Chaptert 93

The cabin of doom



Mai blinked with disbelief, staring at her supposedly personal cabin. Was that some joke? Rather not, Sasaki said it with a perfectly straight face and he didn't seem to be much of a joker. Maybe it was just another of the brat's pranks. No… it couldn't be. But still… The girl kept gawking inside.
"It's a damn closet." She commented aloud.

The so called "room" was only about three and a half quadrate meters big, what made it indeed just a big closet. The actual closet was taking all the space on the right wall. The sunrays were lightening the room, making their way through a small window. The girl looked at the floor and estimated, that there was barely enough place for a futon. She stepped inside and thanked all the saints, that she was not claustrophobic, because if she was, she would get an attack right now. She slid the actual closet's door open and examined the contents. She found a rolled futon. She sniffed it – it was all clean and nice-smelling. She spotted also some clothes – two white sleeping kimonos and two blue regular ones. She made a mental point to change her clothes later, because with her current kimono she looked like a beggar, not to mention, that it was torn and way too short. Pleased with what she found, she left the tiny room and went to the kitchen to get more bandages, as the ones she wore, were already dirty with the blood soaking through.

Mai thought, that she was quite lucky, that master Sekiguchi had to handle the brat instead of the brat. Speaking of the old scholar… sudden realization hit her. If Sekiguchi was with the little devil, no one was babysitting Sesshomaru. The girl prayed, that the demon stayed in the scholar's quarters. She made a mental note to check on him once she was back from the kitchen.

The girl invaded Soji's kingdom once again, snatched the bandages, politely refusing to stay for the tea and hurried back. As she was making her way through the corridor, most of the men were gluing themselves to the walls, as though the contact with her was lethal. Mai saw an obstacle in front of her – a considerably big crowd gathered near the stairs. She tried to push her way through the agitated crew members.

"He's going to kill him, he's definitely going to kill him." One of the tanned sailors was repeating with a serious face, as the others were listening to him and nodding.

"Let's go up and take a look as he finishes him." Another man suggested, gaining approval of his comrades.

"Who's fighting with who?" a young voice asked, belonging, apparently, to a newcomer, who didn't know yet, what was going on, just like Mai. The first man cleared his throat.

"One of the land rats pissed Juro. Knowing Juro, the guy would be beaten to pulp." He said, laughing loudly. "After all, the guy's a cripple."

Mai's eyes widened. A cripple? Did they mean… She never thought of him that way, but Sesshomaru was lacking one arm, so he may have been seen by these people as a disabled.

"Crap." She muttered to herself. No one was watching over that stupid demon and he got into a dangerous situation already! She had to stop him quickly, before he manages to murder somebody. Mai pushed the men in front of her forcefully, yelling: "Move!"

She got through the surprised men, forcing her way with fists and kicks. Once she reached the stairway, she ran as fast as she could, her thoughts widely racing around Sesshomaru. She had to get to him in time. The girl stormed onto the deck and saw a source of the commotion right away – a circle of curious onlookers was formed. It looked exactly as when two kids fought in elementary school and the rest gathered to gawk. Mai pushed herself between two sailors and saw Sesshomaru, standing firmly on the deck, his hand close to the bundle on his back. The girl knew, that he was ready to draw his sword anytime and cut down his opponent. The one, that wanted to fight the dog demon turned out to be the biggest of the crew members. Juro, Mai remembered his name. Juro was a large pile of muscles and was clenching his fists, preparing to beat Sesshomaru up. The girl was somewhat glad, that she made in time – everyone was still alive.

Juro spit on the deck.

"No one insults Juro, cripple." He said, looking at Sesshomaru with disgust, and let out an amused laugh.

Mai bit her lower lip. No matter how big or strong he was, he was no opponent for the inu-youkai. She saw, that the dog demon was trying hard to keep the control over himself. The vein in his neck was pulsing, his eyes glared at Juro with murderous intent, but he made no move. It was a surprisingly calm behavior, given the situation – apparently he was keeping Mai's plea in mind. But, no matter how hard he tried, should Juro attack him, the bloodbath would follow. She had to step in. Now.

The girl stormed inside the circle and got between the two men, who were preparing to fight. She motioned herself closer to Sesshomaru, with her back to him, as though as she was shielding him. She spread her arms and glared up at Juro warningly.

"Leave him alone." She said loudly and confidently.

Silence fell, as everyone was gawking at the girl. Then, Juro and his comrades burst out laughing. Mai heard Sesshomaru letting out a low growl behind her. Juro turned around and looked at the other sailors and soldiers.

"Look, the cripple is being defended by a girl!" he called, pointing his finger at the pair. An even louder laughter answered him.

"Move, woman." Mai heard Sesshomaru hiss out. She could tell by the tone of his voice, that the demon was barely controlling himself. Surely he wanted to slaughter the sailors now and she didn't blame him for that. To be so insulted and humiliated must have been extremely frustrating, especially for him. It was highly possible, that it was the most shaming event in his entire life. Mai bit her lower lip. She hated to do it, but this time Sesshomaru's pride had to be sacrificed. She glanced at the pissed youkai over her shoulder.

"Please, bear it." She whispered to him, but the demon didn't appear to listen to her, his eyes set on Juro. Mai furrowed her brows, knowing, that she had to take out a cannon. She said quietly to him:

"Go and kill everyone, but don't whimper if you don't get your powers back."
Sesshomaru graced her with a furious glare, but apparently her words got to him and he made a right choice between the two – he lowered his hand slowly. Mai smiled to him, but he returned only the angered look. Damn, she pitied him right now.

The girl flinched, when unexpectedly Juro made a step forward, flexing and clenching his fists. He sent the pair a wide smile. Mai saw, that he lacked the front teeth. The man stretched his neck.

"So… you're going to fight, cripple, or you're going to hide behind your woman's back?" he asked in a mocking tone.

The girl spread her arms wider, giving the man a challenging look.

"Don't come closer!" she called to him, furrowing her brows. "If you do… seppuku!"
Juro laughed, as well as some of his comrades, but the soldiers, who were present, didn't find it that amusing. They exchanged nervous looks.

"Hey, big man, it's true!" one of them said loudly to Juro. Another military man nodded.

"The general said, that whoever touches her, will have to commit seppuku. I wouldn't recommend to go near her if you want to keep your guts inside your belly." He reminded.
Juro looked at them, now unsure, what to do. Mai nearly heard the squeak, as the rusty wheels were turning in his small brain. Apparently he was attempting to estimate the risk. Finally he reached to some conclusion and laughed sheepishly, waving with his hand casually.

"I don't want to waste time for the cowardly cripple." He said and turned his back to Sesshomaru, before walking away. The onlookers began returning to their work, visibly disappointed, that there wasn't a fight after all.

"To be such coward in front of his betrothed…" one of the soldiers muttered with a disgusted look on his face.

"He's a cripple… he wouldn't stand a chance against Juro…"

Sesshomaru clenched his teeth, as a growl full of rage escaped his throat. His eyes were metaphorically sending lightning bolts towards the men. Mai wanted to pat him on his arm, to comfort him, but the demon slapped her hand and stalked towards the side of the ship. He gripped the wooden surface of the railing forcefully and stared at the waves below, shaking with the subsided fury. The girl carefully followed him and stopped beside him. The demon didn't grace her with a single look. Mai was thinking of something consoling to tell him, but nothing was popping into her mind.

"You humiliated me publically." Sesshomaru said in a rough voice, filled with anger.

The girl sighed quietly.

"I'm sorry about that. Really, I'm terribly sorry." She apologized him honestly, wanting to do everything to make him feel better. "But you know, what would happen if I let you fight. The trip would be over and we would never be able to reach Saga in time. I know, that it's difficult for you, but don't kill anybody, even if you have to sacrifice your pride."

A longer moment of silence followed, as Sesshomaru was processing Mai's words.

"I understand." He said finally. The girl smiled, relieved, that she didn't have to argue with him at least. She decided to make his gloomy mood better.

"You know, you're not the only one, who's suffering." She said, making a theatrical gesture to emphasize her words.

Sesshomaru arched his brow, expressing mild interest. Mai was glad, that she diverted his attention and continued talking about her new master, the so-called "brat". She described in detail her every misadventure, not leaving out any embarrassing fact. She saw, that the demon was listening to her tale with full attention. When she finished, he looked a bit more consoled, now knowing, that he wasn't the only one, who was terribly humiliated today.

"I will add the brat to my personal kill list, then." Sesshomaru commented, looking at Mai's bandaged palms. "Right after Naraku and Inuyasha."

The girl sighed heavily, thinking how hopeless he was. There was only killing on the demon's mind. Well, he seemed more cheerful though. Mai yawned and decided, that it was safe to leave Sesshomaru and go to sleep.

"I'll be going to sleep. I have a private cabin." She said with a smile, that was supposed to make him jealous.

Although, considering, that the inu-youkai would probably spend night in Sekiguchi's quarters, her closet was miserable. And it was a closet. Anyway, Sesshomaru nodded and the girl rushed to her cabin, eager to get under the bedcovers as soon as possible. She reached her closet… cabin that is, and placed the futon on the floor. She had to do it with the door open, as the futon was occupying the entire space on the floor. Mai took out a pillow and bedcovers. She slid the door close and put on a white sleeping kimono. She was about to slide under the covers, when she remembered something else. The bandages. She forgot to change them. Unfortunately, in the middle of the commotion she must have lost them. The girl cursed under her nose and put on her sandals back. Still muttering curses, she made her way to the kitchen.

The trip took longer than expected, as she made a little detour to the laundry room. It was empty, so she used the opportunity, blocked the door and quickly washed herself. Now wonderfully refreshed, she made the next stop at Soji's kingdom, where she just had to drink tea. Finally, with her bandages changed and a supply, she went back.

Humming under her nose, Mai slid the door open. She blinked. She slid the door closed with a loud slam. Was she hallucinating from the lack of sleep? She opened it again and looked at the intruder, who was occupying the corner of her closet. There, casually leaning against the wall, was sitting none other than Sesshomaru and gazing back at her with an impatient look. It didn't escape the girl's attention, that he was already dressed in a white sleeping kimono. Mai took a calming breath.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing in my clo… cabin?" she asked, resting her hands on her hips. The demon looked at her with his usual stoic face-expression.

"Is that not obvious?" he replied with a question.

Mai furrowed her brows.

"Don't tell me, you want to sleep here." She said, a warning tone in her voice.
The demon didn't answer her, he just kept looking at her calmly. She was no telepath, but she knew more or less, what the look meant.

"Oh, you want." She muttered, more to herself than to Sesshomaru.

The inu-youkai sent her a meaningful glance.

"You are the only woman on a ship full of men. You need my protection." He said, looking at her very seriously. "Surely they are praying on your body."

Mai rolled her eyes, defeated by Sesshomaru's logic. It was his idea of protecting a girl's chastity? To sleep with her? Seriously, he was too much to handle. She cleared her throat.

"I'll be fine. Find yourself another place to sleep." She told the inu-youkai.

However, he was still sitting in that corner, making no move to stand up and leave.

"I will stay." He insisted.

Mai furrowed her brows, pissed, that she couldn't finally go to sleep, because a youkai invaded her bedroom.

"Go to master Sekiguchi's quarters. There's no place for you here." She was being equally stubborn.
The logical argumentation didn't seem to reach Sesshomaru, though, as the demon was insistent on forcing his point of view onto her.

"I will watch over you, while you sleep. Rest assured." He replied.

Mai clenched her fists and took another calming breath. Dear god, the talk with the inu-youkai resembled a tennis-match.

"I'm not sure if you noticed already, but my cabin is of the size of a closet! Even if I wanted to let you stay, there's no enough room for two people! There's only one futon here and it's narrow!" she raised her voice, pissed by how her words didn't make their way towards Sesshomaru's brain, as though he had some anti-Mai shield.

While Mai began fussing, the dog demon kept his calm.

"Be silent, woman." He said, closing his eyes. "You do not need that much space."
A strange noise escaped the girl's throat, as she run out of logical arguments. The stupid demonic asshole didn't listen to her at all! She could have talk to a wall and the effect would be the same. She opened her mouth with intention to yell at him and somehow chase Sesshomaru out of her closet.

"Oh, it is you two." A male voice sounded behind Mai.

The girl closed her mouth, momentarily forgetting about the tirade and whirled around to see the general… what was his name… Shimada. Yes, general Shimada. The man arched his eyebrow and glanced inside the tiny room.

"You two were surely making much noise. Lover's spat, huh?" he asked casually, making Mai blush from embarrassment and anger. However, the general only laughed. "I see, that you two are sharing the cabin. Well, you're betrothed, so it's not something strange. I would get suspicious if you didn't."
Mai furrowed her brows at his last words. They sounded somewhat strange, especially, because the general said them totally seriously.

"Suspicious?" she repeated, forcing the smile on her lips.

The general returned the gesture in more natural way.

"Sasaki told me earlier to keep an eye on you two. He said, that you don't behave affectionate enough for a couple and could be a pair of Echizen's spies. But, seeing, that you share a bed, I don't suspect you. Goodnight." Shimada made a gesture with his hand and stalked away to his chambers, leaving Mai frozen in place.

The girl felt, that her hands began sweating. So she and Sesshomaru were being suspected of being spies? She had to admit, that Sasaki was dangerously close to discovering the truth. They were no spies, but definitely not allies either. If the ship's crew got more suspicious, she, Sesshomaru and master Sekiguchi would be shorter by a head. Mai cursed under her nose, feeling trapped. She took off her sandals and stepped into her room, closing the sliding door. She leaned against it, feeling the slight rocking of the ship.

"That's a problem." She commented quietly, exchanging looks with Sesshomaru. The general's words made her worried. Apparently the devil kid wasn't the biggest problem, she had to face.
Sesshomaru lazily stretched his leg.

"It appears, you will be protected at night, after all." He said with a satisfied smirk.
Mai abruptly sent him a furious glare, wanting to wipe that smirk out of his arrogant face. She hated, how self-satisfied the inu-youkai looked, just because he had it his way. She wanted to give him a witty reply, but she was painfully aware, that the dog demon was right. If she threw him out now, the general would get suspicious and… She shook her head. Crap, Sesshomaru would have to stay in her closet. She glanced at his large frame in the corner. He seemed to occupy most of the space. She was already getting claustrophobic – just how was she supposed to fit onto that futon?

"Woman." The inu-youkai spoke, averting her attention from the strange tetris-like thoughts, she had.

"That human's attention was drawn to our behavior as well."
Mai stared at him, trying to understand, what he meant, beating around the bush as usual. She replayed in her mind the short conversation with the general. Her eyes widened, when she realized, what the dog demon was talking about.

"He said, that we're not affectionate enough." She said slowly and instantly her cheeks flushed, as it came to her mind, what was usually expected of the betrothed couple.
Sesshomaru hid his amusement behind his stoic mask.

"It may be proper if you would enlighten me, what behavior you humans take for affectionate." He said in a demanding tone.

Mai blinked. The dog demon seemed to be quite motivated. He wanted to go along with this farce without resisting? The girl decided, that he must be very desperate to get his powers back, if he didn't put up a fight, when confronted with such embarrassing task. But, she was aware of it too – if they are to reach Saga more or less safely, they have to go along with pretending to be happily betrothed, so happily, that they wouldn't be suspected of being a pair of spies.

"Woman, reply at last." Sesshomaru hurried her, interrupting her mental monologue. Mai cleared her throat, as she noticed, that the inu-youkai's patience was wearing thin.

"Um… it's like…" the girl though of the behavior of typical high school sweethearts. Not that she was one before, with her zero-social life, but she saw them at school. "Well… they hold hands, go on walks, cuddle… and such."

She decided to left out the kissing. The idea of her and Sesshomaru cuddling, even if only for a show, seemed to be just so wrong…

The inu-youkai arched his brow, after hearing Mai stuttering out the answer to his question, while blushing fiercely.

"Cuddle… publicly?" he made sure, he heard right.

The girl nodded, too embarrassed to cough out a vocalized reply. If anything was consoling, Sesshomaru looked equally thrilled at the prospect of cuddling.

Finally the dog demon relaxed, as he apparently came to terms with the cuddling-crap, and patted the futon beside himself.

"You should get your sleep." He said.

"Sleep?" Mai repeated after him, gazing at the not-so-big futon, again playing human-tetris in her mind. Human-demon-tetris, to be exact.