The group had traveled for most of the day; chit-chat took up most of their time down the roads.  Inuyasha and Brent barely spoke to each other, though for different reasons. Brent didn't wish to speak to him since he wasn't fond of the thought of being near a Demon constantly. Inuyasha didn't want to talk to Brent because he knew it would just end up angering Kagome if they got into another argument. With nightfall drawing near, they happened upon a village, with all the inhabitants finishing their work for the day and readying themselves for the night in. The moment they approach the dwellings, Miroku takes charge.

            "If you'll excuse me, I believe there is something I can do for us here." The Monk said as he walked deeper into the village.

            "Here we go again..." Sango says unamused.

            "Am I missing something?" Brent asked.

            "He does this anytime we enter a village. Either he's going to do a fake exorcism, or womanize." Inuyahsa scoffed.

            "Wait...oh you've got to-NOW what he said back at the village to you makes sense!" Brent looked over at Sango.

            "I'm sorry you had to witness that." Sango blushed.

            "I'm sorry you had to experience it!" Brent tried to console her. "So he does this all the time?"

            "Yeah. You get used to it." Kagome sighed.

            "Except for the butt rubbing." Sango said with irritation.

            Brent was hardly able to believe what he was hearing. "So you travel with a pervert Monk? Don't Monks take some sort of vow?"

            "Miroku just doesn't know how to handle ladies properly." Shippo chimed in.

            "Sounds more like he's just a poonhound." Brent said.

            "What the heck is a poonhound?" Inuyasha asked raising a brow.

            "Nevermind...I forget, you guys aren't from my time. You don't know modern terms." Brent waved it off.

            After the brief discussion, they all went off in search of the Monk. Hopefully, he wouldn't be scamming somebody, or trying to flirt with the women. When they had no luck spotting him anywhere, there was only one place else that everyone but Brent knew where to look. They set off toward the largest home in the area, which turned out to be a small mansion of sorts. Approaching the home of the Lord of the village, they could see the Monk speaking with an older man.

            "Please you must help me! I have seen a shadow roaming the halls as of late! I fear it may be a Demon!"

            "Worry not my Lord, I will see to it personally your home is cleansed of any Demons." Miroku said humbly.

            "Oh thank you Monk! Please come this way! I will show you where I saw it last."

            "Hey Miroku!"

            Turning around, Miroku can see his companions advancing on the Lord's manor.

            "Performing another fake exorcism?" Inuyasha said sarcastically.

            "If you must know, the Lord was the one who approached me." Miroku looked serious. "And he isn't wrong either. I sense a demonic presence inside. It's a lesser one, that's certain."

            "I'll believe it when I see it." Inuyasha grumbled.

            "Hey! I don't always scam people!" Miroku said defensively.

            "That's still pretty messed up. Not a very Monk-like thing to do." Brent said accusingly.

            "That and the lechery." Sango said while she and Brent gave him the same stare.

            "Wha-?! Sango!" Miroku turned red from embarrassment and tried to avoid the gazes.

            "Come on, let's get this over with." Inuyasha turns him around and urges the Monk inside.

            After the small confrontation outside, the entire group heads inside and finds the Lord in a hallway on the opposite side of the mansion. Candles hanging on the walls gave off a soft warm glow through the hall as the Lord pointed down at the other end.

            "I first saw it at the end of this corridor. And it was only earlier today too!"

            "Let me take care of it."

            Miroku steps forward, holding his staff out and pointing the ornate decoration on the top down the corridor. The rings that hang from it jingle together in an almost peaceful manner, as if to soothe those that are frightened by Demons. Slowly he travels down the hall, as if the staff were a divining rod.

            "So, he can sense Demons?" Brent asked Kagome looking confused.

            "Mhm. So can everyone else, except me. All Demons give off a Demonic Aura, some stronger than others. So other Demons, as well as those who trained themselves, can sense it. I can sense the jewel shards, provided they're within my range." Kagome responded with a smile.

            "I've got one more question. How in THE WORLD do you throw that thing?" Brent pointed to Sango's massive weapon.

            Sango giggles and smiles at him. "I'm a Demon Hunter. Many years of training and practice have given the strength and ability to use weapons like this."

            Brent pulls up his shirt to look at the Tanto they helped attach to his belt. "I hope the saying ‘size doesn't matter' applies here."

            "SHOW YOURSELF!"

            When they all hear Miroku shout, the sound of wood creaking and plunking beneath hurried footsteps, echoes throughout the mansion. The group discovers Miroku in one of the bedrooms with several Sutras in his hand. He throws them across the room with gusto, and they hit what looked like a shadow with no source as it tried to run. The Sutras cling to the wall as a small screechy voice screams in pain. Miroku runs forward, and bangs the bottom end of his staff on the shadow. The end result is a puff of black mist as the shadow bursts from the wall, and dissipates.

            "A lesser Shadow Demon. Nothing too troublesome." Miroku turned back to everyone.

            "Well, whaddya know?" Inuyasha looked unimpressed.

            "Wow...Guess I should give you a little more credit." Brent said looking somewhat amused.

            "Oh thank you Monk! Please! Stay here for the night! All of you! I will have my servants tend to all your needs!" The Lord hurried away to find said servants.

            "Well I was going to say that wouldn't be necessary, but since he seems so eager..." Miroku said as he joined the group again.

            "But...the rest of us didn't do anything. I don't feel right about this." Brent said looking uneasy.

            "Don't fret over it. All Lords show appreciation to Monks and their friends when a service is performed." Sango said.

            "Pardon me."

            A small voice echoes behind them. When they turn around, they are greeted by a young woman. No doubt she was one of the servants who had been tasked to take care of them.

            "My Lords and Ladies, if you will follow me, we shall have dinner ready soon. Oh my!" The young looked on Brent and the state of his shirt.

            "My Lord! Please let us mend and clean your shirt properly!" She walked up to him.

            "I'm not a Lord, ma'am. And really, my shirt is fine! I thought I did alright anyway..." The young man smiled down at her.

            "Nonsense! I can see the blood on it! Please come with me!" She takes a hold of his hand and pulls him away from the group.

            "Just let them help you Brent! There's nothing wrong with it!" Shippo called out.

            Inuyasha and the others all watch him disappear around the corner with the servant, and are greeted by another. The servant brings Brent into a room which looks to be the bath. She quickly pulls a robe out of a small chest by the wall, and hands it to him.

            "Please remove your shirt and I will have it returned to you after dinner."

            Knowing he wasn't going to change her mind, he lifted the shirt over his head and handed it to her. His Tanto sword was revealed, sitting in a makeshift sheath attached to his belt. When the servant girl saw his bandages around his body, she gasped.

            "Oh my! Are you well?"

            "Yes I'm fine. These are just here for safety measures. A Demon attacked me earlier today, but I'm fine now." Brent said feeling a bit awkward.

            "Then you should remove them! They can't possibly be comfortable."

            "No, they're not actually."

            Reaching toward his back, he starts unwinding the white strips that surrounded his lower chest and midsection. When the bite marks on his body are revealed, the servant girl gasps again.

            "You poor thing!"

            "I'm fine now, it's ok." After being handed the robe, he slips into it and ties the band at the waist. "Thanks again for cleaning my shirt." He smiled.

            "You are most welcome my Lord! And please leave your weapon as well! I'll have someone clean and sharpen it for you." She smiled.

            Brent reached down to the Tanto, and fiddled with it for a moment before he removed it from his side. Placing it on his shirt, the young girl smiles.

            "Suki!" She calls out. Another servant walks in, holding her hands in front of herself. "Please take our guest to his friends."

            Wordlessly, she bows and opens the sliding door for Brent.

            "Enjoy your meal my Lord!" The first servant called out.

            "Really! You don't need to call me that!" Brent tried to reason.

            When they leave the bath, Brent looks down the hall to see another servant simply staring at him. He smiled at her and nodded his head. Being led the other direction, he didn't see the sneer that crossed her face. Once he was gone, she walked around the corner and bumped into one of the other girls. She promptly kept walking with uttering an apology.

            "Who was that?" The other servant said to herself as she watched this woman walk off.

            Inuyasha and the others were already sitting at the low table in the dining room. Cushions had been placed for them all around the table to ensure comfort. When Brent enters the room, everyone looks happy to see him, except for Inuyasha. The half-demon's expression doesn't change.

            "Hmph, took ya long enough." Inuyasha grumbled.

            Brent opened his mouth, and almost started another argument, but held his tongue as he sighed in frustration.

            "Have a seat! They're about to bring in the food!" Shippo chirped.

            The only seat left was between Inuyasha and Miroku. As he sat on the cushion, he crossed his legs and sat Indian-Style. Shortly after he had taken his spot, servants were walking in with food. Rice, sushi, soup, a vast assortment for them to enjoy. With the attack, and the traveling, Brent hadn't realized how hungry he was.

            "This is going to be the first thing I've eaten today. I just realized" Brent said while smiling and shaking his head.

            "Then eat your fill. I'd say you earned it." Miroku said.

            "Why I can't I smell your blood?" Inuyasha look over at him.

            Hearing the odd question, Brent looks over to his left. Inuyasha looked more concerned than angry. "Um...That's an odd question don't you think? And how-"

            "I'm half-dog. I can pick up the scents of blood and people. Not to mention Demons. But ever since you got here, I've had this weird feeling about you. And it's been bugging me all day that I can't pick up the scent of you blood. Plus, I can barely pick up your scent." Inuyasha said as he stared him.

            "Uhhhh...Honestly, I have no idea what to tell you. Listen, if you-"

            "It's not that I don't trust you. You saved Kagome's life, and I'm thankful for that. I just want to know what's going on."

            "Is this your way of apologizing?"

            "For what?"

            "Oh no." Kagome sighed.

            "You're kidding. For messing with me when I woke up!" Brent shot him a dirty look.

            "Hey, not my fault you're afraid of Demons." Inuyasha said matter of factly.

            "You son of a-"

            Inuyasha nearly butted heads with Brent as he moved in. "Finish that sentence and you're a dead man!"

            "Boys! Can you two please just be nice to each other for a little while?" Sango pleaded.

            They both crossed their arms and backed up, giving each other dirty looks.

            "These two are going to be a handful Kagome." Shippo whispered.

            "I know." She sighed in defeat.

            With the heated exchange over, everyone proceeds to eat, especially Brent. He consumes almost more than Inuyasha and Miroku combined. Everyone is staring at him as he finished the last of his rice. He looks up and sees everyone staring, and shrugs.

            "A near death experience will make ya hungry." He smiled awkwardly.

            Except for Inuyasha, everyone smiled, the girls and Shippo all started laughing a little. It wasn't long after, as they sat there letting their food settle, that the Lord came in to check on them.

            "I hope everyone is satisfied and has had their fill!" He smiles as he stands near the head of the table.

            "I think fatty here has..." Inuyasha's eyes pointed toward Brent, who shot him another look.

            "Yes my Lord, we have! Thank you very much!" Sango said as she bowed. Everyone else followed suit, except Inuyasha of course.

            "Very good! My servants will show you to your rooms. May you all rest well!"

            "Pardon me...uh...my Lord?" Brent felt awkward referring to someone in that manner. "I have a question. We're looking for a particular Demon named Hisao. Have you ever heard of him?" Brent asked as politely as he could.

            "Hisao? Hmmm...I'm sorry young man, I'm afraid I have not." The Lord leaves the dining room as the servants enter.

            A look of sadness creeps over Brent as he gets to his feet.

            "Don't worry, we'll find out the meaning of all this." Miroku said to console him.

            "Oh Brent-" Kagome said as she walked over to him. "-I never was able to thank you properly for today."

            "You don't need to." He smiled softly. "I did what I had to. I wasn't going to let that thing get you."

            As Brent walked away, Kagome could see the Jewel Shard inside his body. It was glowing white; meaning it was pure. She stood there wondering what that could mean, until one of the servants snapped her out of her trance in order to take her to her room.

            Night had fallen upon the village, and everyone was getting ready for sleep. The Manor had enough rooms to accommodate the group of travelers so they each had their own room. With the noise of the day having died down, all that could be heard were crickets chirping; creating a nighttime tune to lull listeners to sleep. Brent was in his room, and had found his shirt neatly folded upon his mat. The Tanto had been tucked inside the shirt's folds, and when Brent inspected it, it looked much sharper than before. He put the weapon back in the shirt and placed it over to the side of the bed. Just as he was getting ready to remove his jeans, he heard the door behind him open. Stepping into the room was the servant that had stared at him earlier; she made sure to shut the door.

            "Pardon me my Lord, could I interest you in the company of a woman?"

            Brent stares at her for a second, looking completely confused, before it dawns on him what she meant.

 "OH! Um...no...no thank you. Ummm...I don't do the whole one night stand thing. Don't get me wrong I like women...I just uh...I'm not looking for temporary companionship." He smiled awkwardly and stuttered a little bit.

            "Are you sure? I've been told you were attacked today." She watched him closely as he turned his back and walked over to the mat.

            "Yeah, I was. I have the scars to prove it too. All thanks to-"

            "A Lizard Demon." She interrupted.

            "Yeah...Did you speak to Kagome?" Brent asked, starting to get a little suspicious.

            "I didn't need to... I was there...When you killed my BROTHER!"

            At that moment, several things happened all at once. The servant's eyes and hair changed color to a matching dark green. Two fangs appeared on her top and bottom rows of normal teeth. Her tongue shot out of her mouth and around Brent's neck. She tightened her grip, causing her tongue to strangle him. Brent's hands shot up to the slimy noose around his neck, and he tried with all his might to pull it away, but it was no use. It was far too tight. Brent struggled against her pull as he hacked and gasped for air, trying to call for help.

            "You killed my brother, and now you will pay with your own life!" She said as pulled him toward her with all her might.

            Brent fell forward with a loud thud. There was no way he could yell for help, and he was starting to feel lightheaded. Either he would die from strangulation, or what looked like another nasty bite from this psychotic Demon. If he couldn't yell for help, then maybe he could make enough noise to wake someone up. Brent started flailing his legs, kicking the floor as hard as he could. He freed one hand to bang the floor with his fist while the other tried to loosen the grip of the tongue.

            "It's no use you filthy human! You die tonight!"

            Just as she thought she would be able to get her revenge, she heard frantic footsteps from down the hall. She regretfully withdrew her tongue and ran past Brent to the other side of the room as the door opened. There stood Inuyasha, and the others. Brent was on the floor gasping and coughing, trying to fill his lungs with air again.

            "Damn you...DAMN YOU ALL!" The Demon screamed.

            "Who the hell are you!?" Inuyasha yelled. His knuckles cracked as he readied his claws.

            Kagome rushed forward and pulled Brent back while the others stepped up front.

            "What do you want?" Sango sneered as she held her Hiraikotsu, ready to toss it.

            "My name is Setsuko, and I'm the sister of the Lizard Demon THAT bastard human killed!" She nastily pointed toward Brent.

            "I'm only just now sensing her aura...has she been hiding it?!" Miroku said.

            "That can't be possible! It's slowly becoming stronger, I can sense it!" Sango looked panicked.

            "This is the same aura we sensed near the well!" Miroku said.

            "Before I kill you, you should know I was the one who finished off your brother." Inuyasha took a step forward.

            "LIES! You're only trying to protect that lowly coward! I saw him stab my brother in the head with his own weapon! And know this BRENT, I will not rest until you are nothing more than a corpse. I will taste your flesh and blood as I tear your heart from your own body, and devour it in front of you! You screams will be the last thing you hear, and my face will be the last thing you see as you drown in your own blood! I WILL HAVE YOUR LIFE BRENT!"

            Setsuko bashes through the wall behind her and starts to run off into the darkness. Kagome appears from behind everyone as she knocks an arrow.

            "I don't think so!"

            Kagome took only a moment to aim her shot, and then releases her arrow. It lit up the room as a sacred bright light shined from it. The arrow soared through the air and straight toward the Demon. Setsuko sensed the grand amount of spiritual power, and went to dodge out of the way. But the arrow proved to be too fast for the Lizard Demon. While she was able avoid a sudden death, the arrow hit her left arm, and cause it to disintegrate. She screamed in agony as she hit the ground, but was quickly back on her feet and running away.

            "Did that get her?" Inuyasha asked.

            "No...I only took her arm off." Kagome said as she lowered her bow.

            "I'm going after her!"

            "Inuyasha wait!" Miroku held his staff in front of Inuyasha.

            "She is able to hide her aura, and even if you could catch her scent, she more than likely has a way of hiding it as well. There's no point. The best option is to let her come to us."

            "I hate it when you're right. Brent, you OK?" Inuyasha asked.

            Getting to his feet and rubbing his neck, he nods his head. "Yeah. I'm fine. But...it looks like I might not be in the future...Inuyasha, did you really kill him? I thought I did him in..." His gaze moved toward the gaping hole in the wall.

            "Yeah. You'd be surprised how tough some Demons are. You were out when he jumped back up." Inuyasha turned to him.

            "And she's blaming me...she says she saw it all..." Brent said, looking worried.

Brent feels a hand on his shoulder, and looks over at Inuyasha. "You saved Kagome. I can never thank you enough for that. But what I can do is protect you. I just ask one thing."

            Brent had never seen a more serious look on anyone. "What's that?"

            "I need you to trust me."