InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into the East ❯ Anchors Aweigh ( Chapter 28 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Into the East
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Anchors Aweigh!
Posted: 3 March 2013
Characters/Plot originally appearing in the anime/manga Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Everything else © me, so basically everything but Sesshoumaru at this point.

A/N: Much faster turnaround this time :) Comes with losing my job, I suppose, but hopefully that will be remedied soon. Enjoy!




Sesshoumaru cracked an eye open at the sound of giggling near the doorway between the rooms. The two small girls, Sarah and Rebecca Vanessa had called them, were peering through a gap in the door the size of their faces. He wanted to hush them, to tell them to let Vanessa sleep, but he thought it even more likely that she would wake up to that than the soft sounds the girls were making. He did open his eyes and frown at them, however, making them gasp and scamper back into the other room, and he couldn’t help feeling a smug sense of accomplishment. A few more moments of peace before the boys woke up.

The boys were as well behaved as pre-adolescent human males could be. They wrestled and roughhoused, but when he’d doused the lamps and got into his own bed, they got the idea without the need for words. He was grateful for that. From the look of them, they’d simply fallen asleep where they lay, regardless of the fact that it may have been atop one of their adoptive brothers.

Vanessa hadn’t moved at all in the night. After a veritable firestorm of emotions erupted from her, she’d passed out clutching the front of his clothes, and was content to let her sleep. He couldn’t even begin to sort out everything that had washed over him via their bond at the time. He only knew it was warm and inviting, and somehow something precious, yet also something that terrified her. If only he knew what he could do to ease her fear. And just as Vanessa hadn’t let go of him in the hours they were asleep, he hadn’t let go of her either. He liked the feel of her warm body close to his, the sound of her breathing, the beat of her heart, the scent of her so near it seemed to envelop him. They had shared a fire and slept beside each other often recently to share warmth, but something was different this time.

He would have to tread carefully now. Her heart was a fragile thing, and whether he’d been aware of it or not, he had betrayed her trust too many times already. He thought he should pull away now, while she was still asleep, but he found he simply couldn’t let her go.

Maybe it was their link, or maybe he had grown accustomed to the feel of her brushing against his consciousness at all times, but her presence centered him in ways he hadn’t known possible, made him forget the helplessness he’d felt at discovering someone had taken control of his mind. Death was too light a punishment for what that creature had done to him, but she’d had her hands on Vanessa, and he could not allow that. His human was in danger, and that was all that had mattered at the time.

He vaguely recalled the flash of steel in Vanessa’s hands as the other woman fell, and smiled. Perhaps she could have taken care of herself, but now she didn’t need to burden herself with the death of another, whereas one more on a long list of kills was nothing to Sesshoumaru. She wouldn’t view it the same way that he did. His heart began beating erratically as he thought of the alternative – if he hadn’t been there to help, or if she hadn’t been able to defend herself or… or if he hadn’t come back to himself in time. How close had he been to killing her himself?  He took a long, slow breath in an attempt to steady himself and not wake her.

She didn’t even stir. Sesshoumaru sighed contentedly. It was done now. They were back together, and they were both safe. He was content to lie beside her for a while longer; he would miss these quiet times, and he knew that they would be all too few in the coming days.

Slowly, the boys began to awaken. When they started talking excitedly, and before they could start jumping on the bed again, he risked a low growl and pointed toward the door dividing the rooms. They fell silent and scurried out, the smallest of them making a small “meep” sound as he scurried passed.

Sesshoumaru frowned. They would have to go soon. He had no ties to those children. Let them fend for themselves, as far as he was concerned. They had done so up until that point. Vanessa would disapprove of such thinking of course. She would want a proper good-bye. “Vanessa,” he said softly, trying to wake her gently. “It is time to wake up.”

He waited for her sleepy protests.

“Vanessa?” he tried again, brow furrowing when still she didn’t stir. He shook her shoulder gently, and she rolled away from him a bit as he did so.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes widened.

In the light of morning, he could see the scrapes and bruises she’d gotten defending him. He hadn’t noticed them before, but the bruises had darkened on her skin overnight. He tried to think back to her battle, but couldn’t remember much of anything prior to seeing her pinned against the wall and struggling.

He pulled up her sleeves and found long scratches on her forearms, glistening and only partially scabbed over. She had a raw scrape on her elbow and more bruises coloring her arms. Growing more concerned, he pulled open her collar to check her neck and shoulders. The morning light was dim on this side of the inn, but he could see more of the same: dark bruises encircling her neck, though her thick travel clothes had helped to otherwise protect her skin from the scratches that lined her arms.

Heart in his throat, he reached behind her head and probed her scalp gently with his fingertips, and froze when he felt a knot the size of an egg under her skin and the crust of dried blood in her hair despite her bath last night. Why hadn’t she said anything? “Vanessa,” he said feeling an intense sense of urgency now. “Vanessa, wake up.”

He threw off the blanket and leapt lightly over her and out of the bed, searching briefly for her bag. Of course it wouldn’t be in this room, he realized, growling softly to himself in frustration. Sesshoumaru hurried into the other room where he found the pack next to the girls’ bed and began digging through it for the instant light – the flashlight – Kagome had given her. It was small, but very bright.

The children crowded around him now, asking questions he couldn’t hope to comprehend. They knew something wasn’t right, but he didn’t have time for this. He ignored them and closed the door behind him.

As an afterthought, Sesshoumaru had grabbed the white box that contained her first aid supplies. She was in no danger from bleeding now, but there might be something in there she would need when she awakened and could tell him what was wrong.

Sesshoumaru knew little of the healing arts beyond what it took to keep someone alive until proper healers were summoned, even less when it came to humans. What might be a discomfort for youkai for a day or two could be severely life threatening to humans, and he was helpless now to know if that was the case here. She’d been conscious and talking, laughing even, last night, and he the thought never occurred to him that she could have sustained any serious injury.

However, based on his centuries of experience and observation, he did know that in many cases with injuries to the head, the eyes were the key. Kneeling at the bedside, he clicked the light on as he’d seen Vanessa do so many times, and, with the flashlight in his teeth, he gently opened her eyelids one after the other, and quickly flashed the light at them in turn as he had seen healers do before with flares and magicks at home. What he lacked in training, he made up for in simple observation, and it was some relief that her eyes instantly reacted when the light passed over them. Her eyes, at least, were alive beneath their lids, and that was where he came to the edge of his knowledge and sat back on his heels, completely at a loss as to what to do from there.

A proper healer, a doctor, Vanessa had called the healers in this part of the world, would know what to do. But how was he to make his need known? He supposed he could drag the old innkeeper up with the hope that she would understand and help, but he hoped it would not come to that.

 Vanessa would wake up soon. She was fine... She had to be. It was inconceivable that he could have failed in his task to such a degree that she had been permanently and irreparably harmed defending him.

He leaned over her and lightly caressed her face with the back of his fingers. “Vanessa, I need you to wake up now,” he said, loudly enough that she should have awoken. “I need you to tell me where it hurts.”

Everywhere , he thought, kicking himself for every one of her injuries. He should never have let this happen. He should have done something – but… what could he have done? He reached out hesitantly, and gently took her hand in his. It was warm and soft, and when he held it to his chin, he could imagine her squeezing her fingers around his, always seeking to reassure him, whether he needed and desired it or not. He needed that reassurance now. For a moment, he couldn’t think. He was unaccustomed to the worry he felt for her, the worry that she stirred within him whenever things weren’t exactly as they should be.

“We are not yet finished here,” he murmured against her skin. “I need you with me now.” He lightly kissed her fingers and closed his eyes, holding her hand against his forehead, squeezing lightly. He didn’t know of anything else that he could do but wait. She was alive, but at the moment, certainly not well.

Finally, finally, she gasped as her eyes flew open, and with a cry of pain, she rolled onto her side and out of his grasp, clutching her head. “My head… it hurts,” she whimpered.

It was a sound that sliced through him like a knife.

Sesshoumaru pulled out the bottle of bitter white tablets. They had never done anything for him, but they seemed to relieve her pain when she was sore from riding or when other aches ailed her. He passed it to her – he never had been able to manage the lid – and turned toward a sound at the door. The eldest of the two girls – Sarah? – held out a mug of warm cider. Thoughtful.

“Arigatou,” he said softly and nodded. He passed the mug to Vanessa, who took it and gulped down several of the pills.

“I’m all right,” she said, somewhat hoarsely. She felt his concern. “I’m fine. It just feels like someone is taking a jackhammer to my skull.” She sat up and winced. “You never told me fighting for my life would make me so sore,” she accused with a teasing tone.

Sesshoumaru was not amused.

“I could not wake you,” he said, fighting for calm.

Vanessa stared at him. “What?” Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “But... It's been weeks now. I'm fine.”

He'd been thinking along the same lines. He had hoped that she had recovered from her fainting spells on the road. Perhaps it was her fight. Something must have triggered it.

“You hit your head.”

“Oh,” she said, reaching to touch the spot and sucked in a sharp breath in pain. “That. I guess I did.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Vanessa shrugged. “There was so much going on last night. It didn’t seem important at the time. I don't have a concussion. I would have known yesterday.”

Sesshoumaru touched her bloodied knuckles, bruised arms, her cheek, her split lip. “Do not keep something like this to yourself. What if it was worse than just a bump on your head?”

She nodded, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. Sesshoumaru was alarmed – what had he done now? But before he could ask, she threw her arms around his neck. “You’re still you,” she whispered. “She didn’t change you.”

“Of course not. It would take more than the likes of her to move me to change No, she did not change me.”

Sesshoumaru pulled a white square cloth from his sleeve and touched it lightly below her eyes to dry her tears before giving it to her with what he hoped was a small reassuring smile. He had a vague memory of her leaving that with him during his captivity. Her scent on it had been reassuring even if he hadn’t known why.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Vanessa asked, accepting the handkerchief and dabbing at her eyes and nose.

His smile faltered. “Of course. Why?”

“This,” she said, circling an accusatory finger at his face. “You don’t smile.”

“I do,” he replied with a frown, refusing the childish argument he could feel coming on. Do too. Do not. Do too. Nuh-uh… It just wouldn’t be dignified for someone of his status. That small change in his expression further proved her point.

“Rarely, and you know it.”

He just raised an eyebrow at her. Centuries of practice had him slipping back to a neutral expression as easily as thought.

Vanessa smiled up at him and hugged him again. It felt so unusually good to have her arms around him, that he missed her warmth when she let go.

She sat back with her hands on his shoulders. “It’s so good to have you back. You have no idea how worried I was about you.”

Her posture caused her sleeves to pull back from her wrists, revealing a dark band of bruises on her left wrist. Sesshoumaru winced as he noticed it. That one was all his doing. That was how he repaid her for releasing him. That was how he repaid her worry.

Vanessa pulled her sleeve down and looked away. “It’s all right,” she said softly.

“It isn’t,” he objected. “I am here to protect you, not to hurt you.”

“Look, you weren’t thinking clearly. I get that. You were being an ass, but you apologized. I accept. Let’s just leave it at that. I know that isn’t you.” She met his eyes again, but he saw her rub her wrist unconsciously.

He huffed a short breath that might have been a laugh and shook his head. “Yes, I suppose you are right about my behavior. Very well.”

Being out of his mind was not an excuse, but if she wanted to drop the matter, he would respect that and be grateful for it. And he would do better in the future.

Vanessa smiled with him. “Good,” she said brightly. “Let’s get dressed and round up the kids for breakfast.”

Sesshoumaru followed Vanessa silently into the other room, and just observed as the children crowded around her, firing off questions, some of them hugging her. What was it about this woman that drew strangers to her like moths to a flame? These children had known her for mere days, and their lot in life gave them little reason to trust in strangers, yet here they were, clustered around her, making sympathetic noises over her injuries and otherwise acting as if they had known her for years. It was remarkable.

One boy stood apart from the rest, though… Jack, was it? watching the scene much as Sesshoumaru himself was. His eyes were calculating as he watched the others, and Sesshoumaru could see something of himself in the boy. These were his pack, his family, and it would take more than a few days of kindness to win him over.

He approved. The boy was young, but he would do what he had to in order to keep the others safe. Odds were, he would be more relieved than sorry to see Sesshoumaru and Vanessa go, and get back to something like normalcy. He almost wanted to tell that boy not to bother searching for “normal” again. Vanessa left change in her wake. These children, even that boy would be different, better, for having known her.

It didn’t surprise him anymore to think that. Even he could see the change in himself. It was subtle, but as he considered humans now, it was not without immediate loathing. He had seen what humans in other parts of the world could do. He knew from talking to Vanessa that they would soon rule this world. He was unlikely to welcome them with open arms into his home, but had to consider now how to make humans useful to him.

The children began filing out of the room, breaking Sesshoumaru away from his thoughts. He looked up to find Vanessa watching him with a thoughtful smile on her lips. He nodded an acknowledgment and followed the children downstairs so she could wash up and change.

Much like the other inns they had stayed in, this one had a large common room with tables and chairs for eating and a sitting area near the fire for socializing downstairs, and sleeping rooms upstairs. There was a large hearth on one wall with a crackling fire to ward off the late autumn chill.

Breakfast was similar as well: bowls of bland grain porridge but this time with chunks of meat that Vanessa would later tell him was called “sausage.” It made the dish slightly more palatable, but it certainly was not something he would miss when he returned home to meals he knew and enjoyed.

When Vanessa joined them, he saw that she had tidied her curls, but left her hair down to hide some of her bruises. Despite the reasoning, he found he liked the way her long curls framed her face. Normally, she wore her hair tied up in a knot or ponytail out of convenience; he rarely saw her hair down when she wasn’t combing it out before bed. It was a nice change, and stirred more of the same strange thoughts.

The innkeeper gasped and tutted when she saw the evidence of Vanessa’s battle. The bruises had darkened overnight and looked much worse than they probably were. Still, Sesshoumaru blamed himself for putting her in a situation where she would need to fight for him.

Vanessa was patient and smiled self-consciously, and assured the older woman that it was nothing. “Really, Mistress Crowley,” she said. “I’m fine. I just ran into some… complications when I found my friend.”

The old woman smiled indulgently before patting her unbruised cheek and tottering off muttering to herself. Clearly, she disapproved of women fighting.

The children had already finished eating by this time so Vanessa sent the young ones off to play by the warmth of the fire and filled a bowl for each of them. There were some wooden toys in a basket that the younger ones took up eagerly. “We should go before it gets too late,” she said to him with her eyes on her little friends

“Whenever you are ready.”

She nodded.

“Are you really okay?” she asked, her attention suddenly fixed on him. Her brow furrowed with worry, and here eyes were dark with concern.

Sesshoumaru was taken aback. Hadn’t they just been over this? “Yes. I told you upstairs.”

“I’m sorry. I know. I don't mean to keep bugging you about it. It’s just… You’ve been so… so calm. Did anything happen? Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. I do not wish to speak of it,” he said softly, brow furrowed just slightly.

“Oh... Okay. Well. Let me know if you need anything.”

He felt her disappointment, and knew that it wasn't because she delighted in his weakness. He also had the feeling that even her curiosity over the events that transpired while they were apart was second to her concern for his well-being. It was only when he felt the regret and self-recrimination that wasn't his own, that he sighed and pushed away his half-finished breakfast, and leaned back in his chair.

“It is only that I remember very little,” he said after a moment. “Something about her spell clouds my memory of those days, and it is only in those moments when you were near that the fog lifts and I have some sense of what happened.”

“Oh... I didn't know.”

“I think it is because we are so closely liked by the old miko's spirit bond that I was able to have even those semi-lucid moments.”

Sesshoumaru didn't like feeling indebted to humans, especially an elderly woman, and a priestess at that, but she had saved him with her spell, and Vanessa too, by allowing him to return to himself in time.

“Are you okay with all of this?”

He frowned in thought and watched her fiddle with her spoon for a moment before lifting a shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “There is nothing I can do. Any answers I might have hoped to get died with her last night. She is no longer a threat so there is no sense in dwelling on it.”

Vanessa nodded and sat back in her seat. “Jack says she was a witch.”

This did not surprise Sesshoumaru. He returned her nod slowly. It made sense. “She was not human,” he agreed. “At least not entirely. She was not the same as others of my kind, though she had powers that could have been attributed to youkai blood. Perhaps she was a different being entirely.”

He paused and took a sip of the warm, spiced cider.

“However, I would very much like to put this place behind me. Whenever you are ready,” he added quickly with a glance toward the children. As much as he wanted to move on from this over-crowded human city, hi didn't want to rush her good-byes. He'd caused her too much pain already so he was surprised when she puffed out her cheeks and leaned back in her own chair.

“Well, she won’t be hurting anyone else now. That’s a good thing, right? I’m going to go find out where we should start looking for a ship,” she said, changing the subject suddenly, and got up from the table, leaving Sesshoumaru alone. He enjoyed the quiet while he waited. It would be nice when it was just the two of them again… And a crew full of smelly, sweaty humans… men, he amended. He had to stop lumping the entirety of Vanessa’s race into his own preconceptions of them. Maybe he wasn’t quite as tolerant of humans as he thought yet.

He would have to be ultra-vigilant on this leg of their journey. Weeks at sea without their wives, lovers and whores will make those men begin to look at Vanessa in ways that he is not going to like. And Vanessa would not approve of him tearing those eyes out of their skulls to keep them from looking either.

“You look like you’re about to strangle someone.”

Sesshoumaru started and turned his eyes up to Vanessa’s. How had he not noticed her approach? Ultra-vigilance? … He’d have to work on that.

“Only thinking. What did you learn?” he asked to change the subject. He wasn’t keen on Vanessa learning those particular thoughts for some reason.

She gave him a wary look, but let the topic drop and resumed her seat at the table. “There’s a dock on the river that sometimes deals with seafaring merchants. We might find someone there. It’s a slim chance, being so late in the year, but we might get lucky.”

“When would you like to go?”

“Right now,” she said and hopped up again. “But, just a minute.”

She went to the children and said a few words. “I won’t leave without saying good-bye. I promise,” Sesshoumaru heard her say. She gave Sarah a quick squeeze around the shoulders and came back. “Ready!”

They returned to their rooms just long enough for Vanessa to get her bag with the rest of the coin Sesshoumaru had brought, and then set off at what seemed to be a random direction, except that she appeared to know where she was going.

“Do you know where you are going?” he asked after several blocks.

Vanessa smiled and took his arm. “Not at all, but I got directions from Mistress Crowley.”

Sesshoumaru nodded and fell in step beside her, constantly scanning the people and dark corners for threats. They couldn’t risk any more delays. They walked in companionable silence, arm in arm, down strange and busy streets. Then Sesshoumaru spoke.
“Are you sure this is the right way to go about it?” he asked softly. He didn’t have doubts, exactly, but this seemed to be her last chance to turn back if she had any of her own.

“I don’t see any other way. We have to find a ship.”

“No. What I mean is… I understand we have come a long way to get here, but we also have a long way yet to go. What if… when we get there, you still cannot go home?”

She shrugged. “Then I’ll know I did everything I could. I can’t even tell you how grateful I am for your help.”

“It has been my pleasure.” And it was. Given the opportunity to take this trip again, he couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather share these experiences with – the good or the bad, though he much preferred the good.

Vanessa looked over at him in surprise. He glanced at her only briefly.

“I never expected the company of a human to be so pleasant. I know…” he said, forestalling an interruption. “I have had Rin with me for some time, but it is not the same. She is a child. You… are not like any human I have met.”

“Don’t say good-bye yet,” she whispered. “Please don’t. If… if you want to turn back now, I understand. I can go on alone. Just… don’t say good-bye yet. I know this journey hasn’t been easy for you, especially recently, and you’re trusting your lands to someone else while you’re gone, and-“

“No,” he said sharply, and then softened his tone. “Not good-bye. Only… I only wanted…” He hadn’t meant to worry her, or make her think he was backing out before seeing this through. He only wanted her to know that he wouldn’t think less of her if she wanted to turn around.

“It’s all right,” Vanessa replied and she sounded relieved. “I think I understand.”

“I will continue as we planned, and I stand by what I said before. If this does not work, if you cannot go home, you are welcome to return with me, and to stay in my home for as long as you like.”

Vanessa smiled. “And if it does work, what will you do? How will you get home?”

“I am certain I will find my way,” he said with a little smirk. “Don’t worry about me. This journey is about you.”

“I have to apologize,” she said with a guilty look on her face. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead when we set out, and one thing after another… I’ll think of how we can get you home along the way.”

Sesshoumaru really wasn’t concerned with his own path home. He could move more quickly over tougher terrain when he wasn’t looking out for the safety of another. As they continued, Sesshoumaru began to have the uncomfortable feeling that he had been there before, but that was impossible. When he mentioned it to Vanessa, in fact, interrupting her mutterings about different paths back to Japan – he would broach that subject again when she’d had time to think, she looked up at him from the corner of her eye before answering. “You were walking here yesterday when I found you.”

“Oh… I see.” That would explain it. If Vanessa had been near, it would coincide with memories of the past couple days. Better not to think too much on it. He would get no definitive answers now that his captor was gone. Sesshoumaru would be very pleased indeed to leave this town.

“I think… I think maybe we shouldn’t hide you when we’re making deals for passage,” Vanessa said suddenly.

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows. She had been so adamant about concealing his identity, and he had seen the basis of her reasoning firsthand. So why the change now?

“You know best how humans will react to me, but why now?”

Vanessa chewed her lip for a moment. “Think about it. We’re going to be stuck in a relatively small space for weeks. If these sailors are anywhere near as superstitious as I’ve heard, I don’t think they’ll take well to surprises.”

Sesshoumaru nodded. What he wouldn’t give for a race that knew and respected his kind. A little healthy fear wouldn’t go unappreciated either. But these Western humans were unpredictable. Much like Vanessa, he thought. “Very well,” he said. “I will follow your lead.”

He couldn’t deny that this journey was a humbling experience, but if it meant seeing to Vanessa’s safety, he would endure it. He couldn’t think of any other time when he had felt the need to place himself second to anything or anyone. Even his care taking of Rin had begun as an indulgence on his own part.

Vanessa paused a few times to peer into shop windows as they walked, but otherwise led them toward the water. She stopped at the crest of a hill and looked down. Between the buildings on either side of the road, Sesshoumaru could see an array of piers lined with ships of all sizes and shapes. Men shouted at one another, some with the sound of orders being given, others of merchants crying their wares. The smell of fish and sewage, and unwashed bodies mixed in his nose, and bells and the creak of wood and snap of rope and sail rang in his ears. This was what he had to look forward to for the next month or more. For this one human beside him, he would endure it.

vVvVvVv

Vanessa took a breath and started toward the bustling harbor. There were so many people about that it was hard to know where to begin. She bypassed a few ships that looked like they would barely survive a trip on the river, let alone the open sea, and moved down past docks where smaller vessels were moored – those wouldn’t do – and stopped in her tracks when she heard a man shouting in thickly accented English. Her heart started pounding in her chest. She screwed up.

“I was wrong,” she breathed.

“About what?” Sesshoumaru asked calmly. Surely he felt her sudden panic, but as always, he was being her strength.

“We came to the wrong place.”

“What do you mean?” his voice was carefully neutral now.

“It’s… it’s okay,” she said, eyeing the ship and the man shouting at the rail.

The problem was that the British weren’t trading with the Americas yet. She was almost a century too early for that. However, the Spanish conquistadors had been stomping all over Central and South America for decades by this point.

“I think we might have gotten lucky anyway. Come on.”

The ship rocking gently against its moorings was a stout, three-masted thing, square sails bound neatly and waiting to be released to catch the wind. To her untrained eye, it looked sturdy, if not exceptionally swift, but that was fine by her if it would get them to their destination.

The man at the rail, occasionally shouting orders, sometimes delegating to what she assumed was his first mate, spoke English heavily colored with his native Spanish. That might mean he had a mixed crew. Or she would have to dig deep and remember her high school Spanish. Either way, the captain obviously spoke English, and that was who she wanted to talk to, and if he wasn’t setting sail for the New World, maybe he would be going to Spain. She had to hope that they hadn’t gone through everything they had over the past week only to find out she’d screwed up and they lost their chance to travel.

“Vanessa, tell me what is happening.”

There was an edge of impatience in his voice; he wasn’t used to being left out of the loop. Vanessa paused and then explained quickly. “I was wrong. We never should have left the continent. The English aren’t trading in the New World, but the Spanish are. This ship is Spanish as much as I can tell. I need to find out where they’re going, and if they’re sailing to the Americas, then we need to get on board.”

Sesshoumaru looked dubious, but he motioned for her to proceed. She had to get it right this time. They couldn’t lose any more time for her mistakes.

“Excuse me!” she called up to the man she thought was captain when there was a break in his shouting.

He looked down at her sharply, annoyed at the interruption. “What do you want, girl?”

“Are you the captain of this ship?”

“I am, and I have better things to do than-“

“Please,” she interrupted. “Where are you sailing? Are you going to the New World?”

The man peered down at her. “We sail first for Cuba and then on to Nicaragua and Guatemala. Why?”

“Cuba? That’s fantastic!” she said to herself, then louder, “I would like to negotiate passage for my friend and me.”

The captain shook his head. “This is not a passenger vessel, Señorita. Find someone else.”

Vanessa had prepared for this and had already fish out the second coin purse and now flashed a gold piece at him. “We can pay.”

She couldn’t hear his grumblings, but nearly cried out in victory when he finally called down. “Very well. Come aboard. I’ll give you no guarantees, but we will talk.”

With a grin for Sesshoumaru, she hurried toward the gangplank and onto the ship. Sesshoumaru hesitated only a moment behind her, still hidden beneath his cloak. Vanessa glanced back over her shoulder as he stepped up to her left side, leaving his sword clear of her body should he need it, she noticed. She certainly hoped he wouldn’t need it, but he was tense and despite his deliberate movements, she could practically feel his gaze sweeping the entire deck, noting and cataloging everyone and everything he saw on board.

They hadn’t had time to discuss this ship and crew, and maybe she’d been overly hasty in trying to buy passage. This concerned Sesshoumaru too, after all. But now they could at least see what sort of man the captain was and make their judgment after the meeting. They would need some time to collect the rest of their things, and say good-bye to the children too, and if this turned out to be a bad match, maybe they would have time to find another.

The captain ushered them into a large room within the aftcastle of the ship, which apparently doubled as dining room, office, and sleeping quarters. Sesshoumaru slipped in between Vanessa and the captain and when they were offered seats, stood at her shoulder instead, his hand resting casually on the back of her chair. He wasn’t letting his guard down.

The captain looked expectantly from Sesshoumaru to the empty chair and shrugged when it was clear he wasn’t sitting. Vanessa supposed it was rude of him, but she didn’t want him to be any more uneasy than the language barrier already had him. He never said it, but she could feel it. He wouldn’t be in control of these negotiations.

This captain was tall and lean, nearly rivaling Sesshoumaru for height, and though he had a wiry frame, he looked to have the strength born of a life at sea. His dark hair fell in shoulder length waves beneath his feathered hat. Sharp gray eyes glittered above a hooked beak of a nose that had certainly been broken a time or two in his life. With his sharp goatee, certain animated versions of Captain Hook might have been modeled after him. However, even with as little as they knew of him so far, Vanessa didn't get the impression that he was the type to kill fairies and leave native princesses to the mercy of the tides. Call it a hunch.

“Before we begin,” the captain said, folding his hands on his desk, “I am Captain Benito Peinado de la Cueva, and this is the Rosalina. Who may I ask is wishing to buy passage, and how far?”

His words were clipped, but his accent was musical to Vanessa’s ears. She smiled at him. “Captain Peinado, my name is Vanessa… Vanessa Carter,” she said, changing her last name just enough from Cartwright that she wouldn’t be found in any logbooks centuries from now. “And this,” now she reached to lightly touch Sesshoumaru’s forearm. “This is Sesshoumaru. He is my guardian and traveling companion.” She felt him shift behind her, and glanced up to see him incline his head to the captain at his introduction.

“We would like passage to Cuba. Havana or anywhere else you make port on the island is fine.”

Captain Peinado eyed Sesshoumaru suspiciously and gestured as he spoke. “Why do you conceal yourself? What do you have to hide?”

Vanessa twisted to look up at him. “Sesshoumaru,” she said softly. “Your cloak. Please.”

Sesshoumaru unfastened his cloak and with a bit of unnecessary flourish swept it off his head and shoulders to drape it over the back of Vanessa’s chair.

“Madre de Dios,”  the captain breathed and stood, nearly toppling his chair as Sesshoumaru casually ran his hand back through his hair and leveled his golden gaze on him. Vanessa rose quickly and stood at Sesshoumaru’s side. She knew how strange he looked to the other human’s eyes. Very few had made it beyond India and fewer made the journey back. She couldn't imagine anyone bringing stories back of the wild coloring of the youkai she'd met, and if they did, certainly none of them lasted the centuries until her time. Vanessa may appreciate the beauty of his golden, almond-shaped eyes, his long silvery white hair, even his less-than-human elfin ears and the markings of his heritage on his skin, but to the average human of this time, all of those things made him utterly alien.

“What is he?” Captain Peinado asked shortly. “A savage? Some heathen devil?”

“Of course not!” Vanessa exclaimed. Sesshoumaru’s face maintained its usual stoic calm, but when she stepped closer and put her hand on his forearm, she could feel the tremor of a silent growl ripple through his body. He may not know the words, but he was not pleased with the tone.

“Captain, please. Let me explain.”

He waited expectantly for an explanation, something that made sense, hands gripping the back of his chair with white-knuckled intensity.

“I understand his appearance is foreign to you. I thought the same when I first met him.” Sesshoumaru had begun to relax as she spoke but stiffened once more at the mention of their first encounter. She had never told him how shocked she was at his appearance then, but surely he’d seen it on her face…

“But I assure you, this man is a prince among his people. I’ve lived with them, and there isn’t anything savage about them.” She didn’t pause when Sesshoumaru looked down at her with an eyebrow raised in amusement. “Their courts and society rival even that of the greatest of Europe.” And here she took a breath and a risk. “It is his gold that would pay for our passage. Please, Captain. We conceal his appearance for no other reason than that he looks so different from anyone else in Europe.”

The captain looked skeptical. He was a man of the seas. He’d been places and seen people no one else would have believed, and yet he’d never seen anyone like Sesshoumaru. “Why does he not speak for himself then?” he asked finally.

“Sesshoumaru speaks very little English, but he understands more than he lets on.” A half-truth. Sesshoumaru had ways of perception that had no need for words. They both knew that. He nodded once to prove her point. She smiled up at him. “He's just a man of few words.”

Captain Peinado sat down again and folded his hands atop his desk, frowning in thought. “I want no trouble for my crew,” he began.

“There won’t be any. We’ll –“

He held up a hand for silence, and Vanessa snapped her mouth shut as he continued. This was a man used to giving orders and having them followed. She had to remember that, mouthpiece of their duo or not, she was just a woman in a man's world.

“I want no trouble for my crew. The voyage is long and having a woman on board will be… troublesome.”

“We’ll keep to ourselves, out of the way. I won’t draw attention to myself.”

The captain narrowed his eyes shrewdly. “What benefit is it to me and my crew to take on the trouble of a woman and her strange companion, whom we know nothing about? They say women, even the lovely ones, make bad luck for a ship.”

Vanessa flushed. It was ridiculous to refuse paying customers over some silly superstition.

Suddenly she felt Sesshoumaru’s hand on her shoulder, and with it the weight of his coin purse dangling from his fingertips, as he bent to murmur in her ear, “Money speaks loudly. Offer this.”

She looked at him sharply even as he dropped the pouch into her hand.

“All of it?” Vanessa responded in Japanese for privacy. “But…”

“All of it. Begin with one quarter when we board and the rest upon landfall. I assume he will want more than that up front.” Giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze, he straightened again and dropped his hand to his side.

“Look,” Vanessa said, gaining some confidence from Sesshoumaru. “You let us aboard to talk passage, if you don’t want this…” she poured the contents out on the desktop. “We’ll go to someone who does.” The coins were a mix from Japan and the different countries they had passed through, but they were all varying weights of gold and silver.

Captain Peinado inspected a few of the foreign coins and tossed them back into the pile.

Vanessa separated out roughly one fourth, and looked up. “We’ll give you a quarter of it when we board, and the rest when we reach Cuba.”

The captain raised an eyebrow and portioned out more to fill out the quarter to a half. “Half,” he announced. “In advance.”

Vanessa smiled indulgently and reduced one of the piles to a third. “We’ll give you this when we return from getting our belongings, and the bulk when we arrive. All we need is a private place to stay on your ship.” She looked at him hopefully, though she didn’t want to look too eager.

“If you accept our payment,” Vanessa continued. “We would ask for your discretion until we set sail. Inform your crew of course. I don’t want anyone to be surprised or uneasy in Sesshoumaru’s presence. There’s no need for that, but I also don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to him.”

She glance up at Sesshoumaru and held his gaze for a moment. “We have had some trying times in our travels with people who didn’t understand who he was.”

Captain Benito Peinado de la Cueva sighed and sat back with a shake of his head. “I will need to remind my men what it means to be gentlemen. Very well, Señorita. We set sail this evening. Bring your payment and whatever else you carry with you, and I will have quarters prepared for you. I assume you will be staying with your guardian… I believe that would be the wisest arrangement.”

“I agree. Yes, we’ll be staying together.”

“Then we meet again in a few short hours.”

Vanessa scooped the coins back into the pouch, and the captain stood when she rose from her chair and held Sesshoumaru’s cloak open for him. He waited until Sesshoumaru had the clasp secured and his hood shielding his face before ushering them out the door, and then they were through and into the noonday sunshine. Some of the crew eyed them with thinly veiled curiosity, but Vanessa tried to ignore their stares. They would get their introductions soon enough – she only hoped it wouldn't be too awkward. Too many reactions like the captain's and they might need to find another mode of transportation.

At the bottom of the gangplank, Sesshoumaru held out his arm out to her expectantly, and she took it gratefully as the adrenaline from their meeting with the captain abandoned her and left her feeling shaky.

Once they were off the ship, Vanessa felt the tension leave her shoulders like water down a drain. It wasn’t until after walking several blocks that she felt a similar release in tension in Sesshoumaru. “You did well,” he said softly, keeping his focus on the road ahead of them.

Warmth rose up in her cheeks, and she couldn’t help a hesitant smile. “You don’t think it was too much?”

Sesshoumaru shook his head. “The captain seemed neither surprised nor offended by the offer. It was fair. Now, tell me everything that the captain said once more. If we have any questions or doubts, it would be wise to voice them before we leave port.”

And so, as the pair walked back toward the inn, Vanessa recounted the finer details of her discussion with Captain Peinado so that Sesshoumaru was left with both sides to consider. They talked easily, though Vanessa's nerves began to grow uneasy again.

“It'll be fine,” Vanessa said, unsure whether she was trying to convince herself or Sesshoumaru.

The taiyoukai spared her an unconcerned glance. “I am sure it will be,” he responded mildly. He seemed so at ease that she couldn't help feeling her insides settle in the face of that unflappable calm. She'd seen him enraged and on the brink of losing that cool facade, but he was nowhere near that point now. She felt his calm radiating through her.

“We could still find another ship,” she offered. Vanessa didn't know what to expect form men of this time, but Captain Peinado seemed to be as good as any. The crew might be a different story, but if they were anything like he was, then they couldn't be all bad.

“That will be unnecessary,” Sesshoumaru told her. “As you said, it is growing late in the season, and we may not find another making the journey.” She noticed that he didn't point out that they might not have had such a slim choice if they hadn't come to London in the first place. “This one will do.”

“You sure? You're in this as much as I am. I know we haven't really seen much of the ship or the rest of the crew -”
“Vanessa,” he said, cutting her off gently. “Stop worrying. We need to find passage, and one ship is as good as another. If the crew turn out to be what I have come to expect of bands of human men at home, then I will protect you. Until then, we must... have faith that these men do not meet my expectations.” His lips turned and he ran his tongue over his teeth as if the words were bitter in his mouth, and Vanessa couldn't help smiling.

“Don't ever change, Sesshoumaru.”

He turned and raised an eyebrow, making her smile split into a grin.

“This one will do,” he said finally, and they walked on in silence for a while, but it was comfortable, much as it had been before they landed of Britain's shores.

“We should secure rations for ourselves,” he suggested, and paused at the door to a butcher shop. Vanessa knew he couldn't decipher the hanging sign so he must have smelled the meat inside. “If we leave ahead of the evening tide, the ship’s provisions may have already been purchased, and the crew will not appreciate sharing with extra mouths, no matter the price we paid. If not,” he shrugged. “Then we have something to hold us for a while on your continent.”

Vanessa nodded, feeling the weight of their remaining coin decreasing even before it was spent. “We might want to stock up now on anything else we might need before we arrive in North America. I don’t know how developed Havana is, but I know there will not be any cities in our travel up the coast.”

She ducked inside with Sesshoumaru on her heels and spoke with the butcher. They decided on a supply of salt pork, enough to feed two for two months, packaged for storage on a ship, and to be delivered within the hour to the Rosalina. She thanked the man and handed over a few coins as payment.

“He recommended tins of travel bread from the baker up the street to supplement,” she told Sesshoumaru as they left the store. He nodded and motioned for her to lead the way.

“We could fish, too. I think,” she suggested. “Preserved pork probably isn't quite up to your usual taste, is it?” Her own human tasted buds would get tired of it before too long. She couldn't imagine how he was going to tolerate it when he was used to fresh meat, or at the very least meals prepared to his tastes. Especially after a week of eating “human food” while in the city.

“I will manage.”

He never complained. He was never impatient with her or her human needs, though he had every right to be; they certainly traveled much slower because of her. He'd given up so many comforts for her, and she had no idea how she could ever repay him.

They bought several large packets of the hard bread, hardtack, the baker called it and had it sent along to the ship as well. All that was left was to find something for them to drink on the voyage and they had their food covered. She thought Mistress Crowley might be able to help them out with that.

Vanessa stopped once more in the market and bought a few hooks and spare line, strips of cloth to supplement her supply of bandages – just in case, a bar of soap, and two more thick, woven blankets. She cringed at the thought of not being able to take a proper bath while at sea, but she was prepared for the first sign of fresh water she found once they reached shore. There would probably be something she forgot and wouldn't realize it until land was far out of sight, but for the time being, she thought she had the essentials.

Finally, they were ready to turn back to the inn. They were barely inside the door when Sarah rushed up to them. “Did you find a ship? Are you leaving?”

Her little face fell at Vanessa's bittersweet smile. “We did. We're leaving tonight.”

“But you only just got here.”

Vanessa led the girl over the a chair by the fire and sat with her while Sesshoumaru took their purchases upstairs. The other children looked up from their quiet activities. Rebecca and Tim paused in clearing dishes from their tables, but continued before Mistress Crowley would notice.

“You knew I would be leaving soon, Sarah. That's why I was looking for Sesshoumaru,” Vanessa said softly.

“I know. I just didn't think it would be so soon.”

Vanessa smiled and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. “I'm just passing through, but I am really glad to have met you, and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done to help me get him back. Really.”

Sarah flushed. “It weren't nothin'”

“Look, you're a smart girl. There's no reason you should be living on the street. Keep helping Mistress Crowley with the inn, and you'll be on your feet in no time.”

“You really have to go, don't you? We won't ever see you again.”

“I do. I wish I could keep everyone I've met in my travels with me,” she said, suddenly thinking of Rin and how she would never see her again. She fought back the pain of that thought and forced a smile for Sarah. “But I can't do that. I can only keep the memories of them tight in my heart. You'll always be there. I promise.”

“May we see you off?” Sarah asked.

“Of course! And I'll wave from the rail until I can't see you anymore.”

Sarah smiled a little at that. “I better finish then,” she said, and got up to join Rebecca and Tim.

Vanessa sighed and went to the kitchens to find the innkeeper and see what they could get for something to drink for the journey.

“I have a few small casks of wine and ale in the cellar,” the older woman said. “I have heard of too many people falling ill on these voyages from bad water, but the alcohol will keep.”

“We'll pay, of course,” Vanessa said. “Whatever is fair.”

“I know, deary. Have your boy, Jack, come and help an old woman. I'll have them sent to your ship. Which one was it again?”

“The Rosalina, captained by Benito Peinado de la Cueva.”

Mistress Crowley frowned. “A Spanish captain? Not much better than the French they are. Are you sure you chose the right ship?”

Vanessa smiled. “I think so. Besides, I have Sesshoumaru with me now. What can go wrong?” Famous last words, she thought as soon as they were out of her mouth, but honestly, things could only go up from there.

“Hm. Well. Do what you feel you must. Is there anything else you need before you go?”

Vanessa took the older woman's hands and squeezed gently. “I think we're all set. You have been great, and so incredibly helpful. I can't thank you enough.”

“You certainly have made things interesting here the last few days. Travel safe, my dear.”

“We will. Oh, and would the girls be able to take some time this afternoon to see us off?”

Mistress Crowley smiled. “Of course, my dear. And... I will look after them as long as they continue to work. I'll give them no handouts, though.”

Grateful tears pricked her eyes as she hurried to embrace the older woman. “Thank you,” she said thickly.

Vanessa turned to go upstairs to help Sesshoumaru pack and nearly ran into him in the doorway. “Oh!” she gasped and stepped back.

He frowned and raised his hand, but stopped short of touching her cheek. “Is everything all right?” he murmured, and Vanessa realized her eyes were damp.

“It's fine. I was just saying some good-byes. I need to find Jack and then finish packing before we have to leave.”

Vanessa passed on the innkeeper's message, and then Sesshoumaru followed her like a pale shadow up to their rooms and waited while she added her bag to his by the door. The hardtack and the few other purchases they had made that day went into a spare sack and joined the others.

“I guess that's everything,” Vanessa said, somehow shocked to realize that their entire world amounted to a handful of bags filled with the bare essentials. It was strange to think that she was so close to what she knew, and yet so very far away still.

Vanessa picked up her pack while Sesshoumaru shouldered the other two.

“I can carry one,” she offered.

“No need.” He just nodded toward the door and followed her back out and down the stairs.

They paused for Vanessa to get a round of hugs from the children, and after assuring them once more that she would be waving from the rail, they set off once more across the city to the harbor.

Captain Peinado led them down below decks, beneath the forecastle in the bow of the ship, to a cluster of small, private cabins. One was clearly occupied with a trunk, bedding, and a few odds and ends scattered on the walls and the small pieces of furniture tucked wherever it would fit. Two at the foremost end of the short corridor had long ago been relegated to storage, and the fourth appeared to have been hastily cleared out and made ready for passengers.

The thin mattresses atop the bunks set high on the wall, hazardously close to the ceiling it seemed, looked clean and there was a blanket folded at the foot of each, in addition  to the ones they had brought for themselves.

At the back of the cabin, against the hull was a low chest of drawers flanked by a pair of matching stools. A hinge near the top of the chest suggested that they could open out the top to make it into a table.

Above the table, a narrow window, barely a ventilation slit, let in a shaft of afternoon light and a slight breeze. A wide-based oil lantern sat atop the chest, and glowed with a small flame within. Beneath each bunk sat low upholstered chairs, well-used and worn, but comfortable-looking.

Vanessa dropped her pack into one and turned around, taking in her surroundings. It was a small space, but she didn't think it would be cramped. It wasn't as though they had much to fill it. “What do you think?” she asked, turning to Sesshoumaru, who was likewise inspecting their new home at sea. He frowned at the lack of a lock on the door, but he nodded.

“It will do.”

She turned to the captain. “This is perfect. Are the rest of our supplies on board? We sent a few things to be delivered earlier.”

“Si , Come with me.”

Captain Peinado backed out and pointed them to one of the cabins-turned-storage lockers. Tucked in among the coils of rope and rolls of sailcloth, were several barrels.
“One from a butcher, and four from the Rose and Dagger. Is this everything?”

Vanessa nodded. “That should do it.”
“Then I will leave you to get settled. My first mate, Antón, is just across the way if you need anything once we make way. We set sail within the hour.”

He nodded to each of them and disappeared into the hold.

Vanessa gave Sesshoumaru a nervous grin and retreated into their cabin. “This is it!”

“Indeed.”

He dropped his own packs in a corner and hung his cloak on a peg in the wall. They had agreed that he would continue to wear it until the ship was out of port, for the sake of any observers on shore.

“Which bed would you prefer?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Either one. This one is fine,” she said, indicating the bunk over the chair where she had dropped her bag.

Sesshoumaru's eyes swept the cabin once more before he nodded. “We should go above and see if your friends have arrived.”

“Right.” It was going to be difficult to leave the children after all they had done for her, but not nearly has hard as leaving Rin or Shizu. “Let's go.”

The sun was beginning to sink toward the skyline to the west, and a few well-wishers were gathered for the crew members that made London their home, mostly women, a few accompanied by small children. A small knot of children hovered at the end of the gangplank, and Vanessa felt a broad smile part her lips.

“You made it!” she called.

Sarah waved, and Vanessa was struck again by how much she resembled her own sister, especially at a distance. She wondered briefly if there was actually any relation there, but that would be an impossible coincidence.

“We wouldn't miss it!” Sarah called back. “Good luck! Stay safe!”

“We will, and thank you!”

Vanessa blew a few kisses and waved, and before she knew it there was a bell and a lurch and they were sliding away from the pier.

“Good-bye! Thanks for everything!”

True to her word, she waved until she couldn't see the kids anymore. They were gone, and she was beginning a new chapter in her journey. She turned to Sesshoumaru. “No turning back now.”

“That is not true,” he said mildly.

“Well... No turning back without causing a scene or getting very wet.” She grinned.


Once they were clear of the Thames and easing into the English Channel to swing around and out into the Atlantic, the ship settled quickly into an easy routine. Vanessa and Sesshoumaru spent the early part of the evening on deck watching the shore slide by, and generally staying out of the way of the crew. However, once out into the open water of the Channel itself, the light choppiness of the sea proved to be too much for Vanessa's stomach.

“I don't feel so good,” she muttered, sagging against the railing. “I think-” she couldn't finish the thought as she lurched and leaned over the rail just in time. Just moments after her first harried lunge for the rail, she felt Sesshoumaru's hand, cool against her neck where he held her hair.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, while she wiped her chin with the back of her hand. His poor nose.

“Not necessary,” he said softly. He let go of her hair when she straightened. “Come below and have a drink,” he suggested. “You will feel better when the taste is gone.”

Vanessa would have liked nothing more than a tall glass of ice water to clean her mouth, but their fresh water supply was very limited, only the few skins they had with them from before, refilled from the well at the inn. She couldn't waste it though. Between the dry, cracker-like bread, the salted pork, and the wine and ale they brought, it would be a wonder if they didn't die of dehydration before they reached Cuba.

“Just a sip,” she agreed, and maybe a splash of wine to get the taste out of her mouth, though much more than that would make her even more sick to her stomach.

Inside their cabin, Sesshoumaru sat her down and handed her a water skin, and then fished out a tin of bread. “Eat something,” he told her. And it was then that she realized that she hadn't eaten dinner. Maybe having something in her stomach would help settle it.

“Thank you. Aren't you hungry?” she asked when Sesshoumaru didn't take any for himself.

He shook his head. “No. I am fine for now.”

She ate a few bites, but really couldn't stomach much more than that. She did find that if she just closed her eyes, she could imagine that the gently rocking ship was a hammock or a rocking chair.

“I hope I won't be sick the entire time,” she said miserably, but obediently took another sip of water when Sesshoumaru held out the skin once more.

“It will pass,” he said confidently. “It is not uncommon for it to take some time to get used to the motion of the sea.”

“But I've been on boats before! Big cruise ships and small boats. I've never been seasick before. You're not seasick.”

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow before a smirk turned the corner of his mouth. “Naturally, the constitution of a youkai, such as myself, would be able to withstand the rigors of sea travel.”

Vanessa clambered up onto her bunk and pouted at the boards above her head. “Must be nice.”

Sesshoumaru appeared at her shoulder, all levity having vanished from his face, but he leaned casually on the wooden frame.

“I do not make light of your discomfort, Vanessa. I do hope you know that.”

She rolled onto her side and touched his hand with a finger. “I know. I don't mean to suck you into my misery. You should go up and get some air. I'll be fine here. I think I'll be okay for now.”

Sesshoumaru shook his head and stepped back to sit in the chair beneath his bunk. “It is late. I will stay.”

Vanessa watched him in the flickering lantern light. She could practically feel the release of tension as he closed his eyes and slowly shifted his muscles, forcing himself to relax and let go of the stress of the past weeks. She couldn't blame him. It was the first moment of peace they had had since they were reunited. Now they were at the mercy of the winds and the skill of the crew now. The burden of seeing them safely to shore was not his to bear.

Naturally, she'd seen his quiet moments before, but to see him contained in such a small space, when he exuded such power, she wondered where all that energy went once it left his body. He was a creature born of the wild and refined to regality, and the mix made him stunning no matter the setting. She had a feeling he would thrive on the wild shores of North America after being cooped up on the ship for so long. Someone like him should never be caged. That was what made his recent captivity so much more heartbreaking. Maybe it was good that the only memory he had was just the fact that he had been, figuratively speaking, caged.

As though feeling her eyes on him, he opened his eyes and looked up.

“Is everything all right?” he asked softly, concern and something else flashing in his eyes.

“It will be,” she said, smiling down at him. “Good night, Sesshoumaru.”

He inclined his head in response, and Vanessa rolled over to leave him to his meditations, but she didn't fall asleep until she heard him dim the lamp and climb into his own bunk. This would be a good trip, she decided. No matter what, she would make sure of it.

That is... as long as she could keep her meals down.





A/N:
 To those of you who are curious, the Rosalina is a Carrack, one of the most common and versatile ships used by the Spanish and Portuguese in their exploration and trade in the Atlantic. Also FYI, 60-ish years earlier, the Santa Maria was a Carrack, while the Niña and Pinta were similarly designed, but smaller, Caravels. The Rosalina could easily have been decades old and had that nice “age” polish to her where hands and feet made regular contact.