Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters created by Rumiko Takahashi. But I'm still hoping.

A/N: Ahoy! Well, so far what do you guys think? I'm hoping to get this chapter up really soon (but not so soon that it takes away from the quality) so that you pplz can enjoy…that is…if it's even remotely close to being good…hmm (ponders). Well, I'll get started and I will also calculate how many days they stay there and how long it is actually going to be so that you can have a bit of an idea oh how long it will turn out. (Like I said before, this is probably going to be a small fic having to do with them at summer camp.)

Reviews: I would like to thank you for reviewing.

Inuyashangel: Thanks for reviewing and I enjoy your enthusiasm. But…you know Miroku. Of course it is quite incredible for him to have lasted that long without asking. We should actually be congratulating him. Lol. Well, stay tuned to find out if he did indeed.

Inuyasha-craver: I really appreciate you reviewing, but I happen to like Kouga. But if you're worrying about how much of a butt he is, worry no more. He won't be too bad in my story. Hey, maybe you'll even grow to like him. And about Hojo…well, you can expect the unexpected. (Just between you and me, I don't like Hojo either, so that should give you some outlook on how he will end up…) Thanks again for reviewing.

Peace out!

Camp of Unending Dreams

Itsumademo Yume no Bakuei

Chapter 3

Orientations and Orienteering

Miroku was the first out of the five of them to exit the bus, though not voluntarily. Due to his…womanizing habits, Ayame and Sango (but mostly Sango) had thrown him off the bus as soon as they stopped, with or without their supervisor's permission. Ayame got off the bus after him, making sure to step on him on the way, causing the lecher to groan softly in pain.

The rest of the bus' inhabitants exited, leaving on three people. Kagome and Inuyasha, still (somehow) sleeping peacefully, and Sango. She really didn't want to wake them, but the bus driver was beginning to make his way back to the bus after emptying the under-the-bus compartments and he didn't look to be exactly the nicest person in the world.

Sighing, Sango kneeled on her seat, facing the back, and nudged the both of them until she heard a couple groans of, "Just 5 more minutes," and, "Where's the bacon?" erupting from their semi-conscious forms. Giggling softly, Sango gave Kagome a final poke in the ribs and made for the door at breakneck speed, being sure to exit the bus before Kagome awoke.

And wake she did…in the arms of a certain golden-eyed hanyou…the same golden-eyed hanyou she remembered being mad at earlier. Sango couldn't help but laugh when she heard a screech emit from the opened windows on the bus. That had definitely made Sango's day.

Ayame looked confusedly at the laughing Sango, but soon realized what happened when she saw a none-too-happy Inuyasha exit the bus, followed by a blushing Kagome. The poor Inu-hanyou was grumbling about wenches while rubbing his sensitive ears. After making his way to any place away from Kagome (which turned out to be near the edge of the clearing where the trees met gravel), Inuyasha mumbled a final complaint and cursed himself. He had forgotten his things over by the bus…and not to mention Miroku who was, still, lying face-down on the ground. Although it was a relatively gravel-free spot, Miroku still managed to surface with little rock imprints all over his arms and face (probably legs and chest too, but those were covered up).

After the ringing in his ears ceased, Inuyasha cautiously made his way to the side of the bus, determined on staying clear of the now-glaring Kagome. She did, after all, wake up next to the person (er…half demon) that she was most intent on staying away from. And it was shocking, to say the least. I mean, waking up next to anything even remotely close to Inuyasha can really mess with your senses.

Not to mention the fact that his arm had somehow snaked its way around her waist…or the fact that she had turned in her sleep and woke up snuggling into the crook of his arm, her head leaning against his well-muscled chest. It was just a very…awkward moment when they were both awake.

Kagome waking up to the sight of a well-toned chest and Inuyasha waking up to the sound of Kagome's screech. Yup. Very awkward. After that, Inuyasha's hands immediately shot up to his poor, sensitive ears as he let out a string of incomprehensible curses. Kagome blushed when she realized she was probably the one who fell asleep first, and on Inuyasha, no less. She mumbled a silent sorry when she caught a glimpse of him glaring daggers at her, hands still securely locked onto ears.

After that they exited the bus, Kagome making her way to Sango and Ayame, and Inuyasha to the forest. After Miroku got up and he and Inuyasha had their bags, they moved away from the girls slowly, though every now and then Miroku would take a step towards them as opposed to away.

Finally, the second bus arrived. It was filled to the brim with students, as was the first, though the first had a few less kids. Parking adjacent to bus1, bus2 came to a shuddering halt, leaving enough room for another busload of students to enter the clearing. It was basically a gravel circle, about 50 meters in diameter, that was surrounded on three sides by trees. The only open area that they could see, other than a small little path leading up a hill, was the way the buses had came. After the doors opened, a mass of students surged their way forward, causing the bus to shake and tip precariously.

At 9:45am, the whole of the camp was assembled in the gravel clearing, talking to whoever they knew or even who they didn't know. Finally, an older (that's being generous) women came down a meandering path that apparently led to the actual camp. She stopped when she reached the center of the mass of students, ranging from the ages of 8-16 years. The woman cleared her throat, attempting to get the students' attention. Every head, surprisingly, turned towards her. Her presence was one that demanded attention…or maybe it was the fact that she was very old, very short and very…well, old.

Inuyasha snickered silently, though everyone in the camp was able to hear. Kagome sent him a warning glance that shut him up immediately. The woman continued. "My name is Tanisou Kaede and I am one of the managers of this camp. I would like to welcome ye all to Itsumademo Yume no Bakuei. I hope ye all enjoy your summer here and consider coming back for another fun-filled summer next year. I will introduce ye to the councilors and give ye a tour of our lovely camp in just a bit, but first ye must pass a simple test." she waited, creating suspense.

Many kids were holding their breaths subconsciously while others were leaning forward slightly. "The test is…" Kaede glanced about, making sure all attention was on her. "to get there."

Everyone sweat dropped, clearly not expecting that. "What do you mean, "get there?" a tall, dark-haired boy asked, his azure eyes flashing threateningly.

"Ye must all meet at the mess hall before we continue with the introductions. Think of it as a little test of skill…and direction." Kaede added in an undertone. "Ye will be given, in groups of however many you like- preferably between 2 and 6- directions and a compass. The groups will meet at where the "X" on the map is, which is the mess hall. Any questions?"

There was silence a moment before Inuyasha spoke up. "So, we have to get to the mess hall and…that's it?" he asked skeptically.

Kaede sighed, "Yes, that is what I said."

"So…how do we get there?"

"Just follow the directions."

"Or follow you." Inuyasha muttered.

"What was that?" Kaede was sure the silver haired hanyou had grumbled something, but her hearing wasn't what it used to be.

"Oh, nothing." Inuyasha grinned, imaginary devilish tail swishing behind him.

"Right." Kaede continued, "Now, ye will get into ye groups and await further orders."

"Yes, sir." Miroku joked as he stood in his spot, clearly not into the whole "Get into your groups" thing. He glanced at Inuyasha who shrugged in response to his silent question. Miroku shrugged back and they continued to stand there, apparently the only members in their group seeing as nobody was asking to join. Probably the fact that they had on their 'grumpy faces' and looked a bit irritated at the whole maze thing was what was keeping people away.

On the other side of the clearing, Kagome, Sango and Ayame had moved closer together, indicating that they were in a group. After a few more moments of chaos, the girls looked around to see if everyone was ready to go. They were about to move closer to where Kaede was standing to await their next set of instructions, but were confronted by the tall teen that had spoken up earlier.

Despite his earlier hostility, the demon (he looked like a demon to Kagome and Sango, and Ayame could tell from his scent) seemed really nice. He stopped before the group and glanced at the three girls almost nervously. "Hi…umm, I was wondering if…well, if I could join your group…" the dark-haired, blue-eyed demon asked, leaving the last part of his sentence hanging.

Kagome almost giggled due to the fact that earlier he seemed to be one of the 'high and mighty' types, but was now shuffling slightly. She quickly glanced at her two friends who wore amused expressions and nodded her head. "Sure you can,…umm…"

"Kouga." He supplied, releasing a relieved sigh. "Konkami Kouga." Grinning, Kouga shook each of their hands in turn. He seemed to be an ever-grinning, fun type of person and the girls were glad that they had already made a new friend.

Kaede had just started talking again when Ayame noticed two lonesome kids in the clearing. The small boy was looking a bit afraid and lost while the girl stood there with a sort of blank expression on her face as she glanced at the ground. The female wolf demon started making her way towards them, not paying attention to the instructions that Kaede was giving.

Kagome was surprised to find her friend missing when she looked beside her but, once she saw where she was headed, the raven-haired girl followed. While Ayame went towards the girl, Kagome made her way to the boy.

Sango and Kouga watched from where they stood as Ayame and Kagome made their way back with two new group members in tow. "Everyone," Ayame started, "Rin will be joining our group. Don't worry." she said to Rin. "They're all real nice."

It was Kagome's turn to do the introductions. "This here is Shippo and he will be joining us as well." The rest of the group nodded, but then realized they hadn't been paying attention to Kaede. Everybody in the group was instantly listening, intent on catching up on what they missed.

Turns out, all that Kaede had been saying was that following her would get them lost because she wasn't going to the mess hall and also not to cross the bright orange tape that indicated the boundaries. Those who did would be disqualified, punished and have any privileges taken away. When she asked everyone if they understood, Kaede received nods.

She herself nodded before beckoning someone to come forward. This someone was a youkai (by the looks, though he smelled also of human) and he carried a box with him. Kaede opened the box and produced a compass and map.

"These will be thy only materials for this task. I expect ye all to finish before noon." and with that she turned to the youkai and whispered something in his ear. He nodded. "Also," Kaede continued, "This is Haijoku Jinenji, one of the employees of this camp. He will be around and about throughout thy duration and will help those in need, though he is unable to assist ye in this task. Now, will one person from each group come and collect their group's materials."

Although the youkai looked a bit foreboding, no one really sensed and evil aura from him so the appointed person in each group went forward and received said supplies. After everyone looked ready, Kaede spoke, "Now I will leave ye all. Just follow the directions on the piece of paper. Ye will all arrive their soon enough. Goodbye."

The whole of the camp watched silently as the old woman made her way up the windy trail. When she was out of sight, a voice from somewhere in the crowd said, "Ok…Well, last one there's a rotten egg!" he yelled, then added, "Hey, I bet I'll beat you, Wazu!" With that said, a tall teenager with chocolaty-brown and black marbled dog ears bolted from the pack and made aimlessly for the woods (not even caring to look at the map), followed by what seemed to be a clone.

The Clone (or Wazu, going by what the first twin said) yelled back (er…ahead), "I'm faster and you know it, baka!"

The first twin grinned and called over his shoulder, "Yeah, that's why I get a head start!" Wazu followed closely behind Twin1, determination nipping at his heals.

Kagome shook her head to clear away the confusion and took a hold of the map that Kouga had gone to get. She skimmed over it quickly, being sure to take into account what direction they were headed and how far they had to go while the rest of the camp took off in an array of different directions. Well, some people are a bit directionally challenged…

Suddenly, with renewed passion, Kagome took a superhero-ish stance, one hand placed on her hip and the other pointing towards who knew what direction. "This way!" she called (a bit loudly). "We will get to the mess hall if it's the last thing we do!"

Kouga looked from Kagome to Ayame and Sango, wondering if she lost it. The two girls smiled reassuringly and picked up their bags, heading in what they hoped was the right direction.

"Don't worry." Ayame said playfully, leaning closer to Kouga, "She only gets like this when she's had too much fresh air." Ayame laughed at his confused expression and grabbed his hand, dragging him to where everyone else had already entered the woods.

On the other side of the clearing, Miroku and Inuyasha went unnoticed, talking in hushed tones.

"I dunno…" Inuyasha sounded skeptical.

"Just trust me. It'll work." Miroku convinced his friend. "Now, all we have to do is stay behind far enough so they won't hear us."

Inuyasha nodded his head slowly, finally going along with Miroku's oh-so-intelligent plan. His theory went a little like this:

Along with Inuyasha, Miroku would follow Sango…I mean, Sango's group, which would eventually lead them to the mess hall. If they stayed far enough behind and out of sight, they shouldn't get caught and due to Inuyasha's nose, this was easy enough for them to accomplish. Miroku explained that their group looked like it had the best chance at getting there safely and mentioned nothing of the fact that he would rather spend his time with the lovely Sango.

Inuyasha finally, but grudgingly, agreed to go along with it…even if he was the one that had to do all the work.

"Great!" Miroku exclaimed. "Let's just wait till they leave and-" The dark-haired teen stopped abruptly, his indigo gaze searching the empty clearing to no avail. "Inuyasha! They're gone!" he pointed out.

"No shit, Sherlock." Inuyasha yawned, clearly bored. "I could've told you that much. They did, after all, leave like 5 minutes ago."

"What?" A vein appeared on Miroku's head. "And you didn't say anything?"

"No."

Miroku sighed and breathed deeply, calming his nerves. He waited expectantly, watching Inuyasha.

"What?" The hanyou asked, unnerved by Miroku's gaze.

"Well, which way did they go?"

"Oh!" Inuyasha clued in. He took a moment to sift through the different smells surrounding them, his nose lifted high in the air.

After a minute of him just standing there, Miroku asked, "Which way are they?"

Inuyasha glanced at Miroku out of the corner of his eyes due to the fact that his nose was still in the air. "I can't find them."

Miroku fell to the ground. "What do you mean, 'You can't find them?'" he asked when he got up. "I thought you were an inu-youkai."

"Hanyou, actually, and I am." the golden-eyed boy said, sighing. "But, there are too many kids here and the forest smells are overpowering."

Rubbing his temple, Miroku sighed. "Can't you try a bit harder?"

Growling, Inuyasha got onto his hands and knees and began sniffing the ground. He crawled over to where the girls were standing when waiting in the clearing and moved eastwards, apparently picking up on their scent.

"Umm…Inuyasha…?" Miroku started, trying (key word) to contain his laughter.

"Save it." Inuyasha wasted no time in ridding Miroku of his current train of thought. "I need to concentrate, so shut up."

Miroku let out a final laugh at how hilarious the scene in front of him looked before composing himself. Then he was struck with an interesting thought. "Say, Inuyasha-"

"Yes, I have found them. Just close your mouth and follow like a good puppy."

"You're one to talk," he mumbled, but continued anyway, "I was going to ask you how you know which scent to follow." When Inuyasha didn't answer, Miroku took it as an invitation to ask more questions. "So, who's scent are you following exactly?"

Silence followed as Inuyasha kept his attention focused on the trail ahead of him.

"Can it be Ayame's?" Miroku asked slyly. "Or perhaps Sango's? Maybe you aren't following anything at all and are leading us further away from civiliza-"

"I know what I'm doing, Miroku." Inuyasha countered angrily. "Now carry this damn bag for me, will ya?" he tossed Miroku his own duffel bag, causing the lecher to let out a small 'oof.'

Despite the fact that Miroku was now carrying two bags instead of one, he was still able to keep up an easy pace with his very canine-resembling friend. "So, who's scent are you following?" he asked again, daring to push his luck.

Inuyasha stopped his actions and stood up, whispering back to Miroku, "They're up ahead." Miroku nodded. "But," the hanyou continued, "There are other people with them." Inuyasha sniffed the air once again before turning to Miroku. "A wolf demon and a kitsune. Also," he placed his nose in the air again, "a human."

Miroku nodded once again and they continued to follow behind silently, dropping the subject at hand. Up ahead, voices were heard.

It was Sango who was speaking. "Oh? And what about you Rin? Why are you here?"

No response was heard from the little girl. They continued to walk through the forest, no one having anything to say.

About 5 minutes later, Inuyasha could hear one of the others stop and he signaled for Miroku to do the same. Inuyasha caught the scent. It was the wolf demon.

"What's the matter, Kouga?" Kagome asked as she went back and stood next to him. Inuyasha and Miroku held their breaths.

"Oh, it's nothing, Kagome. Just stay back there." and with that Kouga stepped in front of Kagome protectively. He was now facing the direction they had came in. The same direction that Miroku and Inuyasha were hiding. "Hey! You!" Kouga yelled from where he was, obviously aware of the two.

"What do we do?" Miroku whispered furiously to Inuyasha. The hanyou beside him just watched on in anticipation.

"I know you're there." came the same husky voice. To Kagome he said, "I smell mutt."

Due to Inuyasha's amazing hearing, he was highly offended and stepped out from where the two of them were crouched down. He said, "What was that, wolf?" while cracking his knuckles.

"You heard me, Muttface."

"Why you…"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's puzzled voice stopped him from charging at the snickering 'wolf.' "What are you doing here?" she asked, confusion written clearly across her face.

"I uh…well, we were…umm…" Inuyasha stuttered, not sure how to answer her.

Kagome stepped out from behind Kouga and made her way up to Inuyasha. "Are you alright?" she asked concernedly.

"F-fine," he replied, looking away as a blush crept across his cheeks.

"Are you sure?" Kagome pried, stopping only a few inches away. "You look a little flushed."

Inuyasha stammered, but before he could answer was interrupted by Kouga. "Hey, Kagome. You know this guy?"

Inuyasha growled. "What's with the wolf?" he asked Kagome, his previous state temporarily forgotten.

Kagome looked between the two glaring teens, flabbergasted. How could they be at each other's throats after they just met? It was a mystery to her, but she wouldn't stand for it. "Inuyasha, this is Kouga. Kouga, Inuyasha. Now shake hands and play nice. There's no need for violence," she finalized.

Looking first at Kagome skeptically then to each other, the two boys hesitated before sticking out their hands and shaking each others. "Name's Kouga. Konkami Kouga," the wolf demon introduced himself.

"Inuyasha. I see we have gotten off on the wrong foot." Inuyasha stated, smirking.

"I agree."

The rest of the group watched on, dumbfounded. As Inuyasha and Kouga began talking about whatever it was guys talked about, Kagome dropped her head in her hand. They were so immature. First, they act all territorial, and then they act like best friends. Kagome sighed.

"Ok, you guys. Sorry to break up this up, but we really should be on our way."

Shippo tugged Kagome's sleeve. "Who's the dog-man?" he asked, partly hiding behind her.

Kagome laughed at Inuyasha's expression at being called a dog-man. "This mean, grumpy guy is Inuyasha. But don't worry. He's as harmless as a flea," she explained.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha blinked a couple of times at being called such a weird name, but then grew offended at Kagome's explanation of him. "I am not harmless," he stated, pouting slightly.

"Of course not, Inuyasha." Kagome pat his arm reassuringly.

"Hentai!" A few birds from surrounding trees took flight as a loud slap echoed through the forest. Sango huffed and made her way to stand behind Ayame and Rin. Apparently, while the introductions were being made, Miroku had spotted Sango and had gone over to 'talk' to her. After a while, he couldn't resist and his hand 'slipped.' Inuyasha walked over to him and cuffed him on the back of his head.

"You get what you deserve." he said simply.

"Yeah. But it's worth it." Miroku sighed, whether from delight or defeat Inuyasha couldn't tell. And neither did he want to.

Glancing at the map again, Kagome concluded that they were about halfway there. After checking the time (about 10:25), she figured they would arrive at their destination at about 11. This suited everybody just fine and they continued their trek through the woods, though this time with Inuyasha and Miroku visibly following.

However, after only 10 more minutes of walking, Shippo began to complain that his bag was too heavy. Kagome stopped and relieved him of it, though now she was having trouble keeping up. Inuyasha noticed this and was about to ask her if she wanted him to carry it along with his own (Inuyasha got his bag back from Miroku just after they were figured out), but Kouga beat him to it. Kagome thanked him and handed over Shippo's bag.

Not that this bothered Inuyasha much. He was just…annoyed at Kouga for stealing his opportunity. Opportunity for what, you may ask? Well, just for redeeming the whole incident that morning. It wasn't like he did anything wrong (except having his arm around her), but he still thought it would be better to have her think more of him than that.

So they continued walking and now Miroku had Rin's bag slumped over his shoulder. She had had trouble carrying it, but didn't bring it up. Miroku noticed (due to the fact that he had been walking as close to Sango as he could get and she was hiding behind Rin and Ayame) and took it without really saying anything. He just gave her a small smile and they continued on.

They talked about little things here and there for another 10 minutes. Groaning, the eight companions trudged along, hating the weight of their bags. However, having the weight securely on your back is a lot better than having it land on you.

A couple of screams were let out, but realization hadn't kicked in until a few moments afterwards. "What the…?" Miroku asked no one in particular.

While walking, the group seemed to fall into a hole. How it went unnoticed will be a mystery to all. Although it wasn't very deep, they would have much rather stayed on solid ground, bags still securely over shoulder instead of getting winded by the heavy things at the bottom of a hole.

Inuyasha stood up, helping the closest person to him do the same. Once up, Kagome went over to Shippo and Rin who appeared to be unharmed. "Is everybody alright?" she asked, glancing around the pit.

"Just…peachy." Sango's voice was heard followed by a muffled groan, though not her own. She had apparently landed on top of Miroku, causing the lecher to zone out for a moment. "Oh, sorry," she said, quickly getting off of him and allowing him to breathe.

"S'ok." he managed.

Ayame sneezed as she sat up. "That was…interesting," she concluded. Kouga nodded in agreement beside her.

Inuyasha dusted off his attire, but to no avail. "Where the he-"

"Where do you suppose it came from?" Kagome cut Inuyasha off from concluding his sentence. She gave him a glance that clearly said, 'Watch it.'

"What?" he asked innocently.

Kagome pointed to Rin and Shippo before answering. "There are children here. Watch your language." Inuyasha just "feh'd" and looked away in response.

"I don't know where it came from, but I do know that we have to get out of here." Sango replied in response to Inuyasha/Kagome's question.

"Well, I suppose I could just jump up and carry someone els-" Inuyasha immediately stopped as his ears twitched this way and that. Everyone else silenced and the other demons in the company listened carefully. You didn't, however, need to be a demon to hear the twigs crack above them. All their heads shot up.

There standing at the edge of the pit was a shadowed figure. A small whimper was heard from Shippo and even Rin gasped, but no amount of evil aura would prepare them for what they were about to witness.

After a moment of creepy silence, the figure changed position so that the sunlight was shining down on him, lighting up his face. "Yo!" he called down. It was the same demon that took off first for the 'task.' The one with the twin, Wazu, and the dog ears atop his head.

He jumped down from his 'perch' and landed gracefully beside Ayame. "Hey there! What're you all doing in this hole? Shouldn't you be…I dunno…walking, or something?" Though his questions seemed innocent enough, he had an air of mischief about him.

"We…umm, fell." Miroku answered for everybody. "Why?" he grew suddenly suspicious. "Did you put this hole here?"

Dog-ear looked shocked, glancing from one person to the next. "Me?" he asked. "Oh, no!" Dog-ear started laughing as if it were some sort of joke. "Of course I didn't," he continued, "that would be my brother."

Everyone dropped to the ground. Then Kagome said, "Right. Umm…why would he put a hole here?"

"He was trying to trap me here, no doubt." Dog-ear replied, nodding thoughtfully. "You see, I bet him that I would arrive first and he said that I wouldn't, but I told him that I would and we were running together for a while and decided that a wager was in order and he agreed so now we are both trying to win so that the other will have to dye their ears pink and not just pink, mind you, but really, really bright hot pink." Dog-ear sucked in a long breath.

The group sweat-dropped and stayed silent while blinking a couple of times.

"Umm…what did you say your name was?" Sango asked skeptically.

"Hmmm…I don't believe I did." Dog-ear answered, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Everybody waited for him to tell them, but he stayed silent, not catching on. Finally, after a few (eight) blank stares he said, "Oh! My name is Hakussho Ikkarawashii and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Riiight," Inuyasha stated, a bit cautious of this new character.

Kagome found him charming in an unusual and odd manner so, naturally, she was curious. "So who's winning?" she asked.

"I do believe that I do not know," Ikkarawashii answered.

"Then how do you know who's the winner?" Kagome was now a bit confused.

Ikkarawashii looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "The winner will be the one who makes it there first, causing the loser to come in after the winner. The winner will know if he is the winner when the loser comes in after."

Inuyasha grumbled. "Come on, Kagome! We don't have time for this. Let's just get going."

"I agree with Muttface over here." Kouga said.

"Hey!"

Miroku looked to Sango who shrugged her shoulders. This wasn't, after all, something that happened everyday.

Ayame, however, had a plan that would hopefully keep everyone happy. "Hey, Ikkarawashii," she got his attention, "Aren't you losing time now as we speak?"

The dog-eared boy blinked once, then twice before realizing that she was right. "I am sorry my friends, but I will have to lea-"

"Ik-kun? Is that you?" a voice sounded from overhead.

"Wazu?" Ik-kun figured it was his brother when there was no answer. "Why you dirty mongrel. You flea-bitten, mangy cad of a wolf. You come down here right this moment and we will settl-"

"Relax, Ik-kun. I just came by to tell you that I am going to win this wager. You can bet your ears on it."

"Hey! I like my ears, thank you very much." Ikkarawashii moved his hand up to his ears fondly. "And besides, you haven't met my new friends. This is…umm…well, and over here we have…er…my, I do believe that I do not know your names as of yet." he finished lamely, ears drooping.

Inuyasha glanced around the group with a look in his eyes that clearly said, 'Is there something really wrong with this guy?' and, 'Please, help.' Kagome smiled reassuringly at him before taking a step closer to Ikkarawashii, looking up at Wazu.

"Umm, Wazu, did you say your name was?" she asked with her usual happy charm.

"Why, hello there. I haven't given my name, but you can most certainly have it, pretty lady."

"M-my name's Kagome," she mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Name's Wazuryou. Hakussho Wazuryou and it is a pleasure to meet you," Wazu said as he jumped into the pit, landing beside Kagome. He took her hands in his and was about to say something else when he heard two different sets of growls. Glancing around the hole, he noticed the two that were 'warning' him. "I see," he said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Kagome."

With that he moved a step away, indicating to Inuyasha and Kouga that he had meant no harm. Kagome just gave him a quizzical glance, clearly unaware of the happenings before her. "Umm…yeah, you too. Well, do you happen to know the way to the hall?" she asked, still a bit confused, but not bothering to push it.

Wazuryou shook his head sadly. "Alas, my lady, I cannot tell you which way seeing as I do not know myself. But if you would like to hear a proposition that I have?"

"Please tell," Kagome was hoping it was something that would get them to their destination without more incidents.

"We can travel as a group," Wazu started explaining. "That way, when one person finds it, all the others do as well."

Although a bit down heartened by his explanation, Kagome still returned his smile and turned to her original group, including Inuyasha and Miroku. "What do you guys think? I mean, we probably will do better with more people, right?"

"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered.

"Sounds like a good plan," Ayame rationalized.

Miroku nodded his head and Sango gave a small shrug, indicating that she could care less either way.

Kouga looked suspiciously at Wazu, but ended up nodding his head in agreement.

Looking to Rin and Shippo, Kagome realized that they weren't sure exactly what was going on (or they didn't care). She turned back to Wazuryou and answered, "Sure, we'd love to join you. But we should be heading back soon because I'm not really sure how long we've spent in this hole and I think we could all use a little break when we got back."

Wazu nodded and beckoned his brother. "It seems we will be traveling in each other's company, dear brother."

"Yes, it appears that way, doesn't it?" Ik-kun replied. They stood there, glaring, for a moment more before they were interrupted.

"I'm hungry," Shippo clutched his growling stomach.

After exiting the hole (Inuyasha, Kouga, Ayame, Wazuryou and Ikkarawashii had all helped to lift the others out), the introductions were made. As soon as everybody knew everybody else, they continued on their way, Kagome still taking most responsibility over the map (she didn't really trust anyone else to get them there safely). During their walk, Ik-kun and Wazu explained to whoever wanted to listen about how they were, like Inuyasha, both hanyou. The group now knew that they were half wolf demon, which supported the fact that they had wolf-like ears mounted atop their heads.

The twins looked almost like clones. Almost. There were a couple of differences, though you had to look closely to notice them. While Wazu had pitch black ears at the tips which faded to a russet at the base, Ik-kun's ears were marbled with black and chocolate brown. There was no pattern, really. Just a bunch of chocolate swirls mixed in with black.

Also, Ik-kun's eyes glinted a mischievous and lustrous gold, mirroring Inuyasha's eyes almost exactly. Wazuryou had more of an amber tinge in his eyes, making them seem copper, but looking just as impish as his brother's. Other than those two features, the Hakussho brothers looked like the identical twins that they were.

While trying to differentiate between the brothers, the other eight companions began to notice the bit of pain beginning to swell in their feet. If it was much further, the humans would have to stop and take a break.

This, however, wasn't a problem because right then a shoe fell from the sky and landed, none-too-softly, on Inuyasha's head causing him to curse loudly while rubbing it. "What the hell was that?" he asked, though no one seemed to have an answer. Inuyasha glared around the group, but decided it hadn't come from them.

His pondering was interrupted by a distant call of, "Sorry!" The companions looked up to where the voice was heard and spotted a figure high up in the trees. "Hello, down there." it called again.

"What is that?" Shippo asked, leaning his head up as far as it would go without him falling over.

"Excuse me," it called. "But, can you help me get down from here? I seem to have gotten stuck."

"Umm…who are you?" Kagome asked, though she had a fleeting idea due to the familiarity of the voice. "Is that you, Hojo?"

"Kagome?" Hojo called down once again. "Thank the heavens. Do you think you could help me? I'm in a bit of a pinch, as you can see."

Sighing, Kagome faced the group. "Could somebody go up there and get him, please? I would really…appreciate it," she added through gritted teeth. When nobody volunteered, Kagome thought about leaving him, but figured that it wasn't even an option. She went over to Wazu and put on her best pouting face and glanced up at him with award-winning puppy dog eyes. "Would you mind, Wazu? It'd be really great if you-"

"Gone." Apparently Wazuryou couldn't resist and started jumping up the tree with lightning-quick speed, not even bothering to secure himself in any way. "Hey, Hoto. I'm here to get you down, so don't panic," Wazu explained as soon as he reached Hojo.

"It's Hojo, actually," he squeaked out, obviously intimidated by the larger male.

"Whatever," Wazu replied, smirking slightly, revealing his pointed fangs which caused Hojo to be even more uncomfortable. While Wazu was busy untangling Hojo's bag from the branch (Hojo was wearing a backpack and a branch got stuck between him and the bag), the sandy haired teen was rambling on about who knows what. Finally, Wazu was able to release Hojo's bag from the tree which, unfortunately, caused him to fall a good 40ft to the plummeting ground below.

Kagome shrieked as the boy fell, but Ik-kun was ready to catch him and he did so, just moments before touching down (sigh…we aren't so lucky). Kagome immediately ran over to Ikkarawashii and Hojo to make sure he was alright.

Although a little shaken, Hojo was able to stand. "I'm alright, Kagome. No need to worry…about…me." He was having a difficult time readjusting his breathing.

"You scared me to death," Kagome sighed and sat down on a stump. "How did you get up there anyway?"

"Oh, well, you see," the teen began explaining, forgetting about his precious experience, "I figured that I would be able to see far and wide if I could climb to the top of that tree," Hojo pointed, "And that it would be really easy to spot the camp from something that high."

"So, where is it?" Sango cut in.

"I'm don't know." Everyone sweat dropped.

Kagome was confused for the umpteenth time that morning. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was about to reach the last branch, my foot slipped and I fell a few feet before my bag caught onto another branch. I had been hanging there for a good two hours before you showed up."

Kagome shook her head, 'Hopeless…'

"So, you're basically saying that you climbed all the way up there and didn't find anything?" Inuyasha clenched his fist as a vein appeared on it.

"Yup," Hojo replied, not sensing any of the danger emitting from the inu-hanyou.

Kagome did, however, and immediately rushed over to him. "Ok, that's…umm, interesting, but we should be on our way." Then she whispered to Inuyasha, "Just leave it. He means no harm."

Letting out a final glare, Inuyasha "feh'd" and turned away. "Let's just get going then."

Kagome nodded and looked to everybody else in their group. They all seemed to want to go just as badly so, once again, Kagome checked the map and they headed off in what they hoped was the right direction.

Over the duration of the walk, Hojo revealed the reason he was alone. This was because he was too slow and the two others that he was with were just too quick for him. Kouga snickered when he began to verbally illustrate what they looked like. He, Kouga, knew the two had been Ginta and Hakkaku, his friends. Although he was aware of this, Kouga said nothing and continued to internally congratulate them on finding a way to innocently leave this guy behind.

Finally, after a while of Shippo talking non-stop, the trees began to thin and they found themselves walking on a trail. Following it for only 5 minutes led them to a large clearing, which revealed the location of the camp.

Said camp was a fairly large one, surrounded (for the most part) by forest. It was really beautiful in the eyes of the girls present (even the ever-silent Rin) and even the boys had to admit (if only to themselves) that it looked a lot nicer than what they had previously envisioned.

The trail, heading from the west, that they had exited the forest on led down a hill and towards a fair sized building. This building had a sign on which it said, "Main Office." It was located in the middle of the large clearing and had a larger building behind it. This was the mess hall. Their destination

To the east of the camp, at the edge of the clearing on the opposite side, were a number of small, homey-looking cabins. Also, at the very north of the camp was another building, though it was separated down the middle, making it look like two attached ones. These were the washrooms and were located a little ways north of the mess hall and main office. On either side of the washrooms was a trail that led into the woods (one heading northeast and the other northwest).

Standing atop the hill on the west side of the camp, the eleven companions stared in awe. It was magnificent and the smell wafting through the air made it even more delectable.

"Mm…Smells…so…good," Ik-kun had his delicate nose stretched into the air.

"I can smell…bacon," Inuyasha wasn't even attempting to stop himself from drooling, the smell was so overpowering.

Kagome looked from Ikkarawashii to Wazu to Kouga (who was also having a hard time looking dignified while, at the same time, savoring the unmistakable smell coming from the mess hall) to Inuyasha. "Goss," she pushed the latter lightly, causing him to cease his mindless mumbling and drooling.

They all made their way down the hill without acting like a bunch of hooligans in the process. But at the bottom, a thought struck Kagome. "You guys?" she asked for their attention, stopping abruptly.

"What is it now, wen- Kagome?" Inuyasha remembered the whole reason for her being mad at him in the first place. "Can't we talk after we eat?" he almost pleaded.

Kagome shook off the question with a wave of her hand and asked, "How well can you smell the food?"

Ik-kun grinned. "Well enough to tell you that they are serving pancakes with bacon and eggs. Hash browns and toast on the side. The syrup flavors are maple, blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, and strawberry. And for those of you who are daring, there is even some frosting sugar," he replied, lifting his nose now and then to catch the different scents. "Also, the juice types are orange, apple and cranberry or your choice of chocolate or white partly-skimmed milk."

Kagome sighed, receiving a bit more information than she was looking for. "So, you can smell it pretty well, then?"

"You bet!"

She turned to the other demons (youkai or hanyou) and they all nodded their agreement. "And how far away, would you say, are you able to catch the scents?"

Ikkarawashii was a little puzzled by her question, but answered anyway. "I would say…a good mile or two. Why?"

Kagome's eye began twitching.

Sango and Ayame joined her once they realized what she was getting at.

"You demons could have just used your noses to get us here rather than us trying to figure out the way on our own and you DIDN'T!" Kagome asked, just a little bit irritated.

Said demons glanced at each other and smiled nervously. "Hehehe…well, you see girls," they were backing away from the flaming Kagome and Sango, "We…er…didn't think about it and…umm…well, we're here now right?" It was Miroku who was doing the talking even though he wasn't even a demon.

After taking a few deep breaths, instructed by Ayame (who was also getting her tail pulled due to the fact that she was a demon), Kagome and Sango began to calm down. "I suppose," Sango said cheerily as she walked into the mess hall, smile and all. Kagome followed behind with Shippo and Rin in tow.

The others stood there, still a bit uneasy about going in, but when the doors opened, the irresistible scent came flying through and they had no choice but to enter. The wager between the Hakussho brothers was temporarily forgotten…as was Hojo, who stood outside the mess hall, still contemplating if Kagome had categorized him with the demons or not.

To be continued…

A/N: Another chapter done, though it turned out to be longer than I had figured. Oh well, right? Well, what did you think of this one? I already have plans for the next chapter and it should be up pretty soon. Thanks a bunch and always a pleasure. Please review.

Ankoku no Ookami

Next Chapter: Our friends have finally made it to the camp and are filling their bellies with pancakes and bacon. What does the afternoon have in store for them. A tour? Most likely. Introductions? You bet. And evil plots? Maybe, maybe not. Who's to know? Not me (at the moment) for I have not written it yet…but I do have ideas. Awful ideas. Wonderfully, awful ideas. So, if you want to know what they are, tune in next time!