InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Better Things than You ❯ On the High Seas ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does. That simple, bitch.

 

Chapter 4

 

Miroku and Kouga sat leisurely in Lord Greenswitch's cabin, discussing the details of their arrival. It would not be for some time, but already they were looking for ways to pass the long sea voyage they were undertaking.

 

“The natives,” Kouga was saying, “the times I have visited, alternate from being overly welcoming to very hostile. There are rumors of a band of women of exceptional beauty, but no one who has come across them as ever returned unscathed.”

 

Miroku set up with interest. “Exceptional beauty?”

 

“But evidently deadly,” Kouga reaffirmed.

 

Miroku was about to prod for a description of these women when there was a heavy knock on the door. Kouga called out for the person to enter. Immediately the door was flung open and two of the ships workers barged in, shoving a small, shivering form before front of them.

 

It took Miroku a few seconds to recognize his own sister. “Kagome!” Jumping to his feet he tried to rush to her, but one of the men stepped in his path.

 

“We found her in the cargo hold with the horses,” the man explained. “I don't know how she got down there or what she is doing on this ship, but I do know she has no place here.”

 

Miroku shoved the man out of his way and pulled Kagome to him, walking them slowly backward away from the sailors.

 

“Captain told us to bring her to you, m'lord.” The man continued. “What do you want us to do with her?”

 

Miroku glared at Kouga, warning in a look if any harm befell Kagome, Mr. Higurashi's investment would be quickly revoked.

 

“Leave us!” Kouga growled. The two sailors shrugged the shoulders and shuffled out of Lord Greenswitch's cabin.

 

As soon as they were gone, Kouga turned on Miroku. “What is she doing here?” He demanded.

 

Miroku gently pushed Kagome from his embraced. He was just as angry with her for being on the ship as Kouga was, but he was also worried.

 

“What are you doing here, Kagome?”

 

Kagome shivered. She was freezing—the cargo hold had been anything but warm. Now it looked as though Miroku was unhappy with her. He never yelled or was violent in his anger, but at the moment he was giving her a look that made her want to crawl back down to sit with the horses. She had not expected him to be thrilled to see her…she hadn't really thought at all.

 

“I wanted to get away.” Kagome said with a sob. “I had to get away, Miroku. I was being a burden to mom and dad. People were cutting me out. You know I couldn't stay.”

 

Miroku sighed. This again. The entire time he had been planning his journey with Lord Greenswitch Kagome had been brooding in the house. At first he had thought it to be her own fault, but even his stepmother had said the invitations coming in for Kagome had greatly dwindled after Inuyasha had cut off their engagement and they had stopped coming almost altogether after that disastrous ball.

 

“I understand why you left, but you didn't have to take such drastic measures Kagome. Mom and dad will be worried sick and people will only start new rumors about you!”

 

Kagome's head drooped a little more. “I couldn't stay. It was worrying mom till the point she was getting sick—you saw that.” Her eyes dropped to her clinched hands. “Don't worry. I left them and note and told them where I was.”

 

Kouga had been watching the interchange in silence. This was not good.

 

Stepping forward, he cleared his throat, bringing attention to the fact he was still in the room. Both Miroku and Kagome looked at him. Miroku was clearly annoyed by the interruption, but Kagome at least looked sufficiently afraid. As she should be.

 

“Well Mr. Higurashi, what are we going to do about this? She can't possible stay.” Kouga finished his statement with a small chuckle. He glared at Kagome before turning his attention back to Miroku.

 

Miroku looked from Kouga to Kagome. “Well unless your planning to turn the ship back to London, there really isn't anything I can do, m'lord. Even when we stop at the last port before the jungle for supplies, I can't just drop her off on the dock. I have no way of knowing she would be able to get back to London safely unaccompanied.”

 

“She certainly got on the ship alone without any trouble.”

 

“That's different Kouga, and you know it. Our plans continue as they stood before. Kagome can take care of herself just as well as you or I.”

 

Kouga snorted. “A woman? Please. She'll slow us down. She won't survive out in the jungle.”

 

“Kouga, if I have to get off the ship to escort my sister home, I will take my father's investment capital with me. I will be responsible for Kagome, and that will just have to be good enough for you.” Looking over at Kagome his brow scrunched together a little more. “I'm not happy with the situation either, but if you want this go as planned, she'll just have to come too.”

 

Kouga took in what Miroku was saying. It was too bad the woman was so damned headstrong, but her brother was right. She would not be able to make it back to London on her own, and he needed Miroku as much as he needed his father's money.

 

“She had better not slow us down,” Kouga growled, but his gaze at Kagome was ever-so-slightly softer.

 

On the other hand, it was going to be a long voyage and expedition, and having some female company might have its advantages—especially from used goods like Kagome Higurashi. Miroku came with invested money and his sister would have to pay her own toll for her passage.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 

The members of the crew who were standing as lookouts watched as a small back closet which had once held some ancient and useless cleaning supplies was ordered to be cleaned out in the middle of the night. Once everything had been removed, a bed was squished in along with a thin and gaunt looking boy. Mr. Higurashi followed the youth in, locking the door behind him.

 

As soon as he had fasten the bolt in the door, Miroku turned to his sister. “I don't even want to know what you were thinking.” He raised a hand at her protest. “I understand your reasons, but I can't see what was going through your head when you ran away from home.”

 

Kagome sat on the end of her little cot. She was still freezing from being in the cargo hold, but at least her tiny cabin was a little warmer. For a moment it seemed she was going to ignore his lecture, but then words began to spill from her lips in a rapid torrent that her brother had a suspicion had never been voiced before: “It wasn't just the fact I was being ostracized, Miroku. I couldn't stand to be in the same city as Inuyasha knowing he was with her. That he gave me up for someone else. I know I was being selfish, but I don't think I could have stayed.”

 

Miroku stared down at his sister. Even in the dim candle light, even though she was silent, he knew she was crying. She had not spoke of things in these terms before, and it surprised him. When ever she had mentioned feeling trapped or needing to escape before, it had always been understood she was afraid she would become a spinster. Kagome had never said she was upset at the loss of Inuyasha for his own sake, and in his anger at his friend's betrayal Miroku had forgotten Kagome loved the man.

 

“Why didn't you say that before Kagome?”

 

“Would you have listened to me if I said I had to get away because I was jealous and heartbroken? It was easier just to say I needed a new marriage market.” She turned her tear-stained face to him, attempting to give him a small smile but failed horribly. The corners of her mouth refused to stay up in the happy expression and her face quickly crumbled.

 

In spite of her weeping, Miroku felt a wave of anger at her sister. Of all the foolish things to do! She had been reckless with her life, their parents had to be worried sick, and for what? The attentions and jealousy for one man. He had always thought her stronger than the actions she had committed.

 

He turned to go. “Lock this after I leave, and we'll decide what to do with you in the morning. At least until we get off this ship, I want you to stay dressed as a boy. He glanced at her outfit, recognizing several pieces of his own clothing. She had done a fairly descent job of cross dressing, if he did say so himself. Still…there was something bothering him.

 

Wandering his eyes up her body, they rested on the crown of her bowed head. Her hair. It was gone.

 

In an instant he was at her side, taking her head roughly in his hands. “What have you done to your hair!” Her locks did not look as though they had been cut, but her hair was no where near as long as it had been.

 

Kagome sighed, reaching up to her neck. Her hand dipped into the high collar of Miroku's abandoned overcoat and drug forth a sizable braid.

 

“I thought about cutting it,” she spoke in a tired voice, “But then who would want me?” She gave him a bitter smile—this one dry of tears—and Miroku felt any anger toward her vanish. Kagome was being Kagome. She was doing what she had to do to take care of herself. He might not like her actions, but there was little he could do to control her.

 

Sitting down next to her on the bed, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Things will work out, Kags. I promise when we get back to London, I'll help you fix this. Everything has been so busy preparing for me to leave, I guess I haven't really been here to help you.”

 

Kagome nodded with a watery smile, leaning her head onto her brother's shoulder.

 

“Thank you for letting me stay, Miroku.”

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Time passed ever so slowly aboard the little ship heading toward the jungle. Kagome had to be confined almost solely to her cabin. Miroku felt he had to keep her separated from the members of the crew for her own safety. So Kagome spent most of her days reading Miroku's infinite collection of books, looking forward to her meals and the walks Miroku would take her one around the decks to break up the monotony.

 

She did have the occasional visit from Lord Greenswitch who would accompany Miroku. Kagome was unsure of the man, he made her feel extremely uncomfortable. At first he had glared at her, and after Miroku had made it clear she had to stay, he had become obnoxiously friendly. He set her on her guard, and Kagome was not particularly pleased with the feeling. What made it worse was that Miroku also didn't seemed to trust the man, but had said there was little she could do but stay on her toes around his lordship.

 

They made their way safely passed the last port for supplies, and then the days seemed to fly by. Before Kagome realized it, they had reached the jungle port, and she was free from the windowless closet.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Through the thick forest foliage a pair of eyes watched as the tiny rowboat landed on the rocky shore of the coast.

 

Though they were not missionaries like the last boat, they were still unwelcome strangers. The eyes blinked once and continued their watch.

 

This was not good. It had taken forever to get rid of those men with their Bibles and their patriarchal god. The lot of them were lucky they had not been introduced more intimately to her boomerang.

 

A twig snapped on the path behind her and the woman spun quickly, her body tense and ready to fight. She visibly relaxed when she found only one of her comrades on the path. One of the few people who could sneak up on me…She thought with a small smile.

 

“Kaede wishes for news,” the small messenger girl spoke with a low bow.

 

Sango sighed. It was never easy to break bad news, especially to one's leader. “Come see,” she said, pulling back the branch so the girl could see the ship on the night sea.

 

The messenger, a child called Koharu, gasped at the sight of the ship.

 

“I know,” Sango read the girl's thoughts. “I can't see why they would want to return either. They must like a beating,” she smirked. To say the Amazon tribe had greeted the missionaries with open arms was a blatant lie. The men of faith had had a strong will, but in the end, the Amazon's will had proved resilient, as had their bows, arrows, clubs, and spears.

 

“Tell Kaede there is a ship in the cove and I suggest we should prepare for battle. Soon,” she added after a moment. Giving Koharu a small shove, she turned back to watch the ship.

 

This was definitely not good.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Miroku breathed a sigh of relief as soon as land came into sight. He was tired of being sea sick, exhausted of making sure Kagome was safe, and sick to death of listening to Kouga's never ending and always shifting plans for mining, collecting cultural data, and a multitude of other schemes to return his father's money with a profit.

 

Miroku was thinking more and more that this had been a mistake. Even if Kagome had not been there to get in the way, it would still be a mistake. Kouga might be able to talk pretty, but it was becoming more and more clear he was leading the Higurashi family on a wild goose chase.

 

And the investment money was not the worst of it.

 

Kagome in her haze of grief could not see it, but it was painfully clear Kouga was courting his sister. Miroku leaned on the boat's railing, staring out onto the quickly growing patch of land before them. No, courting was the best-case scenario, and Miroku did not feel hopeful. He had a feeling Kouga was toying with Kagome.

 

No ordinary man would be interested in Kagome, so why would Kouga? If Miroku's instincts were right—and they usually were—Kouga was using Kagome to pass the time. He flirted with her unabashedly, taking her out for walks on the deck, making her paper flowers, gently teasing—all the things a suitor would do.

 

Only Miroku was fairly sure Kouga was not looking for a wife in Kagome.

 

When the supply of liquor had still been in bountiful on the ship, Kouga had drank with happy abandon. In his inebriated moments, he became quite the chatterbox.

 

“Your sister, man…a shame about her and His Highness,” spitting as he referred to Inuyasha. “No one would want her now…well they'll still want her, just not in any reslwectable way.”

 

Miroku grimaced at the memory. Good indeed to separate the two of them. Looking over his shoulder, he found Kagome and Kouga making their way toward him. Kagome had her hair tucked into the collar of her shirt, looking every bit the cabin boy. She looked a little more happy than usual, and Miroku prayed it was because they were about to get off the ship, and not caused by whatever it was Kouga was whispering into her ear.