Chapter 8

The demons had easily found the grisly sight of the guard's demise, a clearing littered with corpses and splashes of blood. The mangled remains told a gruesome tale of a quick but fierce attack.

The younger demon bent down to inspect the scene, his sharp, bulging eyes scanning the area for any clues. "These guards are naught but lifeless husks," he hissed in a guttural whisper. "It seems, dear brother, we're not the only predators here."

The tall demon nodded, a flicker of pride in his striking eyes. "This isn't the work of your run-of-the-mill forest creature. There's something powerful lurking here."

The pair made their way a bit further into the forest to a small rock wall and the remains of a camp. The younger demon crouched down again to survey the fire, while his elder brother walked the perimeter.

The grotesque demon straightened up, his repulsive features twisting into a grotesque grin. "A human girl's scent is all over this place. She smells pretty."

The tall demon's eyes flickered with a hint of a sinister smile as well. "Indeed. It appears that our journey is about to get interesting."

In the dense, moonlit forest, the two demons continued their stealthy pursuit, guided by the scent of a human girl and a demon. The eerie glow of their malevolent eyes shimmered in the darkness as they pressed on. The misshapen, grotesque demon moved with an unsettling grace that belied his appearance, while the tall, striking demon maintained an arrogant scowl as they dashed through the trees towards their prey.

At the riverbank where Inuyasha and Kagome had set up camp, the morning sun cast a gentle glow over the surroundings. The soft, bubbling music of the river filled the air, and a sense of serenity enveloped the area.

The gentle sounds of a peaceful morning were what eventually lulled Kagome out of her sleep. It was not the most comfortable rest in the world - she had curled up against her backpack with her P.E. jacket as a makeshift blanket - but it was enough. She stretched carefully and slowly, getting the stiffness out of her limbs before standing to survey the camp with sleepy eyes.

Inuyasha was conspicuously absent, although something told her he hadn't had gone far. Shrugging her shoulders to herself, she stumbled off into the underbrush and found a bush with enough coverage to safely relieve herself. That task finished, she took survey of the area in hopes of finding breakfast; she was not disappointed. Only a few paces away were the telltale vines of a sweet potato plant.

Kagome smiled and went to investigate. It was a bit early in the season for sweet potatoes, but maybe they would be lucky.

Inuyasha sniffed the air tentatively as the direction of the wind changed. He had been heading back to camp when the air started to blow his way, bringing with it the unmistakable scent of Kagome and something cooking on a fire.

Sure enough, when he hopped into the campsite, he saw Kagome in front to the fire gently poking some purple sweet potatoes. They were small, but there were a decent amount of them gathered in a pile among the fire's logs. Kagome must have been expecting his return if she gathered so many. He hadn't expected Kagome to prepare a meal for him, and her resourcefulness surprised him.

"What's all this?" he asked, a hint of surprise in his gruff voice.

Kagome glanced up from the fire, her expression proud. "I found some sweet potatoes, so I thought I'd try baking them," she explained, her grey eyes bright in the morning light. Something in Inuyasha's chest clenched for a moment, but he forced himself to breathe and crouch down by the fire.

"They smell pretty good," Inuaysha admitted. He didn't normally eat vegetation, or at least he hadn't for a long time, but he could hardly deny the sweet scent that wafted from the roasting tubers.

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle at his unexpected approval. The scent of their breakfast filled the air enticing even the half-demon's senses as she began to remove the food from the fire.

Kagome picked up her scraps, the potato skins, and the vines from the sweet potatoes, into a plastic bag and carefully put them in one of the outside pockets of her backpack. She figured they would be useful later... if they were close to Inuyasha's... well, she didn't know exactly where they were going, but wherever Inuyasha was taking them was sure to be safe. He seemed like the private type.

"Are we close to... where we're going?" she asked hesitantly, looking at Inuyasha over her shoulder.

The half demon had finished eating in record time and was lounging against a tree a bit further away from the water's edge.

"Another day or two at your pace," he said with a yawn, already feeling bored at the proposition of another day walking like, well, a human.

"Do you think I can take a quick bath first?" Kagome asked timidly. She didn't look at him that time.

"You want to take a bath when I just said we'll be traveling for almost two more days!? How much time do you want to waste?"

Kagome's anger rose to meet Inuyasha's ire. "Hey! Not all of us like to walk around stinky and gross all day! It's been days!"

Inuyasha was caught between two comebacks. On one hand, he could antagonize Kagome and confirm that she did smell a bit like sweat after the last two days of traveling. That would likely lead to more yelling and a refusal to leave until she had a bath. On the other hand, he could say her scent was fine, but that would mean admitting that he liked her scent which was also out of the question and may also want to make her bathe anyway if she found that weird. There was no winning this one.

He settled for a "keh" and stood up, brushing off some imaginary dirt. "Hurry up. I'm gonna scout ahead." He left no room for a reply as he jumped up into the high branches across the river and out of sight.

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled out her swimsuit just in case Inuyasha came back too quick.

As Kagome started to undress by the riverbank, the landscape around her felt serene and inviting. The sound of the flowing water and the rustling leaves added to the ambiance. It was so quiet and peaceful in this time, and Kagome was really in a great mood until she actually stepped into the frigid water.

She squeaked and jumped back, frowning slightly. Well, there were definitely some downsides, the lack of plumbing and hot water being one of them. But this is what she had to work with, and her desire to be clean was stronger than her dislike of the cold. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she ran into the water with a big splash, submerging herself all the way before she could lose her nerve.

Kagome made quick work of rinsing her hair and body, lamenting the lack of shampoo and conditioner. As she got out of the water shivering, she wondered to herself if she could make some, that is, until a familiar cold feeling traveled up her spine.

She turned around just in time to see two figures emerge from the trees. The taller demon, with striking features and long, jet black hair, moved with an almost regal grace. He surveyed the river and the human girl before him with a subtle, smug grin, believing they had caught her completely alone and off guard.

His shorter companion, less fortunate in the looks department, bore a more sinister expression. His lustful eyes seemed to linger on Kagome's form, and he couldn't help but leer in her direction.

Startled, Kagome quickly grabbed her small towel in a vain attempt to cover herself. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. "Who are you? What do you want?" she demanded, trying to maintain her composure.

The taller demon spoke first, his cocky grin only making Kagome more unnerved. "We are the Thunder Brothers, and we were sent to retrieve you and your... companion."

The grotesque demon leered further at Kagome, a perverse grin tugging at his lips. "You're quite the feast for the eyes, my dear."

Kagome bristled at the unwanted attention and knew she needed to handle this situation carefully. She took a step back, the river water lapping at her feet.

"Hiten," the ugly one spoke while licking his lips, "the girl appears to be alone. Perhaps we should just collect her and leave."

The older one shook his head, his long dark braid falling over his shoulder. "We don't know which one is responsible for the well. We have to get both."

The ugly one looked disappointed until his elder brother continued.

"But there is no reason you can't take this one, Manten. I'll go find the demon."

With that, he jumped off more quickly than Kagome could process. She was so distracted she didn't notice the younger demon come close until his greyish, white clawed hands grabbed her bare arms. She dropped her towel in surprise.

"I've never seen clothing like this, but I must admit it makes it clear what a pretty girl you are," he said, pulling her forcefully towards him. "Hopefully we only need the half-demon so I can eat you."

Author's Note: Hope everyone is enjoying the ride. I don't know if reviews are working or not, views certainly aren't, but in any case let me know what you think and if it can use any improvement. Thank you!