Inuyasha ran as fast as he could, the human in his arms raced closer toward death with every second that passed. The very essence of life streaked down Inuyasha's arms, and slathered his hands. Upon reaching the village he had to scream and shout for everyone to get out of the way, as they ran toward Kaede's hut.
"KAEDE!" He yells.
The elder woman appeared from her hut and looked on in shock, as she saw the half-demon with Kagome on her back, and him carrying Brent.
"Inside quickly!"
Stepping out of the way, Inuyasha ducked inside, and Kagome jumped off his back. Kaede is already grabbing medicines and bandages from a chest over to the side of the room. Once Brent is set down, Kagome instantly started unbuttoning his shirt. When she opened it she gasped in shock. Perfect little slits, all the exact same size, make a large oblong pattern across his chest. Blood oozed out of them relentlessly, as well as from the ones on his back, causing it to slowly pool beneath him. His skin had already started to grow pale.
"Hurry child! Help me bandage him! The bleeding must be stopped!" Kaede urged.
Inuyasha stepped back and let them worry about trying to save Brent. It wasn't until then that something struck him as unusual. Looking down at his own hand, he stared at the blood that marked all over. Lost in his thoughts for a moment, Sango and Miroku appeared behind him. When they saw the blood, and Brent lying on the floor, they immediately started asking questions.
"Inuyasha what happened?" Miroku asked.
"Are the injuries fatal?" Sango asks worriedly.
There's a brief pause before the half-demon can answer. "I can't smell his blood."
Both the monk and demon-slayer look at him with bewildered gazes.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
Inuyasha's perplexed stare moved from his hand, down to the human on the floor. "I don't know."
Kagome and Kaede were working together with all the haste they could muster. The moment the strips of bandage were held taught to the wounds, they were stained a deadly red.
"The wounds are too deep! We may not be able to stop the bleeding!" Kaede said, sounding panicked.
"No! We have to! I may have something, hold on!" Kagome grabbed her pack and pulled it over.
Frantically, she reached in and started pulling things out, rooting around for any medical supplies. As she grasped onto a change of her clothes to pull them out, she yelped in pain, and quickly pulled her hand out along with the clothes. Before she can see what caused the pain, she noticed Shikon Jewel shards tumbling through the air. The bottle that had been holding them had broken in her bag, and she had cut her finger on the bottle.
"The shards!"
She quickly tried to pick them up off the floor, and sensed another to her right. Inuyasha saw what was happening and quickly lost his temper.
"Idiot! What are you throwing shards for?! Grab em'!"
"I'm not throwing them!"
Turning to her right she saw the last shard on Brent's chest, just above the bandages. Just before her fingers could clasp around it, the shard sunk into Brent's body with a white glow. There was a collective gasp from what everyone had just witnessed.
"The shard! It..."Sango stares bewildered.
"Look! His wounds have stopped bleeding!" Miroku exclaims.
Everyone gathered around him as Kaede stopped applying bandages. Brent's chest slowly rose and fell as he breathed normally, still unconscious. Inuyasha proceeded to clean his hands with the remaining bandages.
"There is more to him than meets the eye. The Shikon Jewel doesn't react with humans normally. And yet, it is helping with his wounds." Miroku says.
"He isn't giving off a demonic aura..." Sango stares at Brent.
"Of course he isn't! He's from my time! He's a human just like me!" Kagome said defensively.
"Oh yeah? Then explain why I can't smell his blood! Something is up with this guy and I don't like it!" Inuyasha barks.
"Calm yourself Inuyasha! The poor boy needs-"
Lady Kaede is interrupted as Brent's eyes popped open. A scream filled the hut as he jumped to his feet and began throwing punches wildly at no one in particular.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Kagome has to pull Kaede out of the way, while Inuyasha jumped up and grabbed a hold of the frightened young man. Holding his arms to the side, he shoved Brent to the wall and holds him there.
"CALM DOWN! You're not in any danger!" The half-demon snarls and sneers as Brent's erratic breathing begins to slow and calm.
"Inuyasha he can't understand you! Remember?" Miroku says walking up to them.
"Oh...right..." Inuysasha said, feeling a bit like an idiot.
There's a brief moment of silence before Brent said something, looking at Inuyasha in total shock.
"How are you speaking English?" There's still a small amount of panic in Brent's voice as he stares at in Inuyasha.
Kagome's friend receives another stare from everyone in the room. They had just heard him speak perfect Japanese.
"English? You just spoke our tongue!" Inuyasha says.
"No. You are speaking English right now. And this is really freaking me out. Let go of me!" Brent's arms are freed, as he slid down the wall to sit down.
"Brent...You can understand Japanese?" Kagome spoke in her native tongue to check.
"All I hear is English...What in THE HELL is going on?!" He asked looking around, hoping someone could answer him.
"Hmmmm...It would seem that the Jewel shard has made it possible for us to understand one another." Miroku pondered.
"Jewel shard? What Jewel Shard are-OK wait wait. Kagome. Where did that...beast thing go, how am I alive, and for the love of GOD, WHY DOES HE HAVE DOG EARS?!" Brent's finger points right up to Inuyasha's face.
"If you don't get your hand out of my face I'll break it." Growls the half-demon.
"Guys! Calm down! Brent, I'll explain. It was a Demon that attacked us at the well." Kagome said.
"A WHAT?!"
"Yes, in this time, there are all sorts of Demons. Some are nice, and others are rather cruel."
"Kagome that thing looked like a lizard!"
"As I said, there are many different kinds of Demons. Some look like humans, like Inuyasha. But that's also because he's half-human."
"Who is Inuyasha?"
"Me, you moron." Inuyasha growls.
"You? You're half-demon?" Brent looks at him in disbelief.
"Yeah, I am. You got a problem with that?"
"I do actually. After what just happened to me, I'd appreciate it if you backed off."
"What's the matter? Do I scare you?" The half-demon grinned.
"I'm not telling you again. Back. Off." Brent started to scoot back, looking angry.
"Aww, is the poor little human-UNG!"
As Inuyasha crept closer to toy with Brent, that's when the human decided to sock him across the jaw. It didn't seem like a big affair to Brent, but everyone else gasped. Normally, a human wouldn't be able to make a Demon, let alone half of one, budge with a punch. Even Inuyasha was shocked.
"You little...how'd you do that?!"
"Easy. Like THIS!"
Brent went to throw another punch, but Inuyasha caught his arm.
"Somehow that shard in your body is giving you some strength. But now I know better. Next time you try that I'll--"
"BOYS!"
The shout from Kagome made both their heads turn, only to see her very angry.
"That is ENOUGH! We have a huge problem on our hands and you two are acting like children!"
Both Inuyasha and Brent look at her, semi-annoyed with each other still, and speak at the same time. "Sorry." This made them glare right back at each other with conviction.
"Don't copy me."
"No, you were the one-"
The two stop again as Kagome groaned furiously, and stormed out of the hut.
"Now you've both done it." Sango said.
"I'll go talk to her-" Brent and Inuyasha said together, then glare again.
"I don't think so dog-boy! You're completely tactless!"
Inuyasha shoved Brent back against the wall and sneered angrily. "You listen to me. I've known Kagome far longer than you have. If anyone will calm her down, it's me. Got it?!"
"And how has that fared for you in the past Inuyasha?" Miroku asks.
"YOU STAY OUTTA THIS!" The Half-Demon pushed Brent away as he stormed out of the hut after Kagome.
Brent gets to his feet slowly as Miroku helped him up. "Pay him no mind."
"Please, explain to us what happened at the well. Weren't you two going back your time?" Sango said approaching them.
"Yes, we were. The problem is, I jumped into the well and...hit solid ground." Brent said.
"The portal has closed? Hmmm...I feel there is something at work here, greater than we know." Kaede said. "I know not what it may be, but there may be someone ye can seek who can help. I've heard of a Demon who can see the truth to life itself. His name is Hisao."
"Does he have to be a Demon?" Brent asked.
"Don't worry. Like Kagome said, not all Demons are bad, though most are." Sango said.
"That was not comforting in any way." Brent said looking worried.
"Sorry." Sango apologized embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha caught up to Kagome outside, and jumped in her way.
"Hey! Where are you going off to? You sure seem worried about that friend of yours!"
"His name is Brent, and he certainly seems fine now! He's already up and arguing with you!" Kagome glared angrily at him.
"It wasn't my fault! He's the one scared of Demons!"
"Can you blame him?! He's never been around anything like this, and yet he risked his life for me! That Lizard Demon went for me first!"
Upon hearing this, Inuyasha's tune changed.
"The Demon tried to get you first?"
"Yes! And Brent drove him off long enough for me to run past! He saved my life and you're in there messing with him!"
Kagome then took off past him again, still fuming.
"Kagome wait!"
"SIT BOY!"
The beads around Inuyasha's neck glow white, and his face became panicked. In just half a second, he slammed down into the ground face first. Shouting in pain, he groaned with a mouthful of dirt.
"I can't wait until these stupid beads are gone."