Eight

The universe was working against him.

Inuyasha was sure of it now.

"You do know that's unhealthy for you, right?" Kouga grinned.

"Shut the fuck up," Inuyasha snarled. The microwave was taking entirely too long. Seriously, it read three minutes, but he could swear that it had been at least six since he turned the machine on.

"Hey, I'm just stating a fact," Kouga sighed. "You need something else in your diet."

"I've got plenty of crap in my diet," Inuyasha replied. His nerves were quickly being worn thin, and Kouga was not helping any. "Soda, chips, vegetables when I can keep them in the house, fruit, sushi. I don't need anything else."

"Still, eating ramen seven days a week is going to make you fat," Kouga said, shaking his head.

"Doubt it." Inuyasha finally grinned, as the microwave beeped. He popped open the machine, drawing forth the steaming bowl filled with his delicious ramen, and then turned his attention to the bastard standing next to him. "What are you still doin' here, anyway?"

"Figured you could use the company," Kouga shrugged. "I saw Rin and Tsubaki coming over, and thought you might like to have some men in your company."

"Yeah, men," he chuckled. He knew for a fact that Ginta and Hakkaku were a little more than just friends. Which was probably also the reason he used to crack jokes about Kouga's sexuality when the bastard was trying to chase Higurashi Kagome's tail.

Kouga growled.

Inuyasha merely grinned, snapping his chopsticks a part and dipping them into his steaming bowl. Finally. A moment to fill his stomach with the glorious invention that was ramen and bask in the aroma filling his kitchen. A moment to allow his troubles to float away, while he forgot about his brat cousin and her stupid friend, and the fact that the girl he once loved was going to marry his half-brother.

"Why don't you just make out with it?" Kouga taunted him.

"Shut up," Inuyasha growled lightly. His nose took in the beef smell, causing his stomach to ache, and he finally lifted some of the noodles up toward his mouth. His tongue was already trembling, waiting for the delicious taste to hit his taste buds, and he knew he was beginning to drool.

Inuyasha shoved the noodles into his mouth.

He froze for only a moment, before he stewed the ramen noodles back out.

"Dude!" Kouga shouted, the meal all over the front of his clothing. "That's disgusting!"

"What's disgusting is this batch of noodles!" Inuyasha shouted, trying to get the taste off his tongue. He had tasted quite a few vile things in his life, but for some reason that ramen had gone down the wrong way. And that was saying a lot, since ramen never went down the wrong way.

Kouga turned red, shouting, "Then complain about it; don't spit it all over me!"

"Will you two shut up!" Rin's voice hollered from deep within the house.

Inuyasha roared, "Shut your mouth, brat! This is my home!"

"Nuh!" Rin replied.