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?

111. Reality

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 One Hundred and Eleven

Reality

The crew of the Thunder stood awkwardly upon the deck of what had once been the property of the fierce pirate captain Hiten but now belonged to the youth Naraku Morgan. Sheets of rain, dank and cold, drenched them as they waited and yet the crew completely ignored the natural hostility; they knew there was something greater to fear. The wind raged and would have pulled at the sails, tearing into them but the crew had long since tied the masts up to keep them safe. Instead, the torrential downpour only hit crew. Huddled together with ripped sheets and scraps of ancient jackets draped about their shoulders, they studied each other's faces without saying a word. Each man silently wondered about his fate. It had been a week and Naraku had not given a single command until today.

"Assemble on the deck."

It had come from Naraku's mouth to the month of Hiten who now stood silently amongst his men, his mate at his side. The two of them huddled together, a bit of ripped mast keeping them barely dry. Kagura shivered slightly, the rain was as cold as snow, but she didn't really notice. Her mind was elsewhere, focused solely on Naraku. "What—could he," Her voice was like a whip to the men around her, forcing them to straighten from the pain of hearing someone speak. No one spoke on a daily basis anymore on the Thunder; all had taken an involuntary vow of silence. "Possibl-ly—want?" She turned and looked up at Hiten under the scrap of mast that covered their heads like a veil.

Hiten's tired eyes, dark bags beneath them, glanced down at her but he didn't say anything. He didn't have the will to speak. Instead, he simply looked into the wind demon's one blue shinigami eye which reflected the raindrops before them. "I—." His voice faltered and he looked away unable to make eye contact with that knowing orb. "Don't know."

Another man, to their right, suddenly coughed drawing a hundreds eye's attention towards him. Blood gurgled in his throat as he hacked into his hand, splattering bright red drops against his pasty skin. "We're," He whispered as the blood mixed with the water on his chin, turning it pink as it washed over his knuckles. "All gonna die."

"Nonsense." Hiten spoke calmly but he could tell in his heart that he didn't believe his own words.

"You can lie all ya wanna, sir." The man looked up at Hiten, diluted blood pooling on his chin while his tired eyes mirrored Hiten's own. "But none of us is comin' out of this 'un."

Hiten started to open his mouth in protest but found he couldn't say a word. Instead, he coughed and his lungs rattled, the sound dragging Kagura's eyes towards him.

"Hiten-sama?" Her voice was anxious; she knew that if a demon was sick something was terribly wrong and most of the demons on the ship were sick, malnourished, and brutalized both mentally and physically.

The thunder demon shook his head as the coughing subsided and turned towards his mate. Even with the mast covering their heads, the rain had seeped through and dampened her forehead. Her bangs, thus, were sticking to the side of her face making the bright blue shinigami eye and the light one of the wind demons brighter than ever before. "Swallowed rain, hime-sama." He tried to smile through his lie but the look came across as pained.

The wind demon shook her head and turned away. "I don't believe you." She told him flatly as she brought her arms up around her body. She was wearing some of Hiten's clothes, the shirt too big and the pants as well but she was thankful for the extra fabric as she brought it tighter against her body. The thickness of the bunching material made a barrier against her skin and, for a moment, with the help of the mast above her head kept the rain at bay. "Kagura," She hesitated as she drug her eyes downwards away from the helm and towards the edge of what had once been Hiten's cabin. "Can't see Naraku." She blinked and winced against the rain not believing that her eye could not see.

"Shit." Hiten managed to grunt as he raised a hand up to shield his eyes against the rain, squinting. "Do you even have an idea where he is?"

Kagura shook her head and bit her lip anxiously. "It's like—Naraku found a way to hid-du." She felt her stomach sink and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end but not from the cold rain.

"I do try."

Kagura jumped, the mast falling off her shoulders as she and Hiten both spun around raising their hands up defensively. The men all around them scrambled backwards, none of them willing to place themselves in Naraku's path. Hands up by her face, palms opened and ready to will the wind, Kagura's mismatched eyes found Naraku standing just behind them in the rain. "How long he there?" The thought echoed in her head for only a second before something else caught her eyes.

The rain above Naraku's head was stopping an inch or so away from his body. It was as if it was hitting a glass windowpane that tilted, turned, and dropped away from reality. Every raindrop slid down the bubbled shape, keeping Naraku perfectly dry. The man himself stared at her and Hiten with his giant black eyes, canyons into a great abyss. Slowly, he tilted his head to the side his thin lips twitching at the corners. The rain glided down the front of the bubble, glistening as it smeared the expression on his face for all of a second. It only took a moment, however, for the twitching corners of his lips to become a sickening smirk and the rain to slid away allowing Kagura and Hiten to see it fully.

"Are you wondering why I called you here, today?" He asked but Kagura knew the question needed no answer, so she stood perfectly still and waited. "That seems to be the primary topic of conversation on deck." With deliberate control, he straightened his neck and glanced towards Hiten the smile never leaving his face. "Next to dying that is." He leaned forward towards Hiten who didn't dare to lean back and show weakness. "Show no fear." Naraku mocked and the smirk became a diabolical smile, his teeth shinning in the slight light of a nearby flickering lantern, hidden under the awning provided by the helm's deck. The white color of each tooth was a stark contrast to the connotation of his smile, so much so that it made everyone's skin crawl. "I have an important announcement of sorts."

"What's Naraku talking about?" Kagura felt her heart leap into her throat as she glanced at Hiten, wanting to reach for him and escape but unable.

Naraku took a step forward either unaware of Kagura's thoughts or not caring about them. His boots hit the deck of the Thunder silently as he crept passed her. The lack of sound made everyone present step back a little further as if they were encountering a ghost and not a living breathing man. A hundred set of eyes watched as Naraku casually strode towards the stairs leading up to the helm's deck. One sharp, clawed hand reached for the banister. Absently, his black claws trailed against the wood as he took his first few steps. Just as his silent feet placed themselves upon the third step of the staircase, he dug his claws violently into the wood. The grains yowled upon the contact making the demons and humans alike in the crew gasp as it ripped their eardrums.

Kagura's hands jumped up to her ears, trying desperately to seal away the impossible noise. A few feet away from her Hiten forced his own arms to stay down as he snarled towards Naraku's back. All around him, his crew withered, dropping to their knees, hands to their ears but eyes on Naraku. None of his men dared to avert their gaze or turn their backs on the mad demon; all of them knew better. The sound of Naraku's chuckle permeated the air as he made it to the last step, ripping his claws from the grains of the wood without a care.

Men winced and gasped as they watched Naraku bring his bleeding hand up to look at, studying the tattered skin of what had once been his nails. "Worth it." He laughed to himself and wriggled his fingers sending blood flying into the air but just as the rain couldn't touch him, neither did his own blood. It evaporated in the air, turning into purple smoke that soon faded into nothingness.

"What the hell is he!?" Hiten looked towards Kagura desperately trying to convey his thought with only his eyes.

The woman looked back but only shook her head. She had understood his silent question, the power of the shinigami was far more phenomenal than often given credit, but she didn't know the answer. "The jewel inside." She mouthed the only thing she could possible think of, her mind reeling as she tried to discern exactly what that meant. "I don't know—I," She blinked and Hiten stared into her eyes, wishing he could hear her thought. "I does not know what that makes Naraku." She bit her lips and yanked her eyes away from Hiten as fear mounted in her heart greater than it ever had before.

High above the two demons and the crew, Naraku stood fixed before the railing of the helm's deck. His hands were positioned on the set wood in front of him as he examined the crew inattentively. "As you know," He began gingerly his claws tapping against the helm as his voice reached their ears, loud and yet somehow supple. "We have been sailing for a purpose—and it seems our purpose is almost met." He clicked his tongue and turned to look straight at Kagura who gasped at she saw.

"Murasaki?" She whispered as the eyes that had once been pitch black eerily inspected her.

"What?" Hiten inched his way closer to her, his shoulder touching her own as he kept his eyes firmly rooted on Naraku. "What's that mean?"

"Purple." She translated as sweat broke out on the back of her neck despite the cold. "Naraku eyes—purple."

Hiten blinked and looked towards the hellion with skepticism. Yet, sure enough, as he stared into the eyes that seemed to see everyone all at once, he found them a deep, menacing purple. "Why are they like that?" He said the words but Kagura did not have any answers.

"Soon," Naraku continued, either unaware or unhindered by the conversation over his eyes. "We will reach a land that few westerners dream of." The eyes brightened as he spoke, glowing softly with his own triumph. "I cannot tell you what fare awaits us there but," A sick smile formed on his twisted face as he leaned against the railing, his posture disintegrating into a contemptuous form. "I do know this," He hesitated, licked his lips and chuckled. "A man and a woman are waiting there."

The crew shuffled and Kagura inhaled sharply as Naraku looked straight at her once more.

"They are the only two people in all of existence who worry me." The words were so blunt and so far from what Kagura had thought he might say, that her heart stopped in her chest. "But really, upon thought, I realize they're pathetic—a half demon and a human wench," He bit his lip hard, a smile on his face as his teeth drew blood and his eyes glowed brighter. "That's all that stands between me and everything I've ever wanted." He laughed and the sound was vicious. Briefly, he tilted his head back taking in the sky his laughter still ringing in the rain that could not touch him. "Acceptance, loyalty, honor, respect—," He bit out the last word and tore his eyes from the sky to look down at Kagura and Hiten. "Two people dead at my feet and I will have it all." His eyebrows raised up and his face contorted into a grin once more. "Simple—." He gripped the rail until it cracked under the pressure caused by his hands. "And lucky, don't you think Kagura?"

Kagura felt something snap within her as her name dripped off his vile tongue. The months of torture and humiliation suddenly catching up with her as she pushed Hiten away from her side and growled. "You're wrong!" She shouted, the natural air currents around her responding to her voice with a burst of energy.

"Kagura!" Hiten jumped towards her but the wind pushed him back. "Stop it," He screamed at her as he raised his arms up to cover his face from the thrashing winds of his mate. "Now!"

"No." Kagura drug out the word, tossing it over her shoulder with a burst of wind that Hiten couldn't possibly dodge.

Sure enough the current hit him square in the face, throwing the thunder demon backwards. He sailed through the air for only a brief second before crashing down onto the ground and sliding several feet away from Kagura. Huffing, he was able to push himself to his feet, the wind Kagura had thrown at him nowhere near powerful enough to actually incapacitate him. "Doesn't mean she can't though." He bit back a snarl as pride welled in his heart. "I had to choose a strong mate, didn't I?" He growled to himself as he glanced ever so briefly towards his crew taking in their horrified faces. None of them would dare to challenge Naraku and here the only woman in the crew just had. "Yeah—she changed my mind about women too." He snorted as he turned his eyes back towards Kagura, the wind surging around her, flinging the rain away from her body and towards those who waited in its path. "She could save us all or—die trying."

"This will end Naraku!" Kagura screamed up at the despicable demon as she put all her weight into the balls of her feet preparing to rush forward if necessary. "Inuyasha-sama will beat you," She continued on desperately, her voice as frightful as the wind she commanded. "Inuyasha-sama will beat you a million times over!"

The wind enchantress half expected Naraku to glare at her, to shout, to scream, but he didn't do any of those things. Instead, in one swift motion, the demon grasped the railing of the Thunder's helm deck and jumped over its edge. His clothing flared in the wind as he dropped so quickly in front of her that she couldn't even wheeze before his nose was inches away from her own. The wind that had surrounded her body died as her own shock made her power evaporate. The rain ceased to hit her head and she trembled as she realized she was in the bubble with him.

"What," He drew out the word slowly, his breath brushing against her cheeks as he leaned into her. "Makes you so sure?"

Kagura felt her balance tipping backwards as every instinct in her body told her to run but she fought them as hard as she would fight Naraku himself. "I know," She pushed herself forward, her eyes flaring with the power Kaede had bequeathed. "It's true."

The smile on the demon's face twitched and he licked his lips before pulling away from her tentatively. "So much faith," He shook his head and looked away from Kagura towards the crew. "Do you—possess the wind demon's faith?" He asked the men rhetorically, watching as they finally looked away, avoiding eye contact out of fear. "I'll take that as a no." He snapped his neck back in place, studying Kagura once more. "Poor little wind demon up in her clouds." He took a step forward and much to Kagura's eternal horror she stepped back half way out of the bubble and into the rain. "Tell me, Icarus—have you flown too close to the sun?" He whispered just loud enough for only her to hear as one of his hands snapped upwards, grabbing her chin between his thumb and pointer fingers, yanking her forward back out of the rain. "Are you ready to fall?"

Kagura felt the pressure of his grip, knowing that even with her demon blood she would bruise from the force. "You know Inuyasha-sama beat you." She whispered between her clenched teeth, her blue and white eyes flashing with her own belief. "You have nothing," She reached up and grabbed his arm ripping his hand away from her face as she bared her teeth like a wild beast. "Inuyasha-sama have an army."

"Oh really?" Naraku tilted his head to the side, the bones in his neck snapping as they moved. "Is that a bluff or a truth?"

"Truth!" She fired back as she stepped away from him, forcing herself to keep her hands away from her blackening chin. The rain hit her back as she pushed herself outside of the bubble, thanking unknown gods that he had not been able to keep her inside of it.

"What an interesting truth at that." He brought a hand up and tapped his chin with the tip of his blackened claws. "Let me tell you Kagura—," He stopped strumming just long enough to raise an eyebrow at her and smirk. "I have a truth as well." He peeled his fingers away from his chin, facing his palm directly towards her, shielding his face from her view.

Kagura stumbled backwards as she stared at the menacing tips of his fingers, the rain hitting her body completely, drenching her. She watched through the drops as his hand slowly turned until his palm was facing upwards and his middle finger and thump touching as if ready to snap. "What truth?" She felt the words slip from her mouth, not realizing that they had been the spark required to start the fire.

"I have an army." The purple in his eyes darkened, his laugh hit the air, and his fingers snapped.

"AH!"

Kagura jumped horrified as every man on the Thunder screamed. Her hands fell to her sides as she turned on her heels. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she watched men fall to the ground, their hands on their heads, and their mouths opened in an infinite scream. Purple mist appeared out of nowhere, surrounding their crumpling bodies as they released the sound of death from their lungs. The wind demon shook as she watched men spasm, convulsing on the ground, their backs arching impossibly, and their bones cracking loudly. Their mouths foamed with frothy, pink blood as they bit their tongues from the force of their own fits. Her jaw dropped as she saw a man claw at his own eyes, ripping into them until his finger nails and face were covered in blood. Horrified, she tore her eyes away only to encounter another man yanking his own hair from his scalp in giant chunks. His once beautiful blond curls were stained red as he screeched, the purple mist swirling about his head.

She felt her knees buckle and the air in her lungs rush out and in, so quickly that she couldn't hold a proper breath. "Nani?" Her panic hit the air as she stumbled over her own feet and finally fell. Her knees slammed into the rough wood of the deck but she didn't even wince. "Do yatte?" She asked but knew no one would answer her. "Hiten-sama do ya—?" She started to question again but the words died on her lips as she remembered Hiten. Within seconds, she was on her feet her body working on instinct as she turned desperate eyes behind her. Laying on the ground, withering in pain was Hiten's body surrounded by the same purple mist as the rest of the crew. "Iya!" Kagura screamed and launched herself towards the convulsing body of her lover.

"It won't do any good." Naraku whispered as he watched the desperate woman land next to her mate, her hands reaching for his shoulders. "He's mine now."

The wind enchantress ignored him as she grasped Hiten's shoulders and pulled him upright. "Hiten-sama!" She yelled as she shook him, trying to snap him back into reality. Blood poured from his mouth and his once soft, sable eyes rolled back into his head as a spasm ran through his body. "Iya, iya, iya," She repeated over and over as she laid him down on the ground, trying to stabilize his head as the mist ran about him, seeping into his body through his mouth, through his eyes, through his nose, and through his ears. "Yamete!" She shrieked as she tore her eyes away from Hiten and towards Naraku. "Yamete!"

"Oh," Naraku crossed his arms over his chest and smirked as if amused. "I don't understand you, my girl."

Without missing a beat, Kagura switched languages, the venom in her voice not hindered in the least. "Stop it right now!" She spit out the words just as Hiten screamed on the floor behind her, the sound of his voice the sound of a soul as it is ripped from its body.

"Where would be the fun in that?" The weasel demon replied and uncrossed his arms so he could shrug more easily.

"If you don't stop this," Kagura bit out the words and threw her hand up in the air, wind collecting in her palm as she faced it towards Naraku. "Kagura will kill you," The words were spoken with all the malice in her heart. "Don't think I won't!"

"The problem, dear girl," Naraku frowned as he spoke, bringing one of his hands in front of his body once more. Kagura watched as he brought the same fingers as before up to his face. "Is that I think you can't." He finished and snapped once more, the sound echoing all around them, calming the screaming until the ship became nothing but silent.

Kagura's eyes widened as she watched him lower his hand back down, the men who had been withering and dying on the floor around her stark still. "Nan—i," The question never completely left her mouth as everyman seemed to pulse once and then collectively their eyes snapped opened. Kagura froze as a hundred pairs of pitch black eyes stared out into the world without seeing any of it. Horrified, she dared to turn her body and look behind. Sure enough, laying on the ground was Hiten, his own eyes opened and pitch black. "No pupils." She realized as her hands went slack at her sides. "Black—all black—like his soul has been sucked from his body." She shook her head slowly back and forth in complete disbelief.

"Stand." Naraku's voice echoed all around the Thunder as the rain beat down from the sky more violently than before. Without so much as a groan, every crew member of the Thunder stood, their hands pressing into the deck as they guided themselves to their feet. "Do you like my army?" Naraku asked as the men stood completely to their feet, a collective army that was surrounding one lonely wind demon.

"They're," The woman looked at all the men around her. They were men she had known, men she had talked with, drank with, eaten with, fought with and beside. "They're all—dead? Asleep? Gone?" Her heart sunk in her chest and her mouth opened as if to scream but no sound came out as her gaze landed on Hiten once more. He stood behind her, the blood that had been on his face just seconds before washed away by the rain. Dead eyes stared at her and she shook her head not willing to deem what she was seeing as real. "What have you done?" Kagura whispered as she felt water that wasn't rain flow down her cheeks.

"I made an army." Naraku responded easily as he walked backwards towards the helms deck. "And I will use you to test the effectiveness of it." He spoke bluntly, his words making Kagura turn back towards him as he bent his knees and jumped up; there was no need for showboating this time. His feet didn't touch the wood as he landed on the railing, balancing as if he were an ancient Greek Olympian. "After all—he loves you," His words turned vague as his eyes began to darken from purple to black once more. "And if he will kill you for me—then," He watched her as her heart sank so far into her chest that it almost ceased to exist. "I know my army will do anything for me."

Her body tensed and her teeth gritted as the tears in her eyes multiplied.

"And—besides that," He crossed his arms once more and his purple eyes flickered from her to Hiten. "Watching your mate kill you—well that's just pure, unadulterated entertainment."

"No." She didn't even have time to think the words before she felt the wind behind her head bend around a fist. With reaction speed that comes from being a wind enchantress, she moved out of the path of Hiten's first strike and into the air. She whipped her body around with the current of the wind and looked downwards as Hiten's fist rammed into the ground. An explosion of wood and splinters spewed forth.

"Oi!" Naraku's voice was filled with amusement as it reached Kagura's ears. "Don't ruin my ship, now."

Hiten didn't respond as he pulled his hand out of the wood, deadened eyes not even bothering to look up at her.

The wind demon gulped as she stared at the back of Hiten's head, her eyes focusing on the soft black hair that had remained unchanged somehow. "Hiten-sama." She felt the name rattle from her throat like the blood that had spilled from the crew's mouth as Naraku took control of them. She swallowed it down and waited for Hiten to turn, to look up at her, acknowledge the sound of his name from her lips but he didn't even twitch. "He can't hear—." She realized and a part of her began to break. "He's gone. Iya, Kami-sama. Onegai."

-break-

"And that's the story." Inuyasha finished explaining (in a consolidated way) everything that had happened since he last saw his grandfathers. Currently, they were walking down the path that lead straight towards the living corridors of Sesshoumaru's family, the dormant orchard surrounding them as they made their way.

"I see." Paedar spoke evenly as his eyes shifted this way and that, taking in the setting with scrutiny and wonder. "Izayoi walked this road." The thought brushed against his psyche as he looked down at the pathway in wonder. He could almost see her feet as they pressed into the soil and hear her laugh as she looked up at the birds in the trees.

"Look! Look!" Her smiling face and dazzling eyes shinned in the sun. "They're nesting."

Quickly, he shook the thought off and glanced towards his too quiet mate, noting the way Aengus looked around him as well. "He feels her too." He realized but didn't say a word as he refocused on Inuyasha. "So—," He began slowly as his mind returned to the matter at hand, to the jewel and the pup, Naraku, who needed saving, and further still to Inuyasha's father, the other world and Kagome's power. "Ya've been quite—busy," He cleared his throat as he realized his own understatement. "But ya think—you can stop him with that," He glanced towards Inuyasha's side but there was no sword there at the moment. "Sword?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha nodded as he looked forward towards Sesshoumaru who appeared unfazed by the conversation. "Judging by the way he's walking with his head tilted ever so slightly towards us though," The dog demon narrowed his eyes and tried not to roll then just in case his grandfather misunderstood who the gesture was directed at. "He's listening in anyway." He was unable to hold back the sound of a snort but it didn't matter, for at that moment Kagome cut into his thoughts from her position to his left.

"Naraku," She said the name with an odd affection that seemed out of place coming from her. "Doesn't deserve his fate."

"Weren't you to marry 'em?" Eion jumped in as he walked just behind the others with Miroku.

"I was." Kagome glanced over her shoulder and smiled almost mournfully. "And I'm so glad I didn't," She turned her neck back around without looking at anyone; her eyes fixed on the approaching house as they continued down the path. "But—regardless he doesn't deserve this." The wide sweeping arches of the red roof caught her eye and she followed them until they lead to open sky. "No one does, especially a child that suffered as he did."

Eion nodded his head silently as he followed her gaze towards the beautiful home, the likes of which he had never seen. "I almost can't believe," He closed his eyes as he remembered Kagome's quick version of the tale (even quick it was horrific). "His story is true." He paused and opened his eyes towards the wide red roof once more. "To do that to yer pup," He turned to look at her, his eyes shifting down and then back up to her face. "Who would, what kind of person could?"

Kagome pursed her lips as her hands (which had been swinging at her side absently) drifted to her stomach, covering it protectively. "Everyone does things for a reason." She whispered the words and they drifted in the air like tiny seeds. "Mr. Morgan did it to protect his son in a roundabout way—at least, he thought he was protecting him but—," She stopped but didn't look at anyone to gauge their reaction, she didn't have to. "That doesn't mean what he did was right—it was wrong, there is no doubt it was wrong." Her fingers twitched against her silky yukata and dropped down. "So—we have to save Naraku—the child that was wronged by his father," She spoke bluntly and finally looked towards Inuyasha, a soft smile on her face. "Right?"

He looked down at her, returning her smile with a strained one of his own. "Of course."

"It won't be easy." Miroku finally spoke and his words and his voice made Inuyasha's head snap towards him. As father and son made eye contact, Inuyasha tried to convey to Miroku not to say a word but the man didn't appear to be letting up. "There's always a chance the sword won't work."

"Ain't that life though?" Inuyasha fired back rhetorically as he sent his son a firm glare that said to shut up; this time, Miroku listened.

"It seems to me," Sesshoumaru spoke quite suddenly as they emerged from the forest like orchard and into the back garden of his personal residence. "We need a plan." He came to a stop as he spoke, the sound of a child squealing reaching his ears.

"Chichiue!" The squeal grew louder as the sound of a door slamming open hit everyone's ears.

Six sets of eyes turned towards the door in question all at once, in time to see a gorgeous woman standing in a doorway with a little girl struggling in her arms. "I tried to stop her," The raven haired woman laughed as she sat the child down, releasing her with a smile on her sweet face. "But she has your looks and my personality."

For the first time since they had arrived (and for all they knew the first time in history) Sesshoumaru released a small single chuckle as a true indication of his pleasure. The little girl ran to him on tiny legs, her silver hair flying behind her in a ponytail held by a bright red ribbon. Her matching red and gold kimono made her large golden eyes even more luminescent as the material shone in the now afternoon light. She hit Sesshoumaru's legs at full speed, not bothering to look at the other people around him as she buried her head in his knee and giggled madly. The demon lord smiled and his face became momentarily gentle. He dropped one deadly yet gentle hand to her head and rubbed a puppy ear gingerly.

"Mariko." He said her name with the same coldness he always used but there was something so tender about it in that moment that it almost made those watching turn their eyes away, as if the moment was meant to be private.

The child pulled her face from the fabric of her father's white knee and her pudgy hands reached up, barely able to brush his belt as she begged to be held. "Chichiue!" She squeaked out the word and Sesshoumaru surprisingly obliged, dipping down and sweeping her into his arms so swiftly that it almost seemed as if it had never happened.

Her laughter hit the air even louder as she pushed at his jaw but Sesshoumaru didn't seem to mind as he growled out the term for pup and nuzzled her briefly. The girl returned the gesture, nuzzling her father affectionately before licking his chin instinctively. Sesshoumaru gently head butted her from the action and looked towards Rin. Takeshi was standing beside his mother awkwardly, the child in him also wanting to run for his father but the burgeoning adult simply wouldn't let him. Still, Sesshoumaru nodded his head at the boy in a sign of welcome and released a growl loud enough for the young demon to hear, signaling to his son that he was noticed and not ignored.

"We have company." He spoke out loud to Rin bluntly and without so much as one trace of emotion in his voice.

"Rin noticed." The woman stepped onto the porch, her white haori and red hakama, the clothes of her trade, a stark contrast to what the westerns were wearing. "I brought Sango and the boys here—." Her sentence was suddenly interrupted as another child exploded out of the room just like Mariko.

"Otou-san—Okaa-san!" Shippo yelled as he scampered down the porch on all fours, using the position to run a bit faster. Both Inuyasha and Kagome froze at the names having never heard them from Shippo's lips. The boy didn't seem hindered in the least by their surprise as he reached them, throwing his arms around Kagome's middle and hugging her tightly. "I missed you!"

Kagome placed a loving hand on Shippo's head as tears began to well in her eyes that she couldn't control. "Ship—," His name died on her lips and she reached for his arms, pulling him away from her so she could drop down to her knees. She opened her arms up immediately and the young boy threw his own around her neck in a hug that only a child could give. "We missed you too." Kagome whispered into his hair as the word for mother rang throughout her whole being. "Somehow," She told herself as she pulled the boy tightly to her. "I thought I'd never hear it."

Standing beside her, Inuyasha dropped a hand to the top of Shippo's head affectionately, rubbing the red feathery hair softly. "He's learning Nihon-go." He thought to himself trying to remain logical even as his heart tightened like Kagome's. "You've been spending too much time with Mariko." He spoke out loud, hoping Kagome would understand what he meant.

Kagome froze as she digested Inuyasha's words and smiled both sadly and happily all at once. "So," She pulled Shippo into a deeper hug and, in one swift motion, stood so that the child was wrapped in her arms. "You told Mariko we were your Mama and Papa and now—you don't even realize that you said it to us." She pulled her head back and placed a kiss on Shippo's forehead lovingly. "And I'm just fine with that."

Shippo smiled brightly at Kagome's affectionate kiss and looked towards Inuyasha, his eyes bright. "It's so fun here." He reached out his arms as he spoke and Inuyasha obliged, taking the child and nuzzling him in much the same way Sesshoumaru had his own daughter. "Me and Mariko-chan play all day." Shippo returned the gesture, nuzzling Inuyasha without pausing in his speech.

"Really?" Inuyasha snorted and shifted the boy downwards so that Shippo was standing on his own feet again. "You interrupted Rin-obaa-san." He spoke firmly but his tone wasn't harsh in the least as he turned Shippo towards his adoptive aunt. "You need to apologize."

Shippo's green eyes widened and he quickly bowed, a week in this place already showing in his mannerisms. "Gomen." He spoke the word in Nihon-go much to Kagome's mild shock and Inuyasha's unending pride.

"Doo itashimashite." Rin smiled sweetly and sent Shippo a closed eyed gentle smile as she told him 'you're welcome.' "Shippo-chan." She opened her eyes slowly and began to speak again as if nothing had happened. "Rin and Takeshi-chan also set up lunch." She spoke gently as she bowed towards the three new comers, her son beside her mirroring the gesture respectfully. "Please, come inside everyone." She stepped back as she spoke bringing her hands delicately in front of herself as she figuratively opened her home to them.

Immediately, Paedar, Aengus, and Eion, all as one bowed their heads to the woman but only Paedar spoke. "We thank you," He raised his head up and smiled at her before releasing a growl that Rin had never heard directed towards her by anyone but her children, 'alpha female.'

The woman blushed and lowered her head hastily in a sign of submission and appreciation, 'leader male,' she returned the gesture, not calling him an alpha but the next most respectful thing she could. The gesture seemed to suit Paedar just fine and he motioned towards his mate and brother to follow him, which they did without any more preamble.

"So, my children are in there too?" Miroku broke the respectful atmosphere as he took a step forward and glanced towards the opened door unable to see in. "Seems too quiet for them to be in there."

"Yes," Rin smiled brightly at his joke and looked inside at someone they couldn't see. "I thought your grandfather's might like to meet," She seemed to make eye contact with someone and smiled secretively before turning back to Miroku. "The new additions to their pack."

The father smiled brightly, his face a mask of pure ecstasy at the mention of his contribution to their pack. "Yeah," He turned towards his grandfathers the smile never leaving his face as he made his way up the steps without needing to look. "You have to meet my boys."

"Boys?" Aengus blinked with confusion from the statement just as Kagome stepped up beside him and gently bumped shoulders with him.

"And cute ones too." She chimed in and laughed slightly as Aengus' eyes widened.

"Of course they're cute." Inuyasha mumbled almost under his breath as Shippo tilted his head back and looked up at the much taller man. "They're my grandchildren."

"But," The little boy furrowed his eyebrows in complete confusion. "You and Miroku ain't really blood."

"I rub off on people." The dog demon offered offhandedly and his words only served to make Shippo look more confused but no one seemed to notice except Takeshi who held back an obvious chuckle at the comment. The older half dog smiled towards his nephew, taking in the way the boy behaved respectfully and obediently. "He stands as he should behind his mother—a position of protectiveness but not authority just yet." His mouth went slightly dry as fuzzy memories of his own mother's back as he stood in the same position mounted in his mind.

"Ya mean—?" Aengus stepped forward, ignoring the two demons as he clapped his hands together with excitement. "Well, I'll be! A litter, how many in it?"

"Two." Miroku responded and out of nowhere a voice filled in the other half.

"Humans call them twins." Sango announced, the sound of her almost annoyed proclamation floating to them from inside the room. "And they're adorable."

"How wonderful." Paedar turned towards Miroku reserved but pleased. "Congratulations, my boy."

"That's it?" Inuyasha motioned towards Miroku, his eyes wide and his mouth dropping opened a little at the injustice. "You nearly killed me when you found out about Kagome!"

If anyone ever wanted to study a look a pure, sarcastic boredom, they would only have had to seen Paedar's face in that moment. "This is different." He explained and held up a hand to warn Inuyasha away from screaming. "He's human—we can forgive a human with a weak nose," The boredom morphed becoming gleaming and dangerous. "But not an idiot who forgot how one works."

"I give up." Inuyasha threw his hands in the air and glared at the sky. "I can never fucking win, never."

Not affected by the current state of affairs in the least, Eion chose that moment to bring the conversation directly back to the topic at hand. "Battle plans can wait!" Eion jumped forward out of the lineup, nearly shoving his pack seemingly out of his way. "We haven't ever," He shot over his shoulder as he bowed once respectfully to Rin before stepping up on the porch. "Had twins in the pack." He yelled over his shoulder as he entered the room leaving an unpleased Paedar and amused Aengus behind.

"Ya sure you wanna marry 'em off? He's still a pup at 'eart." Aengus smiled cheekily and his mate glared but didn't really disagree as he stepped up onto the porch and sent another well timed bow to Rin.

"Thank you for taking us into your home." He spoke carefully, watching as Rin blushed sweetly and bowed back. "Both of you." He added as he glanced towards Takeshi who forced himself not to beam with a bit of pride for being noticed by his elder.

"It is my honor," He spoke formally and with the noncommittal tone of his father. "Um—."

"Paedar." He offered as he raised and rolled his shoulders back. Standing at his full height he was eye level with the boy who stood on the elevated porch before him but Takeshi didn't even wince as he bowed again.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Paedar-sama." His respectful tone made Rin smile and she reached back to capture one of her son's ears rubbing it fondly.

"My son," She offered to Paedar who nodded even though he already knew their relationship. "And part of our pack." She continued as she dropped the ear.

Before the man could say anything more, Mariko squealed loudly, drawing the men's attention back towards the child.

Sesshoumaru had tossed the girl carelessly up into the air, the little one laughing in near hysterics as her father caught her.

"Mata!" The girl yelled begging her father to wait before he threw her again.

Paedar watched the scene with unhidden interest. "That one's yours too, right?" He nodded towards the little girl just as Shippo grabbed Inuyasha's pants leg and asked if he could be thrown too (Inuyasha was all too happy to grab the boy and toss him up without a second thought). "Good luck." Paedar told her and shook his head as Rin blinked confused. "Daughters—." He paused and glanced towards the little girl as his ears heard Eion's sudden cooing as he took in their great-grandchildren. "Are much harder than sons."

"That's an understatement, it is." Aengus added as he stepped up beside Paedar but didn't look at the man, instead he looked back as well studying the girl as she laughed and babbled to her father. "But both 'em wee ones sure are precious things," He smiled as the two father's started towards them, Shippo trotting alongside Inuyasha as he spoke in hurried English and Mariko in her father's arms as she spoke hurried Nihon-go. "Don't ya think, love?"

Paedar's eye twitched at the well placed endearment and his face flushed a bit but he nodded in agreement anyway.

Kagome watched the flush on Paedar's face, highly amused by the sight. Her amusement didn't last long, however, as she felt a shift in his emotions. The happiness faded ever so slightly as the man studied the two children, his contented smile falling a little, becoming gloomy. "She reminds you of Izayoi." Kagome spoke neutrally but there was a strange gentleness about it. "Even after everything the woman's done—I can't be angry."

"Izayoi—," Aengus was the one who spoke, his eyes trained on the child just like Paedar's. "Used ta smile just like that little 'un."

Inuyasha clenched his jaw shut at the mention of his mother's name and stopped walking towards his grandfather's abruptly. From his position against Inuyasha's chest, Shippo glanced up at the man and, sensing that there was something uncomfortable about to happen, carefully removed himself from Inuyasha's side and jumped onto the porch before scurrying into the room where Eion was going on and on about the children. For his part, Sesshoumaru glanced down at his daughter, smoothing her hair with an absentminded hand before head butting her gently. The girl giggled and then squirmed, wanting to follow her playmate who had already headed inside. Obliging, Sesshoumaru sat the girl on the steps, following her with his eyes as she darted into the room.

The air was silent as the small group stood outside, no one knowing quite what to say but all of them wanting to say something. It was only Sesshoumaru, though, who was able to break the silence. "Izayoi-hime, despite any faults she may have possessed, was," He spoke simply and honestly. "An amazing woman."

Inuyasha's ears twitched on his head but he didn't say anything as he listened to both of his grandfathers' take in long, deep breaths.

"She truly was." Paedar agreed simply as he closed his eyes, images of a tiny Izayoi playing against the lids.

"My father loved her—," The demon lord continued as he stepped onto the deck, bypassing Inuyasha who remained motionless on the ground. "Very much."

"We know." Aengus spoke this time, his expression taunt and slightly amused as he added. "We still're never gonna like 'em."

For a moment, Sesshoumaru seemed to consider Paedar's words but only for a moment. "I can understand that."

"I'd be worried if you didn't." Kagome spoke this time, her voice playful and deliberate as she glanced towards Inuyasha for a few quick seconds. "Now, enough of this nonsense from all of ya." She placed her hands on her hips and smiled brightly. "Let's go inside and have a moment of peace." She turned on her heel at her words and walked into the room, Rin following and the three scalliwags after.

Standing on the bottom porch step, Inuyasha hesitated only a moment, his hand raising up in a way it hadn't for over a year. It groped for something that used to rest against his chest, a gemstone left to him by his mother for a very distinctive purpose. He found nothing against his skin, as he knew he would, but his hand didn't move to fall back at his side; instead, it gripped anyway, pretending for a moment that the gemstone was there. "An amazing woman?" He thought the words Sesshoumaru had said and his eyes took in the scene inside of the house: a generational college around a giant table.

He could see his grandfather's fawning over the children in Sango and Miroku's arms to the right, Shippo and Mariko feasting on sweet buns to the left, Rin serving tea with Kagome's aide right in front of him, and Sesshoumaru sitting across from them, patiently, at the head of the table. His vision blurred at the sight of his brother, transposing his father's features on the demon easily, after all, they did naturally look alike. In Kagome and Rin's place he imagined his mother, serving the tea clumsily as he sat on the right and Sesshoumaru on the left, the small family sitting around both a table and a lie.

-break-

Hiten's deadened eyes stared at the hole he had just created in the deck of his own ship but he didn't appear to be aware of what he had done at all. Slowly, he straightened his body, his back and neck cracking as he twisted himself upright. Large ill-willed orbs looked up at Kagura who was hovering above the Thunder, using her natural control of the wind to keep herself afloat.

The wind demon stared down at him praying that he would suddenly recognize her but not even the slightest flickering of acknowledgment crossed his face as he looked towards her. Absently, he raised a hand above his head, the natural electricity that settled in the air swirling around his fingertips as he took her in with unintelligent slits. The wind demon gritted her teeth as her mind raced, trying desperately to figure out what to do. "How do I make Hiten-sama recognize me?" She thought frantically but before even one solution could be generated in her head, the thunder demon launched himself into the air.

Sparks flew from his fingers as he made a wide sweeping arc with his hand, clawing upwards against the rain. Knowing the water would better conduct the current, Kagura urgently brought her hands across her chest and, even without her fans, ripped her hands apart shoving a sweeping X of air straight into Hiten's approaching form. It hit him square in the chest, throwing his feet straight over his head and then throwing his whole body downwards. He hit the deck of the thunder full force, the wood cracking under the impact of his body.

Kagura winced as she watched him roll head over heel for several feet before coming to a halt flat on his back. "Kami-sama," She whispered a silent prayer as the man pushed himself to his feet, his body hunched over masking his face from her vision. "Onegai—onegai." She begged even as Hiten straightened, his shoulders falling into place as his head still hung low, his chin to his chest. "Tasukete." The word for help barely touched her mind as Hiten's neck popped from the force required for him to look up, his eyes regarding the air above him without seeming to see her as anything other than a target.

Expressionless, he brought his hands up in front of himself both sets of digits sizzling with energy this time. His knees bent and in one rapid motion he took to the air. Kagura brought her hands up in front of her prepared to push him back again but this time he was ready. Before she could cross her arms over her chest, he dodged coming up beside her shoulder in an instant. She only had time to inhale sharply before his left fist made contact with the flesh of her cheek.

"Ah!" Kagura screeched as the power cracked against her eardrum and singed her skin upon contact.

She spun away from the hand forcing it to disconnect from her flesh as she momentarily turned her back on Hiten. And, with a clouded mind, she brought her knee up tightly against her chest, twisting her head back around until she could see his face. Fully torque, she extended her foot out as she spun throwing her heel right into his exposed side as hard as she could. The thunder demon blanched as she drove her foot downwards, his ribs fracturing as her hook kick collided with them. Lightning fueled hands dropped to his side as he flew back downwards towards the floor once more, pain etched onto his face. Realizing what she had done, Kagura's jaw dropped and she inhaled sharply.

"Hiten-sama!" She yelped as he hit the deck just as he had before; but, this time, he bounced against the wood once, the sound of bones snapping sickening as he settled in a heap on his stomach. Appalled that she had hurt her mate, the she-demon threw herself downwards towards the crumbled body, not hearing Naraku's amused chuckle at all. She hit the deck at a full out run, throwing herself on the ground beside Hiten's crumbled form. "Daijobu," She asked immediately as she laid gentle hands against his back. "Daijobu desu ka?"

"Mistake." Naraku's voice entering her head was just enough to distract her from the fact that Hiten's body had tensed the second she touched him.

Hiten's shot up under her touch, throwing her hands away from him as he flipped onto his knees and punched her square in the jaw. Kagura felt one of her teeth chip as she was thrown backwards, hitting the planks hard enough to blacken even her tough skin. Splinters ate into her back as she skidded across the floor, her head smacking the hard timber as she came to a halt. Immediately an explosion of stars and cobwebs greeted her eyes and desperate the shinigami gift she found herself temporarily blinded. Instinctively, she brought her hands up to cover her head, the demon inside of her telling her that the assault wouldn't end just yet.

Sure enough the next punch hit her wrist only a sparse second later. Using the punch as a locater, she brought a hand up blindly and grabbed for the first thing she could. He finger's found the collar of Hiten's shirt and snarling she yanked him downwards. His head slammed into her shoulder and she silently howled as his teeth sunk into her flesh in retaliation. "Kuso!" She cursed and tried to work one of her legs up between them as he mauled her shoulder. Blood seeped through her clothes but she ignored the sickening, thick wetness and instead focused on wedging her knee between them. Her persistence paid off moments later when her knee fully pressed against Hiten's chest, giving her the necessary leverage to push him away from her body by simply straightening her leg.

His teeth ripped her muscle as he sailed backwards landing firmly on his ass some five feet away. Pain shot through Kagura's arm but she didn't take even a millisecond to look at the damage caused by his teeth as she forced herself into a sitting position with her uninjured hand. "He doesn't recognize me at all," Her mind raced with the horrible reality of the moment. "Like Hiten-sama dead." She bit the inside of her cheek as the demon that had been Hiten across from her pushed itself to its feet. "Hiten-sama can't be dead—." Her lip quivered and she panted with fear; not with fear caused by the promise of death but fear caused by the promise of killing. She knew she could beat him if she wanted to; he really wasn't that strong in this form. "Demo—." She thought as she looked into those eyes, hoping to see a flicker of life within them. "Watashi wa—iya."

The creature that once was Hiten opened its mouth, electricity hissing between its teeth. The sound fizzled in the air as the energy touched the raindrops that still managed to fall around them. Dark eyes, the color a starless sky bore into her soul.

"Are you there?" She felt the question leave her mouth. "Hiten-sama—where?" She blinked against the sight of him as he approached her. "If Hiten-sama there—I can't—I won't—." Her cheek burned where he had scorched her flesh and ached where he had punched her jaw. "Onegai—give Kagura a sign." She begged as the chipped part of her tooth beat against her tongue but she didn't venture to stop to spit it out. "Just give—," Her words died as she saw the faintest flicker of something in his eyes, something that wasn't total darkness. A light, a guide to a soul, had flickered into existence within Hiten's pupil for just the briefest of seconds.

The man snarled suddenly and the electricity in his mouth crackled as he shot forward, the momentary awakening gone. Kagura threw herself backwards on the floorboards before he could hit her and reached up her hands. Instead of pushing him away as his body came down on her own, she grabbed him by the neck holding him above her as the energy in his mouth threatened to hit her at any moment. Like a piranha he snapped his mouth opened and closed, blood from his previous bite to her shoulder splattering onto her face.

Kagura's breathe came in giant gasps as she pressed her back against the rough wood of the Thunder's plank floor. "Hiten!" She screamed as his hands suddenly began to spark with energy as well. "I know you're in there!" She continued wretchedly as her eyes looked from one electrified hand to the other, knowing if she took her hands away from his neck he would get her with his mouth. "Wake up, damn it!" She shrieked and closed her eyes wanting to open them and see him normal once again.

"I'm gonna have to kill him." A voice whispered inside of her and she felt dismay mount in her heart.

"It's me, it's me, it's me" She repeated over and over again as his hands, now fully charged, started for her unprotected neck. "Onegai!" She felt the claws press into her flesh as tears filled her eyes and wind filled her hands, ready to rip him apart before he could rip her. "It's me," She tried one more time as she smelt her hair and flesh begin to burn. "Kagura-hime!"

A blinding light exploded beside her eyes and she bellowed thinking she was dying, becoming nothing more than a burning mass of flesh. Pain never reached her skin, however, and the weight of Hiten's neck in her hands disappeared. Her eyes snapped opened and she gasped as she saw nothing but clouds and rain falling from the sky. Perplexed, she forced herself upwards, the world spinning as she saw Hiten stumbling backwards, his hands covering his ears as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Maldicion!" He cursed in Spanish, his native tongue, and the word sounded beautiful and ominous all at once.

"Hiten-sama!" Kagura shoved her body upwards onto shaky legs. "Can you hear me?" She begged as he stumbled back away from her moaning.

"Kagura, Kagura—." The name barely hit the air but it was the single most angelic sound the wind demon had ever heard the wind carry.

"Hai!" She ran forward and caught him as he stumbled over his own feet and collapsed in her arms. "Hiten-sama." She whispered the name as she pulled him against her chest, cradling him like a newborn babe.

Hiten panted, his eyes still shut tightly but his nose working just as well as it ever had. "My hime—," He whispered as he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with her fragrance. "Oh my hime-sama, my hime-sama." He repeated and ventured to open his eyes but immediately regretted it. "Ah!" He screamed as throbbing blankness threatened to take over his mind once more. "I can't," He reached up and grasped the edge of her neck, holding onto it with shaking hands. "I can't—hold," His breath came in giant gapping mouthfuls. "This for long."

"This is interesting—." Naraku's amused voice entered the conversation as he watched Hiten's hand shake against Kagura's neck. "He's fighting it off Kagura." He called towards the wind demon who turned her eyes towards the weasel, studying the entertained curve of his lopsided smile as he leaned against the upper railing. "Would it be clique to say—," He asked as he rested his elbow on the railing and then his chin in the palm of his head. "The power of love has broken my spell?"

"Kagura," Hiten's voice broke through Naraku's mocking one and Kagura looked down immediately. "Kill me." He commanded as his body convulsed in her arms and he screamed in horrible pain just like he had before when Naraku had first taken control of his body. His eyes snapped opened and this time they were filled with a complete awareness. "Kill me!" He yelled frantically as his other hand sprang upwards grabbing her around the neck.

"No!" She protested the command even as she felt him clamp down on her throat. Her body fell backwards from the force of his grip, smashing into the ground with enough might to knock out a human but not a wind demon. Instinctively, her hands shot up grabbing onto his own which were chocking her.

"You have to—," He countered as his eyes, so strong, filled with tears at the sight of what he was doing to her. "That's the only way to stop me." He forced the words out as he watched his claws dig into his mate's flesh and his palms press down on her windpipe harder.

Her shaking hands, already clamped down on his wrist pulled with all of her might, relieving the pressure on her throat long enough for her to protest. "I can't!"

"You can!" He fired back as Kagura pulled his hand farther from her throat, her shinigami eye a dangerous cool blue as she glared at him.

"I won't." She negated roughly as she used her control of his hand to yank him sideways and half off of her. His hand dropped from her throat in an effort to keep himself upright but the action was in vain. Holding on tightly to his right wrist, Kagura used her leverage to roll them over until she was the one on top. Hastily, she grabbed both of his wrists, forcing them down onto the deck. "Won't and can't are two different things!"

Hiten snarled up at her domineering face. "Damn your stubbornness!" He yelled as his body fought against her hands roughly, trying frantically to free themselves once more.

"Get used to it." Kagura shot back as she straddled him, holding him down with all the might in her body. Without the intention to kill him, though, she really couldn't do much more than simply hold him in place.

"Kagura—I don't have long." He tried to speak calmly but he could already feel his vision going dark as it had before, Naraku taking control of his body and mind. "If you won't kill me," He spoke between clenched teeth before banging his head as hard as he could on the ground behind him. The violent action was enough for him to gain a little more control. "Then knock me out and run!"

"I won't leave you either." She told him as she looked down at his panicking face. "Mates don't abandon each other."

"Damn it, woman." Hiten screamed and in an instant lost control of his body. His feet came up between them and kneed her violently in the stomach sending her flying across the deck.

Kagura slid across the wood, her mind scrambled as her body came to a halt against a barrel knocking it over with a loud crash. She heard it as it rolled across the deck and away from her, the sound mocking her just as Naraku's laughter did as it came down to her ears from the helm.

"Run Kagura!" Hiten felt his heart clench horribly in his chest as he looked at her crumbled body. "You have to."

Her breath hitched dangerously in her throat and she nearly swallowed her tongue as she flew to her feet. Her shinigami eye, a gift from Kaede long since dead, shone brightly even with the lack of light. The pure blue became a beacon of hope that Hiten could not ignore. "No!" She hissed and for a moment the wind all around her fluctuated and hissed with her.

Hiten didn't say a word as his shoulders slumped and his body ached from exhaustion, that eye boring into him and giving him an idea. "Captain Inuyasha killed my brother." He sent her a sad, resigned smile as his body shook from the effort it took to control it when he had so little energy to do so. "And now—he's the only one," He closed his eyes and laughed, the sound odd. "Who can stop that bastard!" He howled as his eyes snapped opened and he glared at Kagura. "You have to go to him—prepare him!"

"Demo—." She slipped into her native language hating herself as the tears sprang to her eyes, unwelcomed. She knew he was right about that.

"Go." He spoke simply as he turned towards the still Naraku, as if daring the man to defy him. "Bring Captain Inuyasha back with you." He told her over his shoulder as he watched Naraku's surprisingly calm body, forcing himself to stay in control long enough to protect Kagura one last time.

The wind demo bit her lip and held down the curse that wanted to rip from her throat. "I'll come back," She fired the words into the wind, wanting him to hear the sincerity she urgently tried to instill in them. "Don't die until I do."

"You'll have to hurry then." He mumbled the words as blackness began to take over the edge of his peripheral vision.

"I will." Kagura breathed and brought a hand up to her hair where a feather rested, hidden amongst the mass of black. She always kept it hidden now so as to not remind Naraku that she could fly. "I promise." She added as she threw the feather out above the ocean waves, the plume expanding with the magic of her breed. In an instant, she turned and ran for it, launching herself off the ship and onto her own personal transport as the wind rushed around her guiding her body away from the Thunder.

Not turning to see his mate leave, Hiten breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her presence fade. "Find him," He sent the sentiment out away from his body and into the world behind him where Kagura flew. "Find him and stop this bastard." His knees began to give out from underneath him and he felt the weight of his body acutely. "So—tired."

"You do realize," Naraku cut into his innermost thoughts, ripping him back into reality. "Even if she leaves now," The demonic voice brought Hiten's eyes upwards until he could see Naraku's sickening face. "She will die later." The man fixed his gaze downwards, looking at Hiten over the bridge of his nose as if he were examining a pebble and not a sentient being. "You're just prolonging the inevitable." He raised an eyebrow as Hiten straightened and his eyes suddenly became more alert. "And giving me the opportunity to make it even worse."

-break-

Sesshoumaru leaned back as a maid cleared away the dishes from the table. The feast had been small but filling and the strange food of the eastern world had been amusing and tasty all at once for the westerners. So now the group sat around the table, the children dosing by their prospective mothers (with the exception of Takeshi who was old enough to stay awake and quite happy to be included) and the adults waiting patiently as Rin served them one last drink, her small daughter cuddled on a pillow next to her as she moved effortlessly over the table surface, serving.

"I apologize for the lack of ceremony." She whispered as she took a fine old kettle, which appeared to be made of steel much to the amazement of the people surrounding the table, and poured each person a cup of steaming, fresh tea. The sound of the water rushing into their prospective vessels was the only sound in the air as the breeze drifted through the partially opened shoji doors.

Inuyasha watched his sister-in-law absently, memories of the proper tea ceremony of his childhood drifting in and out of his brain. He could see a woman, not his mother but somehow related to him he thought, kneeling on a mat. He remembered the sound of the tea whisk and then the dribble of water as she added it to her bright green ceremonial bowl.

"Don't worry about it, Rin-san." He spoke up as he remembered having to drink the thick mixture without making a face, he hadn't liked the tea at those ceremonies. "From what I remember it's just a lot of pomp." He finished and lean away from the table, one hand supporting his body as the other reached up to his neckline, aimlessly trying to find something that wasn't there.

Sesshoumaru nodded his head in somewhat agreement as Rin placed one of the many green tea cups in front of him, the little sprig of bamboo painted along its side facing him. "The ceremony is pomp to those who are young." He explained carefully as he took the tea cup and brought it up to his face, smelling it thoughtfully and turning it over in his hand. "It takes on great symbolism when you experience it as an adult."

"Whatever you say." Inuyasha shrugged and brought his hand away from his neck so he could use it to politely decline Rin as she offered him a cup. "Gomen nasai." He switched to Nihon-go as he gently brushed the back of her offered hand. "Watashi wa ryokucha," He explained to her and she smiled as she took in his explanation. "Ga sukide wa arimasen."

"Not everyone can like Ryokucha, Inuyasha-sama." Rin reassured him and allowed her hand to bump against his as well before moving to Kagome who gladly accepted the drink with a soft Nihon-go thank you.

Sesshoumaru watched as the tea was passed out, no one else declining a cup. "So," He began slowly as he finally brought the tea to his lips and took a noisy sip (an action that seemed downright odd from a man of his caliber). "We need to develop our strategy."

"I haven't done that since my own father was alive." Paedar commented evenly as he picked up the tea cup from the table and took a tentative sniff. Finding the aroma to be overall pleasant, he dared to actually sip at the tea and smiled immediately as he took in the soft flavor. "Nowhere near as strong as our stuff—and no milk." He commented to Aengus quietly who tilted his head to the side, eyeing his own tea briefly before turning to Sesshoumaru.

"We do 'er best to avoid battles, ya see" He explained absently as he reached for his own teacup, no longer afraid to sip at it. "See if it's as bad as ta pup says." He told himself as he tasted the drink and blinked slightly with surprise. "Oh—that's good, oi, pup," He looked towards Inuyasha who was now leaning against the table with one elbow, his hand toying with the cloth of his shirt. "What 'ere ya complain'in about?"

The younger man rolled his eyes and huffed slightly at his grandfather. "I can't not like something—?"

"I am not out of battle practice," Sesshoumaru interrupted before Inuyasha could finish. "My last great war was only a century before my son was born." The demon lord glanced towards Rin who was gingerly handing Takeshi the last of the tea, her eyes fixated on the delicate cup. She had already been at his side during that time. In fact, she had been the cause of it, which bothered her to no end. But, it was not her fault; his generals should have been more accepting of his choices, especially of mate. "The fools deserved to die anyway." He thought, if only to himself, before continuing. "It will be no great grievance to strategize for me."

"Don't get me wrong." Paedar took over, not allowing Sesshoumaru to say anything further as he sat down his teacup deliberately. "I can strategize just fine, Mr. Sesshoumaru." His voice spoke volumes in the room, telling everyone that he was indeed an alpha and that Sesshoumaru needed to watch his assumptions. "The problem is—we've not much to go on."

"We have no idea when Naraku gets here but," Kagome jumped in suddenly, her voice confident and well heard to all those at the table. "When he does arrive, I don't think there's too much strategy available." She spoke with poise and diplomacy as she looked from Paedar to Sesshoumaru. "Inuyasha and I know what to do with Naraku." She glanced at her husband who didn't say a word in response, his eyes focused now on the table, flickering with thoughts. Kagome didn't have time to really think about the way his lips were tightening, however, before Rin stepped into the conversation.

"That's all well and good, Kagome." The woman spoke carefully as she held her own cup of tea in front of her, one delicate hand underneath it and the other holding it with a touch that seemed impossibly light. "But we don't know what's coming with him." She looked down into her tea studying the ripples as the liquid shook from her slightest movements. "And that's the dangerous part."

"She's right." Sango butted in as she glanced down at one of her sleeping boys, bringing up the tiny kimono being used to cover him up to his small chin to make sure he was warm enough. "He could have an army for all we know."

"At the very least," Miroku spoke softly knowing that everyone in the room would hear him easily enough. "He has a ship of pirates," He looked up towards his father, making eye contact with the abnormally quiet man. "He was on the Thunder, right?"

"Yeah." Inuyasha responded but his tone was clipped and controlled as he glanced at Kagome's tea watching it out of the corner of his eye.

"Yer girl, Sesshoumaru—the wind 'chantress." Eion leaned back crossing his arms over his chest as his mind raced with his own thoughts. After several seconds, he pushed himself forward once more, one hand sliding onto the table purposefully and the other lifting in the air, dancing in time with his words. "She's bringing him here?" He pointed at the table with one claw being just careful enough to not accidently nick it with a nail.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru sat down his cup, the sound of it clicking loud in the sudden quiet that followed Eion's words.

"Then all yer people." Aengus took over for Eion as he put everything together, his voice deep and grave as he stared at the grains of the table with wide eyes. "Be in danger."

Kagome felt her eyes widened as she too finally understand the gravity of the situation. "We can't let that happen." She spoke quickly and adamantly as she looked back and forth from one end of the table to the other. "Innocent people could be hurt."

"But what can we do?" Miroku slowly brushed Taisho's head, soothing the soft, downy baby hair of his son who slept peacefully between his mother and father. "It's not like we can magically find him, Kagome."

It was Inuyasha in that moment, who suddenly looked up, his grave features replaced with a spark of indefinable realization. The hand that had been playing with some unknown gem from long ago dropped and slammed against the table making everyone jump from the unexpected sound, even Sesshoumaru although no one saw. "We can't," He spoke and his eyes burned, the red flecks in them a searing intensity as he studied his wife. "But you can."

Kagome's bright grey eyes widened and fluttered as the image of a tiny box covered in kanji jumped into her soul. "The compass." Her whole body froze as she remembered the little contraption that they hadn't even looked at in a least a year. It had to just be collecting dust in their cabin; however, it was still there and it could do something that would lead them right to Naraku. "The shards." She said the words and Inuyasha nodded his head quickly as everyone else in the room tried to follow, with the exception of Sango and Miroku.

"He has shards and the compass—." Sango spoke nearly out of breath as she put it all together.

"Can see them." Kagome finished for her as she sat the cup down without a second thought her mind jumping to a million places instantly. "With it I can see his shards." She quickly looked towards Inuyasha her mind almost not able to keep up with her mouth. "If we leave on Shikuro, I can use the compass to direct us to Naraku," She looked back towards the group not noticing how Inuyasha's shoulders tensed once more from her words. "We might have to fight him at sea but really, that's what we're good at."

"The compass has a distance ratio." The original commissioner of the compass spoke flatly but his words did nothing to deter Kagome.

"I know," Kagome smiled at the lord not at all hindered by his comment. "But we tested it—one league." Her eyes swept over the group quickly, trying to be reassuring as she smiled at them. "I can see them when they're one league away."

"If Kagome can see him—then," Rin glanced at her son who was staying silent as he should and sent him a knowing smile, her words his own thoughts. "Wouldn't it be better if we waited for him outside the bay?" She looked towards the group and Takeshi winced as he glanced towards his father who was looking at him and not his mother.

"Takeshi?" The man spoke bluntly, drawing everyone's attention to the youngest (awake) among them.

The boy cleared his throat and looked towards his mother expectantly but she didn't say a word. He bit the inside of his cheek scared to speak his mind in a room full of experienced men. His mother's gentle hand landing on his thigh was, luckily, enough to push the words out of his throat. "We could way anchor on Shikuro in the bay," He explained, his voice tentative as the older men in the room all looked at him keenly. "And—um—the second Kagome-obaa-san saw the shards go after him." He glanced at his aunt for only a moment before his mouth ran away with him. "It's better than waiting here—," He shrugged and brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly. "If we start from the edge of the bay we'll be far enough away from the village once the actual battle starts." He finished abruptly, throwing his hand back in his lap as he noticed where it had gone.

The room was quiet, almost contemplative for several seconds, before Eion leaned back bringing a knee up to his chest and resting his elbow across it. "So—we just need to set sail and be on our way." He declared and winked towards the younger demon who looked as if he was about to burst with joy. It's not every day that your elders actually listen to you about something so important.

"Sounds like a plan." Paedar agreed even as he swatted at Eion forcing the man to sit properly once more. "You don't be sittin' like that in a war meeting." He chastised while Aengus snickered beside him momentarily before continuing with Paedar's thought.

"Good idea pup." He nodded his chin towards Takeshi once and then turned towards the rest of the table. "I say we getta movin' quick then."

"So, it's settled!" Kagome nodded her head enthusiastically. "We'll load up the Shikuro and head to the bay."

"I'm in!" Miroku finally got his two cents worth in as he looked towards Sango who seemed a bit apprehensive. "Sango?" He spoke her name calmly and the room turned to look at the two. The woman was glancing down at her two young sons, her chocolate Italian eyes pensive.

"I want to come too." She spoke so quietly that no one in the room appeared to hear at first but then realization dawned on them.

"Sango?" Kagome whispered the name as the woman raised up her head and looked at the room of men, daring them to turn her down.

"I want to be there," Her voice was soft but so strong it echoed endlessly throughout everyone who heard it. "You've helped me so much," Her eyes stayed on Kagome and Inuyasha, unwavering as she spoke. "I have to—," She gulped and held back the tears that threatened her eyes. "I have to help you—it's the least I can do f-for everything you did for me." She finally closed her eyes and bowed her head a bit even as she sensed the argument already building in the air.

Much to everyone's surprise, however, the argument was stilled almost immediately by the sound of Rin's voice. "I'll stay behind with your boys." The room snapped their attention collectively towards Rin, everyone's eyes huge including Sesshoumaru's. "There's wet-nurse here for them."

"Rin!" The man looked at her openly surprised by her comment.

"The children are young," Rin smiled softly at her husband, not yet looking at her son but instead at her little daughter. "If something—if something goes wrong," She glanced up for a brief moment at Sesshoumaru and then down to the sleeping Mariko again. "Someone has to be here for them—I can get them out and protect them."

The room stayed silent as her words died on her lips. No one could argue with logic like that and no one wanted to, so the matter was settled before a single person could say a word.

"Rin-sama." Sango felt the tears overwhelm her as she looked at the beautiful woman. "Th—thank you."

Rin smiled beautifully at the girl and then, much to everyone's surprise, reached out and placed her hand on Takeshi's head. "This one is going with you though."

"Okaa-sama?" Takeshi's eyes grew wide and his jaw nearly dropped to his chest as his face jumped from his father to his mother and then back again with shock. "Ano—nanio?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru acknowledged as he nodded his head and stilled all his features as normal. "It's about time he faced a real battle."

"Arigato!" The boy spoke so fast that the words didn't even seem to be real as he shoved himself away from the table. He jostled his sister as he moved but the girl didn't seem to care in the least as she continued to sleep undisturbed. In a flash, he dropped his head to the floor bowing to his father on his knees, two hands in front of his face as he said thank you over and over. A jumble of other words dropped from his lips but no one seemed to notice as the boy continued to bow and stammer.

"We'll need two ships." Inuyasha broke up the enthusiasm coming off of Takeshi, pushing the conversation along. Everyone at the table directed their attention to the captain with curiosity.

"Why, Otou-san?" Miroku questioned trying to make eye contact with his father but it seemed the demon didn't want to look anyone in the eye just then.

"One for battle and—," He raised his head and glanced ever so briefly towards Sango and then towards Kagome. "One to leave before it starts."

"What?" Kagome jumped in as she turned towards her husband with a large frown on her face and knitted eyebrows.

"We need you to spot Naraku but after that—," Inuyasha fought back the urge to wince, knowing Kagome was going to protest loudly. "I'm not gonna put you and our pup in danger." He inhaled sharply and turned his eyes towards her as the rest of the room simultaneously looked away from the couple as if sensing the catastrophic event which was about to occur. "It would be better if you returned to the mainland where it's safe, while I fought Naraku." He spoke clearly as if he had been thinking about these things for quite a while and, in truth, he had. "I'd be a poor father and a poor husband if I even considered letting you stay."

"And I'd be a poor excuse for a person if I didn't stay." Kagome countered, her words something that made everyone wince and even scoot a bit away from the couple trying to not be noticed by either. There was no use picking sides in that moment. "I promised Naraku that I would rescue him." She placed one hand on the table, trying to he controlled but slamming it down without her consent. "And I have to be there—just in case."

"Why can't you just listen to me for once?" He brought his hands up and rubbed his temples with exasperation. "I know what's best." The words echoed all around them dangerously and Kagome's eyes flashed with something that Inuyasha hadn't seen there in over a year.

"What did you say?" Her voice was slow and her anger was fierce as she stared him down looking to be just seconds from exploding. The whole room went unbelievably tense but no one moved or made an excuse to leave for fear of Kagome killing them.

"Kagome." He dropped his hands form his face and faking bravery turned to look at her. Her grey eyes were swirling with dangerous storms and her lips were drawn into a tight line that looked as if it might snap at any moment and chew him out or, better yet, bite him. "Look, you have to unde—." He tried to speak, he even tried to reach for her hand on the table wanting her to feel his apology but she didn't seem capable; he couldn't blame her.

She snatched her hand away, her eyes storming with anger and tears. "Don't you dare," Her voice shook but was strong all at once as she held her hand to her chest protectively. "Use my own words against me." For a moment, it looked as if she might say something else, but the moment passed and not finding anything else to say she shot up from the table fully prepared to storm out of the room.

The sound of Aengus chuckling slightly brought her away from that brink, however, and surprised she turned around in time to see him taking a sip from his tea amused. "Ya sound like Paedar, Inuyasha." He commented but the words did little to further release the tension. "And Kagome," He lifted up his eyes and looked at the girl who was staring at him with surprisingly wide and calm eyes. "Sounds like me, yeah?" He sat the tea cup down and glanced at his mate with a bit of a smirk on his face. "Ya used ta be—real careful with me too—like I'd break at 'ny moment."

Paedar raised an eyebrow and continued to play along with his mate's game. "That is a bit different though," He nodded his head mockingly towards Inuyasha. "Technically yer're a man."

"Technically, I do have them parts." Aengus laughed loudly as the women in the room blushed brightly from the rash statement. "But," His laughter faded and seriousness marked his every feature as he looked at his great-grandchildren with silver, discerning eyes. "Her bein' a woman ain't be a gud reason to keep her chained up, now is it?"

"No—," Inuyasha snorted and turned away from his grandfather as he frowned. "It's not because she's a woman," He made sure to look up at Kagome as he spoke. "It's because you're pregnant—," He spoke directly towards her, watching as her anger turned to something else he couldn't quite pinpoint. "Kagome—that's a whole lot different."

"Yes," Aengus agreed and his voice sounded amused even then. "And whose choice was that—her's or yer's?"

Kagome heard the words behind her and this time, instead of making her think, they made her stomach knot. "Aengus." She whispered the name and turned around just enough to see the man sitting at the table. "Thank you for defending me but—," She sighed heavily and her hands fell to the child within her, wanting to touch them and hold them and love them but wondering still if that would ever be possible. "Dear lord I don't even know." She brought her hands up to cup her face for a moment and then dropped them down. "I—I'll—I'm going to get some air." She spoke abruptly and without another word jumped forward, moving exactly as she had intended to just moments before.

"Damn it." Inuyasha cursed as she slipped out the shoji door not even bothering to put on her shoes as she jumped off the porch and took off in the direction of the forest. He pushed himself up from his sitting position, fully prepared to take off after her but the sound of Eion's gentle voice hitting the air stopped him, however.

"Your mate is pregnant." He spoke as carefully as possible wanting his words to be heard and not ignored. "But she is powerful as well." He reached out and touched the back of Inuyasha's sleeve, musing the material between his fingers momentarily. "She wants to do something dangerous." He yanked on the sleeve hard and then dropped it. "You know the consequences and assume she doesn't but in the end," He watched as the younger man turned and looked down at him finally, his eyes wide and a laced with a tiny but of recognition. "She knows—and she has made a decision which you can't stop."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak but Aengus held up his hand this time halting the argument.

"Ya can't control her Inuyasha, 'ny more than ya can control the sea." The older wolf demon tried to smile but he knew the expression came across as just a bit mocking. "And iffu try," He laughed a little bit and then frowned in apology. "Yer're no better than the men who beat their wives into submission."

Any argument that could have left Inuyasha's mouth died at his grandfather's poignant words.

"All ya can do now is talk ta her," He reached up again and this time grabbed his grandson's hand pulling down until Inuyasha was forced to lean over. "Talk and reach a compromise." He pulled the younger man down a little more until Inuyasha was looking right into his eyes, dead even. "That's te only way—take it from someone who had to deal with Paedar fer—," He paused, the seriousness leaving him as he tried to think. Blinking rapidly, he released Inuyasha and turned towards the man in question. "How long've we been together?"

"Damn if I know." Paedar shrugged slightly with an air of unconcern washing from him.

Aengus' face fell at the words, hurt lining his every feature. "I'm wounded."

Flustered, Paedar actually stammered. "You don't know either!"

Inuyasha stared at the two men as they began to bicker just as they had often in his childhood. In the back of his mind, he wondered if his parents had ever bickered like that or if his father had worried about his mother when she was pregnant and fighting (if she had been, that is, he wasn't really that sure if she fought while she was pregnant or not). "It doesn't matter." He shook the thought off and instead chose to latch onto his grandfather's more important thought. "I have to—talk with her and figure this out together—something my parents never could do." Turning quickly without another word, he slipped out of the room ignoring the tiny squabble as he went to his wife.

Paedar smiled and stopped arguing with his mate the second Inuyasha was out of hearing range. "That's enough." He whispered over the quiet of the room. "It's hard ta pretend ta fight like that."

"You were pretending?" Sango raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"We do that sometimes," Aengus turned towards her offering a lopsided smile. "Eases ta tension."

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat at the admittance and glanced towards his brother. "We should follow and mediate."

"Naw." Paedar's voice was calm and even as he looked out the door towards Inuyasha's retreating back. "That isn't our place."

"You are the pack leader." Sesshoumaru spoke up as he looked down at his own wife who was surprisingly silent. She glanced up at him, her large brown eyes fluttering slightly as she tried to smile but failed. Just for her to see, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyebrows, knitting them together with concern. Rin noticed the gesture but only shook her head slowly back and forth dismissing him.

"I know I am." Paedar spoke bluntly, making it obvious that he had won the little battle between him and Sesshoumaru. In this case, age had won or, perhaps, Sesshoumaru had simply decided arguing with the man wasn't worth his time (that seemed far more likely). "But—part of being a pack leader is realizing pups grow." Paedar looked down at the small bundles of his two new great-great-grandson's, his eyes filling with instant love as he studied the curve of a plump baby cheek. "And as they grow ya must give them their own clout—'specially," His eyes rose and looked out the door, Inuyasha no longer even in sight. "When they start a pack of their own."

"You make it sound as if you become equals."

"One day," Paedar looked directly at Sesshoumaru and then to his young son who stared at the other alpha male in amazement, he had never seen a single person (except his mother) stand up to his father this way. "He will be a man." He spoke evenly, his eyes staying on Sesshoumaru with purpose and meaning. "And on that day, ya'll realize what I mean."

The demon lord inhaled sharply, the sound surprising to all who knew him well. "You would do to watch yourself." He exerted his authority but the old Irishman didn't seem affected.

"I try not to," He stood from his seat and rolled his shoulders back, looking the part of a regal king as the light from the shoji graced his chin, allowing everyone a glimpse into a life that few knew much about. "Life's so much more fun that way." He smiled and turned towards Sango, showing his back to Sesshoumaru in a way that said far more than any human could comprehend. "Now—can I hold one?" He asked her extending his hands out as his eyes sparkled with mirth both because he was delighted to hold his grandchild and also because it was fun to stick it to the monotone lord.

-break-

Inuyasha ran through the trees, his sharp eyes catching every single movement amongst them as he looked for his wife. Her scent clung to the world around him, making her easy to follow as he ran. His paced instantly slowed as he caught a flash of purple from between the trees, the image of her in the soft yukata repeating in his mind. He felt his mouth go dry as he approached that break in the forest, his mind reeling with Eion's words; words he had already known existed, at least, somewhere deep inside him.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to continue walking, his feet hitting the ground where only a few patches of snow remained in the shade. The sound of it crunching under his feet made him wince and he clenched his jaw shut as he looked for any sign of movement from the purple yukata hidden amongst the trees. A slight turning and twisting of the fabric caught his attention and he paused for a moment to study it. Light gathered from between the canopy of the trees and fell upon the sight just as he saw her short curly hair. It reflected the sunlight as she moved, turning so that she could look behind her through the trees and towards him.

"I know you're there." She spoke softly, her voice tensing just as her shoulders did.

He watched the way she scrunched up her body as she knelt in the middle of the clearing looking as if she wanted to disappear. Anger welled in his gut from the sight and he growled hating himself for causing her to look that way, feel that way. Clutching his fist at his side, he took a step forward stepping on a twig in the process. It snapped under his feet actually causing both him and her to jump from the sound. He held back a curse word knowing it would not do any go and instead clicked his tongue with irritation. Clearing his throat, he finally stepped into the clearing, his eyes fixated on her hunched form. "Sorry."

"For the twig, I presume?" Kagome immediately responded with her unnecessary question; she already knew the answer.

"No." He told her faintly and his words caught her completely off guard. Her tense shoulders relaxed instantly and she turned with wide unnerved eyes to look at him but the sight made him nervous and he turned away. "Kagome—I—." He sighed heavily and brought his hand up to rub over his tired eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said." He forced the words out but refused to look at her as he said them. Still, the saying them was enough. "I can't—um—I know I—."

"Thank you." She cut him off with her acceptance as she pushed herself up so that she was standing once more but she didn't look at him just yet, she couldn't. Instead, she looked at the clearing around her taking in the wildlife as it bounded here and there unhindered by the anxious couple amongst them.

He pursed his lips at her quickness to forgive him and finally dropped his hand away from his eyes, turning to look at her. "Kagome," He stopped and bit down on the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. The taste of cooper filled his mouth and much to his surprise calmed his nerves to a degree; enough so, that he was able to open his eyes. "I worry." He paused and the palm of his hand began to tingle in an odd way as if to remind him of something, which it didn't have to. "You and the pup, I—worry about—." His voice trailed off becoming lost to her ears but that didn't mean she didn't hear his next though.

"Losing you both."

Introspection ran rampant through Kagome's mind as she heard those words echo throughout her soul. "You have to open your eyes and see." She told herself, referring not to the literal but to the deep and figurative. "Look at him with eyes unclouded." She spoke out loud as she opened her eyes and turned her visage away from the trees and the birds and the snow and forced herself to look at her husband.

He was staring at her, his own beautiful irises looking at her without actually making eye contact. He was standing stark still in the patchy light of the clearing, his body tense and ready to spring, ready to fight. But with her eyes opened she was able to see what that really meant. His chin was angled down, his eyes wouldn't look at her, his ears were pinned back, and all for a reason, the same reason. Fear. He was filled with it—overflowing with it even and she knew that but had ignored it.

"I'm a strong fighter." She heard his own words in the most remote region of his soul. "But I'm a weak man."

The thought made a hand jump to her heart and she stepped forward fully understanding what she had refused to understand. "I know." She told him softly in response to his earlier words. "I'm scared too."

His head snapped up and, for a moment, he seemed taken aback by her words but it only lasted a moment. The surprise was replaced by discomfort and his ears twitched unnervingly against his hair. "I can't—." He closed his mouth unable to say the words, to admit them but Kagome knew them already.

"I can't live without you."

The thought scared her so deeply that she felt her palms begin to sweat but that didn't stop her from pressing the conversation forward. "I have to be there in the end." She told him bluntly and, for the first time since the conversation had started, she stepped towards him and reached out her hands both of them opened and palm up towards him. He stared at her fingers for several seconds but didn't reach for her in return. "Inuyasha." She said his name softly and stepped even closer, reaching upwards towards his face, touching his chin with the pads of her fingers. "I know that's scary but—it's something I have to do."

His wide eyes looked down at her and his eyebrows knitted as he tried to find an argument, any argument but there were none. "You have to be careful though." He finally relented as he closed his eyes and allowed his chin to relax into her gentle hands. "Please—can't we find a way where you're safe?"

Kagome smiled softly and using her fingers guided him forward. His eyes didn't open as she brought his face to her own and pressed her lips to his own. The kiss was soft and sweet and nothing compared to the cabin earlier but as she pulled away and they both opened their eyes to the other it revealed itself to be far more powerful.

"Inuyasha." She rubbed her thumb against his cheek and searched his eyes studying and memorizing the tiny red flecks in them. "You know I can take care of myself, so you don't need to fear for me." She made her voice as reassuring as possible as she brought her thumb over his jaw. "And you also know," She pulled one hand away from his chin and used it to captured one of his own which was dangling at his side. He didn't even flinch as she took that hand, guiding it to the spot where life was beginning to show through. "That I will protect our child with my life—so you do not need to fear for this pup."

His fingers splayed over her flesh, the slight bump making his heart flutter in his chest with amazement even though he had felt it all earlier. Protective instincts jumped into his very soul and, without realizing it, he reached out with his other hand and caught her hip, using it to bring her just a little closer.

"I will always stay by your side." She continued softly, reassuringly as her body was pressed against him, the hand on his chin dropping away and falling to his shoulder. "Through the best and the worst of our existences." She barely seemed to actually speak her lips only parted by mere fractions as they moved. "Because I want to protect you," She watched as his eyes widened a little from her words. "As much as you want to protect me."

It seemed as if he was about to completely deny her statement but something stopped him before he could. The demon looked away, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, then allowed them to flutter opened and look at her as he released a long, drawn out sigh. He didn't say anything for some moments, only pressed his palm a bit firmer against her stomach. The hand on her hip traveled to her back and he pulled her to his side, the action awkward with his other hand on her stomach. He ducked his head down against her neck, burying his nose in the place where neck became shoulder. "Okay." He breathed the word onto her skin and Kagome leaned into it.

"So—I'm coming." She left no room for argument but she could feel the discomfort her words brought him, the overwhelming fear. "But—," The inclusion of the word made him pull away to look at her. She stared at him as her mind reeled. "There has to be a compromise." She told herself and licked her lips in thought. "Maybe," She searched her mind, her memory landing on the conversation they had previously with the rest of the group. "Two ships—," She clicked her tongue as an idea jumped into her head. "We're bringing two ships." She looked up at him, her eyes bright with her own thought. "One ship can hold back."

Inuyasha blinked for a moment as he tried to process her words and then he smiled faintly. "I see."

"You stay on Shikuro during the battle," Kagome continued on quickly as her fingers, which had been resting against his shoulder, played with his hair in thought. "I'll stay on the other ship. My arrows are long range anyway."

"That—I like." He sighed heavily and she could almost feel the amount of tension that was released by the action. "How far away can you shoot from?" The question came out quickly as if it had just struck him.

Kagome rolled her eyes upwards in thought as she estimated how far she could actually fire. "An eighth," She tilted her head back and forth, her fingers musing his hair as she thought. "Of a league, at the farthest."

"Can you do a quarter—," He pulled at straws, wanting her to be as far away as humanly possible from the actual battle. Even he knew what he was asking was ridiculous though. "Can you be quarter a league away from the actual fight?"

"I think that would be pushing it." Kagome answered him honestly, she was good but firing from almost a mile and a half or more away was a bit much. Truthfully, firing from almost half a mile was pushing it. "I'm not even sure I could see far enough to hit from that distance." She bit her lip and held back a further comment, she wanted to be fair, both of them deserved to have their say in this conversation. "I think I can go na eighth but that's as far as I can fire from."

He hugged her too him as tightly as he could and took in her scent as he finally relented. "Okay." He nodded his head against the side of her ear and turned so he could kiss her neck gently. "Thank you." The gratitude came out in a breathy whisper but it was there and it was real.

Kagome smiled from the words and, with her hand still covering his on her stomach, rubbed the back of his knuckles reassuringly. "We'll all be safe." She told him as she allowed a little of her energy to reach for the baby inside her, feeling it as its power pushed against her own. "I promise." Her heart tightened as the words left her mouth but she ignored the ominous sign with all her might.

-break-

Kagome grasped her bow in her hand, studying it absently. The curved red of the wood reminded her of the roof of the house above her but she didn't bother to make the connection that inspired, it was too obvious. Her knees scraped the rough floor of the tatami mats as she forced herself to stand. The fabric of her dark black pants was cool against her skin and her boots, which had been purchased along the edge of some foreign country, hugged her feet silently. The cotton of her buttoned shirt brushed against her skin as she took the bow and slung it over her shoulder. Even though the curved object of it had no string, she had fashioned a little rope about it using slip knots that came undone easily, so it was easier to carry.

The floorboards creaked behind her but she didn't turn, she didn't have to move to know the presence behind her. "Are you ready?" He asked softly and his voice held the hint that something was off.

Knitting her eyebrows, she turned to look at her husband but found her eyes didn't land on him but instead on the child in his arms, who held onto his haori with teary eyes. "Shippo."

"Why," The little boy sniffled and reached for her, looking so young in that moment that she remembered how little he really was. "Are you leavin' me behind?" He got out with a chocked whimper.

Kagome sniffled herself and approached the two but didn't take him from Inuyasha. Instead, she wrapped her arms around both her husband and their adoptive child, leaning into them as Shippo whimpered and cried. She felt Inuyasha drop his chin to the top of her head and one of his arms which was free from Shippo came up to hold her, planting itself in the curve of her back. She closed her eyes against the feel of his comforting touch and gave Shippo a moment to cry, his tears soaking her shirt slightly. "It's okay sweet one." She whispered to the small boy as he cried, not really knowing what to say to him. "We'll," She struggled to find the right words but nothing seemed appropriate, because they all just seemed like lies. "We'll be back." She finally managed to say and even though her eyes were closed, she winced.

"That's what," He blubbered, the noise catching in his throat for a moment and then calming as he buried his face more firmly into her warmth. "Wh—Papa said and he—." Shippo couldn't finish his blunt statement as his tiny hands gripped her fiercely as if to say he would never let her go.

The young girl winced knowing that Papa was not Inuyasha in this case but Shippo's biological father who had left and never returned. "To lose your father is something no one should ever have to experience." A pain settled in her own heart for she too knew what it was to lose a father and she had been an 'adult' when it happened, not a child. "I know." Kagome whispered as she kissed the side of the boy's downy head.

"Shippo." Inuyasha spoke with surprising gentleness, the sound of his voice bringing Kagome away from the child enough to look up at him.

In Inuyasha's eyes, she saw a pain she hadn't thought to associate with the Captain, a pain she should have realized was there. "You were the same age." Her eyes widened but her husband didn't seem to see them because he was distracted by the child between them, the child who he understood better than Kagome ever could.

"It's hard to lose—someone." He spoke quietly and to a degree reserved all at once. "But, that's part of life." His words stopped Shippo's crying, the boy suddenly pulling away from Kagome to look up at the second father figure he had ever known. "I can't promise that we'll come back," Inuyasha told the boy, trying to smile but the expression strained indicating to even Shippo that he wished he could lie but he knew he couldn't. "But I can promise you will be safe, though."

Shippo shook his head quickly, the tears that had already fallen down his cheeks actually flinging in the air. "How?" He cried out and his tiny face seemed to be an accusation or, better yet, a last line of defense.

"Rin-san is staying behind with Mariko, Taisho and Richard." He spoke evenly, watching as the tiny child angled his chin and looked up at him his eyes widening with wonder. "If anything happens, you'll be safe and," He leaned down and awkwardly nuzzled the child, the space between him and Kagome not nearly enough to actually do it properly. "As the oldest, she'll need your help."

"Really?" Shippo blinked as Inuyasha pulled away.

The man briefly glanced at his wife and raised his eyebrows up as if to tell her how amazing he was. "That's why you're staying," He continued on as nonchalantly as possible, dipping his chin so he was looking at Shippo and not her once more. "Because she needs you."

Shippo nodded, the words doing what they were supposed to. "But I'll still—miss you."

"I know." He removed his hand from Kagome's back then and reached up to ruffle Shippo's red hair. The boy closed his eyes and frowned from the action but didn't look away as the man he had come to associate as his father sent him a kind smile. "And we'll miss you." It was a truth so honest that there was no argument to be had in it.

The tiny child's face contorted with fresh tears and in one swift motion he turned away from Kagome to Inuyasha once more and hugged him as he cried. Inuyasha didn't say anything further as he allowed the boy to cry, the hand which had ruffled his hair dropping to Shippo's back, patting it slightly. "It's okay to cry." He told Shippo even though the boy didn't need any encouragement. "Sometimes life just makes you wanna."

His words stirred something in Kagome and she found that she had to pull away from the two in order to keep herself from crying. She noticed the way Inuyasha's eyes jumped towards her, seeing the quick retreat but she didn't bother to focus on him. Instead, she forced herself to look around the room they had used for barely a week and a half or two, it wasn't important really. The futon they had slept on was stacked neatly in the corner and the table they had eaten at alone and with their family was leaning against the wall as if forgotten. Her eyes drifted to an ink scroll she had spent a few hours staring at hung unobtrusively upon the wall. A tall mountain and a man climbing it greeted her as it had every morning she had spent here. She stared at that man, taking in his diamond patterned clothes done in black and grays. Her eyes fluttered at the sight of such normalcy but then widened as she saw the stark comparison between that man and herself.

"I have my own mountain to climb." She firmed up her jaw and turned back to her husband, what once had been tears ready to fall now turning into determination. Shippo's tiny whines filled the air and her heart ached from the sound as she looked over the tiny shaking head to the face of her husband. His jaw was tense as he looked at her, firm and unwavering. She could feel his trepidation and his fears but she ignored them as she straightened her back and sent him a unwavering smile. "We fight to live." She said the words with such purpose that they stilled Shippo's tiny cries for a moment. "You hear me, Shippo?" She asked without looking at the boy but instead focusing on the man. "So don't worry—we will never stop fighting."

The boy turned in Inuyasha's arms with wide eyes. For a moment it looked as if he was going to cry again but his face firmed up the second Kagome turned her gaze away from Inuyasha and back towards the child.

"So neither should you." She spoke firmly and with a smile that made Shippo nod his head, the watery tears still there but contained. "Good boy." Her heart tightened in her chest but she didn't dare let the notion form on her face as she reached out and petted Shippo's head gently. "I'm ready." She spoke to Inuyasha without looking away.

"Then let's go." The demon didn't smile or smirk or even frown, his face was neutral as he spoke and calm. He turned, holding Shippo who was looking between them now with apprehensive eyes but more strength than he had minutes before.

Kagome responded in kind to his words and followed him, but unlike his pure neutral expression she kept her smile, the truest of all masks, on her face. Just as she was about to cross the threshold of the shoji and out into the hands of fate, however, she stopped. A strange impulse consumed her as she looked at Inuyasha's retreating back and heard his voice carry on the wind towards her as he continued to comfort Shippo. The red fabric of his haori filled her vision for just one more moment, before she twisted her neck and looked over her shoulder one last time. The man in the ink painting greeted her vision instantly and her mask fell as she looked at his faceless form, climbing his mountain.

"He'll never reach the summit." It was a strange thought to have and an even stranger one to voice but it was the truth.

"Kagome?"

She jumped slightly and looked towards Inuyasha who had stopped half way down the porch and was now looking at her expectantly. She blinked as he stared at her, his expression a bit worried. "Um." She shook her head quickly to clear her thoughts and threw the smile back onto her face. Without saying a word, she reached for the sliding panel and grabbed it. "I was just doubling checking that we got everything!" She called towards him, not bothering to listen for a reply as she slid the door shut, blocking out the faceless man and the mountain he could never conquer.

-break-

The remnants of snow crunched under their feet as they walked away from the place they had called home for barely a few weeks. The atmosphere was strikingly calm and collected, everyone prepared for a battle that seemed far more dangerous the closer it loomed. Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha walked shoulder to shoulder behind them and in front of them the other members of their makeshift army following or leading. The four were quiet, contemplative; stuck in their own thoughts. Sango's heart cried to be with her children, Miroku's begged for his father's life and Kagome and Inuyasha's wished for both and more.

Sango pursed her lips against the silence and side glanced towards Kagome who was walking on the other side of Miroku. She watched the girls tense face through the shadow of her bangs but said nothing. "What could I say, anyway?" She asked herself and pulled her gaze away from the other girl choosing instead to look at the dormant trees around her. The light, honey colored branches creaked in the faint wind, bowing and shuffling as tiny squirrels with large adorable eyes ran along the branches playing tag. She smiled sweetly from the sight and a soft chuckle left her, catching her husband's attention.

"Hm?" Miroku looked towards his wife who started at his tiny utterance and shook her head.

"Nothing." She shook her head and pointed with her chin towards the tree where the squirrels had been playing. "Just—watching nature at its best."

"Yeah?" The man glanced up towards the trees, catching sight of the tail of one of the creatures as it scurried away. "Rin-sama says that soon those trees will be filled with flowers."

"I heard the same thing." Sango agreed and sighed almost whimsically. "I wish I could see it."

Her words seemed to strike something in everyone who had been discretely listening in on the conversation. A collective question ran down everyone's spine and no one had the power to stop it: Would they live to see those trees bloom? As if prearranged, the group stopped in the middle of the orchard, some feet shuffling as if they wanted to continue on but pausing none-the-less.

Standing in front of the rest, his eyes tired as he looked back at the youth behind him, Paedar tried to smile. "Izayoi," He said the name with such care that his love for the girl showed through beautifully. "Used to speak," He forced himself to look at his grandson who was staring at the ground, his shoulders tense both from his own memories of the woman and from the current situation she had created. "Of this place."

"Tat wee one loved it here." Aengus said quietly, the sadness in his voice coming off of him in a wave of depression that rocked Kagome's whole body. "She—she spoke of 'em—like a gurl, she did," He laughed slighted and tilted his head back as if imagining what Izayoi had seen once, the one thing that made her behave like a stereotype and not like a girl raised by a bunch of scalliwags. "Them pretty flowers."

"I'd give my right arm to see 'em." Eion closed his eyes as he spoke and tilted his face towards the sun.

Kagome blinked as she stared at him, watching as he took in the light as if hoping it would make the flowers grow now but they couldn't. "They won't for a month at least." She told herself, feeling her own disappointment mix with the yearning of those around her. She could see flashes of their brilliance behind her eyelids, images of tiny buds blooming, of pinks, whites, and vibrant reds. "Whose memories are these?" She wondered as the green leaves fluttered in the wind and blossoms dropped from the trees leaving cherries behind. She would never have the answer to that question because, as she watched the cherries in her mind be plucked from the branch by an unknown hand, she realized she didn't have to settle for just a memory.

Grey eyes fluttered open and she broke away from her pack, moving towards the closest tree with firm resolve. She didn't hear her name being called by her overly protective husband or even the sound of feet scrapping the dirt as others moved towards her only to suddenly halt. She felt her power swell within her, warm and tantalizing as always. She directed the energy from her core to her back where the bow was and allowed it to flow outwards into her hands, filling them with heat and power.

Without stopping she raised that hand up, her eyes storming as they saw the bright white of her own power leaping from her fingertips, dancing like flames. The wind picked up all around her, sending her hair flying. It brushed her cheek bones, her forehead, her eyes, and the base of her neck caressing her and reassuring her all at once as she gaze at the tree, feeling the energy within it. "Hello." She whispered, her fingers tingling, begging her. "It's time to wake up."

She closed her eyes and leaned forward as if about to fall. Her palm hit the smooth bark of the tree and her energy flared all around her, warming her instantly as she heard the gasps behind her but didn't bother to listen to them. She pressed her energy forward, passed the first layer of bark and deeper into the core of the trees trunk. She felt the passageways like veins that ran up and down the center of the tree, feeding it, growing it, giving it life. She inhaled deeply, directing all of her energy into that one specific point, just as Izayoi herself had taught her. She pushed it upwards and downwards, forcing it into the branches and into the roots. She felt for the ground below her, pushing and pushing until she threw energy passed the roots and the tree and into the dirt itself, allowing it to flow not just into the tree she was touching but into everything she could feel all around her. She pressed it passed the bushes and into other trees, exerting as much force as necessary to warm them and spark life within them.

Behind her, the group stood flabbergasted, their eyes wide and absolutely filled to the brim with amazement as they watched the white, whipping energy all around Kagome consume her. It flowed from the bow at her back, a pure light that seemed to dance as it flowed throughout her, thrashing out like a candle as the wind taunted its flame. It fluttered, sparked, ignited into tiny fires, but all controlled by the girl who directed it, sending it into the surface of the tree.

"What is she—?" Sesshoumaru started to ask, his normally calm disposition allowing him, above everyone else, to find his voice in his amazement and speak.

Before he could finish though, the energy around Kagome seemed to explode outwards in a giant wave of air. Instantly, all of them were flung backwards, their feet pressing into the ground to keep their balance as dirt flew up into the air accompanied by little bits of snow. They collectively covered their eyes from the twigs and rocks that came with the dirt and ice, shielding themselves from the last brilliant moment of Kagome's power working before the whole clearing went perfectly still.

Warmth filled them instantly, as if summer had come in mere seconds, and they opened their eyes to a sight no one would ever forget. Thousands of flowers, budding, opening, bright, white, pink, and red, infinitely surrounded them with fragrance and brilliance as they opened their eyes. They overflowed the edges of every single tree branch reaching all the way up to a blanket of indigo sky which highlighted the intensity of their colors. And below them, the forest floor, which had been dirt, mud, and snow, contrasted the blue with vibrant green. Tiny yellow flowers, amongst the emerald greens of grass and weed alike, seemed to reach up for the pink above them, begging to join in their beauty.

The playful wind tousled and pulled at them and then released them into the air, a rain of delicate, flickering blooms that dropped down towards them so gently that it made tears flow into Sango's eyes. "Oh my god." Sango's hands flew to her mouth only briefly before she reached for one of them out, placing her palm upwards to catch the tiny petal in her shaking fingers. It was minuscule against her palm and she hurriedly brought it to her face to get a closer look. "It's so tiny." She whispered as she dropped the hand from her mouth and touched it with giant fingertips, the softness not lost on her trembling fingers. "Miroku!" Sango turned to her husband in a wave of long brown hair, her hat having fallen off in the rush of Kagome's power.

The man stared at the little white slip of flower in his wife's hand. "Wow." He whispered, not knowing what else to say in his state of shock.

"Dear me." Paedar's legs gave out from underneath him and he fell onto them just as Aengus put a hand on the other man's shoulder to support himself.

"No wonder," He whispered so quietly that only his mate heard him as he looked at the beauty all around him. "Our wee 'un spoke of it." He forced himself to hold back the chocked sound that threatened to build in his throat as he imagined his little granddaughter running in a wash of petal rain.

In the middle of all of it, Inuyasha's ears tweaked from the sound of his grandfathers' voices but he said nothing. Unlike them, he remembered this sight, even if he had been only five or six the last time he had seen these trees bloom. So, the picture didn't fascinate him as much as the woman who had caused it. His golden eyes with their streaks of red and brown, stared at his wife's back as the woman leaned her head against the tree as if to apologize for waking it so early. His chin dropped and he tried to say something but he couldn't.

"I knew she was powerful." He told himself as he took his eyes off of her just long enough to look around him at the hundreds of trees she had awakened in an instant. "I knew—but—." He looked back as ominous doubt made him sick to his stomach. "Damn—." His hands fell to his sides and a strained smile formed on his face that he couldn't stop.

-break-

The floor crackled as Hiten's body was slammed onto the planks, his knees finally giving out as he looked up at Naraku. "I won't let you hurt even one hair on her head!" He threw the words at the other demon but he knew they were ridiculous at best.

"Oh—," Naraku blinked faking innocence as he motioned towards two of Hiten's former crew purposefully. "You think I'm the one who's going to kill her?"

Hiten didn't bother to look at the two men who were obeying Naraku's silent commands as they made their way onto either side of him. "I'd have to be—a—a piss poor man," He bit out the words as the two men grabbed him under his arms viciously and yanked him up onto his knees, not even bothering to bring him to his feet. "Not to take care of," He winced as the men dragged him forward towards the staircase leading up to the helm's deck. His knees scrapped against the wooden boards underneath him and he grimaced from the splinters. "My mate." He managed to finish as they reached the stairs, hauling him upwards.

"True." Naraku leaned forward on the railing observing as Hiten was yanked and pulled, his knees smacking each step. "So—let me pose a question." He continued on as looked away from Hiten at the rest of his, now, loyal army. "If a good man takes care of his mate," He tapped his chin thoughtfully as Hiten was brought up the last stair, one of his boots catching on the last step painfully ripping it off of his foot. "What adjective do you use to describe," He paused as the men threw their ex-Captain on the ground in front of Naraku's feet, the man hitting the ground with a loud thud. "One that kills his own mate?"

Horrified, Hiten forced his head up to glare at the man even as blood dripped down his forehead between his eyes from where he had hit the floor. "You couldn't ever make me." He huffed his vision blurring slightly from the rain and the thick red of his own vital fluid. "I fought you off this time, and I can damn well do it again."

"You think you fought me off?" Naraku pushed himself away from the rail and slowly closed the distance between himself and Hiten. "On the contrary, Mr. Hiten," He spoke carefully as he raised up one hand, motioning with a solitary finger for the men to pick Hiten up once more. Instantly, Hiten felt hands on his shoulders and in his hair wrenching him back to his knees. He snarled as strands of hair were jerked from his head and the sound of his shirt ripping filled the air. With his head held up high by the fingers curling amongst black locks, Hiten found himself staring upwards into Naraku's face completely exposed. For his part, the weasel demon looked down at Hiten with a sick twinkle in his eye. "I," He drug out the words so slowly that Hiten felt them in the pit of his soul. "Let—you—go."

"What?" Hiten's eyes widened and a horrifying realization took place in his heart. Frantically, he struggled against the unnervingly dead hands of his captures wanting to reach out and wring Naraku's neck. "You're lying!" He accused as Naraku suddenly placed his hand right on Hiten's face, covering it completely with the span of his fingers and palm.

"What a pathetic word—lying." He mumbled chillingly as he held Hiten in place, his touch paralyzing the once strong thunder demon. "You need something far stronger to describe me." He spoke snidely as he lifted his clawed hand away just enough that he could touch his thumb and middle finger together once more. "Personally, I prefer, perfidious."

The sound of a snap vibrated through the air and then everything fell silent except for the still pounding rain.

-break-

The ship creaked underneath Kagome's feet as she looked out across the Bay of Edo through the window of her cabin, Inuyasha's cabin. In her hands, the compass was quiet and heavy but she couldn't bring herself to set it down. It was her connection with Naraku, the boy she so desperately wanted to save. She gulped and brought the instrument to her chest, holding it tightly against her as her stomach sunk and her heartbeat crept faster. Doubt circled her mind as she looked out over the water towards the castle, the tips of the distant cherry trees that were in full bloom just on the edge of her vision.

She bit her lip and looked away from them, down, down at her hands. She watched as they clutched the wood of the compass without her telling them to. "The power to give life—the power to take it away—the power to purify." She blinked as she realizes all that power, in this moment, was meaningless. "The power to stand by and watch him do what I'm supposed to." A nagging feeling welled in her stomach but she pushed it down violently. "I have faith!" She lifted up her chin to the sun that was now coming through the window, the ship had turned. "I know Inuyasha can do it—he has the sword and human energy." She blinked against the glare of the sun. "So why do I feel like—I'm wrong?"

The door creaked opened and Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin, whipping her head around in time to see her husband. In his strong hands were two chairs, one supported by either arm and on his face was a look of utter concentration. "You got that one Miroku?" He called over his shoulder as he entered the room.

"Yeah." Miroku called from somewhere behind him but Inuyasha didn't appear to hear him as he looked towards his wife expectantly.

"Have you seen anything yet?" He asked as he set the two chairs down in front of him without another thought and circled around to her.

"Not a thing." Kagome admitted as she glanced down at the compass and then back towards Inuyasha. "We have no idea where he is—he could be months away."

"Maybe." Inuyasha frowned and glanced back towards his son who was just now making his way through the door to find two chairs in his way.

"Nice." Miroku growled irritably and lifted his eyes up to glare at his father. "A little help, if you don't mind?"

The captain raised an eyebrow and looked at the chair and then back at his son as if confused. "Just jump over them."

"Unlike the demon freak of nature in front of me," His eyebrow twitched as he deliberately dropped the chairs in the hallway and huffed at his father. "I can't just jump the bloody chairs!"

Inuyasha laughed at his son's pain but did move over to the chairs, easily lifting them out of the way. "Get yer ass in here," His words were harsh but his voice was pleasant enough, falsely pleasant almost. "Whinny pup."

Miroku didn't even bother to comment as he dropped the two chairs in front of Inuyasha and turned around on his heel. "Everyone's coming soon." He called over his shoulder as he walked back into the hallway, just out of sight. The sound of more chairs scrapping and a distant voice caught Kagome's attention.

"What's going on?" She asked as she watched Miroku reappear with two more chairs in hand.

"We're going to eat dinner in here." Her husband crossed his arms over his chest and popped his neck tiredly. "I don't think I could subject my men to my relatives all at once."

"They might mutiny." She finally cracked a smile as she ran her fingertips over Sesshoumaru's kanji name on the compass. Unlike the first time she had ever touched the thing, she could read the strange foreign script now. "The power to read without having to learn—I'd be jealous of me."

"Exactly." Miroku cut into the conversation as he dumped the last of the chairs in the room. "You're gonna get the table later, right?"

"Yeah, don't bother yourself." He nodded his chin towards the direction of Miroku and Sango's cabin. "Go spend some time with yer wife, yeah?"

Miroku grinned but not just at the prospect of seeing his wife. "Yer accent comes through when yer're around yer grandfathers."

"Leave me be 'ere wee one." Inuyasha growled but the malice in the sound was minimal at best. Miroku laughed and obeyed, turning and grabbing the door as he slipped out of the room, closing it behind him leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

For several moments silence reigned in the room but neither had a mind to break it. Kagome turned her attention back to the compass in her grip, watching the dormant needle with only vague interest. Part of her wanted to throw the thing away but she couldn't explain why. It was almost as if she felt burned by the unassuming object given to her by Kaede so long ago.

"Kaede." The name drifted into her mind, soft and yet loud, damning. "You caused this—you Izayoi, Inutaisho—fate." Kagome closed her eyes against the sight of the compass and tried hard not to growl in frustration. "I have to be strong." She coached herself as she heard her husband's boots scrape the floor and then a chair groan as it was moved. "I have to believe—we can change fate." She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes slowly that mantra playing in her head as she looked across the room towards Inuyasha who was arranging the chairs quietly. "We can change fate."

"So," The dog demon spoke abruptly as he sat a chair down against the wall, moving it out of the way for now. "Are you actually going to—," He side glanced, his head not moving away from his task but his eyes skillfully finding her. "Actually check?" He looked down at the compass and then back to her face expectedly.

Kagome flushed slightly and looked away from him. Light coming from the window brushed her cheeks as she turned and she winced against its brilliance. "What are you talking about?" She feigned innocence as she cleared her throat briskly.

"I know you Kagome." He straightened, ignoring the last few chairs that were creating a maze in the middle of the floor. "And I know how the compass works." He stepped towards her looking as if he was fully prepared to cross the distance between them but his feet stilled at the last second. "You haven't tried it yet." He spoke bluntly and yet not accusingly. "Why?" He questioned so softly she almost didn't hear him.

"You know why." She replied without looking up, her eyes moving away from the light of the sun and down towards the compass. She felt the power swirl in her stomach, wanting anxiously to seep from her core into her arms and hands and fingers.

Inuyasha looked away from her to the ground, allowing his eyes to make patterns out of the wood grains as he often did when he was trying to concentrate. "We can't stop fate." He told her even as he looked at those grains forming images of cherry blossoms and her face with the groves. "You know that."

"I do." She agreed and lifted up her chin, staring at the wooden floor and ceiling above their heads where the helm stood. "But that doesn't mean I can't," She laughed at herself but the sound was mirthless. "Dream."

He grinned slightly at her words and finally looked up, taking in the curve of her chin. "Hopefully your dreams don't prove futile."

She blinked rapidly at his words and dropped her chin. They made eye contact over the maze of chairs and she smiled awkwardly. "You're such a pessimist."

"Not really," He snorted and grabbed a chair absently, picking it up in one swift move. "I'm a realist."

"A realist?" She quirked an eyebrow and crinkled her nose. "And what is a realist?" Her hands would have crossed over her chest in amusement if the compass had not been in her grip still.

The chair hissed against the floor as he dropped it into place against the wall. "I realize this is real." His back was turned to her, so she couldn't see the taunt expression on his face as he stared at the chair. "You and me—we're real." He straightened his shoulders and gulped slightly before turning to face her. "Real people experiencing a horrible tragedy and there's nothing we can do," He stared at her, the red in his eyes seeming to glow making the gold even more molten and beautiful. "Except fight." He smirked as he spoke, natural confidence seeping off of him in waves. "That's reality."

Kagome felt her heart beat quicken in her chest and her stomach knot as his handsome face smirked at her. "That sounds kind of like," She lowered the compass down without thought, her eyes sparkling as she took him in fully. "Optimism to me."

He laughed, his eyes closing and his head turning to the side as he shrugged his shoulders. "You're impossible."

"You're just now realizing that?" She taunted him and took a step forward, suddenly wanting to be near him.

"Oh I knew it—," His eyes snapped opened and he sent her a cocky grin that made her heart flutter. "I knew it the second I saw you."

She beamed at his words even as they triggered a thought in the back of her mind. "Can I ask you," She took another step forward, watching as he seemed to be compelled to step towards her as well. "A question?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, sending her a bewildered grin. "You don't even have to ask." He reached out, his arms long enough to cover the distance between them so he could touch her cheek with his warm palm. "You never have to ask."

She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as she murmured. "When you first saw me—," Her mind drifted away until she could have sworn she was standing on Port Royal stayless, gloveless, and trapped. "What were you thinking?"

"Truthfully?" He ran his thumb over her cheek, musing it back and forth.

Her eyes fluttered opened and she brought one hand away from the compass to capture his own, cupping it and pressing it more firmly into her cheek. "Reality."

He chuckled and smiled as he stepped just a little bit closer, closing the distance between them. "I was thinking—why is that girl standing there with no gloves and no stay." He leaned his forehead against hers and held back a grin. "Is there something wrong with her?"

Kagome instantly pulled away, dropped her free hand from his own, and slapped his chest with irritation. "Really?"

"No." He stuck his tongue out like a little boy and held back a mirthful chuckle. She huffed in response and he had to laugh as he dropped his hand from her cheek and brought both arms up to embrace her fully. She gasped as he drug her against him, burying his nose into the crock of her neck and inhaling deeply. "I was thinking—," He whispered against her skin, turning his head so he could drop a kiss to the spot just below her ear. "How striking," His lips moved against her skin as he spoke. "Your eyes were."

Kagome blinked caught off guard, her mind not quite processing his words as his lips fluttered tantalizingly against the skin underneath her ear. "My eyes?" She spoke the question in a breath of supple sound.

"Yes," He pulled back so he could see her, his eyes filled to the brim with honesty. "And that—I wanted to meet the girl with the grey eyes," He leaned forward, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead against her own. "More than anything."

She gulped at his words and her eyes fluttered closed consumed by a feeling she couldn't contain. Her stomach swirled with the same butterfly sensation he always produced within her and she looked downwards with just her eyes. The compass felt heavy in her hand trapped between them and she stared at it as she attempted to breathe but the action was difficult. "When I saw you—I noticed your eyes first too." She spoke in a fleeting whisper and bit her lip as the compass seemed to stare up at her, taunting her. "And I thought the same thing—I want," She slowly looked up at him, his bright eyes catching her own as their bangs mixed together. "To meet the man with the—." Her voice trailed off as she looked into the now mixed color of his once golden eyes. She parted her lips wanting to speak but before she could she felt a trickle of energy in just the tips of her fingers.

Her eyes widened and she pulled away from him quickly, his arms falling away easily from his own surprise. Hastily, she brought the compass up to her face looking at it in complete shock. A faint glow had undertaken it and the needle was spinning round and round and round. She followed it with her eyes, completely flabbergasted as it rotated. "I—I must have—let some energy seep." Her voice was choppy as she stared at the rolling needle, her heart pounding in her chest.

"It's just spinning." Inuyasha commented as he watched the compass as well, frowning as the needle danced in a circle. "Like it's confused."

"No." Kagome corrected him as she pushed a little more energy through the compass and into the needle. "It's not confused." She inhaled sharply as the compass came to a sudden halt glowing brightly as it pointed perfectly to their right, away from the window. She lifted her head up and looked out the glass pane towards the retreating shore of Nippon. The arrow was pointing away from the village towards the open water of the sea. Without saying a word, she turned towards the door of the room, her mind envisioning the entrance to the bay, the tall cliffs and seaweed covered rocks. "He's here—." She didn't need to say anything else; the words falling from her lips were enough.

The time had officially come, the arrow had pointed, their heading was set, and there was nothing else they could do to change it.

End of Chapter

Please Review

A/N: So ends another chapter of Shikuro. I know it's taken a while to get here but everything has to carefully be set up in order to work correctly. Even the smallest detail holds significance in the end. Except for the cherry blossom thing, I just thought that was cool. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reviewing, the motivation it gives me is endless! Thank you for your kind words and I hope to hear more.

Mylilkai, Hoot Hoot, Sakura, KassidyR, AiydanWarrior, Bluephoenix star, InuRiotGrrl, kan78, Veena4, Blue72

Next Chapter:

Final Battle Part One (Name will change)

UNEDITED

POSTED

7/7/2015