"I only have one sleeping bag," Kagome says with a frown. "It's big enough for both of us if you don't care about personal space." She pulls it out of the yellow backpack and rolls the dark blue sleeping bag out on the floor, close to the fire, but not too close.

"Priestess," Sesshomaru says sharply. Kagome rolls her eyes. Does he have to say her title like that? He's so dang bossy. And she has a name. Would it kill him to use it now and then?

"What?" She plants her hands on her hips. "We humans need sleep. And sleeping on the hard cave floor is less than ideal." Kagome flashes a smile at Satoru. "It's fine. You can ignore him. He's always grumpy."

Satoru stares at the sleeping bag for a moment and then looks over at Sesshomaru. Kagome frowns. What is this? Does he think he needs Sesshomaru's permission or something to sleep in the same sleeping bag as her?

"I'll probably just stay awake since this is a different world in all," Satoru answers. His brows are taunt and there is some tension in his shoulders.

"But you're human. You need to rest. Sesshomaru doesn't need sleep nearly as much as we do." Kagome crosses her arms and quirks a brow. "What? You think I have cooties or something?" she jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Maybe Satoru isn't handling this as well as she thought he was. Poor guy, it must be hard on him, and he is the odd man out here, even though Sesshomaru is the odd demon out of the group. She needs to make him feel more comfortable, somehow. It will be awful if he has a nervous breakdown or something.

Satoru barks out a laugh. "Haven't heard that word in a long time, if ever. But no, I'd prefer to stay awake."

"Sleep," Sesshomaru commands, leaning back against the wall. "If there is any danger, then this Sesshomaru will wake you. It would be unwise to use this time to waste energy when we do not know what tomorrow will bring." Sesshomaru tilts his head to the side. "If this Sesshomaru wanted you dead, you would have been dead."

"Gee thanks," Satoru quips. "That sounded like a threat."

"Threats are for weaklings. I simply act."

"It's a compliment," Kagome translates, though internally she is wincing. That wasn't a compliment. Sesshomaru is trying to goad Satoru into a fight for some reason. She doesn't get it. He's fine keeping watch over both of them and yet he wants to fight Satoru? Maybe it's a pack dynamic she doesn't get. Kagome blinks. Does Sesshomaru think Satoru wants to fight for the alpha role? Satoru is human. Why would he care about that? "Anyway, I think we should get some rest while we can and hit the road in the morning."

"There is no road," Sesshomaru says.

"Figure of expression. You know the gist of what I'm saying. Though if it rains all day tomorrow, then what? If it could nearly melt my pot, then it'll melt me for sure."

"I can expand my infinity to keep you from getting wet if it comes to that," Satoru says, sitting down. He slides his shoes off and then his jacket.

Oh... he's uh, ripped.

"Priestess."

"I haven't done anything," she grumbles, throwing her hands up, and then slaps her thighs. "Anyway, I'm going to change into some yoga pants." Kagome grabs her bag and then disappears further into the cave. Satoru doesn't give off peeper vibes and Sesshomaru will knock his head off if he tries. She strains her ears to listen while she changes, but no one speaks while she is gone. Kagome rolls her eyes skyward and opts to change her top, too. She keeps it simple with a white tank top and black yoga pants. "Okay, I'm done... what are you two doing?"

Sesshomaru looks up from his spot, hovering over Satoru with his claws far too close to Satoru's face for comfort. They glow green and, in a blink of an eye, his claws appear normal. Satoru grins up at Sesshomaru, but it's a maniacal smile. His eyes are wild and from the looks of it, he was about to fire something off at Sesshomaru's gut.

Kagome purses her lips together. This is so not the time.

Sesshomaru leans back and makes a point of sniffing the air.

"Stop it," she huffs out. "You two shouldn't be fighting, anyway."

"Wasn't a fight," Satoru says, sitting up. He glares at Sesshomaru for a moment and then looks back at her. "Just working out shit, like all guys do."

"By roughhousing?" Frankly, she does not buy that explanation, but she also does not know Satoru enough to call him out on it. Maybe this is a game to him? Kagome peeks at Sesshomaru, who busies himself with sorting out the bones from the beast. He throws one out of the cave and into the rain.

Huh. It doesn't sizzle. Maybe the rain just does not care for her pot then?

Sesshomaru walks towards the entrance and holds a hand out. "Curious." He pulls his hand back and licks the water droplets off. "The rain is neutralized for now."

Kagome cradles her hand to her chest. "Yeah... I'm good." She moves over to the fire and pokes it with a humerus bone. At least she thinks it is the humerus. Satoru sits next to her and stares at the roasting meat. "How are you doing with everything?"

He blinks. "Fine."

"It's okay if you aren't doing fine. We are all in this together," she continues because anytime someone says they are fine, they are in fact not fine. "We'll find our way back home." She glances at the sleeping bag. "You can take the sleeping bag tonight."

"Now you don't want to sleep with me," he jokes.

Kagome sets the bone down and digs in her bag for some plates. "It's not that." She freezes and turns to him with blazing-hot cheeks. "Not like that! I meant I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, is all."

Pull it together! A hint of muscle and she loses all reason? Kagome blows out a breath and refuses to look at Sesshomaru. His stare is burning into her back and the last thing she needs is to see the judgment in his eyes.

"You know... I'm sure you have someone waiting for you back at home, and I don't want to make things awkward. So, you can have the sleeping bag tonight. I'm used to roughing it."

"Roughing it," he murmurs. "There's no need for that. I don't have anyone waiting for me." Satoru looks over his shoulder.

"This Sesshomaru will keep watch," Sesshomaru repeats, leaning against the wall with one leg propped up and his arm resting across his knee. "It is silent for now. We will leave at daybreak. Eat and then sleep."

Kagome nods. What is going on between those two? She glances at the sleeping bag again. It'll be fine. Maybe they can make a crude one for Satoru later? "Can we use your fur as a pillow?"

Sesshomaru narrows his eyes and pulls the white fur from his shoulders. He tosses it and Kagome jumps up to catch it. She sighs as she rubs her face into it.

"... Is that a part of you or fur you've taken from something?"

"It is a part of me."

Satoru nods. "Kagome, you can have that as a pillow."

"Huh? But it's so soft. Here, rub it." She sticks the fur out for Satoru to touch, but he leans away. "Aw come on. You don't want to touch it?"

"It's a part of Sesshomaru. The last thing I want is to rub any part of him."

Kagome frowns. "You don't know what you're missing out on." She wraps the fur around her and bends down, grabbing their plates. "Okay, dinner, and then we can sleep... unless there is a hot spring or something in this cave?"

"No water. You can live without a bath."

"Ugh." Kagome pouts. They eat in near silence with the fire crackling and the soft pitter-patter of the rain outside. Satoru doesn't speak much, though he says a lot more than Sesshomaru does, so it's not too bad. When it's time to retire for the night, Satoru hesitates, but eventually climbs into the sleeping bag with her. His eyes are so blue and luminous it hurts to look at him. Kagome bites her lip and turns with her back to him.

Satoru grunts.

Kagome shifts and then freezes. Satoru places a hand on her hip, stilling her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," his voice is low, husky. "Just stop... uh... moving." He moves his hand. His breath fans the back of her neck. At least she is warm. Kagome nods her head and clutches Sesshomaru's fur.

Sleep. You need your sleep. Who knows what will happen tomorrow, she thinks to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. And don't focus on how hard Satoru is. She squeezes her eyes tighter.

It takes far too long for her to fall asleep, but when she does, she dreams of Sesshomaru and Satoru.

"Throw me in the air so I can see if there is some kind of settlement around here. That way, we aren't wandering around aimlessly." Kagome smiles at Sesshomaru. His face is blank, but his lip twitches slightly.

"I can check it out," Satoru says, giving her a look. He disappears before Kagome can open her mouth to shoot a retort.

What the heck?

Kagome cranes her neck up and holds a hand over her eyes. That dot looks like Satoru.

"This Sesshomaru is capable of flight."

Kagome blinks. "Are you pouting?"

"No."

She squints at him. Oh, he is pouting. Why? Satoru appears in front of her, and Kagome jumps back with a yelp. "Don't do that!" She holds a hand to her chest. "Gave me a scare."

Satoru chuckles. "Sorry. There's some kind of settlement that way." He points in the direction of the settlement. "Couldn't make out if they were human or not, but a lot of buildings and smoke, probably from cooking." He holds out his hand.

"What?"

"The bag."

Kagome frowns as she slides the backpack off. "You don't have to carry this all the time. I'm used to it. It's no biggie." She hands the bag over. Their fingers touch and a bolt of electricity shoots down her spine. Kagome opens her mouth right as Sesshomaru's fur wraps around her waist and tugs her to his side.

"We are leaving," Sesshomaru states, striding forward with his fur still wrapped around her waist. Kagome shrugs and walks by his side. Satoru catches up to them and flanks her other side. His expression is just as closed off as Sesshomaru's. They both must be on high alert.

Kagome takes in the different vegetation. The flowers here are as big as pumpkins. Bright green and orange leaves. If only there was a guide to tell her which colors to stay away from. A creature, small like a mouse, skirts by. It stops for a moment, with its large pink eyes that bulge out, and then skitters by.

"So, you two are friends?" Satoru asks, breaking up the silence.

"Pack."

Kagome's brows furrow together.

"So, family."

"Stronger than what humans consider family."

"Do demons normally take humans in as pack?"

"Only those that are worthy."

Kagome's gaze bounces back and forth between Sesshomaru and Satoru. What the hell is this? Since when does Sesshomaru casually engage in conversation with someone else?

"Ah, so am I pack?"

"No. You are simply a stray the priestess has picked up."

"Thanks for picking me up, Kagome." Satoru winks at her. Sesshomaru growls. Kagome whips her head around to stare at Sesshomaru. Does she need to step in? "When we get closer to the settlement, we should hold back and observe."

"Huh? Why?"

"You worry humans are inferior here as they are back at home."

Satoru cracks his knuckles. "Demons are nonfactors in my world."

"And there are no humans with energy like yours. Must have been snuffed out by those stronger."

"Guys..." Kagome starts.

"Demons are nothing more than a footnote in our children's books as things that don't exist."

Sesshomaru stops. He lifts his head and sniffs the air. "Blood." His fur unwraps from her waist.

"How much?" Satoru grabs Kagome's elbow and tugs her closer to him.

"Enough," Sesshomaru says. "It is coming from the direction of the village. A raid, perhaps."

"Well, we need to help them, then." Kagome shrugs out of Satoru's hold and sprints forward. Maybe that smoke was the start of battle? Satoru appears next to her and angles his head in her direction. "We can't just stand by and not help."

"We don't even know them," Satoru points out.

"So? They don't know us, and we were gonna show up asking them for help."

"The priestess is stubborn as an ox. You will get nowhere with her," Sesshomaru says. He reaches over and plucks Kagome mid-sprint. "We fly."

"Huh? OH! Satoru grab on."

Satoru blanches. "I can run..." he falters under Kagome's glare. "Alright." He grabs Sesshomaru's fur and, in a blink of an eye, they take off.

When they get there, it's chaos. Goblins shriek and run away from centaurs. Kagome rubs her eyes and then pulls herself together.

"They're all monsters," Satoru says, crossing his arms. Kagome dips her head in acknowledgment. She gets it.

"Right, but the goblins are running away. This looks to be their home. It's too many of them." She pulls out an arrow and notches it. Satoru shoots her a look, but she ignores him and fires off the arrow.

It goes silent.

The centaurs stop and drop their swords. The goblins cower and look at her with awe.

"Kagome," Satoru says, but his voice sounds funny. She raises a brow at him and he turns an interesting shade of pink.

"Are you okay? You can sit this out."

"I'm fine," he says, turning his head away.

Sesshomaru scoffs and strolls forward. "Explain," his voice booms, but the centaurs and goblins only spare him a glance. They drop to their knees. Well, the centaurs bow, and address Kagome.

"Chosen One," they say in unison.

"Ah fuck me," Kagome says. Sesshomaru turns his head and gives her a look. "Uhhh, can someone explain why you guys were fighting?" And is it too late for them to back away and find another village?

A male centaur with long blonde hair and green eyes steps forward. He takes a fist and beats it over his heart. Kagome blinks. His chest is bare, and he has no armor of any kind on. He's ripped too.

Does this count as nudity?

"I, Argol the Bloodthirsty, will explain."

Kagome rubs her forehead. "Perhaps someone that doesn't have the name bloodthirsty in their name?"

Argol does not laugh at her joke and instead bares his teeth at those behind him. He stomps his hooves, creating a small dust cloud. They shriek back, even his comrades. He turns his attention back to Kagome. "Please grant me this honor. No other is worthy to speak with you." His smile is dazzling.

Kagome blinks. Satoru stiffens next to her and Sesshomaru not so discreetly pulls his sword out.

Oh dear, this does not look good.

A/N: I got quoted 12k to fix my HVAC so I guess I'll be suffering for a while lol. I'm getting other quotes especially since I need to get that fixed before winter.

"Are they there by design?" - I wasn't kidding when I said I'm writing this off of vibes lol. I sit down and I 'ask' the characters what are we doing and this is how I wrote this chapter.

I shared this sneak peek for One Night on Tumblr, but I'll share it here too because Shippo is already starting with the chaos:

"Good morning, underlings," Shippo chirps from Satoru's shoulders.

The students stare blankly at Shippo and then they glare at Satoru. Yaga takes his shades off and rubs his eyes. Nanami crosses his arms and not so discreetly checks his watch.

"Uh... sensei?" Yuta says, speaking for everyone. "You have another kid?"

"Yep, this is Shippo," Satoru says. Koushi kicks his feet, which causes Yuta to take a step back. "He's strapped in a baby carrier. He's not going to hurt you," Satoru says.

"Yeah... but he can teleport," Yuta replies. He rubs the back of his head. "So, Shippo? I take it Kagome-san is your mom?"

Shippo scoffs and hops down. "Of course, she's my mom." He reaches into his green jacket and pulls out a small fox statue. "I got everyone gifts...well, I only have enough for Papa's students." Shippo pulls out some more gifts, another small statue, some candy, and a spinner. The students look at each other and come to a consensus.

"Thanks, Shippo," Yuji says, going for the spinner.

Shippo chuckles and takes a step back. "Don't mention it."

Satoru keeps his face blank. That didn't sound suspicious at all. "And where did you get these gifts?"

"I made them."

Satoru hums as he places a hand on the baby carrier, even though Koushi cannot feel his touch through the fabric. "You made them? And that's all they are?"

"Well..."

"AHHHH!" Yuji yells as the spinner grows larger. He spins and spins before being flung off into the distance.

"What kind of gift is this?" Yuta exclaims, planting a foot on the fox statue and trying to push it off his hand, but the statue doesn't budge.

Satoru bites his tongue. Kagome neglected to tell Shippo no tricks today, and Shippo is now taking advantage of that loophole. Whatever. He isn't a snitch, so Satoru shrugs. "You could take out a couple of enemies with that."

"I can't move my arm!"

"Skill issue."