When the morning came, Saeko was the first up as per usual. She glanced around at the others and smiled to herself at their serene expressions. It was nothing like when they had to fight. She saw Takashi twitch a bit, and suspected that he wasn't entirely asleep. Softly padding past him, she emerged from the house, observing the overcast day. A light fog from the early morning hung on the tree tops.

Making her way over to the died-out fire, she found only Miroku and Inuyasha sitting together, seemingly discussing something, but mumbling, so she was unable to make out any words. They stopped, turning to greet her the moment they noticed her presence.

"Well you're certainly up early." Miroku stated, grinning at Saeko. Inuyasha opted to merely incline his head at her.

"I could say the same for you." Saeko retorted with a playful smile. "But where are Kagome and Sango? They weren't inside..."

"They left for the woods already." Inuyasha answered, briefly glancing at Saeko before setting his gaze at sea.

"I see, so they were up early too... Do you mind if I join you? No one else is up yet. It would seem I've finally found company for early mornings."

"No worries." Miroku promptly replied, motioning to the ground between him and Inuyasha. "We don't bite. Well, I don't really at least, but Inuyasha, I'm not sure-" Miroku trailed off when Inuyasha growled at him. "Fine, fine. We both don't."

Saeko chuckled, taking her seat next to the both of them. "So... Coming up with a battle plan?"

"Well, sort of... We're deciding where we should go first... Do you have any idea who's house is closest once we get back on land? We may have to split up to get things done quicker, but we'll have to assess the situation as we go."

Saeko gave this some thought. "Komuro's. I think Takashi's house is the closest. Then, I think it'd be best to check on Saya's parents, if at all possible. They don't live far from each other. Next would be my father's dojo, but no one is home, since my father's over seas. Then Rei's and finally Kohta's. His house is the farthest away."

Miroku nodded, promptly jotting all the information down with a twig, digging it into the sand.

"Why do we have to go to the pink-haired's place?" Inuyasha grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Her name's Saya, and I know you know it, so don't call her that. And I think it would be nice, and not to mention, insensitive, if we didn't. I don't know what happened, but it seems like Saeko and the others have met up with them, but departed in a bad situation."

"That deduction is spot on." Saeko nodded, but silenced herself immediately to hear the rest of what Miroku had decided to add on the end of his argument to get Inuyasha to agree with the plans.

"Besides, you know you'd care. And I'm sure she has a soft side to her. She wouldn't have so many supportive friends if that were the case. Just like you, when-" Yet again, Miroku was abruptly silenced when Inuyasha flexed his claws.

"Shut up." came Inuyasha's rebuttal. "Don't go blabbering nonsense." His ears twitched irritably, but the 'damage' had already been done. Saeko furrowed her brows momentarily, pondering the thought of Inuyasha 'having a soft side' to him. To be honest, it was slightly difficult to picture him in such a manner, but she supposed that it could happen...

Inuyasha suddenly perked up, he sniffed the air and instantly brightened. "They're back." And sure enough, two shadowy figures emerged from the tree line, walking side-by-side. A mischievous smirk flashed across Saeko's face as se observed Inuyasha's reaction as he relayed the news. Perhaps it'd be easier than she thought... She'd only need to catch them together... Surely, Inuyasha wouldn't be able to catch her scent if she knew where to stand?

A frown appeared on Inuyasha's face as he smelled something from Saeko... a stealthy plan? It smelled suspicious... It had disappeared so quickly that he wasn't entirely sure if he had imagined it, but he decided to be cautious of her. She seemed astute.

"Good morning!" Kagome and Sango chorused in unison, earning a wide grin from their respective male counterparts. "And my, you're up early too, Saeko. What a pleasant surprise to have more company." Kagome added with a grin.

"The pleasure is mine." Saeko mirrored the expression. Noticing something in her hands, she quirked an eyebrow. "May I ask what you have in that cloth?" She pointed to the indicated object. Emerald green cloth bundled around something that was twisted into a careful, practiced knot, secured the object inside.

"These are herbs." Kagome replied, looking down at the package in her hands. "We'll probably need them down the road."

Saeko nodded, intrigued that she knew how to identify said plants, but decided not to ask. They would probably find out sooner or later anyways. Besides, she needed to hold off from questioning Kagome. In time, with patience, she would reveal this amongst other things. Rushing would only cause harm to their relationship. And invoke Inuyasha's wrath.

"Shall we wake the others up then?" Miroku inquired. "We already have our plans pretty much settled."

"There's no need." Came a chirpy voice. The group turned to find Marikawa walking at the head of the group, along with Alice, trailed by Zeke, and the rest of the group, the other two males grumbling of what an ungodly hour it was to be up.

"Alright, let's go." Inuyasha instantly stood up, itching to get some action.

"Wait!" Saya demanded, crossing her arms. "How are we getting there?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and bit back a comment when Kagome interrupted. "My group will be going through the tunnel, since it will be faster. Rest assured, we will put it back up from our end if you choose other means to get back to the mainland. Either way is fine with me." She shrugged.

Saya wrinkled her nose at the dilemma. Everyone wanted to do the same, and save the boat... But she knew of the possible, innumerable amount of 'them' lurking in the dark tunnel... Besides... It would be cramped! And fighting in a cramped space was always disadvantageous. Unfortunately for her, Takashi was absolutely convinced, and he was the only other person she would've discussed this with. If she could genuinely trust their combat strength, then... She sighed. Today would be a long day.

A/N: Updated on June 17th, 2014