Disclaimer – Psh would I be here if I did?

Authors Note – I am starting this chapter on August 28th, let's see how long it actually takes to write it!

Authors Note 2.0 – Ok, so I said I was going to reply to my reviewers, but let me explain. I will reply to GOOD reviews. If you put "Like it." Or "Update." I won't reply. Give me constructive criticism people! Tell me WHAT you liked, or why I should update. Tell me what you want me to change, what you would prefer. Got it?

Breeluv – I know, it was kind of hard to write but it is all about her healing and everything! I'm glad you like it!

Crowlady – That is the point! As the story progresses, she will find her stability and it will be even more fun to read!

– That's a good thing yes? Thank you either way, I will try!

Le Coer De La Mer2011 – You my dear are a strange bird but I love you & am glad you like it.

Hellokittyaniya - Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying it! & I hope this update is soon enough haa haa, even though there isn't too much plot development in this one there will be plenty in the next! Maybe even some new characters? –wink wink-

Chapter Five – Settling In With Pizza

ooo

Due to an urgent call received during the car ride back to the house, Inutashio was unable to escort Kagome in – much to his own embarrassment. As she climbed out of the limo with a small smile he rolled the window down, shutting the door behind her "Please forgive me Kagome, but an intern has crashed a bank of computers that are very important. I may not be home for dinner tonight, but you two may order anything you'd like and for lunch as well if you are hungry. I will be home late, so if I do not see you again tonight, it is so lovely to have you here. I will see you later." She waved as the limo pulled away and smiled, shaking her head. He was so worried about those little things, like walking her into the house and making sure she had everything in perfect order. Though, in the scope of things she couldn't blame him and was actually grateful.

Though, at the moment, the peace and quiet that came with solitude was something she was very glad for. It was broken though, when the front door opened and Inuyasha stood there staring at her where she stood in the middle of the driveway like she was crazy "What the hell are you doing out here? Forget where the front door was?" He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at her, causing her eyes to narrow into beautifully dangerous slits that caused a surprised look to cross his face for a moment before his egotistical mask returned.

"No, I was just enjoying the peace and quiet actually. Until somebody decided to ruin it." She slipped the now empty duffel bag onto her shoulder and lifted her head regally high as she moved to the steps and went up to the porch where he stood, staring at her angrily.

"Geeze, PMSing much?" He snapped as she rolled her eyes and moved behind him to the partially open front doors and went inside, his words too vulgar to even deserve a response from her 'God, you would think someone raised with so much money would have some manners!'

He was quick on her heels, but she ignored him. It wasn't like she could ever hope to out run him – he wasn't even human! So instead, she pretended he wasn't there. As she reached the second floor and planted her foot on the bottom of the second stair case he spoke "Listen, since you are dead set on running away to your room, did my dad tell you when he would be back?" She could hear his true questions though 'When do I get to be rid of you?'

She turned to face him, her hand still on the banister "He said some intern crashed a computer, so he wouldn't be home for dinner but that we could order whatever we wanted for lunch and dinner." Hesitating she shook her head "I'm not really hungry, I ate a meal on the plane and assuming there is some sort of food here, I can just snack later. Really I just want to start unpacking. So you can go do whatever," She began to go up the stairs again and heard him growl in annoyance but he didn't follow her any farther and she sighed in relief. Cresting the top of the stairs she retreated to her new room and exhaled loudly at the daunting task of unpacking her entire room.

It was still early at least, hardly after noon. "Where to start…" she mumbled, chewing her lip absently as she walked through the forest of boxes, reading the thick black marker that adorned the surface of each one. Tapping her chin she decided that her clothing wasn't super comfortable for sitting around unpacking. She was dressed simply in jeans and a long-sleeved black cotton shirt, her black and blue tennis shoes were kicked off by the bedroom door, her black socks tucked into them to be dealt with later.

She snagged her two bags and moved them to her bed to be unpacked first, since she had chosen their contents based on their importance to her. She first she opened her violin case, running her fingers along the shining wooden surface, feeling tears touch her eyes again as the memory of her father teaching her the basics of the instrument. Remembering how he had helped her position her clumsy fingers on the thin strings as she drug the bow shakily across the surface, but still making a pretty sound despite her obvious flaws.

Snapping the case shut quickly she moved onto the small suitcase and unzipped it. Flipping the top open she looked at the neatly folded clothing and then lifted the suitcase into her arms and carried it over to the bed. Since the dresser had been hers for years and she had rarely changed the way it was organized, she unpacked the suitcase quickly. She only retained a red pair of cheer shorts and a thick white tank-top; the last thing she wanted was a shirt that would show the bright blue of her bra – especially since it was just her and the fiery Inuyasha home. The snarky remarks he would make were already ringing in her ears.

Once she had put away the small amount of clothing, and redressed in her much more comfortable clothing, she hunted around for her laundry basket and dumped her former outfit into it "Hmm, gonna have to find out where the washer is…" She said as she put the tall and skinny white plastic basket into the corner of the large walk-in closet, once she was done ogling at the space "I don't even have enough clothing to fill half of this, or enough shoes," She added seeing the many small square shapes designed to hold countless shoes.

Feeling giddy and a bit dizzy Kagome flipped the light off and went back out to grab her tennis shoes and put them in one of the very empty and lonely looking blocks of polished white wood, tossing the dirty socks that had been in them into the basket along with her other clothes as well. She had a few pairs of sandals and heels – like any other regular girl she had her fair share – but she knew her own collection seemed small in this space. Sighing she went back to work her way through the boxes. To make things easier on herself she moved the boxes around, putting all of the boxes of clothing and shoes by her bed and everything else in the far corner between her dresser and desk.

After the boxes were moved she sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair, feeling annoyed by the long locks. Digging her bathroom bag from the bottom of her nearly empty suitcase still sitting on her bedspread she pulled an elastic black band out and pulled her hair into a high pony-tail. Carrying the bag she moved to her personal bathroom and grinned happily, it was like heaven. Bigger than any other bathroom she had ever been in back home. It had pale creamy wooden floors, not unlike the one in the bedroom and elegant furnishings. The sink was an above-the-counter bowl with an intricate chrome faucet and set of handles, just past it was the simple white toilet. There was a standing shower in the corner opposite the sink that had dozens of small jets coming from every angle and could easily hold 4 people – not like she would ever try that. There was a small glass-plated key-panel inside that controlled the various settings and she was suddenly dying for a shower.

There was a door opposite the one she stood in the entry way of and she was a naturally curious person, so she moved towards it and opened it. On the other side of the door was the bath-tub, for some odd reason secluded for privacy. It was large, placed in the corner, and rounded out on the side nearest her. She could see an array of jets and her desire for the intricate shower gave way to her lust for the jetted tub and some low-light candles. Maybe some bubbles and a good book too. She chewed her lip but shook her head, she had to unpack – the bathroom wasn't going anywhere.

The afternoon ticked by, without the young woman knowing anything about it. Instead she had her computer set up and her entire dresser and closet filled with her whole wardrobe. She had rearranged her closet half a dozen times, trying to make it look like she had more than she really did "Guess I just have to buy some more…" She sighed and laughed at the thought, like she would be blowing money on clothing. Maybe on some school clothes though, that wasn't blowing anything. She knew she'd need some, since back in Japan she had a uniform for school. Said uniform was hanging in her closet, unusable and doing nothing but making Kagome sad and homesick already.

Not wanting to dwell on her home, she took to flattening out the empty boxes. She had located a small switch-blade that she rarely carried, but knew how to use, and was sitting on the floor cutting the clear tape away and unfolding and flattening the boxes, creating space around herself. Once all of the empty boxes were taken care of she leaned them together against the wall beside the door and looked around the room. With the mass of boxes out of the way, it looked much more open and bright. She realized though, it was too bright. The white walls were a shade too bright. Even though the shades on the French doors that led out to her own personal balcony were shut, and the blinds on the 4 windows only partially open. She frowned, wondering what was wrong.

Then it hit her, her pictures and posters. None of them had been found yet. She spun and began hunting through the remaining boxes, almost desperate to get her personal splash of color up on the bare walls. With every piece of furniture being pale wood, and the floor too, and the bed being a soft pink and white and the canopy of the same she knew her extensive collection of pictures would make the room pop wonderfully and she really needed to have the familiarity.

By the time another three boxes were empty and her walls were covered as thoroughly as she could manage with everything from posters written in Japanese to oil on canvas cityscapes, it was already almost 2 in the afternoon. Sighing she went and plopped down onto her bed and laid back. The canopy was tied to the posts and she was really considering untying them and taking a well-earned nap, but decided against it that her jet lag was already going to really screw with her and that sleeping during the day would only further confuse her body. "I need some air." She thought, though the idea of running into Inuyasha again wasn't a pleasant one. So, she decided to go and look her balcony over, since she had yet to do so.

Getting off her bed was much harder than she imagined it to be and she laughed at herself 'I need coffee' she thought, hoping there was something caffeinated in this house – somewhere. She wouldn't play hidden princess all day but right now, her solitude was nice. The French doors swung open with ease and silence, and a light breeze tossed her hair back and she giggled at the fresh clear scent that came from before her. It was unlike the heavy, polluted smells that Tokyo gave off. This was a change she could learn to love. The balcony was wide and deep, with well detailed stone and metal railing. A large clump of wild ivy had adorned this wing of the building and coiled up and around the balcony, giving it a regal look.

Moving to the edge of her balcony she looked down and gasped. There was a large stained oak porch and from where she stood she could see the built in fire-pit and cozy surrounding seating. Not far from there, wide steps flowed easily into the long sloping lawn, complete with large plots of flowers and ending in the thick Red Woods that were common in the area. What caught Kagome's attention most though, were the three expanses of water. Two were man-made, the other a manicured occurrence of nature.

On the deck, just below her, was the hot tub. About three of her own large bath tub, she wondered how hot it was and smiled at the idea of slipping into it. Flooding in the form of a small waterfall from the hot tub water cascaded into a pool that was half on the deck and half in the grass. A complicated expanse of stone and warmed water looked inviting, the deepest part out in the lawn seeming to have no bottom. The last stretch of water though was out tucked behind some of the large trees, a lake. Not too large, but bigger than the average pond. She strained and could just make out what she assumed was a dock going out onto its surface, she was curious as to if there was fish in it. She wasn't a fisherman or anything but wanted to know either way.

Leaning over the railing she took a deep breath and heard a weird chiming sound and glanced over her shoulder back into the house. Frowning she pushed herself from the wall and went back into the room and then looked around. It wasn't finished yet, but it was damn close. She went over to her computer and got it started; deciding a bit of familiar music would help her relax. Before she could even open ITunes, there was a brief knocking on her door. "What the heck does he want?" She grumbled walking over to her door.

She was startled by hearing a rough reply "Well I was going to offer you some lunch, but if you want to be a bitch I don't have to."

She pulled the door open with wide eyes "How…?" The lightest twitch of his ears stopped her words and a heavy blush covered her cheeks as she realized just how well his hearing was 'Well, that sucks. He is going to hear everything I ever say. No personal phone calls or anything!' Shaking her head she ran a hand up her forehead and through her hair "Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so rude to you but it isn't like you have been very nice to me either you know."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and said "Feh, whatever. I ordered some pizza. You can come down and get some if you want."

Kagome nodded her head and moved out of her room, Inuyasha peered in before she got the door shut and said "Wow, guess you actually have been up here working." Kagome shut the door hard, and frowned. "Was that a compliment or an insult? Because I really couldn't tell." Inuyasha didn't reply and simply headed down the hall and the stairs that followed. Kagome grinned and followed him "What kind of pizza did you get?" She asked curiously as they reached the second floor.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at her "Well, I wasn't sure what you would eat or uh if you were like vegetarian or anything so I got one peperoni and one cheese, I like both so you can eat either one. I don't care."

Kagome smiled "Well, that was nice of you. Thanks. Also I am not vegetarian or vegan or anything. Total carnivore here." All she got in return was a grunt but the smile stayed on her face. The teenager may be rude and crude, but he was still – deep down – kind hearted. Entering the kitchen, Kagome's eyes widened. Wide expanses of light colored granite counter tops, including a well-equipped island, filled in with stainless steel appliances. Beautiful oak cupboards and a matching breakfast table tucked into a nook surrounded by large bay windows that overlooked the back patio "This house is so beautiful," She said softly as the hanyou took some paper plates out of a cupboard.

He glanced back at her and shrugged "Yea, it is a pretty nice place." He tossed the flimsy plates beside the two medium pizzas and then went to the fridge while Kagome went to the table "Want something to drink?"

Turning before she sat down Kagome smiled, he once again was proving that being an arrogant jerk wasn't all he was good at. "Oh sure, um what do you have?" She walked over but kept a good amount of space between then and peered over his shoulder while he grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper.

Reaching in once he had returned to the table she selected the same drink and, after a moment's hesitation, the bottle of ranch too. Using her hip to close the fridge she walked across the tile floor to the table, Inuyasha glanced at her while she walked and she smiled and held up the ranch "Ever put ranch on your pizza?" She asked, hoping to start some sort of conversation.

The man frowned "No, that's weird."

Kagome laughed and sat across from him and cracked her drink open, her thumb dipping into the liquid so she licked the soda off and shook her head "Don't knock it until you try it, trust me."

She took a piece of pizza from each box and then poured some ranch on the edge of her plate, smiling she said "Thanks for ordering this I didn't realize I was all that hungry until now." Once she dipped her pizza in the corner she bit into it and a sound of pleasure came from her throat. Swallowing she said "Delicious."

Inuyasha watched her with a weird look on his face "That…cannot taste good can it?" The light tilting of his head, coupled with his demon features made him look full and truly like a dog and Kagome giggled.

"Try it, one bite. Here you can use my ranch so you don't waste any." She shoved her plate the few inches between them and he frowned.

"No way, I'll get my own."

Kagome rolled her eyes "I haven't double-dipped or anything Inuyasha. Geeze, what a girl." Reaching to grab the edge of her plate to take it back his voice sounded.

"Well, if that is the case. Fine." Picking up a piece of meat covered pizza he dipped the smallest edge into the ranch and hesitantly went to take a bite.

Noticing his procrastination, Kagome scoffed "Big scary half-demon is afraid of some dairy product?"

Inuyasha growled lowly at her and she took a sip of her drink "No, I'm just worried you have nasty tastes and this is one of them." Kagome giggled and worked on her own pizza and ranch combination, watching her take another bite he bit into his own and she watched him chew thoughtfully and then swallow.

Arching a thin black brow she asked "Well? Good, bad? Love it, hate it?"

Shrugging Inuyasha said "Not bad." He reached out and picked up the bottle, plopping a bit on his own plate.

Kagome grinned around her can of soda "I happen to have a very good taste in food, so usually listening to me is a good thing." Rolling his eyes Inuyasha glanced at her, watching her as she focused her attention back on her food. His eyes dipped dangerously low on her tank-top clad form and he shook his head with an almost snort-like sound, causing her to glance up "Say something?"

Inuyasha shook his head silently, focusing on his food instead of the smooth expanse of her ivory skin. Taking a very angry bite of pizza he felt the awkward silence spread, glancing up briefly he saw her trying not to look at him. She was obviously surprised by his sudden mood swing 'Great idiot.' He thought as he chugged part of his soda down before grabbing a third piece of pizza from the box. Hoping to eat his fill and get back to the safety of his room, and praying she was dressed differently for dinner.

"So…" She began, causing the demon to curse under his breath. His claws coiling around his drink, threatening to pop holes in the thin aluminum can. "What kind of stuff is there to do around here? For fun I mean?" She was tracing her finger along the edge of her soda can, looking innocent and just a bit nervous.

Thoughtfully chewing a piece of pizza he shrugged "Well, I swim a lot here at home. We have a big theater room if you are into video games, or movies. Generally the same kinda things you did in Tokyo, the mall, hanging with friends." Shrugging he grabbed a fourth piece and chowed down while Kagome nodded.

"Do you surf?" His question caught her off-guard.

She set her pizza down and shook her head "No, never been anywhere where surfing was easy and never had the desire to hunt it out. Tokyo kept me pretty busy." She perked up at the thought "Do you surf here? I know the ocean is right there but…"

Inuyasha grinned and nodded "In a dry suit sure, the Pacific is pretty cold even in the summer time but it is still pretty fun." Clearing his throat he continued "My dad and I went to Hawaii a few years ago, and surfing there was great. I loved it." He stopped, watching as Kagome leaned into the conversation.

With her chin resting on her palm and her elbow on the table she seemed enthralled. Inuyasha frowned and then thought more about everything that had happened to her. Both of her parents were dead, bam – just like that. And not only that but her baby brother – who his father had informed him had been very close to her – was in a coma. The last two weeks of her life had been a living nightmare. She had been spending all of her free time at her brother's bedside, trying to coax him into the waking world. How different talking to an actual responsive person must be now.

A sudden excited knock on the front door caused Inuyasha's ears to swivel away from her and her to lift her head and glance over her shoulder "Order more pizza?" She joked, motioning to his growing stack of crust on the plate 'How can he not like the crust? It's like a breadstick!'

Inuyasha growled and shook his head "No, I didn't order more pizza thank-you very much. I'm already full."

Leaving her in the kitchen, the hanyou went out in the hall way and she heard a strong silence. Wondering what he was doing, she realizing he was listening to whoever was outside his door. He was screening his visitors with his demonic abilities?! She grinned and took her now empty plate, and his, to the trash can in the corner. Moving all of the pizza into one box, she tossed the empty one and put the other in the fridge – which she found to be very well stocked. Once she got back to her table to grab her drink she heard a low, but violent, string of curses.

Poking her head around the corner she saw him leaning on the door, his back to the wood. Seeing her he ran a hand across his forehead and spoke softly, not sounding happy at all, "We have visitors."

Ooo

Ok, naturally this chapter is put up less than a week after the last one but is also only about 4200 words. Not bad, especially since this is more of a filler chapter and a bit of Inuyasha & Kagome interaction.

I promise the next chapter will have much more plot progression! In the mean-time, please review and enjoy!