TWELVE

"I've come bearing gifts!" they turned to see who's the owner of the cheerful voice and found a man with pale white skin, light blue eyes and light brown hair carrying brown paper bags on both hands and a bag hanging on his shoulder.

"Yeah, gifts just for my sister and the dogs, none for me." Ren complained as he followed behind.

"Oh you're a guy, deal with it." the man rolled his eyes but stopped short in his tracks upon seeing the full dining table, "Oh, a lot of new faces."

Kurenai went and introduced her friends from the Feudal era to her friend from the modern era and vice versa, "They're the reason why I called you here, Ryan. I would like to have the empty rooms decorated for them."

"Of course, no problem. But before that, Ren! Put this in the fridge before it melts!" he told Ren.

"Ice cream?" red eyes glittered with excitement.

"Yup and your favorite flavor too." he walked over to hug his friend when he noticed her foot, "Wha- What happened Kurenai?" he asked, flooded with worry.

"It's not serious, we were being silly and rode a couple of carts down a slope yesterday. Needless to say, we lost control and collided with each other. We got some minor wounds and I got a sprained ankle but we're alright." is the excuse that she and her brother came up with.

"Geez, it seems you guys had way too much fun. You're lucky to have walked away with just that." If he only knew, they all thought, "I hope you all get better soon but are you sure you want to do all this today? Don't you want to rest?"

"We won't really have time tomorrow and we'll be flying to New York the day after so we can only do this today." she replied, "I'm really sorry to be dragging you here all of a sudden."

Ryan waved a hand at her, "Oh doll, don't worry about it. I always have time for you." he stared at her and then to her friends at the table, "I can tell that this means a lot to you, I can try and get it done by the time you get back from New York."

"Really?" Kurenai's eyes went wide, "There's no need for you to do that, Ry."

"Don't worry about it! You know why you called me for this, I'm one of the best in house remodeling in LA." he winked.

"Indeed you are." she agreed with a smile, "Thank you Ry!"

"And I'll give you a discount if you cook me dinner and give me tickets to your anniversary concert." he grinned.

She giggled slightly, "That's an offer I will not refuse. Let's get to it then!"

Numerous home design magazines and sheets of paint swatches are splayed all over the breakfast bar of the kitchen island where Kurenai and Ryan moved to discuss the rooms remodeling while the others finished their breakfast. The dogs rested by their feet, keeping themselves close to their newly homecoming mother, it's an endearing sight.

Kurenai, Ren, and Ryan have agreed on how to divide the three bedrooms they have available aside from the guest bedroom downstairs. Inuyasha, Shippo and Miroku will be sharing the bedroom at the third floor where her brother's room is since it's a bit larger, Sango and Rin will share one of the bedrooms at the second floor and Sesshoumaru will have his own room which is also at the second floor. Everyone agreed to this setup, no one complained that only Sesshoumaru will have a room to himself since that just made sense to them.

"I trust your judgment that you'll be able to put together a room fit for this Sesshoumaru." is what Sesshoumaru said when Kurenai asked him about how he'd like his room to look like and to say that they were shocked is an understatement.

"Ha?" Kurenai stared at the daiyoukai, stupefied. Is he really giving up control and leaving this up to me? But seeing the demon lord's heavy scowl at her reaction snapped her out of her inner turmoil. "I-I see." her hands combed through the pile of paint swatches.

Her friends also left the whole decoration process to her which is not surprising but for the Sesshoumaru to give her full reigns is a different story, she thought he'd have more to say considering he's a man of discerning tastes but she is thrilled to be entrusted by him and she will not disappoint. She did take interior design as a minor in college.

"This shade of gray would be a perfect choice for him, it's an elegant color for a room and it's a like blank canvas that can be paired with other colors without clashing with it." she told Ryan as she tapped on the swatch that caught her eye.

Ryan leaned over and eyed the swatch, "Yeah, excellent choice." he went and tapped on the wall of the 3D room simulation on his iPad and tapped on the color his friend chose.

Kurenai added, "Let's say, shades of gray, silver and white color scheme for the furnishings. Oh, you can add some Victorian mirrors for the bedside, velvet and faux fur textures for the bed but keep everything elegant and clean…"

Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on Kurenai as she speaks, it may not be evident on his face but he is quite enthralled with the woman. Her thoughtfulness and proficiency as she exchanged ideas with her friend is admirable, she made sure that the rooms are designed around everyone's personality while prioritizing their comfort. That's why he did not hesitate to leave his room on her hands and he was right, her choices for his room is something that he's comfortable with and he's looking forward to the results.

Kurenai continued to discuss the designs with Ryan while her guests from the Feudal era watched curiously and are busy getting acquainted with ice cream, which she's glad they're enjoying as much as she does. Though she found Sesshoumaru flinching because it was too cold on his teeth while Inuyasha vocally complained about it. The kids are enjoying it a lot as expected.

Another half an hour passed before they were able to finalize everything.

"Okay, we've got everything pretty much covered now." Ryan scooped his stuff up and shoved it into his bag, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you weren't a famous musician, you would be an amazing interior designer, doll."

"It was easy because I've known them for a while so I have an inkling as to what they like." she answered.

"I'll pop in later to take the measurements." he tucked his materials into his bag.

"That would be perfect. Thank you Ry." she wasn't able to stop a huge yawn from escaping her lips, her eyelids feel like bags of cement, "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Doll, you should rest already, your eyes are bloodshot and it looks like you're close to losing the fight to keep them open." Ryan said full of concern as he leaned in and pressed his cheek on hers, "I'll see you later." then he turned to the guests, "I'll be back guys! Get comfortable!" he waved at them and Ren walked him to the door.

"Well that went well." she stretched and yawned again.

"Wench, go get some sleep already." Inuyasha urged her, worried about how tired she looks. Even her furry babies are whimpering at her to rest.

"Guess I should huh."

Her brother trotted towards her, "C'mon peaches, let's get you to your room."

She raised a finger before Ren can scoop her up, "Wait brother, sleeping arrangements." she said, looking their guests over.

Ren sighed, "Peaches, I'll take care of it." but she pouted at him, "You've been traveling to the Feudal era way too long that you forgot we have two bunk beds at the guest bedroom. I'll have Sango, Rin, Shippo and Sesshoumaru stay there. If that's alright with you guys?" the brother's question is mostly directed at Sesshoumaru and when he did not respond, Ren assumed he's fine with it, "Miroku and Inuyasha can stay with me."

"I'd love to offer my room but…" she said apologetically.

"You need to rest with no disturbances wench, we'll manage. Hell, you can have us all sleep on the floor and we will be comfortable." Inuyasha added.

The siblings looked at each other, there's a certain weight to the look that confused their guests.