InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness Before Dawn ❯ Interrogation ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

“There are only four of us, Inuyasha! Did we really need to get so much ramen?” Kagome questioned as they entered the building.

“Keh. Ramen’s my weakness, Kagome. I could eat gallons of the stuff and still want more.”

A small sound caught his attention and he nodded toward the couches with a large grin. Sango was curled in Miroku’s lap, her head rested comfortably on the drummer’s shoulder as he pressed soft kissed and murmured sweet nothings into her hair.

"See," Inuyasha taunted smugly as he gave Kagome's arm a nudge with his elbow, "I told you they'd be getting on just fine by the time we got back!"

"No," she corrected gently, "I believe your exact words were 'They'll either kiss and make up, or Miroku will be on the floor with a few broken bones'."

"Same thing," he chuckled. The couple on the couch remained blissfully oblivious to their return. The aroma of his precious cargo made the hunger pains in his belly intensify, so Inuyasha called out to his band mates as he and Kagome approached. "Oi, lovebirds! Food's here! Time to break it up!" Sango blushed as she slipped out of Miroku's embrace. Kagome sat the drinks down on the coffee table while Inuyasha passed out the containers of steaming ramen.

Miroku commented to Sango as he eyed the large amount of food, "I thought we agreed that Inuyasha wasn't allowed to pick lunch for us anymore."

Thoroughly insulted, Inuyasha smacked the drummer upside his head. "Baka! What's wrong with ramen? Besides, considering the way you two were going at each others throats, I figured I'd get Kagome out of here before one of you drew blood!"

Sango blushed a deeper shade of red and cast shame-filled eyes at their new singer. She really hadn't wanted to give Kagome the wrong impression about her volatile relationship with Miroku. "My apologies, Kagome. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable..."

Kagome dismissed Sango’s concerns with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about it, Sango. I'm a firm believer in the 'ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies' rule. I'm the outsider here, so I don't expect all of you to confide your life stories to me."

"There will be plenty of time for us to become better acquainted in the coming weeks," Miroku added through a mouthful of noodles.

"So I take it you two have worked something out?" Inuyasha asked brazenly.

"Yes," Sango replied nervously and another blush bloomed on her cheeks. "Miroku's going to move in to my apartment for now."

Inuyasha quirked a questioning eyebrow at his friend. Miroku flushed slightly at the inquisitive look before answering, "Sango was reluctant to give up control of her hard-won independence, so I offered to stay at her place instead."

"Not to mention the fact you won't be able to bring any 'conquests' home with you?" Inuyasha teased.

Sango leveled a deadly glare at him. "Should I use you as a dummy to demonstrate what will happen if he does?"

Inuyasha smiled innocently at her. "Do I look that stupid?"

"Do you really want an answer to that question?" Sango replied with a low growl.

“Back off, Inuyasha,” Miroku pleaded as he laid a comforting hand on Sango’s shoulder. “I just got her calmed down!”

Kagome decided this was the perfect opportunity for a change in topics. "So, what about your jobs?"

Inuyasha smiled at the singer, secretly pleased she was now trying to initiate the conversations instead of quietly observing them like she did earlier. "Sango's the only one that really had to worry about that. Me and Miroku work for his old man, and he told us ages ago that if we needed time, we could have it. He supports the success of Redemption one hundred percent!" A wry chuckle escaped him. "He can't wait till we start making him some money!"

"My father is our main investor," Miroku explained to the puzzled looking Kagome. "He's supplied most of the funding for our equipment, but we use our own money from performances and such to pay the bills around here." He looked at his watch before smiling apologetically at the others. "I suppose I should give him a call. He should be free right now. Excuse me."

Miroku set his half empty carton on the table, rose and pulled a cell phone from his pocket as he walked toward the kitchen.

Kagome was seriously impressed at the way these three managed their group. Every person had a role, yet they worked seamlessly to advance the band. They handled every aspect of advertising, accounting and booking gigs without any outside influence. So what was holding them in the amateur leagues? she wondered. Her attention was pulled back to the conversation as Sango and Inuyasha continued their discussion.

"So what are you going to do about work?" Inuyasha repeated Kagome's inquiry from moments ago.

Sango flashed them a brilliant smile and explained, "It's the most bizarre thing, really. I called my boss to see what we could work out without me losing too much income. When I told her that I belonged to a band called Hell's Redemption, she got really quiet."

"And...?" Kagome asked with apprehension in her voice.

"Well, I thought for sure she was going to fire me! My boss is never quiet, unless she's really upset." Sango took another bite of her food, letting the tension build. When the pair across from her were literally on the edge of their seats, she spoke again. "It turns out that her oldest daughter is a huge fan of Redemption!"

Inuyasha nearly choked on his food at her statement. "No shit?"

"No shit," Sango echoed with a laugh. "She caught our set a few months ago at the Shinigami Club, and has been following us all over Tokyo ever since!" Sango delicately slurped more noodles before continuing. "Anyway, she's agreed to grant me a leave of absence, at half-salary!"

Kagome smiled at the good news. "That's wonderful, Sango!"

Uncertainty filled the bassist's eyes as she looked at Inuyasha. "That depends...there were a couple of stipulations that have to be agreed upon first."

"Such as...?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"She...uh...wants us to play at her daughter's birthday party next month..."

"And...?" he questioned with a growl. "You said a couple of stipulations. Spill it, Sango."

Sango cast a nervous glance at Kagome, silently pleading for help. Kagome shrugged her shoulders, not sure what she could possibly do to aid the poor girl. Sango returned her eye's to Inuyasha. "She...ahem...we-have-to-do-it-for-free," she finished in a rush of words. The woman braced herself for Inuyasha's explosive response. When no eruption was forthcoming, Sango peeked up at the stunned guitarist.

Kagome gazed at the pair, puzzled by their reactions to each other. She could feel the tension that radiated off of Sango and assumed she was awaiting a refusal from Inuyasha. The man beside her had a bewildered expression that Kagome didn't even know how to interpret.

Inuyasha blinked stupidly at his band mate. "That's it? Fuck, Sango, I thought you were gonna tell me we had to dress up like clowns or something equally ridiculous."

It was Sango's turn to look dumbfounded. "You mean you really don't have a problem with doing a free performance?"

The man rolled his eyes dramatically. "If it means you'll be able to live, breathe, eat, sleep and shit Redemption twenty-four/seven for the next three weeks, why the hell would I notagree? Keeping your ass out of the poor-house is an added bonus, of course!" He winked at the astonished female, then collected the empty cartons from the two women. "Really Sango, I'm not that much of a penny pincher, am I?"

"Yes, Inuyasha, you are," she laughed.

Inuyasha smiled at her before walking to the kitchen to dispose of the take-out containers. A sense of hope welled in his chest. For the first time in months, fate and fortune finally seemed to be smiling on them.

Sev en grueling hours of rehearsal had passed before Inuyasha finally allowed a dinner break. Kagome drank greedily from the bottle of water Sango tossed her before climbing off the stage. Walking to the piano, she sat heavily on the bench and turned her attention toward the rest of the band. She smiled at the trio who were methodically packing away their equipment and making sure all the power had been cut to the amps. The woman closed her eyes as the familiar warmth of her lover embraced her.

You sounded wonderful, 'Gome. I can't believe how wrong I was when I insisted you perform pop music...

Kagome chuckled at the wry tone of his voice. "You did what you thought was right, my love. At the time, it was the right decision."

But this music brings out a light in you...

"No, Shiro. This music brings out the darkness in my soul." Kagome swallowed past the lump in her throat before she continued. "Their music has a purpose in each word and note they create, and I feel..." At a loss for the right words to express the range of emotions swirling through her, Kagome left the sentence incomplete.

But you felt something, and that is a start, Anata. You cannot remain in the shadows forever...

"Only in the shadows can I remain at your side," she returned on a whisper.

I will always be beside you, my love. Let the music heal you...

Kagome's heart skipped a beat as the echo of another voice whispered through her memory. "That's what Inuyasha said to me earlier. He also said that my music may heal someone else's pain..."

Shiro's soft chuckle tingled along her nerve endings. He sounds like a wise man. Perhaps you should listen to him...

Kagome gave a disappointed sigh as she felt his presence recede. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Inuyasha walking toward her with a slight frown marring his features.

Inuyasha could have sworn he heard Kagome talking to herself and the sadness in her eyes stole his breath. "You okay?" he asked when he reached her.

"Yeah, just exhausted. That's some pretty powerful music you three have there." Kagome looked down at her hands. "Each song pulled at something deep within me. I just hope I did them justice."

"Keh-" he scoffed. "You did great considering you've never even heard any of them before. It's almost eerie the way you understood what the lyrics were trying to say and knew right where to back off or really pour on the emotion." Inuyasha moved to sit beside Kagome on the bench. "That's not to say that there isn't some fine tuning to be done, but that will come as we continue to work together. Were there any songs that you think you'd feel comfortable with for the club's opening?"

Kagome looked at him, unsure of how to express her thoughts. "Listen, Inuyasha, can I ask you something? I don't want to step on any toes or anything..."

Inuyasha frowned deeply. "Don't be afraid to ask anything, Kagome. You are a member of Redemption now, and if you don't agree with something, just speak up!"

The singer began to nervously pluck at the sweat dampened hem of her t-shirt despite Inuyasha's words of encouragement. "Were there any songs that Kikyo sang that were fan favorites?"

Inuyahsa cast her a questioning look as he said, "A few, yeah. Why?"

"Well, since you want the public to know that Hell's Redemption has a new singer and a new sound, I'd like to stay away from those if at all possible."

The guitarist gently laid a hand over hers to still them. "We don't have to sing anything that makes you uncomfortable, Kagome. We have a lot of stuff that Kikyo refused to touch, so I'm sure we can find at least one that will work for you."

Kagome still felt uneasy with her request however. "It won't put added pressure on you guys to use unfamiliar material so close to the performance?"

"Nah," the guitarist assured her. "We've all been itching to dig into some fresh stuff but Kikyo insisted we use the same tired pieces all the time. It didn't matter how many times we told her that it was holding us back. She argued that our fans loved the line up we were using, and was determined to please them! Or so she said."

Kagome's expression turned skeptical. "It's always been my experience that even the fans will get tired of hearing the same songs over and over."

"Yeah, I think she was just too lazy to try and learn anything new," Inuyasha laughed. "Come on, Miroku's gonna call for some pizza and we can hash it out while we eat. After that, I'll take you home."

"So... " Kagome said hesitantly.

"Yeah, I...um...heh." Inuyasha leaned heavily against the wall beside Kagome's apartment door. Why do I suddenly feel so awkward with her?

The car ride back to Kagome's building had passed in a companionable silence, broken only by the music that pulsed from the car's speakers. Sango had dug up an old copy of their practice demo so the singer could familiarize herself with some of the songs during her free time. The entire day had seemed so...comfortable between them.

Kagome leaned back against the door, not sure what to say to the man before her. While rehearsing they had shared an odd sort of connection; like the words she sang were meant just for him. But how could that be when he was the one who wrote them?

They continued to stare at each other, neither one wanting to speak as the silence stretched between them. Finally unable to take the tension any more, Kagome commented softly, "It was a good first day."

Inuyasha sighed with relief at her statement. "Yeah, it was. You did really great today."

"Thank you," she said, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "I know I really screwed up at times..."

"Give yourself a break, Kagome," he commanded softly. "This is all new material for you. Once we have a better idea of what we're going to use, it will get easier for all of us."

"I know," Kagome sighed. She looked away from the intensity of his eyes, concentrating on a crack in the ceiling tile. I still feel like I'm putting too much pressure on the rest of you by insisting on using new music."

"Cut the crap, Kagome! I told you earlier, and the other two agreed, it's no big deal!"

Kagome returned her gaze to him and protested, "But-"

Inuyasha cut off the rest of her statement with a sharp, "No 'buts' about it!" He pushed away from the wall and scowled down at Kagome. "You made a really good point about using a new set of songs to promote our new sound." When she cast her eyes down to the floor, he tilted her chin up with the tip of his index finger, forcing the singer to meet his eyes again. "I'm only going to say this one more time, so pay attention!"

Kagome found herself mesmerized by the intensity that shimmered in the depths of his golden orbs. She swallowed hard before nodding in acquiescence.

Inuyasha rewarded her compliance with a brilliant smile. "You are now a bona fide member of Hell's Redemption. Don't ever --EVER -- be afraid to ask a question or suggest changes. We are more than a band, Kagome. We are family! Your opinion is every bit as important as mine."

The girl was speechless. The trio of friends had accepted her into their tight-knit fold and granted her a position of equality in the band's decision making process. It was a responsibility that she was unaccustomed to. During her career as a rising pop star, Kagome had little executive power, allowing her agent and Shiro to choose the songs she would sing, book the club acts and set up all the promotional performances and interviews. Shiro had convinced her to leave it all in his capable hands so that she could concentrate on her singing.

Finally finding her voice, Kagome whispered, "I'll try to remember that."

"That's my girl!" he joked, but inwardly smiled at the easy way the expression rolled off his tongue. "Well, it's getting late so I'm gonna take off."

"Are you sure you don't want a ride home?" she asked, concern heavy in her tone.

"Keh. No worries, babe. It's a beautiful night and Miroku's place isn't far from here. I promised to help him pack his stuff and then he'd give me a lift home." Inuyasha trailed the back of his finger down her jaw line in a tender gesture and winked playfully as she blushed. "Good-night, Kagome. I'll pick you up around eight, okay?"

Kagome nodded as he handed over her keys. "See you then, Inuyasha. Good night."

Inuyasha reluctantly turned away and made his way back to the elevator. It amazed him how comfortable he was in Kagome's presence after knowing her for such a short period of time. It seemed like simply being near her soothed his inner demons. The woman brought out a side of him that few people--even those closest to him--rarely ever saw. By the time he reached the large metal doors he was softly whistling a jaunty tune. The fates truly had been smiling upon him for last twenty four hours!

Just as Inuyasha was about to press the "down" button, the doors slid open and a tall, dark haired man stepped out of the lift and ran right into the distracted musician. "Excuse me," the guitarist said with a slight bow.

The man with eyes of brilliant sapphire blue flashed a quick grin as he returned the polite gesture. "No, please forgive my rudeness," he said respectfully, then moved down the hallway at a leisurely pace.