InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ On The Sea ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15:

Kagome began to tremble in Inuyasha's arms- but he didn't seem to notice as he walked stiffly towards the stairs, intent on his mission. Kagome's face grew bright red- her startled brown eyes were wide in her now bruising face.

Seeing that he was planning on carrying her through the ship she immediately dropped her arms from around his neck and began to squirm.

"Put me down!" she whispered fiercely, clearly mortified. What would the other sailors think if they saw the captain of their ship strutting around the ship with her in his arms? Kagome could just begin to imagine.

Inuyasha didn't respond, only tightened his hold on her- almost bruisingly.

"I said-"

"Be still" Inuyasha snapped, not bothering to look down at her as he carried her down the stairs and below deck.

"But-"

"I am not putting you down so shut yer mouth." Inuyasha said darkly.

Kagome swallowed the protest that was forming in her throat as she clenched her fists.

Her cheeks were a bright red as Inuyasha carried her throughout the ship. Kagome didn't miss the curious stares of the pirates that they passed in the hall- nor was she deaf to the cat calls and the "Wohoo, Cap'n!" `s. Kagome was so embarrassed she almost wanted to cry. Almost.

She stared fixedly at Inuyasha's chest to avoid the gazes of her crew mates.

Setting her jaw Kagome glared at Inuyasha's chest, she was humiliated. Of course *he * wouldn't care about carrying her around the ship as if she were some kind of trophy. *His * reputation wouldn't be tarnished, *he * wouldn't be thought of as a whore. Only Kagome's image would be ruined.

"Stupid bastard"

"What was that?" Inuyasha asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Nothing" Kagome said with false sweetness, still glaring at his chest.

Inuyasha shook his head, his lips set into a grim line as he neared the end of the hall. At the end of the long and fairly wide hall was a door- with two sleeping pirates on either side. Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha bit back a growl.

`Lazy bums' he thought with a hint of anger.

The girl, Kagome, sat stiffly in his arms- her back as stiff as a board. Women could be so aggravating at times- especially this one. Couldn't she see that she couldn't just waltz around the ship as she was? Did she *want * to get raped?

Growling quietly to himself, Inuyasha kicked one of the dozing pirates in the ribs.

"Open the door ya louse." He growled.

The pirate, who had been sleeping comfortably slumped against the wall, cracked a sleepy eyelid. When he saw Inuyasha he nearly jumped to his feet- his eyes wide with fear.

"S-Sorry Cap'n!" he stuttered as he threw the door open, hitting the other slumbering pirate upside his head with the door.

"Yowch! Eh, what'd ye do that fer--- OO cap'n!" the other pirate yelped, jumping to his feet.

Inuyasha held back the urge to beat them both to death as he stalked into the room, using his foot to close the door behind him.

The whole time Kagome had been staring at Inuyasha's chest- blocking everything else out. Emotionally she was a wreck- she didn't want to think about what had happened or what was happening now- all she wanted was to be alone. But the sound of a door slamming snapped her out of her reverie.

Kagome's head shot up as she looked around. Her voice caught in her throat and panic welled inside of her.

She was in a huge bedroom- with a king size bed in the center of the far wall. A bed which Inuyasha was walking steadily to.

Kagome let out an ear splitting scream and began to kick wildly trying to wiggle out of Inuyasha's hold.

"No! No!"

Using her elbow she caught him in the stomach, making him stumble and almost fall. Almost. . .

"For the love of god woman!" Inuyasha roared as he carried the thrashing Kagome to his bed. He barely avoided a fist to his face as he all but dropped her on the bed.

Kagome's screams only seemed to get louder as blind panic seized her. Kagome tried to get up but Inuyasha forced her back down, carefully pinning her body under his. He held her wrists in his hands, pinning her hands on either side of her head. His legs trapped her own- making escape impossible.

Kagome's head thrashed back and forth, tears leaking from tightly closed eyes.

"No! No! Get off me!" Kagome screamed her throat hoarse.

Inuyasha snarled down at her his golden eyes flashing dangerously.

"Shut. Up!"

But Kagome didn't listen; tears were running down her cheeks. He was supposed to save her wasn't he? Why was he doing this to her?

Inuyasha snarled in frustration. The woman was fine until he had brought her here. He didn't understand what she was being so hysterical about.

Kagome had finally stopped screaming- her throat gone dry and her voice lost.

The sound of her soft sobs reached his ears, which were still ringing from her screams- and he looked down at her chapped and bloodied lips. She was mouthing the words she could not say- soft whispered cried spilling from her lips.

"No, please no"

Inuyasha reeled backwards with realization. Did she honestly think . . .

A cruel snarl spilled from his throat and he leapt off her as if he had been burned.

Kagome curled up into a ball, tears still coursing down her cheeks. She lay there whimpering and shaking- the burn in her throat and the ache on her face and rubs came back to her, full force. Her head pounded savagely.

Inuyasha sighed; clenching his jaw he turned his back on her.

"You un-man me." Inuyasha said stiffly, his rage just barely kept in check.

Kagome cracked an eye to stare at Inuyasha's back.

Turning towards her slowly he gave Kagome the full force of his glare- it was like a blow and she couldn't help but flinch under it.

She tensed as he stalked towards her slowly; every muscle in his body screamed with barely controlled anger.

Leaning his upper body over her, his arms braced on the edge of the bed. He said slowly, softly- his voice thick with anger. "I have never, NEVER taken a woman against her will and I will not start now. Do not flatter yourself *Kage *" he sneered, mocking her masculine name "I couldn't bring you to the infirmary- if they tried to rape you above ship where Kouga and I were present, what will happen when we are not around below ship? I will not be taking any chances with you- girl."

He had said it so coldly, as if she were merely a toy or a piece of property that he didn't want anyone else to have. He had even mocked her femininity- all but calling her undesirable. Her lip trembled as she struggled to compose herself.

What was she thinking? Inuyasha could never desire her; he would never try anything like that with her. She was ugly, boyish- too masculine and not soft. Her hair was short and dull- her face sunburned and wind chapped. She had no long nails of a lady, her hands had blisters from all the hard work she had done. `Blisters. . .' Kagome thought as she clenched her fists. Biting down on her lip Kagome closed her eyes in shame. This was a mistake- all a big mistake. . .

"Pull yourself together while I go get the monk. The guards outside the door wont let anyone other then myself in- you're safe now." Inuyasha said, turning on his heel and leaving a crushed Kagome behind.

"Why do I care?"

Miroku sighed as he finished wrapping the bandages around her wrists.

"God, d y' know how lucky you are? You get into more trouble then Shippo- and *that's * saying something."

Kagome smiled softly and nodded her head. Miroku always had a way of cheering her up when she needed it most. And boy did she need it.

"Ok mate, looks like your all set. But there will be no running around for a few days."

Kagome sighed, defiance shining in her eyes.

"I mean it Kage, you need to rest." Miroku said solemnly.

Inuyasha, who had been patiently waiting in a corner of the room while Miroku inspected Kagome, pushed off the wall he had been leaning on. His arms were crossed over his chest, his golden eyes solemn.

"Don't worry about that, monk. I'll make sure that she will get plenty of rest." Inuyasha's voice was deep and serious- his eyes were hard and unrelenting.

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, her brow furrowed, but Miroku cast her a warning look before clearing his throat.

"I am glad that you will see that Kage will be getting proper rest, however, perhaps Kage would be more. . .comfortable in her own chambers with Lady Ayame and Sango. . ."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, giving Miroku a glare that would make most men shake in their boots. But of course, it had no effect on Miroku.

"I could care less whether or not she's comfortable." Inuyasha growled. "She is staying here, with me, because she will be safe here. And that's what I care about."

"But sir, with a guard posted outside their door she would be just as safe there as-"

"No." Inuyasha cut him off, his face hard and stubborn.

Miroku cast an apologetic look at Kagome as if to say `Sorry I tried.'

And Kagome? She was so mad that, at the moment, words seemed to fail her. Who did he think he was?! Just ordering her around like he *owned* her! No one owned Kagome Higarashi! She could and would make her own decisions!

Flinging the covers off of her Kagome swung her feet over the edge of the bed- intent on storming out of the room and away from Inuyasha.

"If your feet touch this floor then you will soon discover how safe you can be in the room you were put in before- only this time there will be no candle to light it."

Kagome froze at his words, her eyes suddenly wide. He wouldn't . . . looking into Inuyasha's eyes she quickly realized he would. She had no desire to be trapped in that small dark windowless room again. Gritting her teeth Kagome stared at the floor, her feet mere inches from it. Her fists clenched in the sheets as she thought fondly of beating the life out of Inuyasha, that cocky selfish-

"Good. Now get back into bed before I change my mind."

Kagome's eyes flashed with anger. `That mother fucking bastard! How dare he! How dare-`

"Kage." Inuyasha said in a warning tone.

(an: Anyone ELSE think he's pushing it? O.O)

Kagome glared at Inuyasha as she pulled her feet away from the edge of the bed. If looks could kill Inuyasha would be a dead man ten times over.

Miroku turned his head to the side to hide the small smirk that had spread across his face. It seemed that the willful and stubborn Kage was finally being tamed, and by none other then Inuyasha. Kage needed to be tamed, true, but Miroku couldn't help but worry about his young friend. He knew that Inuyasha and Kagome had a . . . relationship of sorts. Sango had threatened him on pain of death if he told anyone else. He only hoped that Inuyasha wouldn't abuse his husbandly privileges, that he would wait until marriage to take Kagome. They only had one maybe two days left until they reached port. Then Inuyasha and Kagome would be married. Miroku shook away the mental image of children cradled in Kagome's and Inuyasha's arms. He too dreamed of having a family of his own someday- he wanted to settle down and start a family. He saw Sango in his minds eye, holding a squalling baby in her arms with a soft smile on her face. Miroku's eyes widened in shock. Had he seriously contemplated . . . but Sango would never accept him. She was a noble and he was nothing but a regular sailor. Well, a regular sailor that also happened to be a monk.

"Monk, if that's all?"

Miroku nodded "Aye, just make sure she doesn't move around too much- her ribs are bruised and she could stretch an already tender muscle."

"Aye." Inuyasha said "I got it. You are dismissed."

Miroku nodded his head and turned to Kagome.

"Goodbye Kage," glancing at Inuyasha he smirked "and good luck."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she watched Miroku walk away and out the door.

Kagome's hands fisted in the sheets on either side of her.

An oppressive silence hung heavy in the room, Kagome refused to be the one to break it. She didn't *want* to talk to that arrogant bastard. He had insulted her in too many ways- making her feel worthless, as if she were just a toy for him to play with. He had even mocked her femininity- remarks that still burned in the back of her mind like old scars. Maybe marrying him is a mistake- she could still back out of it. Maybe Houjo would take her. . .Kagome paused at the though. How could Houjo possibly take her back? She had killed and fought and acted brash- like a man. She had gone and done thinks he never had and probably never would do. He wouldn't want her. She was no longer the beautiful Kagome Higarashi. No, now she was Kage, the cabin boy. But, she thought with a quiver of hope, she could always just go home. Go back to High hall and go back to her parents. `Mother. . .' Kagome winced at the mental image of her mother when she found out about Kagome's little . . . escapade. `Well, I could always buy time, I could. . .'

`Just sit and wait till your hair grows out and you become pretty again?' a darker voice inside her head sneered. `Some scars never heal, and some freedoms you cannot forget.'

Kagome closed her eyes in defeat. She *had* to marry Inuyasha.

But she would be damned if she let him know that.

Inuyasha watched the myriad of emotions flicker across Kagome's face. She was like an open book; it was easy to read her. He could only wonder EXACTLY what she was thinking.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, catching her attention.

"I have business to . . . attend to." Inuyasha paused "Get some rest and try to relax- things will become clearer with a good nights rest."

Kagome just stared at him. She refused to respond. Quite frankly she was still furious at him.

Inuyasha shook his head and smirked, the wench was spiting him already. Though he couldn't really blame her. . .

"There are guards posted outside this door. No one can get in unless I am with them. And," Inuyasha added with a smirk, "No one can get out."

Kagome had the sudden urge to chuck a pillow at Inuyasha's head. Was she seriously contemplating marrying this man? He was *already* driving her crazy.

Inuyasha saw her brown eyes narrow into slits- she was giving him a glare that would make most men turn and run- yet it only made him chuckle.

"I have to go have a chat with Kouga, I will be back later on tonight- and if I find you out of bed. . ." There was a dark warning tone in his voice.

Meanwhile Kagome was going over different ways to kill Inuyasha in her mind.

`I could shoot him . . . no that would be too quick. Maybe I could gut him . . . nah, too much of a mess. Well I could always hang the filthy-`

Inuyasha shook his head as he turned his back on her and walked to the door.

"Goodnight *princess*" he snickered as he opened the door. He barely had it closed when the distinct thud of a pillow hitting the door reached his ears.

"Jerk!" Kagome's voice echoed throughout the ship.

Inuyasha shook his head, ignoring the guards who were trying very hard not to laugh at the predicament their captain had found himself in.

"Worthless louts." Inuyasha muttered darkly as he walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

Kagome awoke abruptly to the sound of shouts and a deafening roar. Her brown eyes were still foggy with sleep and the gears in her head were turning slowly.

Kagome's eyes widened in shock when she realized that the roaring she heard was in fact waves crashing into the side of the ship and the thunder that boomed overhead.

"There's a storm. . ." Kagome whispered.

"All hands on deck!! All hands on deck! NOW!!" Kouga's yelling roar reached her ears. A small smirk spread across her lips as she heard the sound of retreating footsteps leaving from her door.

Her smirk only grew as she thought of Kouga's words. He had said "all" hands on deck, didn't he? By leaving she would only be following orders. . .

Kagome smiled as she threw back the covers and all but leapt from the bed.

"This is going to be fun."

~~

~~

~~

~~

~~

~~

x~x~x~x~~Ya'all thought that I was gonna end it here, didn't ya? Hmph~~x~x~x~x

The rain was coming down hard. So hard Kagome could barely see her own hand in front of her face. It didn't help that the sky was an obsidian black- no stars nor moon shone on this night. Instead, black blue storm clouds filled the sky as the roaring of thunder filled their ears. Flashes of blinding white lightening cut across the sky giving the sailors a brief moment of light before quickly fading. The Sea Maiden was being tossed around the ocean like a child's toy. Humongous waves crashed down upon it, trying to carry away all those on deck.

Griping the rope around her waist, Kagome carefully made her way across the ship. It was so hard to see. Rain water and salt water alike was getting into her eyes- making them burn. It had taken less then a second for her clothes to be completely soaked through, clinging to her like a second skin.

Now she steadily made her way across the ship, trying to carry out the barking commands that Kouga and Inuyasha issuing to the crew.

Another wave crashed down upon the ship, sweeping her feet out from under her. Kagome hit the deck hard, jarring her elbow.

"Damn." Kagome cursed under her breath as she got to her feet. The deck was slick and wet- making it VERY slippery.

As she made her way across the deck and closer to her crew mates, she heard it. It was a miracle she did, really, what with the howling of the wind and the booming rolls of lightning. But it was there- there and very faint. The sound of familiar barking it reached her ears and Kagome's eyes widened in shock.

"Rufus. . ."

Kagome turned and ran, all but skidding across the decks surface. She slid towards the sound of Rufus's muffled barking. The sound getting louder and louder as Kagome approached the starboard side of the ship, towards the railing.

A feeling of dread overcame her. "God, please no."

Kagome ran to the rail, gripping the wet wood tightly as she peered down into the gray dismal ocean below. It was so hard to see, Kagome couldn't even make out the waves that rocked the ship back and forth.

"Rufus!" Kagome called an edge of panic in her voice.

Where was he? Had he fallen in the water? If he had then there was no way she could ever get him back. The waves would carry him away in the blink of an eye.

A muffled bark reached her ears and Kagome peered down into the darkness. The bark had come from directly below her. Did that mean . . . was he hanging off the side of the ship?

Kagome's eyes widened just before her jaw set in determination.

There was no way she was going to loose her dog to this stupid storm.

Laying flat on her stomach Kagome cupped her hands her hands around her eyes to shield the rain. She stared down into the darkness until shapes started taking form.

There! There below her was the fuzzy outline of Rufus- he was on a bench (something someone sits on to clean the side of the boat) just barely hanging on. Water slammed into him. As her eyes started to adjust further and things became clearer Kagome noticed that Rufus had something in his mouth- something big . . . something with . . . red hair. . .

Shippo!

"Shit!" Kagome cursed, jumping to her feet.

"MAN OVERBOARD ON THE STARBOARD SIDE!!!"

Pausing Kagome bit her lip.

"MAN AND DOG OVERBOARD!!"

Calls and shouts of crew members reached her ears through the darkness of the night. The sounds of feet slapping the wet boards of the deck became louder and louder as they came toward her.

The first person to burst into her line of sight was Kouga. His dark black hair clung to his neck and face and his intense blue eyes shone in the darkness of the night.

"Where are they?" he wheezed as he ran to the rail and peered over.

"Their hanging on the cleanin' bench sir- and just barely!" Kagome said, her voice coming out high and panicky.

"Well I'll be damned. . ."

"'Ey ye lazy pigs! Get off yer filthy arses and grab a line. We got a sailor overboard!" Kouga bellowed in a voice so loud that it made Kagome cringe.

It was then that the rest of the men arrived at the scene, ropes in hand.

"How're we gonna do this sir? Shippo `aint conscious and the dog cant hold onto him and catch t' line at the same time." One sailor pointed out as he peered down over the railing.

Kouga let out a stream of curses that even made the pirates blush.

Kagome was thinking frantically. Time was running out and something needed to be done before Rufus's hold on the bench slipped.

Kagome's head snapped up and she looked around at the men surrounding her.

"Jaku, Give me that rope."

Jaku, a pirate Kagome knew only on a first name basis, shook his head and threw her the rope. Working deftly Kagome wrapped an end of the rope around her waist, tying it into a secure knot that she would probably need a knife to get out of.

"Anyone got a knife?"

The cling of sabers being pulled from their sheaths as well as daggers echoes across the ship. A nervous chuckle escaped her throat as she looked at all of the shimmering blades pointed at her.

"Heh, I only need one. . ."

"Here, take mine." Kouga said handing her a dagger that's hilt was made of polished bone.

"thanks" Kagome murmured as she sliced through her life line, letting the rope fall to the ground. Now she only had the rope Jaku had given her knotted around her waist. Kagome threw the other end of the rope to Jaku, who caught it deftly. He now held her life in his hands.

Smiling, Kagome said with a wink "Make sure you don't let go of that one."

Turning to the other sailors she said loudly and clearly "I am going to go over the side and tie to ropes around both Shippo and Rufus- I'll give `em a tug and you guys will hoist them up, okay?:

Shouts of "aye" and "good thinking lass" came from the small group of men. (The group is small because not everyone can come over to help w/ the rescue. There is still a storm going on! O.O)

Two more lines were brought out and Kagome clutched one end of each tightly in her hand before climbing over the railing and sliding down the other side slowly, Jaku and Kouga both holding the rope as she went.

Kagome swallowed the nervous bubble in her throat as waves crashed against the boat, sending up spray to hit her in the face- stinging her eyes.

Her feet touched the bench and she sank to her knees- clutching the bench as she rode it along with the ship-her shoulder hitting the side of the ship as it was tossed back and forth.

A small whine came from the soaking wet dog that's claws dug into the wood of the bench. It truly had been a miracle he could hang on to it this long. Shippo lay half on half off the bench. His shirt collar clutched firmly in the jaws of Rufus.

"Its okay boy, I'm here now. It won't be much longer now, I promise."

If Rufus had let Shippo go for even a second the young man would undoubtedly be dead right now, lost to the crashing of the waves.

Crawling over to Rufus Kagome took the first rope and wrapped it around Shippo's waist- tying it in a knot that would make any sailor proud. It may have sounded easy, but that is far from the truth. In order to have the rope around her unconscious friends waist she had to reach out over the bench, leaving her just her knees to anchor her with. It was also dark, very dark and the rain blurred any clear vision that she had.

Making sure the knot was tight Kagome gave Shippo's rope a sharp tug.

Smiling Kagome clutched the bench with one hand and Rufus with the other.

"You can let him go now boy, he's going to be fine."

As if he understood her Rufus let go of his iron grip on Shippo's collar and watched as the boy was heaved swiftly up the side of the boat.

Kagome wrapped the second rope around Rufus's waist twist- making a harness of sorts for the big dog. When she was satisfied that the knot was tight she gave the rope another sharp tug.

"You did good boy." Kagome whispered as she watched her exhausted dog get hauled up.

Kagome gave her rope a tug of its own and held on as she was pulled back up to the deck.

When Kagome reached the railing many hands were there helping her over.

Kouga stood next to Jaku, limp rope in hand and a smirk on his face. "Good job lass!" he chuckled.

The small crowd voiced their approval with shouts of "Aye" and "Ye done good". Hands were clapping her heartily on the back- knocking the breath out of her.

Kagome let a relived smile form on her lips as she watched her friend and her heroic dog carried of to the safety below deck.

They were safe- everyone was happy.

The smile fell from her lips as a figure pushed his way through the crowd. A lump of panic formed in her throat as molten golden eyes clashed with her own.

Inuyasha walked swiftly over to her, his silver hair flattened and clinging to his face. His bangs fell into his eyes, shading them. But they could not hide the inferno that lurked within them. His body was rigid with anger- every strong, toned muscle taut. His smooth jaw was clenched and his brow furrowed.

"Kagome." His voice was deep and low- his smoldering golden eyes intense and fixated on her.

An iron grip wrapped around her upper arm, dragging her flush up against Inuyasha's hard hot body. Hot even through his soaked clothing.

"What. Did. I. Tell. You?" Inuyasha hissed.

Yup, he was pissed.

`I'm dead.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

Wow did I drag that one out or what? Sorry it took me so friggin long to update and I'll admit that this wasn't my best chapter ever. . .In fact I think its one of the worst I have written yet. I hate it. Maybe that's why it took me so long to update. . .that or pure laziness T.T Oh well. . .

I know that this is going to disappoint you to no end but there will be no author responses for this chapter. I just don't have it in me *sigh* If you guys have a question then review me and I PROMISE I'll answer it next chappie! *nods head*

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! It really kept me going, to see those reviews in my in box *smiles* So here's the author responseless Kudos! Sorry again O.O

KUDOS:

werre

blazingnymph7

kyoukihinotomori-luvs-inuyasha

cool20

CrystalBlueSeraph

.

tombeth-bundie

PhoenixIsis

kris

NervHQ

drake220

inuchan182

Jade

Acidic Green

dreamangel4659

Mystical-Maiden

silverhawk

luckyfourleafclover

inuXkag4eva

blondechik736

onnie

Tenshi Bunny

ConstantElation

Lady Phoenix Slytherin

Little-earth

LadySilverDragon2

sokoski

lovin_sesshomaru_isnteasy

DreamAngel4659

Danielle

Medatsu

Teeny

angel of light and darkness

Angel81

Kisamadesu

Someone who didn't leave their name O.o

Gothic Butterfly

bloodroseblade

Way2bigafan

Gothic Butterfly

Alesyira

Silvershark

nekochan614

Soudesuka-Shurikens

ArtificialWatermelonFlavoring

Untouchable Angel

HellKeeper

The Fuzzy Funny Pink Elephant Strikes Again

yashagurl

Greenleaf

Anandria

AnimeFreak

Lil Ole Me 97

bonessasan

al-khidr lover

Icy Discordia

Kelsie

LtlSwimmerGurl

LtlSwimmerGurl

tise

flare2

acidic green

ebonyangel

HieiandTouyaLover

ElfinKat

dreamcatcher5

Jade Catseye

kairinu

Mx2mnm

Mav1

Anti Fluffy

Kawaii Youkai

lil-fluffy-foxgirl-07

Lex

thunder-girl1

sashlea

leelee189

inutikidudez

emlillaa

Pixiebelle

yaz

Life's Little Irony

Pia Bartolini

foxshadow

Paragorgon

hgugi

SarahlovesDBZ

setsuna-3000

The Girl Who Cried Oro

The end *bows* Thank you everyone who reviewed! I LOVE YOU ALL *huggles* ^_^

Talk to you cats on the flip side *evil meow*

~Sarah