"Cat demon, huh. Everyone knows that a cat can't be trusted. They're nothing but deceivers," Rei spoke from the branch where she had not moved from at any point during the night, "really now,you expect he should release you after the stunt you just pulled on him? How loose are your screws?" Reaching back, she let her hair down freely to her shoulders before pulling her hood up over her head. Leaping down finally from the branch, the flap of her hood shaded her empty, hollow eyes from the sun, and hid them so that the others could not look her in the eye. "Kao, isn't it?" Rei's voice was still soft and quiet, yet it held a hard edge to it. She remembered the cat demon's name from the other night when she'd first appeared. She had barely been conscious when Kao had introduced herself. "Where's my brother?" she finally asked, narrowing her eyes when she did not spot the little boy.
"He climbed the tree earlier to tell you that he was going to go find a stream to get a drink," Shippou explained, "you must have dozed off."
"Must have..." Rei muttered, closing her eyes on a sigh.
"It doesn't work! Stupid thing!" Kaemon screamed.
His cry pierced the still air, and immediately the cry was followed. The first thing her hand reached for was her sword, then she noticed it in Kaemon's hands, sagging towards the ground. Biting back the words she wanted to yell at her brother just then, she reached for her bow and arrow and shot down the fox demon who had just attempted to kill her brother.
"Rei!" Kaemon whimpered, running to her side and throwing his arms around her waist, but she pushed him away.
"Next time you do something like that, I'll let them take you," she snarled, "Don't you ever...ever...do anything so god damned stupid ever again, got it? And never ever let me catch you with my sword." With those words, the little boy cowered away from her as she hefted her sword from the ground and sheathed it. When she straightened up, she turned to see Kaemon cowering from her behind Miroku.
Miroku shook his head, "Adventerous little guy...much like his sister I would assume..."
"Stupid is more like it..." Kao piped up.
Kaemon dropped his head miserably, "I said I was sorry..."
"Sorry doesn't cut it," Rei bit back the urge to say and kept silent.
"All right! Enough of the drama. Hey ki-" Inuyasha began but thought otherwise, "I mean cat! Are you going to show us the way to Naraku's castle or what?"
"About time you asked!" she exclaimed.
Sango rose behind her, "How long is the journey? If we leave now we should stock up on supplies in the closest village."
"Eight days." Kao replied, "Six if we hurry and there's a village nearby. Akiko is the name...or at least I think..."
"All right then. Let's get started," Inuyasha affirmed and headed down the path leaving the others behind as usual.