"Did you see all those strange lights flying into the sky? What do you think those were?" The castle's Lord stood outside the army Captain's tent. His gaze focused on the exact place where the strange lights had departed.

            "I can't say that I know my Lord. Hopefully it will mean the end of that disastrous Demon." Sitting down near the flap to the tent the Captain seemed lost in thought; wondering if the group of travelers would be able to right the wrong committed within the castle walls.

            The haunting painful creak of the castle's doors drew the attention of the two men as several soldiers worked to open the doors. The moment the group of hired travelers appeared through the great wooden doors the Lord and Army Captain rushed over. A great group of the remaining soldiers followed behind them eager to learn of their efforts. The soldiers could see that a couple of them, the Demon Hunter and the strangely dressed young man, were looking a bit worn.

            "Hey! That Demon is gone. You can have your castle back." Inuyasha tells them as he leads the group out.

            The air fills with the roar of the men cheering; raising their weapons high in the air. The Lord breathed a sigh of relief as a great smile spread across his face. The Captain remained somber even as his men cheered. Approaching the people who vanquished the abomination responsible for the deaths of many of his men, the Captain looked stern as ever.

            "Tell me. Were my men disturbed?" Inuyasha and the others could see the worry on the Captain's face, as much as he tried to hide it.

            "We did have to move some of the bodies, but that was only because we tried to help a survivor." Sango said as she stepped forward.

            "One of my men survived?! Where is he?!"

            "I'm afraid he sacrificed himself. You see, the Demon was keeping him alive only to store the souls of all the other men inside him for later consumption. The moment he found out about this, he took his own life." Miroku remained collected as he told the news.

            "He's in the courtyard and the only one who isn't affected like the others." Kagome said as she clutched at her heart.

            "Pray tell, what were all those strange lights then?" The Lord asked as his happy demeanor was replaced with a sad one upon hearing of the survivor's sacrifice.

            "Those...Those were the souls of all your men..." Brent said as he came to terms with what happened.

In the heat of the moment, all that had happened hadn't registered with him. Now the reality of the world around him was setting in. Things that he didn't believe, or didn't think were real or even possible, were now making themselves apparent. Everyone could see realization in his eyes. This started to worry Kagome as she knew nothing like this would be easy to absorb, especially with him being from America. His culture was vastly different and so were the ideals.

The Army Captain nodded and closed his eyes looking appreciative. "I can't thank you all enough. The dead may be buried now and rest peacefully. Men! We have work to do!"

Leading the way into the castle, the remaining men follow their leader to deal with the task of burying their comrades. It was a sullen moment even as they all did their best to look unfazed by the night's events.

"As promised, I will have some lodgings for you. Seeing as the main portion of my home is being tended to, I hope you don't mind staying in the servant's quarters." The Lord said as he walked up.

"We will gladly take the offer my Lord." Miroku replied.

"I will see to it your payment is brought to you in the morning, and a hot meal is prepared for you before you rest."

"We greatly appreciate it! Thank you!" Kagome smiled.

After such a grim and bleak experience, everyone was glad to be able to rest easy. With the eradication of the threat all the servants were absolutely beaming when they welcomed the group into their quarters. And the meal they prepared was a testament to their appreciation. It was better than the dinner at the previous place they had stayed. The rice seemed more flavorful, the soup more bold, and the meat seasoned incredibly well. As Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo ate, their eyes were all on Brent. His gaze was distant as though he were lost in thought. And indeed he was. After barely making it through another encounter with a Demon, he was trying to make sense of the world around him.

While the events had been truly interesting, they were also terrifying. And yet he still managed to come out alive and not let fear overwhelm him. This was a world where you could see the human soul, where creatures of unspeakable strength and ferocity dwelled. And it was part of the world 500 years in the past. Too many questions fluttered about in his mind. What does this mean about the world's religions? How did Inuyasha draw forth a mammoth sword? How was Miroku's ability possible? These were only but a few of the many things he thought about. He was also beginning to question his own beliefs, which were seemingly being laughed at by this world.

"-Brent? Brent?" Kagome had called out to him several times to get his attention. It was only on the fifth time she uttered his name that he shook his head and looked over.

"Huh? What?" Brent's eyes popped wide as his attention was finally grabbed.

"You alright? You were staring at the floor pretty hard." Inuyasha asked

"Oh, yeah, I'm good...just uh...thinking is all." Brent smiled in an attempt to shake things off.

"Are you sure? You don't really seem like it..." Shippo poked his leg curiously.

"Really. I'm fine!"

Brent took another bite of the meat on his chopsticks, or tried to, as it fumbled in his grip and fell into his lap. Everyone was concerned for him, but not as much as Kagome. She watched him eat and could tell his was putting on a face to help relieve their suspicions; much like someone else she knew. And if that was the case then he was definitely going to be stubborn when it came to admitting it. So she opted to just remain silent and sip at her soup.

With another hot meal occupying their bellies, and a tiresome evening dwindling further behind them, everyone was shown to their own rooms while some of the servants shared their rooms with each other.

Sango had just set her gear and weapon down to the side of her sleeping mat when there was a knock on the door. Curiously, she looked back and answered.

"Come in!"

As the door slid open, she saw Brent standing there still dressed in his modern clothes. Her keen sight immediately spotted the bite marks lining the side of his red shirt as he stepped into the room.

"Brent! What brings you here?"

"Hey, I just wanted to see how you were. I'd heard how you had to fight of that guy. He was possessed? Were you hurt at all?"

She could see the worry in his eyes, and smiled at his kindness.

"Yes, I'm fine. Staving off his blows was a bit of a chore since I didn't want to hurt him. The brunt of the damage was taken by my Hiraikotsu."

"Good. That...thing, may have wanted my soul, but I imagine taking a blow from a sword would be far more painful."

"I appreciate your concern." She smiled warmly. During the brief pause she could tell that something was his mind; as if he had a question but was reluctant to ask. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, well kinda. I'm...curious. I want to get to know everyone better and well...I want to know why you are after this...Naraku guy."

The moment the smile disappeared from Sango's face Brent was filled to the brim with regret. Even more so as she looked away upset.

"Hey listen! If you don't want to tell me that's fine! I can see this is a sensitive issue. I'll just go. Sorry to-"

"Wait..."

With no telling how long they would be traveling together, it only seemed appropriate that he knew of her motivations. Everyone else did, and he had shown himself to be trustworthy.

"Naraku..." She released a heavy sigh before she mustered up the courage to tell her harrowing story, "...Naraku is responsible for the death of my father, my friends and comrades, the destruction of my village...and..."

Even thought Sango paused to turn her gaze away, and hide a tear, Brent saw it travel down her cheek and wondered if he had prodded something he shouldn't have.

"...I watched them all die...at the hands of my little brother, Kohaku. Naraku, took control of him when we were sent to destroy a Demon that had plaguing a castle...It was all a trick...I even watched him die...and I would have myself had Naraku not healed me, so that I could kill Inuyasha. And even though I saw my little brother die...Naraku revived him with a Shikon Jewel shard. He controls Kohaku and has him perform horrible things...So I wish to destroy Naraku and save my little brother..."

Brent stood there looking at her in complete despair and horror. His mouth was open slightly from the shock of hearing the story, and he felt terrible for ever asking.

            "Sango...I...I can't...I'm so sorry. I wish I'd never asked..."

            "It's ok...You would have learned of it sooner or later." She turned back to him and smiled in attempt to be strong.

            "I have a little brother too back home...As much of a pain in the neck that he can be...I still love him. And if something like that ever happened...I don't know that I'm as strong as you are."

            Sango was a little shocked to see his eyes beginning to water up; he truly cared about the situation she was forced into, and could only imagine her pain.

            "Sango I'm so sorry...But I know, that one day, you and all the others are going to get this guy, and give him what's coming to him.

            This made the Demon Hunter smile as she wiped her cheek of the stream the tear had left.

            "Thank you Brent...And you need to give yourself a little more credit. You are stronger than you think. I can sense it."

            Now it was Brent's turn to smile with small laugh.

            "I really hope you're right. You get some rest. At this rate, who knows what will happen tomorrow. Good night."

            "You do the same Brent. Good night."

            Watching the kind foreigner leave her room she couldn't help but smile. Brent was proving more and more to be not only good ally, but a good friend as well.

            As the young man walked down the dim candlelit hall back to his own room more and more questions popped up in his mind. Who the hell was this Naraku? What was he capable of exactly? Do all Demons have abilities like him? It was all beginning to increase his doubts with Demons, including Inuyasha. What keeps him from killing everyone? Demons here feasted on humans it seemed. And it made it no easier to accept that they had some sort of power or ability at their disposal that made them superior. What exactly was Inuyasha's motive? Shippo was just a child, but still a Demon. He didn't seem capable of much, and really liked Brent; so any worry there was practically non-existent. And Kirara...she's feral, but came off as incredibly intelligent, which could be construed as a benefit or a downside depending on how you looked at it. Kagome was someone he knew he could trust. Miroku and Sango both seemed capable and trustworthy; any fear there was quelled after hearing their stories. There was so much to absorb and process, to question and deduce, and it all wouldn't leave him alone. So as he laid down on the mat to sleep, unchanged from his normal attire, he did his best to simply shut his eyes and rest; all while the back of his mind worried about the one person he was to consider an ally. The same person who asked him for his trust.