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?

95. Edo Castle

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 Ninety-Five

Edo Castle

Inuyasha stood in his cabin, the red fabric between the fingers of his shaking hands. He felt heavy and tired and completely baffled all at once. He felt like a child and a man all at the same time. He felt insignificant, he felt small, and a hundred million other different things but none of them made him feel any better. He swallowed the lump down that was forming in his throat, childhood memories of a man he had known only very briefly taunting him. Over and over images of the man long gone flashed just behind his eyelids. He saw him at sword practice with Sesshoumaru, at meetings with diplomats, at calligraphy lessons when his father's warm and gentle hands had firmly guided him in the making of each and every Nihon-go symbol.

They ate at him until his whole body felt taunt, like he was a spring ready to explode forward into the world, unable to contain itself. Unable to look at the red fabric any longer, he closed his eyes and shook almost unnoticeably for just a second.

On the bed, watching her husband without saying a word, Kagome frowned able to both see and feel everything. Some of the emotions she was able to distinguish with ease and others felt distant as if her body was trying to sense them through a thick mesh screen. Still, even if his emotions were somehow blurry to the vision of her six sense, they were there and she, better than anyone understood them. "Inuyasha?"

"His scent's on them." The dog demon replied strangely, his eyes opening slowly as if he were waking from a dream.

"Huh?" She crinkled her nose, scent she didn't understand.

"His scent." Inuyasha repeated slowly, his fingers shaky as he brought the fabric a little closer to himself and made a point to sniff. "I can smell it," He turned towards her and his honey eyes, swelling with a childlike innocence she had never seen in him, stared at her. "My father's scent."

She opened her mouth to say something but words in that moment felt absolutely cheap. Anxious, her hands rose up to her neck where the two shikon shards his father had also left were bound. She played with them momentarily, her fingers brushing against their edges even as her body quacked with a little fear. "I'm stronger than these stupid shards." She told herself even as the possibilities ate at her mind. Clearing her throat, she smiled at him, trying to make her face as reassuring as she possibly could.

The look seemed to have the right affect, for Inuyasha turned away from her with a smile forming on his face as well. The smile only lasted a few seconds though before it fell away, replaced instead by a strange dark frown. His fingers ran over the rough fabric, his eyes examining every single thread with the greatest of care. He had only seen his father wearing the battle armor once in his life, which he could remember anyway. The memory was fuzzy, he had to have been maybe three or four at the time, and his father and brother were both going to the North. There was some kind of uprising and they had gone to extinguish it.

He could just see his father as he walked out of the two large temple doors. He had been praying to kami-sama for luck in battle. His mother had held his hand as he watched the tall man with the bright red haori and hakama stroll towards them. His face had been handsome and he had said something that made his mother laugh and cry at the same time. Then Sesshoumaru had come and they had left. He had no idea how long they were gone but he knew they had to have come back, when, just wasn't in his memory.

Kagome bit her lip, as his thoughts swirled in her own head. Part of her felt horrible for prying, for knowing such detailed information about something so personal but another part of her couldn't stop the curiosity these memories caused. Still, she knew it was wrong and she didn't know how to control it other than interrupting his own thoughts. "Inuyasha?"

He jumped slightly and looked towards her, the memory evaporating in both his head and hers. "Yeah?"

"They want you to wear it, right?" She asked, trying to keep her voice as gentle as possible.

"Yeah—." He nodded and his hands shook a little. "If I have it on, they won't care if I'm Gaijin, it's a sign that I'm more than that." For a moment his eyes became distant again and then he seemed to shake himself all over as if to erase a bad taste from his mouth. He glanced at her, debating with himself wanting to talk to her but feeling stupid all at the same time. "It's Kagome." He internally chastised and growled slightly but found himself unable to speak still.

Kagome's eyes narrowed sadly, even though she was able to feel precisely what he was feeling at that moment she didn't need to. She could tell just by his face that it wasn't pleasant and was pleasant all at the same time. "Remembering your father—the man's who raised you. Remembering that he died," She closed her eyes, memories of her own father prevailing over even Inuyasha's memories of his own. "Is hard."

She squeezed her eyes even tighter shut as she tried to stop herself from allowing a tear to be released. She knew from experience that he would smell it within seconds. Carefully, she bit her lip until she gained control of herself once more and then opened her eyes carefully as if afraid a tear might prevail over her control. For a moment, she looked down at the ground studying the little tessellations in the wood below her feet. The jacket wrapped around her body brushed against her finger tips and she shuddered. This had been her father's jacket—just as the haori had been Inuyasha's father's.

Her mouth opened almost without her consent within seconds and without looking at him she spoke softly. "It's hard," She spoke for both of them not looking at Inuyasha but hearing the fabric of his jacket as he turned towards her. She could only imagine the look on his face, his eyes imploring and his lips parted slightly. "Realizing the only thing left you have of your father," She hesitated for a moment the feel of the hot tears brimming in her eyes giving her pause, but not for long. "Is his jacket." She managed to lift her head up, her watery eyes connecting with his own. "It's all I have left too."

His wide gold eyes looked at her with perfect understanding but no tears to match. Carefully his arms lowered, the fabric of the haori and hakama falling a little bit and touching the ground. In less than two strides he was in front of her, kneeling beside the bed. One hand reached up and touched her cheek, brushing away a tear before it managed to travel to far. "I," He spoke without thought, the very knowledge that it was Kagome in front of him allowing him to speak without a moment's fear or trepidation. "Know—it's amazing," He told her and shook his head nearly laughing and groaning at the same time. "And hard," He looked at her lap, watching as her fingers grasped at the hemline of her father's jacket. "The last—," He reached out for one of her hands, brushing at it with his fingertips. "Time I saw him—."

Kagome watched as Inuyasha trailed off, words no longer coming but emotions washing over her of old pain. "The last time?" She gently pressed, as she stared at the top of his head, watching as his ears twitched slightly.

"Was right before he died." Inuyasha sighed and lowered his head down to her lap wanting to feel connected to her even from his place kneeling on the floor. His cheek connected with the softness of her pants leg and he inhaled her beautiful salty, lily-filled scent, the smell warming him.

Instantly, Kagome carefully brought a hand up to massage one ear, her fingers moving automatically. She caught the slightly twitching ear between her fingers easily and Inuyasha sighed, his weight sinking just a little bit more onto her lap. She smiled softly to herself, loving that only she could see him this calm, this open and frank. Even Miroku would never see his father this vulnerable and relaxed. "Do you want to tell me about it?" She asked softly as the silky fur of his right ear tantalized her fingers.

"He kissed Okaa-san," He mumbled softly, opening his eyes as he did so. "It was the only time—I ever saw them kiss." He paused for a moment as Kagome's fingers strucked a particularly sensitive spot making him shiver slightly. "They were private people, you know? Even in front of me, but they kissed anyway." He stopped talking but not because of Kagome's gentle touch. No, he stopped because of what he had just realized. "They were saying goodbye." His voice sounded distant as if it were unreal. "They knew—I don't know how—but they knew he was going to die."

Kagome's fingers stopped caressing his ears as Inuyasha's words truly penetrated her psyche. There was something strange in what he had just said that made her feel slightly nervous for some reason. "They couldn't have just known something like that." She told herself but didn't dare speak out loud. "I'm being silly," She smiled slightly and shook her head in order to dispel the thoughts. "It's not a big deal—I would kiss Inuyasha if I thought I might not ever see him again—doesn't mean I would know he was going to—yeah." She looked down at the head in her lap, watching as an ear began to twitch as if in protest of her lack of rubbing. She smiled at it and began to rub again right away, enjoying the feel of such soft fur in her hands.

"He messed up my hair and rubbed my ears," Inuyasha continued on, letting the strange thought go just as Kagome did. "And then—," His voice faltered for a moment before coming back strong somehow. "He was gone."

"And you," Kagome paused for a moment as if to rethink her words but in the end said them anyway. "You never saw him again."

"No." Inuyasha said the word firmly and cleared his throat. "I guess," He glanced up at her trying to look more reassured and brave and strong than he actually felt in that moment. "You understand that—don't you?"

"I do." She nodded her head slightly, knowing that he was referring to her own father's death a year or so ago but in the end, he had no idea how much she really did understand. "I saw it in my own head—him kissing your mother, ruffling your hair—I can see it all." She winced slightly as she tried to push his memories away from her, not wanting to see something so private. Even if he was her husband, everybody deserved some secrets or some sacredness to their memories. Breathing in deeply, she leaned her head backwards, her hands stilling on his ears, and sighed. "I remember the last time I saw my father."

"Huh?" Inuyasha's lifted his head up from her lap and he looked at her with interest.

"It wasn't like your memory." She spoke thoughtfully as she dropped her hands completely from his head. "He didn't know what would happen." She bit her lip a little, her own memories finally overwhelming Inuyasha's to the point she didn't see them anymore. "It was like any other day."

"When was it?" Inuyasha asked softly after several seconds as he leaned away from her, their bodies no longer connected. "What day was the last one you saw him on?"

"The day before I snuck on the ship," She answered, a strange smile on her face as she looked at him. That memory, although painful in parts, had grown to be a positive one for her. After all, it was the day she had changed her life. "He—had just come home from work and I was in the drawing room, so he had to walk by me to get to his room." She closed her eyes, remembering the soft footfalls of his shoes as he made his way into the house. "I heard him coming and I—I didn't wanna see him because I, I was so upset about—." She glanced up at him waiting for him to finish the sentence for her, as if she were curious if he remembered.

Having the slight decency to blush a little, Inuyasha sent her a crocked smile that she absolutely loved. "That kiss," He offered and didn't bother to stop himself from looking a bit smug. "Our first kiss, when you still thought I was Captain Smith."

Kagome glared at him and shoved him playfully. Laughing, Inuyasha fell backwards and away from her. "You were such a jerk." She told him and he continued to laugh, his gold eyes sparkling with mischief, like a little boy. The sight of that smile made her heart flutter. "Still are."

"I know." He licked his lips slowly, wanting nothing more than to jump up to his feet, grab her and kiss her but he stopped himself. "So you were mad at me and you didn't want to see him?" He offered up gently, watching as the mirth in her eyes was replaced by contemplation.

"I was." She looked away from him, her eyes becoming distant, the sparkle leaving. "But—for some reason, he came in the drawing room and he saw me and all he said was," She laughed but there was absolutely no humor in the sound at all. "Have you seen my hat?" She laughed, she couldn't help but laugh but the sound soon turned into a strange sob of sorts. "Can you imagine—the last thing your father ever said to you was: Have you seen my hat?"

Inuyasha laughed too but he also knew there wasn't humor in the sound. "No I can't." He told her honestly as he glanced briefly down at the red fabric in his hands once more. "I can't even fathom it."

"And yet," She sighed and brought a hand up to rub at her eyes as if to wipe away tears; tears that were not there. "I find it somehow—fitting."

"What?"

"It's fitting," Kagome continued on as she looked over at Inuyasha slowly. "That was our relationship." She told him softly as her eyes drifted to the fabric in his hands. "He was never home, he never asked questions about my life, I was the shadow of a daughter that he saw only briefly when he bothered to look at me at all."

Inuyasha said nothing.

"And yet," She sniffled slightly and turned towards him her eyes closed tight and her smile wide. "I loved him all the same." She told him, honesty creeping into her scent completely. "But I do wish, my father had been like yours."

The dog demon couldn't deny her words as he turned unconsciously to look at the red fire-rat Haori and Hakama on the ground beside him. He had only known the man briefly but he had hundreds of memories of him. He had been stern and prone to lecture but he had also been kind and caring and had asked Inuyasha on more than one occasion about his feelings or thoughts. He had truly cared. Even though Inuyasha was his half demon son, he had truly cared. "I guess," He stood up from the floor, bringing the haori and hakama with him as he did. "I better change."

Thankful for the change in topic Kagome looked at the strange clothes a little apprehensively as he threw them on the bed and reached for his jacket sleeves. "Do you know how to put them on?"

Without pausing in taking off his jacket, Inuyasha nodded to her. "I don't think," He told her as he dropped his jacket to the floor and started on his belt without once looking away from the pile of red. "I could ever forget."

-break-

The deck of the Shikuro was crowded when Kagome and Inuyasha emerged once more from their cabin. The ship was no longer a distant speak but was closing in on them at an almost alarming rate. The Nihon ship was coming to a stop a good twenty or thirty yards away from them, having already laid its anchor. The strange fan like sails were already being raised so as not to catch the wind as well. On the deck of the ship several workers were hauling in fishing nets that were just barely filled with fish.

"They probably haven't been out here long." Inuyasha realized as he buried his hands into the sleeves of his haori without thinking. Looking up at his own sails briefly, the Captain mentally calculated how close they would come to the vessel once the anchor dragged them to a stop. "About—fifteen feet," He glanced down at the ship and muttered for a moment before nodding to himself. "Yeah—seems right."

"Anchor!" Miroku's voice boomed across the deck of the Shikuro disrupting Inuyasha's thoughts completely.

Immediately the crew set to work. Within seconds they were unraveling the ropes that supported the anchor and their bodies were already straining to hall it overboard. Inuyasha watched them out of the corner of his eyes as several other men began to scramble into the riggings taming the sails so they wouldn't rip from the strain of the wind hitting an unmovable object. Appreciative of their quick work, Inuyasha turned to look towards Kagome.

Her grey eyes were focused on the ship in such a way that he almost felt uncomfortable looking at her. There was something strange in her eyes, something dark and intimidating that he didn't understand and felt uncomfortable witnessing. "Kagome?" He pried slightly and watched as she jumped and turned towards him her eyes huge. "What is it?" He pressed, knowing that her look meant something even if he wasn't sure what.

"Nothing." Kagome quickly told him and tried to smile even as discomfort overtook her body. "It's just such a weird ship." She shrugged and quickly turned back towards it her eyes searching for what she had seen moments before. A shadow of something on the deck, something she couldn't quite make out, but upon turning to look at it again she found that there was nothing there; no shadow, no outline, no faint remnant, it was gone.

"It is." Inuyasha agreed and his eyes narrowed on her back. Before he could question her further, however, the wind caught the edges of his large billowing sleeves and he sighed, feeling strangely comfortable in a way he had forgotten was at all possible. It had been so many years since he had worn the clothes of his father's culture and these, the fire-rat haori and hakama, were just as soft on the inside as they were rough on the outside.

Still, the Hakama was a bit short, which at first had been strange to Inuyasha. He had thought his father had been an incredibly tall man and he probably was, he realized. However, everyone's tall when you're a child. Now as an adult, for the first time, Inuyasha realized he had grown to be taller than his father. The very thought made him swell with pride and he couldn't help but wonder how much taller he actually was than the man and if his father would be proud because of it.

"Oi!"

The loud call off the bow of the ship made Inuyasha and Kagome both jump slightly. Quickly, he turned towards the sound of the yell, his eyes taking in a man holding onto the side of the other ship as it approached. He was dressed in the warm thick clothes of a working man, a pair of dark brown monpei pants, which were tight instead of baggy, and a matching brown shirt that Inuyasha had never seen before. In essence it looked similar to a haori but with much shorter sleeves.

"Kosode, maybe?" He thought although the thought was more a nervous one than an actual matter of caring.

"Should we go up to Myoga?" Kagome asked from beside him as she too watched the man with interest, having never seen such clothes in her life.

"No," Inuyasha shook his head as his ears turned towards the sound of Myoga's already approaching footsteps as well as Totosai's. "That ship's so low in the water, we'll have to be on the quarterdeck in order to talk with them." He glanced at her briefly out of the corner of his eye checking to see if she was watching anything with too much intensity. "So, they'll come to us."

"Oh." Kagome nodded her head once sharply just as Miroku ran towards them, his eyes following the ship as he moved.

"Captain?"

Inuyasha turned towards Miroku automatically, the call of Captain strange but necessary. "What is it?"

For a moment Miroku just looked at him, his eyes taking in the strange red robes with apprehension and a slight smirk forming on his face, which he tried desperately to conceal. Finally, he shook his head and nodded once to himself as if telling himself to shut up. "Should we be prepared—cannons and such?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at his son as if daring him to say a word about his current attire and then shrugged. "Why not?" He turned towards Myoga and Totosai who had just descended the stairs.

"Aye." Miroku responded, his voice uneasy as he looked between his father, the two men approaching them and finally Kagome.

Kagome sent Miroku a slightly strained smile in response to his gaze, the look just enough to somehow reassure Miroku that the order was a sound one.

Hesitating only slightly, Miroku nodded in response and started towards the ladder leading down to the cannons. An uncomfortable feeling was already building in his stomach as his earlier fear of his father made way for the paranoia that had been there before Myoga's defiance. He could almost see his wife in his cabin, her swollen stomach filled with his own flesh and blood, a helpless representation of her current state. Pausing, he turned back around, his eyes looking out towards Kagome at Inuyasha's side. "Kagome?"

The woman jumped slightly before turning around, "Huh?"

"Could you," He glanced at the floor apologetically. "Go stay with Sango?" He licked his lips as he watched Kagome frown slightly at the suggestion.

"But all the excitement's up here." The girl wanted to tell him but didn't dare whisper even one thought out loud. "Of course." She nodded and looked towards Inuyasha who nodded as well in agreement.

"You can protect her." He told her firmly, his confidence in her abilities making her feel a little bit better about leaving the excitement behind.

"I will."

His paranoia lightening only somewhat, Miroku sent Kagome a strained smile. "Thank you." He nodded towards her before turning swiftly, commands already on his lips, the sound of his loud voice ringing out over the entire ship.

Kagome followed him seconds later, feeling only slightly disappointed as she took each and every step. She knew, however, that protecting Sango at the moment was far more important than any other job she could have on deck.

Standing alone on the deck now with Myoga and Totosai, Inuyasha shoved his hands into the sleeves of the haori. None of the three man spoke, all of them focused on the approaching vessel. The man who had called to them was quiet at the moment, waiting to be close enough to speak without straining himself. The sight of the man made Inuyasha's blood nearly boil in his veins. A great need to protect the two women in Miroku's cabin (especially Sango) in that very moment was overwhelming and this man according to every demonic instinct within him was a threat, a desperate threat.

"Ohayō gozaimasu!" The man on the vessel suddenly called, his voice easily heard as the ships became closer and closer to one another even as they slowed from their anchors.

Quickly, before Inuyasha could even think to speak, Myoga jumped in front of him waving his small arms for a second before bowing his head. "Ohayō!" He called towards the man and sent him a tight smile that seemed to show both welcome and apprehension all at once.

"Ohayō!" The man replied again and Inuyasha could see just by the way his shoulders relaxed that the man was relieved to hear the familiar language of his people and not a foreign one. "Nihonjin dansei wa nani o kimyō-sen?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but flinch at the man's unintended insult. "What kind of ship, huh? Is it so bad to have a Nihonjin use a western ship?" He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled but refrained from saying anything. Instead, he looked out at his confused men who were slowly turning their attention away from their work and onto the strange man as well as their strangely attired Captain.

It took only one glare and growl from Inuyasha, however, before they jumped back to work.

Snorting, satisfied by their quick change of focus, Inuyasha turned back to the man on the other ship. Now that Inuyasha was close enough, and was really looking at the man with concern, he could tell the man's heritage was anything but human. His face, which Inuyasha had thought at first was simply light was actually white, pure white accept around his eyes. Deep rings of red made the blackness of his pupils and irises stark and deep. His neck was covered in black and Inuyasha was almost positive if the man took off his kosode he would reveal even more blackness.

Suddenly, the wind blew about them and what had appeared to simply be skin now ruffled as if the wind was able to move it easily. Somewhat startled, Inuyasha crinkled his brow and tilted his head almost unnoticeably. "A bird." He realized as he took in the man with absolute astonishment. "He's a bird."

The odd bird demon smiled at them as the two ships finally came to a complete halt, anchored at each other's side.

"Watashi wa, kono fune no senchō desu." The man told them that he was the Captain of the vessel and bowed his head carefully while still maintaining his hold on the ropes. "Kaito desu." He added on the end, telling them his name with an almost cocky smile.

"Myoga desu." The flea demon introduced himself quickly, while sending the other man a small bow that was nowhere near as respectful as one would expect from a mere flea to a Captain. The reason for that became apparent, however, the second Myoga pointed at Inuyasha. "Senchō." Myoga told the man bluntly as he pointed at his master, indicating that this was the Captain of their ship. "Inuyasha-sama."

The demon, hanging from the riggings of his vessel, a mere four feet away from them frowned. His deep black eyes traveled to Inuyasha slowly. For a moment he stared as if he had no idea what he was looking at, yet, was well aware all at the same time. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed as he stared at the armor as if just now seeing it for the first time in his life. "Ōritsu"

The word fell into Inuyasha's ears the second it dropped from the man's mouth. "Royal?" He translated just for himself but didn't dare make a face in response. He stayed crisp and regal and unmoving even as his own curiosity soared.

As if struck by lightening the man across from them nearly lost his grip from the rope and his suddenly went huge. "Inuyasha-sama." He said the name as if he knew it and knew it well. His eyes traveled with great certainity back towards Myoga as if just now connecting something. "Myoga-sama—Ōshitsu no shiyōnin." He spoke so quietly Inuyasha nearly didn't hear him at first but Myoga heard him clearly.

"Hai." He nodded at the other Captain and smiled faintly before motioning towards Inuyasha once more. "Inuyasha, Inutaisho no musuko."

Inuyasha blinked at the introduction but tried not to look surprised. "Why did he tell him my father's name and—that I was his son?" He kept his chin up high and forced himself not to look at Myoga questioningly. "I should just ask him in English," He told himself as he continued to control the urge to even glance at his retainer. "It's not like bird-boy will understand."

Before Inuyasha could even think to speak or ask a question, however, the bird suddenly and unexpectantly bowed its whole body towards him. Taken aback, the dog demon blinked in surprise as he watched the bird bend at the waist, his eyes cast on the ground, refusing to move upwards.

"Gomen naisai." The creature spoke slowly and carefully as if afraid it were about to be struck. "Inuyasha-sama."

Myoga smiled looking pleased by the reaction and gave Inuyasha a little nod that the dog demon didn't quite know how to interpret. "He knows me?" He wondered as he looked between Myoga and the man still bowing low. "And he—respects me?" He blinked as the sun shifted from behind a cloud and hit his eyes by the time he opened them again, the man was still bowing. "Myoga—?" He started to say but the old man was already ahead of him.

"Give-e command." Myoga told Inuyasha quietly, almost under his breath, so that the crane could not hear the words over the small waves that were butting up against the two ships.

Inuyasha's eyes widened with understanding and he swallowed hard. It was not that giving commands was hard for him, he was a pirate Captain for crying out loud, but there was something about this particular command that did not feel natural to him. "Anata ga," He paused only a second as he felt the shake in his voice and scowled. "Strong." He told himself and lifted his chin as high as he could. "Like father." He dictated and resisted the urge to close his eyes for a moment so he could see that truly fierce, authoritative face. "Jōshō suru," He spoke, for the first time in his life, forcing himself to speak as his father would have spoken. "Koto ga arimasu."

"You may rise."

He said the words with such force and power that for a moment he felt like his father. He felt just like that unbelievably short yet tell man. He was, in that moment, the leader of a whole country and not just a pirate ship, a pure breed demon and not just a half, a man of greatness and not just thievery. Most of all, however, he was out of place and at home all at once.

The man listened to him instantly but didn't move too fast nor to slow. The other Captain moved at just the perfect pace for someone who wished not to offend a person greater than themselves from too quick or slow of movements. His eyes did not met Inuyasha's either when he rose completely, they were dark and downcast as if he feared some sort of repercussion from his earlier disrespect.

It was an odd realization for Inuyasha, a man who had never been bowed to in his life, who had never had to ask anyone to rise. Even more so however, it didn't make sense. "Why would he show this level of respect?" He asked himself as he side glanced at Myoga who was already speaking once more to the man, words that Inuyasha couldn't hear over his own thoughts. "I'm just a half demon—everyone would know that here, right?" He narrowed his eyes at Myoga as if he thought the old man could actually answer the unspoken question. "It can't just be because of Otou-san's clothes, can it?" He finally looked away from Myoga to stare at the clothes once more. "They're just warrior's armor—all warriors would have worn them." His eyes narrowed further, the statement seeming incorrect somehow.

In the back of his mind, he seemed to remember these clothes being special. And they weren't special just because they were his father's or because they were some of the best armor known to man. These clothes had a greater significance that Inuyasha was just beginning to piece together. Vague memories of a childhood so long gone it was almost impossible to see, flashed through his brain. He could see generals, he could see Sesshoumaru, he could see soldiers, all of them marching to battle and, yet, only two of them wore this armor.

"Sesshoumaru wore it," The thought jumped into his head before he could even comprehend the whole meaning. "And Otou-san," He looked down at the armor as if seeing it for the first time. "But only them—only family."

Something inside of him felt completely baffled by the realization but the feeling almost instantly melted away, replaced by undeniable calm as this pure connection with his father overwhelmed him. He was able to forget about Sesshoumaru and able to forget about the horrors of his father's final hours alive. For just a fleeting second, he was able to simply focus on the man as he had been in life and the fact that he was a part of that man's family. He was his father's son, no matter what anyone thought or said in the past. Inuyasha was Inutaisho's son.

The feeling evaporated after only a few seconds and was replaced with a strange gut twisting thought. "Even if I'm family though—I'm still a half demon and this man," He glanced at the man seeing his mouth moving as he talked to Myoga but his ears didn't pick up a single sound. "Should hate me for that."

But the man didn't hate him, he had bowed to him, deeply bowed even. Or maybe, the man simply hadn't realized he was in the presence of a half demon. Which it was, Inuyasha had no idea. All he knew was that something was not quite right.

"Inuyasha-sama."

The call of his name made him finally return to the conversation, although he had no idea what had happened throughout it. "Hai," He managed to answer in Japanese, although the words felt a bit foreign in his mouth. "Myoga-san?"

"Izu alright?" Myoga asked in English, not wanting the stranger to understand the conversation. Although Inuyasha had looked like he was involved with the conversation, looking this way and that, Myoga knew from experience that the young dog demon had not actually been listening in the least. He knew even further, from experience, what the man had been thinking about and focusing on. It was something he had answers for but would not share. It wasn't his place to share.

"Is what alright?" Inuyasha asked the old man as he kept his face steady not wanting to look as if he was lost or confused in anyway. It wouldn't due to look confused in front of a man who identified him as royalty. "Royalty?" Inuyasha thought, the word bitter and strange when he associated it with himself.

"If-fu Kaito-san," He pointed at the man who didn't raise his eyes even at the sound of his name. "Take-i Shikuro there—?" He finished, his face scrunching up for just the briefest of seconds as he motioned at nothing, not actually sure himself where 'there' actually was anymore.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Inuyasha frowned at the man and pressed him a little further for more information. "Where exactly?"

"Shiro." Myoga supplied in Japanese as he looked at the man and smiled slightly. For his part the bird was not looking at either of them, his eyes downcast and his expression taunt. "Kaito-san tell-u about a shiro in Edo." He explained slowly, the word for 'castle' hanging on his tongue as if he too could not believe he was speaking it, just as Inuyasha could not believe he was hearing it. "Sesshoumaru-sama build-o Shiro."

It took all of Inuyasha's will power not to make a face as he took in the information. "What?" He asked, his voice even but his heart beginning to pound in his chest.

"Inuyasha-sama homu not-to in edo no more." Myoga explained quickly, finally taking his eyes off the Captain of the other ship so he could watch the expression on Inuyasha's face. "Homu destroyed, Sesshoumaru-sama build-o shiro."

Inuyasha felt as if he was about to be sick, old childhood memories of a place he barely could see clearly, taunting him. "Okay." He nodded towards Myoga but didn't add to his words whatsoever. He could think of nothing else to say, there wasn't even much he could focus on to think about in that moment.

"Kaito-san take-e Shikuro to Shiro." Myoga continued, keeping his face as expressionless as possible so the man still hanging from the rigging on the other ship would not know something strange was happening. "Shiro not-to far."

"How far?" Inuyasha managed to get out the words as his palms began to itch. He couldn't resist looking towards the staircase of the helm's deck, towards the small unassuming hallway where Kagome had disappeared some time before.

"Not-to even eight-o league," Myoga told him with a smile on his face that was directed not at Inuyasha but at the man waiting for their discussion to end. "We're real close."

"Alright, let's go." Inuyasha nodded once firmly letting his troubling thoughts wash off of him. It wouldn't due for him to be on edge about things he couldn't control. "Just focus on now," He told himself as he rolled his shoulders. "Focus on how convenient this is—we won't have to wander around the coast for days this way." He told himself, but the words somehow felt flat in his mind as if they were overrun with so many other thoughts he could scarcely control.

-break-

Inside Miroku and Sango's cabin Kagome bit her lip as looked out the window. Her ear was pressed against the cold glass (she couldn't leave it open because of Sango who had become quite prone to cold recently) trying to hear the conversation on the other side of the ship. Pulling away from the window she growled knowing all of her actions were completely in vein.

"I could never hear that far." She told herself with a tight frown that turned into an exasperated groan. "Life would be so much easier if I was a demon." She thought to herself, silently wishing that it was possible to change the way she had been born. "It's not like it matters though." She tried to convince herself as she glanced out the window, hoping not to see anything but sea and coastline. "I know, without having to overhear, exactly what's going on."

Without hearing a single word from the deck, Kagome really did know exactly what was going on. She could feel it as if it was underneath her skin and within her heart. She saw the images of Sesshoumaru that seemed to jump in and out of Inuyasha's mind. She could feel the shaking of his hands and even the racing of his heart. She could see the image of a western castle, somewhat misshapen (as if he couldn't quite figure out what it looked like) small and seemingly insignificant but to Inuyasha heart wrenching. The very idea of its existence was heart wrenching.

The young miko closed her eyes against the sight, knowing already that the ship above was no danger to them. The only danger was Sesshoumaru, "And it seems this ship," She opened her eyes as the feeling overwhelmed her momentarily before ebbing. "Will lead us to the bastard." She winced at the words, realizing they were more Inuyasha's than her own.

It scared her, how connected she could be with another person's emotions. Whether it was Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango or some random person on the deck: all of their emotions and sometimes even literal sensations seemed to become a part of her, no matter how hard she tried to shut them out. Part of her, at least in Inuyasha's case, thought it was a reaction of being mated to him but another part of her knew it was something deeper than that (as that was the only way to explain her seamless connection to everyone). Whatever made her an empathic miko, Kagome realized, was no longer working correctly. She had no idea how it worked or why it worked within her, she just knew it was out of control.

"And I have no idea how to correct it, fix it, or whatever to it!" Trying not to growl to herself she huffed (her own frustration overwhelming her for a moment) and turned away from the window towards Sango who was still perched upon the bed.

The sight of the woman made her heart soften and she allowed her tumultuous thoughts to slip away. Carefully, she crossed the room, watching as Sango lifted up her head and sent her a happy smile, relieved for the company.

"So you were saying—," Sango asked continuing a conversation that had been going on, off and on, since Kagome entered the room some time before. "That they gave him his father's clothes?" Absently, she pressed a hand against her stomach rubbing at a spot where the child within was kicking softly.

"They did." Kagome answered with a sigh before simply collapsing on the bed beside Sango, her arms crossed over her chest as she stretched out. "He seemed really—," She struggled to find the right word. A word that wouldn't be emasculating but also could get the proper emotional reaction he had across. "I don't think a word like that exists." She narrowed her eyes and leaned her head back on the bedframe. "Moved by it all." She winced, not liking the word choice at all.

"I can understand that." Sango nodded her head once not bothered by the thought of her father figure being 'moved.' "It must be a precious moment—to connect with your father after so many years." She paused for just a second as if her own memories of her very own father were washing over her. Kagome knew for a fact they were. "I mean, as long as your father wasn't a complete bastard at some point in your life," She added with a chuckle that had neither mirth, nor any happiness in it. "That is."

"True." Kagome laughed slightly in much the same way Sango had, the images of a father who had offered no help or comfort eating at her. "Sango's horrible father didn't even try—." She started to tell herself but stopped the thought dead in its tracks. It wouldn't do to let so much infuriation absorb within her mind, it would only eat at her until she felt completely and hopelessly incensed.

Pulling herself away from such ghastly thoughts she glanced at Sango's stomach. She could see the child within moving, the fabric of the blanket mused by the unborn baby's movements. The feeling translated in a weird unexplainable way into her as well and before Kagome could stop herself, she raised a hand to her own stomach thoughtfully. She half expected to feel the strange kicking of a child but, alas, there was no real child to feel inside of her. Her hand dropped away from the realization and she smiled softly at Sango's stomach even as her stomach knoted with a strange yearning. It was a yearning she had tried to ignore her whole life but even now as it swelled within her heart she found it nearly impossible to ignore.

"Maybe—." She felt a lump form in her throat and before the thought could consume her any further she shook it away with a hasty shake of the head. She had resolved within herself long ago that she would never have children and being married to a demon—even a half demon as it were—she still had to remember that resolve. "I always have to." She told herself firmly before turning her full attention on Sango, a pleasant distraction. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Ready for this kid to be out of me." Sango answered honestly and closed her eyes as if asking for patience. "We better find land soon."

"We will—." Kagome glanced towards the window, the sound of a muffled conversation outside reaching her. Whether it was real or all in her head, however, she couldn't say but she could tell or feel, that is, that they would be arriving on land in no time at all. "Pretty soon too," She nodded firmly to herself before turning back to Sango who was sending her a strange look. For a moment she wasn't sure why the older woman was looking at her in such a way, with one eyebrow raised and her lips parted just slightly in question. "Why is she—?" She started to ask herself before she finally realized why Sango was giving her such a look. "I mean—," She tried to cover up the strangeness of her answer. "I think we will," She quickly added, not wanting the other woman to think she knew something that was impossible to know. "Don't you?"

Beside her, Sango frowned slightly and nodded but didn't say anything in reply. Instead, she merely nodded just as the little baby in her womb began to dance it seemed. Grunting slightly, she pressed her hand into her side hoping the sudden intrusion on the child's living space would make it stop but it didn't, much to Sango's never ending torment.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked as she watched the woman's face wince with pain.

"Yeah," Sango grumbled and shifted her weight slightly. The sudden change in position seemed to calm the child for whatever reason and she sighed in relief. "The baby's just moving a lot today." She explained with a sigh, watching Kagome out of the corner of her eye.

The young girl was staring at her stomach with fascination as many people seemed to whenever they caught sight of her. Still, to Sango, there wasn't anything fascinating about her stomach. She was pregnant and women had been having children since the dawn of time, so the significance of her giant stomach was unimpressive, at least to her. That didn't mean that Miroku, Kagome, the Captain, and little Shippo weren't amazed every time they saw her.

"Still not all that special, though." Sango muttered to herself even as her love for the unborn child ran though her body, warming her very soul. "I love you." She thought to herself as she ran a hand over her stomach once before allowing her mind to turn away from her thoughts and towards Kagome once more. She looked up just in time to make eye contact with the bright grey irises of a curious Kagome.

"Can I—." The curiosity in her eyes doubled when it reached her voice. "Feel?"

"Sure." Sango nodded and moved her hands away allowing the young girl access as she, herself, scrutinized Kagome's every hair.

Over the past few months she had watched the girl closely, making it her main priority to know everything Kagome thought or felt before the girl knew about it herself. Lately, however, she had found herself unable to really decipher how Kagome was feeling at any given time or what she was thinking either. It was almost aggravating for Sango who had nothing but time on her hands recently and thus, spent many an hour thinking about such things. Even more so than that, however, it was also exceedingly worrying.

"Something's wrong." The thought seemed to jump into her mind as if it had a will of its own. "All these strange things—ghost and," She glanced towards Kagome's twitching fingers as they ran over the fabric of her blanket. "She just seems to know things—almost magically know things—." She let the thought trail off, knowing what a dangerous one it was. Still she couldn't deny that she had heard many strange things from Kagome lately. "She knows we're close to Edo—but how?" She bit her lip and glanced with moving her head towards the window of the vessel. Outside she saw the same scenery as before, with just a few houses added here and there. "There's no way she could know—no way."

Before Sango could think too long about the girl's strange behavior, Kagome allowed her hand to drop away from her stomach with a soft smile on her face. "I still think it's a boy." She spoke evenly and looked up at Sango with hope in her eyes. "And you?"

Sango opened her mouth slightly as if to answer but closed it after a moment. She really wanted to ask Kagome about how she knew they were near land but as much as she wanted to know, she also knew. "Miko." The word echoed throughout her head; the answer to every question they had ever had about Kagome. Clearing her throat, allowing the thoughts to drift away, out of her hemisphere of thought, she sent Kagome a smirk. "A girl—we need a girl."

"A girl." Kagome mumbled as she looked at the stomach, feeling the strange energy that seemed to flow from the child and into the world. "What would they do with a girl?" She asked without thinking, her mind turning to Miroku and Inuyasha, seeing the two hard men with a tiny girl between them that looked like a miniature Sango. The very image made her heart clench with love.

Beside her, the same exact image in her mind, Sango laughed and shook her head. "Love her to death," She answered, the image making her giggle and tear up at the same time. "Treat her like a princess."

"I can just imagine." Kagome laughed harder and covered her mouth with her hand to try to contain the sound. "I pity the boy," She spoke around her fingertips, the sound muffled but still distinct and well heard. "That fancies that girl."

"Oh lord!" Sango practically burst from the idea, holding her sides as the baby kicked and kicked and her ribs ached and ached from both the laughter and the abuse.

Together both women laughed for several minutes, tears streaming down their cheeks as they were lost to the possibilities. They could both just imagine the two men standing over a helpless suitor, their eyes both gleaming with predatory instinct despite Miroku's lack of actual demon blood. And behind them both, well loved and groomed and with not one care in the world, a small child with a defiant angelic face, glaring at them both.

"Papa!" The girl would yell. "Grandpa!" She would chastise and both men would whine in return, unable to deny her anything.

The image was too much for either to bare and together Kagome and Sango's bodies collapsed on the bed. Kagome's head fell onto Sango's shoulder as her laughter died down, turning to small giggles and Sango's head dropped against Kagome's hair her own small giggles dying down. Little eruptions of laughter shook their bodies every once in a while, their shoulders trembling with the barely contained sound before calming once again.

"Well," Sango finally spoke after a moment rubbing her stomach and lifting her head off of Kagome's. "None of it matters," She hissed slightly in pain as the child returned to its earlier antics, feet and hands dancing inside her, punching and kicking. "Unless we get him/her out of me soon." She finished and groaned slightly as the baby kicked a bit harder as if excited to have been mentioned.

"True." Kagome nodded and turned her head just enough to look at the top of Sango's belly moving her head away from the older girl's shoulder. "We should land soon—," She shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, not noticing the strange way in which Sango looked at her, like she was an entirely different person. "I know we're bound to be close."

Sango nodded her head in response but kept a close eye on the girl still. Kagome seemed way too sure of herself to just be guessing. "I'm really starting to wonder." She bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully before allowing herself to respond to Kagome. "Even if we do land though," She sent Kagome an almost tired smile. "I'll have to wait on the ship until we know it's safe, won't I?"

"Yeah." Kagome sent the same smile back although her tiredness was for completely different reasons. "You think Miroku will want to wait with you?"

"Probably—I mean," Sango laughed, the sound coming up and out of her throat truly genuine. "He's become so protective—so has the Captain," She hesitated for a moment, letting the title hang in the air. "Otou-san," She changed and a gentle smile formed on her face. "He's become protective too."

Kagome smiled as well, her kind grey eyes swelling with affection for the man in question and Sango as well. "He'll probably make Miroku stay."

"Oh, that will break Miroku's heart." Sango laughed as she spoke, her hands holding the side of her stomach as the baby kicked in response.

"It will." Kagome agreed as the mirthful sound rocked throughout her, making her laugh as well.

Once more both women lost themselves in the sound, enjoying the moment of peacefulness while they could. It didn't last as long as the previous one however, and before either of them were really ready, Sango found herself breaking the soft reality. "If we stay on the ship," The laughter diminished with each finite word. "It will be just you and the Captain," The structured title hung in the air for a moment as if it were the serious predecessor to what Sango was about to say. "Meeting or I guess, in his case, seeing—."

"Sesshoumaru again?" Kagome filled in slowly, the word making a strange tingly sensation run up and down her spin.

Sango licked her lips and nodded her head once slowly. "Yeah."

For a moment Kagome didn't say anything. She wasn't even really sure what she should be thinking let alone saying. Finally she settled on the only thing she could think to say, "I'm not looking forward to it," She hesitated for just a second as she shifted on the bed, refusing to look Sango in the eye for some reason she could not quite explain. "Honestly."

"Is he that bad?" Sango inquired as she tilted her chin downwards trying to catch Kagome's eyes but the girl looked away completely, avoiding the questioning gaze.

"From what Inuyasha's told me," Kagome supplied evenly and bit her bottom lip. "He's a right bastard."

"Do you think," Sango paused for a moment not quite sure how to say what she wanted to say. "He's really that bad?"

"Part of me thinks so but," Kagome looked down at her lap where her hands were already teasing the hem of her shirt with worry. "The other part," She inhaled deeply and pulled her eyes upwards towards the ceiling, looking at it as if pleading and asking for strength. "I just think that if Kagura told us to come here for Sesshoumaru's help, then he won't do anything bad." She turned and looked at Sango then, her eyes almost pleading as if she were asking the older woman to back her up and support the thought. "I mean, why help us, why ask us here, if you're going to be a jerk?"

Sango licked her lips and nodded at Kagome, the bright grey eyes haunting her as they stared, seeming to look directly through her. "It seems logical." She spoke, unable to take her eyes off the woman for even a moment.

"Everything seems logical." She agreed even as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up suddenly. Feeling wholly exposed Kagome quickly turned as if prepared to see something behind them, outside the window. She encountered nothing, however, and her heart jumped from the thought.

"Kagome?" Sango spoke quietly as she watched the back of the girl's head, the tension in her shoulders troublesome.

Kagome blinked as the strange feeling passed, "What was that?" She asked herself, her eyes scanning the window and the world outside seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Uncertain and a bit frightened Kagome quickly turned away from the window and back towards Sango. "Everything seems logical," She managed to speak quickly, the words from just seconds before seeming to hold a different meaning as she said them now. "Until something completely illogical happens." She added but she wasn't talking just about Sesshoumaru anymore.

"What?" Sango started to question the girl but before she could say anything else there was a knock at the door. The firm sound made the pregnant woman jump and the strangeness of Kagome's words disappear. Turning towards the door she cleared her throat slightly and managed to call out, "Come in."

The door handle turned automatically as if whoever was on the other side did not have to wait for permission before entering but was simply doing it out of courtesy. Sure enough, a man who didn't need permission to enter the room popped his head around the doorframe moments later and smiled softly at his wife before pushing the door open a bit further.

"How are you feeling?" Miroku asked as he entered the room and closed the door firmly behind him.

"I'm fine," Sango told him firmly but with a smile as he crossed the room carefully moving towards her as if his steps might break her. "Try not to worry so much."

Listening to the conversation Kagome couldn't help but smile the love a gentle comfort to her currently frazzled brain. "They're so cute." She thought to herself but before she could relax too much, however, she felt a strange swell of emotions abruptly rush within her. They seemed to choke her, invading her throat before burrowing down into her stomach, dangerous and dark. She shivered from the sensation as she became unbearably cold her whole body frozen with a sensation she could not explain.

"He built a new shiro—."

She heard the thought as if it were her own, although the strange word she barely understood.

"I can't believe him—damn it!"

The curse actually hurt her brain making her wince before simply snapping her eyes shut with as much force as she could muster.

"Damn it."

The curse came again but this time it was a lot weaker and closer to her somehow. Slowly, she opened her eyes the faint sounds of Miroku and Sango's conversation barely hitting her ears. Everything felt a bit fuzzy for a moment and as she moved her head to the door her brain seemed to stay behind, not moving with her body. She held back a groan as a strange ringing met her ears, the same kind of ringing she heard whenever someone shouted far too close to her or a cannon went off down below or a gun was shot next to her head. The door handle rattled suddenly and she jumped, staring at it as if she couldn't believe it existed. Her heart pounded for a moment and then the door opened wide revealing the tall figure of Inuyasha.

"So, everyone's here." He spoke bluntly, his golden eyes looking at everyone in the room as if not seeing them.

Turning towards his father, Miroku managed to glare and smile at the same time. "You could at least knock." The joke flew out of his mouth as Inuyasha stepped into the room the door closing behind him with a soft click.

"Too much work." The dog demon chimed in as he raised his tired eyes up just in time to see Sango's own wide ones.

"Oh wow." The woman shifted in the bed but she didn't take her eyes off Inuyasha for even one second. "Those clothes are interesting." She commented as her eyes swept down his body taking in the bright red fabric of the baggy pants and the long billowing almost renaissance sleeves. "I've never seen anything—." She tried hard not to laugh but the laughter was already in her throat. "I'm sorry."

The dog demon smiled faintly but the amusement on his lips didn't reach his eyes at all. "Well, it's good to be entertaining, at least." He offered as he crossed the room his normally squared shoulders just slightly slouched but not so much that the crew would have noticed. Matter of fact, the only people in the world who would have seen the truth behind his posture were in this room right now (with the exception of Myoga and Totosai that is).

Still sitting on the bed, Kagome felt as if she were drowning in a swell of emotions. Her head hurt and her eyes stung as she tried not to throw up. "Focus." She commanded herself as she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from the group, trying to make it appear as if she were fighting a sneeze so they wouldn't worry. "Focus." She coached as she breathed once deeply, focusing not on the sensation but instead on the conversation behind her.

"My father wore this," Inuyasha told Sango as he grasped the fabric lightly between two claws before dropping it again. "It's actually armor."

"Really?" Miroku raised an eyebrow as he eyed the material skeptically.

"It's stronger than it looks." Inuyasha shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest as he finally looked towards Kagome. The young girl had her back to them, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly. He felt a cold sweat hit his back and he frowned darkly, taking a step forward without thinking. "Kagome?" He called to her, Sango and Miroku both turning to look at the girl having not realized something strange was happening.

The call of her name seemed to make every ailment washed away from Kagome instantly. She breathed in once deeply as her eyes sprung open wide. "It's gone." She realized, the dizziness and the nausea and stinging in her eyes disappearing.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha pressed again as he moved rapidly around the bed. Within seconds he was kneeling in front of her his bright worried eyes meeting her surprised ones. "Kagome." He spoke forcefully and watched in wonder as she seemed to snap completely back into reality.

"Inuyasha." She spoke as if surprised to see him, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheek as she blinked.

"Are you okay?" Inuyasha asked softly as he raised a hand up to brush against her cheek.

She smiled in response, realizing just now that she had worried him greatly. "Sorry." She laughed and held up a hand to touch the back of his knuckles as if to apologize for having worried him. "I just—," She struggled to think of a convincing lie as she looked into his worried golden irises. "Kind of went to sleep with my eyes opened for a moment," She smiled and managed to give his hand a little squeeze before coxing it away from her face. "Didn't I?"

The dog demon stared at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing before he turned to glance at the equally worried Sango and Miroku. Both sent him the same look of curiosity in return; although, Sango's look seemed to be a bit different than Miroku's. Where Miroku seemed merely curious if the curve of his eyebrows and the set of his lips were any indication, Sango seemed to be suspicious as if she knew there was more to Kagome's statement than Kagome seemed to realize.

Slightly worried by Sango's reaction, Inuyasha turned back towards Kagome sending her a hard look. "Something's not quite right." He told himself and started to open his mouth to say something but the look on Kagome's face gave him pause. She was smiling at him but not a normal smile, it was almost a pleading smile, as if she were begging him not to say anything. "Why?" He tried to ask her with his eyes but she simply continued to smile, that little plea for him to leave well enough alone making him leave it alone for now.

Backing away from her, Inuyasha allowed himself to simply fall to the ground, crossing his legs tiredly. Raising his chin up, he looked at Kagome one more time watching as she mouthed the word 'Thank You' slowly.

"Only you." He thought and sighed before turning back towards the other two people in the room. "Anyway," He cleared his throat trying to play off the strangeness the best he could. "We'll be there in about," He paused trying to remember the time frame he had been given on deck only a few moments before. "Two hours or so."

"That fast?" Kagome's head jumped up in surprise. She had realized that they had to be close based on Inuyasha's feelings surging inside of her but she hadn't realized just how close they actually were.

"We're not too far off." Inuyasha explained calmly even as his stomach turned with thoughts he could barely control. "Sesshoumaru—." The name danced in his head, evil and somehow mocking. "I just—the moment I see you," He gritted his teeth without opening his mouth, not wanting the people around him to see his turmoil. "I swear, I'll fucking deck you." He inhaled deeply as the thought consumed him and closed his eyes not wanting it to control him further.

Across from him, absorbed by his own thoughts, Miroku glanced at his wife. No matter how much he wanted to be with his father or how much he wanted to know about another part of his heritage, he couldn't leave her. Slowly, he reached down and brushed his hand against the back of Sango's knuckles. "I should," He started gradually, taking his eyes off of Sango just long enough to look at his father. "Stay here with Sango while you go."

Coming back to himself, his hatred ebbing in lue of his son's words, Inuyasha nodded quickly in agreement. "Of course." He told Miroku as he sent the man a contained smile, unable to smile any wider at the moment. "I'd kick yer ass if you didn't stay."

Miroku chuckled and nodded his head as he glanced at his wife who was snickering. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He told them both as he held back the smirk that started to just take over his face.

Watching them, Kagome smiled faintly and without missing a beat turned towards her husband, her face unruffled but her heartbeat irregular. "I'm going with you." She managed to speak firmly, leaving no room for even one ounce of argument.

The laughter died down at Kagome's stern words and Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, his eyes unreadable yet collected. "Something's wrong with you—." He thought to himself even as his palms grew sticky with sweat. "I know it and I know I should leave you but," He gulped slightly and his shoulders visibly slumped a little. "I wouldn't be able to do this without you." He thought to himself but didn't dare say the words, he couldn't bring himself to. "Of course." He finally told her but tried to make it sound as if he was being heavily persuaded, his voice rough and his eyes narrowed with his own calm.

"It'll be alright." Sango told him gently, her words barely absorbing into the dog demon's head.

He sent her an expressionless face in return, no thoughts or feelings reaching his eyes. It was almost as if he had shut off his feelings and thoughts or, at the very least, closed them off so that the people around him would remain unaware of their turbulence. "Would it be anything else?" He finally told her, the words sarcastic in an almost none sarcastic way and brought a hand up to straighten his clothes momentarily.

Frowning, Sango looked at Miroku who simply shrugged before looking towards his father. "It really will be." Miroku reiterated his wife's words.

Inuyasha snorted in response as if amused and dropped his hands from his clothes. "When did you become so bloody optimistic?" He asked, a slight laugh in his throat that seemed almost forced yet real all at once.

"The second I realized," Miroku held up a finger to draw everyone's attention towards himself before quickly pointing it at Sango's expanding belly. "That thing was inside her."

"Makes it sound like a monster." Kagome commented as she watched Sango's dry expression as the woman glared at her husband.

"Oh it will be." She spoke calmly as she glared at Miroku the man smiling wide. "It'll take after you."

Miroku grabbed his chest in mock pain and sent his wife a pathetic look. "That hurts."

"It should." Inuyasha added as he looked between the woman on the bed and the man he had raised. "If that kid's anything like you," He spoke flatly as if he were exhausted but there was finally some mirth in his eyes. "It'll be a terror."

"Hey!" Miroku growled but there was no malice in the sound, in fact, underneath it there was gratefulness. "He's so—distracted lately." He thought to himself as he watched his father begin to laugh at his expense. "And no matter how much he tries to hide it we know how hard this is on him." The young man pursed his lips wishing he could do anything to help but with his wife in her current condition he was stuck. "I guess—." He side glanced at Kagome who was laughing at him as well but her mirth was well controlled and her eyes weren't on him.

They were focused on his father, watching him carefully for any changes or any strange moves or words. The sight made Miroku smile but he couldn't deny the strange jealousy that welled up inside of him. It had been just Inuyasha and Miroku for years. First the father taking care of the son and then in recent years the roles shifting ever so slightly with Miroku taking care of his father on a number of occasions. It seemed, however, that things were shifting once again as things often do.

"It's not my job anymore," Miroku thought as he watched the young girl, her bright grey eyes never leaving his father for a second, attentive, beautiful, and deep. "To keep an eye on him."

-break-

The deck was packed with men as they entered the bay. Everyone crowded the edges of the Shikuro, even the hardest of men impatient to see the country none of them had really known existed. Japan, as the western world called it, was more of a fairytale than a destination. Few men could even dream of arriving in such a foreign land and even fewer actually could say they wanted to. But here the Shikuro was, it had made the journey that only few Captain's dared to embark on and it had found the absolute treasure trove that was the far off country. Here, the men of the Shikuro knew, valuable spices, metals, and other great wonders awaited them. They merely had to purchase or trade them and then take them back to Europe where easy money could be made selling them to almost anyone who would listen to them speak of their origin.

Standing up on the helm's deck, segregated from the crowd was Totosai, manning the helm as well as Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and surprisingly Sango who had refused to stay down below as they arrived in this mythical land. At first, the other three adults had refused to let her but the second the pregnant woman had gotten out of the bed with her own free will they had relented and simply followed her out on deck like mother hen's with a chick. The crew for their part had dodged her expertly, not one person in the crowd bumping the woman for fear of immediate death (to say the crew knew their Captain well, was an understatement).

Hovering over the edge of the railing of the helm's deck, Kagome blinked as she took it all in, unable to fathom exactly what she was seeing all around her.

Ships were sailing in every direction, hundreds of vessels seeming to just barely dodge one another as they worked pulling up nets, placing them, or simply sailing for destinations unknown. There were some with the same red reed sails as the one escorting them and others which were distinctly different. They had no sails but worked with something that looked like oars but more intricate and sculpted than any oar Kagome had ever seen. There were other ships that didn't look like fishing vessels but had cannons and strange dense square sails that appeared to be made not with fabric but instead with wood, very think wood. Carvings graced some of these ships, pictures of strange fanged beast that Kagome could only think to equate with dragons or snakes staring at her, ominously.

And speckled between all of these amazing and unknown ships were ships like their own, although they were few and far between. The same large sails graced their tall mast and the dark undecorated wood encompassed them like a fortress. Compared to the strange ships these were plain and uninspired, neither bright nor decorated. Still, their presence was strange enough to make them fascinating.

"Why are those ship's there?" She asked absently as she pointed out across the vast bay her finger followed by the people standing with her.

Looking out across the bay, following the direction of Kagome's finger, Inuyasha felt his heart race ever so slightly. "This is it." He heard the words in his head, echoing all around him, mocking him relentlessly. Forcing himself to control his heartbeat, he cleared his throat and answered Kagome's question simply. "Trade."

"I didn't know so many people traded in Nippon." Miroku commented absently as he held onto his wife's back, supporting her as she stood in the cold wind, her hands draped on top of her stomach either protectively or because the large swell made a good place to rest her hands.

"The Dutch have a trading post here," Inuyasha told them as he looked around trying to discern where that trading post might be. "I have no idea where," He muttered as he leaned back and placed his hands in the wide sleeve of the haori. "But those are Dutch ships," He nodded with his chin towards one of the passing merchant ship's whose tall sails billowed in the cool wind. "And I've heard Dutch traders talk about it some."

"Interesting." Kagome mumbled as she too looked around, searching the landscape as they grew closer and closer to the shore and away from open water.

Inuyasha nodded his head in agreement just as his ear flicked towards the stairs. He could hear the slight shifting of weight on stair steps, the resulting squeak making him turn his head as well. Within seconds, the head and shoulders of Myoga appeared before him and he smiled faintly as the old flea came into view. He had changed into his own servants clothes, clothes Inuyasha hadn't seen him wear in years. A bright yellow haori top with little black strips placed periodically on the fabric and a dark brown hakama tied in a simple knot.

"Edo-wan." Myoga spoke without preamble the sound of his voice alerting all of them to his presence.

"The Edo Bay." Inuyasha easily translated as the small man made his way towards them, the excitement on his face nearly contagious.

"Myoga wa," The old man pointed quickly at himself before point out across the vast bay. "Ryōshi."

"You were?" Inuyasha whispered in great surprise as he tilted his head to one side.

"Ryoo—what?" Sango asked quickly not recognizing the foreign word at all.

"Fisherman." Miroku quickly translated as his eyes shifted to his father in surprise. "He was a fisherman?"

Inuyasha ignored his son as he stared at Myoga awaiting an answer to his own question. He had always thought that Myoga knew a lot more about sailing than he let on throughout his life but he had never suspected that the old flea had been a fisherman at one point.

"Myoga bu-ery young." Myoga told them as his eyes glazed with nostalgia, the excitement waning in favor of memory. "Myoga not-to work-ku," He pointed towards Inuyasha as the English words were lost to him for a moment. "Before Myoga work-ku with Otou-sama," He explained before a strange look formed on his face and he corrected himself. "Before Myoga work-ku with kazoku."

Kagome started from the word recognizing it as the word for family instantly. "He worked as a fisherman before he worked for Inuyasha's family?" She questioned, her eyes jumping towards Inuyasha watching him as his own look of surprise sprang up on his face.

"Watashi no kazoku?" Inuyasha asked Myoga quickly, confirming that he had been a fisherman before he had started working for Inuyasha's family; answering Kagome's question before she could even think to voice it out loud.

"Hai." Myoga told him with a faint smile forming on his face. "Before then."

"Wow." Inuyasha frowned from the information. Myoga had worked for his family since before his father was born and his father had been a good nine hundred years old when he was born. "How old is Myoga?" He asked himself as he looked at the flea slowly his eyes growing wide with disbelief.

"Edo minato." Totosai suddenly spoke from his place at the wheel. The three adults turned towards the old man quickly, not surprised that he had spoke.

In fact, the only strange thing about Totosai was the addition of Shippo on his shoulder. None of them had any idea when the child had arrived, he was a fox after all and they were known for their sneakiness.

Over the past few months, the boy had taken to spending his time with the two older men, mainly because they had been far more fun recently than the other adults on the ship. The turmoil of Sango's situation in Italy, the current impending pregnancy, Kagome's changed personality for that short time, the resulting marriage, and even Inuyasha's melancholy had just not been a fitting environment for the boy—after all, he was still very much a little boy. And even more so, for Myoga and Totosai, the addition of the child in their lives was a grand distraction.

"Shippo." Kagome smiled fondly at the child and opened up her arms. Within seconds he had jumped into them and hugged her before scrambling up her arm to perch on her shoulder as he had on Totosai's moments before.

His pesky green eyes turned to Inuyasha as if challenging the 'other' male but the dog demon didn't seem to mind at the moment, limiting the child's fun. Shrugging his little shoulders he gave up on annoying the Captain instantly and, for the briefest of moments, his little green eyes turned towards Sango, watching her stomach with fascination. As quickly as the fascination had appeared however, he abandoned it and looked away. He was much too old to be curious about a breeding belly, or at least he felt that way.

Myoga reached over and gently patted Shippo's head before turning towards Totosai. The two old men exchanged a look, which no one else was privy to understand, before they both turned and looked out across the bay. "Edo minato." Myoga repeated Totosai's earlier phrase as he studied each and every ship, watching its sails with the upmost fondness in his eyes.

"What's that mean?" Sango whispered towards Miroku but before Miroku could answer Inuyasha's voice rang out.

"The Port of Edo." The answer was automatic, his eyes staying focused on the vastness of a world he barely remembered and yet knew all too well.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life." Kagome spoke, her eyes wide as she took in sights she could barely comprehend. That wasn't to say that everything wasn't perfectly identifiable, it was, but that didn't mean it looked like anything she had ever seen in any of her travels.

Giant red roofs with curved edges, somewhat spiked at the top, dotted the coastline with a beautifully complicated simplicity; complicated for her western eyes to take in but truly simplistic to view. Stones, giant and grey like her eyes made towering retaining walls and stairs as well as edges of buildings and the edges of little wooden docks. People walked along the docks dressed in outfits similar to the one the man on the ship escorting them had worn. The jackets were large with baggy sleeves and the pants tighter with strange shoes the likes of which she had never seen.

There were even women, she noticed, wearing tight yet bulky robes that looked to be made of a silky material. Around their waste strange giant belts, tied in big knots held their clothes up and although there was a beauty in the attire, the colors were dull making Kagome think they were the clothes of commoners.

"It's so strange." Sango whispered suddenly as she leaned back away from the rail, Miroku's hand supporting the flat of her back gently.

Kagome nodded her head just as she saw two men walking briskly with a strange little wooden house between them. It was small and had a little sliding door that was currently closed, the wood was dark from what she could see but her eyes were nowhere near good enough to take in any more detail than that. On either end, the men stood a long single rod, which ran over the top resting on top of his shoulder.

"It's almost like a litter." She thought as she raised an eyebrow from the strangeness of it all and shook her head. "I've never quite seen anything like this."

His hands falling out of his hoari sleeves and to his sides, Inuyasha listened to their words partially agreeing but for the most part not. This was a different word than the one he remembered but the outline of it seemed to be the same. The clothes, the little boats, the style of the houses, the Norimono the two men were carrying, the people, they still looked the same even if the landscape had changed, become more cramped than he remembered. "Everything changes." He told himself as he allowed his eyes to turn towards the ship they were following. It was headed for a small dock now and was already bringing its sails in.

"Tame the riggin,'" He screamed without preamble, the sound making everyone around him jump. "Prepare to dock."

"Was that necessary?" The pregnant Sango huffed and Inuyasha sent her a small look of apology before he glanced down at his crew.

They were already obeying his orders, jumping into place as quickly as they could even as their curiosity called them back to the railing with a vengeance. He couldn't blame them really for being called to the strange sights, even he was and he had seen them before, once, long ago. Pushing the idea out of his head as quickly as he could, the dog demon called over his shoulder to Totosai. "You got the wheel?"

The old man nodded once in return, the action almost solemn as he turned the wheel. "Nagakunai ima." The old man spoke carefully and glanced over at Myoga who shook his head in agreement; it would not be long before they reached the dock.

"How long do you think it will take?" Miroku asked Myoga, the two women turning their heads as well, waiting for the answer.

"Five minut-o." Myoga shrugged as he looked across the small bay. Above them the sails were taken in slowly, allowing just enough wind to hit them so that they would be carried into the dock.

Standing stark still, his arms still dangling at his sides, Inuyasha felt his heart race a bit in his chest. This would be it. Any moment now they would dock and they would start towards their final destination. There would be no time for thought, no time for second guesses. "An hour, maybe—one hour and I'll see him." He felt his fist tighten, the back of his hand brushing against the fabric of the Haori. "One hour." The thought seemed ominous in a way and his hands began to shake a little.

Just beside him, Kagome felt the tingle of his shaking hands in her own body and her heart began to pound. Hastily, and with a will of its own, her head snapped towards him taking in the tight line of his jaw and the piercing nature of his focused eyes. "Sesshoumaru." She heard the word inside her but knew it wasn't her own. She bit the inside of her cheek from the sound of it and with thought reached out and gently touched Inuyasha's sleeve. "Are you ready for this?" She spoke so softly that no one heard her despite their closeness or their demonic heritage.

A surprised look crossed the dog demons face and slowly he turned towards her, his eyes a bit wider but still a dark molten honey. He tried to smile but the look was strained, so he let it evaporate off his face without a fight. Frowning now, he nodded towards her once telling her without words that he was ready even though he didn't truly feel like it.

Knowing he was lying, Kagome tried to smile as she let her hand fall away from his arm and looked out towards the approaching dock.

"It looks like this is it." Miroku spoke from Sango's side as the wind caught the edge of his messy hair.

"Yeap." Inuyasha nodded towards him stiffly and in one swift move placed his hands back in his sleeves. "Don't let her go into labor until we come back." He told Miroku firmly, trying to lighten the air around them.

"I'll try." Miroku spoke evenly before attempting to smile as he offered up a joke. "But you know how Sango is."

Inuyasha nodded and smiled halfheartedly. Part of him wanted to say something profound in that moment, something comforting and fatherly but he couldn't think of anything to say. He opened his mouth to at least allow the words goodbye to leave his lips but before he could Miroku shook his head as if dismissing them.

"Good luck." He spoke evenly, his eyes smiling even though he couldn't bring his face to. "Otou-san."

Inuyasha looked down at his chest for a moment, the rise and fall of the red fabric odd to see. For a moment, he narrowed his eyebrows at the sight but only a moment before he raised them up again. "We'll need all the luck we can get." He smiled as he spoke but the look was strained, unbelievably strained, a fact that didn't go unnoticed.

-break-

Together, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Myoga followed the man they had met on the ship off the small dock and into the village, or better yet, town. The streets of Edo were crowded with people, humans and demons alike moving with a haste that was easy to appreciate. The strange dress of the culture seemed to surround Kagome as she noticed elaborate dresses with beautiful colors and designs walking next to plain ones, all one color, sometimes bright but for the most part dull.

"Watashi wa anata ga," The man told them with a bow as they began to walk down those crowded streets, feeling as if at any moment someone would bump into them. "Aruku tsukuru, gomen nasai." He finished with an even lower bow towards.

Inuyasha's face blanched in response, looking quite comical as he stared at the man's head.

Standing just beside him Kagome was sure she wore a similar face but for very different reasons. She had been able to understand what the man was apologizing for but it didn't make much sense to her. The small man, Kaito, had apolized for making them walk. "Why he's apologizing for that," Kagome thought to herself as she looked at the slightly irritated Captain. "I don't quite understand."

The dog demon, for his part, cleared his throat and barely managed to mumble, "Yurusu," towards the man, pardoning him.

Kaito seemed pleased by the word and bowed down a little lower. "Watashi wa anata no tōchaku Sesshoumaru-sama ni tsutaeru tame ni hito o okutta." Kaito added, Inuyasha frowning deeply from the words as he leaned down and translated them softly in Kagome's ear.

"He sent someone to tell Sesshoumaru we were coming."

"He did?" Kagome blinked slightly in surprise, wondering how the man would favor having to tell Sesshoumaru something like this.

Before Inuyasha could reply to her, however, the man smiled at them both and bowed once more. "Shitagatte," The man motioned forward towards the busy street asking them to follow as politely as possible. "Kudasai."

Inuyasha shrugged in response and told the man bluntly to lead the way. Even though Inuyasha had given him permission to lead them, however, he seemed to lead them and not lead them all at the same time. His body hunched as if he were about to be beaten but his eyes bright as they looked towards the people around them, as if he were showing off the fact he was escorting someone who was apparently important.

Ignoring his strange behavior, Kagome took the time to study the people herself. The more she looked at them however taking in their beautiful and elegant clothes, she couldn't help but feel distinctly out of place in her western jacket, pants and boots. And it seemed the people knew she was out of place too.

"Maybe they realize I'm not a man." She thought to herself, her shoulder length hair making her a bit unconscious. "I'd rather be mistaken for a man entirely than have people stare at me in wonder." She told herself even as the people around her continued to stare, although in a polite way. "Well, kind of polite anyway."

All around her she noticed the way people tried to look at her without appearing to be looking. The second she turned towards them their eyes would fall to the ground or they would turn away from her completely. Sometimes, women on the street would even grab for their fans in their giant belts, holding them in front of their faces or pretending to fan themselves instead of looking at her.

She blushed, the feeling of self consciousness making her stomach quiver and her body gravitate more towards Inuyasha. Briefly, she glanced at the man, noticing that even though he wore traditional clothing, clothing similar to these people's own, he seemed distinctly out of place as well; mainly, because he was so much taller than everyone around. The average person was a little bit smaller than her and she was at least five foot three or so. Compared to the six foot tall Inuyasha, these people were almost adorably tiny.

"They're bowing to me." Inuyasha said suddenly as he felt Kagome's arm brush against his own.

"What?"

"Haven't you noticed," Inuyasha muttered as he looked around them with an irksome look in his eyes. "Whenever we get within five feet of a person, they bow, much just like him." He nodded with his skin towards their escort who was in fact at that moment bowing slightly as he spoke quietly with Myoga.

"Strange—," Kagome paused and looked around her a little closer, seeing what Inuyasha was seeing and feeling his irritation from it. Sure enough every time someone was within five feet of them sometimes more, they would bow. The gesture seemed respectful though. "Could it be because of what you're wearing?" She asked and looked up at Inuyasha just in time to see the tight line of his worried jaw.

"They recognize the clothes." Inuyasha spoke calmly but there was a certain grit to his voice that Kagome couldn't deny. "A royals clothes."

Kagome nodded, understanding him better than anyone else ever could, first because she was a empathic Miko and second because she knew him. "This must be hard." She thought to herself as she rubbed his arm slightly, her grey eyes watching as the street began to change, becoming wider as they left the dense town in favor of something else. "It must look completely different." She spoke gently and calmly, her voice so soft he barely heard her. "And yet somehow familiar."

Inuyasha looked down at her, the hard set of his jaw easing as she spoke.

"Like you were here only in a dream." She continued on the whimsical nature of her voice making his heart rate slow and his worries ease ever so slightly. "And because it was a dream—these people shouldn't know you." She looked up towards him in time to find herself face to face with his brilliant eyes. "And that's the only reason they're bowing," She hesitated for a second, her body tingling as his emotions seeped into her, strong and heartbreaking. "Because they don't know you or what you are."

Inuyasha said nothing in response to her words and if they hadn't been walking down the street in the middle of Edo he knew he would have kissed her. Instead, he sent her the first genuine smile he had been able to muster the entire day. "I don't deserve you." He told her plainly as he looked away towards the street once more.

"No you don't." Kagome joked even as she tightened her grip on his arm, a gesture that showed all her love.

Turning back to the scenery, Inuyasha blinked as he took in the trees which surrounded them, spaced perfectly so that any passerby knew the trees had been placed and not simply grown. Their wood was light in color and he frowned at the sight, they looked familiar somehow.

"Sakura!" The tiny boy ran among the falling petals, his mother chasing behind him in the most indecent way, a child herself. "Okaa-san." He laughed as he watched her spin around in a wide circle.

"Sugoi." She used the Nihon-go word as she twirled, the pinks and whites or each little cherry blossom catching in her hair. "Inu-chan," She stopped and smiled so brightly that the world lit up all around him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Inuyasha blinked as the memory left him, his eyes wide as he stared at the very spot his mother had twirled in, all those years ago. People hurried passed them as he stood frozen to the spot, unmoving, her smile the only thing he could think of.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome pulled on his sleeve gently and the demon shook his head and tried to smile.

"Let's go." He nodded towards Myoga and Kaito who were up ahead.

Kagome obeyed without question but mainly because she knew exactly what he had seen. "I saw it too." She wanted to tell him as the image of his mother filled her mind, beautiful with long black hair and bright enchanting eyes. "She was beautiful—and her smile," Kagome closed her eyes, the image of the cherry blossoms as they fell in the memory surrounding that woman's stunning smile, dancing on the back of her eyelids. "Was gorgeous."

As Kagome's eyes opened once more she found herself staring off into the horizon where a giant building began to take shape above them. It had to be at least five stories high if not more, its curved roofs sophisticated and a dark green color contrasting with the clean white walls. Kagome's jaw practically fell opened from the sight as they neared a bridge leading over an actual moat. Amazed her hand jumped out away from Inuyasha's sleeve and pointed as they began to cross, hundreds of people moving around them talking in a language she barely understood.

"Do you see it?" She asked in a hushed whisper as her grey eyes took in the tall stone walls of a giant courtyard.

"I do." He nodded, his own eyes widened with his amazement. The place he had lived had not been nearly as elaborate. It had been simple, a small shiro with a beautiful garden, this was gigantic, hovering over the whole of the city like an ominous cloud. "It's amazing but—," He frowned as the thought absorbed into his brain. "It's not home."

Kagome felt the wave of emotions run off Inuyasha, the disappointment and the anger and the strange uncertainty. She brought her hand back up to his sleeve and rubbed for just a second as she tried to reassure him. "Is that the shi—ro?" She struggled to say the word, still not used to the odd language.

"It has to be." Inuyasha told her as they finished crossing the bridge prepared to go underneath a large ornate gate.

It was made from bright red wood and appeared to either be painted gold or at the very least lined with it. It didn't arch in the same way as the roofs, however, and was somehow more flat and level like the entrances to the shrines he had visited throughout his childhood with his mother. As they crossed under it Inuyasha felt, for the first time since he had arrived, that he was small in this country.

In front of them their guide pointed out something to Myoga who nodded with interest but their conversation did little to interest either Kagome or Inuyasha. Both would only stare at the elaborate garden they had just entered, their eyes lost to the enchanting evergreen trees that stood all around them. They were tall and thick and their trunks the same color as the wooden ships in the dock. And in this particular garden they didn't appear to be evenly spaced. They were inconsistent, growing wherever they happened to grow. Brushes lined some of their trunks, which were just as random as they inched over the walkway, tickling the path with their still living leaves.

"Wow." Kagome whispered and Inuyasha nodded in agreement not able to say anything himself

In front of them Myoga too looked on with amazement not believing that so much had changed in the hundreds of years he had been gone. His amazement didn't last long, however, as their guide froze, his every feature going stark still.

"Sesshoumaru-sama." He whispered only once before his body nearly plummeted to the ground, bowing as low as he possibly could on both knees. Myoga followed suit next seconds later, his body bent and his palms on the dirty ground without care.

Inuyasha stared at the two for only a moment in surprise before a familiar scent hit the wind: the smell of heady spices and thick trees and cold winter, accompanied by undeniable calm and tranquility that seemed to both sooth you and put you on edge all at the same time. This was the scent of a man completely unflappable even in the most dire of circumstances.

A million memories associated with that scent filled his mind, rushing through him, hitting him square in the stomach with their power and intensity. He could see the man staring at him, judging him from afar, he could hear him screaming without raising his voice, and he could feel him hating him without having to say a single word.

A shiver ran down his spine and he gulped as his eyes raised prepared to see the man himself. He had to be close by if the scent was this strong. Sure enough, the second his eyes raised he saw the gleam of silver hair straight and smooth as the spotted streams of sunlight came down through the thick trees. Even when the sunlight didn't hit it, it seemed to shimmer an unnatural ethereal glow that should have been beautiful but on this man seemed to be a precursor to what he would do to you if he managed to get a hold of you.

He was walking down the path towards them slowly, his pace consistent and almost eerie. It was as if he were gliding instead of walking, his feet barely seeming to touch the ground as he moved. As he came to stand on the crest of the hill, his whole body in view he stopped, strong narrowed eyes looking directly at Inuyasha with a strange expression that was a mixture of emotions the younger dog demon couldn't even place. Slowly, he started down the hill, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha as he approached him; that strange series of emotions in his expression unreadable to everyone but Kagome.

The young empathetic miko stared at him in shock as a thousand feelings raced within her that she could barely comprehend. "This is Sesshoumaru." She realized as the man passed Myoga and Totosai and came to stand only a few precious feet away from them allowing her to take him in fully.

He was tall, not as tall as Inuyasha mind you but tall compared to the other people she had seen so far. And his face was almost like a softer version of Inuyasha's own but even being softer it was still somehow hard and terrifying. He was lacking the strong chiseled bones of the half Irish dog demon and instead had a fine deliberateness to his features that seemed to make him look superior. His eyes were cool and narrowed naturally, whereas Inuyasha's were naturally wide opened with curiosity. Even his nose was primarily different, almost delicate and yet somehow superior as well, fitting his body with deadly accuracy.

She blinked in amazement as she took in their differences: the eyes, the stature, the texture of their hair. So different and yet she could tell they were related. The same beautiful gold haunted both men's vision, the same impossible silver tinted both men's hair, and the same slop of somehow broad shoulders graced both men's bodies. All of these, traits that both men had inherited from their father.

Standing just beside Kagome, Inuyasha felt the wind catch his hair, pulling on it as if to wake him out of his stupor. He gulped and his heart clenched in his chest making him feel pathetic. "Nii-chan." He couldn't stop himself from saying the gentle word and he couldn't help but notice the strange twitch of the man's eyes. It had not been a twitch of annoyance but of something else Inuyasha couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Otouto." Sesshoumaru spoke evenly, saying the word 'younger brother' for the first time in almost four hundred years.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: SESSHOUMARU! And that's all I have to say about that...hope you enjoyed!

On another note, the reason Shippo was gone for awhile had to do with the subject matter. I just couldn't have a child dealing with the problems that they were dealing with. In the original draft, the actual version of this story, Shippo would not be around at this point. He would have been left in Ireland with Eion, Paeder, and Aengus. I only kept him because people seem to like him but, really, he's not very important to this story anymore.

P.S. If you would like to create any fanart for this fiction, please feel free. If you would like me to see it please either leave the information in a review. I would be honored! If you have a diveiantart account just let me know in a review.

Bonus Point:

Who was the last person to see Inuyasha's and Sesshoumaru's father alive?

Last Chapter's Bonus Point:

Inuyasha's trademark clothes have arguably been owned by him since he was born. His father gave them to Izayoi right before he died in Movie 3. Inuyasha, however, was a baby at the time so he probably would not be able to wear them. He is seen in flashbacks wearing them though as a small child, which brings about people believing the clothes can change shape. Anyway though, I'm going with since he was born! Congrats to the winners.

DarkKnightShiva, SweetHunniiBunnii, atem 4321, HeavenlyEclipse, Asian Delicacy, Cagome, AiydanWarrior, Glon Morski, Avengeme, Menarie,

Notes:

Norimono – Similar to a litter that would have been used in the western world. Primarily samurai and their family would have been allowed to use this form of transportation.

Edo Castle - s a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also functioned as the military capital during the Edo period of Japanese history.

Shogun – was often one of the hereditary military governors of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shōguns were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor. Sesshoumaru is not a Shogun, he is actually the emperor, the generals underneath him would be the Shoguns.

Shiro – A castle or palace

Next Chapter:

Brothers

See you then!

UNEDITED

POSTED

3/3/2014