Disclaimer: I'm getting so tired of writing these…I don't own Inuyasha.

A/N: OMG! I'm so sorry that it took me this long to update. I'm sure you probably don't want to hear about my excuses but I'm going to tell them to you anyway. Well this week was really hectic; the local news in Seattle came to my school so we had to prepare for that. Then I had 5 tests to prepare for. One in Spanish, one in English, one in Geometry, an essay to write for my history class, and a presentation for Biology. sigh So much to deal with. But now that this week is over I'm just happy to be free. I'm planning to get my hair cut, I wanted to dye the ends blue or white but my mom wouldn't let me. Jeez! She said my hair is already too damaged. Yea, so I'm pretty much pissed at her now. So yes! I should get back to the story for all of you!

Cigarettes and Lavender

Chapter 5-Doorsteps

Bi polar

"It's not much, but it's all I have and I want you to take it." Inuyasha held out an array of coins and of folded bills to Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome. His face was turned to his shoes, as if he was afraid he would scare them if he looked up.

It seemed like forever before anyone even dared to make a sound. The silence and tension could be cut with a knife. Inuyasha's hands had gotten considerably more clammy as time passed, his breathe was shallow fearful that if he make the slightest of noises something would happen. Of course he didn't have a clue what, but just the fact that it would break the silence was enough to terrify him.

And then it was broken. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Not that Mrs. Higurashi's voice sounds like that; it just broke the stillness in a startling manner. "I'm sorry, we can't accept that." Her voice was calm.

Inuyasha looked up, his eyes confused and questioning. He didn't say anything, he just stared.

She read his mind saying, "Well, that's too little, we paid quite a deal of money on your injuries young man, and here you are giving us this much?" She held up the bits of coins and bills and then dropped them back into his hand. He looked down at his feet again, his cheeks turning bright red with shame. He still held out the money, like he didn't know he was doing it, but somewhere in the back of his mind he wished that if he held it there long enough they might take it. No such luck.

"I guess that just means you'll have to stay here…" Inuyasha's head snapped up his eyes wide and confused. "You know… to pay off the debt." Her eyes twinkled in amusement, and Kagome giggled behind her hand.

"We'll give you food and a room…for your labor." Mrs. Higurashi held out her hand waiting for Inuyasha to comprehend all that he was hearing. Kagome changed her attitude to match one of businesswoman's and also held out her hand, trying to keep her face straight.

Inuyasha's mind didn't seem like it could keep up, and that was one hard thing to do. 'Why the hell are they doing this?' He couldn't quite comprehend it, but he understood it well enough that he knew it was okay…it was safe. He smiled and shook Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome's hand with politeness and eagerness.

They put him to work right away. He swept the shrine grounds, washed the floors, vacuumed, cleaned the windows, and various other things. Most of his tasks he assigned to himself, he wanted to make sure that he made up all of the trouble he caused the Higurashi family.

Today wasn't any different; he got out of his warm bed, keeping quiet as to not wake Souta who was sprawled out across his Dinosaur bed spread. He was lucky that Souta had kept his bunk bed. They had decided that it was best if the younger boy slept on the top bunk while his temporary house guest took the bottom. Inuyasha was happy with any decision.

He was still borrowing clothes, but when he got enough money he would go out and buy his own attire. Kagome once told him that the clothing had belonged to her late father. He didn't ask what had happened.

Her dad's pants were a little short and they reached just above the ankle. His shoes were left intact after the mugging and he was thankful, he would've died if they had taken his Converses. He decided that he would take a walk in this early morning fog. He guessed it had to have been 3 or 4 in the morning. 'I suppose the routine of taking walks in the morning hasn't quite worn off.' He thought as he pulled a borrowed sweat-shirt over his head.

Inuyasha carried his backpack with him and walked down the 257 steps leading from the shrine to the main road. It was cold outside and he could see his breathe, it looked like smoke. It was foggy and wet, and it made him yearn for hot cocoa, but he kept walking. As a habit, he pulled out his cigarettes and lit one taking a long drag.

He walked down the street heading in no particular direction, every once in awhile cars would speed pass him. 'I wonder if there's a park nearby.' That's really the only thing he missed about Kofu. The park near his house was so serene and hushed.

It was an hour later before he decided to turn back, he never found a park. It was relatively easy to find his way back and he kept himself busy watching his breathe because he could no longer smoke. He was afraid he'd run out of his cigarettes and he wouldn't have a way of getting anymore. Walking up those steps would kill a man and he resolved that he liked escalators better.

He was taken aback when he saw Kagome sitting out on the front doorstep, a blanket hanging loosely off her shoulders. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and her hair wet from the early morning dew. She looked like a doll, the kind where you're too afraid to touch them because they might break. She was sleeping and her light breathes floated through the air and adding to the fog.

Inuyasha walked up to her and kneeled besides her figure. He cleared his throat, hoping that would be enough to wake the resting girl. She didn't move an inch. He coughed a little and she stayed still. Enough was enough; he wasn't going to sit around all day trying to wake her up. He shook her with enough force to wake an elephant and she sat up with a start, her arms flying wildly in the air. She turned to see him, wide eyed and backing up.

"Er…I'm sorry." She bowed her head, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.

"Uh, that's ok."

There was an uncomfortable silence and both debated whether to start up a conversation. He was sitting next to her on the front porch, both of their faces turned towards the ground. Inuyasha broke it with the obvious question.

"So…uh…what are you doing out here?"

"Oh! Well, I heard you get up and when I saw you walking down the steps I thought you were leaving. So I came out here and waited for you…I just…wanted to make sure you were ok, and that you weren't going away." Her head seemed to be glued in a downward position.

"Oh…Thank you." He felt lightheaded. After all, it isn't very often Inuyasha had this sort of attention. It felt nice. He wondered briefly how she woke when he left but not when he tried to, but quickly pushed it aside. The silence wasn't as uncomfortable now, and they both sat there looking at the early morning mist.

It was a while later when Kagome spoke. "So, um, I've been thinking. Since you're going to be living with us now, I thought that maybe we should get to know each other better. So, do you want to walk me to school in the morning so we can talk and stuff?" She was all fidgety and it bothered Inuyasha. It made him feel like he needed to fidget too.

"Sure." This girl interested him.

"You want to go inside for some hot cocoa?" She had stopped fidgeting, making him feel more comfortable and he nodded.

"Where do you think he is? It's not like him to miss school." Worried violet eyes met brown ones. (A/N: See! My fetish)

"It's probably just a cold, Miroku. There's a bug going around." Sango kept cool headed despite the sickening feeling in her gut.

"For the short time I've known him I know he'd rather be here at school than sick in bed."

"And how do you know this?" Sango stopped in the hallway turning to face the dark haired boy.

"I'm not sure…" He said with a thoughtful profile. "I can just tell, I mean it just seems like him. He isn't one to sit around and wait, but…I think there's something going that neither one can grasp."

Sango raised an eyebrow in a questioning stare but ignored his comment and continued walking down the hall. " What do you think we should do?" She said quietly.

"So you think it's odd too?"

She nodded and held her books closer to her chest. "Yea, but…I'm not really sure if we should do anything, I mean…we don't know him that well."

"Well enough."

"I don't know." She seemed uneasy, but knew what was right and turned to the boy standing next to her. "what are we going to do?"

"Get a phonebook."

"What?" She turned towards him her brows furrowed in puzzlement.

"Let's find his address, we should visit him."

"Yea…I guess."

"We'll go after school; we could get his address from the phone booth."

"I can't believe I haven't asked you this before!" Kagome was racking her brain for questions while she and Inuyasha walked to her school. "How old are you?" It was really quite a dumb question; it probably should have been one of the first ones asked.

He smiled, not bothered by it. "Seventeen."

"Wow, you're only a year older than me. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Probably." He didn't look up at her and all of the sudden he felt like he needed a cigarette. His palms were sweaty despite the cold weather.

"Why aren't you in school?" She sounded genuinely curious.

"Because…" He didn't have an answer.

"Because?"

"Because…I don't want to go." That was a lie, along with a lot of other things.

"Oh…so you dropped out?" It didn't sound like an accusation or anything, but she made him nervous which made him want to end the conversation quickly.

"Something like that. So…er…what's your favorite color?" 'God, what a stupid question! Nice move asshole.' While Inuyasha berated himself Kagome wondered what this boy was hiding but tossed the into the don't-care-right-now trashcan.

"It depends on my mood really." She answered. "Today…I think it's green." She grinned at him.

"Why?"

"Well…doesn't everything look greener when it's rained, and last night poured. Spring has such weird weather, but anyway…I find that trees and things are pretty to look at after it's rained. Don't you?" She turned her view to the trees lining the sidewalk and the early morning grass.

"I suppose…I always thought it looked more…cold and murky."

"I guess it's the way you look at things."

"I guess so." There really wasn't anything else to say, and that was okay. They continued walking down the street, his hands in his pockets and hers holding her book bag. The silence was welcomed.

"So this is the place?" Miroku looked at the torn piece of notebook paper that had Inuyasha's home address messily scrawled on it and then back to the two story house in front of them.

It wasn't pleasant and it wasn't a awful. It was painted a sickly pale pinkish color with a darker pinkish trim. The fence that lined the backyard was broken and cracked in so many places it was pretty much useless. The yard was overgrown and the paint was pealing from the siding, but it was suitable and it wasn't as terrible as some of the other houses in the neighborhood. (A/N: Yea, so like, I basically just described my old house.)

"Yea…I think so, according to the directions." They considered themselves fortunate that only one Takashi lived in Kofu, otherwise they'd be in some serious trouble. They hopped out of Miroku's truck and walked to the front door, knocking twice then stood waiting for an answer.

It had been raining last night and the gutters of the run-down house were still trying to get rid of the water. That's all that was heard, the steady sound of the gutter's draining and the occasional shrug of clothing of one of the two teenagers that stood on the doorstep.

"I don't want anymore chocolate and I really don't want to convert to your religion." A feeble voice sounded from the other side of the door, no one could be seen through the tiny slit the person had opened up. They were beginning to close the door when Miroku's hand shot out and stopped it from shutting on him and Sango.

"Actually, we're not here for either of those things."

The door slowly opened to relieve a woman in her late thirties. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail. The right side of her face sported a large bruise, her eyes were red and her cheeks were blotchy. She had been crying. "What do you want?"

"We're classmates of Inuyasha, and we were wondering if he was sick today." Miroku still held the door open, afraid that if he didn't she would surely slam it in his face.

He wasn't sure if she was angry or crestfallen, but her face contorted and she turned to glare at the both of them like they had committed some crime. "You have no right coming here to ask about him! It's none of your business what goes on in this house and I suggest you recognize that! Don't go around sniffing into other people's business! You have no right!" She waved her finger around madly while saying this before she finally stopped and slammed the door. Sango and Miroku could hear the lock from the other side. Something here wasn't right and they both knew it.

A/N: If I got anything wrong please tell me. I'll try to update sooner next time. And thank you once again to all of my splendid reviewers; you're all truly lovely. :D