HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOO AGAIN!!!!!

UMINEKO IS BACK!!!!! Miss me? No? Why you little….

Anyway, I was planning on starting this fanfic after completing my Mikomi one. But no-one seems to be reviewing it and my inbox is lonely. SO I decided to start it anyway! But please don't rush me cuz I have absolutely no idea for the ending yet. I'll be improvising as I go. ENJOY!!!

Disclaimer: Sniff! I'm just so happy to be back that I'll you can keep Inuyasha!!! ……………………….For now………………………………sorry.

The Invitation

Kouga skidded through Sesshoumaru's front door and into his home clutching a crumpled booklet in his sweaty hands. He was breathing hard and grinning from ear to ear. The excited wolf demon looked around with shining eyes at everyone sitting at the breakfast table, he was in luck. Inuyasha's apartment, which he shared with his roommate Miroku, had burnt down in a freak accident and Kagome's apartment which was directly below his and also shared with her roomy Sango was badly burnt also which meant that they all had to crash somewhere else…..and Sesshoumaru was the only one who had a house…..and a pretty big house at that. The only reason Sesshoumaru allowed them to even step foot in his pristine home was because Inuyasha had resentfully promised to clean it for a whole month, for free.

Kouga stared around eagerly at them all; Kagome chatting animatedly to Sango about the redecoration of their apartment, Miroku gazing at Sango while pouring milk onto his toast, Sesshoumaru ignoring his surroundings and reading the economics page of the newspaper placidly and Inuyasha staring moodily into his bowl of soggy cereal mourning his ruined apartment.

"Hey guys!" He said excitedly, but no-one seemed to be paying attention.

"Dudes! You gotta see this!" He yelled waving the brochure in the air. Nothing.

"HEY!!!! I'M TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING IMPORTANT HERE!!!!" Everyone quietened down and turned to look at him irritably. Sesshoumaru still had his eyes on the newspaper but Kouga knew he was listening.

"Guess what? This totally weird thing happened to me this morning! I was just walking down the street when this strange old lady bumped into me, right?" Kouga paused and tried to regain his breath while his four friends waited for the point of his interruption.

"And I thought she robbed me, right? So I check my pockets and I found this!" He waved the brochure in the air once again and waited for some kind of reaction from them. Inuyasha shrugged and said slowly "Sooo?" Kouga rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"SOOO, It's a sign! I look at it, right? And it's a competition to win two whole weeks in some mansion for TEN PEOPLE! The first group that calls wins the trip and my wolfy senses are telling me that no-one knows about this yet so if we call now then we can win!" Kouga finishes breathing rapidly and looks at them all enthusiastically. Everyone (apart from Sesshoumaru who had decided that this was a waste of his time and turned his page to carry on reading) blinked at him and immediately went back to their talking and sulking. Kouga's arms which had been flailing around for the last five minutes flopped down to his sides in shock.

"Oh come on! This is a chance of a lifetime! The old lady! Sign!" He shouted desperately prodding the brochure violently.

Kagome took pity on him and asked him kindly. "Where's the trip to then?" Kouga's eyes lit up again and he scanned the brochure. Everyone waited with baited breath until Kouga lifted his head up and waggled his eyebrows.

"To a creepy mansion up North" There was an instant uproar from them all (except for Sesshoumaru) Kouga gawped at them all, catching complaints like "No way!" and "I have to work!" and "I'm scared of ghosts!" and "My hair always frizzes up when I go north!" and "You're screwing me right?" and "You're kidding!" They all stopped abruptly when Sesshoumaru slammed the newspaper down on the table for silence.

"It is outrageous enough for me to allow you filthy beings into my home soiling my reputation and destroying everything you manage to see. As a minimum, have the courtesy of leaving me to read in peace during the morning." Sesshoumaru glared at them in turn, briskly shook his newspaper straight and continued to read. After that there was no sound except for the occasional coughs and scraping of spoons. Kouga, who had been standing impatiently, waiting for the right moment, finally broke the silence.

"So….do I call?"

"I can't go anyway, I have to work" Inuyasha mumbled,

"I have to round up money to pay my bills this week. I'm in debt." Said Miroku coolly.

"I have to look after Kohaku; he's in the hospital again." Sango said promptly.

Kouga's smile seemed to fade with every excuse, he looked at Kagome hopefully. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Um…well…to tell the truth Kouga, I just don't want to go." Kouga's smile faded completely. He hung his head and turned to leave when he remembered someone. He spun around,

"How about-"

"I have no time nor interest for your pathetic, idiotic competition." Sesshoumaru said tonelessly.

Inuyasha suppressed a snort while Kouga turned to leave. His glow gone. Then suddenly his head lifted up, and he turned to face them.

"Wait a second…I know all your schedules." He pointed an accusing finger at Inuyasha.

"You got fired yesterday" Inuyasha growled at him for revealing his secret and glared at Sesshoumaru who had let out a quiet snort just loud enough for Inuyasha to hear. Kouga's accusing finger moved to Miroku.

"You're not in debt; you're waiting for some guy to pay what he owes you. But that can wait for two weeks." Miroku sighed deeply and grabbed more toast. Kouga pointed at Sango,

"You don't need to check on your brother cuz your friend is. I know because I called her. And anyway the hospital says he's better already." Sango looked as though she was ready to murder him. Kouga lowered his finger and sighed happily.

"But there aren't ten of us anyway, so…I guess we can't go." Kagome piped up. Everyone nodded in agreement. Kouga thought about it.

"Okay, so there's Kagome, dog turd, pervert and boomerang lady…" He said counting them off with his fingers, "Me…and..." He glanced at Sesshoumaru who was secretly laughing to himself about Inuyasha getting fired and that they all had to go to some stupid mansion for two weeks.

"And………Sesshoumaru." Kouga said. Sesshoumaru stopped sneering and put down the newspaper.

"Yeah so that means the little girl and the frog can go too, so that makes….eight. Two more…Well…I guess I could ask Kagura and Naraku. That's it then! I'm gonna call right now!"

Kouga rushed over to the cordless phone and was about to pick it up when Sesshoumaru's voice stopped him when his fingers were inches away from it.

"Touch that phone with your sordid paws and I will slay you." He said threateningly. "And I will certainly NOT be accompanying you and your dim-witted friends to that trip"

"Go and Inuyasha will clean your house for three months." Kouga said quickly.

"WHAT!!???" Inuyasha roared but Sesshoumaru was already considering it. He was not working at the moment despite what he had said before so…why not? He hadn't seen Rin in a while and if it was a mansion then there was no need to be around Inuyasha and his clan.

"Very well." Sesshoumaru said and went back to his newspaper. Inuyasha goggled at him and silently shook an angry fist at Kouga, but the wolf was already gabbling over the phone and hopping excitedly on the spot. It was obvious to everyone that they were all going.

---O0o---

Meanwhile, on the other side of town in Naraku's home, where Kagura was munching dry toast and secretly fanning Naraku's coffee so that it would cool down before he could drink it, while Naraku himself spoke over the phone. He hung up and walked over to the table with a triumphant smile on his face.

"That was the wolf." Kagura carried on munching carelessly.

"He fell for it. He actually thinks he won." Naraku let out a dry laugh at the memory of Kouga's face when Naraku "accidentally" bumped into him and slipped the fake brochure in his pocket. Kagura pretended not to hear him.

"Looks like the whole gang will be going." He bent down and whispered in Kagura's ear "Including Sesshoumaru." Kagura stopped chewing. Naraku straightened up and gave a silvery laugh that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He picked up his mug of now cold coffee and neared it to his lips. Kagura smiled humourlessly, she knew how he hated cold coffee; unfortunately Naraku saw her expression and without tasting it, he walked over to the sink and poured it all down the drain. He "hmphed" and went over to the phone and waited. It rang.

"Ah, now that should be the idiot inviting me to my own mansion. This has to be my best trick yet, don't you think Kagura?"

So! What do you think? Good start? Should I quit before it gets any worse? Tell meee! Please review! No-one reads for free you know!