InuYasha and Kagome: Pirates
AnimeExpert1981: Halo! Get it? No? Okay. So… Yeah… next chapter… Yay! And I have testing so forgive me for the lateness.
Sayuri: You're late anyway.
AnimeExpert1981: You don't have to remind me…
Disclaimer: I have been forgetting about the disclaimer lately… I'M SO SORRY! Oh... Wait... I don't own this! Wait... I DON'T OWN INUYASHA! That's better...
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Pirates
Chapter Seventeen: Shippo's Story
"Shippo! Don't go too far! Stay near me!" she cried out. No matter how much she warns him, he never seems to understand "boundaries". Yet, the idea still made her smile.
"Okay, Mama!" he said. His tiny feet bounded back to his mother's side. She finished collecting the rest of the berries from the nearby bush and sighed in relief.
"Alright. Done. Let's go back to Papa," she said. Shippo nodded and began hopping in front her towards home.
They walked in a comfortable silence to their nearby cave. Few times were jokes thrown around, but that was enough.
"Hey, Mama, can we scare Papa again?" Shippo asked.
That day still remained clear in Shippo's memory. He and his mother were coming home from getting food and decided it would be funny to scare Papa witless. It worked. Mama distracted and Shippo scared Papa by growling and jumping on his back. It startled him… But, Papa got his revenge quicker than expected.
"I don't see why not," she replied. Shippo smiled wickedly and prepared himself. His demon sight allowed him to see his cave a few meters away. Time to shine… He hid behind his mother as she winked at him.
She calmly walked up to her mate and smiled. They exchanged affection and she began a light chat. His mother facing him and her father facing the other direction.
He carefully made sure the crunches of the earth wouldn't be heard. He smiled evilly. With his father's back still to him, Shippo jumped. His father turned on the nick of time and smirked. This caught Shippo off guard. His father lifted his arms and held Shippo face to face. Shippo smiled sheepily.
"I got ya!" said his father.
"That's not fair! Let me go!" Shippo laughed out. His father used his secret weapon. The Tickle Attack. His hands moved quickly and lightly over Shippo's stomach making laughing screeches leave the boy's mouth. His mother holding in her laugh as she watched the two.
"Very well then. Only because you asked so nicely," Father said jokingly. Shippo laughed before his father placed him down on the floor.
"How did you know I was trying to scare you?" Shippo asked.
"I knew the moment your mother asked me about my day," Father answered. Shippo's mother slapped him playfully. Shippo smiled.
"Mom!" he whined.
CRASH!
Lightning crashed in the sky with thunder immediately following it. Shippo got scared and hid behind his father.
"There's a demonic aura. Get inside!" Father said. Shippo's mother sweeped him up and hid inside their cave. "Stay there!" Shippo's mother hesitated before following her mate's orders. They went deep into the cave and remained there.
Thunder and lightning struck. You could hear men laughing and Shippo heard his father scream. His father scream of agony resounded against the trees. Shippo began to shiver. His mother gave him the small warmth she had despite the shivers running up and down her spine.
'We can't stay here. I have to get Shippo out of here,' Shippo's mother thought. She braces herself of the horror she was going to see. She covered Shippo to shield his innocent eyes.
"Mom!" Shippo yelled in surprise at his mother's sudden boost of speed. She ran fast. She ran past bushes and the wind whipping her hair back. Shippo held on as tight as his little hands would let him.
His mother placed him in some bushes. "Stay there until someone comes to get you," his mother ordered. Shippo, terrified out of his wit, nodded shakily. His father... What about his father? He practically screamed the thought in his mind.
At the end of the thought, his mother was gone.
"What! She can't just expect me to stay here doing nothing! I'm strong like father!" Shippo screamed. He began to walk awkwardly from around the bush. His feet moving mechanically as his body refused to listen to his orders. Then again, Mama and Papa should be able to handle it right? Shippo mentally slapped himself and righted himself. 'No! Mama and Papa need me!' Shippo screamed. He began to sprint. Of course he didn't go as fast as he probably could, but he's just a little (brave) kid who is running into danger to save his parents.
His breath began to get labored as he made his way back to his home cave. His father's scream rang louder than before and he heard his mother crying out for mercy. Shippo felt unwanted tears begin to fill his eyes. The only thing standing between him and his parents was a thick bush. Shippo held his breath and with his trembling hand peeked behind the bush. His mother stood right in front of the bush. She must've known he was there.
Papa screamed. Shippo couldn't stop shaking. What were they doing to him? What were they doing to papa? Shippo tried to look around his mother. He couldn't see his father, but he saw the face of the ones hurting him. One was keeping an eye on his mother, the one that looked like a fat mole. The other looked younger with a full head of healthy, black hair. Their faces remained permanently etched in Shippo's memories.
"Tch. That'll show you to mess with the Thunder Brother," the not-mole looking one said. 'Thunder Brothers,' Shippo thought. Their faces, their voices, their names, will be in Shippo's memory. Shippo saw a sadistic smile on their faces.
"Ooh! Brother! Please let me finish!" the mole said.
"Sure, why not, Manten," the thunder brother said to the mole. The mole smiled sadistically.
"Now that we have your jewel shard, we have no need for you," the mole said. Shippo didn't see what happened next when his mom snatched him and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Shippo held on for fear of falling.
"Shippo. You have to listen to me," his mother began. Shippo stared at hr wide-eyed.
"But, Mama! What about Papa?" Shippo screamed over the rushing winds.
"Papa will be fine. I'll go get him and we'll come get you. Alright?" she said. Shippo began to shake. He didn't want to. His body just did it. 'I've got to keep it together!' Shippo thought. With all he could, he willed himself to stop shaking. He didn't at first and even shook more but when his mother held him closer to her, he really couldn't anyway. Which helped...
Shippo looked over his mother's arms and saw an opening to the forest. The trees let in a bright light enter into the dark forest. The closer they got, the opening was filled with a beautiful blue. Was it the sky? How is it so close to the ground? Shippo knew nothing. He's never been outside of the forest. This didn't sit well with him.
Shippo's mother jumped up on a tree's branch. It was high enough to not be seen by anyone underneath unless they actually looked up, but it was also low enough for him to jump down and enough time for his reflexes to react.
Shippo's mother eyed the sun high in the sky. She turned to look at her son. Her eyes began to fill with tears. She held them back. She had to look strong for him. She need to look positive. She felt an ache. She felt something cold squeeze her heart. Her baby... Her world...
"Shippo. Listen to me. Mama is going to go get Papa. We should be back by sundown. If we aren't here by sundown. Run... Don't look back and continue going forward," Shippo's mother said. Her words had more meaning then he thought at the moment.
"What? No! I'm going with you and we're gonna rescue Papa together," Shippo said.
"No, Shippo. Those demons won't rest until they get what they want," Shippo's mother reached into her clothes and pulled out something shiny. It glowed a soft pink. Shippo stared at it. "The Thunder Brothers probably already took the jewel shards your father has. Keep this with you. It will prove useful," she said. Shippo began to shake again.
To him, his father is the most powerful demon he knows. Those other demons can't even try to compare to him. Then there was his mother. She was smart and cunning. That was all she needed to escape any situation. Not to mention how optimistic she is. She finds the bright side to every situation. She never gave up on anything. But, right now. Right here.
Did Mama really give up?
"I love you and I always will. Now... Stay here," she said. Before Shippo could protest or even react, she left. Shippo began to cry uncontrollably. He sobbed, but he made himself quiet down before anyone heard him.
Shippo made himself comfortable on the branch. He sat there leaning against the tree. He waited. What if he ignored his mother's wish and ran to his parent's aids? But, what good is he? He's just a little kid! He can't do anything...
Shippo began to pace back and forth on the branch. What should he do to pass the time? Where is Mama and Papa? What about the Thunder Brothers? Did they get rid of his parents? What was he supposed to do about these jewel shards?
Shippo stared at the pink fragment in his hand. His father told him about how powerful they are. He can use their power to save his family. He can have revenge on those men that hurt his father and his mother. He wanted that power. He felt something in his heart. It felt wrong yet so good.
"Why am I thinking like this? I have to keep watch for Mama and Papa!" Shippo said to himself. At once, those feelings disappeared. The fragment in his hand sparkled more than before.
He looked towards the opening of the forest. It wasn't the soft yellow as earlier. He looked up at the sky. It was kind of hard to see because of the trees, but he was able to tell the sun wasn't high up in the sky. But to Shippo, it wasn't enough. He needed to be sure. Shippo looked at the ground. To him it just seemed a little bit too high... Going down obviously wasn't an option.
The forest was getting darker and Shippo began wondering if it really was already sundown. If it was, where were his parents? The shade of the trees was no longer underneath them, but at an angle. That has to be his proof.
"Well no more waiting around on this tree! I have to go see what's going on!" Shippo said to himself. He meant to say it in a way to motivate him, but that wasn't the case. His voice began to break and fear welled up inside of him. "I'm just a kid! No one would get mad at me if I stayed here, right?" Shippo asked himself.
Silence.
Shippo leaned forward to see how high he was. He leaned and felt himself falling forward. Shippo began to panic and scream. His arms began to flap beside him, but nothing helped. Shippo fell forward and landed on the ground. Almost immediately, Shippo stood up. 'That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be,' Shippo thought. Shippo stood up and remembered the jewel shard he felt in hand a few seconds ago wasn't there. Shippo panicked more. Where is it? Where did he drop it?
Shippo looked around. His sensitive eyes searched the ground until they landed on a shiny rock. Shippo scurried and snatched it from the ground. He held it to him as if it were something far more precious to him than something of power.
"I found you! Brother Hiten will be very proud of me!" a voice said. Shippo looked alarmed at the voice's direction. It was the mole looking one, Manten, was it?
Shippo screamed. Adrenaline kicked in and Shippo began to run. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him.
Manten laughed. "So you want to play that game? Very well! I will still win!" Manten said. He began to go after the small kitsune. His heavy footsteps against the earth and snapping branches reached Shippo's ears. Shippo had a good lead, though. He continued for his life depended on it.
"I'm coming!" Manten yelled as he drew closer.
Shippo screamed. "Somebody! Save me!" Shippo yelled. The opening to the forest also seemed closer. Shippo held his breath. The moment his body left the forest, he let go of his breath. Shippo looked up at the twilight sky. He thought it was the beauty of the sky that cause his backside to feel immense heat until he turned around. Manten had a huge funnel of fire shooting from his mouth towards Shippo's direction. Shippo screamed again.
"Somebody! Anybody!" Shippo yelled.
"I'm tired of playing games. Get back here!" Manten yelled. Shippo ran faster. He can't transform yet. Then again, he's never tried. Shippo began to concentrate on transforming. He felt the pressure growing in his body. Is he doing it? Is he transforming? Shippo concentrated more and at the same time slowing down on his running.
"I have you now!" Manten yelled. He jumped to grab the kit. He flew through the air -
POOF!
Shippo floated through the air and watched as Manten fell face first into the ground. 'What?' Shippo thought. He looked down on himself. He saw pink. Everywhere.
Below, Manten twitched. Shippo panicked and began to leave. His transformed protected him very much. Now, all he needs to focus on is getting away and finding his parents. From behind, he heard Manten scream out and saw him let more fire out from his mouth into the sky. Shippo let out a small yelp and continued. He concentrated on moving himself forward and it worked. Shippo couldn't wait to show his parents.
Something caught him from the side. Shippo screamed out in surprise. This caused him to lose his concentration and transform back into his normal state. He felt the thick rope wrap around him and throw him unto the ground. His head connected to the earth and made him feel disoriented.
"What is it?"
"It doesn't look round and pink anymore?"
"Are you sure this is the pink thing that was in the sky?"
Shippo groaned and felt himself being lifted. He made himself open his eyes but he couldn't. He didn't want to open his eyes. Still... Shippo's eyes opened in alarm as they began unwrapping him. Shippo looked at it as whoever it was discarded it on the ground nearby. It was a net. Not to mention how thick it was. Shippo looked around and looked at his captors. They were a bunch of men. Human men. Shippo began to fight them, but to no avail.
"This is a strong little fella, isn't he?" one of the men said.
"Strong is an understatement," another said.
"Shut up and get him in the bag!"
The men threw him into a thick bag and tied the only opening.
"Let me go! I have to go get my Mama and Pap! Help!" Shippo yelled. His words were ignored. Shippo screamed louder and louder but nothing happened...
Manten watched from a far distance as they took the young demon and carried him into a boat. Manten felt angry with himself of the fact that he couldn't finish with the brat himself. What will Hiten say?
"Let him go," a voice said. Manten screamed in surprise just to see his brother standing behind him. Feeling like an idiot, Manten tried to pretend like he didn't scream. Luckily, so did Hiten. "He's done for. Now, let go finish with that brat's parents," Hiten said. Manten beamed.
"Ooh! Can I fry them with my fire?" Manten asked with a smile on his face. Hiten put an arm around his brother.
"Sure!"
Shippo sat crossed-legged in the small room. He doesn't know where the men took him, but wherever it is, they just threw him inside a room. This is where he has been. It was small. It was no more than five steps wide and long. His surrounding was all wood. There wasn't any windows whatsoever. Shippo forced himself not to cry... Everything was turning out wrong!
Shippo felt something pointy dig into his hand. His reflexes made him open his hand. He looked into his hand and saw the lone jewel shard sitting there... 'I'm sorry Mommy, Daddy... I failed you,' Shippo thought.
Shippo lost track of how much time passed, but it didn't feel like just a couple of hours. Days must have passed but Shippo had no idea. He was hungry and thirsty. Those men never even fed him. There were times when Shippo fainted from the lack of certain needs.
Shippo's eyes began to droop, his head began to lean forward. He was either really sleepy or passing out. 'Well neither is going to happen!' Shippo thought. Shippo stood up and fell back down. Shippo had no energy and couldn't think straight. Shippo felt frustrated and hopeless. He stared at the door in front of him. When will it open? When will he be free?
Whatever he was on, stopped. The stop was hard and sudden that made him hit himself against the side of the small room. Shippo screamed at the impact and groaned on the ground. The door was slammed open and a man came in. He grabbed Shippo roughly by the tail and took him outside. Shippo screamed in protest and fought, but nothing fazed the man. The man took Shippo outside where the bright light blinded him for a moment until he became used to it again.
Shippo looked around him. It looked nothing like his home where he was last.
"Hey! Where am I? Where'd you bring me, you big meanie!" Shippo screamed.
"Shut up, ya' little runt!" the man barked. Shippo flinched at the tone and remained silent.
The place Shippo was in now was full of humans. There was no demon in sight. Shippo screamed for their help, but some ignored or they snickered at him. Shippo lost hope once more. He's never going to get away from these man and he's never going to meet up with his parents...
Shippo refused. He screamed, "Somebody! Please save me!"
"Hey! What are you doing to that little kid?" a voice yelled. Shippo looked at the voice's direction. It was a raven-haired girl that stood up for him and another girl with a large boomerang stood next to her.
"None of your damn business, bitch," the man replied. The raven-haired girl didn't like the term she was just given.
"Put the kid down," the girl with the huge boomerang said.
"Who do you think you are telling me what to do?" the man demanded.
"Who do you think you are doing what you want with the kid?" the raven-haired girl replied. The man snorted.
"Just let the kid go," the boomerang girl said.
"Make me."
The girl with the boomerang came at the man as did the raven-haired girl. The man took out some sort of weapon.
"He has a weapon!" the raven-haired girl warned. The man smirked. The girl with the boomerang cursed under her breath. The man shot a bullet and the girl blocked it with her boomerang. He then shot another to the other girl. She dodged it and took out a small blade from under her jacket. Shippo watched the two girls in amazement. They moved as if they've done this before, like a rehearsed play.
More man came as back-up for the other man. A rough estimate would be twenty men. Twenty men against two girls. That's not even fair!
The two girls looked at each other and nodded. They turned to look at the men. Their faces determined and studying each man. Each man took out his gun and aimed it towards the two girls. It was silent for what seemed forever.
The girl with the boomerang charged at the men. With a burst of speed no one can match, she took out almost half of the men. The raven-haired girl stood there. The men cocked their gun and aimed. She ran towards them. She jumped on one man and knocked him out wit the butt of her blade. (A/N: I know... VERY OOC... Sorry, but this is pirate times and I'm making Kagome more of a pirate and for that she needs to know how to defend herself. Sorry, Kagome...Wait... you didn't know that the raven-haired girl is Kagome, right? Oh wel...) The men had no chance to shoot before she pounced on them and knocked them out. Before Shippo knew it, the two girls took out all of the men. The man holding him stood shaking in fear as he watched the two girls.
"You'll never get me! I have the gun! I can take you two girlies out in one second flat!" the man said. His whole body shook and Shippo shook with him. He cocked his gun and aimed at one of the girls, but Shippo did not know who.
"Let me go! Why do I have to be in the middle of this? What do you want with me?" Shippo yelled.
"Shut up, runt!" the man yelled and threw Shippo to the side. Shippo flew through the air screaming and landed in the middle of a dozen barrels. "Now..." the man aimed his gun. The two girl charged and hit him with their boomerang and blade butt. The last man landed on the ground with a thud. The two girls then went to check on the small kitsune.
The two girls moved the barrels away and found the kitsune dazed and leaning upside down against a barrel. The raven-haired girl picked him up and held him tenderly in her hands.
"Is he alright?" the girl with the boomerang asked.
"I don't know," the raven-haired girl replied. The small boy groaned for who knows how many times today and tried to sit up. His head pounded and decided to stay laying down. "Hey, are you alright?" He opened his eyes to see the two girls and his eyes opened in terror. He screamed and tried to run away. However, hands held him in place.
"Hey, calm down. We aren't going to hurt you," the girl with the boomerang said. Shippo fought more.
"How do I know that? You just took out all of those men!" Shippo yelled. The hands turned out to be the raven-haired girl's as she held him in front of her face. By then, Shippo was getting tired and didn't fight anymore.
"Did you calm down?" she asked. Shippo let out a sigh of defeat and nodded.
"Good. So... What's your name?" the boomerang girl asked.
"Shippo," Shippo replied.
"Okay, Shippo, why are you here?" the raven-haired girl asked. Shippo began to tear up of the memories he was remembering.
"I don't know," Shippo replied. The girls saw this and instantly felt guilt on asking him such a question.
"Well, my name's Kagome," the raven-haired girl said.
"And I'm Sango," the boomerang girl said.
"And we just met a moment ago," Kagome said. Shippo removed his hands from his eyes and looked up at the two girls. He liked them. A lot. "Do you have anywhere to stay, Shippo?" Kagome asked. Shippo shook his head. "Then you can stay with me," she said. Shippo nodded and felt a growing happiness within him.
"Thank you," Shippo said. Kagome smiled and nodded.
"Sango-san, what about you?" Kagome asked. Sango studied the girl to see if she can trust her.
"I was just told to look for Mamoru-san," Sango replied. Kagome looked surprised.
"I live with Mamoru-sama. You can come with me, if you want," Kagome said.
"Thanks, Kagome-san," Sango replied.
"Please, just Kagome," Kagome said. Sango nodded. Yup, Shippo is really liking this.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
AnimeExpert1981: Hey! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Sorry... But here's an extra long chapter! Enjoy!
PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS!