FIVE
They wheeled through two steel gates into an expansive lawn elegantly landscaped with wispy pine trees, wine red maple trees and manicured emerald green shrubs. Their guests stared at the scenery wide-eyed which got even wider as their vehicle came to a halt in front of a huge, modern three-story house branching out to another single story house connected by a glass hallway.
"WHAT?!" the guests except for Sesshoumaru yelped.
"Yup, this is our home. I told you it's not bad at all." the olive-eyed grinned at his astounded passengers through the rearview mirror before facing the full demon to teach him how to unfasten the seatbelt and open the car door.
"Let me help you guys out over there." Ren got out of the car and the other passengers bombarded Kurenai with questions.
"Are you actually a princess mama?" Shippo asked excitedly.
"Are you actually an equivalent of Lord Sesshoumaru in this time?" Miroku added, still eyeing the house.
"Speak up wench!" Inuyasha spat.
As the flurry of questions filled the vehicle, Sesshoumaru stepped out of the vehicle and examined the modern architecture. Very few things impress the Lord of the West and this elegant and massive structure in front of him is definitely one of them.
He heard Kurenai speak from inside the car, her voice laced with a chuckle, "Okay people, calm down. No, I'm not a princess and no, I'm not an equivalent of Sesshoumaru, have you seen his castle? Everything we have is a product of our ten years of hard work."
This information made the residence seem all the more incredible to the daiyoukai knowing that Kurenai and Ren achieved it through their own abilities and perseverance in comparison to how he acquired his castle with no effort at all.
Sesshoumaru is especially in awe of Kurenai. In his era where women are viewed to be inferior to men, it's remarkable to come across a woman who works to achieve extraordinary things. This thought roused an unfamiliar warmth within the daiyoukai, an emotion he found confusing and dangerous at the same time and he ultimately decided to push it aside.
Ren led them into the house with his sister in his arms and their eyes wandered all over the house's exterior.
The house exuded sophistication and luxury tied with the warmth of the owners that live in it. Its contemporary façade is clean and crisp with its straight lines and white painted walls with black trimmings and gray stone accents. The first floor showed minimal signs of windows while the second and third floor's abundant floor-to-ceiling windows created a semi-panoramic reflection of the nature surrounding the house.
As they step inside, two full-grown dogs and one little puppy raced towards them barking.
"Woah!" they took a step back and Sango got worried because she's got Kirara with her.
Kurenai was quick to reassure her guests, "Calm down, guys. They're a friendly bunch and they're fine with cats Sango, don't worry." The dogs stopped in front of Ren barking and whimpering and actively pushing themselves on two feet, clearly calling for the woman's attention.
"They're just excited to see her and of course worried." Ren added.
"Put me down Ren so I can say hi."
The heads of the foreigners from the Feudal era swiveled in curious scrutiny of the sophisticated interiors as they treaded down the white painted halls paved with polished light hardwood floors. One side of the hall is adorned with a large sectional Venetian mirror over a sleek, black console table decked with metallic silver vases and white candles on a black decorative plate. On the opposite side are frosted glass double doors with unfrosted swirl patterns allowing a peek into an office, they passed another hall on their left and a staircase snaking from the second floor before they stepped into a wide, bright room enclosed in floor-to-ceiling glass windows giving a breathtaking view of the backyard with a swimming pool overlooking the city skyline.
"Whoa." they gasped in awe.
"Wait till you see it at night. Welcome to Hollywood Hills." Ren said as he padded down a few steps into the sunken living room and settled his sister down on a cozy L-shaped couch. The dogs were all over her in an instant, nuzzling and licking furiously, earning giggles from the miko.
"Yes, yes. I missed you too." she ran her hands over them, "Careful with the foot okay? And don't squish Toffee."
Kurenai's friends find the scenario quite amusing, the dogs clearly adore her and it's no wonder how she can handle the temperamental hanyou.
Even the ever cold Lord Sesshoumaru finds it interesting that she has such an affectionate bond with species same with him, but he guessed it's no surprise since she can put up with his insufferable half-brother.
"They're dogs that we adopted over time. They're her babies." their friend's brother stated.
"Oh, they're the 'boys'." Sango guessed as they watched Kurenai get mobbed by the cutest gang to ever exist.
"Yeah. When they heard me call her name and the anxiety in my voice, they became anxious as well, I had a hard time stopping them from coming with me."
"She's loved." Miroku chuckled.
"Oh, but there's still one missing." Ren pointed.