Moonlight Meeting

Bolting upright in her bed, Kagome looked around frantically, searching for threats that were left as lingering traces of her dreams. Her body was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and her breathing was harsh and erratic. But inside the wall of the little hut where her friends lay still sleeping, there were no threats, no danger, only the dark shadows that fed off the terror of her dreams.

Willing her breathing to calm again, the young miko crawled out of her sleeping bag, keeping her motions slow and quiet as to not disturb the other members of her group. She needed some fresh air, some time to think and to rid herself of ghosts of the past. Making her was silently to the door, a passing shadow in the dim light of the near-morning, she exited the room without alerting any of her friends.

Once outside, she breathed in deeply of the cool, damp, morning air. The sun had yet to rise, only a faint lightening of the eastern sky to a silvery-gray from the deep sea of black and its scattering of stars and the luminescent crescent moon. A chilled wind blew, brushing against her bare arms and causing her to shiver. She wrapped her arms closer to her body to fight off the chill, but she wasn't willing to let a slight chill push her back into shadows or to her dreams.

Dressed only in a light pair of soft flannel pants and a mini tee, the young miko wandered her way away from the small hut. The morning's dew was already settled on the grass, and it felt good on her bare feet, a small distraction from the weight of her troubles. She continued walking, not having any destination in mind, only a need to escape for the short time she was being allowed.

It had been a hard day yesterday, and she knew that this day would be no easier. After the battle against Naraku and the confrontation with Mesudoku, Kagome had returned to Kaede's hut with Sango and Miroku, meeting Shippo and Kaede there. They had talked some; about what had happened, about Inuyasha and what they were going to do, and they talked some about her as well, about the child she was carrying and what it meant for her, her future, her family.

But Kagome had grown tired of their talks, tired of the speculation of what might be and what might happen, tired of thinking things in the worst light, tired of not being able to feel anything but anxiety and restlessness, just tired. She had went to bed early, hoping to find some measure of peace; but her dreams had been a plaguing reminder of her darkest thoughts and most hidden emotions.

Sighing heavily, the young miko looked up to the sky, hoping to clear her thoughts and her heart of their heavy burdens. But as she looked up, she caught sight of something moving on the winds, a patch of color set apart from the hazy gray of the lightening sky. Curious, she moved towards it, but as it drew closer, she began to realize what it was she was seeing; more importantly, who it was she was seeing. Kagura.

Kagome drew in a strained breath, not sure what she should do. She could go back, she knew, get her weapons, wake her friends; but the time it took would chance her loosing sight of the wind witch and she wouldn't be able to find out what she up to. So, knowing that whatever Naraku's incarnation was doing there was likely of great importance to her and her friends, and reminding herself that the witch had apparently come alone and that she was often almost pleasant so long as Naraku was nowhere near being that she seemed to despised the dark hanyou nearly as much as anyone else; Kagome began following her.

She lost sight of Kagura only moments later, but Kagome had seen where the witch had set herself down and she edged her way towards that area cautiously. She walked only a short distance, but in the still air of the near morning, the sound of voices cut clearly though to reach her ears.

"The bitch betrays you," the young miko heard the wind witch say. "You should not have allowed her to escape."

"It was necessary."

Kagome gasped softly when she heard Sesshomaru's voice. What was doing? Conspiring with the enemy? That was just so…so…wrong! How could he?! After everything that had happened, everything Naraku had done; how could he just…

"Necessary? A good plan I hope, for your sake anyways. That bitch is nearly as bad as Naraku. She'll have the whole of the council against you before the next gathering. Are you planning on fighting them all yourself, Sesshomaru? I never would have thought you of all people would turn on your own kind all for the sake of a human, and a miko at that."

"She will surprise you, Kagura. She has a habit of doing such things. Is that not right, Kagome?"

Cursing softly under her breath at how unfair it was that demons, especially dog demons, were able to detect the presence of someone even if they couldn't see them, Kagome gulped down a lump of nerves that had settled in her throat and began walking towards where the voices had been coming from. She laughed nervously when she finally was close enough to see Sesshomaru, but he only looked at her unflinchingly, his golden eyes never shifting from the hard edge of ice.

"I was just…going for a walk…" The young miko made an attempt to smooth over her obvious eavesdropping as she looked nervously between the pair standing before her. "I…I hope I didn't…errr…interrupt…something." Actually, she was silently praying she hadn't interrupted something. It was just…weird. It wasn't like she didn't get the whole Sesshomaru is a guy thing, but Kagura? That was just…weird…in the worst possible way.

"Hardly." It was Sesshomaru that had replied, but Kagome could have sworn that she saw Kagura flinch at the cold tone he used. "You would benefit from this meeting as well, miko. Join us."

"Alright," she replied slowly. "So, what's going on?"

With a slight sigh of annoyance, Kagura turned her attention to Kagome. "I often provide Sesshomaru with information regarding Naraku's movements. It is my hope that this arrangement will benefit me in the elimination of the despicable beast."

"Ha!" Kagome exclaimed brightly. "I knew it! I knew you weren't all that bad!"

The image of the smiling priestess, especially knowing that smile was directed at her, made Kagura very uncomfortable. How is it, she couldn't help but wonder, that the miko would be happy to receive such news when so many times she had suffered under her attacks? Shaking her head slightly, trying to pass off the uncomfortable feeling the smiling priestess gave her, Kagura turned her attention back to Sesshomaru.

"As far as I can tell, from what he isn't keeping from me anyways, Naraku plans on using the bitch to mobilize the youkai households against you. It has been his plan for quite some time, though he was never able to sway the bitch until he gained solid proof as to your…" she paused, either in uncertainty or discomfort, but a slight wave of her hand managed to brush away her hesitations and she finished, "weakness."

Sesshomaru, predictably, narrowed his eyes slightly in annoyance or rage, either one a bad sign for whomsoever was on the receiving end of the look. But Kagome just rolled her eyes at him, flashing Kagura a small smile to urge her to continue.

"The child nearly did it, but it wasn't enough. Treacherous as the bitch is, she apparently wasn't about to go against you for the sake of a mortal child, choosing instead to view her as nothing more than a passing annoyance or perhaps a pet for your amusements. But Inuyasha," her eyes narrowed slightly when she looked back to Kagome, "He provided the perfect opportunity. Naraku knew that Sesshomaru would attempt to control the hanyou, retrieve him from his corrupted state; but he also knew that you, miko, would be not only the best but the most obvious target for an attack."

"What do you mean 'the best'?"

"Don't you know?" the wind witch asked quickly, her agitation evident at the prospect of having to point out the obvious.

The problem was, was that she did, but Kagome just didn't want to accept it. Unfortunately, she didn't have a choice. She knew why Naraku would try and turn Inuyasha against her and their friends. It was the same reason he had when he turned Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other all those years ago. He wanted to see the Shikon corrupted, and having Inuyasha do such terrible things to the ones he cared the most for and who cared the most about him was the perfect way to do it. It was despicable, and if it were possible she would have hated Naraku even more for it.

Shaking herself, both mentally and physically, the young miko managed to shove away her hurt and the pain and sorrow such news brought. She looked back to Kagura, her eyes determined and hard.

"Why would he want the youkai households to turn on Sesshomaru? Naraku has always wanted Sesshomaru's power for his own. It doesn't make any sense that he would try and get him killed by someone else."

"War." Sesshomaru waited for the miko to turn to him before he continued. This was what he wanted her to know. "This Sesshomaru would never allow his house to be overthrown, not without waging war on the offending parties. Two sides will be named, those that fight with me and those that fight against me. But there are many of the council that are cowards and would not wish to fight, many more that allow greed to cloud their judgment. Should Naraku convince these members to join in his cause, they could mount an attack once the battles had been fought and even the forces of the victor would be weakened."

"Leaving Naraku in control of the entire land," Kagome finished.

"Well, now that the pleasantries are over with," Kagura spoke up, "let's get a move on this. I can't stay away much longer."

"Where will he strike next?" Sesshomaru asked, turning his attention to matters regarding Inuyasha.

Kagura shook her head. "You know better than to think he would trust me with such information. But I'm not sure that he plans on using Inuyasha much further. The darkness he hoped to attain by making him fight his friends appears to have satisfied him. He will likely keep the hanyou subdued until he mobilizes. Maddened or not, Inuyasha is still a fierce warrior."

"You're on the inside." Kagome ground out in anger. Hearing the witch speak about Inuyasha as nothing more than a weapon of the vile Naraku was almost too much for her to bear. "If you're so intent on bringing Naraku down, why don't you just release him, or for that matter, why don't you kill that bastard and make this easier on everyone?"

"Do you think I haven't thought about it?" Kagura hissed angrily at the young priestess. "That vile beast holds my heart in his hands. If I defy him, and he finds out, my life is forfeit. I will not take such a risk just to save your beloved hanyou!"

"Your heart?" Kagome was brought back from her anger at the revelation. Her eyes softened as she looked back to the witch. "You don't have a heart? How is that even possible?"

"What's it matter?" Kagura spit. "It is and that's all that I care to know. So long as Naraku lives I will be a slave to his will."

"Enough." Sesshomaru turned attention back to himself. The girls' bickering was getting them nowhere and the sun had nearly risen, meaning Kagura's time of usefulness was coming swiftly to its end. "We must decide on a way to draw out Naraku. Inuyasha must be retrieved before the converging of the council."

"Naraku won't give him up so easily," Kagura pointed out.

"Then we make him." All attention was turned to young miko at her bold decree. She was angry. Angry at the thought of having to fight Inuyasha again, angry knowing that war was on the horizon, angry even at the thought of Kagura being controlled by that monster. And her hatred for the vile creature that was Naraku bled through in her words. "Live bait," she told them stonily, but with a slight smirk she elaborated further. "Or to be more specific; undead bait."

"The dead priestess will not cooperate."

Kagome released a dry laugh as she looked to Sesshomaru. "I didn't say she would. But if she wants to continue with her unnatural life, she will not defy me. Inuyasha may have held me back from taking back that part of my soul before, but if she doesn't help to get him back, if she lets him fall to Naraku's wicked games again, then she is undeserving of that spirit and I will simply reclaim it."

Kagome was pulled back from her darker thoughts when she heard Kagura start laughing. She blinked a few times, removing the hardness from her eyes and having it replaced with confusion as she looked to the wind witch. "What's so funny?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"You, girl," the witch informed her, her body still shaking slightly in mirth. "I knew you'd be the one to look out for. That fire's enough to burn just about anyone. You better watch out, Sesshomaru," she told him with a wink, "or you'll get burned too."

"Unlikely," Sesshomaru replied as he leveled his frigid gaze on the laughing witch. "Give us seven days to locate the corpse. Naraku will be justifiably wary of the dead one revealing herself. Let us hope his desire to see the Shikon corrupted to its fullest is enough to make him bold in his movements."

"Now, Sesshomaru," Kagura laughed lightly as she replied. "When has that bastard ever been anything but bold? Besides, with a whole week I could have him thinking he just might be ready to try and take you on one-on-one again." She turned for a moment to look at the rapidly brightening horizon, releasing a heavy sigh before she turned back. "Guess it's time then," she said as the softness of her eyes began to strip away, leaving behind nothing but the hardened look of one who had seen far too many horrors. "If anything changes, I'll try and contact you, but remember: no promises."

Sesshomaru nodded shortly in concession and Kagura returned the gesture as she lifted a hand to pluck a small feather from her hair. But before she could depart, Kagome called out to her one last time.

"Kagura, I don't know if it means anything to you, but, if I'm able, I'll find a way to get you away from Naraku."

Kagura stopped in her movement to look back to the young priestess. Her words had sounded so sincere, so full of conviction. It was hard to think that she wouldn't succeed, but then, it was hard to think that anyone ever could. Still, even if it wasn't true, just to hear the words spoken aloud that some slight, insignificant chance for her freedom existed, Kagura couldn't help but feel…something. She couldn't pout a name to it, couldn't even understand how it was possible that she feel anything, but she was grateful for it nonetheless. She acknowledged the young priestess with a slight inclination of her head, and then took to the skies, returning to her hated prison.

"Why would you offer such a thing?" Sesshomaru was curious. "She serves your enemy. She will strike out at you should she be ordered to do it, kill you even. What would you think to gain by such a thing?"

"Nothing," the miko replied with a slight shrugging of her shoulders. "But no one, enemy or not, deserves to live a life in servitude, especially not to a creature as vile as Naraku. Besides," she added with a slight smile, "you know what they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Indeed," Sesshomaru replied slowly as he looked over the miko.

She was just full of surprises. She had taken to the news of the impending war with hardly a batted eyelash, but it had been her vindictiveness against the dead priestess that had truly surprised him. It was hard to believe this miko would resort to such threats, go so far as to leave the dead one with a choice between helping her cause or annihilation; but she had, and she had done so with conviction. Of course, he, of all people, knew well the effectiveness of such measures, but it was interesting that the miko saw the necessity of extreme measures in such situations. Inexplicably, he found himself almost looking forward to seeing this encounter. His little miko was bound to surprise him yet again, and, strangely enough, he found that idea to be…acceptable.

Sesshomaru was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the young miko speak. Though, he couldn't quite decide if her sudden declaration indicated that his day was going to be much worse than the last or much better.

"Wow, I could really use a bath."

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Hehe, I just couldn't help myself.

Ok, so I had this idea today of an actual direction to take this fic in. Nah, who am I kidding, I had an inspiration for a new character and I want to put him in as soon as possible ;P Too bad that there's lotsa things to take care of first. -sigh- why do I always complicate matters for myself? Oh yeah! Cause it's more fun that way!

Anyways, I'm off for the night. Later

Shadow