InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cats and Dogs ❯ Dinner Before Bed ( Chapter 4 )

Everyone tramped down the stairs. For once, Fia's normally empty tavern was filled with guests. Ironically, every one of them had traveled great distances, as had once been the norm at her tavern with her guests before the roads to her ancient tavern had stopped being used.

Fia moved behind the bar and began to prepare dinner, humming to herself, happy to be working again. The moment she did Neko dropped to all fours and followed her behind the bar as well. Kagome plopped down onto a barstool and motioned for the rest of the gang to do likewise.

"Hmm… I don't have much food, just some breakfast stuff. I'll have to go to town tomorrow and re stock my supplies." Fia muttered to herself as she pulled out an entire carton of eggs, an unopened package of bacon, and a carton of milk from the fridge.

Kagome gaped "That's plenty of food!"

The green-eyed woman grinned and pointed a finger at J who seemed to be just as amused as she was.

"J can eat all this and then some. So can N--Eep!"

Fia suddenly brought her frying pan down beneath the bar where it connected squarely on a hard object with a noisy clang. Neko's head appeared above the bar a few moments later, rubbing his head and grinning like a naughty child. The fair-haired anthro gave Fia a mock pouty look before he was ushered to a barstool by J.

In a few moments `dinner' was served. Fia smiled as she placed piles of food out in front of them. Neko and J complained that there wasn't nearly enough for them. Kagome tried to teach those from the Sengoku period how to use forks. Sango and Miroku picked up on the idea of using the utensils easily enough and though Inu Yasha complained that it wasn't nearly as easy as chopsticks, the task wasn't too hard for him to understand. J taught Shippo and easier way of handling the fork by showing the kitsune how to tilt his plate towards his mouth and use the fork as a shovel. Kagome disapproved of the method but gave up later on when she realized how much the fox-demon was enjoying the new tool for eating.

Towards the end of dinner Miroku looked up from his plate at Fia. She still stood behind the bar watching everyone enjoy themselves with a smile upon her cherry red lips. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Fia my dear, I may not know the customs of your RhyDin but I have not seen you eat a thing all dinner. Why not join us?"

Fia blinked and froze; she turned a nervous glance to J and Neko. The three seemed to carry on a silent discussion for a moment until they realized that their guests had all stopped eating and were waiting intently for her to answer. The tendress coughed and ran a hand through her dark wavy locks.

"Er… well… There is no real custom but a tendress isn't really allowed to eat on the job. I'll eat when you all go to bed. Then my job is done until tomorrow."

Everyone seemed to accept her answer… everyone except Kagome and Sango. They looked ready to question further but J saved Fia when he cleared his throat and stood.

"Well I'm full. Thanks for the meal, Fia."

Everyone murmured in agreement and pushed back their empty plates. Fia loaded the plates into a dishwasher while Kagome hurriedly explained to the rest of her gang that the emerald-eyed tendress was not feeding her dishes to a monster but to a useful and efficient cleaning device.

Shippo yawned and jumped into Kagome's waiting arms. The young kitsune cub curled up and began to nod off. Fia smiled at the small boy.

"The Silverthorn isn't really a great place to stay as an inn, but I'm sure we can make some room."

Neko grinned and wrapped his arms around Fia from behind. He pulled her against him and nuzzled her neck from behind.

"Sure… as long as it doesn't mess with our sleeping arrangements."

Fia just smiled.

-*-

Sure… as long as it doesn't mess with our sleeping arrangements… peh. Neko idly kicked Miroku's feet away from him. The sleeping houshi responded by muttering a few nonsense syllables and then pointed his cursed but still covered hand at the cranky anthro. A few seconds later he dropped his hand and returned to a deeper sleep. All the girls had gone upstairs for the night along with Shippo. The four of them easily fit comfortably on Fia's king-sized bed. The boys did not have such a luxury.

Inu Yasha had immediately claimed the easy chair in the tavern lounge for himself. J claimed the space behind the bar as his bed. He said that if he stayed near the stairs to Fia's room that none of the boys would be able to steal upstairs. The rest of the boys could see right through his clever ploy. J simply wanted to be near enough to eavesdrop on the girls. They would have exposed his plot but each was curious to know what the girls would talk about. They would pound the information out of J in the morning. With all other comfortable spaces taken, Miroku and Neko grudgingly shared the remaining couch in the lounge.

Miroku had been the first to fall asleep, soon after J followed suit because the girls had stopped talking for the night. Inu Yasha wasn't asleep by a long shot. His quick heartbeat and uneven breaths told Neko that much. The anthro cat sensed that he slept very little; constantly on the lookout for anything and everything that could cause harm to his friends. Neko sensed he was guarding something very dear to him. But what could it be? All he wanted was for the half demon to fall asleep so he could sneak upstairs and find Fia.

Neko's head tilted back and his ears pressed to his skull as a yawn escaped him. Fia's intoxicating lilac scent was thick in the air. Thicker than normal. So gentle and comforting, it subtly drew the anthro into sleep. Neko fought the urge to sleep but her sweet, all encompassing scent was too much for him.

In a final attempt to stay awake he turned his ears in the direction of Inu Yasha's resting place. Neko hoped to used the irregularity of his heartbeat to keep him oriented and awake. To the feline's chagrin he found that Inu Yasha's heartbeat had evened out and slowed. The hypnotic sound only lulled him further into sleep. Neko decided then that he could always wake up early enough the following morning to find some alone time with Fia. Perhaps in the shower or the back of the tavern or on one of the wooden tables…Neko didn't even realized his thoughts had pulled him right over the edge of consciousness and into the realm of sleep.