Strange Bedfellows

Chapter Ten: Midnight Confessions

"Go and see what you can find," Naraku had told Kagura dismissively, "but return on the morning after the full moon." He had then retired with Kanna and Kohaku, an unusual weariness hanging about him. Kagura grasped at this hint of freedom, and went soaring into the star streaked sky, riding her feather.

"No moon tonight," she said to no one in particular. "Perhaps, in this darkness, even he can't see me." She mused. Kanna had told her that Naraku needed to rest tonight. If that were the case, he surely wouldn't be bothered with her - not if he was busy plotting for tomorrow. His insidious plots sickened her. She would rather challenge a foe directly and let them know who their attacker was - not lay out intricate entrapments laced with treachery and deceit.

"He is a fool," she muttered bitterly. "He is twisted and dominated even now by that human thief, Onigumo. How is one so powerful manipulated by a mere mortal? Perhaps Demon Naraku is more dependent upon the human than he cares to admit."

This gave her little satisfaction, however. She flew on her feather, skimming it along a river, lazily trailing her hand on the water's dark surface, distorting the moonless sky into a series of dark, secretive ripples. "It is no matter," she admitted in a whisper. "As long as he holds my heart, there is no escape...unless..." she looked up to the sky and made a decision. She would perhaps find allies in the most unlikely of places.

Sango tended the fire, while Miroku and Shippou did what they could to help prepare dinner.

"You're sure Kagome is alright?" Shippou asked Sango, worried.

"She's just tired," Sango smiled a bit. "She bruised her ankle, and is weary from the journey. Some hot food will help."

"I think that will help all of us," Miroku added sagely. "We have traveled long and hard to reach this haven by the new moon. We have certainly earned whatever rest we get this evening."

"True," Sango agreed, handing him a steaming bowl of food. "Moriko has gone on first watch - I'll bring him something." When Miroku would have protested, she simply smiled. "Besides - you have second watch."

"Oh right" Miroku frowned a bit. "I forgot about that."

"Forgot about what?" Inuyasha rounded the corner.

"I lost the draw for second watch," Miroku shrugged, taking in Inuyasha's dark hair. The moon must've risen.

"Here is Kagome's food," Sango handed Inuyasha two bowls. "She should get something in her stomach so that she can rest well tonight."

Inuyasha nodded without a characteristic comment and turned to take Kagome her dinner. Sango took up Moriko's bowl.

"I'll be back," she said simply, and after making sure Kirara had a dish as well, went off to find Moriko.

"Kirara," Miroku said quietly. The feline-like creature nodded its head and scampered off after Sango.

Shippou sighed. "We can trust him, you know."

"It never hurts to be careful," Miroku said sagely.

The wind was calm over the clearing. A small fire burned, catching the face of a sleeping girl in its warm light. Rin was curled against Ah-Un as Jaken slept cross-legged at the base of a nearby tree, snoring slightly. Standing apart from them, scrying the sky with aristocratic nonchalance was Sesshomaru. "Another visit," he said casually, as Kagura dropped out of the sky to kneel before him.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she addressed him respectfully.

"I have no use for jewel shards," the mighty demon said in his normal stoic manner.

"I do not bring jewel shards," Kagura rose, a smile playing insolently about her lips. "I came to bring you information in the hopes it helps you to destroy Naraku."

"I have no time for his petty traps. Take your information somewhere else."

"I have come of my own accord," Kagura leveled her gaze, "and at the risk of my own life. Naraku can end my life, but what I do with it is my own choice. I cannot defeat him," she admitted bitterly. "But you, Lord Sesshomaru... You can."

He eyed her coldly, and she felt her heart skip about in her chest. Was she wrong to come here? She could be in just as much danger from this demon as Naraku.

"I will listen to what you have to say," he finally answered. "Then I shall decide how useful your information is."

Kagura's eyes gleamed. "Perfect."

Sango padded along the winding caves to where Moriko said he would keep watch. She thought she had heard his voice echoing faintly as she approached, but found him alone with his wolves.

"I brought you some dinner," she said, in answer to his questioning look.

"Thank you," he said quietly - his tone polite, his eyes too dark to read. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're all fine," she assured him. "Miroku will come to relieve you for the second watch."

"He lost the draw?" he asked with a mischievous smile. Sango nodded, with a similar expression. "I thought as much. Tell the Monk not to worry - I shall keep watch all night. Tell him to rest."

Sango frowned. "We all need our rest, Moriko."

"Then rest easy knowing you are safe, here. This cave is protected by a barrier that keeps our presence here a secret, and intruders from entering. We will not be afforded such security until we reach the safety of Rinji's stronghold. It is best that we all sleep tonight. The wolves will alert us to anything unusual."

Sango still didn't look convinced.

"Thank you for the food," Moriko nodded to his bowl. "Please. Go and eat your own, and then rest. We have a long journey tomorrow."

"If you're sure," Sango said, uncertainly.

"I am," he said gently. "Go and rest, Sango."

Sango bowed to the young wolf-demon, and returned to the others, Kirara scampering behind her. When she was out of earshot, Moriko's expression became grim.

"Now, Myoga," he said quietly. "Tell me more of this Naraku."

Kagome was in a light sleep as Inuyasha came to kneel by her. He quietly put the bowls of food to the side, and fed the small fire warming the cave. Kagome stirred in her sleep, her eyes opening slightly.

"You're awake," Inuyasha half asked half stated. She nodded, sleepily. "Can you eat?"

"Mm-hmm," she raised herself on her elbows, sleepily, wincing a bit at her ankle. She really should've wrapped it, and it was swelling. Oh well - she had some of those instant icepacks in her bag. Guess her mom was right to have sent them after all.

"Here," Inuyasha was at her side. "Let me help you prop yourself up." With a surprising gentleness, the black-haired Inuyasha rearranged Kagome's bedding on the straw palate so that she could sit up and eat. Her leg was extended in front of her, resting on Sango's rolled poncho. "Doesn't look too bad," he nodded to the bruised ankle.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah - just a slight sprain. Nothing too terrible. Sango will wrap it later. I should probably ice it now, though."

"'Ice' it?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome had him get the icepack from her bag and showed him how to use it.

"That will help a bit," she said, wrapping her blanket closer around her.

"Here," Inuyasha pressed the bowl of hot food into her hands. "Eat this. It will help."

"Thanks," Kagome smiled, breathing in the steam from the broth. Inuyasha watched her carefully as he ate his own food. She looked incredibly tired, and was starting to sound stuffed up. He had a feeling that she had been in the rain too long.

"How do you feel," he asked quietly.

"Not too bad," Kagome assured him. "Just a bit tired, that's all."

"Kagome..."

She looked to him, wondering why he paused.

"You don't have to keep quiet about being hurt, you know," he blurted a bit testily. "It's not like we would've lost time taking care of your ankle - I was carrying you anyway."

"I know," she smiled a bit, her fingers laced around her bowl. "There wasn't much to do for it - I just took care of it. I didn't want to risk not making it here by the new moon."

Inuyasha was struck, but recovered by mumbling, "Yeah, well, don't be stupid next time. Tell us what is going on so that we're not caught by surprise or something."

Kagome smiled. "OK, Inuyasha." She shivered slightly, and huddled farther into her blanket.

"Cold?"

"A little," she admitted. She was blaming it on the icepack, for now.

"Here." Before she could protest, he'd wrapped his kimono over her.

"Thanks," she said quietly, blushing a bit.

They ate a bit more, and Kagome began to feel herself drifting towards sleep.

"C'mon," Inuyasha took her empty bowl from her. "Tell me how to wrap your ankle, so that you can go to sleep."

Kagome drowsily handed him he ace bandage and gave him general instruction. With surprising tenderness, he wrapped the strange cloth around her leg, smoothing it as he went. He fastened the wrap with the odd metal clips, and gently laid her leg back on Sango's rolled poncho.

"Thanks Inuyasha," Kagome yawned, trying awkwardly to remove his kimono from around her shoulders. In her exhausted and unbalanced state, she tipped over, only to have Inuyasha catch her, concerned.

"Here," he instructed, helping her to lay down, "let me help you." He put his kimono over her, and made sure she was close enough to the fire. He found the cave to be pleasantly warm, and was a bit leery that she was apparently shivering.

She looked up to him with heavily lidded eyes. "Inu...yasha?"

He kneeled next to her.

"I'm glad we made it here on time," she smiled. "I'm... I'm glad you're here with me."

Inuyasha blushed a bit, not knowing what to say.

Kagome yawned. "Are you glad I came back?" she asked sleepily.

"Huh?" he started "What kind of question is that?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "Are you?"

Her breathing was beginning to even out. She was falling asleep. Inuyasha looked down at the girl who was so similar and so different from the one he'd loved fifty years ago. "Yeah, I guess so," he said quietly.

"Me, too," she sighed before falling asleep. Inuyasha watched her with a strange tightness in his chest. He didn't understand emotions very well, and found his human state particularly baffling, as they seemed so much stronger then.

Despite being in a stranger's stronghold, in his most vulnerable state...he felt...safe. Secure. He wasn't sure how, but he was pretty sure that had something to do with Kagome and the others...but mostly Kagome. Somehow...wherever he was, as long as she was there...it was all right.

He watched her sleep, before quietly collecting the bowls, and standing. He met Sango outside of the small cave as she returned from finishing her meal.

"How is she?" she asked quietly.

"Sleeping," Inuyasha said absently, looking back over his shoulder to Kagome with an enigmatic expression.

Sango meanwhile took in that he had given his kimono to keep her warm... and the room wasn't that cold. She had a strange sense of foreboding about that.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Sango assured him. "You can check on her too, if you can't sleep," she said innocently before heading in to her own palate of straw. It was a surprising luxury, given their normal sleeping accommodations.

Inuyasha nodded to her and stepped across to the neighboring cave, where Miroku was desperately trying to find the best vantage point from which to see the girls. Sighing, he finally curled up to sleep, as Inuyasha sat with the Tetsuaiga. When he finally did sleep, his dreams were more pleasant than they normally were in his human state.

While the others slept, Moriko and Myoga talked long into the night. The lone wolf sat long after the old flea had finished his tales, reflecting on what he had learned. It was only when the white wolf urged him that he fell into a dreamless sleep finally giving into the exhaustion of his injuries, his travels, and the burden of carrying a heavy heart.

That moonless night had heard whispers of confessions, alliances, insecurities, mutiny, and now...frustration.

Kouga slammed his hand on the table.

"If I don't hear from Moriko by morning, I am going after Kagome myself," he snarled to his two lackeys.

"But Kouga," the striped-haired one pleaded, "Obasan said,"

"I know what she said," Kouga blurted out angrily. "But Moriko left two weeks ago to bring back my woman, and I could've brought her here in two days at the VERY most!"

"But Kouga," the mohawked one tried.

"But nothing, I-"

"Will be glad to know the girl is safe."

Kouga turned to see an older woman - a completely white wolf demon - standing quietly in the doorway. "But I sense trouble on the way, Kouga. Get some rest, for tomorrow you may be needed to help the others arrive in safetly." With that, she disappeared as silently as she had arrived.

"You heard her," Kouga snapped after a moment of stunned silence. "Get some rest - at dawn, we head out to go fetch Kagome!"

Kouga's two friends looked at each other knowingly and sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.