His question slowly faded into the wind as Kagome desperately tried to steady her racing heart. She had nearly stumbled backward in surprise. After the initial shock, she wasn't sure whether to feel afraid or relieved at seeing a familiar face, even if that face wasn't her first choice.

"Sesshoumaru," she gasped, "what's going on here?"

The man frowned, a subtle gesture that Kagome missed as she turned to scrutinize her surroundings. There was definitely something off about the scenery, and what were those strange birds in the trees? She had never seen such avian creatures before.

As Kagome marvelled at the sky, the dog demon behind her ground his teeth. He found her behavior insulting in the extreme. A human dared to turn her back on him! His eyes flashed crimson, a signal that usually presaged violence.

"I am not this Sesshoumaru you speak of," a deep voice grumbled.

Kagome diverted her attention from the landscape and turned to face him. His claws twitched. She was about to argue against his ridiculous claim, but then she took a closer look at his features. She stepped closer and studied his face. There was no crescent moon symbol on his forehead. In fact, there was no symbol at all.

Otherwise, his appearance was agreeable enough, and at a quick glance, he did bear a strong resemblance to the killing perfection, Sesshoumaru. The man had long, silver hair and forelocks that framed his chiseled features. He was about as tall as Sesshoumaru, but his golden eyes reminded Kagome of someone else.

"Oh, you're right," she smiled apologetically.

The demon's nostrils flared. Had she no tact at all? To gawk at him so closely and dismiss her mistake so casually.

"I've rarely seen your kind. I thought not many of you existed anymore. Are you a relative of Sesshoumaru's?"

In addition to her brazenness and impertinence, she showed no fear for her safety in his presence. He could easily end her life, yet she remained unphased. What kind of creature was she? And how could she have known that name?

"What delusion gives you the audacity to address me so informally?"

"Well, excuse me," Kagome retorted, her patience thinning. She had no tolerance for such a haughty attitude right now. She needed to find out what was happening, and she had a feeling this arrogant demon wouldn't be of much help. "Nice to meet you, I'm Higurashi Kagome. And I'm taking my leave as of this instance. Goodbye, Mr. Stuck-up-on-formal-introductions."

Why were all dog demons so rude? She had no time to waste bickering with him. With that decided, she began trudging away, as gracefully as one could in a miniskirt and a backpack that weighed half as much as she did, pulling her toward the ground.

The demon, left in her wake, could barely remember a time when his pride had suffered such an insult. He could only stare after the unusual human girl as she descended toward the field below them. Why hadn't she been scared of him like all other humans? Which demon of the Sesshoumaru house did she refer to? Did she have ties to them? Ludicrous. And why did she dress in such a provocative manner?

He followed her.

Kagome was navigating her way to Kaede's village, or at least where she estimated it should have been. However, it was hard to pinpoint as everywhere she looked was an abundance of trees. The saying 'can't see the forest for the trees' had never felt more apt.

Every so often, she would glance over her shoulder. That self-proclaimed expert on manners was following her, not even making an attempt to conceal himself. Instead, he was blatantly tailing her in plain sight. The curiosity of dog demons never ceased to amuse and irritate her.

After an hour of trekking, which included her falling flat on her behind, getting entangled in tree roots, developing a nasty rash on her right leg, and suffering from numerous insect bites, there were no signs of civilization whatsoever. Coming to an abrupt halt, she could feel the ache in her back from the weight of her pack, the straps of which had buried themselves into her shoulders. She was chilled to the bone, having sweated in the wintery weather. Her journey seemed pointless. It felt like she could walk to the ends of the earth and find nothing. In any case, as long as that obstinate dog demon was stalking her, she might as well put him to some use.

"Hey, excuse me!" She called out to him.

The dog demon, who had halted some distance behind her, focused his attention on her.

"Umm, do you know if there's a village around here?"

The demon merely scoffed and curtly ignored her.

'Oh, definitely a relative.'

Kagome placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. "Aaaree theerree aanyyy peeoopleee aaanyywheeereee neeaaar?" She articulated each word with exaggerated precision, hoping to get through his thick skull.

The demon's eyebrow twitched, but besides that, he remained unresponsive.

"PEEEEEOOOOOOOOOPLEEEEEEEEEE?" Kagome raised her voice.

In a swift motion, the man clamped his hands over his ears and hissed at her. "Silence that insufferable noise, human!"

"Fine. Just answer a simple question. Is there?"

"What?"

"Is there a village anywhere near here?"

The demon lowered his hands and cautiously sniffed the air.

"There are no humans within a radius of 40 ri," he concluded.

"Ri?" Kagome mused aloud. "How much is that in kilometers?"

"That is a unit foreign to me," the demon replied, clearly irritated. Why was he indulging this woman with answers? This was getting bothersome.

"Okay… How long would it take me to walk to the nearest village?"

The dog demon's lip tightened. "I would estimate that it is a three-day walk there, for a human." Before Kagome could ask anything else, the demon raised his hand. "I am not obligated to advise you any further. Your queries are becoming quite tiresome."

The human woman made a peculiar gesture of rolling her eyes which went by him. She sighed and shielded her eyes while looking at the sky. There were a few hours of sunlight left, enough time for her to return to the well... if only she had any idea in which direction it was.

"Damn," she murmured under her breath. She had never been a great navigator, but in this completely unfamiliar environment, finding her way was impossible, even with a compass - presuming she had one. If she got lost, she could encounter much more dangerous demons than her current company. She glanced at the silent silver-haired demon.

"Umm, Mr. Dog Demon-" she began, but the demon cut her short, loudly remarking: "Human, I do not answer to such a title. This person has a name."

Kagome crossed her arms and waited for the demon to continue.

Briefly, he pondered whether it would be worth the trouble to reveal his name if he ended up devouring her later. What a waste of courtesy. But it wouldn't be said that the dog demon clan lacked decorum.

"Toga," he grumbled.

The girl nodded. "Okay, Mr. Toga…" She paused for a moment. If he proved to be as stubborn as the other dogs she knew, it would be quite a task to convince him to assist her.

"I have a proposition."

An oddly familiar smirk of arrogance appeared on his face as he retorted, "Demons of class do not negotiate with lowly humans."

"But you don't strike me as foolish," Kagome shot back with a smile. It was always a safe bet to appeal to the pride of demons. "A man of your intellect would surely appreciate a good deal."

Toga's left eyebrow lifted ever so slightly, indicating that he was listening.

"I need you to guide me back to where I came from."

Anticipating his objection, she interjected, "Ah, your efforts won't go unrewarded!"

Kagome swung her pack onto the ground and began rummaging through it. After a while, her hand met with coarse paper. She pulled out a brown paper bag.

An intriguing odor caught Toga's attention. Much like the woman herself, the scent was unlike anything he had encountered before.

Kagome pulled out a brown lump of... presumably, foodstuff from the paper wrapping. Toga found himself taking a few unconscious steps closer to her and the captivating lump. At that moment, Kagome was grateful for the dog chocolate she had brought along for Inuyasha. The silver-haired demon was visibly intrigued.

Kagome offered the piece of chocolate to Toga. "Here, try it."

Toga eyed the lump suspiciously, and Kagome shook her head. "Seriously, why would I try to poison you when I need your help?"

Her point was valid. Toga quickly snatched the lump, trying to minimize contact with her presumably filthy skin. He carefully sniffed the sweet, brown lump. His salivary glands immediately sprang into action. It smelled delightful, and he had to suppress the instinctual pool of saliva forming in his mouth. After one last, cautious glance at the girl, he tossed the lump into his mouth.

Kagome could practically see his pupils dilate. She knew she had him.

Once Toga recovered from his first-ever sugar rush, he immediately craved more.

"No!" Kagome admonished when the demon tried to reach for her bag of treats. "Only after you get me back to where I came from."

He snorted dismissively. "Why do you assume I'll let you live that long?"

"Because..." Kagome began, focusing all her priestess energy around her. Deep fuchsia pulsed from within her, and Toga was knocked back by a potent surge of energy. "...I can hold my own, even against a demon."

Toga had always been wary of those who bore peculiar powers. Thus, when he first encountered Kagome, he suspected she might be some form of witch due to her unusual abilities. As the odd pair navigated back to the well, he murmured under his breath, questioning the gods as to why he had chosen to venture out that day. More specifically, why she had to be wandering on his lands. Oh, why had he felt compelled to interfere in this matter? He could have simply left her alone, yet that damned 'sho-co-lat' was undoubtedly the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

As they traversed through forests and meadows, he occasionally sniffed the air to confirm their route, relying solely on the trail of her scent. Toga inhaled deeply, languorously musing her scent. It was sweet, reminiscent of foreign flowers and cherries. Surprisingly pleasant, given the usual stench of humans.

"Human," he abruptly remarked, causing Kagome to nearly lose her balance on the hill they were climbing.

"What is this peculiar fragrance of yours? It's unlike the usual reek of a human."

Her large brown eyes widened momentarily. Was he actually offering her some form of backhanded compliment?

"It's probably L'Oréal," she replied, heaving herself up the rest of the steep hill.

'L—L'Oreo?' Toga mentally echoed, perplexed.

Ahead of her, he stood atop the hill, watching her struggle. Seeing his confused expression, Kagome explained that L'Oréal was a chemical substance she used to wash her hair. The demon man scratched his chin, pondering aloud, "So, you're of wealthy heritage, able to purchase costly perfumed bathing oils. What confuses me is why you dress like a trollop."

"A trollop?" Kagome panted, adjusting the position of her pack.

"A common woman," Toga answered patiently.

"Com-?" She began to inquire but realized his implication mid-sentence, prompting an exasperated outcry. The audacity of him to imply her a whore!

"SIT!"

A flurry of frightened birds took flight amidst the abrupt noise, leaving the forest eerily silent. Had she seriously just tried to command a full-fledged dog demon?

Toga stared at her slowly, his expression suggesting that he was beginning to question her wits. The young woman blushed furiously, attempting to explain something about an instinctive reaction around dog demons.

After an uncomfortable bout of hiking, they paused in a small clearing within the forest. Trying to shake off her earlier blunder, the embarrassed woman observed their surroundings. They had to be near the well by now.

"Umm, why did we stop? I think we're close," she asked.

Toga lazily scanned the bushes and replied without turning to look at her. "Your trail ends here," he said, pointing at a bald spot on the ground.

Kagome blinked in disbelief. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be true that her trail ended here because there was nothing here. "You're mistaken," she laughed nervously.

He shot her an annoyed glare. "The trail ends here. If you don't trust my words, you're welcome to sniff your own way back. I kept my word. I brought you as far as I could. Now, hand me those sho-co-lats."

Kagome was no longer listening. She was merely staring at that barren spot of no return.

A/N: I'm not even pretending to be 100% canon compliant with my timeline, because there is so much diverging information about Toga's age when he died, but this story takes place during the final Joomon period (1250–500 BC) when Toga was about 600. Slightly younger than Sesshoumaru (in "human years" as well as in demon years).