her once more, even if it was just for the barest of seconds. However, at the same time, the story also made Inuyasha uncontrollably irritated; not with his mother but with himself.

"If I would have just—ah!" Inuyasha resisted the urge to simply jump over the railing of the Shikuro and sink into the waves. "She was in heat just two days ago." He thought to himself almost bitterly before a blush actually stained the bridge of his nose. "What the hell am I saying?" He growled to himself and very bluntly hit his head against the railing underneath his fingers. "That might be the worst idea I've ever had." He thought and inhaled sharply as he actually folded his legs and sank down until he was sitting on the deck. "What am I going to do?"

One of his ears twitched involuntarily on his head as the sound of footsteps overtook the staircase. Pulling his hand from his face, he turned just in time to see Miroku mounting the stairs, his face drawn into a tight expression.

"I don't understand why we have to be servants." Miroku grumbled as he mounted the last step of the staircase looking straight at his father with the barest hint of irritation in his eyes. His clothes were modest at best and completely undyed leaving them a musty sort of white and tan that did not suite Miroku's normally polished nature.

Feeling far too tired to argue with his child, Inuyasha simply shook his head and shrugged at the other man. "Sorry." He mumbled and dropped his hands to his sides finally, another wave of exhaustion running through him.

Blinking in surprise, Miroku tilted his head to the side and took a moment to study his father closely. The man looked absolutely fatigued, his normally vibrant eyes docile and dulled. His face was tight with worry lines and wrinkles that had never, and should never, have graced his features were predominant. "Are you feeling okay?" The human man couldn't help but ask, his voice laced with worry and suspicion.

Glancing back at Miroku, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, Inuyasha gave the boy a slight smile. "Yeah." He tried to brush off Miroku's worry as easily as he could or so he thought.

Narrowing his eyes, Miroku stepped across the deck, the sound of his heavy boots hitting the ground actually annoying to Inuyasha's ears. "There's something wrong." He pressed as he reached his father, sending the man a determined glare.

Feeling distinctly tired, Inuyasha sent Miroku a perturbed look as if to tell the boy to simply back off and leave him alone. "No there's not." He spoke adamantly, and pulled his hands away from the railing so he could cross them over his chest once more.

Immediately, Miroku mirrored his position, crossing his own arms over his chest and sending his father an equally repugnant glare. "Don't lie to me." He spoke as if he was the father and Inuyasha the son, his voice tight and commanding; leaving room for no arguments.

Inuyasha growled slightly and narrowed his own eyes at Miroku fiercely. "I'm not lying." He snapped but the sound of his anger did nothing to make Miroku back down.

"I can tell when you're lying." He fired back his voice rising just a bit but nowhere near loud enough to draw the crew's attention towards them as they argued.

Rolling his eyes Inuyasha snorted loudly and sent his son a sarcastic smile. "How?"

Without a second thought, Miroku uncrossed his arms and pointed directly at his father's face. "Your mouth opens!"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest but realizing what Miroku had just said snapped it shut and glared. "Mind your own mouth pup instead of mine." He growled low in his throat but Miroku merely continued to stare his father down.

"The way I see it," Miroku spoke calmly and evenly. "You have two choices." His eyes seemed to burn with his own anger. "You can either tell me," He brought up one hand as if he was displaying his answer in his palm. "Or you can continue to lie like an idiot."

The dog demon wanted desperately to retort but for the first time in his life he found no quick comeback on his tongue. He was seemingly stumped and somewhat impressed with his son's sharp wit. "Just let it go Miroku."

The son sighed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest irritably. "You know, I get a little sick of this." He told Inuyasha as he looked out across the landscape, his angered eyes not able to take in the beauty of the tropical paradise at all.

"Sick of what?"

"This dance." Miroku growled and sent his father a glare out of the corner of his eye. "I ask what's wrong—you bark at me."

"Hey!" Inuyasha protested not liking the comparison to a normal dog.

"And then I get you to finally just admit to whatever's bothering you." He continued on, his voice laced with cynicism and anger. "And then I fix it." He sent another well placed glare towards his seething father. "It's pathetic and rather predictable."

"Maybe I like things predictable." Inuyasha snapped back finally finding his tongue as he contemplated simply smacking his son across the head.

Sighing with exasperation, Miroku rolled his eyes and dropped his arms to his sides. "Will you just go ahead and tell me." He grumbled as he looked at his father hotly.

"What if I don't feel like it?" Inuyasha retorted as he pulled his eyes off Miroku and looked out across the sea towards the mainland of Serdegna.

"Oh look," Miroku mumbled as he stared at the side of his father's face dully. "We started to dance again."

Growling low in his throat, Inuyasha turned towards the boy with a bit of a glare. "It's a good dance."

Head starting to pound, Miroku brought a hand up to hive face and started to rub at the vein popping out of his forehead. "More like a frustrating one."

For some reason, one he could probably never explain, Inuyasha smiled in that moment. He didn't smile because he had won the argument, far from it, but instead because of the look on his son's face. It was as if in that moment, he saw his son again and not the man he had become. He saw a little boy of no more than ten, exasperation on all his tiny features as he tried to convince his father to let him have or do something absurd.

"I'm getting soft." He thought to himself as that little face propelled through his memories. "Damn it." He shook his head violently, the sound of his curse making Miroku raise his eyes back up to his father.

Miroku knew what the curse word meant. It meant he was about to get his way. "So," He began slowly and deliberately, making sure his voice maintained a proper level of mockery and respect all at the same time. "You're gonna tell me."

"This is such a mess." Inuyasha grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest and glanced towards the approaching island. They weren't all that far away now, no more than a good fifteen minutes. "Give me a minute." He told his son as he closed his eyes trying to collect his thoughts.

Rolling his eyes once more, Miroku mimicked his father's position before responding, "Should I keep count?"

Inuyasha sighed loudly but didn't comment as Myoga's words rounded in his head. The story of his mother played over and over again in his mind, teasing him relentlessly as he tried to think of what to do. There were many differences between Kagome and his mother; differences that could not be changed but were vital to understanding the current situation. Kagome had killed an army and his mother had only killed two people, one an innocent child. The way Inuyasha saw it that meant that his mother had done a far greater wrong than Kagome.

"So it should be easier for her to—recover, I guess." Then again, Inuyasha realized, that wasn't necessarily true. "Maybe I should just talk to Miroku." He glanced towards his son and within a second he knew that he was right as was Miroku. "We gotta stop this stupid dance."

For all of a second Miroku looked surprised but then he merely smiled. "You're right."

"I know I am." Inuyasha tried to maintain some semblance of authority over his son as he shifted from foot to foot helplessly. "Kagome," He began slowly, unsure exactly where to start or what to actually say. "Well, there's something wrong."

Miroku stopped antagonizing and mimicking his father immediately, his eyes widening as the man admitted that something wasn't right. "What's wrong?" He wondered out loud, millions of scenarios rampaging through his head. "Is she sick or did she exhaust her powers or—."

"She—," Inuyasha started again raising a hand up to the back of his head, rubbing it as if he wasn't sure what he was actually saying. "Um—ano, Myoga says there's a darkness," He turned towards Miroku, looking at him with questioning eyes. "Inside her."

"In Kagome?" Miroku whispered in disbelief, out of every person in the entirety of the world, he would have never thought of Kagome having any sort of darkness within her.

"Yes and she," Inuyasha pulled his eyes away from his son looking out at the gradually growing waves beneath them. "There has to be a storm coming." He thought to himself absently before he finally managed to continue. "She's fighting it now."

Miroku's eyes widened to twice their normal size and the man gasped loudly. "What!?"

"And there's nothing we can do." Inuyasha added, his voice so neutral that it actually irritated Miroku to listen to it.

"What the fuck!?"

Inuyasha moaned and brought his hands up to his face, rubbing at his eyes and cheeks. "That's how I feel." He admitted as a slight whine built in the back of his throat, sounding pained and angered and tired all at once. "What am I going to do?"

"How are you so fucking calm about this?" Miroku responded instantly as he looked at his father like the man had grown two heads. "Kagome—she's—."

"I know." Inuyasha cut him off, his voice nearly cracking with his own helplessness. "But what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Something." Miroku bit out the word, sounding as if he was actually tearing it apart in his mouth. "Anything."

"I know." Inuyasha took a deep breath before exhaling loudly, the stress of the past few days mounted on his shoulders. He felt literally heavy as if a great weight had been thrust upon him. All he wanted to do was sleep, all he wanted to think was nothing, and all he wanted to talk about was nothing that could be spoken. "There's nothing I can do." He mumbled and Miroku's jaw practically dropped. "It's up to her." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. For the first time in many years he counted to ten in his head as anger began to build within him.

"You can't be seri—." Miroku stopped his words dead on his tongue as he saw his father start to shake, the proper clothing his was wearing trembling like a leaf. "Otou-san?" He whispered just as Inuyasha's hands formed into tight fist. "Are you—?"

The splinters of the railing flew before Miroku actually say his father's hand move. "God damn it!" Inuyasha yelled as he moved his other hand, shattering another segment of the railing as he held in a scream. "Fuck—bastard—asshole—damn it!" The string of curses were barely said under his breath but to Miroku they were loud and clear. "I'm useless!" He finished as he stepped away from the destroyed railing his shoulders and chest heaving as he forced himself to take deep breaths. "Useless." He repeated the word but this time it sounded more desperate than angry.

"Otou-san." Miroku reached out towards his father carefully, touching the man's shoulder as gently as possible so as to not be on the receiving end of such wrath. "It's okay," He spoke slowly, trying to make his words sound confident when he wasn't really sure what he should be feeling. "We'll find a way—we'll help her."

The dog demon nodded half heartedly at Miroku's words accepting them and not accepting them. "I hope so," He looked away from his son not daring to show his irresolute face to his own child. "But what if we can't?" He spoke so quietly that Miroku almost couldn't hear him.

"I've never seen him like this." The young man thought, generally his father was a pillar of confidence but this Miroku knew was different. "This is about Kagome." Miroku felt his heart tighten with just the slightest of jealousy. "And he would die before she knew a single pain." His hand squeezed his father's shoulder before dropping away from it and falling to his side heavily. "We will." He reassured his voice surprisingly strong as he looked out across the island. "We fight to live and that means we fight for each other too."

Inuyasha's ears went back for a moment and then perched forward once more as he took in the words. "We fight to live." He said the words as if he had never once in his life spoken them before. "We really do, don't we?"

Miroku turned towards his father, his eyebrows knitting slightly as the tiredness of the man's voice echoed in his ears. "Are you okay, Otou-san?" He asked, the strict amount of déjà vu in the question actually bothering him.

"I am." Inuyasha spoke honestly even as he raised a hand up to rub over his eyes. "I'm just really tired."

Miroku nodded his head actually believing the man. "After this we'll rest." He spoke with authority commanding Inuyasha despite the fact that he was the son and the second in command.

"That," Inuyasha looked out at the sea with dulling gold eyes, for the longest of moments he didn't finish his sentence until suddenly he exhaled two dark words. "Is impossible."

-break-

Naraku sat in his cabin, his boots up on the desk as his ears twitched from the sounds of the outside world. He could hear the distant rumblings of thunder and the far closer sounds of the crewmen yelling back and forth to each other. Had he cared to know what was happening he might have stood and gone to the deck; as it were however, he found it far more comfortable to stay in his chair. In front of him on the table was a bottle of verily expensive wine which he had stolen out of Hiten's, once, personal wine cabinet and that was not something to walk away from.

Carefully, he reached forward, taking the bottle of wine into his hands. The feel of the glass bottle was smooth and cool against his fingertips making him smile slightly. With focused eyes, he watched the liquid in the bottle for all of a second before he reached for a half empty glass on the desk. The left over wine inside of the glass swished as he drew it towards the bottle ready to pour a bit more into it for his drinking pleasure.

He smiled faintly as his dark eyes focused on the rapidly filling glass of dark red wine. The liquid moved steadily back and forth, flowing and tilting with the same motions as the sea below him. "Must be a storm coming." Naraku commented mildly to himself as he finished pouring more wine into his glass.

The bottle was now empty, a surprising feat considering it had only been a few hours since it had been opened. Still, the weasel demon was nowhere near incapacitated by the drink and was in fact only mildly subdued from it. Truthfully, the relaxation it brought his still somewhat troubled mind was far worth the damage such quick consumption does to one's facilities. The ship leaned a bit too sharply for comfort to the right suddenly, but Naraku was not affected by the sharp motion at all as he glanced outside the window of his cabin curiously.

Dark clouds were gathering just outside the safety of his cabin, the swirling energy of some unnatural power twisting and turning them into a tight ring of smoky grey. It looked dangerous and deadly but Naraku felt neither emotion all too fully. Nonchalantly, he placed the glass of wine against the curve of his bottom lip, sipping at the drink thoughtfully as a small voice in the back of his head debated the sight outside.

"Dark energy." It seemed to whisper and Naraku was inclined to agree. There was nothing about the building storm that was natural but instead it appeared completely provoked.

"What could be creating it?" He wondered partially to himself and partially to the voice as well. Before an answer could be forth coming however, the loud crack of a lightning bolt followed by the rumbling of thunder in the east exploded in his ears. The once steady hand holding the wine jumped, sending the red liquid out of the glass and up into the air. "Damn it!" The demon cursed as it rained down onto his head, permanently staining his white shirt with blood red splotches. Anger flashed in his dark eyes and he threw himself to his feet as he saw red as he threw the glass to the ground shattering it instantly.

Instantly, his dark eyes turned towards the door of the cabin, staring at it as if he wanted to catch it on fire. The voice inside of his head seemed to snicker for a moment before a calming sensation washed over his body. "Calm—calm—." The voice whispered in the back of his head, talking to him as if he was a scorned child. "You cannot attack a storm." It told him and Naraku was inclined only briefly to disagree. "However," The voice continued on, giving Naraku pause. "You can enjoy it."

"Enjoy what?" Naraku spoke out loud, knowing the voice would speak with him easily. He had grown use to the voice inside his head and to the things it had to say. Generally it was well informed and offered insight into situations that he had never had before. It was a voice of knowledge and, surprisingly, convenience.

"The show of course."

Naraku narrowed his eyes but he didn't have long to feel confusion before his feet were moving on their own. He didn't bother to resist the sensation knowing that it was better to allow the voice control than to refuse to accept its guidance. Within seconds he found himself at the door of the cabin. His hand reached forward and twisted the handle quickly and before he could even flinch he found himself standing outside amongst the chaos of a ragging sea.

Up above the ship, a dark torrent of angry clouds swirled as if ready to unleash the fury of the heavens upon the comparatively tiny ship. Burst of gusting wind caught his hair, yanking on the strands in the exact same way it was yanking on the sails. It seemed to move with deadly intent, a mysterious almost supernatural power pushing it against the fabric. The crewmembers scrambled to fix the sails as the wind steadily began to destroy them, attempting to rip them apart with each powerful burst of air.

It was like nothing Naraku could ever recall seeing, even during hurricane season on Port Royal when all the shingles had been blown off the roofs and trees had been uprooted smashing into fences. That had been merely a force of nature, natural and unbiased; this was something far different. This was deadly and terrifying, even to his current mind, there was something about the storm that made his fingers tremble and his throat grow tight with worry.

"Tame ta riggin' now!"

Naraku actually jumped as a deckhand screamed to his right. Black eyes found the man within moments, watching as he pointed at the foresail which had pulled away from the mast, flapping dangerously in the wind. The sound of the fabric slapping against wood and of ropes furiously whipping against the mast filled the ears and his shaking stopped, replaced by awed wonder.

"The ship's being ripped apart." He whispered, a strange feeling of delight surfacing within him from the chaos. Certainly he realized the dangers, the potential for his own demise in those moments but somehow they did not connect with his brain.

Men scrambled all around him nearly unable to find even footing as they stormed the deck. They climbed up into the mast, tying broken riggings back together with shaking hands. "Hurry!" One man shouted from somewhere on the helm's deck as he held the vessel as steady as he could against the turbulent sea. The sooner the sails were secured, the sooner the vessel would be easier to hold steady against the growing waves.

Smirking Naraku almost didn't notice the second Hiten's cabin door slammed opened but the voice in his head became aware instantly. "It's time." The voice seemed to laugh as it spoke, delighted about something Naraku couldn't identify.

For a moment, Kaede paused in the door amazed by the echoing wind all around her and the turbulent storm. She had known it would be bad but she never could have predicted the true depth of the darken sky and the burgeoning gale. The wind stung her new Shinigami eyes as she took another step forward into the chaotic world. "It's time." She unwittingly repeated the words not spoken but seconds before in Naraku's head. In the back of her mind, she knew Naraku was on deck, the Shinigami eye sensing what was unseen beside her but she didn't bother to look at him. It would be useless now, he was no longer her concern but someone else's.

Behind her, Kagura froze, her one Shinigami eye moving over the scene quickly, studying the men as they ran in front of her without a second glance. "Nanio—?" She whispered right as the first true monster of a wave hit the Thunder's port side.

The ship lurched, nearly rolling over from the force of the wave, sending water rushing over the deck. All around them men screamed as they lost their grip in the riggings up above or found their legs swallowed by sea water down below. The wind demon Kagura, from the grace of the wind alone, just managed to stay on her feet as the wave rolled back off the deck pulling at her legs. Wide eyed and actually unnerved, she reached for Kaede automatically her subconscious telling her to protect the frail old woman. Her protection was not needed however, nor would it ever be.

Still standing tall, her chin lifting upwards so as to look at the terrifying sight of the storm above their heads, Kaede smiled. "It's begun." She whispered as the wind started to rotate above her, a twister forming right above the ship.

Kagura opened her mouth to ask the woman what she had meant only for her voice to be drowned out by the panic around them.

"Tie 'em down!" A man screamed above their heads, the desperation and panic in his voice hurting Kagura's ears.

"Do it," The man at the helm screamed as well, just as rain began to fall around them and the sea rocked with fury. "Do it now!"

"It won't help." Kaede commented even though neither man could hear her above the sound of thunder and rain.

The cold water bounced off Kagura's skin and she suppressed the urge to shiver as another wave hit the boat and hit it hard. The whole ship shook, water spewing onto the deck turning the vessel almost completely on its side. Kagura scrambled to grab for anything to secure herself to the vessel, her fingers just managing to reach for the railing of the staircase before the water yanked her into the sea.

Screaming filled the air and from up above a man lost his grip completely both on the mast he had been fixing and the life he had been living. "Hel—." The word died on his lips before it could even be formed, his body hitting the side of the railing as he plummeted into the sea, most likely already unconscious or perhaps dead.

"Man overboard!" Someone yelled but no one dared to respond knowing that if he wasn't already dead, he would be before they could save him.

The wave receded seconds later, the ship lurching back to its original position by some unnerving grace. Shaking from the cold of the saltwater, Kagura panted her wet bangs sticking to her face as she tried to spot Kaede once more. Somewhere in the chaos of the wave she had lost sight of the old woman. Her heart hammered in her chest and panicking she looked all around herself in an attempt to find her.

"Kaede-sama!" She screamed, her voice horse as she shouted. She blinked water out of her eyes hastily and she pulled herself forward along the stairs, keeping her grip on them should another wave come. "Kaede-sama!" She tried again but still no answer met her scream. "Iya." She whispered horrified as she whipped her head backwards and forwards looking for any sign of the old woman that she could find. "Iya!"

There was no sign of the old woman anywhere, leaving Kagura to only assume that she had been taken by the wave. Her heart screamed in her chest both out of fear and anguish as her grip on the railing tightened. For the briefest of moments, terror seized her and she wondered what she was going to do without Kaede; how would she survive; how could she live; would she live? Before her own terror could grip her completely, however, she caught sight of Kaede's greying hair in the very center of the Thunder's Quarter Deck.

There, looking as regal as she had ever been, was Kaede Cummings. Her tiny body was soaking wet and her now beautiful ruby eyes were a bright salacious red. Kagura felt shivers run up her spine from the sight and for the briefest of moments she wonder if her eyes had looked the same as Kaede's did now to outsiders.

"Enough of this!" Kaede finally yelled, Kagura's eyes going the size of tea cups as she watched the old woman raise her hands up above her head. "I will not be intimidated." She continued on, the wind stopping almost instantly as her voice echoed all around them. It was almost as if the wind had frozen so her words could better be heard. "So come down and face me like a true God of Death and not a mere mortal!" Something in her words made the remaining fury around them cease. The rain stopped and the waves grew steady once again, followed by the once howling wind.

It was an eerie moment, the total silence that ensued as the storm above their heads continued to swirl without a sound. "A mere mortal?" The words were colder than the rain that had fallen before them. "Such an insult I will not abide." The words hovered in the air way above their heads making everyone turn and look towards the blackened sky.

The entire crew of the thunder froze in awestruck horror as they caught their first glimpse of the approaching creature. Rotting flesh and exposed bones met their gaze, accompanied by the far off stench of death and decay. They watched in sick fascination as the death god landed upon their deck, its rotting flesh instantly making more than one of the crewmen sick.

"How dare you!" The Shinigami wailed and Kaede looked back at her with intense red eyes. Around them the crew of the Thunder cowered, none of them having ever imagined in their wildest of dreams that creatures such as these (evil bedtime stories told by vindictive grandparents) could ever be real. Even Naraku had to fight back the bile that was rising in his throat from the sight. "You know the penalty."

"I do." Kaede agreed, her words making both Hiten and Kagura freeze.

"Penalty?" Kagura whispered, knowing that Kaede would hear her words.

"The penalty for breaking another Shinigami's contract." The old woman actually smirked as she explained, but the expression didn't look as nerve-racking as it should have.

The death god glared at her as she spoke, her eyes glazed over with anger and sick pleasure all at the same time. "Such a perfect penalty," It whispered as Kagura turned to look at it, her body not reacting as the other crewmen only because she had known this sight for over ten years. "Death."

"No!" Kagura screamed in absolute desperation the second the words dripped out of the Shinigami's toothless mouth. "Kaede-sama?" She whipped her head around towards the woman, looking at her with beautiful white and blue eyes. "It-to not true."

"I'm sorry," Kaede whispered back towards her the sound of her voice truly regretful. "I'm sorry Kagura." She repeated as she finally dared to turn towards the girl, looking at her with her two ruby eyes. The blue eye that she used to own wavered as tears began to form in Kagura's real eye, the beautiful off-white bluish one she had been born with. "I wonder how many years it's been, since Kagura could cry?" The thought was one Kaede could honestly say she felt strange thinking.

"You bitch!" The Shinigami growled low in its throat angered by Kaede brashly ignoring her. "Look at me!"

Instantly, the old woman turned her head around, the smirk forming on her face once more. "And see such an ugly face?"

The creature snarled, memories of the beauty this body had held over a thousand years ago rocking through its mind. "You will regret that."

"What do I have to regret?" Kaede snickered and her eyes closed briefly as her shoulders jerked with true mirth. "I will die," She opened the ruby eyes again, staring at the sightless creature knowing that its mind's eye would allow it the chance to see her smirk. "That has already been determined."

The creature didn't respond right away as if contemplating her words. Finally, it opened its mouth revealing decaying teeth and blackened gums. "Are you prepared to die?"

"Stop flapping your mouth as if you're the true killer." Kaede told the other Shinigami who narrowed its empty eye sockets in response. "And call them already."

The pure hate that raged in that eyeless face was unnerving and impressive all at once. "I will." It shouted against the ragging wind, pulling it hands up above its head, the dripping flesh revealing blackened bony fingers. "Phoenicis venit."

The crew froze as the none existent wind picked up around them instantly; how those two simply words could cause such a torrent to emerge out of nowhere was lost on the crew. The sea twisted underneath them violently and the clouds above their heads seemed to double in size immediately, bursting into giant blackened billows of mock smoke. Lightening exploded forth from the gigantic deadly haze, seeming to strike all around the ship, turning the darkened world around them into a spectacle brighter than the day that had preceded it.

The ship rocked violently and men screamed as they lost their footing crashing to the ground before scrambling to stay up right. Waves seemed to jump over the bow of the ship and the starboard and larboard sides all at once, the surge of water biting at ankles and tearing at legs. Men screamed and grabbed for mast, trying to pull themselves to higher places where they might be safe. Using the gift of her blood, Kagura threw her body upwards, hovering for just a second as she looked around the deck swollen with water.

"It-to sink the ship-pu." She whispered but the words were scarcely audible to her let alone anyone else on the ship. Breathing heavily, she watched listened as the winds of her birth picked up all around her, words escaping them that only a wind demon could hear. She closed her eyes to understand the screams only to have them snap open moments later as she understood the fear. "Something's coming-u."

Only a few feet away from her Naraku turned his head, hearing her words above even the roar of the wild wind. His dark eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. Despite the deadly rocking of the waves and the gusting wind he found himself able quite easily to stand. How such a feat was accomplished even Naraku did not know but somehow he could guess that it had something to do with the voice inside his head. "Either way, who cares?" The young demon thought as his eyes roamed over the chaotic scene, delighting in the pain and misery upon each man's face.

It was amidst this chaos, that Naraku became the first to see the creature emerging from the sky. His arms went completely slack and his eyes grew to twice their normal size as a bright golden figure (or better yet creature) appeared from amongst the clouds. It was brighter than the lightening that surrounded it and larger than even the greatest cloud that encircled it. Naraku felt his knees go weak as two giant wings formed upon its back, a bright fiery color shimmering on each and every feather. It looked as if the entire giant creature was made of flame as it burst forth from the clouds and released a mind numbing shriek.

The sound exploded in the air, bursting the eardrums of some unfortunate demons down below. Men fell to the ground, covering their ears desperately against the sound as terror seized their stomachs and upset the rhythm of their hearts. The creature circled high above the ship, tilting its head downwards so its bright golden eyes could easily see the people down below. Even the pupil seemed bigger than the entirety of the sea, the true depth located within its shinning orbs terrifying and awe-inspiring all at the same time.

Suddenly, its great peak opened once again, releasing the same earth shattering screech as it had just moments before, only this time something responded to the sound. The rumble of an earthquake beneath the sea, and the sound of water rushing, turning, tossing, filled the air. The cry of the strange bird creature echoed about them, just as the sea seemed to part only a few leagues away from them.

The men of the Thunder went still with their panic unable to comprehend exactly what they were seeing. A head which was larger than the entirety of their vessel emerged from the water, waves rushing off its body revealing cool blue feathers dripping with moisture and salt. The body appeared next, bursting forth from the sea as wings shot away from its body. The dazzling dark indigo feathers seemed to glow with white hot flame, the seawater evaporating into a large mist as the creature caught on fire. Its large head sudden tilted back and its bright sapphire eyes snapped opened before its mouth released the same earsplitting call as its flying counterpart.

The crew of the thunder fell to their knees unable to even process the sights before them. Here before them were two creatures larger than any building or any mountain, one emerging from the sea and the other one seemingly formed out of smoke and clouds, both terrifying and mind numbing and amazing and unbelievable all at once.

Suddenly, the creature from the sea flapped its wings with one large downward burst and pushed itself into the sky. A tidal wave of water immediately came to life below its body and the crew scrambled to grab hold of anything to keep them aboard the ship. By some unnatural magic however, the wave of water never met them, the winged creature preventing the ships destruction by batting its wings again. The downwards shove of air pushed the sea water back into the ocean and by some grace of god changed its direction away from the Thunder.

Disbelief mounting in her heart, Kagura breathed slightly easier as she watched the water rush away from them. "Arigato." She spoke quietly not exactly sure who she was thanking but thankful nonetheless. Her bright blue Shinigami eye immediately turned towards Kaede as the wave receded and she blinked with surprise.

The two true Shinigami seemed unhindered or, that is, not amazed by the events transpiring all around them. Their bodies were magically upright as if the mounting pandemonium was nothing to be worried about. The two Shinigami stared at each other, Kaede's bright red eyes an ironic joke to the creature who stared back sightless. The two creatures in the distance screeched together now, the loud calls painful to Kagura's ears. Despite the sound however, Kaede and the other Shinigami never turned away from one another, sightless eyes meeting bright ruby ones without even blinking.

Clutching her fingers into fist, the pain of the creature's calls hurting her head, Kagura forced herself to take a step forward. She knew, above all else, that Kaede would know what was happening. "I have to ask-u." She told herself not caring if she was interrupting something important between the two Shinigami women. "Kaede-sama!" She yelled above the wind, using her demonic powers to accelerate the sound of her voice so it would hopefully meet Kaede's ears.

Sure enough, Kaede turned towards the girl within seconds, the bright ruby eyes piercing Kagura to her core, making her shiver. "Kagura?"

Forcing herself not to be afraid of the penetrating stare, Kagura rushed towards the older woman her mouth already opening with her question. "What-to are they?"

Kaede actually looked momentarily surprised by the question, as if she thought Kagura should have known. "They," She turned her chin towards the creatures now circling above the ship. "Are the oldest demons in the world."

The wind demon froze not sure she had heard Kaede correctly. "Nani?"

The Shinigami standing across from Kaede laughed at Kagura's words, her sightless eyes turning towards the young wind demon mockingly. "The Phoenix." She supplied in her aging voice, her vocal cords barely strong enough to form coherent words. "These two are the last of their kind—and the most dangerous of demons you will ever meet."

"Phoenix?" Kagura repeated having never heard of such a demon in her life.

"They possess the power of rebirth," Kaede spoke once more as she actually glared at the other Shinigami. "Born a million times. They gave that power to us, to the death gods, so that we might live as long as they do—forever." The old woman paused for just the briefest of moments as if she knew what she was about to say was more dangerous than even the creatures above their heads. "But ours—ours is magic with stipulations." Her old eyes looked straight into Kagura, telling her the importance of her words without actually having to voice it. "We must kill to use their magic, they must merely exist."

The beautiful creatures screeched as it flew over head as if they knew they were the highlight of the current conversation. Kagura's head snapped upwards at the sound, watching as blue flame and bright red, gold flame mixed together in the sky creating a kaleidoscope of deadly colors just above their heads.

"In times of old," The other Shinigami spoke, her voice tight but clear. "They were known by different names—I remember those names." She whispered, the sheer ancient quality of her voice making Kagura's eyes widen with surprise. She had never thought that her Shinigami was so old. "They were so powerful that the humans thought them gods. As they do us." She turned towards Kagura, the hollowed eyes staring at her as if she could actually see.

"Demo—Shinigami-sama," Kagura tried to speak even as her throat tightened with this information. It was as if everything she had ever thought true was suddenly being proved false. "Are responsible for death-u, they are kami-sama."

"No Kagura," Kaede whispered, her voice actually apologetic as she looked at the girl. "We are merely pathetic creatures who wish to live a long life." The ruby eyes which normally seemed the root of hate were truly at that moment filled with anguish and regret. "We do not cause death unless we need to cause death in order to survive. Death is but a natural phenomenon that will happen with or without a Death God's help."

It was as if Kagura's entire perception of the world had been turned upside down. "Shinigami are not-to kami-sama?" Her hands began to shake as the truth wormed its way into her heart, teasing her and breaking her. "They're demons." Kagura didn't even realize she had whispered the words out loud as her heart stopped dead in her chest.

"We are."

Kagura's head snapped towards Kaede seeing her truly for the first time. Kaede was a human turned into a demon by the death god curse. She had given up her humanity in order to possess the power of eternal life. Why she had done such a thing Kagura could not comprehend. All she knew was that Kaede had and, if her current actions said anything, it had not actually been for personal gain. If it had then Kaede would not be standing beside her prepared to die so that she might live. So why, why had Kaede done it—why had she allowed her body to maintain such a transformation? Why? In that moment Kagura realized, she would probably never know.

"These two demons were once treated as gods." The other Shinigami suddenly began as her sightless eye sockets looked up at the two creatures. "Their names were Jupiter and Pluto to the humans of ancient Rome and Zeus and Hades to the Greeks. The humans of Egypt called them Ra and Anubis. Even the Norse had names for them Odin and Hel." She pronounced each word with tantalizing slowness as if enjoying the lies those humans had fallen for. "Phoenix demons have tricked humanity for ages, posing as gods all over the world, enjoying the feeling of worship, it is what fuels their demonic powers and gives them the most sought after ability in the world," She chuckled darkly as she brought her decaying hands up to brush a piece of brittle hair from her face. The hair fell apart upon contact but the Shinigami ignored it. "Rebirth; a chance to live life once more. A most coveted ability."

"Reincarnation?" Kagura tried, pronouncing the English word beautifully.

"No—not quite. It is the same person born again and again." Kaede explained this time before the other creature's voice could abuse the air once more. "But with time people stopped worshipping them and as they did, the power of rebirth faded, leaving only these two alive. Only they can be sustained by the minimal worship still afforded them by humans." Kaede's voice trailed off for a moment before she shook her head and sighed darkly. "It is through these last two Phoenixes that all Shinigami received the knowledge of sight in exchange for worshipping them."

"And it is with them," The other Shinigami interjected quickly before Kaede could continue. "That you will die."

Kagura started to speak, to shout, to scream at the Shinigami but before she could the creature's up above suddenly screamed with frightening potential. Their bodies condensed and they drove from the air straight towards the ship. All around them demons screamed and even jumped from the vessel, the fear that they all were about to die fueling them to abandon the vessel. Had they been watching carefully however, they would have noticed the way the large predators changed, their bodies shrinking the closer they came to the ship below.

Feathers morphed and wings became arms, the glow around their bodies shifting until it became merely tunics of clothe the same color as their spirits. Faces shaped and hair formed, the same bright wave of flames that had encompassed their bodies making up each and every strand upon their heads. Their talons turned to feet, although the blackness of the nails remained on every toe.

Their feet touched down on the deck, the creature now no more than the size of normal demons as they stood side by side. Shoulder to shoulder they looked at the humans shaking and cowering around them with disinterest before they glanced at each other. Blue eyes met red ones, the two blinking in unison as they stared at each other some sort of silence communication happening between the two creatures. Within seconds they seemed to come to an agreement however, turning away from each other and looking directly at Kaede instead.

The one that had come from the sky, its bright red hair highlighting its face against the darkness that surrounded them, was the first to step forward. The bright ruby which matched Kaede's visage glared at the old woman, hate seeming to form in its pupils. "You have disobeyed the most sacred of our laws." He began his yellow skin glowing, lighting up the darkened ship with every step.

Behind him, his demon brother took a step forward as well, the blue of his own skin glowing softly, nowhere near as bright as his brother. "You have sentenced one of our kind to death." He told Kaede firmly, his own voice dripping with animosity.

"And for that you must die—." The ruby brother spoke again, his voice somehow deeper as if he was older.

"So your life can become theirs." The Sapphire brother finished for him as they stood once more shoulder to shoulder, a wall of red and blue.

The words echoed all around them and Kaede nodded knowing now, for the first time, that she would not be lucky enough to maintain any form on earth. "I thought it might be this way." Kaede knew her hands were shaking but couldn't say for sure she felt them. "But even I have to admit, I didn't want it to be."

"Are you prepared—." The red phoenix began again before glancing at his brother who continued for him.

"Shamed one?"

"I am." Kaede allowed the words to fall from her tongue as she lifted her head to look at the two surreal creatures before her. They were unnaturally beautiful, the flaming color of their hair moving with the wind, an unnatural iridescent quality encompassing each strand of flame.

"Then so be it." The red one turned to his bluish twin, his light eyes staring into the strikingly contrasted darker ones of his brother. "Brother?"

He nodded easily and raised his hands up before himself. His fingers were long, almost unnaturally so, and the claws upon his hands were sharpened into deadly talons like his feet. Kagura felt her heart sink into her chest as she finally came to terms with what Kaede had done for her. It seemed illogical and stupid and infuriating all at once. Waves of emotions she couldn't dare control rocked her body.

"I have to do something-u." She told herself but the words that echoed within her head echoed within Kaede's as well.

The old woman turned towards her, the ruby eyes that had belonged to Kagura once before staring straight into her very soul. "Kagura." The word was whispered inside the wind enchantress's head, soft and sweet with motherly affection gliding throughout it. "Do not be afraid or regretful."

Kagura felt the strange sensation of water dripping from her one true eye as the phoenix demon began to chant in some incomprehensible language; a language probably older than time itself. Her lower trembled and the angst inside her soul became apparent on her face with each slow second that past. "Please don't-to do this." She begged not caring for her life, she had accepted her fate once before, she could do so again if it meant Kaede lived.

"I'm an old woman Kagura." Kaede's voice entered her mind once more as those ruby eyes became so soft and loving that Kagura actually sobbed. "I've lived my life and I've made my choices but you are young and beautiful and have not had such a luxury."

Kagura actually felt her knees go weak underneath her and her body begin to slip to the ground as the demon behind Kaede began to glow. The Shinigami she had made the deal with so long ago smirked in the background, a laugh building up in its throat. The wind demon thought about attacking her, ripping her to shreds but she knew that would not stop anything. A mortal cannot kill a Shinigami, only a Shinigami can or apparently, one of these two brothers.

"Now listen carefully Kagura." Kaede spoke again, the gentleness in her voice replaced by a strange sound of urgency. "There's a letter on my desk."

The wind demon's tears stopped as the strange words permeated her brain. "Letter-u?" She thought, trying to comprehend the significance of what Kaede was saying.

"Yes." The old woman replied, taking her eyes off Kagura in that very moment. The Phoenix demon's hands were glowing with an intense hazardous crimson color that starkly contrasted with its shinny blue eyes. The old woman inhaled deeply knowing in that moment what was about to come.

It seemed strange that in that very second Kaede could only think of one person; one man from so long ago. She could see his silver hair and his golden eyes. She could see the curve of his chin, boyish and manly all at once. She could see the small smile he gave her, filled with some type of affection she had never been able to identify. She could hear his voice as he whispered her name soothingly while she cried for her sister's death. She could feel the prickle of an old sensation in her chest that she knew all too well.

The old woman closed her eyes as the love she had always known encompassed her very being. Maybe it had been a hollow feeling or at the very least an unnecessary one. Regardless it had been there and it had directed her life. It had made her research the Shikon jewel, it had made her journey to the mambo, and it had made her journey to lands far beyond even that to meet people that knew Inuyasha first hand as a child. It was a feeling, that although it was now faded, had set the entirety of Kagome and Inuyasha's journey into motion.

"Was my life wasted?" She wondered as she saw his image on the back of her eyelids. Before her mind could fathom an answer however, another image formed: a beautiful girl with gorgeous grey eyes and a power that would do unfathomable deeds. "No." She opened her eyes as the word encompassed her very being. She had lived an honorable life and done amazing things. At first those things had been driven only by petty teenage love but eventually it had become so much more. "Maybe it's a bit pretentious." Kaede held back the chuckle that threatened to escape her throat. "But my life will save the world."

With one last deep breath, Kaede turned her head one last time to Kagura. The energy that surrounded the phoenix crackled and intensified. At any moment it would be released and in that second Kaede's soul would leave her body forever. Never would it be anything anymore; neither a reincarnation nor a piece of any sort of heavenly body. In that moment, she knew she would cease to exist. Even if the Shinigami inside of her had been so sure otherwise, she knew it was lie.

Old eyes lighted on Kagura one last time, watching the girl who had fallen to her knees tears of regret streaming down her lovely face. "Goodbye Kagura." She told the young woman, watching her with all the love and affection she could muster. "Give the letter," Kaede spoke out loud as the Phoenix demon screamed, the power unleashed in one great burst as it shoot straight towards the old woman. "To the woman Inuyasha loves."

The power of the Phoenix demon hit Kaede square in the heart, the old woman's bright ruby eyes instantly going dull as the very life was sucked out of her. The smile that had been on her face evaporated and her soul was ripped straight from her chest, a ball of effervescent light that shot into the sky brightening it as it was day and not night.

"Kaede-sama!" Kagura's mouth opened in an earth shattering scream as tears rushed down one side of her face, washing over her skin. The sensation was hot and sticky from salt, something Kagura hadn't felt in over ten years but wouldn't have noticed if she tried. "KAEDE-SAMA!"

-break-

Kagome stood on the railing of the Shikuro, balancing in a way that seemed both impossible and improbable all at the same time. The servant skirt, made out of undyed cotton, danced around her hips, giving her an ethereal look as she looked out across the sea. Her dark eyes lighted on something in the distance, an unnatural storm that spanned so many distances that it was impossible to pinpoint its origin or direct.

"Strange." She whispered to herself, not realizing the amount of people staring at her as they walked by, terrified that she could fall from her place balanced so gingerly. "It's not natural." A strange thought welled up in her chest then regarding naturalism. "Neither am I." She snorted slightly and popped her neck with a quick sharp movement to her left.

"Stop this!" A voice screamed inside her ears but she ignored it easily. "Please," It continued, practically begged and crying all at once. "Leave me alone!"

"Shut up." Kagome whispered, venom dripping from her lips as she looked out across the uneasy landscape. A strange smirk formed on her face as she stared off into the distance, connecting with a part of herself far, far away from the Shikuro. "—about time." Was all she whispered as she seamlessly turned away from the sight of the distance and turbulent sea and hopped down from the railing.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: A very long chapter for your entertainment. I hope everyone enjoyed it. As we step into the next chapter we will arrive at the prison and enter into the aftermath of Kaede's death, it promises to be a sad yet delightful experience. On top of that, I have to wonder what Miroku's conversation with Kouga will do to the Wolf King.

P.S. For those of you unhappy with the current story arch, I will just say this: It has to happen otherwise the story will not make sense in the long run. The good news is, we are almost at the end and the ending of this arch will be purely fan service.

Bonus Point:

In what movie does Kagome try to shot Inuyasha with an arrow because she is being controlled by an outside force?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

Inuyasha and Kagome kiss a total of one time in the entire Anime and that is in the Final Act. They do have an additional kiss in the movie "Affections Across Time" as well! Congrats to the winners:

Guest, AidanWarrior, Guest, Asian Delicacy, Glon Morski, DemonChild94, pega-chan

Next Chapter:

A Place Made from Hate

UNEDITTED

POSTED

10/13/2013