Luxury Never was Cheap
Chapter three

Inuyasha barged into Myouga's main office and stomped past his secretary, Kanna.

Kanna looked up from her files and said in a soft, forgotten voice, "Excuse me, but you need an appointment."

Inuyasha sighed and walked over to the pale girl, wearing all white and her hair all white, and her skin all white. The only thing that wasn't white was her eyes, which were a deep chocolate brown.

"Fine, when's he free?"

Kanna typed on her computer and Inuyasha wondered why a person who owns an apartment building would need appointments. He shrugged; it didn't matter to him as long as he got to speak to him.

Kanna continued to type for what seemed like hours until a little beeping noise sounded from the computer. Her dead eyes looked up and she said, softly like before, "There is an opening right now."

Inuyasha stared blankly before sighing loudly.

Kanna looked at him before returning to her filing, glancing at him she stated, "you're rent is due in three weeks."

"Err...thanks," he mumbled as he headed towards the door that said "Myouga" on it. Banging the door open he was greeted with the short, pudgy little man as he tried to reach a book on the top shelf.

"Ah, hello," Myouga said, recognizing Inuyasha as one of the kids from the mess-up, as he called it, "how may I help you?"

"You're apartment is a rip," Inuyasha said, he hated beating around the bush; "there are leaks in the roof!"

Myouga glanced at the rainy scenery and back at the scoffing boy, "I'm sorry."

"Oh yeah, that makes it all better," Inuyasha sneered, "Fix it, dumb ass!"

"I'm sorry, but with my age and my back condition, I cannot make it up onto the roof," Myouga said, and just when Inuyasha was going to open his mouth, "and I'm cheap, and refuse to hire someone to do a half-assed job."

"Then what am I suppose to do, fix it myself?" Inuyasha growled, and then noticed Myouga's glare told him he'd hit the bull's eye, "No. Way."

"I'm sorry, yet again. Inuyasha, was it?" Myouga said as he pointed to a closet, "my repair tools are in there, tell Kanna you're leaving or she'll say I'm busy."

Inuyasha growled before storming off and muttering about getting him in his sleep.


Sango ate some cereal silently, glaring at the boy across from her, who was chewing on a bagel. Miroku made eye contact with her, just before she averted her eyes to the side, pretending that she hadn't been looking at him. Miroku sighed as he threw down his bagel and stood up.

Sango turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised to her hairline, "Miroku, what the hell is it?"

Miroku rubbed his forehead as if she were giving him a headache before he plastered on a smile and grabbed his plate with the half-eaten bagel on it, he nodded towards Sango and walked towards the sink, "It's nothing Sango."

Sango didn't accept that answer as she, too, stood and walked towards him, "Something's wrong. Tell me."

"Nothing is wrong, Miss Sango," Miroku said calmly as he placed his plate into the sink, waving at the flies. He turned towards Sango, "Whose turn to do the dishes?"

Sango growled and then pinned Miroku's hands to the counter top, "Tell me now!"

Miroku paled before he started to grin up at Sango. Sango instantly blushed, recognizing the position she'd willingly put herself and Miroku in. Shrugging off of him she turned away, "Why won't you tell me?"

Miroku's eyes softened as he grabbed Sango's upper arm, "Dearest Sango, please forgive me and my attempt and failure to shun you."

Sango looked at him, "what?" Sango rubbed her temples, "you were trying to shun me? Damn, you were failing!"

Miroku cleared his throat, and then looked out the window. He grinned, "Well if you'll excuse me!"

Sango glanced out the window and noticed a horde of girls, sighing she grabbed the back of his collar and walked towards her room. Miroku, being a pervert, took this the wrong way, "My dearest Sango, I like you, but don't you think we're moving a little too fast?"

"I'm getting my purse," Sango said coolly, "and I'm going to the grocery store, you are coming so you do not disturb the peace."

"The grocery store, huh? Kind of a weird first date don't you think?" Miroku asked, his perverted grin yet to be wiped from his face.

Sango sighed, "Come on, perv."

Kagome sighed heavily as she served, yet again, another coffee. She was exhausted. And what was worse, her rent was due in three weeks, and she didn't have much money. Ok, five hundred dollars isn't much for some people, but when you come from a poor family, and have few life savings, it can be a major problem.

Kagome sighed, she had one hundred dollars pulled aside for her rent, since usually that was how much the old apartment cost. With that set aside, she only needed four hundred dollar, and she received ten dollars an hour at Kaede's Soy Bean, so if she worked for two hours a day, she would get twenty dollars. By working everyday for three weeks, she would get four hundred twenty dollars. But math wasn't her strongest subject, so she wasn't sure, that's why she was going to work five hours a day, just in case, and take Sundays and Saturdays off, hopefully she'd have enough.

But then again, it is nice to have extra money in case she had to get something. Plus there was her share for the food, and cat litter and cat food and cat basic needs, she also should buy cat insurance with Inuyasha living under her roof. She paled, if Inuyasha did anything to Buyo she would be spending the next three weeks wiping his blood of the walls and carpet.

Sometimes that man really pissed her off, even if she only knew him for about three days. She sighed, how did she get into this mess?

"Hey! Kagome?" Kagome snapped out of her thoughts when a hand waved in front of her face, she blinked and her stormy eyes met with violet pools, black hair hanging leisurely over his face. Kagome mentally sighed. 'Great, Inuyasha...'

"What are you doing here?" Kagome snapped, looking around to make sure there weren't other costumers she might be neglecting.

There wasn't, thank god. Kagome glared at Inuyasha's grinning face before turning away slightly, "do you need something?"

"No."

Kagome growled, "Then why in the seven hells are you here?" Her patience was running thin for two reasons. One, she was always that way after doing math, and two, Inuyasha. That name basically described everything that sucked about her day.

"Sango and Miroku left the apartment, and Sango told me she didn't trust me with her cat and your cat, so she told me to go bug you. So I did," Inuyasha said looking around the Soy Bean with semi-interested eyes, "fascinating work environment." He remarked sarcastically.

"Kaede's a fascinating person," Kagome replied bitterly. "Look, if you're only here to bug me, can you leave? I have customers."

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to see no one there, he sighed and turned back to Kagome. Who was hiding behind the counter, hoping that Inuyasha would get the hint and leave. Of course, Inuyasha would do no such thing, having his brain the size of a peanut, but we must forgive him for that.

Kagome peeked over the counter to see Inuyasha was gone (or so she thought) and she breathed a sigh of relief as she readjusted her apron and sat waiting for a customer. But usually customers don't come around noon; the morning rush was over.

She glanced at the corner of her eye and nearly screamed in shock. Inuyasha sat on a stool beside her, sitting with his hands clasped over his ankles and him rocking slightly, he turned to her with a boyish grin. "Hello!"

Kagome stared in shock, she hadn't even heard him walk up, or even seen him, "What are you doing?"

"Do you want me to go home?" Inuyasha asked, eyes widening in mock disbelief, "You're right, I've wanted to have some quality time with the overgrown rats, Kiki and Buko was it?"

"Kirara and Buyo, dumb ass," Kagome said sighing. "No, I guess it's best if you stay."

Inuyasha smirked triumphantly just as Kaede walked out. She wore some "Hippie" clothes that only successes in making her look like a teenager wannabe. She eyed Inuyasha and then sighed, "Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"

"Bugging people," Inuyasha said flatly, he leaned over and blew in Kagome's ear, grinning as she flinched, "Like that."

Kagome glared evilly at Inuyasha who only smirked. She turned to Kaede, "Do you know this moron?"

Kaede gave a mock glare at Inuyasha, who was still looking rather proud of himself for no reason. "He is my god child."

Kagome stared shocked, "Talk about a plot twist."

Inuyasha and Kaede shrugged.

Kaede sighed and turned towards Inuyasha again, her eyes boring into his, "Inuyasha, may I ask why you are in my store?"

Inuyasha blinked, "Didn't I already answer that?"

"The real reason," Kaede said crossly.

Inuyasha jumped off the stool, "Keh!" He stomped out of the Soy Bean with an air of someone who'd just won the world cup.

Kagome watched him go, before she got an alarmed look in her eyes, "Oh my god! He might kill Buyo!" She turned towards Kaede, "Can I please have the rest of the day off?"

Kaede nodded, "Oh course, and before you run off, give me my apron, and give Inuyasha this!"

She held out a bag and Kagome grabbed it attentively before running out after him. "Inuyasha don't you dare kill my cat!"

Kaede sighed and smirked, "Stupid children."



Kagome caught up with the boy, winded and sweaty, though Inuyasha appeared to be oblivious to her huffing and puffing beside him. He eyed the bag in her hand and in the blink of an eye, held it in his tough and strong hands. He looked at Kagome, "Kaede give this to you?"

Kagome only wheezed and managed to nod her head.

Inuyasha nodded to her and then threw the bag in the garbage, "Damn her and her soy beans."

"Soy beans?"

Inuyasha eyed her, "She thinks I don't have enough vegetables in my diet, just like everyone else in my god damned life."

"Oh."

They continued to walk in silence, neither knowing how to break the stillness in the first place. Their footsteps echoed along the doorways as they weaved around people making their way downtown or uptown, whatever.

They passed a sushi restaurant and Kagome smelled the fishy smell from within, she smiled, "I have to go there some time!" She said more to herself than Inuyasha.

Inuyasha cringed but said nothing.

Kagome turned to him when he sighed, "Some thing wrong?"

"I just remembered that Myouga's making me fix the roof, we have a god damn leak right above my couch," Inuyasha sighed and swung his hands into his pockets.

Kagome nodded, "That sucks."

"Duh," he said quietly as he looked away and watched cars roll by. Kagome hated the intensely awkward silence between them and searched her brain for something to end the peacefulness between them. Not in a fight, but maybe a conversation?

She glanced at Inuyasha only to realize he wasn't there. She paused and looked over her shoulder. He was staring at a sign. She walked over to him and read the sign. It said

'Family discounts.' Kagome raised an eyebrow, why did Inuyasha care about that?

"Kagome?" Kagome jumped at the calmness of his voice. He looked into her eyes and held a pained expression.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a family?" Kagome was slightly taken aback by such a question.

She nodded, "Yes, a mother, brother and a grandfather." She looked at him, "Why?"

"When we get back, call them." Kagome looked at him. "Call them, and tell them you love them, before it's too late and you can't say you're sorry."

Kagome's eyes softened. Inuyasha didn't have a family, except Kaede, and she was his godmother. At least, that's what she supposed, she certainly didn't know for sure.

She smiled and patted Inuyasha's back, "I will."

Inuyasha nodded and continued on his way, "Come on, we don't want to get soaked by this rain."

Kagome smiled weakly and followed.

"God damn it everything is so over priced in this grocery store, we're going to the next one!" Sango declared as she grabbed Miroku's collar and dragged him outside into the pouring rain.

"Sango, I don't mean to be rude, but we have been at this for at least three hours and have yet to find anything to satisfy your grocery needs, can we please pick something so I can go home and watch my anime?" Miroku whined to Sango .

"Stop your bitching, Miroku, we'll be done soon," Sango said crossly as she tossed Miroku into the passenger seat of her car.

"That's what you said two hours ago!" Miroku whimpered again.

Sango sighed and glared at him, "Life isn't all about watching anime and take out. Life is not about getting what you want! Life is not about sitting on your ass as you pay the rent at your leisure, not having to worry about running out and not being able to feed your precious little kitten!"

Miroku looked at Sango with a look of understanding, when Sango grumbled and started driving like a drunk, he turned away with another whimper.

Sango paused and looked at Miroku's downcast eyes, "You're really hating this aren't you?"

Miroku looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "I suppose a little, but as long as I get to be around you, I'm fine!" Miroku flashed her one of his boyish grins and Sango found herself blushing a deep red.

"Well, the next grocery store I'll buy my stuff, I promise," she said smiling and returning to the road.

Miroku smiled softly and watched the rain plummet onto his passenger window.

Kagome sat at the kitchen table, armed with a pen and pencil and her trusty calculator as she performed her earlier math equation with the proper tools. She was determined to get enough money even if it kills her!

Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eyes as he pounded away on DDR. The annoying music was getting to Kagome he could tell by her tense shoulders so just to annoy her he turned the music up.

Kagome sighed and threw down her pencil, "will you turn that damn game off?"

"No way, I'm on a roll," Inuyasha said, his earlier compassion long gone as he danced away like an obsessed teenager.

Kagome glared and stood up, "Move it!"

"No way, why?" Inuyasha asked as he stopped dancing, allowing himself to fail the song for the sake of looking at her.

Kagome hopped onto the second pad, "I'm playing with you!"

Inuyasha stared and sighed, returning the game to the menu so he could make it a two-player game. "You any good?"

Kagome shrugged, "Not as good as you that's for sure."

"You'll be better than Miroku," Inuyasha sighed as the music came on and they started to pound away on the arrows, their steps synchronized perfectly. They looked at each other before laughing and turning back to the quickening dance steps, their eyes concentrating yet relaxed.

The pounding of their feet was heard below and the neighbors cursed the horny residences above them (the pounding suggesting they were doing something else) and how they should rot in hell and keep the baby.

The neighbors soon started hitting the ceiling with broomsticks, but the two didn't hear for they were having too much fun dancing with each other indirectly.

And this is how it went for the next half an hour, the gentle noises of Kagome's laughter filling the air like ringing bells as Inuyasha beat her for the fifteenth time.

She smiled at Inuyasha, "You're good."

Inuyasha shrugged as he turned off the game, "Yeah, but you gave me a run for my money, first actual workout I've gotten from that game in a long time." He glanced at the damp couch and sighed, "I should work on that roof."

Kagome nodded and watched as he carried the toolbox he'd stolen from Myouga and headed towards the balcony so he could reach the slanted rooftop.

Kagome watched as the rain plastered his shirt to his chest almost instantly as he reached up and placed the toolbox on the roof before he started to boost himself up, the muscles under his skin rippled and moved in a liquid fashion with him. His legs kicked the air slightly as he tried to use his upper body strength to lift his bulk up.

Kagome blushed when she realized she was staring at him from the other side of the glass sliding door. She sighed as she plopped down onto the semi-dry couch and watched as Inuyasha's bare feet disappeared from view. She sighed; he could be such a dumb ass, why wasn't he wearing shoes? What if he stepped on a nail and had to get tetanus shot? How would he pay for that?

She stood and walked onto the balcony, holding an umbrella, "Inuyasha?"

All she got was a grunt in response but she smiled slightly when his face appeared with an annoyed expression on his face. His hair fell down around him, drawing attention to his handsome face. He held a hammer in his hand and he mocked-growled down at her, "What?"

She held up the umbrella to him, ignoring the fact rain was pouring down into her raven hair. He stared shocked for a few moments before reaching down and grasping the green umbrella in his hand delicately, almost as if he'd break it if he were to grip it too tightly. He looked at her and smiled, "Thanks."

Kagome smiled and nodded before going back inside. She wondered why she was being so nice to the jerk that wanted to kill her cat, but tossed it aside as common courtesy: Nothing more, maybe something less.

Meanwhile, outside Inuyasha held the umbrella over his head as hair slipped from his damp braid. He growled softly as he searched for something to fix the leak(s). As he explored the stupid roof he discovered how cheap Myouga was, some of the old leaks had been patched up with sand paper and super glue. Not good, in case you carpenter-deprived people didn't know. However, Inuyasha was not one of those people, having taken several carpenter courses during the course of his high school years.

He sighed, "Myouga is such an ass!"



Sango and Miroku pulled up with Sango looking pleased with herself and Miroku looking like he'd just gotten the worst case of whiplash. One conclusion: Sango was driving.

Sango grabbed the two bags of groceries she'd bought and Miroku held his little yo-yo he'd been "beckoned" to buy. Sango eyed him as he chuckled at the fact that his yo-yo could go up and down.

"You're easily amused aren't you?" Sango asked annoyed that such a pervert could like a yo-yo, "You're like a two year old, honestly."

Miroku grinned softly as he played with the yo-yo, and then, he turned to Sango, "Sango look!"

Sango turned to watch Miroku do some crazy yo-yo tricks. She smiled, "That's pretty good..."

And then the yo-yo slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground, Miroku sighed sadly, "I've done better, though."

Sango smiled and patted his shoulder, "It was good."

"Why thank you Miss Sango," Miroku said as he rubbed Sango's ass with a smug grin on his face.

Sango glared at him before whacking him with her shopping bags, "Bastard."

Kagome fumbled with the picture frame that held a picture of herself and Kouga. She was debating whether to get rid of this or not, if Sango were here she'd tell her to kill the poor picture, but she couldn't bear to part with it. She felt tears prickling her eyes.

"I hate crying over a man!" She said as she grabbed the picture frame and flung it out the window.

A loud 'oof' could be heard from the outside, but Kagome didn't hear it, she was too busy crying.

Miroku growled when a picture frame hit him in the head and went skidding down the water drain, disappearing forever. Miroku rubbed his bump the pointed object had given him and looked around for the person who had thrown it.

He only saw Inuyasha on the roof, his back turned to him as he fixed the roof. Miroku growled, "That hurt Inuyasha," he screamed at Inuyasha and threw a rock up at the unsuspecting boy.

Inuyasha turned around when he heard his name being called and was greeted by a large rock hitting him in the face. Clutching his face he didn't realize he was falling off the roof until he felt pain run through his left leg and everything go black.



Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he sat up, "I will kill you Miroku!"

He expected to see his best friend run screaming from the apartment building rain blocking his vision of the direction he ran but was instead greeted with white walls.

"Shit, I finally went crazy and they put me in the crazy bin!" Inuyasha said clutching his head as he tried to jump up but pain shot through his left foot and he stopped quickly, "What the hell?"

He glanced around and saw the smiling face of Kagome as she laughed softly by his dazed and confused expression as she stood up and walked over to him. "Hello!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Inuyasha blinked and looked around, "Where am I?"

"In the hospital, Sango went to get food and Miroku followed her like a hopeless puppy, the idiot doctor told me to stay to make sure you didn't fall out of bed again!" she said with fake cheerfulness.

Inuyasha rubbed his head, "I feel like I was hit by a steamboat."

"Actually, you were hit by a rock and came tumbling off the roof and landed on your foot, breaking it."

Inuyasha blinked and tried to wiggle his toes, "Ooh."

"Are you ok?" Kagome asked in concern.

He glared at her, "Oh yeah, I'm just peachy considering that I was attacked by my best friend for no reason at all!"

Kagome's eyes looked pained for a second, "You don't have to be so mean damn you!"

"I'm not! I'm just extremely pissed off!" Inuyasha screamed at her.

"You're being a rude jerk. Next time you fall off a roof, I won't care! I'll step on you, just to prove how much I don't care!" Kagome screamed back as they stared at each other, sparks flying between them, but not sparks of any positive feelings.

Inuyasha smirked, "You wouldn't dare!"

"And why wouldn't I, I'll step on you now," Kagome said hopping onto the bed and holding her foot dangerously above his broken foot.

Inuyasha glared, but he could see Kagome's resistance in her eyes, so he was pretty fine, "I'll sue you!"

Kagome paused, "But I don't have enough money to be sued!"

Inuyasha smirked up at her, "Then you won't pound my foot!"

Kagome whimpered and jumped off the bed just as Sango and Miroku came in. Sango was eating a sandwich and Miroku had a red handprint and three large bumps on his head.

Kagome raised an eyebrow then smiled her fake cheerfulness back at full force, "Hey, Sango!"

Miroku snuck behind Sango, the evil glares Inuyasha was shooting at him was causing him to lose his nerve. "Don't kill me!"

"I won't kill you," Inuyasha said simply, "I'll torture you and make you wish I would kill you!"

Miroku gulped and ran from the room in screams.

Kagome sighed and turned to Sango, "Did you ask the doctor?"

"Yeah, he said that Inuyasha can leave the hospital today, but he has to rest when we get home," Sango said and shook her head. "Inuyasha, you are such an idiot, why'd you have to go and break your foot?"

"Its not like I had much of a choice, Sango, I had a rock thrown at my head!" Inuyasha barked, slightly annoyed that his foot was broken, "How the hell am I suppose to play DDR now god damn it?"

"Is that game all you care about? Damn Inuyasha, you need a hobby," Kagome sighed, "Take up model rockets or something, at least that uses your mind power."

Inuyasha growled when Sango commented on how Inuyasha didn't have any mind power.

Inuyasha and Kagome both sat on the couch. Sango and Miroku were out somewhere, Miroku having followed Sango again like the pathetic creature he is.

Kagome yawned as she clicked on the TV. She stared mindlessly at the TV for a while before she finally realized she was watching something about the events of the 20th century.

"Bah! There's nothing great about the 20th century, it sucked fucking ass," Kagome mumbled.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? The 20th century was awesome, it created the cotton gin, the steamboat, and the light bulb!"

Kagome sighed, "That was the 19th century you freaking idiot."

Inuyasha grumbled and stood up, putting all his weight onto his right foot, "Yeah, well I bet that they just stole it from the 20th century. So ha!"

Kagome sighed, "Tell me Inuyasha, did you ever finish high school?"

Inuyasha looked slightly hurt, "Oh course I did, I'm not stupid if that' s what you think!!"

"Could have fooled me," Kagome said as she dodged a half-hearted swipe from Inuyasha.