InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tale of the Twins ❯ Chapter Ten: Jealous ( Chapter 10 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Sorries this took so long to update this time! My finals are due this week, after all! Oi.

Chapter Ten

Jealous

All the arrangements had been made. The castle had been sold off (Sesshoumaru had actually found a youkai that wanted it and had the money for it, so it was better than a human). The furniture had been another story, and most everything had been sold off one way or another. Everything else was loaded onto the ship, which was crewed by an array of sea youkai, their captain being a rather fiery, half-insane but very charming koi, of the Utsuri Koi clan, and her hair was coloured appropriately. Most of the other youkai crew were koi, for that matter.

Sesshoumaru was getting the idea that Captain Nanako was usually at least half-drunk. From what he had gathered from the crew, she made better decisions when she was drunk, because she was quicker to act.

She leaped off of the crow's nest, landing in between Naraku and Sesshoumaru. She set her impeccably clean hands on their shoulders. “You sure you'll trust us to take you to the mainland?” she asked them.

Sesshoumaru pushed off her hand unceremoniously. She let it drop without comment. “If you should make a stupid mistake, I will kill you, koi.”

She was apparently used to threats, and this one rolled right off. “Yeah, all right. We're not gonna kill you in your sleep or something either,” she assured him. She glanced at Rin. “Any of you. I wouldn't allow it.”

Sesshoumaru found himself staring at her hand, which was still on Naraku's shoulder. He narrowed his eyes, feeling his anger rising—both at Nanako and Naraku. He was more angry with Naraku, though. This was just how the captain was, and she thought nothing of it. He, however… “How long will this voyage take?”

She shrugged, her hand slipping off of Naraku's shoulder, unnoticed to him. “That would depend on the weather,” she said. “I can give you an estimate, though.”

“Do so.”

“Three days, if the good weather holds up,” she said.

Sesshoumaru blinked. It would be that fast?

“This is the fastest ship in the sea,” she said with a grin. “You'll see why. Are you ready to set sail, my lord?”

“Yes.” Sesshoumaru stepped beside Naraku, who was still staring out at sea, totally oblivious to what was going on.

She nodded and began barking out orders to her crew, stalking away from them. Rin rushed up to Sesshoumaru, grinning from ear to ear. “This is so exciting! Have you ever been on a ship like this, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

Shuarra Meitsuki jumped on Naraku. Kuraimaru stepped up on the rail, looking out at the water. “Yes,” he said. “You'll tire of it soon enough, Rin.”

She ignored his last statement, far too swept up in her obvious state of glee. The koi youkai rushed back and forth at their tasks. The sails billowed with the wind. The oars paddled the water. Rin rushed to the stern of the ship, looking out at the land they were leaving. The twins were right at her heels. Sesshoumaru wondered dimly if Rin would ever mature past sixteen. Considering that her aging had stopped, it was entirely possible that her mind had stopped in a way as well. That was fine, though.

Iria walked up behind Sesshoumaru and Naraku. “Where are we headed?”

“I thought we could start in Korea,” Sesshoumaru said. “After we resupply, Nanako will take us to China, but that is as far as they can take us.”

Iria made a face. “And then we have to make the rest of the crossing by land?”

Naraku shook his head. He pointed to a place on the map he had been studying. “Nanako and her crew are going to harbor their boat here, and then swim to here.” He pointed to another point. “They swim faster than the boat, so they'll beat us there if we go by land, where they are going to accumulate another ship, and then take us to India. That is as far as they are willing to go.”

“I am surprised that you are coming with us, Iria,” Sesshoumaru commented. He had thought that she would have stayed. She wasn't easily picked off for being a youkai, because of her human-like appearance and weak aura, so she was in no direct danger.

She laughed. “As often as all of you get hurt, you'd all die without me.” She wandered off.

“The lack of discipline on this ship is sickening!” Nanako practically shrieked. Naraku glanced over at her, then back at the map. Sesshoumaru watched her out of curiosity. She was screaming at a male koi youkai twice her size, and he did certainly appear to be cowering. “Don't question my course!”

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. That gave cause for worry. Had she selected treacherous waters for this journey? He didn't know the koi very well, but Naraku had apparently met her when he was waiting for the Sacred Jewel to reappear, and that she was an excellent captain, navigator, and helmsman. He said that her only flaw was that any time the going looked rough, she threw herself from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak. That only increased his feelings of worry—and jealousy. Nanako had known Naraku before he had—and they obviously knew each other fairly well.

“C-Captain… It's just that… The sea dragon resides…”

“I don't care about the dragon! Naraku or Sesshoumaru could handle it anyway, ne!? So don't question your captain!”

“B-but…”

She had enough of his arguments. She grabbed onto his obi in one fist and the collar of his haori in the other and literally held him over her head. She tossed him over the railing, into the water, and told him to get up on deck.

Sesshoumaru leveled his eyes. She was putting them all at risk. He didn't like her. He didn't know exactly why, but he didn't like her. It wasn't that he thought she had ill intentions, or anything like that. And that only made him more suspicious—of himself as well as her. It would be better if he were suspicious of her ill intent. But he really didn't like that she and Naraku were acquaintances. He didn't like it at all.

Had she and Naraku… before?

He had to know.

He glanced at Naraku. But it wouldn't be right to just come out and ask. Naraku would be angry if he did that, and he didn't want to make him angry, he just wanted to know. He needed to know. If he didn't find out—

“You need to use the Jewel soon,” Naraku said.

Why couldn't he just drop it already!? “No. I'm staying this way,” Sesshoumaru snapped, a little more harshly than he had intended.

Naraku looked up at him. “That could cause trouble, you know.”

Sesshoumaru looked away, too angry to say anything intelligent. He wanted to punch Naraku, but that would just provoke him, then their argument would turn into a fist-fight—which had already happened before. Never mind that it had ended in really rough, sort of angry sex, though. The ship was only so large, and the way they fought, they would end up destroying it.

Instead, Sesshoumaru chose a different tactic. “You cannot begin to imagine how much I wanted to be a man. Do you think I would ever give that up?” He looked out at the sea. “It's extremely selfish of you for you to want me to sacrifice my happiness for yours.”

“That's not at all what I mean,” he said, rising to his feet.

Sesshoumaru stepped closer to the railing, wrapping his fingers around the rail. “Then what do you mean? That you are dissatisfied currently?”

“No. But I really do love your female body.”

“It's my soul you should love, not my body,” Sesshoumaru said flatly.

He had a valid point. “But it was your body that drew me to you.”

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Pervert.

“And, if you do this, it will raise fewer suspicions. And isn't this why we were leaving Japan?” Naraku wrapped his arms around Sesshoumaru, hugging him from behind. Sesshoumaru ignored him. “Please consider that you are putting us all at risk by being obstinate.”

“And now you try to make me sound selfish.”

“You are selfish,” he muttered, kissing his lover's cheek in an attempt to soften his words.

Sesshoumaru decided that he was quite tired of this endless argument. He turned around and kissed him, in the hopes that that would shut him up.

Naraku pulled away. “You need to use the Jewel to become female again—just for a little—“ Sesshoumaru kissed him. Naraku tried to pull away. The other held him in place, then let go, hoping that he wouldn't try to talk again. His hopes were crushed. “Sesshoumaru, would you listen to—“ He crushed his lips with his again, refusing to relinquish them. Naraku still tried to talk despite this. Frustrated, Sesshoumaru ran his hand along the hanyou's thigh, gliding along the fabric. Slowly, Naraku's words trailed off, then came to an abrupt halt when Sesshoumaru touched something else. His eyes darted around to the crew and their children. “Stop it.” Sesshoumaru may not particularly care, but he knew some of these youkai.

“Stop talking about the Shikon Jewel, then.” Sesshoumaru didn't stop when he had spoken, and he was quickly becoming aroused, despite where they were. He twisted away—or at least, tried to. Sesshoumaru had an iron grip on his arm.

“All right. We'll discuss this later, then. Agreed?”

“Yes.”

“Then when? We need to talk about it.”

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth in anger, pulled his hand away from Naraku's crotch, curled it into a fist and slammed it into his stomach. Naraku flinched, the wind knocked out of him. He gasped a little, and took several deep breaths. “Let's not talk about it,” the youkai suggested.

Naraku glared at him. “This is important, Sesshoumaru. You need to understand that everyone is in danger if you continue this.”
“There must be another way.”

“There isn't.”

“Ridiculous,” Sesshoumaru said flatly. He turned and stalked away.