Again the new and improved revised edition… Mesa hopes you likes.

A Pirate's Heart

Shark Assault

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Throughout the night Kagome wondered what it would be like to see Kariana transform. Would it be a slow exaggerated transformation, or a quick pop? She pondered this question most of the night, debating the advantages and disadvantages of each option. She didn't get anywhere when she finally fell asleep. It was almost sunrise.

When she finally awoke the next morning, she found that the sun was already high in the sky. There was someone banging on her door. BAM. BAM. BAM.

"What is it?" She finally yelled after many failed attempts at trying to drone out the pounding.

"Hurry up and get dressed. No one can eat breakfast until we're all there, and I'M STARVING!" a male voice yelled. It took Kagome a few seconds to register whose voice it had been yelling at her through the door. Then she remembered Inuyasha. Does he only think about himself? She wondered.

She got up, put on a pale blue tunic with black breeches, combed her hair, and washed her face in a basin of water that somebody (hopefully Sango) had put in her room. Inuyasha was still banging on her door. She stomped quietly over to the door and opened it quickly. Inuyasha was not only banging on the door, but leaning on it as well. He fell in face first onto the wooden floor. Kagome giggled.

Inuyasha picked himself up angrily. "What took you so long?" He ordered. He didn't like to have to wait for his food. He liked it at the same time each and every day.

"I was up late last night thinking." She retorted scornfully. He is so full of himself.

"Now why would anyone stay up thinking… Of all things!" He remarked icily.

"A smart person thinks about things." She told him. Inuyasha, not picking up on the insult, grabbed Kagome's hand and half dragged, half yanked, and half pulled her to the dining cabin.

Kagome screeched, howled, and tried to get Inuyasha to unhand her the whole entire way. She wasn't successful. Inuyasha pushed her into the cabin ahead of him. She turned around planning to box his ears, but Sango, who Had Not only gotten up early but was also waiting for Inuyasha to deliver Kagome to the dining cabin, grabbed her arm and refrained her from hurting him. She pulled Kagome over to a chair and forced her to sit down.

"How did you sleep slug-a-bed?" Kariana asked, a smile on her face. She whistled before she got an answer. A few people walked out of the shadows and placed bowls of hot, steamy bowls of food in front of everybody. Inuyasha and Miroku immediately started to gobble up their food like pigs. Kariana thanked the servers before gently eating her food. She had manners, unlike Inuyasha and Miroku.

"Okay I guess." Kagome said after thinking for a few seconds. "I was thinking for most of the night and the rest of it the rocking of the boat kept me awake.

"Don't worry about the rocking. You'll get used to it. Do you have you sea legs yet?" Kariana wanted to know.

"Umm sea legs?" Kagome asked.

"Can you walk around with out thinking about keeping your balance?"

"Not sure."

"Try walking around." Kagome got up and tried walking but she kept stumbling. "Guess not. You'll get them soon enough. Don't worry." They all went on eating.

Suddenly, the Green Animal jolted. Things crashed to the floor. People outside hollered with surprise. Kagome and Sango almost fell over with shock. Only Inuyasha, Kariana, and Miroku stayed in their seats. When Sango and Kagome finally gathered their wits, they asked what had happened.

"What happened?" Sango asked.

"Well, numerous things could have happened, it could have been Kouga or somebody else's boat ramming into ours, wouldn't doubt it. Kouga's men are not good with directions or steering. Someone on our ship could have done something wrong. Doubt it though. I have a much better crew than Kouga. Or the last possibility is that we could be under a sea youkai attack. Nothing big really."

"NOTHING BIG? NOTHING BIG? How could you say that?" Sango was freaking out. "When youkai attack the village we have to get everybody to safety. And even then not everybody survives!" Sango yelled. Kagome tried to calm her down, and was not successful. Finally Miroku got up and poked her shoulder. She turned around and smacked him. Miroku had successfully calmed Sango's nerves. Maybe not the best way, but probably the most efficient.

"Works like a charm." Miroku said dazedly. There was a knock at the door. A buccaneer gasped and fell through the door.

"Much… to… to… strong… want miko." He gasped with the last ounce of energy he had. He collapsed. Kariana was stunned. When she recovered, she bolted out the door. Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome followed swiftly. There was chaos on deck. Seagull and Starling youkai were harassing the sailors. Different kinds of fish youkai were flopping around on deck, trying to get a hold of something anything that tasted like human flesh. A shark youkai suddenly appeared at the bow of the ship.

"Give me the miko." He ordered. Everyone was confused there was no miko on board.

"There is no miko. Now be gone or we will have to use force." Kariana yelled back. Her hair started to turn greener. Inuyasha seeing her hair drew and transformed the Tetsaiga. Miroku got his staff ready for combat.

The shark youkai, whose name is Slan, charged at Kariana. He knocked her into the sea. Then he turned, this time his target was Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku. He had almost reached them when a long bluish silver streak came flying at him. Slan turned just quick enough to slash at the barracuda with one of his clawed hands that came out of his pectoral fins. The blow hit the sleek tiger of the sea. It left a gash that went from the barracuda's right pectoral fin to the middle of its chest.

The response to the blow was lightning quick. The barracuda's fangs sank into Slan's claws. Both shark and barracuda fell into the sea. Nobody saw much after that. The only evidence that the fight was still on was the rippling of water every now and then.

Then it stopped. The water of the sea turned a murky red color. The color kept changing until it was a new totally different color, the color of blood.

"I hope he's okay." Kagome said, breaking the air of silence that hung over the Green Animal. She was trembling. She didn't like blood. The reek of it was everywhere. It was making her nauseous.

"By whom do you mean by he?" Inuyasha asked.

"The barracuda of course." Kagome retorted.

"That barracuda was no male." Miroku butted in.

"But if it wasn't male then it was…"

"Female."

"How would you know if a fish was a male or female?" Kagome wanted to know. Then she gasped as some of the sailors helped Kariana over the side of the boat. There were claw marks from her right arm to the middle of her chest. Kagome stayed silent after that.

A few sailors ran over to try and help Kariana. She pushed them away. "I'm fine." She insisted. Then she hobbled over to where Kagome stood. She started to order everyone around. "I want Kaede here yesterday. Get these bodies off my ship and onto someone else's… preferably Kouga's. Somebody get me Sesshoumaru. NOW" She yelled when the pirates hesitated. They were quick to obey her after that.

"No need to call for me, I'm already here." And even voice said behind Kagome. She jumped. She hadn't noticed Sesshoumaru behind her. Kariana whirled around.

"Check that no need to find Sesshoumaru." She called out. "I need to talk to you." She said angrily. She turned and stalked off to her cabin. He followed. The he turned.

"Kagome is it? Get Inuyasha and Miroku and get them to Kariana's cabin. Wait a few minutes though. I have to go calm her down. He followed her.

He found her in her cabin staring out her window.

"Tell me how did this group of demons get passed your radar? We were caught completely by surprise. Kouga's gonna kill me." Kariana complained angrily.

"Don't worry he won't hurt you. These youkai or what I've seen of them are not your average youkai. They seemed to have a weird sort of power radiating off of them. I've never seen it before. But then again, there are many things I haven't seen. How did you manage to get hurt, what is this the first time in let's see… six months?"

"I don't know I didn't see him until he was almost upon me. Then he just threw me into the ocean after that I just followed my instincts. Barracudas are very dangerous creatures. He was a bit difficult to hit him in the water. I'm lucky barracuda's have sleek bodies and awesome jaws. I couldn't have been another shark, he would have hurt me even more than. And nobody would want that." Kariana explained.

"No, nobody would want that." Sesshoumaru answered her. "Losing one of my best pirates is not good. Rin isn't old enough to take your place."

"How is Rin anyway? I haven't seen her in ages, you should have her come and visit more often, and you're right she couldn't take my place she's only six years old! I'm honored that you think that I'm one of your best pirates though."

"You should be..."

"Which would make it seem like somebody sent them. But who and why and what would the get out of attacking my ship." The door opened then and Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Kagome and Kaede walked in. "Kaede I want you to check my sailors and everyone else to see if there is a miko on board and when you find them start training them. It's always nice to have a miko."

Kaede took one look around and pointed at Kagome. "She's the miko. Her power is racing through her. Yup, there is no doubt about it. Come with me lass and I'll get you started on training. Inuyasha as her bodyguard you might want to come too" They walked out of the room. Inuyasha didn't want to go he wanted to listen to some important news. But he followed anyway. They went onto a different ship, the flagship. Kagome was still wary of crossing from ship to ship. Now they were on Sesshoumaru's ship. There was a lot of difference between the three ships that she had been on. Kouga's was disorderly and had an unruly crew. On Kariana's the sailors were laid back but jumped to order when Kariana asked them to do something. Sesshoumaru's was neat, orderly, and everyone was doing something. It was very precise and neat.

"Oh yeah I have to ask Kariana something." Kagome remembered. They turned, Inuyasha groaned, and went back to The Green Animal.

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