Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Inuyasha or any other characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Ahoy! Hope you are all having a wonderful time and are up for another chapter. After much consideration, I have decided to write a bit shorter chapters than what I have done in the past because that way I can update quicker. Lol What do you think? Good good. Well, if anyone has any concerns or questions or even suggestions (or something like that) please feel free to email me or review. Thanks for your time.

Reviews: I would like to thank you for reviewing.

Lord Fluffy's Minion: I really appreciate the fact that you reviewed and am glad that I am getting some sort of feedback. I will keep in mind what you have said and would like to ask that you review whenever you find it necessary. I also enjoy the praise! That's always good. Thanks again!

Peace out!

Camp of Unending Dreams

Itsumademo Yume no Bakuei

Chapter 2

One long bus ride, many short tempers!

Ten minutes after departure, Kagome realized just how long the ride would take. Although Ayame and Sango were talking excitedly about the many joys of camp, Kagome couldn't help but wonder those oh-so-dreary-thoughts. Anything could happen while you were away for a good month and a half. However, her thoughts were disrupted every couple of minutes by her friends asking what she thought about the topic that they happened to be discussing at the time.

"Ummm…I'm sure we'll be able to swim in the lake, Sango." Kagome reassured the brown haired girl. "Otherwise, there would be no point in having the camp there. And besides, they asked us to bring our swimsuits, so…" Kagome trailed off, seeing that Sango was convinced (for the most part) that they would, in fact, be allowed to go swimming.

Instead of Sango asking the next question, Ayame beat her to it. "What do you suppose the cabins will look like?" she turned around so that she was sitting tailor-legged in the seat, her back facing the front. "you think they'll have co-ed cabins?"

Sango glanced at Kagome who had the same skeptical glance. They were a bit worried about their friend's overly-expressive enthusiasm. "Uh…well…" Sango looked to Kagome as she too turned around in her seat.

"I highly doubt it you guys. And Ayame, you really shouldn't get your hopes up." the raven haired girl joked, patting her friend's shoulder. The three of them laughed together in unison. At least, I hope there isn't… Kagome thought to herself.

After about half an hour of "What kind of food do we get?" "How often do you think we'll be able to shower?" "Are there lots of mosquitoes?" "Did we need to bring rain gear?" "How much longer?" etc., the girls were clearly out of things to talk about.

Sighing, Kagome pulled her knees up and slid down the back of the seat so that she could rest comfortably for the majority of the trip. However, with Sango and Ayame having the same idea, she appeared to be all alone. Oh well. Sifting through the small backpack that she had brought on the bus, Kagome failed to notice a black and red cap land beside her on the half-empty seat. She did, however, notice when someone came to retrieve it and knocked her water bottle (that she had taken out of her bag and placed on the seat) onto the floor.

With lightning-quick reflexes, the silver haired teen was able to grab the bottle before it rolled away. He glanced from the water bottle to the seat (which he hadn't noticed was occupied due to the fact that, from behind, he couldn't see anybody) and eventually to Kagome, who was watching him curiously with her large, chocolate brown eyes.

"What?" he asked, thrusting the bottle in her direction as he looked to a seat that was located at the very back. In his other hand he held his (or what Kagome thought was his) hat. After placing it on his head, the teen grumbled deep in his chest and tore his gaze away from the back seat. Clearly, he didn't want to return to the boy (huge grin and all) sitting there.

Kagome was pondering curiously over his strange, enchanting eyes when they all-of-a-sudden locked onto hers. She seemed unfazed…until, of course, he sat down beside her. This caught her completely off-guard.

"Uh…"

The boy finally removed his gaze and looked to the water bottle still in his hand. "Er…here." Kagome took it, still confused at his actions. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Kagome sighed inwardly. Act first, ask questions later. Men. "Well, I can't see why not." she answered. "But where exactly did you come from? Oh! And I'm Higurashi Kagome." Kagome held out her hand to him, gesturing for him to take it.

"Hi. I'm Inuyasha." he shook it briefly before glancing to the back again. "I've seen you around before. At school, probably. And about where I came from…well," Inuyasha pointed to the back seat, "Right there is where I was sitting. Miroku, however, couldn't keep his damn mouth shut."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "My, aren't we full of colorful language."

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side. "Huh…?"

Glancing at his face (and seeing that he truly didn't understand what she was saying), Kagome sighed. "You shouldn't swear."

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah. Whatever."

"What?" Kagome asked. "It's a bad habit." She waited a moment before continuing, seeing that Inuyasha was obviously not going to reply, "Anyway, why did you say you were here?" She knew for a fact that he didn't (other than the whole 'Miroku couldn't keep his mouth shut' thing), but wanted to know the reasons for his abrupt visit.

"I didn't." he replied. He however, upon seeing her intent face, changed his answer. "Miroku, the tall, scrawny kid in the back," Inuyasha explained as if clarifying, though Kagome didn't think he looked at all scrawny (he was pretty well-muscled), "had the great idea to reveal my deepest, darkest secrets." Inuyasha glanced at Kagome from half-lowered eyelids, looking to see if she was buying it.

Kagome raised her eyebrows and cocked her head in his direction. "Oh? And these would be…?"

Inuyasha mentally slapped himself. Although he managed to dodge the real reason for him escaping the back seat, he also managed to dig himself into another, just as deep, hole. "Uh…well, now…that's none of your business." Inuyasha silently cheered himself for thinking of a come-back that quickly.

"Uh-huh…" Kagome said in that ok-whatever-you-say type of way.

"What?" Inuyasha's eyes kept darting, making him look none too inconspicuous. She just kept looking at him, and he was beginning to get a little unnerved. "Ok, ok. So that wasn't the reason I came here. So what? Shoot me."

Kagome looked sympathetically at him. 'Poor boys. All they think about is violence.' "And why would I do that? I'm a relatively non-violent person." she countered, feinting hurt.

"Uh…" Inuyasha couldn't understand how women could twist their words to sound like something totally different. "It was…uh…a figure of speech." he said lamely. "I…didn't…er, wasn't implying that you were violent or anything…"

"Oh, I know. I was just kidding." Kagome smiled sweetly.

"Oh."

"So then your real reason for being here?" Now Kagome was curious (not that she wasn't before).

"Oh, yeah." the amber-eyed teen didn't seem to want to answer, but decided to anyway. "Well, my friend, Miroku, was trying to set me up with a girl that I didn't really want to go out with…She wasn't my type. So I…told her 'no' and she didn't even seem too upset, but Miroku wouldn't drop it. I sort of…exploded in his face and he…uh…well, he decided to play a little game." At this Inuyasha blushed and began wringing his hands together.

"Oh? What kind of game?" Kagome asked. She couldn't help but notice how cute he was…I mean, looked…as he took off his hat and continued to fidget, though this time scrunching his cap nervously.

Inuyasha glanced to the back again before sighing. He turned a bit so that he was facing Kagome a bit more and continued. "He said that I was to…" he cleared his throat, "I was to…talk…to whoever the hat landed on or beside. And with that he grabbed it and chucked it." Inuyasha glanced up from his hands to see what Kagome was thinking of all this.

During his explanation, Kagome was sure Inuyasha had left something out, but was amused nonetheless. She grinned at him and answered, "Well, you're still in the game apparently."

Evidently, Inuyasha was relieved. The last thing he needed was some girl exploding in his face…because of Miroku, no less. "Yeah, it would seem so." He grinned back. "Well, I'll see you around…"

Kagome realized that Inuyasha was excusing himself as he began hoisting himself up from the seat. "If you wanted to stay, you could." she blurted, before she could stop herself. "I mean…that is, if you…er…"

"I'd love to." Inuyasha turned back to look at her, smiling lazily. Kagome blushed slightly in response. "I just have to go tell the lecher that I won." He grinned and made his way to the back seat where an oblivious Miroku sat.

"Hey!" Miroku greeted. "What's this? No 'hi' or anything?" he feinted hurt, clutching his heart. "I'm hurt. Really, I am-"

"Shove it." Inuyasha finally interrupted. "Just came to say that I win." and with that Inuyasha was on his way back to Kagome's seat.

Miroku sat dumbfounded for a moment more, contemplating what his friend had just said to him. "Hey, wait up!"

While Inuyasha was away, Kagome took the chance to talk to her closest friends.

"So how are you guys hanging?" she asked them.

Both Sango and Ayame sighed simultaneously. "I'm doing fine." Ayame stated. "Just bored."

"Same." Sango agreed, nodding her head thoughtfully. "Do you think maybe…no, never mind."

"What?" Curiosity got the better of the vibrantly red-haired girl.

"Well, do you think maybe this won't be as fun as we thought it would?" she asked downheartedly.

"Sango," Kagome started, "You've got to keep your hopes up. This is, after all, only the bus ride. I can almost guarantee it will get a lot more interesting. And besides, there's someone I'd like you to meet. We just met a few minutes ago."

The brunette smiled to her friends. They could always cheer her up when she needed it. "Oh? And who might this person be?" Ayame looked just as excited to know as Sango was.

"Well…oh, here he comes now." Kagome moved over so that Inuyasha had room to sit on the seat. "Hi again." she greeted before continuing. "Inuyasha, this is Sango and Ayame." Kagome gestured to the respective persons. "Sango and Ayame, this is Inuyasha." They all said polite 'hello's,' but not without Kagome noticing the questioning glances her friends were giving her.

She had to break the tension somehow, otherwise it would be a very long trip. However, just as she was about to make an attempt at a conversation, somebody else showed up. "Uh…hi." Kagome said politely. Inuyasha's attention was caught by this and he followed her gaze.

"Oh. What do you want?" he asked, not paying Miroku much mind.

"I couldn't help but notice three beautiful ladies sitting here all alone." Miroku completely ignored Inuyasha. "Would you like some company?" He seemed innocent enough, so the three girls nodded an affirmative.

Inuyasha glared at the black dark haired teen as he sat down across from Sango and Ayame.

"What's the matter, Inuyasha? Is there something wrong?" Kagome asked innocently.

"Yeah." he muttered under his breath. "That's the lecher, Miroku." With that, Inuyasha gave him a 'warning' glare. Miroku pretended not to notice and continued talking to Ayame and Sango. Kagome was a bit off-limits due to the fact that he would have to 'talk' to her over Inuyasha which was something he didn't really want to do.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha turned back to Kagome. "So, what brings you here?" he asked and they continued a civil conversation (interrupted a couple of times by a few slaps coming from the seat in front of them and even once a round of "The never ending song") for a good twenty minutes. That is, until they discovered one of their many differences.

"No. You are supposed to clean it thoroughly and bandage it." Kagome pointed out.

"Have you ever heard of letting it breathe, wench?" Inuyasha asked, clearly irritated. They began this part of the conversation by starting up on first aid (courtesy of Kagome) and had been arguing for that past five minutes over which method was more efficient.

Kagome's: Clean thoroughly (making sure to get all the dirt out) and bandaging so that no other infectious materials could get in.

Inuyasha's: Throw on some peroxide and blow on it a bit. Leave it uncovered, allowing the wound to breathe and heal quicker.

Eventually, this had Miroku, Sango and Ayame choosing sides. Ayame agreed with Inuyasha, pointing out that covering it up would never allow it to heal. Sango took Kagome's side, supported by the fact that it was just a better idea entirely and Miroku agreed with the two lovely ladies (not that he didn't think Ayame was lovely. It was just that there was two lovely ladies on his side as opposed to just one).

In the end, the supervisor on the bus told them to quiet down and respect others (they had gotten the majority of the bus to join in). Kagome blushed and slid down her seat, trying to hide, due to the fact that she was one of the ones getting in trouble. It just wasn't something to be proud of, in her mind. She forgot about it soon after though.

Inuyasha and Miroku had apparently gotten over their slight shyness and were now explaining their predicaments. The three girls were listening in curiously, wanting to know more about their new friends. It turned out that Miroku was forced to go by none-other-than Inuyasha. Inuyasha smirked when Miroku admitted this. Apparently it was a funny story.

Inuyasha began. It all started on a dark and stormy night…oh, who am I kidding. It was a really bright and sunny Saturday and Miroku decided to visit Inuyasha. The temperature was a sweltering 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) and they were home alone. Inuyasha decided to test the air conditioning in his house. Apparently, it wasn't powerful enough for the extreme heat wave so Miroku had a wonderful idea to make slushes. Yup. Great idea.

They got off to a good start, putting ice cubes into a blender with water. But, it basically went downhill from there. After they had a partially slushy slush, the boys decided to add flavoring (a couple packets of kool-aid and a few of cups of sugar). However, the sugar turned out to be, in fact, salt. And you and I both know what happens when you mix ice with salt. They ended up with an exploding blender, a busted a/c system and a huge mess. Let's just say, Sesshomaru was not happy when he came home.

As unusual as it sounded, Inuyasha's punishment was to be ignored most of the time Sesshomaru was at home, which wasn't different from any other time, so it was all good. That is, until summer was just around the corner. Sesshomaru informed Inuyasha that he wasn't to stay home alone all summer and that he already had an alternative.

Inuyasha was horrified at the idea of going to a summer camp…and just because of the stupidly hot weather, too. Sesshomaru, however, was not taking 'no' as an answer. It was futile to argue and he knew it. Although there was nothing Inuyasha could do about going (that much was inevitable), he could still get away with making someone else suffer too. You guessed it. Miroku was forced (quite literally) to join the summer camp along with Inuyasha. And that's how they ended up going to camp. And to think it all started with a hot Saturday morning.

"So…that's our story." Miroku concluded.

Kagome laughed and poked Inuyasha in the arm. "Salt?" Which was followed by more laughing.

"Is there something you find funny, wench?" Inuyasha gritted his teeth.

Kagome immediately stopped laughing. "Would you stop calling me that?" She glared.

"And if I don't want to? Wench." Now he was just provoking her. Miroku turned to Sango and Ayame and they started up a lovely conversation about their lives, making sure to stay clear of the two behind them.

"I said, cut it out!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"UGHHH!" Kagome screamed in frustration. She gave Inuyasha a final death glare before turning completely around in her seat. Kagome pulled her knees up to her chest and folded her arms over them, staring intently out the window.

Sighing, Inuyasha let his head fall back against the seat. It wasn't like he meant to make her angry, it just…happened. Contemplating what to do, Inuyasha glanced ahead of him, seeing a flustered Sango, a laughing Ayame and a red (not blush-blush red) Miroku. They all seemed to be getting along fine. Why couldn't he and Kagome.

Upon deciding to just come out and apologize, Inuyasha felt a light touch on his side. He looked over to see Kagome sleeping peacefully, her head resting against his well-muscled arm. "Kagome," he whispered, shaking her softly.

"Mhhhm…" was her only reply. She looked so sincere, so at rest.

Inuyasha leaned down and in a barely-audible whisper, said, "I'm sorry," and he began to shift Kagome into a comfortable position where she could sleep the ride away.

Sango, apparently, had gotten the wrong idea as she looked over when the yelling ceased and saw Inuyasha rearranging Kagome. "Um, Inuyasha. Could you just let her sleep? She sometimes gets tired during the day and needs to rest. She must have been fretting herself to sleep last night. Trust me, you'll be thanking me later today when she's in a good mood." and with that Sango turned around to, once again, confront Miroku.

Glancing from the back of Sango's head to the sleeping Kagome, Inuyasha puzzled over what to do. He didn't, after all, want to move her and wake her up, especially after Sango just told him not to. Also, he figured the metal siding on the bus couldn't be too comfortable. So, after he put a lot of thought into it, Inuyasha made his decision and left Kagome to sleep to her heart's content. Subconsciously, he pulled a few strands of hair away from her angelic face and leaned his cheek on her silky black hair. He stayed like that, content with just inhaling her sweet scent. Within moments, however, he was fast asleep.

Sango took another glance behind her and smiled. Nudging Ayame, she indicated the seat behind theirs and Ayame turned around to look. She gasped and gave a small chuckle. Miroku's attention was, no doubt, drawn to whatever their attentions were on. He moved his eyes from the giggling girls to the seat behind. Kagome was snuggled up into a small ball, her tiny form protected by that of the larger teen beside her. She was leaning up against Inuyasha's side and he had his head resting on hers. They looked almost like a couple, despite the fact that they met just over an hour previous.

Miroku almost burst out laughing, but reconsidered due to a look the girls gave him. Instead, he wondered how Inuyasha was able to do it. First annoy the crap out of the girl, then get her to sleep peacefully in his arms. It was a mystery to him, and might always be.

That, however, was another matter for another day. Presently, he would focus on the task at hand. Which happened to be…

"Excuse me ladies." he interrupted Ayame's and Sango's 'girl talk.' "Would either of you be willing to…"

To be Continued…

A/N: Another chapter over and done with. Yay! Well, I just hope you are all enjoying yourselves. Also, I would really appreciate it if those of you who are taking a liking to this story would review and let me know. It would be…motivational. And guess what? I have all day off (school day)! Which means I might be able to get another chapter done! Happy day, happy day! Well, thanks a bunch and always a pleasure.

Ankoku no Ookami

Next Chapter: Have they? Could it be possible? Is it possible? YES! They have finally arrived at Itsumademo Yume no Bakuei, or in other words, The Camp of Unending Dreams! They will meet all of the councilors and get introduced to the camp grounds. And did I mention the LAKE! Seirei Lake, is what it's called (which basically means Spirit Lake). Also, they will be sorted into their cabins and we will finally meet Kouga! Oh, yeah…Hojo's also there (ack!). What adventures await our heroes? Tune in next time on "The Camp of Unending Dreams!" (lol I just felt like doing that. It's really quite fun. You should try sometime.)