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?

87. A Place Made from Hate

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-Seven

A Place Made from Hate

Naraku watched as Kaede fell to the ground, her body a heap of old flesh devoid of life. Her grey hair came undone around her head, the aged white strands whipping about her unresponsive face. He couldn't help the feeling that welled in his chest from the sight, the absolute joy that he couldn't quite comprehend. "—about time." He whispered, the words echoing across the sea itself; far, far away from him.

With watery eyes, Kagura stared at Kaede's prone form unable to actually believe that what she was seeing was real. "It can't-to be." She thought as the salt from her tears stung at the little cuts that garnished her face. "Kaede-sama." She whimpered as her hands unconsciously reached towards the woman, wanting to grab her, to hold her, to wake her up once more. "Alive-e—yuu—Kaede-sama can't-to die."

Practically crawling on her hands and knees, Kagura tried desperately to reach Kaede's still form. Her heart was practically breaking in her chest with each struggled movement she forced herself to make. Her knees scraped the ground and she winced as she felt the distinct sensation of blood running down her leg but it didn't matter. All that mattered was reaching Kaede and proving to herself that Kaede was really and truly gone; a fact she already knew as truth.

Before she could even come close to touching even the edge of Kaede's blouse however, one the Phoenix demons stepped its foot down right in front of her. Kagura hastily flung herself backwards, her eyes snapping up towards the creature taking in the tall and intimidating figure as it glared down at her. His bright blue eyes, so like her own, stared at her shaking form with all the intensity of a bird of prey.

"You," He spoke coldly, true irritation and frustration running throughout his voice. "Have been given a gift," He spat out the words as his flowing blue hair sparked with unnatural radiance as if it were on fire. "An equivalence." The word seemed to drip from his tongue, threatening and irate.

"Equivalence?" The other brother growled behind the first, pronouncing the word as if it was a curse. "The traitor gave her such a gift?"

"It appears so brother." The blue eyed Phoenix paused for just a second as he bent at the waist, lowering himself to look Kagura in the eye.

The wind demon felt her heart jump into her throat and tighten to the point that she couldn't breathe. His eyes were probing her seeming to look into her very soul. He blinked once, quickly, like a crow as if studies something it wishes to kill but not eat. He leaned even closer, her eyes nearly going cross as she forced herself to continuing looking at him, refusing to turn away. The demon within her began to panic, every instinct within it telling her to run, to run and never look back. Kagura, however, was far too stubborn to turn away when she knew she was being purposefully intimidated.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. "You're lucky." He whispered his face so close to her own that she could feel the hotness of his breath upon her cheek. "Not many are given such a gift—with no strings." He pulled himself backwards, standing to his full height once more as he glared down his nose at her. "You are not a Shinigami but those eyes are yours and will be until the day you die." The words were blunt and made Kagura's heart twist in her chest as she tried to understand them.

"I—." The word was shaky as she tried to speak, her voice failing her before she could complete it.

"You will not live forever," The Phoenix continued on as he glared down at her. "You will die and your gift will die with you." He spoke the words as if they were making him physically ill. "You have an equivalency. The eyes of a God of Death without its body." He closed his eyes as if irritated by the information. "That bitch gave it to you." His eyes snapped opened, the hate for Kaede so bright in them that Kagura shivered. For a moment, it seemed as if he was debating something, something ominous but before too long he simply turned away from her and looked at the only Shinigami currently alive. "You have no such luck."

The Shinigami instantly bowed her head, her failing body dripping with blackened flesh and blood. "I am in your debt." She told him, the words sounding somehow rehearsed.

"As are all of your kind." The red eyed brother snarled as he walked to the other Phoenix's side, placing himself beside his shoulder.

"We have settled your life debt." The blue eyed brother spoke, his eyes glimmering without the aid of light.

The red eyed brother smiled carefully as he looked at the Shinigami before him. "So now we will give you what is yours."

Without adding even one more word, the blue eyed phoenix jumped forward its hand extending out so quickly that even Shinigami eyes could not see the movement. Sharp blackened claws pierced the flesh of the shocked Shinigami. Blood oozed around the fingers, welling up and dripping onto the ground as the Phoenix snickered as if enjoying the sensation and the sight. "It's far more fun to grab a soul with your own bare hands." He spoke with sickening sweetness as he twisted his fingers inside the Shinigami's chest. "Instead of with your mind."

The creature screamed from the pain, a sensation no Shinigami was actually used to experiencing. Pain was something they could not feel except at the hands of other Shinigami and the creatures who had given them their abilities in the first place. Desperately, the Shinigami raised her hands clawing at the Phoenix's arm as she withered with debilitating pain. "Please—." She managed to whimper, the words barely leaving her tongue as she gasped unable to cry but still capable of producing the accompanying sounds.

Perhaps taking pity on the creature or better yet simply no longer entertained, the Phoenix ripped its hands out of her chest. The sound of blood splattering on the deck, muscles ripping, and ribs snapping filled the air all around them causing the crew to gage with disgust. A bright object filled the Phoenix's hand, the ancient soul of the Shinigami blinding those who dared to look at it. It was a bright soul, much to Kagura's surprise, and seemed to shimmer with an underlying darkness that Kagura instantly understood.

This soul was a dark soul that had lived a dark life. Kaede's soul was white and ethereal, Kagura had seen so much in the brief few seconds the soul had stayed on the ship. "Kaede-sama was-u pure." The tears that had stopped cascading down her face instantly began to run again. Her bottom lip quivered and she felt her heart stop dead in her chest. "Tat soul-u will go in Kaede-sama body." She realized, the very idea killing her but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.

The Pheonix watched as the Shinigami's body fell lifeless to the ground, a mass of decaying flesh oozing with rotten blood and bone. It crinckled its nose for just a moment as it glared down at the sight before it brought its eyes towards the glimmering soul. "To believe it's still this white." He mumbled as he gently palmed it, the warmth of the ancient soul soft to his fingers.

"I figured it'd be black." The red eyed brother commented as he watched the blued eyed Phoenix cross the ship towards Kaede's lifeless body.

"Hm." He grunted in return without bothering to offer his brother a comment. Reaching Kaede's body, he knelt to the ground, the off-white soul within his hands. Carefully, he lowered it towards the body, the soul sparking and shimmering the closer it came to touching the dead body. Finally, once he was only a few precious inches away from Kaede's chest, the soul flared, a bright whiteness nearly blinding all who stood witness.

The Shinigami's eyes snapped opened and she gasped, the raspy sound of her voice taking its first breaths sharp in Kagura's ears. The bright red eyes shown sharply and the creature instantly pushed herself back to her feet. The Phoenix demon backed away in response, watching as the Shinigami looked down at her new flesh in awe. "Beautiful." The Shinigami whispered a smile forming on her lips far brighter than any Kagura had ever seen. "It's been decades since I had a body not dripping with decay." She spoke quietly as if mesmerized by even this old new body.

Not seeming to care either way, the two Phoenix demons turned towards each other as if assessing what they had done. "Our task is done?" The blue eyed phoenix seemed to question the red eyed one, as if he was the true leader.

"Yes." He nodded his head in response, his neck turning like an eager pigeon towards the Shinigami. "Leave this place." He commanded, the body that had once been Kaede's nodding, the Shinigami now incased within it knowing better than to deny these creatures anything.

"Thank you." She whispered as she bowed her head before turning on her heel and disappearing (a gift that only Shinigami possessed).

Nodding, the red eyed Phoenix turned then towards Kagura, his eyes staring at her body for all of a second. "Do not fret." He spoke clearly and for the first time Kagura actually saw something resembling sympathy within his expression. "Life—is but a part of death," He smiled, the look a combination of true empathy and honest sarcasm. "Kagura." Her name left his lips right as an explosion of light washed over the entirety of the ship.

The wind hit Kagura's face, stinging to the point that even she (a wind demon) had to close her eyes against it. The white/blue eye of her demonic heritage, swam with tears both for Kaede and from the pain. The loud scream of the Phoenix burned her eardrums, followed by the painful cries of every crewmember unlucky enough to be of canine or feline descent. And then, just as quickly as the wind had started, it stopped and the screeching soon followed.

In disbelief, Kagura forced her eyes to open, the tears on her face running to her chin before dripping to her chest. Her eyes searched the deck half hoping to see Kaede there but knowing deep down that she would never see the woman again. Her lip quivered as her eyes settled on the disgusting body of the woman who had tormented her for the past ten years. She gritted her teeth, anger welling in her whole body.

"Baka yuro!" She screamed as she channeled the wind around her into a violent torrent, sending the revolting body into the sea with one uncontrolled burst of power. Shuddering, her shoulders shaking with her sobs, Kagura dropped her hands to the ground, her head following. "Kaede-sama." She whispered, the woman's very last words barely registering in her mind in that moment of uncontrollable grief

"Give the letter—to the woman Inuyasha loves."

-break-

Kagome awakened to the strange sensation of floating in the air. It was, surprisingly, something she had experienced quite a few times before. "I feel so light." She thought to herself as she blindly reached out around herself, feeling the thick air as it encompassed her. "It's almost—like water." She whispered, her voice seeming to echo all around her as if it was hitting some unseen walls. Confused, she forced herself to open her eyes, her irises dilating with surprise.

It was dark; that was the first thing she noticed as she tried to look around for any source of light that could be seen. It was quiet; that was the second thing she noticed and the thing she feared the most. There was no noise anywhere, not the dripping of water or the rocking of the ship. There was no sound of a nearby crew or the soft snoring of Inuyasha when he slept. It was completely silent, eerily so. And that told her something daringly important.

"I'm not on Shikuro." A lump formed in her throat as she forced her body to turn upwards, to a position that felt both upside down and upright all at once. "So where am I?"

Throughout her time on the Shikuro, Kagome had found herself inside the confines of several strange worlds. She had experienced the world of white (a place she hoped to never return to ever again), she had experienced strange realms within her dreams, and she had even found herself within the worlds that were sustained inside other's heads. She had never found herself within a world like this, however.

This place was dark and disconcerting and so quiet that Kagome couldn't help but hear her breath so loudly that it hurt her ears. She squinted into the darkness hoping to see even the slightest glimmer of light but saw nothing. She gulped, the sound loud as she turned herself around in a circle. The strange thick air moved with her, pulling at her limps as if it was not air but liquid. She tried desperately to look out across the landscape but was unable to see anything except darkness no matter which way she turned.

"This isn't possible." She thought to herself as her head began to spin from both fear and her own constant turning.

The sound of laughter, the first sound she had heard except noises she made herself, resonated throughout the thick air.

She turned quickly, her eyes darting to every possible corner in the darkness but she saw nothing. "Who's there?" She yelled but her only answer was more laughter. "Answer me!" She demanded, putting all her anger and frustration and fear into her vocal cords.

"Such a feisty little girl." A voice finally replaced the laughter, the sound of it mocking.

Kagome gritted her teeth, recognizing the voice instantly. "You," She drug out the words, the dark side of herself appearing suddenly before her very face. "What did you do?"

"What do you think?" The girl replied, light outlining her body as she looked straight at Kagome. "I took over this body." The mouth shaped just like her own stated bluntly as it sent Kagome an exaggerated smile.

Kagome growled in response, just now realizing she had been tricked. "You," She lifted one hand, the thick air pulling at it as she tried to point at the other half of herself. "How—how did you do this?"

"Easy." The figure brought her hands up and crossed them underneath her chest. "I used your guilt against you." She smirked and turned her head to the side, looking at something in the distance that Kagome could not see. "You felt so bad about those mongooses that—well," She laughed and turned back towards Kagome, looking at her with almost playful eyes. "You let your guard down."

Confused, Kagome dropped her hand, staring at the other woman with wide eyes. "What?"

"I've been here all along Kagome." She shook her head and sighed as if disappointed. "You've always known that—any time you felt hate or jealousy or anger." She looked right into Kagome's eyes, staring at her with such knowledge in her black irises that Kagome nearly choked. "That was guided by me." She clicked her tongue and smiled as if amused. "But before now you could control me." The smile turned into a deadly frown. "All your life you could control me." She looked up at Kagome, a hatred forming in her eyes that actually made the other girl shiver. "But not now—funny how things change, yes?"

There was something in those eyes, in their intensity and blackness, which made Kagome uncomfortable. "Why now?" She asked, forcing her voice to sound even and unafraid. "What's different now? Is it my power—or what I've done?"

"Yes and—no." The creature paused momentarily as the frown on its face turned into a ridiculously vile smile. "Either way it doesn't matter." The look on her face became even more depraved with each word. "You will never have control again—I will keep you here until this body dies and rots."

Confused and angry, Kagome gritted her teeth and took a step forward. "I refuse to stay here." She yelled as she clutched her fist tightly to her sides. "Let me go!" Her voice echoed all around her, a brightness finally penetrating the darkness as energy seemed to resonate throughout her body.

Instantly, the darker half of her hissed and jumped backwards and glared down at Kagome with enraged hatred. "How dare you?" She screamed, raising her hands up before her face, a similar energy, although redder than Kagome's pinkish energy, forming on its fingertips.

Kagome barely had time to register the color before it connected with her body. She gasped, her mouth opening into a silent scream as she was overcome with the sensation of a million needles stabbing her sensitive skin. The sound of energy connecting with her own echoed all around her and her mind exploded with pain. "Stop!" She managed to beg as every nerve ending from her head to her toes burst with throbbing and undeniable throbbing.

The creature, breathing heavily from the amount of energy it had just expended, disconnected the force from Kagome's body easily. The girl instantly seemed to fall, landing on unseen ground with a loud thump that echoed all around them. "Stay quiet girl." The other half of herself bit out each and every word as the pain consuming Kagome finally began to ebb into a dull ache. "You must learn your place within this game."

Lifting her head, the simple movement bringing tears of pain to her eyes, Kagome caught a glimpse of something strange. The creature across from her began to shimmer and change, her own face morphing for just the barest of seconds into something else, something she recognized and didn't all at the same time. Before she could get too good a look of it however, the image disappeared, replaced by an exact replica of her own visage once more. "What was that?"

"Behave," The woman told her interrupting her strange thoughts. "I don't want to come here again."

Gritting her teeth, ignoring the strange change and shimmer of the creature's face, Kagome pushed herself up on her knees and then, with great agony, to her feet. "You'll be back." She told the other half as her legs shook and her body became consumed with pain. "I won't let you—," She inhaled deeply as her knees nearly knocked together from her uncontrolled shaking. "Do this."

As if amused the creature shook its head and as quickly as it had arrived it faded back into the darkness and disappeared.

Unable to stay standing even one more second, Kagome fell back to the ground panting. The sound of her own breathing consumed the strange dark world. "I can't do this." She felt the sudden thought creep within her, dangerous and deadly. Tears sprang to her eyes and she inhaled a deep shaky breath. "I'm scared." She shook from the force of the emotion, the hot sensation of her tears somehow odd in such a place. "I'm so scared—I need—I need—Inuyasha—." She whimpered into the darkness knowing that no matter how strong she had seemed only moments before, it was at best an act. Sinking deeper into the ground, pulling her knees towards her chest like a small child, Kagome began to cry harder, the sound of her sobs echoing all around her.

"Kagome."

It was a soft sound from somewhere far away. It was so soft, in fact, that Kagome actually didn't hear it at first.

"Kagome."

The wind around her picked up ever so slightly, brushing against her clothes and hair. Her eyes fluttered opened from the sensation and she bit her lip to hold back another sob. Grey eyes widened and she pushed herself up to her knees. "A light." She whispered into the dark as she saw the distinct glow of some distant illumination. It flickered as if alive, a flame, and then it disappeared. "Wait!" Kagome yelled and forced herself to her feet but the darkness around her made her dizzy with confusion.

Desperately, she turned around and around trying to find the light again or at least the direction it had come from. The endeavor was useless, however, and before long Kagome felt her heart sink in her chest. Slowly, she allowed herself to drop onto the ground, the cold black surface smooth against her fingertips. Loneliness swept over her and for one sinister moment she felt as if she would never leave this desolate place again.

"Kagome."

Her head snapped upwards at the sound of her name and a gasp left her lips as her pupils dilated in order to take in the sight before her. A man, short in stature but gigantic in disposition was standing right in front of her. His silver hair blew all around his head despite the absence of wind and his golden eyes pierced her to her very core as he stared at her with an unnerving calm. She felt her whole body begin to shake, not from fear but from something else entirely.

"I know you." She couldn't help but whisper as the features of his face became more defined. Twin blue slashes highlighted each of his cheekbones as he looked down at her over the bridge of an almost delicate nose; a nose she had seen before.

"You do." He replied, the sound of his voice loud and meaningful in her ears. Suddenly, he smiled at her as he took a step away from her and turned his back. A giant, almost tail like wrap flowed out behind him, two long and soft looking ends wrapping around his body. "You're stronger than you think—."

Kagome felt her heart stop in her chest at the words, the same words Inuyasha's grandfather had spoken to her in Ireland.

"You're braver than you feel." He turned and looked at her just over his shoulder. The stern thin line of his lips made her shiver with certainty, a new found belief in herself forming in her stomach. "And you are a million times more powerful, than you could ever imagine." The words were blunt, strong, and determined, leaving no room for any argument Kagome could have ever devised. "Remember that my child," He looked straight at her, his bold golden eyes seeming to smile for just a moment. "And you will go free."

And before the words even had time to echo off the walls, he was gone, the light he had created leaving with him. "Wait." Kagome pushed herself up to her feet and ran forward not knowing what she was actually doing but forcing herself to try. Her hand outstretched in front of her, as if she was going to catch what was already gone. Instead of feeling the fur of his shoulders however, her hands came in contact only with warm air. "Why do I keep seeing you!?" She screamed into the void, hoping by some slim chance that he would return; he didn't.

Completely mystified, Kagome allowed her hand to fall, the motion feeling slow and distracted. The warmth of the air in front of her where the strange man had been standing was delightful to her fingertips. Even though the man was not standing there anymore that warmth made it feel as if he was. She inhaled slightly, the smell of a forest wafting to her nose. It was almost like Inuyasha's natural scent, musty and laced with salt.

"Who is he?" She wondered to herself as the words seemed to push against her skull, words she had heard somewhere before. "And where—where did he hear Angus' saying?" Kagome closed her eyes as her mind began to literally ache as it raced with information. "It's all so confusing." She mumbled into the dark before inhaling deeply, the air burning in her lungs as she held it in for one long decisive moment. "But unimportant." She exhaled loudly into the dark as her eyes snapped back opened. "I don't know who you are," She spoke as if he was still there in front of her and, maybe in a way, he was. "But—you're right."

Deep inside her, the part of herself that had been frightened and unsure began to shrink as she raised her head up. Her stormy eyes became just a little bit lighter, a little more grey, as she looked out across the dark barren landscape. She locked her knees and forced herself to stand to her full height as something in its place began to spark.

"I'm stronger than I think." She whispered into the black the sound echoing all around her, fueling the determination that lined her stiff chin. "I'm braver than I feel." She spoke even louder as she looked up at what she could only assume was the ceiling. "And I'm a million times more powerful," She finally screamed towards the darker half of herself, her skin beginning to glow as the power of the Miko burned with her. "Than you could ever imagine!"

The threat echoed all around her as she gritted her teeth and prepared for the impending fight.

-break-

The small shore vessel glided through the water as they headed towards the dock, Miroku rowing the vessel with tense arms. Sitting behind him, prepared to hope up on the dock, Inuyasha adjusted his hat on his head, trying to move it to where it didn't smash his ears. Slightly irritated by the way they were being smashed within the hat, Inuyasha sighed before glancing towards the eerily quiet Sango and Kagome in front of Miroku. Both women were sitting in their, basically, least fashionable clothes and neither was looking at the other. For Sango it seemed to be because she was concentrating so hard on herself that she couldn't look anywhere else; for Kagome, it seemed oddly out of boredom.

Shaking his head, the demon turned back towards the approaching dock, unable to deal with the thought of what to do with Kagome right now. "Sango first, then Kagome." He told himself even as his stomach gnawed with anger.

Shaking his head violently, he forced himself to focus all of his attention on the approaching dock; not that he really needed to but the distraction was well appreciated. The dock on the supposedly uninhabited island was surprisingly well maintained, he noticed immediately. There were no spots where the wood was rotting and the ropes to tie down shore vessels were fresh and not water damaged in the least. If Inuyasha had not known the island was actually inhabited he would have had his suspicions the moment they arrived.

"It's way too well maintained for no one to be here—I guess Kouga wasn't lying." He commented to himself as he pulled the rope attached to their ship up into his hands. The feel of the tight fabric under his fingers comforted him in a strange way and he sighed. "This is gonna be a long day." He nodded his head and glanced back towards Miroku. "Go ahead and ease up."

The other man nodded pulling the oars out of the water, allowing the vessel to glide the rest of the way towards the dock. The dog demon reached out one of his hands over the water prepared to grab the wood of the dock and stop them from crashing into it. Within seconds, he felt the cool wood under his clawed fingers and he nodded sharply to himself. He slung the rope in his other hand up around one of the many tie downs on the dock and within seconds had the little ship secured to the small platform. It was an insignificant success which, at that particular moment, felt reassuring.

"Alright." He mumbled to himself as he hopped up onto the small platform, his eyes already scanning the trees with focused scrutiny.

Behind him, Miroku sat the oars down in the bottom of the boat before sending Sango a soft smile. "Are you ready?" He asked the question carefully as if he was afraid it might upset her.

Sango turned her head quickly in surprise as if she hadn't been prepared for him to speak. For a moment, her eyes searched his face as if unsure of what to say. "Yes." She finally managed to whisper to him after what seemed like a too long of a moment.

Miroku continued to smile reassuringly even as his own heart tightened in his chest. "Alright." He spoke just as his father had a few seconds before, the singular word seeming somehow appropriate. Pushing himself upwards onto shaky feet, he carefully moved towards the boat's edge before following his father onto the wooden platform.

The boat shook slightly from his movements, bobbing in the water. Sitting silently in the boat, Kagome watched as the water lapped at the boat's edge, the gentle sound of tiny waves pushing against the shore vessel filled her ears. Normally, Kagome would have been soothed by such a sound but in her present state she found it only mildly irritating. Her eyes watched carefully as Miroku offered his hand to his wife, helping her out of the boat with tender care. The sight only served to add to Kagome's already building irritation.

"So much care." She thought to herself as she crossed her arms momentarily under her chest. "For a broken girl."

"How dare you?!"

She winced, the loud cry from within her making her grit her teeth and narrow her eyes. "How is she—?" She felt the strain, the pulling sensation of something deep inside herself desperately fighting to be free. "Enough!" She commanded, the hiss of her tone making the tiny voice cower as it was shoved back down once more. Her hands tightened in annoyance, forming fist against the fabric of her dull shirt. Wedged between her breasts the Shikon jewel heated her skin as it too glowed with irritation. "She's strong." She thought, the annoyance turning into true rage for all a second before she forced herself to calm.

"Miss Kagome?"

The sound of her 'name' made the girl actually jump as her dark eyes snapped opened, looking straight at Miroku. The two stared at each other for a moment, Kagome looking into his dark eyes while he returned the look with apprehension.

"Her eyes—they aren't grey." Miroku thought to himself as a shudder ran down his spine. "Otou-san was right—something—something is terribly wrong." And, Miroku could add, it seemed that this was the worst possible time for something like that to happen. "Can I—," He began slowly as he stared into her eyes, an uncomfortable feeling building in his stomach. "Help you up?" He offered his hand hoping that his fingers appeared steady.

Her momentary look of surprise faded, replaced instantly with an almost flirtatious smile. "Of course." She whispered, her voice silky as placed her gloved hand within his own.

Without another word, because he had no idea what to say, Miroku pulled Kagome easily to her feet within the boat. The girl was insanely light, months of hard work on the sea having caused her to lose a lot of her society weight. She was effortlessly lifted out of the boat and landed on the dock with not so much as a sound. "There we are." Miroku mumbled before turning away from her quickly, his eyes focused on his father and not on the awkwardness that was Kagome.

Kagome smiled at the back of his head, anyone who might have looked however, would have interpreted it as a salacious smirk. Within her a small voice snarled and growled, fighting against that contemptuous look but she easily suppressed it once more, forcing it downwards until it became so insignificant that she knew she wouldn't have to worry about it for some time.

The four adults stood on the dock then, their eyes looking out at the thick undergrowth of the island. "So any ideas on how to find this place?" Sango asked her voice light and airy but the sound forced.

Standing on Sango's left Inuyasha lifted his nose absently to sniff the air. Immediately, he was overwhelmed with the nauseating scent of donkey. Trying desperately not to sneeze, he shook his head, the hasty movement causing the other three adults to turn and look at him in surprise. "Disgusting." He grumbled without paying them any attention. "It has to be covering something up." He licked his lips from the thought and inhaled deeply one more time. Forcing himself to ignore the sour smell of ass, he pushed himself until another smell hit his nose. Instantly, his eyes snapped opened and he nearly gagged. "So that's it." He whispered as he brought a hand up to cover his nose as his eyes watered.

Watching his father with complete surprise, Miroku actually sniffed the air as if he too would smell it. "What is it?" He finally asked his human nose unable to smell anything but woodland.

"I know exactly how to find this god forsaken place." Inuyasha whispered as glared at the underbrush looking deep within it, his sharp eyes trying to find an impossible to see destination. "We follow the smell."

Sango tilted her head to the side and much like Miroku scented the air but, just like her husband, she was unable to smell whatever it was Inuyasha had smelt. "What smell?"

His golden eyes side glanced at her, giving her an almost jealous look. "Be glad you're human." Inuyasha commented dryly before turning away from her to scent the air one last time. He made a face he couldn't hold back from the smell and trying not to sneeze started towards what appeared to be a random direction.

Without a word, Kagome followed him, leaving Sango and Miroku standing on the dock only slightly perplexed as they watched her seemingly glide. Trying to ignore the strangeness of Kagome's actions, Miroku turned towards his wife and touched her shoulder with just the tips of his fingers. "Ready?" He asked her softly as she leaned ever so slightly into his touch, her face contorted with her own fear of what was to come.

"I think so." She nodded once firmly before sending the man she loved an easy smile. "I've been waiting five years to put this to rest."

"I know." Miroku whispered his voice sweet if not a little bit pained.

-break-

Surprisingly, it had taken no more than a few minutes of walking through the thick underbrush before they were standing in front of a monstrous, albeit only two story prison. Indeed, the prison itself was not very tall but it was shockingly wide, spanning at least three hundred feet across. How deep the structure went into the woods they couldn't tell from their current angle but there was no doubt that the prison was designed to house hundreds, if not thousands of humans. The very thought was sickening to Inuyasha who could smell the putrid fumes that seeped out from within the prison: a combination of feces, illness, rotting food, and death all rolled into one. His stomach turned and he had to force himself not to vomit.

Staring up at the lumbering castle like structure, Sango's mouth dropped opened in amazement. "It's gigantic," She whispered as they all stared up at the obvious prison. "To believe you can't see it from the ship."

"To believe you can't smell it." Inuyasha mumbled as his head started to spin. He had no idea how any demon living on this island could stand to be near this ill begotten place for more than a second, let alone permanently.

"Huh?" Sango turned towards the Captain, instantly noticing the slight green that was actually forming along his neck line. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha spoke quickly as he continued to do his best to control the lump of bile forming in his throat. Shaking his head, he looked out at the structure once more, his eyes roaming over the giant bricks and jagged peaks that surrounded the roof. He winced as he noted the wooden spikes that lined the upper railings. "If anyone attempted escape they would literally die trying." He thought to himself but wasn't all that worried, the spikes posed no threat to them, not with his demon blood and Miroku and Sango's ingenuity. "This place is a hell hole."

"That's putting it mildly." Kagome suddenly spoke the sound of her voice actually catching Inuyasha and Miroku off guard once more. There was something about the way her speech seemed to bounce of her tongue, as if amused more than disgusted, that made their skin crawl.

Sango however, didn't seem to notice, most likely too distracted by the impending meeting to realize how Kagome had changed. "I agree." She told Kagome simply as she took a distracted step forward, her eyes never leaving the prison for even a second.

Inuyasha sighed as he watched Sango take her hesitant steps. "She hasn't even noticed that Kagome's—acting strange." He turned away from the two women already knowing exactly why Sango hadn't noticed the odd change in Kagome's behavior. "If I was about to confront my rapist's killer, I wouldn't be concerned with anything either." He sighed slightly and brought a hand up to rub at his neck. Part of him wanted to turn around, grab Kagome and shake her until she snapped out of whatever the hell was wrong with her; the other part of him, however, knew he couldn't. "Damn it." He cursed internally and forced himself instead to focus on the current situation. He straightened the edges of his jacket, his palms a bit sweaty as he made sure to adjust them properly. "Remember," He began slowly, addressing his family around him with a careful voice. "While we're here, you are my servants. We cannot afford to forget that."

"Oh course." Sango was the first to answer as she followed his lead and adjusted her waistcoat; not because it needed adjustment but because she needed something to do with her hands.

"How much does this guy actually hate humans?" Miroku mumbled suddenly from his side his sharp eyes looking up at the prison as if challenging it to bite.

"He runs a human prison," Inuyasha tilted his head to the side while studying the giant structure. "Where, and I'm guessing." He added while raising one condescending finger into the air. "Ninety present of the inmates are probably not guilty or at least—shouldn't be considered guilty."

Miroku crossed his arms over his chest hating the fact that what his father had just said was fundamentally true. "Understood."

"Okay." Inuyasha spoke as if trying to relax himself. "This isn't going to be pleasant." He told them as he looked forward once more, watching the prison carefully looking for any guards. "There probably aren't any." He thought to himself as the sharp edges of the spikes stained with old blood told him all he really needed to know. "So, we get in, we get this guy, and we get out."

"What a plan." Kagome commented suddenly, her voice so tight and cold that it didn't even sound like she was Kagome anymore but instead someone else.

Glancing back at his mate, his heart clenching in his chest, Inuyasha inhaled deeply. Once more the scent of sea water filled the air but lilies didn't even touch its crisp edge. Instead, the strange underlying scent of something warm and comforting met his nose: Sango's scent. The dog demon didn't allow himself to think too long on the thought and instead turned on his heel back towards the prison. "Yes, it is."

Kagome shrugged in response and sent him a truly peculiar smile. "Lead the way," She spoke slowly, sensually, the sound giving him goose bumps on his arms. "Master."

"Don't call me that." Inuyasha wanted to say but bit his tongue. "Let's go." He said instead and started towards the small pathway, which lead directly to the entrance of the prison.

"How will we get in?" Miroku asked even as he began to follow, Sango walking at his shoulder and Kagome walking a little further behind her.

"I suppose," Inuyasha licked his lips as they started up a small set of stairs that lead to a lumbering door. "We knock." He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty from the sarcastic tilt of his words and immediately looked over at Miroku with an apologetic eye.

The younger man simply nodded his head in response and left well enough alone. After all, with everything that was happening currently none of them could be blamed for reverting to blunt sarcasm and irritated snapping. "We're all on edge." He nodded to himself and gulped as his father finally took a step forward towards the door of the prison. Beside him Sango inhaled sharply as if coming to some great realization before she expelled the air and stepped forward with ease. Miroku smiled at his wife's determination and had to resist the urge to take her hand or rub her back in reassurance.

Behind them all, Kagome glanced up at the prison walls, studying the structure with knowledgeable dark eyes. "Many have died here—most were innocent." She thought to herself, a slight smile forming on her lips that was quickly and violently yanked from her face.

"Enough!"

She clutched her fist as the voice screamed and pushed against the edges of her mind. "What the hell, why won't you stay down!" She yelled back viciously, beating the voice down with the power of her mind alone. "I will not tolerate such insolence." She mentally stabbed towards the other psyche within her, the sound of a pained filled cry making her smile. Breathing deeply, she reached up a hand towards her throat fingering the jewel that rested underneath her high collar. It was warm against her fingertips and she felt her control over the girl within her grow stronger once again. "That should keep her at bay." She sighed before opening her eyes once more watching as Inuyasha and the other's made it to the front entrance—a large almost lumbering door that stood almost eight feet tall. Rushing forward, she made it to their backs unnoticed, right as Inuyasha raised his hand up prepared to knock and gain them entrance.

Unaware of the ensuing battle behind him, Inuyasha focused on the one he could clearly see in front of him. Bright gold eyes fixated on the heavy brass door knocker in front of him. It was ornate (as most door knockers were) a lion's head carved with such accuracy that it almost seemed that every tooth within its mouth could and would snap off his fingers. The knocker itself hung from the lion's mouth, posed between each sharp fang with delicate precision. Overall, it was a fitting door knocker for a prison, a symbol of the violent horrors that lay within.

Reaching for it, Inuyasha allowed his fingers to touch the chilly surface of the ancient treasure, the feel of the brass under his fingers almost calming. Raising the heavy metal upwards, he brought it down one time against the door the sound echoing off the walls within so loudly he had to shove his ears down underneath his hat.

"What now?" Sango asked after a few precious seconds, her voice small and timid as her inner fears began to creep to the surface.

"We wait." Inuyasha answered gently while turning towards his daughter-in-law and sending her a small smile. "If he's not expecting visitors, it'll probably take him a second to make it to the door."

Sango nodded, satisfied with the answer but still a little bit uneasy. "What if he doesn't come?" The strange panicked thought jumped into her head unwarranted. "What if he does but doesn't let us in?" She bit her lip unconsciously and found it already quivering as her teeth touched its edge. "He has to—he absolutely has to." Her stomach flip flopped as her nerves were practically stomped on.

Beside her, Miroku narrowed his eyes as he watched his wife's shoulders go taunt and her body shake just a bit. "What's wrong?" He asked her under his breath being careful to speak quietly enough that no one else heard.

"I just—." Sango paused and took a deep breath before turning to her husband fitfully. "What if he doesn't come?" Sango managed to whisper the words just as Miroku had but nowhere near as quietly. "What if we can't get in?" She said, her voice carrying to Inuyasha and Kagome's ears.

Listening to Sango's near panic attack, Kagome actually rolled her eyes before stepping up to Sango's right shoulder. "I don't see why you're panicking." She spoke, her voice unnaturally low but still feminine enough to not draw suspicion. "If all else fails I'm sure Inuyasha can just kick the door in."

All three adults, including Sango looked at Kagome with wide eyes. Not only had Kagome spoken so bluntly and almost, daresay, cruelly but she had also suggested something that none of them could believe Kagome Dresmont was capable of even thinking. There was no way a woman with such innocence and with such a gentle nature would ever suggest kicking in a door and trespassing on private property. That simply was not something Kagome would have thought to do; she might have thought it a good idea but it never would have been her idea alone.

Narrowing her brown eyes, Sango began to open her mouth to ask Kagome a question that hadn't quite formed in even her mind yet. Before she could however, the sound of footsteps approaching the door made all of them freeze including Kagome. Hastily, Inuyasha straightened himself and looked at the door, his hands motioning hurriedly for the three humans behind him to take their proper place as servants with their heads hung low.

Immediately all three, including Kagome, scrambled into position placing themselves shoulder to shoulder behind Inuyasha, their eyes downcast as any proper servant's should be. The sound of rattling chains accompanying the footsteps reached Inuyasha's ears giving him pause. "Chains—like—a prisoner?" Instantly, he tilted his head back scenting the air in an attempt to determine if his own suspicions were correct. Sure enough, the scent of not a demon but a human consumed him within seconds. "He's using them like servants—." The thought made him feel somehow sick.

A loud squeak, followed by the clattering of locks and the jingling of keys made the dog demon's ears dance on his head for several seconds, taking in the sound of the door unlocking at the hands of some poor trapped soul. Soon enough, a shrill whine yanked at Inuyasha's ears telling him the door was about to open. The human on the other side grunted, his body probably nowhere near strong enough to move such a heavy object. Slowly but surely, the door began to open, persuaded by the human's frail body.

Sango actually held her breath as she watched the door gradually open, her brown eyes focused and determined. "This is it." She told herself as she watched the door, a strange smell coming to her nose the more it opened. "What is that—?" The thought trailed off as the face of the human finally came into view.

His blue eyes were completely hallowed and sunken into his face making him almost appear more a corpse than a living, breathing man. The skin around his eyes and nose, which appeared to have once been light, was dark and smudged with what one could only hope was dirt. His cheek bones were protruding, showing the depths of his malnourishment and what had once been full lips were thin and a ghastly white. The little bit of hair left on his head was stark white but not from age. And his body was not much better, the clothes barely clinging to his shoulders and hips as ragged as his features. He appeared emaciated and, it was easy to say, so close to death that he might as well have already been dead.

His cold dead eyes turned towards Inuyasha automatically, the chains around his hands and feet jingling as he bowed his head. "Posso aiutarti, mio signore?" He spoke quietly, his voice raspy as if he hadn't drunk anything in at least a month.

Inuyasha looked down at the top of the man's head in shock, even he had never seen anything like this, not even in his most horrid of nightmares. "Um—." He stuttered as he watched the human glance up at him, his eyes for the first time showing a hint of emotion: confusion.

"Signore?" He tried again, watching Inuyasha carefully, the wheels behind his eyes seeming to turn. "Um—English perhaps?" He suddenly changed languages without a thought at all, a no accent following either; as if his native language had been English and not Italian.

"Yes!" Inuyasha latched onto the words, although he spoke perfect Italian it was far better not to let the man know he had been stumped merely by his atrocious appearance.

"My apologizes." The man lowered his head, his whole body tensing as if he expected to be beaten suddenly. "I should have realized, my lord."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to comfort the man, to tell him not to worry, but shut it quickly. "I can't show sympathy." He realized even as his stomach turned violently, rolling over and over as the stench of urine and feces on the poor man's body wafted to his nose. "Don't let it happen again." He said instead, trying to keep his voice as cold as possible even as his body tensed, hating himself a little for his words. "Is your master home?"

The man looked up at him, his eyes darting back towards the prison for just the barest of seconds as if he was confused by Inuyasha's words.

"The warden." Inuyasha quickly corrected, realizing that there was nothing about this place that constituted it being a 'home' even for the warden. "Is he in the prison today?"

"Why yes, my lord." The man bowed his head once more and opened the door slightly wider while stepping to the side. "I welcome you." He closed his eyes as he spoke, the slight shaking of his hands telling Inuyasha more than he ever could have learned by asking. "Please, come in."

The natural inclination to say thank-you to the man was right on the tip of Inuyasha's tongue but he swallowed it quickly. "Come." He commanded his 'servants' behind him as he stepped over the threshold of the door. Stepping inside the prison was not as unpleasant as Inuyasha thought it was going to be. The scent of hundreds of flowers instantly filled his nose and alerted him to the fact that the demon warden couldn't stand the smell as well. It was good knowledge to have.

Behind Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku exchanged a look of worry and disgust all at the same time. To believe that such a place as this existed was beyond even their comprehension. Turning his eyes back forward away from his wife, Miroku licked his lips knowing he had to follow behind his father closely in order not to draw suspicion. He was playing the part of a 'man-servant' after all, and a man-servant never was far from his master's side. It was his responsibility to take care of the man's every need, at least whilst in this disguise.

Passing over the threshold of the prison, Miroku couldn't help but look at the emaciated man, staring at him from the corner of his eye. The two made eye contact for no more than the barest of seconds but it was enough to make Miroku's stomach lurch. Despite Miroku's own ragged appearance that poor man was looking at him in envy.

The servant scurried ahead of them as soon as they were all inside. His thin malnourished legs looked as if they weren't fit to hold even his slight body weight as they moved, the chains around them only adding to the pathetic nature of his movements. The sight was alarming but there was nothing any of them could do. They were here for one purpose and one purpose alone and that was to find and rescue the man who had killed Costa. To help any other in this facility would in danger their lives and that mission.

Walking with his head held as high as possible, Inuyasha studied the mansion like quality of the horrid smelling place. All around were tapestries depicting biblical scenes and statues that were replicas of gods from ancient Rome and Greece. It was a strange combination of medieval and pagan taste that made Inuyasha slightly uncomfortable. Not because of the conflicting ideologies but because he could not get inside the decorator's head.

"What kind of man is he?" He wondered to himself as his ears flickered under his hat from the sound of their footsteps. Before he could think too long on how the artwork reflected its owner, however, the servant came to an almost abrupt halt in front of them.

"My lord," The man addressed Inuyasha as he pointed towards a rather unobtrusive wooden door. "Shall I announce you?"

Inuyasha glanced at the unalarming structure, his nose twitching as he tried to pinpoint the breed of the demon within. "Yes." He told the servant without looking at him.

"And your name," The human servant spoke carefully as if he was afraid of insulting the man before him. "My lordship?"

Inuyasha actually couldn't remember his own 'fake' name in that moment and he knew exactly why. It was the sight of the decrepit human before him. As he looked at that pathetic face, he found himself wanting to avenge every travesty that had been committed on the poor wretched soul. He wanted to avenge him and all humans who suffered like him but he knew that, at the moment, it was an impossibility.

"I wish there was something—anything I could do." He thought to himself as he allowed visions of himself beating the unknown man within a inch of his life to dance in his head. "It's nothing less than he deserves." He thought to himself as he looked at the broken man, at his ripped clothing and his hallowed face. "I should just shove it in the warden's face," He thought to himself as he gritted his teeth. "That my mother gave me human blood and even with it in my veins I can still kick his ass." He licked his lips as he looked into the dulled eyes of this victim of wrongful persecution.

Anger welled within Inuyasha, anger he could not rightfully contain. He wanted to lash out, to break down the door that stood between him and this man's capture. Even if this man was guilty, even if he had murdered someone in cold blood, he doubted highly that he had done anything to deserve this kind of treatment. No one, regardless of what they had done, deserved to be slowly killed by means of malnourishment and humiliation.

Glancing back at Sango, his eyes briefly meeting her own, he knew he could not do that to her, even for this man. "We'd never be able to find Costa's killer on our own—we have to play the game for now." He offered her a gentle smile before exhaling. "If he's lucky, he'll die soon anyway." The dog demon told himself even as he scented the air, no scent of death yet hovering around the man. "Pardon me," He cleared his throat pretending as if his silence was due to a cough or sneeze. "My name is Smith—James Smith."

The human's dull eyes seemed to become even duller at the obviously demon breed last name and he nodded. "I shall announce you sir." He bowed his head and turned towards the unassuming door. His hands shook from the effort to even raise them above his chest, reaching for the plain handle.

The door opened with a long low squeal that made Inuyasha's ears flatten even more under his hat. A rush of air seemed to push out of the door instantly, the sound of a wind chime in an opened window telling Inuyasha why. It was the smell that greeted him however, that actually surprised the demon. For the first time in his life, Inuyasha was greeted with a scent he did not recognize at all. Instantly, his instincts flared and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. The demon within him instantaneously growled with every protective instinct he possessed and Inuyasha tightened his fist.

Vaguely, he heard himself announced even as the sound of blood beginning to rush in his ears drowned it out. He bit the inside of his cheek to calm himself, the cooper taste of blood somehow soothing to the demon within him. "What is that smell?" He wondered as his nose twitched furiously. "It's almost snake like but—more dangerous."

"You may enter sir." The human told him as he opened the door wider, revealing a brightly lit room.

Without bothering to express his thanks, Inuyasha forced himself to step forward into the room. The ceiling was completely made of glass much to his surprise, and his pupils automatically constricted from the sudden burst of light. "I've never seen a room like this in my life." He thought to himself as the hairs on his arms and legs began to stand on end along with the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Good day." The words came out of nowhere, nearly making Inuyasha jump as his eyes darted instantly to their source, a chair with its back turned. One lazy arm draped over the side of the plush arm rest as sun streamed through the window, touching the hidden body of the chair's occupant. "I do apologizzze." The 'z' was drug out, pulled almost, as a strange lisp racked the speaker's voice before he cleared his throat. "My servant is rather slow." He spoke again, the lisp gone.

"No need to apologize." Inuyasha said evenly as he watched the lazy hand come up to the arm rest, bracing itself before the unknown creature forced itself to stand. "Strange that he speaks English." He thought to himself before the sight of the man's head coming into the light removed all the oddity from his speech and placed it on his appearance. There were scales where his hair should have been, bright green in color and glistening as if wet. They ran the whole length of his neck and from what Inuyasha could see also his hands. "Maybe even his whole body."

The man turned around then, pitch black eyes surrounded by a ring of gold with no room for whiteness, staring directly into Inuyasha's face. "How may I be of service?"

Inuyasha felt his heart nearly stop in his chest as realization dug into his psyche. "A snake demon." He resisted the urge to actually lash out and kill the man as his instincts demanded. In the demon world, snakes were the most dangerous of demons, the most animalistic of all of them. They were ruthless and known to even be cannibals when bored, not hungry, but bored. "Yes," Inuyasha forced himself to push his instincts down, knowing better than to lash out at the creature before him. "I'm here to see a man—."

"I have many of those." The creature interrupted as he stepped forward, seeming to slither more than walk.

The action made Inuyasha's stomach actually twist, the fact that the creature was coming closer to him making him nearly growl in warning. "This particular man killed a demon." He described as he turned himself unconsciously, protecting those behind him. "Costa was his name."

"Costa?" The snake like man leaned his head back in thought, his eerily pitch black eyes staring up at the glass ceiling. "Oh yes," He said after some time as he moved towards a nearby couch, his body almost mesmerizing as he moved. "He is still alive." He commented as he took his seat, staring up at Inuyasha with a wicked grin that revealed long, sharp and poisonous fangs. "And why is it you want to see this man?"

"Costa was a friend of mine." Inuyasha spoke calmly even as he begged Sango for forgiveness behind him. "I wish to look into the eyes of the man who killed him." He sent the warden a look that seemed to have an underlying thought beneath it.

"To look into his eyes, you say?" The man leaned backwards, studying Inuyasha appraisingly as he allowed his tongue to dart from his mouth, scenting the air. "Many people come to look into the eyes of men who have killed demons." He paused appearing almost thoughtful before he began to speak again. "Should I expect you to—leave him with any ill begotten glances?"

Inuyasha had to force himself not to clutch his first in anger, the instincts already welling within him telling him to just kill the man and leave it at that. "It'd be easier." The demon whispered but Inuyasha easily shoved it back down and ignored it. "This is a game." He told the demon within him. "We don't' know what else is in this prison or on this island—so for Sango's sake, we have to play the game." Putting on his best smirk, Inuyasha carefully crossed his arms behind his back and pushed his feet a little wider apart, the new stance seeming to make the snake shift uncomfortably as it was meant to. "I suppose there might be something of that regard." He spoke sternly as he looked straight into the creature's eyes telling it without so much as a word that he could and would kill him.

"Well," The snake demon turned its head and bared a side fang at Inuyasha, returning the intimidation just as subtly. "That does pose a bit of a problem."

Inuyasha didn't so much as raise an eyebrow as he continued to stare the snake down. He puffed out his chest and raised up his chin, making his six foot tall body look even more intimidating to the smaller and sitting man. "What kind of problem?" His voice was low, deathly so and he heard Sango, Miroku, and Kagome shifting behind him as they felt smaller and smaller comparatively.

The snake's tongue flicked out of its mouth for a second in response, the man not liking the blunt intimidation. "You see—these prisoners despite their short comings are in my charge." He began as he carefully presented a fang with each and every word. "It is my duty to protect them." His tongue snaked out of his mouth, quivering as it memorized Inuyasha's scent. "So if they were to be abused by the—shall we say fire in your eyes, I would need something to guarantee their health."

"A bribe." Inuyasha realized instantly as he stopped himself from sending a glare straight towards the bastard. "I do understand." He spoke diplomatically as he motioned towards Miroku with the end of one claw.

"Now now," The warden held up his hand as he saw Inuyasha motion towards his man-servant. "I was hoping," His eyes drifted towards Sango and Kagome standing in the corner, the gleam of primordial lust flashing in his irises, deadly. "For something more—satisfying than gold."

Sango and Kagome (even under the darkness' control) both felt waves of terror momentarily jump into their stomachs at the proposition. Before they could worry for even a second however, Inuyasha's snarl permeated the air.

It took every ounce of will in Inuyasha's body not to jump across the table and kill the man in front of him. The growl that built in his throat however, couldn't be helped and the prison warden's eyes immediately snapped towards the other demon in actual fear. "These are mine." Inuyasha spoke, the demon inside of him actually snarling as it defended its territory: its mate and its daughter. "And I do not share."

The warden quickly held up his hands realizing his mistake instantly. "I do apologize." He spoke so hastily that he was nearly incomprehensible. "I did not mean to offend."

Inuyasha's eyes nearly turned red despite the man's nearly sincere apology. Suddenly, the fact that he was playing a dangerous and well intentioned game didn't matter to Inuyasha at all. All that mattered was the fact that he had to protect the people behind him. Civility flew out the proverbial window and the dog demon growled so low and so dangerous in his throat that the snake across from him actually lost his nerve, sinking into his chair slowly. "Listen and listen well, sir." Inuyasha spoke coldly, the ice dripping from his tongue like fire. "I'm going to give you twenty gold and you're going to let me in that prison cell." He stepped forward slowly, his eyes flashing with twinges of red that no demon would dare to mess with. "Understand?"

The warden shook his head quickly, the potent hatred in Inuyasha's eyes making his whole body shake. "I understand." His tongue darted out of his mouth, tasting the air, looking for the scent of demonic power that was coming off of Inuyasha in waves. "I will have you taken to him."

"Good." Inuyasha flashed his fangs and although they were nowhere near as long or terrifying as the snake's own, they still made the creature's heart stop.

Reaching behind him, Inuyasha waited patiently for Miroku to drop the small pouch of coins into his hand. They jingled as it was deposited, the sound actually making the snake demon before him wince as if afraid it was about to be attacked. Opening the purse, Inuyasha pulled out the necessary amount of coins without taking his eyes off the snake demon. He simply stared, pure hatred seeming to flow from his eyes as he looked at the man across from him. Even the coolness of the coins did nothing to quell his undeniable anger.

Finally, after what must have felt like an eternity to the man across from him, he nodded satisfied by his count. Reaching forward, he threw the money onto the desk, the snake demon hissing immediately in response, frightened. Inuyasha smirked instantly, not bothering to hide his amusement. "Now take me to his cell."

"Why of course," The snake demon immediately rose from the chair, seeming to jump from it instead of simply stand. "I will give you at least an hour." He told the dog demon in an attempt to maintain some sort of dignity and control in the face of such a pissed off demon.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat, the sound so furious that the warden's wide blackened eyes winced and his tongue slithered out of his mouth in warning.

"How 'bout three?" He immediately remediated as he turned his head sideways looking at Inuyasha out of the corner of his eye as if that would grant him some protection from the unnerving man.

"That would be most reasonable." Inuyasha smiled back, showing his fangs off instinctively as the demon inside of him begged to simply gut the man instead of negotiating.

Nearly pressing his back into the wall, the snake demon looked towards his shocked human servant in the back of the room. Seeing the human's absolute disbelief, the snake immediately opened its mouth, showing off fangs dripping with venom. "Che cosa stai guardando, essere umano?" He spat, the vile liquid hit the floor and within moments, ate away at the vulnerable stone. The poor human man immediately threw his face towards the ground, his whole body seeming to shrink even as he remained standing. "Portateli a cella quaranta."

"Sì, signore." The man nodded his head and instantly turned to open the door once more.

"Thank you for your time." Inuyasha threw over his shoulder as he walked through the opened door: Miroku, Sango, and Kagome walking behind him amused.

-break-

The human servant's torch flickered as they finally entered the true prison, away from the comforts of the warden's chambers. The necessary light, however essential it may be to the task at hand, was unwanted the second it revealed the place before them.

The conditions of the prison were dismal at best. The sound of water echoed all around them as it dripped along the walls and the stairs and from the ceiling to the floor. One by one they walked, stepped down the slick stone steps which lead to the lower levels of the prison, and covered their faces in horror. The smell alone was enough to knock a full grown demon down. The scent of excrement and rotten food, mixed with the musty smell of the water that was dripping down the walls, giving the place a putrid smell unlike any even Inuyasha could describe.

The distant sounds of tortured voices filled the air, their cries, moans and prayers echoing off every filthy surface. Underneath his hat, Inuyasha pressed his ears just a little farther down, unable to deal with the mumbled cries of full grown men asking for their mothers. "Dear lord." He thought to himself as he stepped down off the last stair step his eyes widening as their human escort tilted his torch forward so they could see where they were going better. "Even Dante's seven layers of hell are nothing compared to this."

The dog demon's stomach turned violently as he stared at the ceiling where rows of cages hung: sets of skinny, lifeless bodies shoved within them. Behind him both Sango and Miroku immediately became violently ill, the sound of tortured gagging making Inuyasha even more lightheaded as he covered his nose completely with the sleeve of his jacket. "Why?" He struggled to say the word as he looked at the human man.

"We keep the dead up high until they're buried," The human began to explain as he looked at the ground, even his skin a twinge of green. "So the rats won't eat them, sir."

Inuyasha's mouth dropped opened in complete horror but he couldn't bring himself to say a word. Behind him, Kagome tilted her head upwards studying the bodies indifferently. "At least he gave them that mercy." She muttered but the sound of her voice was far too collected to be taken as actually caring. Inside her, a distant voice screamed and clawed at the side of invisible walls. "Keep trying—you won't succeed."

Inuyasha looked at her with wide eyes, his chin dropping slightly behind his hand. "Kagome?" He started to say but was surprisingly interrupted by Sango who had just managed to right herself.

"We should continue." She spoke quickly as if afraid she was going to be sick once more. "Now." She grabbed for Miroku's arm, pulling the man to her side even as he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to stop himself from being sick again. "Sir." She managed to tack on the proper respect as she took a hasty step forward, dragging Miroku.

"Just through there sir," The human prisoner pointed towards a nearby wooden door. "It will be better."

"Let's go." Inuyasha nodded and started moving quickly, never removing his hand from his nose.

It took them only moments to make it through the door, all of them moving quickly, running away from the smell. Even Kagome, despite her seemingly stoic manner, moved hastily from the terrifying room. Once on the other side of the door, Inuyasha felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"Another staircase?" He thought as he looked down the long corridor that led to nothing but darkness below. "How many humans are housed here?" He thought to himself as he began to follow the slight human man down the stairs. "Oh god, it still reeks." He mumbled internally as he tried desperately not to vomit from the smell alone. "How large is this place?" He managed to ask, trying to his mind off of the smell as they walked down the short staircase.

"About five stories, sir." The human told him as he reached the bottom of the staircase, holding the torch up high enough so that they could see the final stairs. "When the prison was built they dug deep into the island to create floors below it." He bowed his head as Inuyasha stepped off the final stair.

"Really?" The dog demon managed to say as he looked around at their current location. "Brilliant," He thought as he took in the rows upon rows of doors, prison doors. "They dug down deep so it wouldn't be seen from the sea, while still allowing plenty of space for humans." He shook his head but didn't dare to remove his hand from his face. Even though the smell was slightly better down here than the rotting flesh above, he wouldn't dare let his sensitive nose inhale it too deeply. "I need a bath."

"The man you're looking for is there." The human man motioned towards a cell only a few feet away. "I will return in three hours." The human man bowed to Inuyasha his bones actually popping as he bent. He grunted slightly as he straightened and the dog demon couldn't help the pity that formed in his heart for this poor man.

"To be trapped in this hellhole," He thought to himself as he looked at the beaten man, seeing the hallows of his skin as the torchlight reflected them. "I can't even imagine." He bit his lip, thoughts turning in his head that he could not stop. "Tell me," He spoke without really thinking of any of the repercussions produced by his words. "Why aren't you in one of these cells?"

The man's eyes went wide as saucers and he actually took a step away from Inuyasha in surprise. "I—." The word barely left his mouth before his eyes fell to the ground. "Alex—um the warden, he was my," He stumbled over every word, completely baffled by Inuyasha's own. "He was my brother-in-law." The words hung in the air like the very stench of death and decay that permeated the precious oxygen. "It was a great kindness for him to let me be his servant instead of being within the cells."

Inuyasha felt a lump form in his throat as he looked at the man in disbelief. "His—brother-in-law?" The question jumped into his head, echoing all around his psyche in disbelief. "What did you do," He whispered as he studied the man's slouching shoulders and bent back. "For him to put you in here?"

The man shifted uncomfortably, looking as if he didn't want to answer but knowing that he had to. When a demon asked a question; you had no choice but to answer. "I," The human gulped, the sound loud amongst the echo of dripping water and the moans of dying men. "That is—his sister—my wife." He didn't dare to look at Inuyasha as he spoke. "Bore a child."

The whole prison seemed to go deathly quiet, not even Inuyasha's slight intake a air seeming to make any noise. Behind him, the three humans stared, all of them aware of the deadly potential behind those words. Even Kagome's blackened eyes looked at him with curiosity, waiting for him (a child born in the same conditions) to speak once more.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long before his soft voice entered the still air. "What happened to the child?"

To the servant before him, the question was odd. No demon would care about the poor bastard born under such conditions. No, they would yell and belittle him, hate him for the travesty he had committed against one of their women; a woman he had truly loved. He opened his mouth as if to speak but the memories of the incident made his throat feel tight and his heart break. "The chi—." He tried to speak, to answer as he had been commanded to by his better, but he couldn't.

The dog demon felt the ears under his hat drop, already realizing exactly what had happened. "I'm sorry," Inuyasha told the man, watching as shock seemed to jump onto his face from the honest and kind sound of the words. "For your loss."

Tears formed in the human's eyes and he ducked his head low, a combination of disbelief and grief fueling his actions. "You are most kind, sir." He responded automatically, the words dropping from his mouth as his dull eyes rose up once more tinted with deep and horrible grief. He handed the torch to Miroku and reached into his tattered pocket for something else. The sound of keys jingling sparked in the air, making the men encased in cells around them cry out loudly. The human didn't even flinch from the sound and instead handed the keys off to Inuyasha carefully.

Inuyasha took the keys into his hand, cradling them as if he was cradling the child the man had lost. "I appreciate your assistance." He told the servant, not caring if his words were inappropriate in the least.

The man looked up at him, disbelief mounting in his visage. For several seconds, the two men stared at each other. Inuyasha's golden eyes looked down at the man with true sorrow lining their golden tint. The human blinked finally, breaking the eye contact but not before a spark of humanity finally ignited in his eyes. "Thank you, sir." He whispered into the air and Inuyasha sent him a slight smile.

"Of course." He nodded as the human, unable to hide the emotions on his face, quickly turned around and hurried away. The sound of jingling filled the air, the chains around his ankles seeming to dance as he hastily made his way up each of the steps.

Miroku stepped up to his father's side as the man disappeared through the door at the top of the stairs. Part of him wanted to almost reprimand his father, to tell him how stupid he had been in the past few seconds but the other half of himself understood the circumstances perfectly. "That poor man." He whispered even as moaning from the nearby prisoners sent shivers down his spin.

"Yeah." Inuyasha agreed before shaking his head and turning towards the two unmoving women. His eyes focused first on Kagome, who didn't appear to be paying attention to anything that had happened in the past few minutes. Her eyes were blank and distracted as if something was on her mind. He thought to ask her what was wrong but realized also that it was pointless. "I know exactly what's wrong—and I—." He gritted his teeth and held back a growl. "There's nothing I can do." He told himself firmly before quickly turning his attention towards the anxious woman beside his mate. "Sango?"

She jumped at the sound of her name, her eyes darting towards his own spotting him swiftly in the torchlight. "Yes."

"Ready?" He watched as her whole body began to shake, her fingers seeming to flicker as they danced with anxiety.

"Yes." She nodded quickly, her eyes snapping towards the cell, watching it as if it would come to life.

The dog demon watched her eyes for several seconds as they focused on the cell. "Is she really ready?" He asked himself as those chocolate orbs began to build with unexplainable tears. "Am I making a mistake?" He suddenly wondered as her hands raised up in front of herself, grasping tightly together as if for reassurance. "I guess it's too late now, even if I am unsure." He chuckled to himself but the sound (even in his head) held no mirth. "I can't hold it off any longer." He glanced towards Miroku who was watching him, waiting for him. He felt his stomach turn, his own nervousness making him feel a bit sick or perhaps that was just the lingering smell.

"It's time." Miroku mouthed the words, no actual sound coming out of his mouth as he looked away from his father towards the cell door.

Taking a deep breath Inuyasha rubbed the key slightly with his thumb before stepping forward. Men in the cells around them groaned and mumbled incoherent words, none of which were actually understandable. Inside the cell before him, however, there was no sound. Inuyasha shifted nervously from the thought. "He said the man was alive—." He told himself as he placed the key in the lock, the sound of it scrapping against the metal loud to his covered ears. His nose twitched as he tried to take in any telltale scents but he instantly regretted the attempt. "Damn it!" He cursed as he the key rattled in the lock and the rusted door moaned against its hinges.

Behind him, Miroku placed a hand on Sango's shoulder to reassure the woman. "It's gonna be okay." He whispered and watched out of the corner of his eyes as she nodded in return.

"I know." She whispered but the sound was strained. Inside her chest, she felt her heart pound against her breast plate. "It's here—it's finally happening—I should be relieved so why am I so—so—terrified?" Her clutched hands let go of each other unconsciously the torment of the impending encounter and the horrific smell of the prison itself, making her lose her grip on herself.

Inuyasha turned the key, the mechanical sound of the lock's mechanism clicking as the door unlocked, nerve-wracking.

Involuntarily, Sango took a step forward as she watched Inuyasha's clawed hand reach for the door's handle, pulling it towards himself until it was completely opened. The sound of the door opening was by far more horrific than anything else in the prison so far. It was loud and devastating, mirroring Sango's own unease as she watched the room come into her view.

"Dark." She mumbled as she stared into the nothingness of the room, her brain barely acknowledge that within it there was no light.

Springing forward, without having to be asked, Miroku tilted the torch until light flickered within the room. Time seemed to stop moving in that moment, even the constant dripping of water in the background ceasing as Sango took in the sight of Costa's killer for the very first time:

He was laying on his side facing away from them, completely naked and undoubtedly (from the bluish tint of the color of his skin) freezing. His shaggy brown hair was long, reaching at least to his shoulders and was matted against the back of his neck. His scrawny body was malnourished to the extent that she could see every single vertebra of his spinal column and the distinctive curve of his naked hipbone. Despite his emaciated body and the fact he was turned away from her, though Sango could already tell that there was something undeniably familiar about the withered man.

"I know him."

As if in a dream Sango took a step forward, neither Inuyasha nor Miroku daring to stop her as she entered the dank room. She felt as if her body was floating or at the very least her head as she crossed the cold stone floor, her feet slipping slightly as they came in contact with feces and old food. She stumbled and behind her Inuyasha and Miroku both darted forward but before they could reach her she righted herself. She would need no help as she walked within this room, within this death chamber. Her hand reached out in front of her as her shoes continued to slide and tears clouded her eyes.

"I know him."

Her knees nearly gave out from under her as her shaking fingers continued to reach out. Brown eyes studied the man as the familiar curve of his cheek began to come into view. Her heart stopped in her chest and her eyes clouded with more tears, which would not fall. She fell to her knees the second she was at the man's side, all forms of disturbing things staining her dress. The hand which had been reaching out came down upon his shoulder. The feel of his cold skin against her fingertips and the feel of bones barely encased in thin flesh made a sob leave her throat violently. His brittle hair brushed the back of her knuckles and she couldn't help but think in that moment that he had to be dead.

"I know him."

Sango placed her other hand against the protruding ribs around his stomach and slid her fingers from his shoulder to the boniness of his cheek. Carefully, she turned his head watching as half opened eyes, the same color as her own, barely managed to look at her. The tears finally fell, flooding her face, hot and warm. They collected at the very tip of her chin within seconds, falling down and splattering against his ashen cheeks. The slightest and quietest of moans left his mouth and his chocolate eyes widened. His pasty lips opened, Sango barely able to see through the tears as he mouthed words she had not heard for over five years.

"Sorella." The Italian seemed to float into the room, the sound making Inuyasha's heart drop into his feet as his mind automatically translated the word:

"Sister."

-break-

A light breeze pushed through the opened shoji doors. Sitting with his legs crossed, the wind playing with the long silver hair cascading down his back, a man sipped on delicate green tea. The scent filled his nose and warmed him to his very soul making his tired mind relax. Across from him, sitting elegantly on her knees, a petite and delicate woman carefully mended a child's kimono. It was tiny and pink with little sakura flowers on the edges of the sleeves. She smiled as she worked and hummed a soft tune under her breath as her beautiful warm brown eyes looked down at the material, happy and relaxed.

Suddenly, the man across from her paused in his sipping of the tea and slowly lowered the chawan down to the stone coaster on the floor. The sound of the tea bowl scrapping the clay made the woman pause in her work, lifting her head to study the man worriedly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" She whispered as she lowered the tiny kimono to her lap and tilted her head to the side. "Daijōbu desu ka?"

"Hai." He responded evenly as he looked outside the soft paper door, his golden eyes narrowing.

Snow was falling softly outside in the garden, the quiet serenity of the scene in stark comparison to the strange feeling welling in his heart. The snowy landscape sparkled like a million tiny crystals which had been thrown onto the ground. His golden eyes searched that crystalline beauty with uncertainty. Deep in his gut he could feel an uneasy squirm that made him want to growl.

"Something's happened." He spoke in English the woman behind him narrowing her eyes in surprise.

"Hap—pi—den?" She spoke slowly, the word almost unintelligible on her lips.

"Kaede-sama," He whispered the name as he looked over his shoulder at his small wife, her brown eyes widening from the name. "Wa shinde iru."

The girl's fingers on the tiny kimono loosened until it fell to the ground landing in a petite and forgotten heap of silky fabric.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying where the story is heading now. We have just learned the name of the rapist's killer, and we have had our first introduction to Sesshoumaru! I hope the introduction has left everyone with a lot of questions!

Bonus Point:

In the anime what does Kohaku do to Sango and their villagers while under Naraku's influence?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

As some of you pointed out there is an instance in the anime where Kagome is controlled by an outside force. While this is true, there is almost one in the Movie Affections Touching Across Time. I'll give points for both though, congrats to the winners:

Jessiedancer, Suyurilrig, RockStarAnimeLover, Glon Morski, TaoGrace, Asian Delicacy, AiydanWarrior, DemonChild94, Cagome, KaUiA

Translations of Important Dialogue:

Kaede-sama wa shinde iru. – Kaede is dead.

Next Chapter:

Let it Burn

See you then!

UNEDITTED

POSTED

10/27/13