Insatiable

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.


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Chapter 01: Kidnapped Furniture
 

It was half passed 2 in the morning. Empty beer cans cluttered on the mansion’s rooftop. Several posh pieces of furniture sat there in total disarray while four exhausted male bodies slumped on top of them, groaning wearily. The king size bed was hugely comfortable for the two men who were lucky enough to wrestle their way on it, while the other two were sprawled on separate comfy couches. Only God knew why such luxury had every gotten up to the rooftop and only he was the witness of what the four culprits had been up to for the past couple of days. They were preparing a surprise for someone who was finally returning home.
 
“So, he's finally coming back.” The one with blue electric eyes sat up from his previous slumped position, groaning as he took a pillow. He hugged it with one hand, while he carefully balanced the beer can that he held with the other. It was easy to see that he was deadly tired. His eyes were weary, and yet, they danced with excitement.
 
“Kouga, how many times do you have to say that? I’ve counted twelve so far within the last 3 hours. It’s getting annoying.”

Kouga glared at his friend. “Just answer the damn question, Hiten!”
 
Hiten simply shrugged. “Yeah, Myouga said Inuyasha's arriving tomorrow evening.”

Sniggering, Kouga turned his gaze to see his two other friends’ mischievous grins. He abruptly stood up from the couch and drank his remaining beer. Slamming the empty can on top of the rooftop railing, he pumped his fists in the air triumphantly. His eyes twinkled deviously at the sight of their ingenious prank. “I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees this!”

“Of course, you couldn’t wait. We ransacked his room. You’ve been dying to that all these years.” Miroku remained cool despite his growing excitement. Inuyasha had been gone for six years, and even if he had told his bestfriend to spend long vacations in Tokyo, Inuyasha only visited for a month at most.

“This is going to be so good. Inuyasha’s going to have a fit!” Kouga almost looked like a boy during Christmas morning, clapping his little hands and jumping up and down. The only thing missing was the presents.
 
“He’ll kill all of us for sure.” Miroku shook his head, as he watched Kouga dance around like a fool. He did not doubt that Inuyasha would have a fit. Hell, he’d go ballistic on them once he discovered what they had done to his room. They had actually stolen the rooftop keys from the Takahashi family's butler, Myouga, and had been sneaking up inside Inuyasha's bedroom during the wee hours. They had secretly transported all his furniture to the rooftop. He just hoped it would not rain.

With a camcorder in hand, Hiten joined Kouga in his victory dance. He had insisted they film a behind the scenes for this because today was memorable. Miroku was doubtful. He was sure Hiten just wanted to annoy Inuyasha. As for Kouga, well, Kouga had always been Hiten’s partner in crime, so he was definitely part of this. That was how these two show their love for Inuyasha.

“Takahashi!” Kouga’s scream was earth-shattering. “Listen up and listen well, Takahashi.” He was talking to camcorder. “This is my revenge for stealing my favorite chocolate chip cookies and for being better looking than me!” He was practically nose to lens against the camera. He took a step back so that Hiten could capture him hitting his chest with his fists. He howled to complete the Tarzan effect.
 
“Shut up Wolf! You're going to wake the whole neighborhood,” Miroku hissed.
 
“Oh yeah, sorry,” Kouga smirked sheepishly. “Just got carried away.”
 
Hiten snorted, rolling his eyes. Miroku gave a disapproving look. They had planned this prank for weeks, and this welcome bash was his mind's work. He didn't want it ruined, or for them to be found out in the last minute.
 
“You know, I don't know about this, guys.”

From his side, Miroku saw the fourth member of their group stand up. He was rubbing his neck. His brown hair was messed up. His bangs covered the top portion of his right eye, his purple pools glistening uninterestedly. All his three friends turned to face him.
 
“Shun, what are you talking about? This is the perfect way to welcome his royal-assness!” Hiten reasoned, his hands gesturing his point. “Ain't that right, Roku?”
 
“Well,” Miroku looked at them sheepishly. “I know this is my idea, but… this is a bit harsh,” he admitted, earning a glare from Hiten and Kouga.
 
“Harsh? You call this harsh! Try raising your boxer shorts up the flagpole in front of the whole school. Now, that's harsh!” Hiten roared, hissing the last sentence.
 
“Come on, Ten. You can't possibly still be angry over what Inuyasha did when we were in sixth grade. And besides, after that, you became a girl magnet. What’s there to complain about?” Shun said as-a-matter-of-factly, shrugging out the last of his reply.
 
“Well, yeah… But still…” Hiten pouted, but was cut off by Kouga's rough hug.
 
“Ah, poor Hiten, don’t sulk. Come to Kouga and cry your little heart out just like before,” he cajoled with mock concern, bringing Hiten's head on his shoulder. That earned snickers from his two other friends.
 
“Ah! Shut up Kouga, and stop hugging me!” Hiten pried himself away from his clinging friend and dusted off his shirt. “Gross!”
 
“Ah, both of you are too sweet.” Miroku chuckled ignoring Hiten’s heated gaze. He elbowed Shun coaxing him to join the fun, but Shun only smiled wearily.

“Times like these, I really doubt if you're straight or not.” Hiten was pointedly glaring at Kouga.

Unfortunately for him, Kouga laughed. He started walking towards Hiten blowing flying kisses towards his direction. “Oh, but I am straight, darling.”
 
“Gah! Stop doing that! It's gross!” Hiten cringed. His face twisted in disgust, as his three friends laughed at his expense. Miroku spluttered beer into Shun's face. Shun retaliated immediately and tackled Miroku on the floor. Once their laughter died down, they decided to leave the rooftop.
 
Hiten followed his three friends down the staircase. They headed back to Inuyasha’s room. Despite Shun and Miroku’s hesitation to pull the prank, there was more work to be done. “But I'm still up to this though,” he said suddenly. “I mean… do any of you guys have a better idea aside from this one?”
 
His friends looked at each other and shrugged a `NO.'
 
“See? There’s no other way. This is the perfect way to welcome Inuyasha back. I’m sure he’ll hate it, which is perfect. Inuyasha never forgets the things he hates. After tomorrow, I’m sure this prank will rank on top of his most hated list of things – if he ever has one that is.” Then, he added. “But if someone is going to take the flack for this, it ain’t me.”

“Chicken.” Kouga uttered the passing remark to Hiten, but it sounded more like a snort. He smirked. It was not that Inuyasha was a terror to merit Hiten saying that; it was just Inuyasha had always been the best fighter among the five of them.
 
“All right then. Let's just finish this. If Inuyasha wants to murder someone over this, let's just say it's Miroku's idea,” Shun said drinking the last of his beer.
 
“What? But why me?” Miroku gulped.

“Because all this was your idea for starters,” Kouga told him.

“But the second part’s not mine though. It was yours Kouga,” he reasoned. His mind betrayed him when he imagined Inuyasha pounding him to pieces, or kicking his balls to mush. Taking a deep breath, he hoped Shun would hear him. “Sango's not going to be very happy about this.”
 
Shun sighed. “All right, Kouga’s taking the blame then.”

Hiten snickered in the background. Miroku sighed in relief. Kouga spat his beer, coughing when a small amount went up his nose. But before he could say anything…
 
“I agree. Kouga gets the blame.” Miroku stood up, eyes visibly twinkling as he hanged the gigantic tarpaulin on the wall.
 
“That’s like… the best idea I’ve ever heard of today,” Hiten said and continued painting the graffiti on the wall. Shun mounted the video camera on the tripod, totally ignoring Kouga's outburst.
 
“Hey, wait just a fucking minute!”
 
 
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Inuyasha sighed wearily, massaging his temples. He had just arrived from Chicago, and now he was on his way back to his childhood home, the Takahashi mansion. A small smile curved up his lips, as he reminisced the happy times he had spent there, especially the mischief and havoc he and his so called partners-in-crime had wreaked in the past.
 
God, he missed those guys.

“It's great to be home.” His smile grew wider, as he watched Tokyo passed by from the backseat window. That was one thing that Totosai, their family driver and friend did not fail to notice.

“Long flight, Inuyasha-sama?”
 
“Long and shitty,” Inuyasha immediately answered, turning his attention to the old driver. Totosai looked at him through the rear view mirror, grinning. Inuyasha grinned back, but his eyes looked weary.
 
“Shitty flight, you say?” the old man knowingly asked.
 
“Yeah. And don’t even ask why.” He rubbed his temples, already feeling jetlagged. He grinned nonetheless to the old man.
 
Inuyasha had great respect for the man, as well share a paternal affection for him. It wasn't that he lacked that from his Dad, but the old man had been with him ever since he could remember. He was the one who brought and fetched him from school every day. He was the one who drove him to his first date when he was twelve – yes, that’s right, twelve. The old man chauffeured for him on his first dance. You name it, the old man was there with him. Hell, the old man even taught him how to drive.
 
“You've grown, Inuyasha,” Totosai said out of the blue, causing Inuyasha to snort.
 
“Of course, I have. It's been six years!” Inuyasha exclaimed. Isn't that a little obvious? He grumbled in his thoughts, as he rubbed his temples again, feeling his head already throbbing. God, he’d give everything for a warm bath and a long night's sleep. Groaning, he closed his eyes for a much needed doze. There was still a thirty-minute ride before they'd reach the mansion, and he definitely wanted to make the most of it.
 
 
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A loud buzzing could be heard inside the dimly lit bedroom. It was followed by a feminine groan underneath the blankets. A pale arm with dainty little fingers came out from under the duvet. Frantic, as it blindly searched for the buzzing contraption. Kagome groaned annoyingly. “Yeah, yeah, coming phone.”

She brought the phone to her ears.

“Yeah,” she yawned, her eyes still refusing to open.
 
“Kagome? It's Kagura. You sound like shit. Are you okay?”
 
“Yeah, I am. Actually, I've just woken up.” The answer came out as a yawn. She had not slept for three days straight because of work.

“Were you finishing a design all day yesterday?” Kagura did not wait for her answer. Instead, she chuckled. “You know, for someone who takes work so seriously, you cram your designs big time.”

Kagome laughed. It was true. She did cram most of the time. “But you’ve got to admit, I’m pretty effective when I cram.”

“Yeah, you sure are. You’re still the same Kagome as before,” Kagura said.
 
“Uh huh, but this time, it was Sango's fault why I was buried with work a couple of days ago. She distracted me enough the past week that I had to cram the designs for submission in one day. Shiro had been practically breathing on my neck while I finished it earlier this afternoon. Well, he wasn’t really breathing down my neck – more like seething, you know.”

“Shiro? You mean that hot guy with the mean six pack?”

Kagome chuckled. Kagura had been a single mom for 6 years. She lived satisfactorily. She just felt lonely sometimes – especially at night. “Yes, that’s the Shiro I’m talking about,” she replied.
 
Kagura sighed on the phone. “God, Kagome. What I’d give to switch places with you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Shiro’s a mean bastard.”

“Oh, but I like them mean. Mean bastards give hotter sex.”

“You’re crazy.” Kagome laughed turning to her side. She scrambled for the TV remote. Disney’s Aladdin was on. She would never admit it in front of many people, but Aladdin was a long time favorite. The particular scene flashing on the screen was when Aladdin and Jasmine went on a magic carpet ride. She scoffed at the idea of a magic carpet ride. Such wishful thinking was dangerous. She's a grown woman of twenty-four and here she was – like some seven year-old kid – wishing she could also have a magic carpet ride. Nowadays, people were smart enough to realize that Aladdin and Jasmine didn’t have a lame rug take them to some magic carpet rides around the world. Instead, they were riding each other. Ha! Everyone knew that.

She heard Kagura’s burst of laughter on the phone. “You’re thinking too hard again, Kagome. And out loud. Sheesh. You should keep your thoughts to yourself, you know. You’re discouraging me.”

“Haven’t given up yet I see? Still looking for love?”

“Stop teasing me just because you’ve got someone.”

“So, why'd you call, Gura?”

“Uh-oh, someone’s avoiding something. What’s the problem now?”

“Nothing. Just nothing.”
 
“All right. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t press.”

“Thanks. So why’d you call?”

“Oh, yeah. Um, are you free tonight?” Kagome smiled on the phone. She knew Kagura had this cute pout on her face whenever she had that tone.
 
“Yeah, why?”
 
“Um, could you baby-sit Kanna for me tonight? Just until closing time at 10. We're closing early today because Kaguya said the repairs would be for the whole night tonight until the whole day tomorrow.”
 
“Another one of your stripping gigs?” Kagome teased.
 
“No, baka. I have a date,” Kagura answered as-a-matter-of-factly. “So, is it okay with you?”
 
“All right, I'll be there after 20,” Kagome said looking at her bedside clock. It was 8:01PM. She really wanted to go back to sleep but a friend's in need. She would suck it up.
 
 
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Inuyasha was livid. After all the laughs had ended, his headache had returned full force. He had already jugged down two painkillers, but his head was still throbbing. He was supposed to be in bed right now after a nice warm shower – not driving around Tokyo, looking for some bar and some bartender to kiss for him to retrieve his things.
 
Fucking so called friends. He was going to kill them.
 
When he had arrived at the mansion, he was expecting a warm shower and a long night's rest. But instead, he discovered that his room had been ransacked, stripped off of all furniture - including his bed! Even his showerhead was gone!
 
Damn bastards. He grumbled again, as he stepped hard on the accelerator.
 
But it was a good laugh though. Myouga, the butler, was practically shaking to stop himself from laughing; Totosai, who brought Inuyasha's suitcases to his room, was all hysterics. Even Inuyasha was balling with laughter that he had even forgotten about his headache.
 
The prank was simple enough: trash Inu's room, kidnap his furniture, make demands and force him to pay ransom.
 
Such an ingenious idea, really. He was impressed by the originality himself. He couldn’t have thought of a better way to prank him. When he went inside his room, graffiti had covered the walls. Spray-painted around were images of him. Inuyasha with red popping eyes. Inuyasha steaming with anger. Inuyasha stuffing his face with ramen. Inuyasha playing with Daddy's sword Tetsaiga. Inuyasha biting Kouga's head off. That was his favorite. And of course, Inuyasha playing as the half dog demon with cute puppy ears on top of his head propped like a dog taking a piss on a fire hydrant. It was definitely Hiten’s work. Hiten kicked ass when it came to street art.

In the other side of the room, there was a gigantic banner saying:
 
“WE KIDNAPPED YOUR FURNITURE! KOUGA DID IT!”
 
He burst in laughter right there. He could just imagine Kouga’s face when the other three had voted for him to take the blame. Wolf must have been fucking pissed. But that didn’t mean he would just let this go. Oh hell no! That was the last thing on his mind. He would not let this go. He would take revenge. Hell yeah! He would. So Kouga’s still going to get it.

He clenched the stirring wheel tighter, an evil smirk marring his handsome face. The shadow inside the car made his face looked more sinister. Oh, he could not wait. He was itching for payback. He turned the corner and stopped near a giant cheery blossom tree. The road was deserted and the place was unusually quiet. He read the sign.

Sacred Arrow.

This was the place.

As part of the prank, he needed to “rescue” his things by paying ransom. He could only shake his head. He was sure his friends had gone mad. There had been a video camera in the middle of his room. It was connected to a projector. On the screen were his best friends laughing on his couch while drinking beer. In the bed, Kouga drooled his way on his sheets. He took a mental note to pummel the damn wolf once he got hold of him. His bed was off limits. His murderous thoughts were immediately interrupted, however, when he heard Shun’s chuckle from the video.
 
“I know what you're thinking Yash. Don't worry, you can kick his ass later.”

“Yeah, right. Like he can kick any of our asses. I bet he has forgotten about those kick ass moves I’ve taught him a long time ago.” Hiten was surely and slightly intoxicated because all of them knew Inuyasha could definitely kick everyone’s asses, especially theirs. Besides, Hiten had not taught Inuyasha shit.

“Oh, and yeah! Consider this payback for making fun of my tweety bird boxers during sixth grade, and for beating the hell out of me at kendo every single time!” Hiten was laughing so hard, he was turning red. He was sure feeling triumphant about the payback. Inuyasha made another mental note to pummel his ass next once he finished with Kouga. “I’ll give you to Miroku now. Yo, Roku. Stop hiding and say something.”
 
“Inuyasha, my bestfriend. Best buddy. I have nothing to do with this. I swear. They’ve forced me to do this. Please don't kill me,” Miroku said, as he trembled jokingly.

“Shut-up Roku. Don’t be such a wuss,” Shun countered. “Remember. Sango threatened to not have sex with you if you won't do this.”
 
“Shut up Shun!” Miroku pounced on him. Both of them landed roughly on top of the sleeping Kouga.
 
“Hey, what the fuck!” Kouga looked at the two disapprovingly. He looked over to Hiten who was talking in front of the video camera.
 
“Oi, Ten. Is that for dog-shit?” He was immediately on his feet, and very much awake.
 
“Yeah,” Hiten answered.
 
“Ha! Come on, Hiten. Over here. Show me! Show me!” He was waving his arms, as he faced the camera. He had that evil smirked you see villains used. “What's up dog shit? See this?”

“Stop stalling, Kouga. Get on with the taunt.”

“Stop ruining the moment, dude. Hiten, that’s uncool.”

“But we’re running out of battery, by the way. So better hurry up.”

“All right! I’ll get on with it already.”

“He’s going to say something stupid again, isn’t he?” Miroku said, as he wrestled Shun. He was winning.

“I bet,” Shun grunted beneath Miroku.

Kouga ignored his friends’ banters. He was so darn pumped-up mocking Inuyasha; he was feeling drunk by it. “Hey, dog-shit. This is for stealing my favorite chocolate chip cookies the last time you visited. And also, I’ve always been slightly angry with you for getting all the girls. So let’s say this is payback for being better looking than me!” He had laughed so evilly as a finish, he almost looked like a witch from that darn Snow White cartoon. It was not pretty. Kouga, as a witch, was not pretty.

“And I also speak for Shun. This is payback for stealing his favorite teddy bear when we were five. I'd told you you'd pay, dog-shit!” he continued smirking, which annoyed Inuyasha more.
 
“Stop taunting Inuyasha, Kouga. I bet as he watches this, he’s already planning the painful things he’d do to you,” Miroku warned Kouga.

Kouga remained undaunted, however.

“Hey, Yash, if you want your things back…” Shun was cut off by Kouga, who elbowed his ribs.
 
“Don't be so friendly Shun. This is where the demanding goes. This is our chance to demand. You should be forceful! Try again,” he hissed and smirked at the camera.
 
“Inuyasha,” Shun resumed his voice low and dangerous. “If you want your precious things back, go to a bar called Sacred Arrow. The bartender holds the location of your things. And as for the ransom…” He smirked slyly. “You have to kiss it the hell out of her.”
 
Inuyasha stared at the sign from inside his car. As he thought about the reason why he was there about to go inside a bar he was unfamiliar of to pay ransom for this things, it was clear to him that this was all fucked-up. Oh hell, double fuck! He was being pranked for being born better looking, stealing cookies and a teddy bear? How mental could it possibly get? Inuyasha cursed in his thoughts once again. He was quite amused though. Shun's display of toughness in the video was a bit uncharacteristic. He was calm, controlled, suave and a bit stoic. Shun had never been forceful all his life that he'd known him. Maybe, he had – once. But he did not want to linger on it. It was all in the past.


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R & R!