All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter Thirty Five

Luxury's Lap

When he got home, his father was still there. The man had been lying down on the sofa a lot lately, ever since his side was wounded. Part of Inu Yasha thought that maybe, he was trying to let himself heal, but he knew it was just because the man was lazy and didn't like doing much of anything that didnt involve drugs or alcohol.

Part of him was worried that he would stay at the house through the weekend, but then he realized that even if he did, Inu Yasha would just go to the party anyways. And somehow, the lack of beatings made him less afraid of the man. He felt a little bit more at ease with the man, however, he was still bombarded by the constant nervousness he had felt before. There was just less of it.

He was now completely determined he would attend the party. Of course, he would just have to kill himself for missing it after spending so much time getting Sango's presents. He had already told Shippou of the plans for this weekend and he squealed loudly as he realized he was going. He was so happy, Inu Yasha remembered.

Presently, he sauntered over to the sofa and looked at the man briefly. He felt something very close to guilt stir inside him. It was, however, shoved away very forcefully by his mind, that knew better than to waste compassion on on something that didn't feel. The man looked over to him and then turned his attention back to the television.

"Are ... are you going ... out?" Inu Yasha asked softly.

The man paused for a few seconds before replying to him. "Maybe. I 'unno." he mumbled, drunkenly. He poured some of the beer onto a napkin and dabbed it onto the wound on his stomach. Yellow pus had ringed the stab. He had put some anti bacterial lotion on the wound but it didnt appear to be working. It was looking pretty off-putting and Inu Yasha looked away.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked curiously

"Tch ... I think it's like ... supposed to help it or something ... didn't they always give soldiers back in the old days alcohol before they cut their legs off and crap?" Inu Yasha raised an eyebrow and looked dumbly at him. He almost wanted to correct the man, but fear told him not to.

He walked off to his room, deciding that he would need to pick out clothes for the party now. He dug around through the pile of his room that served as a closet and tried to find something nice looking to wear. The only presentable thing he owned was the haori and hakama pants that Kagome's mother had given to him and those were just for special occasions that warranted their use. Normal teenagers didn't walk around in them.

He found a pant and shirt outfit that he thought was kind of okay and decided that it would be best to wash them first. He brought them over to the waching machine and then decided to wash all his clothing, since it all stunk. He dumped all the clothes in the machine, poured in some detergent and ran the machine. He would check back in an hour or so to put them in the dryer, which he knew he would have to run twice since it was nearly worthless as a dryer.

He woke up saturday morning and felt almost as if he had slept for days, so he leapt right out of bed and dashed over to the dryer and pulled out clean clothing from it. He skipped to the kitchen and threw water on for ramen.He went back to his room and stroked Shippou's back. He was greeted with a friendly chirp of a meow. The kitten rolled over and faced him, blinking in the light. He stretched out and meowed. "We're leaving in an hour or so to go to Kagome's house." he whispered so softly that only Shippou could hear him. The kitten rolled over to its feet and arched his back in another stretch and then meowed. "I'll get you some food, kay?" he said softly.

He scampered towards the kitchen to grab a can of tuna, however, he was distracted by a sound. His father was calling him. He dashed towards the couch and stood audience. "I'm hungry. Can you make me something?" he mumbled, hardly turning his attention away from the television set. This was certainly an odd thing to InuYasha. He actually asked instead of commanding him. Either way, he knew he would have to do what the man said, but when he said it nicely like that, it made him feel more ... comfortable? Not really, since it actually kind of freaked him out, but the question seemed so harmless.

"What?" he asked.

"Pft. I dunno. We have eggs?" he asked as he scratched his head.

"I'll check." he mumbled as he scurried to the fridge. "Yeah, we have two." he said.

"Fine. Scrambled, then." he called.

Inu Yasha started to work diligently, almost forgetting that he had promised food for Shippou. He buttered the pan, mixed the eggs, and poured them on the pan. Stirring them every couple of seconds as they started to take form. He salted them, finished them, and served them. The man took the plate and ate heartily. Inu Yasha stood stupidly and watched him eat. The man looked at him and raised a brow before Inu Yasha scuttled back to his room. He thought he heard a chortle of laughter as he dashed away.

He got back to his room, saw Shippou and said "The tuna!" he walked back to the pantry and pulled out a can, then remembered he left water on the stove for ramen. He dashed back to the stove and pulled the pot off. There was maybe a fourth of a cup of water in it. The rest had boiled away. He put some more in and put it back.

He went back to his room and sat on the bed. He pulled back the tab on the can, and a blast of tuna smell exploded through the room. Shippou stared at it eagerly and after Inu Yasha pulled the top off, he licked at it greedily. Shippou was almost always in his cat form when the boy's father was home, since he knew that he would probably make some sort of noise if he were human. "We'll be going to Kagome's house soon. After I have breakfast." he said softly. Shippou purred next to him as he lapped away the juice on top of the tuna.

Inu yasha got up and walked to the stove, he needed to attend to his ramen.

Inu Yasha had snuck out of the house through his window. Sure, he could have gone through the door, but his father might have noticed. Not that it mattered, since the man was bedridden (er, couchridden), but he didn't feel right about it, somehow.

He was walking up the stairs to Kagome's home, where he found her waiting for him. She smiled, waved, and skipped towards him, quickly encasing him in a friendly hug. Shippou, in cat form, leapt onto her shoulder with perfect grace and fluidity. She picked him off her shoulder and cradled him close to her chest, scratching under his chin and smiling as he purred.

"Inu Yasha, want to see my new bathingsuit?" she asked.

"Um, okay." he mumbled.

She led him up the stairs to the living area of her home and pulled out of a suitcase a fresh new black bathing suit. It was simple and only bore a single fish picture on the side. "Neat, right?" He nodded and smiled. In America, where I lived, a lot of my friends had pools, so I used to swim there. Not anymore though ..." she muttered somberly. "Anyways," she said turning her attention towards him. "I'm sure you want to visit my garden, even though my flower is dead." she said. She could tell from the smile that spread across his lips that a 'yes' was his answer.

Shippou, still a cat, had yet to transform into a human for one reason: He wanted to have Kagome's full and complete attention when he did. Inu Yasha was slightly irritated by the level of pride this new ability had brought the boy he considered family. What was so great about being human anyways? He loved Shippou though, so he tried his hardest to repress those feelings.

The two of them, Inu Yasha and Kagome, strolled next to eachother along a stone path leading around the garden. Inu Yasha, no matter how many times he saw it, was continually amazed with the beauty of the garden. He liked this place more than anything, even his former favorite place, the tree in the soccer field. The vibrant greens and and hues of colors never ceased to overwhelm him completely, almost reducing his awareness to that of someone who is halfway asleep. Of course, he'd have to be asleep to have such a wonderful dream. For what other possible explanation could there be for something so unreal?

Kagome looked over to his dazed out friend and smiled softly. "You really like the outdoors don't you?" she asked.

Snapping out of a daze, Inu Yasha replied "Yeah." He answered correctly though at the time had no idea what the question being asked was.

"I do too. Did I tell you that I would always come here when I was younger?" she said and laughed. "Sorry, but I just can't remember what I tell to who."

"Yeah, you said something like that." he said, recalling a conversation held in this particular garden weeks ago,

"I wish I had a place like this." he said. "I only have my backyard and it's really ugly." he said bitterly. With the mention of the backyard, he remembered Sesshomaru, and felt guilty. He never met him, but the boy was family, and in a way, Inu Yasha really deeply loved him. He didn't quite understand how, but something about the half brother he never met made him feel bonded to him in a way he hadn't felt with anyone else. Shippou was like a son, Miroku was like a friend, but Sesshomaru was a brother, something he'd never experienced before. Albeit, the blood that tied them was blood he hated more than anything, but still.

They had suffered the same.

Only, Sesshomaru didn't last as long.

Inu Yasha accidentally bumped into Kagome and turned deco pink as he apologized softly. She giggled, and for the first time in a while, he felt a little more at ease around her. Her laugh brought back so many memories. He grinned and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Inu Yasha was truly astounded at how huge Sango's house was. It was enourmous! A mansion, and very luxurious. He concluded instantly that her parents must be incredibly wealthy because Inu Yasha hadnt ever been in a house like this. (Truth be told, Kagome's was much larger, but most of her house was a shrine. The living area was actually only about as big as an average apartment.) Kagome didn't seem very fazed by it and he wasn't sure if it was because Sango's house only seemed big to him since he was used to such a small home, or because her shrine was larger.

Either way, he just couldn't get over the fact that he was standing in such a nice looking home. He stepped in through the doors wearily but Kagome dashed out of the car, leaping to Sango and giving her a hug.

After Kagome removed herself from Sango, the girl waved and smiled warmly at Inu Yasha, who in turn, ran over and greeted her. Shippou, now in full boy form, tottled over to the girl from behind him. "Ooh! Who's that?" she giggled out.

Inu Yasha looked down at Shippou. Huh, that's ... " Brilliance struck him. "My cousin." Both Kagome, and more importantly, Shippou, passed strange glances at him, but neither said a word. "On my human side." he said. Sango smiled and waved at the boy.

"Hi!" she said, and sounded very much like she was speaking to a child. Shippou grinned. He liked the attention. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Shippou!" the boy chirped. Then he blushed, adorably of course, and stood partially behind Inu Yasha's leg.

"You're excited about coming to my party, aren't ya?" The boy nodded eagerly. "Ha! Of course you are! See, I read minds." Shippou giggled and squirmed as he tugged on a part of Inu Yasha's pants.

"Come in!" she chirped, a welcome tone ringing along with her voice. "Inu Yasha, you've never been to my house, right?" He shook his head. "I'll show you around then! Miroku will be here soon though, and then the limo will come and take us to the hotel."

"You mean, we're going to ride a limo to the hotel?" he said, stunned. Sango gave him an odd stare as if her single raised eyebrow was trying to say 'Isnt that what I just said?'.

He walked through the house in awe, barely able to function because of shock. Did everyone but him live like this? Well, Miroku's house had certaintly been more average looking but still, it was a dream compared to his own house. He saw the two bedrooms, the master bathroom, with the impressive bath that resembled a hot tub. He viewed the licing room, and saw Sango's mother lazily taking a draw from her cigarette as some television show- he wouldn't know which one it was- played on. The house seemed enormous to him. He felt like his house wasnt really a house compared to Sango's. It was just a bucket, or a tin can.

Some fifteen minutes later, Miroku came and before he knew it, the limo had arrived to whisk them all away. Inu Yasha felt his heart thump inside his chest. He wasn't very surprised that Sango's mother wasn't taking them. In fact, it kind of made him feel a little more normal to know that he wasn't the only one who had a parent that didn't have time or attention for their children like Kagome's mother had for her. He wasn't the only one who lacked the closeness and coziness of Miroku's household. He was utterly shocked however that a limo was taking them to the hotel. A limousine! And his whole life he thought that they were only for famous people, like popstars, or actors.

He felt almost uncomfortably spoiled. He started to wonder what his father was thinking as he climbed into the car. Did he notice the boy's absence? Was he angry? Maybe he was worried! Inu Yasha almost liked that idea.

The inside of the limousine had to be just about the most amazing thing he had ever seen (well, aside from anything he had seen at Kagome's house.) The roof had little lights that lit up and changed colors, like stars, and the seats were coated with cool black leather. A blast of crisp air conditioned wind hit him and he liked it. His ears flickered on his head as he heard someone else shifting the teenager's luggage. Someone was putting their things away? Why would they do that? He wanted to go out and put away his own bag of clothing, but the others getting in the car behind him hindered his path.

He took a seat at the end row that faced the driver (though the driver was blocked off by a tinted window. There was one seat and one corner next to him. Miroku sat on the seat near him but was soon ushered by Sango to the place where she sat. This, of course, left the last seat to Kagome, who smiled softly at him as she slid gracefully into the cushion.

The ride to the hotel was long, but it didn't seem that way, since theey had spent most of the time talking with one another and playing around with the light settings in the car which proved to be strangely entertaining to the group. Kagome had ended up shifting around in her seating quite frequently, she would go over to Sango, and play with her and Miroku for a while. Then, she would look over to him, and he would look away, because always he looked towards her. She would mutter something that she mumbled and trod over to him, smiling and provoking innocent conversation for a while. Then she would go back to chirp and play with Sango.

Shippou as well seemed to be a fan of walking around the car while it was moving. Maybe it was because he didnt know if he should sit with Inu Yasha or his new friends, or because Sango told him that whenyou walk around a moving car, it's like being a space man.

Inu Yasha found he enjoyed looking out the window. For almost the first time in his life, he realized how much of the world he had never seen before. He'd only traveled an hour or two at the most away from his house by foot. And even though he was a demon, that distance was still very small compared to what distance could be covered in that time by car. There were many things to be seen and smells to be smelled. Of course, he could smell very little from the car. However, you can bet that if he knew which button to press, he would have rolled the window down a little. There were so many buttons for this car. Why did a car need so many goddamned buttons?

Inu Yasha gazed dreamily out the window, shocked by the hotel as the limousine drifted into the lobby entrance. He never remembered staying in a hotel. Well, he actually never remembered staying in a nice one. He did recall, however, staying at several motels after his mother died. For about a year, neither of them had a very stable life. They were constantly moving, constantly changing, and always on the run.

A man wearing a black coat and a round hat opened the door, and Kagome, who was closest to him, exited first, tossing a friendly smile at the man who opened the door as he helped her out with his hand. Inu Yasha slid out the door and stepped towards the hotel entrance. It was so grand, he thought, so grand. Sango and Miroku hopped out, cheerily. Miroku seemed maybe a little less shocked than Inu Yasha at how nice the hotel was, but was still pretty awed.

Sango hopped out last and bounded towards the entrance. She turned to the rest of them, and shouted "I'm going to check in, can you guys just watch the luggage for a little?" The driver came along with her and the bell boy helped unload suitcases onto a golden cart. Inu Yasha stood stupefied, until Kagome bumped into him, purposefully. He looked over to her and grinned with half of his face. "It's a nice hotel." she said, cheerfully.

"Uh huh." he mumbled dumbly.

Author is Pathetic

Yes, I am lazy, and stressed out and overloaded with school, and angst. Which is weird. I dont deserve to be stressed, I'm not really even doing anything. I havent written in weeks. I just want to lie in my bed and sleep, because, seriously, sleep is sooo good.

And I'm not living with my dad anymore. But I get to go out and have dinner with him a lot. So its fun, albeit unrealistic. Ah well, this chapter, I was writing anything and I felt bad, I HAD to upload SOMETHING. And guess what else? I BEAT 100 000 WORDS! OH YEAHZ!

The happy is overwhelming.

Not much happens. Inu Yash FINALLY gets to the hotel. God, its taken forever, but he's there, and things can only get fluffier. He's sitting on the patent leather lap of luxury. I know its cliche, but I have no idea what else to name this chapter.

Thank you for your support and sickly sweet flattery. Oh yes, flattery is good. You are all the coolness and I sincerely thank you for taking time to read my story, and stick with it, even when Iím being a bad Inu Kun, and with holding chapters four weeks upon weeks.

And just to throw out something random, I am making a whistle in pottery and its shaped like a mushroom. Holy begeezis, so awesome. Yay, I shall paint it green and put 1 up on it. Yay, Mario, yay.

Bye!