Miroku scratched at the hand under his on the stiff white sheets. He didn't know how they expected a sleeping woman to remain warm in just a small garmat and thin covering. He groaned, thinking he'd have to push that frustrating button for the heeler—nurse. The last time he had tried the call button, he'd hit the bed adjustment, and it nearly frightened him to death. A moving futon was not his idea of normal. But then again nothing in this harshly lit place was.

He could see now why any time Kagome had a problem physically, Inuyasha insisted she come to her time to receive medical help. Like that time she had the horrible cough that turned out to be a light form of phenmonia. Miroku didn't know there was such a thing as mild consumption, he supposed it must have been mild with all the scores of medicines they had here. He'd blamed himself for that episode with Kagome. She had stayed with him in the cold rain one night after a battle when he had sucked up Naraku's insects into his windtunnel. Sango had been badly hurt as well, but it was he who had really required so much care at that time. They had no shelter, they simply had to bundle to the best of their abilities through the cold downpour.

Her hand was cold—the woman he'd only met earlier that day. Or perhaps it was yesterday, he'd lost count of the hours, and the clock on the wall was of no help to him. He couldn't recall what number indicated what time of day it was. The small hand—the one he did remember Kagome had reminded him to look for—was nearly at the three. The last time he looked it was just before the twelve at the top of the face.

He scratched gently at her skin again, taking in the creamy peach tone of it. It reminded him of Sango's. She with her pinker skin and lighter warm colored hair than most. Since he had been looking at this woman for hours now, he's noticed that she did in fact look a lot like Sango. Oh, her eyes were a different color, and more round, and her nose was large, but her skin…

He touched her cheek, reaching across her shoulder. Her face shape was exactly that of Sango's. Miroku didn't know why this seemed to bother him so. Why, many people has similar features after all. He lightly brushed a stray hair away from her face.

A voice cleared from behind him and he turned to see the short-haired nurse he'd met previously when she came to check Sue's vitals. He nodded to her as she approached with a small smile across her face. She thought they were a couple—or nearly one. He didn't mind, it allowed him to stay with her after visiting hours.

"Sir, do you mind if I interrupt?" She began to uncoil what he'd learned was a blood pressure cuff.

He nodded again and stood up, slightly regretful to lose contact with that skin. "Indeed you may, m'lady."

The nurse giggled a little. She found him charming, how sweet. Miroku smirked at the thought that he did pretty well with the ladies of this time era as he moved away from the bed.

"I'm going to go speak with the others, are they still in the…" he trailed off, not remembering the name.

"The lounge? I believe so, Sir."

He nodded. It had food machines. Kagome said the better food wasn't available at this time of night, but they would have to make do because Inuyasha was a hungry beast. Souta had gone home long ago to let their mother know what was up. Miroku thought that if he hadn't lingered for so long with the uncounscious woman, they would have also been back. He should probably not keep them any longer.

"Ah, I think we may leave for the night." He felt he should tell someone. She nodded as she pumped on the black bulb. The monk turned to leave the room, but paused as he remembered. "Oh, she is very cold. Could you please bring her a warmer blanket?"

With a smile the young woman told him that she'd get one as soon as she was finished. He thanked her and left the room.

Shippo felt the ache in his body—particularly his skull and shoulders. He rubbed his temples with his finger tips, massaging the pain away, failing to notice the source of his discomfort. He'd changed back to his humanoid form. He grit his teeth and pulled his hands back from his head before noting the fingers. Fingers. He flipped them over and glanced at the claws and lines in his palm.

He was back to normal, or well as normal as he could be, and his transformation had hurt. It never normally hurt. Struggling with his stiff back, the fox figured it must have something to do with the unnatural size shift. Sumi must have released him, because he hadn't yet figured out how to.

Sumi!

The boy lowered his gaze and remembered that the panther had gone back inside. Sumi would be the one hurt if he found Shippo gone. The teen felt a small whine escape his throat and he bolted for the door to the prison. He had to get her out—she couldn't suffer because she helped him.

Just as he rounded on the entrance, the guard in emerged from the dark interior. Shippo felt his heels dig into the cool night earth and he skittered to a stop, his eyesight right in the chest of the other male. Dear Kami, the man must be taller than Sesshomaru! Shippo tilted his head back to meet eyes with the dark feline. The hard lines of the older male's face were held in a very neutral expression. To this, Shippo didn't know how to feel. He quickly startled when from behind himself the guard pulled a woman with red hair out into the moonlight. He grasped her arm, and Shippo didn't know how tight the grip was, but Sumi didn't look good.

The woman's face was flushed and she was sweating profusely. Her lips were chapped and pale. Either he couldn't see these symptoms in the dark of their cell, or these changes had just recently occurred. More importantly, she looked as if she were about to have a heart attack. Her eyes were widened, her pulse racing, and her fear scent was nearly choking him.

Shippo felt a burn begin in his chest unlike he had ever felt before. He turned to the black panther youkai and felt a deep growl erupt from his chest. He'd never growled before—and it felt good.

The fox youkai felt his power surge and he stepped forward to the panther.

His voice was deep, gruff, and unlike he'd ever heard from himself before. But, at the moment he could only see red as he rasped his throat growled out his words.

"Let her go now, or I'll kill you."