A/N: Sorry this is a bit short and very late this week. When you get sick over the holidays, not much writing gets done. I hope you all had a great whatever you celebrate, and a happy new year.

Sumi stood in the center of the cell, keeping her eyes open, trying to see in every direction at once. She didn't know if Shippo would try to unlock the door or come in from another direction. Looking at her hands, she flexed them as she thought about the difficulty in being stuck in that form. Shippo unable to access his attacks or strengths. He wouldn't even be able to change back to his humanoid form on his command.

Sumi sighed and cursed in her own language at the inconvenience of her binding. It was a curse, and she supposed she deserved it to some degree. She'd had plenty of mischievous moments in her youth. Groaning to herself, she pulled her hands together, touching her fingertips together. She never knew if the gesture was necessary, or if it was just her natural way to calm herself and clear her thoughts. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in then released it as felt her blood pulse.

"Shippo."

"What?"

Her eyes snapped open as he glanced to where the unfamiliar voice had come from. It was the panther guard. He stood outside the bars, his dark skin and long hair making him seem more like a shadow than a solid being. She heard a small growl escape his lips.

Panicked, she quickly thought through all the ways her small fox friend could have been caught. Was he alright? Had the panther found him and eaten him. That didn't seem normal here, but where she was from, most creatures like the panther youkai did eat smaller beasts.

The large male on the other side of bars growled again, flashing a small portion of white fang. "Where is the runt?"

The woman did not know what "runt" meant, but the panther had spoken slow enough for her to understand, something her previous guard never cared to do. "Uh. Shippo?"

She could see him grimace and draw his clawed hand roughly over his face. "My senses can't be that bad." The last word rumbled out in an angry growl. Sumi couldn't tell what he said, for he mumbled it and it flew by too quickly, but she could tell the emotion was not directed at her. She felt her shoulders loosen in relief.

The face across the space from her looked at his prisoner. It seemed long and exhausted. This confused the nagual, for she didn't think these creatures could look tired. Against her better judgment, she felt herself take a small step forward and reach her hand through the bars to touch his shoulder. When the pads of her fingers touched his surprisingly soft skin, he did not react. When her claws raked against him however, he flinched back and muttered something completely foreign to her. He rolled his shoulder away from her touch and pulled out his keys, quickly sticking one in the lock and turning it.

Sumi pulled her arm back through the bars and stepped back. A shiver ran through her when he opened the door and looked at her intensely. It was a mistake to touch him. She realized now that her senses could not be trusted down here in this dank holding area. She couldn't smell any arousal on the guard, but that didn't mean his intentions were pure. She took a step backward. At least the boy wouldn't see it.

Instead of the male entering the cell and pushing her into the far wall, the panther stood back and pulled the barred door open wide for her to exit. She drew her brows together and looked at him. "What?" It was the only word she could remember to express her confusion.

He sighed as she watched him closely. "I will not keep you." He again spoke very slowly, and she appreciated the gesture. "You may go."

It was a trick. She could not believe this guard would forfeit his position to help her. He sensed her unease and snatched her wrist quickly before pulling her out of the cell. Before she could turn away from him to dive back into the cell, he managed to shut the door and turn the lock. "No."

She felt herself begin to shiver. No no, she couldn't be out when he came back. He'd do that thing again. "No." She neglected to wipe away the small tear. "No, please, I—" she had no words to describe it to him. "Only Shippo, I, uh…gone if he sees."

Ueda could not make out what she meant, only that she was disturbed to no longer be in holding. He reached his hand out to calm her, but she began to become hysterical. "No! No ah." She made a sound that resembled a rough rock scraping against another while placing her hands on either side of her head with her fingers splayed so fully the panther could see the tendons straining. "No ah."

He realized she was using "ah" to substitute for a word she did not know. It must have been torture. He grasped her shoulders. "Calm! Easy. Nothing bad will happen."

She didn't fight his hands on her, but instead seemed to close up and calm suddenly. She breathed in and out slowly for a brief moment with her eyes shut, then opened them and nodded. "Alright. Yes. Shippo?"

The little fox youkai? Ueda had nearly forgotten. If this girl didn't know where her friend was, then he certainly didn't. A fox youkai. The panther's mind turned back to the small adolescent animal he had seen outside. He hadn't sensed any youkai, but looking at his recent abilities, that didn't count for much. Oh but that critter was much too small to ever be a youkai's beast form. Ueda eyed the young woman before him and recalled what her beast form was supposed to be.

"Huh…probably a good thing I am resigning." His teeth gleamed in the dim light as he felt himself chuckle.