InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cats and Dogs ❯ Leaving The Tavern ( Chapter 6 )

In her hazy, computer controlled dreams Fia floated about over a foggy lake. She wasn't afraid of flying or what might be in the lake; in fact, she didn't feel anything at all. To her right, she could hear laughter, like that of a child. It was pleasant. On her left she could hear a more urgent voice, drawing her away from the neutral plane of her dreams and back to reality.

"Fia… Wake up before they see your wires… you've been recharging again."

Fia glanced off to her right again. She wanted to know who laughed in her dreams. When had she heard something so happy as a child? All she could remember was darkness then. Something cold and lonely, her dreams darkened for a moment, but the computer quickly took over and eliminated the negative thoughts, returning them to a neutral gray. Once again the voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Fia! Hurry! They're coming downstairs."

The warning was enough to get her thinking again and she was quickly drawn away from her dream world to reality. The moment her eyes opened the cords attached to her neck retreated from a nearby wall outlet back into a compartment in the back of her skull. She could hear Neko breathe a sigh of relief and the sound of at least two people tramping downstairs from the bedroom.

"Gah! What ARE you two doing?" Sango nearly shrieked her question, causing all demons, anthros, and humans alike to wince.

Neko blinked and looked around for a good excuse or some sort of diversion to keep the wrath of Sango off of him. His golden eyes settled on J for a moment, but he looked ready to crack up laughing at any second. The boy returned his glare with a "well now what are you going to do, stupid?" expression.

"I… ah…" Neko fumbled for an answer that wouldn't receive some pummeling by the woman with the huge boomerang.

Miroku to the rescue! The lecherous houshi had been awakened by Sango's screech. He caught Fia by one arm and began to usher the confused woman upstairs… ogling her as much as possible in the process.

"Oh my! We must get the lady upstairs before she catches her death of cold."

He didn't even make it to the foot of the stairs before he was tackled by Neko and pummeled into the floor. The angry cat-man emphasized each word with a punch to the lecherous houshi's face.

"Don't (WHAM!) Touch (THUD) My (POW) Woman (BANG)!"

Through all the commotion Fia stole upstairs, mentally begged J to stop the fight before any of her precious furniture got destroyed. While Fia made a safe getaway Kagome yelled at Inu Yasha to break up the fight, then realized her folly when the dog demon rose from his easy chair cracking his knuckles.

Inu Yasha jumped right into the fray without a second thought. Fists flew and the wooden tavern floor shook with the impact of rolling bodies and thudding fists. Somewhere along the line Miroku was tossed out of the fight into a nearby wall. The houshi was out cold with more or less a giant bruise for a head from all the pummeling he had taken from both boys. Just as Kagome had begun to form the word `sit' on her lips the fighting came to an abrupt halt.

Both boys had each other by the throat, straining and panting heavily from all the damage they had taken from each other. Two sets of gold eyes locked on each other for what seemed an endless span of time. Then, just as Sango began to believe that the tense air in the room would kill her Neko chuckled, and then Inu Yasha. All of a sudden they were laughing hysterically, the boys released each other and rolled on the floor, every so often one would punch the other and they would laugh even more.

Sango scratched her head and tugged absently on her ponytail, "I missed something here." She muttered.

Kagome and Fia simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. Neko was the first to recover; he rolled over onto his stomach, and then pushed himself off the wooden floor to launch his body into a standing position. He bent over Inu Yasha and extended a hand down to him. At first, the dog demon narrowed his eyes at him, as if he might start another fight but the look left his face just as quickly and he chuckled. He took Neko's hand and allowed the cat-boy to pull him up.

Noticing the sudden lull in conversation Fia seized her opportunity to talk. She descended the remaining few steps of the stairs and shouldered a backpack that had been hanging from her right hand.

"Well if you're all done here I think we should get moving. We have to go to town and get more food. As much as I'd prefer you all to stay here it'd be more risky for you to stay here than come with us. This is a two-day trip and we have to stop to rest in a smaller town on the way and then continue on to Rifton the next."

The tall, slender woman had somehow managed to walk from the stairs to one of the couches in the lounge area of the tavern while she talked. Fia unceremoniously extended both arms out to the side and flopped down onto the waiting overstuffed couch.

"I'll wait here for you to prepare. I also need to pick up an item that will help you get home, so don't think this is just some random excursion. It has value to you."

With that said, everyone split off to collect their things. J made a sound akin to a happy squeal and bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time. The boy zipped into Fia's bedroom before any of the girls could even open their mouths to question. He returned seconds later with a backpack stuffed with all sorts of clothes and gadgets he'd created to protect his beloved Fia. J immediately seated himself next to Fia and gave her a loving squeeze around her small waist.

Neko was the second to return. He appeared in little more than a t-shirt and jeans, as he preferred to travel light, if at all. He growled at J and seated himself on the other side of Fia. The territorial cat-man wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. Fia just smiled and snuggled against him, while J threw dirty looks at Neko behind her back.

Miroku and Sango were next to appear. They had little to pack but their weapons. Kagome had tried to plead with them to leave their weapons at the Silverthorn but Fia encouraged them to bring weapons. Shippo followed suit after them, he'd taken the time to gather leaves in case he needed to shape shift while on the road. The boy bounced into J's lap, whom he considered his newest friend.

Kagome and Inu Yasha were the last to return. She and the hanyou had had an argument about the importance of bringing supplies when it seemed like Fia would provide for them. Kagome didn't want to act like a freeloader but Inu Yasha was all for a free meal and a place to sleep. The two had finally settled on Kagome bringing a sleeping bag and her change of clothes but no more.

Once everyone had regrouped Fia got up and headed to the front door. She opened the large unwelcoming door and allowed everyone to file outside. Once everyone was out the woman gave a last wistful glance at her home, locked, and then closed the door. She sighed softly, and then turned to the group of waiting faces, familiar and not so.

"Ready? Let's go!"

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