Inuyasha was fast, yet riding on Toga's back was to ride lightning itself. Kagome clung to him, her eyes wide but unseeing, the world a blur as she held on to Toga for dear life. Landscapes melded into one, colors and shapes lost in the furious dance of motion and speed. Every time Toga's mighty form descended only to surge back into the skies, Kagome's heart leaped with him, her body flattening against his back, fearing that she might be torn away and left behind.

The young demon lord, his eyes afire with a primal energy, could not recall the last time he had run with such wild abandon. Even the fiercest wind didn't catch up to him. His feet, instruments of raw power, made the very earth tremble, sending ripples through the soil with each thunderous kick. The air itself seemed to bend and howl around their entwined bodies as he hastened to the village. The reason for his haste lay in the delicate, almost ethereal touch of small fingers that clung to the front of his robes, the tender embrace of arms that wrapped around him, and most pressingly, the soft, warm weight of a body that leaned against his back, and the gentle caress of thighs under his calloused palms.

Toga had agreed to carry the human "piggyback"—a strange and intimate position that didn't seem to bother the human nearly as much as it bothered him.

And the thing that irked him most was that he was getting accustomed to her scent and touch. Every hour that passed between them, he felt less and less perturbed. The creeping realization made him anxious, and he just wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible.

"Umm."

Toga's ears perked at the small voice behind his back.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"I need to... uh, get off," Kagome whispered into his shoulders.

"We're not at our destination yet," Toga replied, making no effort to slow his pace.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I just need to get off."

"Why?" His voice grew more exasperated.

"I... Need to... Go pee," Kagome mumbled, trying to bury her words deep into his shoulders.

"You what now?" Toga was confused. Why did she need to go to Kipee when they were on their way to the human village? A detour would mean a substantial loss of daylight.

"For the sake of..." Kagome grumbled, her knees squirming. They were hit by a gust of wind, and Kagome had to bellow against the turbulence. "I NEED TO TAKE A PISS!"

Toga almost lost his grip on Kagome's legs as her scream slammed into his ears. He tightened his hold on her thighs and abruptly descended to the ground.

Kagome hopped off his back and quickly headed to the nearest bush.

"And don't you dare-" Kagome began, but Toga cut her off. "Wouldn't cross my mind."

Kagome straightened her skirt and disappeared behind the thicket.

Toga turned his back to her, listening to their surroundings. Only birds and crickets for miles on end.

He sat down on the mossy ground, taking in his surroundings. The distant mountains gave the air a crisp undertone. Big fluffy clouds lazily drifted across the cerulean sky. Under other circumstances, Toga might have taken some form of enjoyment out of this outing.

Toga flexed his fingers. He could still feel the lingering warmth of flesh against his palms. He slowly brought his hand to his face, inhaling the peculiar mixture of natural and chemical aromas that clung there. Maybe if all humans smelled like that, they would be less disliked by beings with a sensitive sense of smell.

He heard a rustle from the bushes and casually swiped his hand across his cheek, as if wiping something from his face.

Toga rose to his feet, asking his companion if they were ready to continue.

Kagome nodded, but a demure growling came from her stomach. The girl tried to will her stomach quiet by pressing her hands against it.

A low draft of air escaped the demon lord's lips. There was no helping it. If the human wasn't fed now, she would surely complain about her hunger at some point, and they would be forced to take another recess in their journey. Humans were so feeble with their constant bodily needs. Demons could easily endure weeks, even months, if necessary, without any sustenance. Paltry mortals died if deprived of water for mere few days.

"Come, follow," Toga ordered, and began to briskly walk ahead. He could hear her small feet quickly brushing the grass behind him, so he didn't bother to look to see if she was following.

Some distance away, Toga stopped and pointed at the ground that grew wild with hay and subshrub. "Here. There are some berries over there. You need to eat."

Kagome wasn't exactly sure how to react to his bossy caretaking. His tone was as warm and inviting as a slap in the face with a wet fish, making her feel less like a valued companion and more like a piece of luggage he'd been saddled with. She half-expected him to put a "Handle with Care" sticker on her forehead and be done with it. All the same, he could just abandon her in the middle of nowhere and leave her to the vultures at any moment he found convenient. From that point of view, she gathered, she must still be on his better side if he bothered to help her satisfy her hunger.

"Thanks?" Kagome hesitantly replied and kneeled near scattered strawberry plants. Not much was in season at this time of spring in Japan, but the strawberries were already plump with ripeness, and the hot red skin on them looked very luscious.

Kagome pried an especially ample specimen from the plant and tossed it into her mouth. It wasn't very sweet, and she continued to explore the different nuances of every subsequent berry. The smaller ones tended to be sweeter. By the end of it, her fingers and the corners of her mouth were dripping with squished berry juice. When her fingers began to stick to each other and the strawberry leaves, she tried to suck them clean.

Toga observed as the human dipped her digits one by one into her mouth and twirled her tongue around them, trying to sop the juice off. Lastly, she coated her index finger with a dab of saliva and rubbed the edges of her lips.

Kagome caught his stare and felt suddenly very conscious of her table manners. It wasn't easy to eat with sophistication while crawling in the dirt. Sure, the supermodel demonesses could probably eat out of a garbage can and make it look chic, but Kagome had to make do with her gawky fingers and short human legs.

"We will be losing light if we stall much longer. Come," Toga ordered.

When Kagome got up from the bushes, Toga added more gently, "If you are still hungry, I can probably provide you with some game when we return to the camp. That is... I could go hunt something." He tried to keep his voice as uninterested as he could.

"Some rabbit stew would be nice!" Kagome exclaimed. Then a practical realization hit her. "Oh, but do you have any kettles?"

Toga helped her back up to his back and answered, "Cookware? We eat our game unprepared."

Figures, Kagome thought. "Never mind, skewered rabbit it is then."

They arrived at the outskirts of the village. Toga dropped Kagome off his back and retreated to the forest.

"I'll be back soon. Wait for me here," she whispered from the edge of the trees and disappeared.

But Toga wasn't sure if he would be there when she came back. He looked at the barricade of trees that hid the village behind their wall of leaves and branches. There, within that hidden realm, the girl could be with her own, and he wouldn't have to be bothered by her. He wouldn't have to think about her. He wouldn't…