I don't own InuYasha. Just some of the additional characters with the non-Japanese names.

A/N: Here ya go. The next chapter.

In the center of the main room, a pile of moldy plaster had hit the ground, and above it, a gaping hole was in the ceiling. Kagome sighed and began to look around to see if there was anything she could use to reach the hole. There was nothing inside, so she went to check outside. Exiting through the front door, she broke into a jog.

" Hey, Kags where'd you go?" Souta called from inside.Kagome looked over her shoulder then-BAM! She crashed into something and flew backwards onto a pile of dead leaves. She looked up, rubbing her head and saw Miroku. She blushed and tried to smile.

" Ow," she moaned. Miroku laughed and reached out a hand to help her up.

" Sorry," he apologized. " I should have been watching where I was going."

" Yeah, you should've," Kagome giggled accepting his help and getting up. They stood there for a second then Kikyo came jogging out.

" Oh, Kags, Miroku's here too," Kikyo said just a few minutes late.

" Yeah, I kinda figured that out," Kagome said wiping the dirt from the back of her clothes. Miroku laughed again and looked over Kagome's head to see Souta walking out of the house, holding a wallet.

" Hello, Souta," Miroku said all too nicely.

" Hey, Miro," Souta replied putting the wallet in his pocket.

" Hey, bro," Kagome said quickly. " I need, like, forty bucks."

" For what?" Souta asked pulling out his wallet.

" I'm going to go buy something to fix that hole in the roof."

" Okay."

Souta took two twenties from his wallet and handed them to Kagome. Kagome nodded a "thank-you".

" You'regoing to fix your roof?" Miroku asked Souta.

" Yeah, and?" Kagome asked tucking the money into her pocket.

"I've never heard of a girl being the handy-man of the house," Miroku said. Souta whistled and looked away.

" You shouldn't have said that," Souta said in a sing-song voice.

" Women are perfectly capable of doing everything a man can do!" Kagome said angrily. " We are just as able if not more. Just because we are female, doesn't mean we are inferior to men. Women don't need to depend on men to fix everything for us, because we can do it by ourselves just as well, if not better!"

Miroku smiled crookedly at her, which made her cheeks go pink.

" Is she always like this?" Miroku asked Souta.

" When you say anything negative about women or what they can and cannot do, yeah. She's like this," Souta answered. Kagome rolled her eyes and smiled.

" Well, you guys have fun," Kagome said walking past them. " I got my cell if you need me."

Miroku put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She turned around.

" Do you need a ride?" Miroku asked her. She blinked.

" Are you offering?"Kagome questioned.

" Yeah, I'll get Kikyo to drop us off," Miroku said standing back.

" Us?" Kagome repeated.

" Yeah," Miroku said. "I'll help you out with the roof."

" That wouldget the job done faster," Kikyo agreed. Kagome turned to Souta. He shrugged.

" It's okay with me," he said. Kagome bit her lip.

" I guess I could use some help," Kagome agreed. Miroku smiled at her and led her to Kikyo's car. He held the door for her as Souta and Kikyo got in the front. Kagome frowned at him.

"Ladies first," Miroku said. Kagome lifted the corner of her mouth into a crooked smile and got in, scooting over so Miroku could slide in next to her. After everyone was in the car, Kikyo pulled away from the house. They sat in silence for a while, then Kikyo turned on the radio. A song by " The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus", came on and Kagome started to bob her head softly to the beat. She mouthed the words and tapped her fingers on the door handle to the rhythm of the drums in the song.

" You listen to rock?" Miroku asked in disbelief.

" Yeah, I do," Kagome answered without disrupting the tapping of her fingers.

" You like 'The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus'?"

" Yeah, they're one of my favorites."

" No way, mine too!"

" Did you hear 'Face Down'?"

" Yeah."

" Isn't it awesome?"

" Yeah, it's okay."

Kagome saw Souta raise his eyebrows at Kikyo from the corner of her eye. Kikyo smiled and giggled quietly. Kagome frowned and looked at her brother in suspicion. Before she could question him, they slowed to a stop in front of a small one-floor house.

" Go ahead and get your car so you don't have to carry everything back to Kaggy's house," Kikyo told Miroku. He nodded and got out of the car quickly, running over to Kagome's door and opening it for her.

"C'mon," he urged. "Wait till you see my baby."

" Okay," Kagome said unsure. As soon as she shut the car door behind her, Kikyo took off. Kagome let out a small yelp and jumped back. Souta chuckled and put a hand on her back and led her back to the house. She walked with him, not sure what to say. Luckily, she didn't have to say anything.

" My car's in the back," Miroku said. His face was calm, but Kagome could hear the excitement in his voice. She smiled and followed him to around the house.

" What kind of car is-" Kagome began. Her jaw dropped and she stared at the sight before her. A killer, midnight-blue Viper was parked behind the house. It had silver revolving spinners on the tires, and a sparkly yellow design on each side along the doors.

" You like it?" Miroku asked her.

" Is it really yours?' Kagome asked breathlessly. She ran a finger along the hood of the vehicle. Her eyes were twinkling with amazement. Miroku was beaming at her. He put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heals.

" Yep, isn't she beautiful?"

" It's amazing!"
" Yeah, I got it for my birthday last year. Same as when Kikyo got hers."

" Cool, I can't wait till I get my own car."

" When are you getting your license?"

" Um, I turn fifteen in three weeks, so next year if everything goes according to plan."

" Maybe I could give you some driving lessons while you're here."

" Maybe."

Kagome blushed and looked away, smiling to herself. Miroku lifted the corner of his mouth into another crooked smile.

" Well, let's go," Miroku said pushing her towards the car. Kagome gladly jumped into the passenger seat and put on her seat belt. Miroku got into the driver's seat and put the keys into the ignition. They drove around the house slowly, then as soon as they were in the driveway, Miroku sped off.

" Wow," Kagome said to herself. She was watching the trees around her turn into blurs, smiling wider with each passing second.

" So, are we gonna go to the hardware store?" Miroku asked. Kagome nodded and they pulled into the left lane. Miroku switched on the radio and popped in a CD. Immediately, Kagome recognized the band.

" My Chemical Romance!" she said ecstatically.

" Yep," Miroku replied. " Do you know which CD?"

" 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge'?"

" Mm-hm."

" Cool."

Kagome sang along with the song and looked out the window. It wasn't long until they reached the hardware store.

When they arrived, Kagome stepped out of the car lightly and went inside. Miroku followed her soon after and they walked around the store, gathering plaster and anything else they might need to fix the hole in the roof. Afterwards, they left, carrying the materials into the car.

" So, to your place?" Miroku asked.

" Yep," Kagome answered. They drove in silence. It felt akward for Kagome to be in the same car with a guy she had just met two days ago. She shifted uneasily in her seat and twiddled her thumbs. It was a complete relief for her to see the old rickety house. She quickly jumped out of the car and got the bags out of the back.

" I'll go get the ladder from the side of the house," Miroku said. Samantha turned and walked into the house. Was that where the ladder was? She didn't remember seeing it at all. Then she remembered that she didn't get a chance to look because she had ran into Miroku. Inside, the house was the same, untouched. She set the bags on the floor and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. It wasn't huge,but it was still a problem. She looked at the floor and sighed at the sight of the huge pile of crumbled plaster that littered the ground.

She went into the kitchen and took the broom from beside the refrigerator. Back in the main room, Kagome swept the mess out of the room and onto the front porch. Miroku came from around the corner holding a ladder. He smiled at her and went inside. Kagome quickly swept the last bit of plaster off the porch and she turned to go inside.

" Do you want to go up the ladder or should I?" Miroku asked her.

" I'll go," Kagome said. Miroku propped up the ladder and stepped aside so Kagome could climb up. She did so quickly and held onto the ladder as she ran her fingers over the small four inch hole. Immediately, more of the roof came crumbling onto her. Kagome gasped and clung to the ladder.

" Kags! Are you okay?" Miroku asked from the bottom of the ladder. Kagome coughed and wave her hands in front of her to clear the dust that surrounded her. Once the cloud settled, Kagome looked up at the hole.

" Shit!" she cursed. The hole was now at least four feet wide. She blew out through her cheeks and looked down at Miroku.

" Uh, you got a little plaster...uh...everywhere," Miroku said awkwardly. Kagome shook her head in an attempt to shake off the newly acquired dandruff. Miroku laughed heartily at the sight. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, and turned back to her work.

" I can't believe I just made this thing worse," Kagome sighed. She looked back up at the hole. Wait, she thought, What room is this? She climbed higher up the ladder and stuck her head through the hole. This wasn't her room, or Souta's. And this definitely wasn't the bathroom. She looked around.

Tall, wooden shelves lined the walls. Each was filled with dusty books and jars filled with transparent liquids. The floor was wooden, unlike the rest of the carpeted rooms. A mirror was leaning against a wall to the left and a small boarded window was in the center wall. The roof had a strange symbol painted on it in black. Samantha recognized it from the old horror movies she often watched with her cousins. It was a pentagram. She squinted to look at it. Kagome lifted herself into the room.

" Hey, what are you doing?" Miroku called from the bottom floor. Kagome ignored him and walked over to one of the shelves. She brushed her fingers along one of the books' spines. A thick layer of dust was wiped from the book, making the letters visible. They were written in some strange symbols Samantha didn't recognize. She sneezed and rubbed her nose. Kagome looked over at the jars on the higher shelves.

They were all filled with strange-colored liquids she couldn't identify. She lifted one of the jars and held it up in front of her face. She was about to open it when she heard Miroku call her name.

" Kagome, someone's here," Miroku called up to her.

Kagome ran to the hole and kneeled down to look at him.

" Who?" she asked.

" It's a woman. She's walking down the path," Miroku answered. Kagome looked around. If it was Sonya outside, she was definitely gonna get in trouble. She ran to the door and tried to turn the door knob, but-

" Damn, it's locked!" she whispered. She ran back to the hole. "Miroku, I'm not supposed to be up here!"

" Then get down," Miroku said looking out the doorway. Kagome took a deep breath and turned around and slowly lowered herself to step onto the ladder. Her foot slipped,the ladder fell over, and she was dangling on the edge of the hole.

" Shit!" she squealed. She looked under her. It was at least a ten-foot drop, she'd end up breaking something, most likely her legs.

" Kags, just let go, I got you," Miroku said. Kagome let out a moan.

" Are you crazy? I'm not letting go!" Kagome argued.

" That lady's almost here!" Miroku warned. Kagome was about to let go, when the ceiling broke again, and this time, she fell with it. She screamed as she fell and closed her eyes. She put her hands behind her head to protect her neck.

Kagome braced herself for the impact, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she was in Miroku's arms. She blinked and looked up at him. Slowly, she moved her arms from behind her head to Miroku's shoulders.

" I told you I had you." Miroku smiled. Kagome blushed and smiled back at him.

" Kags?" someone said from the doorway. Kagome and Miroku turned to see who it was. Sonya was walking into the house, staring at the two teenagers.

" Uh, hey Mom," Kagome said. Miroku let go of her legs so she could get down and he looked back to Sonya. Kagome let him go and looked at her mother worriedly.

" Um, hello ma'am, I'm Miroku," Miroku said offering his hand to Sonya. Sonya narrowed her eyes at him and shook his hand. He did the same.

" I'm Sonya, Kagome's mother," Sonya said. She let go of his hand and looked back at Kagome's.

" Where's your brother?" she asked still looking at Miroku suspiciously.

" He went out," Kagome answered. Sonya looked at the fallen ladder, then her eyes went up to the ceiling.

" What did you do?!" Sonya shrieked. Kagome jumped.

" This house is falling apart, Mom," Kagome said defensively. " The roof collapsed this morning and I was just about to fix it. Miroku was going to help me."

Sonya looked at her daughter viciously.

" You're lying! You were trying to get into my room weren't you? Don't lie to me Kagome!" Sonya shouted.

"No, Mom, I didn't-" Kagome began.

" Ma'am, Kagome really wasn't trying to go anywhere," Miroku put in. " She just barely got here with me, and we were about to patch up the roof when Kagome fell off the ladder as she was trying to climb it. I caught her right when you walked in."

Kagome looked at Miroku in disbelief. He had stuck up for her to save her from her mother's wrath. He turned to look at her and she smiled gratefully. Sonya shook her head.

" Kagome, just go," Sonya growled. " I'll fix the damn hole, just go!"

Kagome frowned at her mother and opened her mouth to speak, but Sonya raised a hand to silence her. Kagome felt her lip tremble and she walked past Sonya, out of the house. Outside, she fought to hold in her tears. She leaned against Miroku's car and blinked back the tears of frustration. Ever since they came to this town, her mother had been acting strangely, and neither she nor Souta knew why. Miroku came up to her slowly.

" You okay?" he asked her gently. Samantha huffed and nodded. Then the tears came, but just barely.

" She's acting so...I feel like she's changed since we came here. All I do is...piss her off," Kagome struggled with her words. " I don't know what I did wrong."

Miroku came up to her and patted her shoulder.

" I know how it feels," he said. " My dad gets like that sometimes, too."

Kagome looked up at him and smiled.

" Thanks for saving me back there," she said wiping the slightly-smeared mascara from under her eyes. " I was sure my mom was gonna explode."

" You're welcome," he said standing back. They stood there in silence for a while, then Kagome's phone began to vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and held it to her ear.

" Hello?" she answered.

" Hey, Kagome, it's Souta," her brother's voice replied. Kagome smiled.

" Hey,bro," she said standing up straight.

" We're on our way back, did you fix the roof?"

" No, Mom came home and went berserk, and kicked me out!"

" Are you serious?"

" Yeah, now I don't know what to do."

Kagome heard him say something to Kikyo, then she heard Kikyo's voice say something in return. She waited.

" Hey, meet us at Kikyo's house, okay?" Souta's said.

" Gotcha." Kagome agreed.

" Alright, I'll see you in a bit. Bye."

" Bye."

Kagome felt relieved to hear from Souta, so her crying had stopped. She put her phone back into her pocket and sighed.

" What did he say?" Miroku asked.

" He said for us to meet him at your place," Kagome answered. Miroku nodded and went around to the other side of the car to get inside. Kagome opened the passenger door and got inside. They listened to Miroku's CD and Kagome sang every song. They reached Miroku's house right when the last track ended.

" Perfect timing," Miroku said taking the key out of the ignition. Kagome got out of the car. Kikyo's Mustang was parked in the driveway, so she knew Souta was inside.

" Well, may I come in? " Kagome asked as they approached the front porch. Miroku rolled his eyes and held the door open for her. When she walked in, she was taken back by how bright everything inside was.

Colors were splashed on every inch of the house. Bright furniture and wallpaper filled every room. Her eyes watered just looking at the walls which were painted bright yellow. Miroku laughed as Kagome squinted.

" My dad has a thing for bright colors," Gabriel explained. "After living in this town, we all sort of started appreciating colors a lot more."

Kagome smiled and followed him into the living room. There, on the red couch, Souta and Kikyo were sitting watching a movie. Kikyo was leaning against Souta, and he had his arm around her shoulders. They looked up as Kagome and Miroku came in.

" Took you guys long enough to get here," Kikyo said tossing a throw pillow at Kagome. Kagome giggled and caught it. Souta looked up at her.

" Kikyo said it's okay if we spend the night here," Souta said. Kagome furrowed her eyebrows.

" Huh?" she questioned.

" Well, Mom said we could go around town as we pleased," Souta pointed out. " You'll sleep with Kikyo and I'll sleep in Miroku's room."

"Oh joy," Miroku said sarcastically. Kagome chuckled and looked over at Kikyo.

" Thanks," Kagome said. Kikyo smiled at her and nodded.

" No problem," Kikyo said politely. " It's the least I could do since you've been letting me borrow your brother for the past two days."

Kagome smiled at her and sat on the floor in front of the couch.

A/N: I hope you liked it. Please review.