Disclaimer: Real pirates are not good, kids. But they sure make good as hell stories!

Author's Note: This all began with brainstorming on Discord that launched into an AU series that I could not resist writing! Credit for the art goes to the amazing thunderpot on Tumblr, whose back and forth with me on Discord sparked this idea: my description inspired her art, which in turn, inspired my writing. Go check it out! Her Tumblr url is "thunderpot" and the post number is 188678951098. It's so awesome and fits perfectly with my ideas for this series!

Keep in mind, this is a sort of "vignette" collection. There's no real "cohesive" story, other than the basic premise and the interactions between Pirate!Inuyasha and Pirate!Kagome. Updates will be sporadic at best, but hopefully, my love for pirates will keep the ball rolling. ^.^

Words: 655

Enjoy!

Shards of the Sea

oOoooOoOoooOo

Many sailors believe that the ocean is ruled by a ruthless, temperamental god. The volatile motions of the waves, the monstrous creatures whose occasional glimpses beneath the surface left quite a bit of room for the imagination, the almost seamless connection to the sky's "attitude" matching the ocean's own temperament...

For many millennia, no living soul with half a brain dared to cross the vast, untouchable reaches of the mighty sea. Yarn after yarn was spun, creating massive, tangled balls of bizarrely vivid depictions of frightening sea creatures, full of teeth and scales and claws; various gods and goddesses that ruled the deep blue, and the constant battles for power; mystical lands on the other side, practically drowning themselves in treasure beyond the wildest dreams. The tales spread far and wide, even reaching deep in the mountains or across parched deserts, places that had never seen a body of water larger than a small lake or pond.

The ocean sparks the imagination in ways that only the stars can rival. Long after peoples of many races and countries began the first, precarious voyages across the savage sea, the ancient stories remained eternally dense and determinedly rooted in fear and worship of the mysterious sea god or goddess.

But Inuyasha Taisho, Captain of the Siren's Wing, knew better. The ocean wasn't ruled by any god.

The ocean was in of itself a god.

A self-ruling, insurmountable force of nature that could not be tamed.

But if you're born with just the right amount of gumption and sheer dumb luck, you can survive traveling across the unpredictable, deadly beast called "the ocean." You can even lie to yourself and voyage so successfully, you can believe that the gods themselves cannot bring you down. Many foolish men dared to call themselves "tamers of the ocean," claimed that humanity was the only species to conquer her vast, untouchable storms.

Stupid mortals. The ocean cannot be controlled.

She cannot be tamed.

She... was just like this woman.

Straddling his thighs, both boots planted firmly on his forearms against the wooden planks on his Siren's deck, Captain Kagome Higurashi, of the rival ship, The Naiad, pressed a knife to Inuyasha's throat. In a moment that now spelled his doom, Inuyasha slipped and let his guard down. And now, in the middle of the sea battle, surrounded by gunfire and shouts and running men, Captain Inuyasha Taisho was at the mercy of his greatest rival.

As he stared up into her blazing eyes, a stormy and fierce grey-blue, her glare piercing the very fabric of his soul, he swallowed hard against the blade. She gritted her teeth, and grabbed hold of the beads around his neck, pulling his face closer until their noses touched.

"Touch my children again," she said in a growl that he never thought was possible to escape her pretty mouth, "and you won't live to see another day."

Fuck.

This was in the middle of a battle. People die in battles. Every pirate and sailing man worth his salt knew the risks of coming across an unfriendly ship while crossing unknown waters. And she still acted like it was his fault and his alone?

Damn wench.

But when he felt the first drop of blood spill against the edge of her knife, Captain Inuyasha realized something: she didn't care about the rules of combat or the basic aspects of warfare. To her, her "children," the crew members of her ship who were infamously "adopted" by her, were as precious to her as her own life.

She would not hesitate to destroy those who ignite her wrath.

Just like the ocean will swallow up ships in a heartbeat.

A goddess does not tolerate disrespect in her home.

Inuyasha stared into Kagome's eyes, their lips a breadth away even as her own were contorted in a vicious snarl.

Shit. He didn't know whether to shit his pants or kiss her.