Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. But I do own two Inuyasha Playstation 2 games!

Author's Note: Yay to all of you who reviewed!

Ms.Sucker for romance

pixelpink

MirrorFlower and DarkWind

Kitkatka101

doggi girl

Ishy Carnvajal

crazyfroggster8

Thanks for commenting! I was relieved when you guys said it had a mysterious feel to it. I didn't think I was very good at mysteries. And some of you think that Kagome is still alive. Who knows? The title isn't called Dead for no reason. Pretty please R&R!!

Chapter 2: Respite

"Oh, Kouga! Can I please go swimming? Pretty please?" Ayame begged her fiancé. The three cars holding the vacationers had finally reached the beach, already crowded with visitors who were staying for only a couple of hours.

Inuyasha rolled his amber eyes and Sango giggled. The look on Kouga's face was getting incredibly annoyed, yet it was hilarious to Sango and Shippo.

Inuyasha popped open the trunk to his car and began unloading the luggage. Shippo had carpooled with him, Miroku, and Sango since he didn't have a driver's license yet. Sango stood beside him and helped him with the bags. Of course, her bags were the heaviest since it was natural for a girl to over pack.

She kicked off her white sandals and let her feet graze the powdered sand. It felt nice to move around after the four-hour drive. She was wearing jean shorts with a tank top, her long brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

"Pretty please?" Ayame whined again. Her hands were folded over her chest and she was giving the wolf demon a puppy pout.

"No, Ayame," the black-haired Kouga growled as he reached into the open trunk of his car.

"Pleeeeeeeease?" She tried again.

The hanyou groaned. "Kouga, just say yes already so she can shut up!"

"I agree," Miroku piped up.

"Me, too," Kikyou agreed. She pulled out her suitcases and placed them flat on the ground.

"Fine," Kouga gave in. "But don't flirt with any guys, got it?"

"Oh, darn it," Ayame sarcastically said with a roll of her aquamarine eyes. She yanked off her shorts and T-shirt to reveal a hot pink and white striped bikini. She grabbed a towel from the back of Kouga's car and wrapped it around her waist.

"Don't forget to stretch, dear," Sango imitated Kouga's masculine voice.

"Shut up, Sango," he muttered.

"Yeah, shut up, Sango," Inuyasha added.

"Shut up," Sango mumbled, nudging her hanyou friend in the ribs.

"Why don't all of you shut up?" Shippo suggested.

"Why don't you go jump off a cliff and die?" Sango shot back.

Inuyasha scoffed and shook his head. "Miroku, can you take Sango's bags? They're heavy as hell."

Sango rolled her brown eyes as she slung two duffle bags over one shoulder. "Oh, come on, you wimp. They're not that heavy."

"I'd be delighted to carry Sango's bags," Miroku politely volunteered. He grabbed all four of Sango's suitcases. Just by the looks of them, he had a bad feeling that he was going to get cramps and feel sore.

Inuyasha seized the last four bits of luggage and slammed the trunk shut. He led his friends to the private beach house, which had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Sango hurried after him, and poor Miroku dragged Sango's bulky personal belongings at the back. Shippo proudly walked by Miroku, holding his two small suitcases, one in each hand.

At the front door, Inuyasha pulled out the key from his shorts pocket and shoved it into the lock. He pushed the front door open to reveal a bright, spacious living room. "Okay, pick rooms on the second floor, guys," he directed.

"I call the blue one!" Sango shouted, dropping the baggage on the ground and sprinting up the stairs.

"No, I want it!" Shippo argued. He raced up the staircase, trying to beat Sango to the wanted bedroom.

Inuyasha chuckled as he heard a crash of bodies on the floor. Sango got really competitive when it came to a race, and she'd do anything she could to win.

Wait . . .

Where was Miroku?

"Miroku?" the hanyou called out. He turned and headed out the doorway, only to crash into Miroku. Miroku let out a small stifled "Gah!" as Sango's luggage tumbled down, crushing his body.

"Dammit, Inuyasha! You dumbass!" Miroku roared. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Watch where you're going before you crash into someone, stupid ass!"

Inuyasha stared down at his friend. "I'm guessing that hurt?"

"No shit, Sherlock!!"

"Dammit!" Shippo growled, fists clenched. "Sango won the room."

The hanyou smirked. "You know Sango. She's really competitive."

The kitsune scowled. "She didn't have to push me down and give me a flippin' rug burn!"

He laughed. "Ha ha, good one, Sango!" the half demon called out.

Shippo glared at the laughing dog hanyou. "Screw you." He noticed Miroku gasping for breath under many suitcases. "Miroku, why are you sleeping under Sango's bags?"

Miroku's breathing staggered. "Why don't you ask this dumbass here?" He glanced at Inuyasha.

Shippo shook his head. "Idiot," he muttered. "You knew those bags were too heavy, but you just had to impress Sango when she's not even interested in you."

The monk groaned. "Will you stop lecturing me and get this crap off me?!"

Inuyasha yanked two bags off of Miroku's chest. Shippo pulled the other two off his legs. Miroku gasped in gulps of air, remaining flat on the ground.

"Wow, Miroku," Inuyasha said, shaking his head. "Even Shippo can lift up those bags."

"Two things." The monk held up two fingers. "One, he's a demon. Two, he only picked up two bags and I had to carry four."

"Whatever," the other two boys scoffed and walked away.

- - -

Finally, he had climbed up two flights of stairs to get to his makeshift room, the attic. Inuyasha sighed and shoved open the door. He hadn't been here for over a year. It looked the same since he left.

The walls were painted a bloody red color along with matching red furniture; A couch, a loveseat, and a grand canopy bed. Thankfully, there was a private bathroom, too. There were simple French doors leading out to a small rounded balcony that overlooked the seashore. His mother, being the type who cared about her children's education, also added a desk along with a bookcase.

The hanyou unpacked his suitcases and stuffed his folded clothes into the drawers of his dresser. He emptied out his toiletries and put them in the cabinet of his bathroom.

Just to get settled in and be comfortable with his surroundings, he plopped down on his soft bed. The red satin blanket felt smooth on his skin, and the mattress was squishy and spongy. How he missed this bed. It always felt more comfortable than his bed back home.

Suddenly, there was a moaning creak on the wooden floorboards. He sat up, alert and ready to fight. There was someone in the room. He didn't know who, but this was a strange aura he was sensing. Without making a single noise, he stood, never letting his guard down.

"BOO!"

Inuyasha nearly fell over in shock. There was Sango rolling on the floor, laughing her head off. She was chuckling so hard and loud, her face was a dark shade of pink.

"Sango . . ." he growled dangerously. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, his teeth gritting together.

I'm . . . sorry . . . Inu . . . Yasha . . ." she laughed out, holding her stomach.

Miroku and Shippo entered the room, a sweat drop forming on their heads as they watched the human girl hoot with laughter.

"I don't really want to know," Shippo stated.

"Me neither," Miroku agreed. To Inuyasha, "Hey, everyone's going out to swim. Are you going?"

I'd rather take a nap, he mentally answered.

The half demon shrugged. "Sure. Let's go." He grabbed his towel and led his housemates and a laughing Sango out of the house to the beach.

Seriously, what in the world could make this summer unforgettable??