"No… seriously…."

"I am serious!"

"Come on Souta… surely there is someone better than that…" Inuyasha supplied.

Souta rolled his eyes. "For your information Inuyasha… I happen to idolize many other kendo legends other than you…"

Inuyasha's shoulders shook once again with suppressed laughter. He felt oddly upbeat this morning. "Honestly?"

"Yes of course! Eiga Naoki is an amazing kendo master! His technique is flawless, plus he's a world champion!" Souta cried. His tone was nothing short of admiring, and his pointed look at Inuyasha emphasized his opinion.

"I know who he is…" Inuyasha scoffed. "But I mean… he's not that great… at least when you compare him to someone like Miyazaki Masahiro." He said proudly. Both boys walked briskly down the beaten path toward the dojo. The early Friday morning air was crisp and fresh, just like every morning. It was expected by now, their morning practices quickly becoming routine ever since their deal.

"Miyazaki Masahiro's cuts are so clean and his speed is unmatched. He's a legend and a master of the kendo art. They say sparing against him is like fighting against one of the Gods." Inuyasha finished, smiling smugly. They both turned a corner, the dojo now in full view.

"Eiga Naoki has beaten Masahiro in a match before." Souta pointed out.

"Keh. That was just one match. But when you compare all of Miyazaki Masahiro's accomplishments with Naoki, you can clearly see who dominates."

"Yeah, whatever. Just keep telling yourself that Inuyasha…" Souta said amusingly. Inuyasha glanced over at his roommate, noting the roll of his eyes. He pushed him playfully and Souta went stumbling to the side. He half expected Souta to push him back, but he did not. His roommate settled for throwing him a glare instead. Inuyasha smirked.

"Come on…" Inuyasha commanded. Souta merely "hmph'ed" and followed Inuyasha up the steps.

As they entered the old building, they were surprised to find it completely filled with people. Workers from the school to be more precise, and from Inuyasha's perspective, they looked as if they were doing some construction. It was loud in the dojo, the planks of wood the men were holding were rattling hard on the ground and all of the workers chatted with one another. Inuyasha spotted Master Totosai in the corner of the dojo and strode over to him, Souta following.

"Hey Totosai, what's going on?" Inuyasha asked. Master Totosai looked up to see his students approaching him and he shook his head tiredly. He looked weak and exhausted as if he hadn't gotten much sleep. His hands were folded behind his back, his old aged back leaning forward slightly.

"Inuyasha… Souta… such a shame isn't it?" he said softly. Inuyasha blinked. He knew who they were? He actually knew?

"You know who we are?" Souta voiced out loud. Master Totosai's eyebrows raised a fraction.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" he asked, truly perplexed. Souta looked was a loss for words and Inuyasha sighed. He stepped toward his instructor.

"Nevermind Totosai. What's going on here?" Inuyasha asked. He gestured toward the team of workers. Upon further analysis, he noticed a large hole in the floor, all boarded off with yellow tape. Men worked furiously around each other, sketching new plans and figuring their calculations.

"Well, last night, some martial arts boys came in to this room. The door was locked…I think…" he paused for a moment to consider his words. Inuyasha exchanged a glance with Souta. Three nights ago, Inuyasha had come in to this room around midnight to vent after that embarrassing situation with Souta. The door hadn't been locked, but Inuyasha chose not to interrupt.

"Anyway…they were young boys. Fooling around and trying to prove who was better between them. Somewhere in their tussle and fighting, they cracked the floor board. Instead of coming to me or the principal, those hooligans continued their brawl and blamed each other for the damage. The wood cracked even more under such pressure and when one of the boys fell, the floor boards completely caved in." Souta gasped.

Master Totosai smiled a small smile. "Don't worry. Neither of the boys was seriously injured. But they are being suspended for sometime for intruding on the property at an inappropriate time…" Souta and Inuyasha both gulped loudly. Master Totosai cocked an eyebrow at them, but just continued.

He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, this construction will continue on throughout the day. So practices will be cancelled for today, but should resume tomorrow. I'm sure you boys will be thrilled…" Master Totosai muttered. At that moment, a school security guard signaled him over. Master Totosai nodded to the two boys, and then walked off toward the officer. There were two other young looking boys standing next to the officer, both were sporting large cuts and bruises.

Inuyasha growled. "Stupid boys… what the hell were they thinking…" Souta nodded. Instead of being thrilled with no practice, he too, like Inuyasha, was angered by their reduction of kendo time. The young boys stole a glance at the glaring teens and flinched fearfully at the anger in their eyes.

Souta smiled at the boys' reaction, but then turned to face Inuyasha. "Maybe we should've told Master Totosai about that floor board when we were in here a few nights ago…"

"Keh. And risk getting suspended for being in when we weren't supposed to? Don't be so stupid…" Inuyasha snapped. Souta's eyes widened.

"Oh right…"

"Just shut up and don't say anything…" Souta's eyes narrowed angrily.

"You don't need to get so angry!" he countered, now annoyed at Inuyasha's temper.

"Whatever…"

Souta sighed, obviously trying to calm down. "So now what?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we both don't have any Friday classes. I'd be surprised if anyone did… and plus we don't have any practices. Want to call up Bankotsu and Miroku and go out or something?" Souta offered.

Inuyasha shook his head. As close as he was to those two, for some reason he didn't feel like dealing with their perverted ideas and chick magnet brains. School was already stressing him out enough. Plus he had his mother's Geisha Ladies carnival to attend on Sunday. He should be studying, but for some reason, that idea just didn't appeal to him. He needed a way to vent, and he doubted that studying or yelling at his two other friends would really be sufficient. Kendo had always been his sort of "cure" for dealing with issues.

He bit his lip in thought.

With the dojo damaged, they couldn't practice even if they wanted to. It was blistering hot today, so there was no way they could practice outside. And any other gyms or places would be filled for the other sports.

"Let's go to my house." Inuyasha blurted suddenly.

"What?"

"Let's go to my house." Inuyasha repeated, this time more calmly.

"Alright…" Souta replied hesitantly.

"Look," Inuyasha began, "you know my family is owner and founder of the Kizu Law Firm. We've got a little more… than what most families have." At Souta's nod, he continued.

"I can drive us to my house. We have a small dojo there. We can practice there and hang out I guess…" Inuyasha finished, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It had been a long time since he invited anyone to his house. Hell, it had been a long time since he had been back at the house. He wasn't too thrilled about going back, but he figured he owed it to his family to see them.

"Wait…so play kendo at…your house?" Souta repeated slowly, as if not believing that he had been somewhat invited.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha said, slightly aggravated. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He crossed his arms.

"Keh. If you don't want to go, just say so." Souta's head snapped up at Inuyasha's tone and he shook his head rapidly.

"No! No, it's fine. I was just surprised you asked, is all." Souta said sheepishly.

"I'm a little surprised myself…" Inuyasha replied, but more to himself. His words trailed off ever so slightly and Souta had to lean forward to catch his words.

"What was that?"

"Nevermind…" Since when had he been so timid and afraid? He wanted to be a professional kendo player, and they were fearless. He couldn't let someone like his father, rule his life. He had to stop dwelling on his past and face the facts of the present and future. But still, why go back when you promised yourself you wouldn't have anything to do with him anymore? Besides…Souta was his friend; a very good friend despite only meeting him about two weeks ago. Hell, he might even trust him more than those other two perverts…

"Inuyasha?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha replied dumbly. Souta was waving a hand in his face, trying to bring him back to reality. Inuyasha shook his head clear of any more unwanted feelings or thoughts. He'd worry about that stuff when the time came.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." He said gruffly. "So, you want to go or not?"

"Alright." Souta said, suddenly much happier than he had been about two minutes ago. 'Typical Souta…' Inuyasha thought.

"Let's grab some more breakfast and then we can leave…"

XxXxXx

By the time Inuyasha and Kagome had finished breakfast, it was nearing ten thirty. They had met up with Miroku and Bankotsu for breakfast, which took a lot longer than expected. The other kendo players, as expected, had been thrilled with the prospect of no practice. Miroku and Bankotsu had retreated to the room for video games and sleep after Inuyasha had informed them that they had stuff to do. They had looked a little surprised, but said nothing.

"I've got some extra kendo gear at my house, so you don't really need to bring anything." Inuyasha informed. Kagome nodded, grabbing just her (manly) wallet and phone as they walked out the door. They walked down to the student parking lot.

"So, how far is your house?" Kagome asked.

"It should take us about hour to get there with traffic." He answered. At first, going to Inuyasha's house had sounded weird. Hell, she had rarely gone to Kouga's house when they had been dating and here she was going to Inuyasha's when she had only known him for about two weeks.

'It almost feels like a guy bringing his girlfriend to meet his parents for the first time…' Kagome thought, and blushed. What was she thinking? True, she was a little excited at seeing the famous Takahashi house for the first time, but she still shouldn't be thinking things like this. She knew other people would be thrilled at such an opportunity as visiting the Takahashi house. Besides, her and Inuyasha were just friends.

'But then again…' she thought sadly, 'Last time Inuyasha had mentioned his family, he hadn't looked that happy about it. Maybe... maybe he had issues at home just like me…'

Despite having such a famous family, the Takahashi's personal life had been kept on the down low. Nothing exciting had been publicized, just important court cases that Taisho Takahashi had succeeded in. Perhaps there were things going on that nobody knew about. Things that Inuyasha didn't want to remember.

"Souta?" Inuyasha called. Kagome looked up.

"Huh?"

"You still with me? You sure do zone out a lot…" he said.

Kagome laughed nervously. She scratched her head, her wig suddenly feeling very hot and itchy. She suspected that her face was probably all red by now. "Oh. Sorry about that…my bad."

"Its fine…" he replied, waving her apology off. Kagome breathed a sign of relief. She had to be careful. Who knows what could happen if she continued to zone off and forget what was going on?

They walked a bit further, down the dark and shady part of the parking complex. After going down a few more flights of stairs, Inuyasha turned a corner walking towards his vehicle.

Kagome gasped.

It wasn't a car.

It was a motorcycle.

Kagome walked toward it slowly, speechless. It was amazing and absolutely flawless. The red, black and silver coating shined despite the lack of light in the complex. It was brand new, no doubt the latest industry model with its silver rims, wheels and the powerful engine. For some reason, Kagome felt that this motorcycle suited Inuyasha perfectly.

"Wow." It was all Kagome could say as she walked toward it in awe. Inuyasha smirked.

"Is this really yours?" Kagome asked, gazing at his golden eyes. He nodded.

"Yeah…" he said softly. He grasped the handlebars between his fingers, admiring the grip. After a moment, he grabbed one of the helmets on the seat and threw it to Kagome.

"Here. Hurry and strap it on." He commanded. He gathered his long black hair in his hands and tied it back in a low ponytail. Carefully, he pulled his own helmet over his head and tucked all his hair inside. Kagome did the same, mindful of her wig. Looking through the black screen of her helmet, Kagome watched Inuyasha swing his leg over the seat of the motorcycle.

He flipped open the screen of his helmet to stare at her. "Get on." There was just enough space for her in the seat behind him. Just enough…although the proximity between them would be quite close…

"Y-You sure?" She couldn't help her voice from stuttering. Just… the thought of being so close... his back against her…

"Yeah…unless you have a car or know another way to get there?" She shook her head. Would she have said no even if she did have one?

"Well then this is the only way, so get on. You aren't scared, are you?" he asked jokingly. 'Of the bike? No…'

"No…" she replied as confidently as she could and swung her leg over, trying to get comfortable on the leather seat. She felt his back press against her front and went rigid. He started the engine and it roared to life. The vibrating sound of the powerful engine echoed throughout the parking structure, jolting Kagome with the sound it emitted. Inuyasha twisted the handlebars, revving the engine even more.

"Ready?" Inuyasha asked loudly over the roar of the engine. Kagome barely heard him.

"I think so…" she shouted, the fear within her rising. She had never been on a motorcycle before. As Inuyasha steered toward the left and out the exit, Kagome could feel the speed slowly picking up as they made their way on to the highway. The land around them was fairly bare, only a few trees and flatness around them since Shikon State was separated from the busy city of Kyoto. Kyoto was only a few miles from the school. She felt the strong pull upon her body as Inuyasha sped up to the appropriate speed limit.

She nearly shrieked, feeling her body almost falling off. Without even thinking, she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha torso tightly as she hung on for dear life. A quiet whimper escaped her, unheard by the rumbling of the motorcycle. A thousand thoughts flew through her mind. Numerous motorcycle crashes and accidents she had heard on TV. People dying, or getting seriously injured. She didn't want to be one of those people. She felt terrified.

"Not so tight!" Inuyasha barked at her. She opened her eyes, Inuyasha's voice startling her awake to reality.

"I'm going to crash if you hold on like that!" he added. Kagome gasped.

"Crash!?" she nearly screamed in terror. She saw Inuyasha shake his head. She felt the bike slow down as they came to a stop light. He turned around to look at her.

"We should be fine unless you keep strangling me like that…" Even though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew they were looking right at her. "Don't worry so much…" he finished.

She nodded. Something in his words made her feel safe. Like everything was going to be okay… she didn't feel so afraid anymore. A smile formed on her face before she even realized it.

The light flashed green and Inuyasha was off. They sped past other cars as Inuyasha maneuvered between them, moving fast and quick. Kagome soon began to relax, enjoying the way Inuyasha zipped past the other cars carefully. Houses soon were becoming apparent around them as they neared the city. After a few minutes Inuyasha spoke.

"We're going to have to go through Kyoto to get to my house!" he shouted over the wind. Kagome nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the upcoming road. From where they were, she could easily make out the large buildings of Kyoto as they grew larger and larger as Inuyasha sped up. As they entered the city, Inuyasha slowed down considerably due to the many cars and pedestrians.

Despite the fact that Inuyasha was swerving between the cars on the street, Kagome knew it would take them a while to get through all of Kyoto. Kyoto was one of the busiest cities in Japan. Kagome sighed as they came to another stop light. At this rate, they'd never make it out.

"Where'd you say your house is?" Kagome asked.

"I live in Kyoto, but my house is on the other side of the city."

"Oh…" They continued to move as swiftly as possible through the lanes, but it was becoming clear to Kagome and Inuyasha that the heavy traffic would be quite a hindrance. After about twenty minutes of going though nothing but endless traffic, Kagome suddenly noticed a large building to her right.

"Hey, that's my school!" she shouted. Inuyasha looked to the right.

"That's Kyoto University." he said confused. Kagome gulped, realizing her mistake.

"My sister's school. I meant my sister goes there!" she replied. Hopefully, Inuyasha wouldn't get too suspicious. What was wrong with her?! At this rate, her whole cover would be blown! She couldn't get distracted…

"Oh yeah…the one who dated Kouga." He commented offhandedly.

"Right…" Kagome said through gritted teeth. The last thing she need was another Kouga flashback.

Inuyasha noticed her bitter tone of voice, but read it wrong. "Don't worry. We'll kick his ass in the tournament. I'm sure your sister will be happy…"

Kagome smiled at his cockiness, all bitter feelings leaving her. "Right!"

They continued cruising for a few more minutes before Inuyasha came to complete halt. Ahead of them, a huge group of construction team workers were fixing the road pavement. All the lanes had been blocked off except one, forcing cars to merge in to one lane. From Kagome's view, the traffic extended for about a few miles. She sighed tiredly.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha cried, unable to move his bike at all. Growling loudly, he looked around as if trying to find an alternate route. Unfortunately, this was the only main road that went through the city. What horrible luck. Kagome closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for a long and slow ride.

"Hang on!" Inuyasha suddenly yelled. Swiftly, Inuyasha had turned his bike around, making a sharp left and off the road. Automatically, Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha, but not too much as to strangle him. She still didn't want to crash.

The road suddenly became rough and bumpy, and Kagome knew that they had gone off road. Looking up, she watched Inuyasha make another harsh turn, this time over the curb and in to a dense forest. They were suddenly surrounded by trees, the sun momentarily blocked thanks to the overhanging branches. The motorcycle ran even faster along the grass as Inuyasha rode on through the forest.

"Inuyasha, what's going on?!" Kagome cried.

"Keh. I wasn't about to wait in that traffic for another hour!"

"But…where are we?"

"In case you didn't know, Kyoto is home to dozens of shrines and spiritual places that are all connected by a small forest. The city specifically preserved this forest area to keep the spiritual essence of the shrines. I think we're in the Foorai Shrine right now. We'll take this forest path which leads all the way to the end of the city." He explained.

"Are you serious?!" Kagome called.

"Yep!"

"Is this even legal?!"

At that moment, an old man wearing priest robes emerged out from the trees. Inuyasha easily zoomed past him, but they managed to catch the last of his words.

"Hey you kids! This is a sacred place! You can't be here!" The old man probably said more, but his voice was droned out by the speed of Inuyasha's motorbike. Inuyasha laughed loudly.

"Probably not!" he said, answering her previous question. He pressed the bike pedal even harder and soon the trees around them became a blur. Kagome couldn't help the carefree laugh that escaped her as she felt the wind in her hair, and the absolute freedom she felt. They practically flew through the forest, past the trees and bushes, leaving the world behind them. It was like an escape…

They rode and rode on for a about fifteen minutes until Inuyasha made a sharp turn out of the forest and landed roughly on to the streets. Looking around, Kagome noticed the lack of buildings and traffic. They had entered a more quiet, and probably wealthy (judging by the houses) homestead part of the city. After a few more turns here and there, Inuyasha finally slowed down in front of enormous house at the end of the street, blocked off and overshadowing all the rest.

The house, or mansion, Kagome realized, was incredibly large. She guessed there must have been more than a dozen or so rooms judging by the multiple stories and windows. The mansion was barded off by a black iron gate, but Kagome could see through it. A lovely lush garden, with flowers and bushes grew abundantly. The entire house was a dark navy color radiating excellence and the finest quality. Kagome couldn't believe her eyes, and continued staring even after Inuyasha had stopped in the driveway.

The gate in to the driveway was shut, but there was a speaker on the side. Inuyasha pulled off his helmet and pressed the button.

"Hello? Anyone home?" he called though the speaker. A few seconds went by, before someone answered.

"Welcome to the Takahashi Mansion. Please state your name, and business here." A man's voice had spoken, and it sounded very professional. Kagome had a feeling this man had gone through a lot of training to get this job.

"Mushin is that you?" Inuyasha said, his face amused.

"…yes I am Mushin. Sir I'm going to have to ask again: Please state your name and business here."

"I live here you idiot!"

The man on the other end gave a startled cry. "Master…Inuyasha?"

"Yeah it's me. Let me in already!"

"Right away sir…" Mushin replied. The iron doors opened quickly and Inuyasha rode his bike inside. Just as they entered the gates, Kagome turned around to see a man with a camera standing there. He had dark sunglasses on, making it difficult to see who he was. The man suddenly raised his camera and a flash went off.

"Hey!" Kagome called, but the man was already running away.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked. She looked at him, and then looked back on to the empty street. Quickly, she pulled her helmet off, her cheeks flushed from the heat.

"Didn't you see that guy? The one with the camera?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha eyes narrowed at the mention of a camera. "Stupid press… damn my dad's going to be pissed…" he growled, but dropped the subject. Kagome was silent.

Inuyasha pulled in to the garage and parked his bike. Kagome noticed multiple other cars around them, all shiny and expensive looking. The Takahashi's must have had at least ten cars. Kagome's family was lucky if they even had two. Just then, an old man began walking toward them. He was rather heavy, and was completely bald with a thick white mustache. When he reached them, he bowed deeply, most likely for Inuyasha.

"Master Inuyasha. It's a pleasure to see you again! You haven't been home in so long." he said.

"Hey Mushin. You actually sober?" Inuyasha teased. Kagome looked appalled.

Mushin chuckled. "Yes… those days are over for me now. How else could I get the top security guard of this place?" he laughed. Kagome could've sworn she heard Inuyasha mumble "yeah right...".

"Mushin, this is Souta. We play kendo together at the school." Inuyasha introduced. Mushin nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nice to meet you." Kagome said politely. Mushin smiled.

"Inuyasha…I would have expected you to bring a girl home by now. Not another one of your kendo friends." Mushin made a "tsking" noise and Inuyasha growled. Kagome flushed madly and tried to hide her face from the other men.

"Shut up! It's none of your business. Come on Souta." Inuyasha said. And without another word, he walked past the old man toward the door to the house. Kagome could only follow, and hope that the blush on her face would disappear. Inuyasha shut the door behind them, leaving a chuckling Mushin behind.

XxXxXx

Hey! I'm back! Sorry for taking so long!

Hope you enjoyed! Don't worry! Kagome will meet some of Inuyasha's family next chapter! Plus, a little look in to his past! gasp! I had planned for that to be in this chapter, but this one turned out to be WAY longer than I expected. Stupid Inuyasha for taking forever to get to his house!

I have limited knowledge and no true opinion of the kendo masters, Miyazaki Masahiro and Eiga Naoki. I wanted real kendo masters and they were the most popular names that came up when I search for some. I did not mean to offend anyone.

I hope you enjoyed the fluff and stuff!

Review!