Hi all! It's been a few weeks, and I'm so sorry for that. This chapter was difficult for me for some reason. I hope it's easier and more fun to read than it was to write! Thanks so much for sticking with me and reading my story, and for all the really nice people who have left such sweet and encouraging reviews. I'll do my best to keep providing something you enjoy! :)

*I do not own the story of Inuyasha, or it's characters.

Kagome sat, staring blankly at the wall, the weight of her situation finally sinking in. She'd wandered back to the room in which she had woken up, and was sitting on the bed, running her hands absent-mindedly along the stem of one of the printed roses on the quilt. Her things had appeared outside the bedroom door, although whomever had delivered them was a total mystery to her. This whole situation was a mystery to her.

The more she thought about her situation, the more distraught she became. It was as though someone was stacking weight after weight upon her chest; she felt heavy, immobile, as though all she would ever again be capable of was crawling back into bed, pulling the covers up, and never again stepping foot into the outside world. Tears flowed from her eyes, running down her cheeks and falling into her lap.

"What am I going to do?" She wondered aloud, through sobs. "I-I'll be homeless, jobless..." her hands flew to her mouth, as if she could stuff the worrying words back in, pretending she had not voiced them; but she could not. It was her reality now, and she could not run away from it. Kagome squared her shoulders, and briskly wiped the tears from her eyes, frustrated when more appeared to take their place. This was not like last time, she told herself. This time, nobody had been taken from her, and for that, she should be grateful.

"Alright... time to meet life head on," she mumbled, as she reached into her purse, which had been thoughtfully left outside of her door along with her bag of clothing, and grabbed her phone. Taking a deep breath, she turned on the screen, and grimaced at the number of missed calls she had. "All from Sango, no doubt," she allowed herself a small chuckle, as she pressed the screen, and lifted the phone to her ear.

"KAGOME? Kagome are you alright?" Sango was shouting in her excitement. "Kagome, It's all my fault! My phone died, and I did not know until this morning, I just assumed you were with that guy, and it was so late, I thought maybe he'd bring you by in the morning, but he didn't and," she paused briefly, "and I'm sorry. I'm a terrible friend. I shouldn't have trusted anyone else to take care of you. Please, can you forgive me?"

"Sango, there's nothing to forgive," Kagome said kindly.

"Fine, but I'm coming over there-"

"No, please," Kagome reassured her. "I'm fine. Tough as nails, you know me!"

A knock on the door drew Kagome's attention. She whispered a quick goodbye to Sango and then placed her phone down on the bed.

"Yes?" She called out.

"Ms. Higurashi, are you dressed?" A strange voice spoke from the other side of the door. It sounded like a man, possibly an older one.

"N-not yet." Kagome stammered, feeling quite apprehensive.

"Alright then." The voice replied. "I shall wait. Please come out when you have finished."

Inuyasha grinned, smacking Sesshoumaru's arm playfully. "Don't be such an ass, you're just jealous I got to touch a beautiful woman this morning."

Miroku, who was seated to Inuyasha's left, placed his hands on the kitchen table and took a deep breath. He was trying to hold in his laughter, and barely managed it as Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha, smirking.

"Don't forget, little brother," Sesshoumaru smugly leaned across the table and flicked Inuyasha's nose, "I had quite a gorgeous lady-friend over last night. I assure you she was much more consenting than that poor girl you attacked in Mother's cottage."

"A-attacked?! Don't say that!" Inuyasha snapped, "You're making me sound like some sort of pervert!"

"Well, aren't you?" Miroku chimed in before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"I don't have to listen to you two idiots," Inuyasha stood up, pushing his chair back from the table. As he turned on his heel, he stopped abruptly. Miyoga, stood in the doorway, clad in his usual faded blue yukata. But that was not what caught Inuyasha's attention; standing in front of Miyoga, with a strange look on her face, was Kagome.

Kagome stared at the scene before her. She was in the dirtiest kitchen she had ever seen in her life. Her mouth hung open slightly as she looked at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, which spilled out onto the counter tops. Flies buzzed happily in the scum, crawling over plates and cups, no doubt laying countless eggs. Her nose wrinkled involuntarily at the stench of mold and old, rotting food. Even the cabinets were filthy and the floor felt sticky beneath her slippers.

And sitting in the middle of the mess was a lovely oaken table, seated at which were three men. One with dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and piercing brown eyes. His ears were also pierced and small gold loops flashed from his lobes. The other was a tall, angular gentleman with hair just like Inuyasha's. However, he had a coldness about him that she could not quite describe. And, standing behind the two men, looking quite agitated, was Inuyasha himself.

A blush crept over her face. A horrified Kagome turned around, wanting to leave the room. She recognized the two men as the ones from earlier, "They've seen me practically naked!"

Before she could ask the gentleman who had escorted her from the cottage to the main house to please move so she could leave, she heard a sound behind her. She turned around to see the dark-haired gentleman standing before her, hand outstretched.

"Hello, Miss," the man spoke smoothly as he move towards her, a kind smile across his face. "If I may formally introduce myself, I'm Miroku." His smile widened as she took his hand. He quickly bent down and kissed the top of her fingers, causing her eyes to widen and her face to grow slightly flushed.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, grumbling incoherently. Kagome pulled her hand away slowly, slightly mystified. Turning to Inuyasha, she said, "We have to talk." Inuyasha nodded, and approached her.

Sesshoumaru snickered and Miroku covered his mouth with his hand to smother his laughter. He leaned over and whispered to Sesshoumaru, "I bet she's none to pleased... how about we have a good listen?"

"Now, now," Sesshoumaru whispered back, "We'll give them some privacy." He paused, and then continued, "I'm sure we can hear them through the door if we listen. Or at least, I can." he smiled, slyly.

"Damn your dog senses!" Miroku chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, I can hear you two RIGHT NOW." Inuyasha barked, whirling around angrily. He snapped his teeth and growled.

"Just like a dog..." Kagome thought absent-mindedly.

"Now," Inuyasha continued, "If you two are finished acting like little girls, I'd like to use the kitchen." There was a moment of quiet, before Inuyasha raised his voice and yelled, "NOW! GET. OUT."

Sesshoumaru and Miroku got up, exchanging amused looks, and walked out of the kitchen. As he left, Miroku turned around and winked at Kagome, "Good luck, dearie. Don't let him try anything."

"Miroku!" Inuyasha snapped. Kagome was blushing deeply.

Kagome took a deep breath, and seated herself at the table, running her hands slowly across the cool, oaken surface. Inuyasha sat down next to her, fidgeting nervously.

Several long, silent moments passed as the two sat, each trying to figure out exactly what to say. Finally, Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak. But, before he could-

"Inuyasha, my boy!" A booming male voice exclaimed. Kagome jumped, surprised. She turned around to see yet another silver-haired gentleman standing in the doorway. He was a tanned, rugged figure, wearing nothing but black exercise shorts. He spoke again, "I'm going for a run! I'll be back in a- oh!" He seemed to have just noticed Kagome sitting there.

"Kikyo, back so soon?" he paused, "oh... my mistake. You must be the new maid. Well, get to work. I am paying you thirty dollars an hour, after all." he turned, raised a hand in a farewell gesture, and was gone.

Kagome stared after him, open-mouthed.

"Eh... seems like my father has made a mistake-"

"I'll take the job."

"Uh...okay..." Inuyasha mumbled, quite confused.

"Get me your cleaning supplies and then please go. I've got to get started before this whole kitchen rots away."

Note: So sorry for the delay. This chapter was incredibly hard for me to write for some reason. Thank you so much for sticking with me, I promise to try to update more frequently. I hope this chapter is all right, but I understand it's very bumpy. However I will come back and edit it later. I really want to get on with the story, so I hope that's alright with you guys. Thank you so much for reading!