InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Falling For the Baby Sitter ❯ Not Just a Mere Reincarnation ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three:Not Just a Mere Reincarnation

By Shikon Priestess

(Bryan Parsons and Zabe Phillips)

 

A/N: I have finally finished the chapter A DUN DUN DUN whooo! Sorry I had crazy people at my house all weekend that though my time was better spent on Jager Bombs and Red Headed Sluts than writing a chapter for you guys. In fact, I'm running out to another party right now, so I'ma make this short. I don't own Inu Yasha, or More than a Memory by Hoobastank, Psycho by Puddle of Mudd, Ultra Blue by Thrice OR I Walk Alone by Oleander. PLEASEEE Read and review! Thank you guys! I <3 your frickin faces!

 

 

The sun was setting when Kagome returned; rolling up the long dirt road slowly, as to not batter her old Marquis she had so painstakingly cared for over the years. The damn gas guzzler had arrived that morning attached to the back of the second moving truck driven by her bitch ass older sister, Kagura, and Hakudoshi, her latest boy toy fling. They'd arrived just in time for Kagome to take the car to her interview. It had died twice on the way over almost making her late, and then once again on the way back house to pick up her stuff.

After the last time on the way back to her house, she'd pulled it over to the side of the road. When she was sure she wasn't going to die in the careening brick on wheels, she got out. She gingerly closed the driver door, but then turned around to kick the shit out of it. All in all, she'd only managed to hurt herself more than she did the beast of a car. Limping to the rear driver's side door on her now sore foot, she yanked it open and grabbed the can of spray from her back seat. Weapon in hand, she walked around to the front of her car, threw open the hood, took aim, and maced the hell out of her Radiator.

After receiving the light beating and the face full of lube, she and her car had reached an understanding; the old beast was back to purring like a kitten.

That's the way things usually worked out with Kagome. If things didn't work the first, second, or third time around; she'd beat the opposing force into submission. Kagome chuckled at her musings and the memory of that afternoon before turning her attention back to the sky.

The golden sun raked its claws against the bleeding sky, rebelling against its gradual descent towards the horizon. Oranges and pinks bid their farewells to the blue sky, slipping behind the green forest canopy that framed the house and yard.

She eased the car up to the front porch and slipped it down into park. Taking the keys out of the ignition and patting the dashboard, she praised the car for a job well done.

She hopped out of the car and walked to the back seat again, opening the door. This time it held much more than a can of car mace. There were five boxes shoved into the back seat, and two overstuffed duffels.

She decided to leave her mini library and laptop in her trunk for now, and grabbed hold of the handles of her duffels. She gave both straps a good simultaneous yank and freed the bags. A soft breeze picked up and tossed her hair about her face as she swung one bag over her shoulder and readjusted her grip on the other so it wouldn't drag the ground. The sweet fragrance of the wind was intoxicating, enhancing the giddiness she'd already felt at the `Great Escape' from her mother's clutches. She doubted if the woman even noticed she'd left yet.

`This is great,' she thought to herself. `I'm out of that house, I have a job, and I work for a total hottie! Score!'

A pang of regret twisted in her chest as she remembered Mayu's face when she'd realized Kagome was leaving. Unable to bear the guilt of parting with the small girl, even for a short while, Kagome had turned and pressed a small necklace into the girl's hand. She pressed her lips to her tiny forehead and pinky promised her that she would come back to get her too. Kagome had closed her eyes and squeezed the little girl in a tight hug, savoring her tender child smell of sunflowers. Steps had sounded in the kitchen hallway, so she kissed the girl again, and turned to race out the door to avoid another fight between her mother and her latest step father.

Walking up the steps of the porch, Kagome whispered a silent prayer for the little girl to whoever might have been listening.

~~~~~~~

The sound of a car, preceded by the dogs stirring into an uproar, had alerted Inu Yasha of the girl's approach. He glanced at the clock in surprise. She'd really come back. He was a bit taken aback at how nicely the whole babysitter thing had worked out. The arrangement would be a nice temporary fix, and since the woman was around his age, they shouldn't have too many arguments about when and where loud music could be played. A soft smile tugged at his lips as he remembered the girl's excited face when he'd told her that she'd gotten the job.

He heard her car door slam, and got up from his comfortable spot next to Kouga to peer out the window. That girl really had come back. For some reason, he felt a little more than relieved, and maybe a little excited, to see her making her way up the stairs. Inu Yasha made his way over to the door, braced himself and opened it.

The look on her face made him double take. For a second he'd thought he'd seen it twist in agony. She trudged her way up the stairs, still yet unaware of his coming to greet her.

As he looked at her, he realized that as similar as her face was to Kikyou's, there were some very refreshing differences. Her eyes to start with. Kikyou's, like his, had been dark, brooding and brown. Kagome's flashed like lightning on everything they lit upon and they were this broiling silver, like thunderous storm clouds, tinged with the slightest blue that seemed to grow brighter the giddier she was. Her lips were a fresh petal pink, whereas Kikyou's had had a matured persimmon shade to them. Though the facial structure was basically the same, Kikyou's high cheek bones seemed almost sharp against Kagome's softly rounded face. Her face, as pale as it was, still had more color in it than Kikyou's had. Even their smiles, which his heart had twisted at earlier, seeing only the similarities, were very different. Kikyou's calm and collected face had slowly and sweetly just found herself smiling more and more being with him, in spite of her troubled life otherwise. Kagome's silver eyes never seemed to miss a single thing smile about, though her eyes sometimes didn't reflect the expression. It was as if she was saying, `I don't need someone else to make me happy.' Something about those stormy eyes belied that she, too, had something to hide. He was happy that she was taking the job, and he wasn't about to jeopardize that.

A soft smile spread on his face as he took a deep breath of the breeze that was blowing, tossing her fragile scent towards him. That too was different from Kikyou's however slightly. His eyes fell on her downcast face and watched, entranced, as single strands of her silken hair tossed about her face and stroked her neck and collarbone. Kagome shifted her bag, and looked up, feeling his presence and his eyes upon her. He blushed sheepishly and looked away.

“Hey, Kags. Come on in.”

When he called her, she blushed at the homey nickname. It almost felt as if he was finally welcoming her home after all of her weary years of travels to foreign places. She'd finally found a place where she belonged, however ephemeral it might be. Strangely, she felt all of her anxiety and worries rush away, about her mother, about Mayu, and certainly about Hojou. This was her first step towards the future, on her path that sped away from her past at a break neck pace, and he was paving the first cobble stones beneath her feet with this job and new home.

A grateful smile tugged at her pretty mouth as she gazed up at where he stood. “Thanks,” she murmured. The depth of her gratitude was evident in her eyes.

Her smile widened when he reached out a hand for her second duffle. She giggled at the rakish grin he shot her in an attempt to soothe her nerves. She outstretched her arm, handing the duffel over. He took it graciously and put a hand on her back, ushering her into the house. She blushed a bit darker at the contact and stumbled over the threshold of her home.

The first time she'd been in for the interview she'd noticed his manga collection and his painting, but now, knowing that this new place would be her new home, it seemed to take on a completely different light. She noticed, with a bittersweet affection, all the cobwebs in the corners of the house, along with the crayon marks on the outside wall of the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. The carpet was fraying and faded and stained, and the trim on the walls seemed to be pulling away from years of abuse.

She touched her fingers to the doorknob of her room and turned it cautiously, not sure what to expect. The door creaked painfully, swinging open on its hinges, as the room was revealed to her. Her eyes widened and her breath abruptly left her lungs.

Inu Yasha looked over at the girl in alarm, her reaction confusing him. He'd made sure to clean the room before she'd arrived. Maybe she just really hated how small it was. Not sure how to respond, he turned and motioned for Kouga to follow so they could finish unloading her car. Maybe if he got all of her stuff inside she'd have no choice but to stay anyway.

Kagome took a step into her room and looked over at her canopy bed pushed into the corner. It looked like it was hand carved and draped with soft gray gauzy curtains. Wolves jumped out of the posts and head board, springing to life like gargoyles that would protect its charges, unconditionally. She brushed her fingers against one of the beautifully hand carved wolves and was shocked to find the detail in the fur.

She ran her fingers over the soft mattress and smiled at the drapings around the bed. They would easily match her bedding and she couldn't wait to see it all laid against each other. Her breath caught again as she saw the matching dresser and book case. There was a painting of a forest scene with a pack of wolves in a clearing on her wall above her bed.

She moved closer to study it and noticed the initials IY at the bottom corner. Her eyes widened in realization as she turned to see Inu Yasha shouldering his way into the bedroom with a box in one hand and the duffle still slung over one shoulder. She motioned to the painting.

“Did you do this?” she asked, turning back to study the howling wolves with awe. The layering of color in their grey and white coats was absolutely amazing, and looked like the work of a skilled artist. The koi pond painting had been breathtakingly beautiful, but the wolf painting was in a class all unto its self.

Inu Yasha looked at the painting she was enthralled with and let the duffle slide to floor, placing the box beside it. Kouga looked at him and dumped his armload on top of the box he'd set down, then turned to evacuate the room. The girl's face made him really uneasy, with how similar she was to Kikyou. He wasn't sure what Inu Yasha was thinking when he hired her, but he was sure he didn't want it confirmed, in case it was the worst case scenario.

Inu Yasha scowled and lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck. “Yea… I painted that as a gift for my grandfather. He is mostly Cherokee and has always loved my drawings of wolves.” His eyes fell on the bed and on the wolf bust she'd been stroking and nodded at it. “He hand carved that bed and dresser set as a gift…” he trailed off remembering just who the bed had been for. “It's too damn gaudy for my room,” he said scoffing nonchalantly trying to hide the quaver in his voice, “but I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I couldn't bear to give my grandfather's handiwork to some ungrateful lout who'd destroy it given half the chance.” His face darkened as if remembering just such a person who'd asked for just such a thing.

The fact that he would trust such a precious piece, of not only his, but also his grandfather's work, touched Kagome deeply. She looked over at him, studying his scowling face and beamed in gratitude. The boy blushed and looked away again, unable to take the unrestrained gratitude and joy beaming from her face head on.

Kagome looked up and spun around the room, giggling, and taking it all in. She already could tell that she was going to feel more at home here than she had anywhere else in her whole life.

~~~~~~~~

Kagome let the black fuzzy towel fall to the ground as she shut the bedroom door behind her. Water droplets trekked their course over her alabaster skin, catching the prisms of moonlight, and glistening in the darkness. Her ebony hair curled in damp ringlets against her skin that shone like porcelain in the moonlit room.

A few short strides took her to her dresser that she had already unloaded her grand total of five boxes into. She opened the first drawer and pulled out a pair of baggy pajama bottoms and a grey camisole, shimming into them as she looked for her hair brush on the mess on top of the vanity. She wondered vaguely to herself what Inu Yasha and Kouga were up to? `Probably watching that gory ass zombie flick Kouga was raving about earlier…' Kagome decided ruefully tugging the camisole over her head and picking up the brush. In fact, there was a suspiciously TV like noise coming from down the hall. A self satisfied smirk adorned her face as she tugged the brush through her ebony tresses.

She pulled her hair back over her shoulders and let it fall back against the damp skin of her back with a wet smack. Her fingers found the old guitar case which was leaning against her freshly made bed, covered in bumper stickers and sporting a thin film of dust. It seemed to beckon her as she made her way over and flopped down on the rich brown suede comforter and pulled the battered case into her lap. She flipped the latches open in a single movement, and let the lid flop back. The dreadnought that lay beneath seemed to look up at her accusingly. Her fingers wrapped around the mahogany neck with the abalone hummingbird inlays and she pulled her old friend from its crushed blue velvet confines.

Too long had the two been separated. As Kagome felt the familiar weight and shape settle against her breast, she guiltily wrapped her arms around her old friend. Even before the move, due to … extenuating circumstance… she'd not had the chance to sit down and play her guitar, uninhibited. Now as she picked at the strings and fiddled with the gold tuners she felt a sort of final inauguration coming to pass. The last time she'd played her beloved instrument was when she'd moved into her new `home' with that son of a bitch Hojou. That's was, before the Mob had started frequenting her house every couple of days. Looking back now, the constant demands for Italian food every Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday should have been her first clue.

She scowled as she plucked the E string and it gave out a melancholy whine. She twisted the tuner gingerly, and then ran the pad of her thumb over the strings. A smile tugged at her lips as the notes all rang out, this time perfectly in tune.

Kagome hiked herself back farther on her bed and started picking at the strings until she found her fingers falling into an all too familiar song. She'd just started to play it when she'd realized who exactly the strange men were that were coming and going from her house. That was also around the time she'd lost touch with Sango, her best friend from high school. Things had just started to come to a head in her life and everything was crazy, so when Sango's transfer came she never even had a chance to get a number where she could reach her. And Sango had always failed epically with technology, so email was out of the question. A sort of childish longing for her friend squeezed the heart inside of her chest and her fingers picked at the strings a little bit more fervently.

“I can't take this anymore,

And I'm almost pretty sure

That I've been here before.”

 

Her voice enveloped the notes she was playing with a strained sort of anxiousness. She thought of all of the hatred and all of the fear that surrounded her memories of Chicago and a shudder ran through her spine. She pulled the Koa backing closer to her chest as she squeezed her eyes against the uneasy feeling that arose whenever she thought about that night.

 

“I can't take this any longer.

I won't heal until I'm stronger,

Strong enough to not be afraid

Of what anybody thinks,

Of what anybody says

About the way,

About the way

I am.”

 

Her soft eyes drifted back open as she continued to sing softly. As the notes of the instrument and her voice twisted and wound back together and filled the room she felt a final sense of belonging envelope her and wrap it in its propitious consonance. It was something she'd been missing from her life for quite some time. The completeness she felt now that she had a path of her own to look down was a little unsettling. How could she be so sure in this decision when so many in her life had proven to be the wrong ones?

 

“I'll wait until the day

When those feelings fade away.

Then I'll make my break.”

 

She wasn't sure where this sense of accomplished confidence was coming from, but it had been a long time since she had felt this at home, and she decided that she owed it to herself to enjoy it while it lasted.

 

~~~~~~~~

“Kouga, I swear… quit it!” Inu Yasha gasped through his laughter. He jerked a hand free and punched his boyfriend in the leg, giving him a muscle cramp.

Kouga yelped and rolled off of him, clutching his thigh. He turned an injured expression towards him. “Damn it, Inu Yasha that hurt!”

The younger boy growled at him and shoved himself off of the couch, flipping a cigarette out of the pack. “Be glad I only went as high as your thigh. I told you not now.” He grabbed a pillow and bopped Kouga in the face with it, throwing his sketch book down in defeat. Miroku was going to kill him if he gave him another picture of Sakura trees for his magazine cover again this spring, especially with the Arts Festival coming up so soon. If he wasn't such a good friend he'd have told him to shove it, but he'd been helping him out with his magazine for two years now. Plus, he still owed Miroku a few favors, which his perverted friend never seemed to want to let him live down.

Kouga's cell phone rang and he scowled pulling it out of his pocket to flip it open. “Hello?” he barked. Inu Yasha smirked and shook his head, hearing one of the Coven heads mumbling something on the other line about the status of the club. He would never understand why his lover insisted on continuing to work at the warehouse with him when he had such a successful business going as it was.

Kouga looked up at Inu Yasha with his blue eyes belying his irritation at the interruption. First Kagome had come and thwarted him, but he'd finally felt hopeful when she'd gotten into the shower. Then Inu Yasha's mother had shown up with two unconscious boys in her car that'd needed to be brought in. The woman had left and Kagome had still been in the shower, so Kouga had thrown in the movie in an attempt to seduce Inu Yasha during the opening credits, but he'd gone back to sketching, however briefly. It seemed the gods were working against him tonight, because now something seemed to be falling apart at the club that needed his immediate attention. He reached out his fingers and stroked Inu Yasha's chin, pulling him down to him for a searing kiss. Inu Yasha whimpered, almost losing his balance, but complied.

The older man abruptly turned away from him and spoke into the phone. “I'll be there shortly.” He snapped the cell closed and stood, pushing past the other man. “I'll see you tomorrow at work,” he mumbled morosely.

Inu Yasha pouted in his direction for a moment, and then shrugged; turning back to the movie he honestly had absolutely zero interest in. Kouga sighed and turned to walk out of the door, surrendering to fate for tonight. Obviously, it was the cosmic grand plan for him to not get any this evening.

The motorcycle outside roared to life and then faded as it disappeared down the driveway. Inu Yasha cursed and flipped off the TV, snatching his sketchbook back up. He noticed two things simultaneously as the blood curdling screams and gory blood spurting noises abruptly ended. One was that the shower was no longer running. The other was that there was a music tinkling from out from beneath Kagome's door. Inu Yasha lit his cigarette as he stared curiously for a few moments, trying to make out what the words were. They were too muffled as it was though, so he moved forward to make his way down the hall as he heard a guitar solo pick up, muffling his footsteps.

“I can't take this anymore,

And I'm almost pretty sure

That I've been here before.”

 

He suddenly started as he realized that he recognized the voice that was coming from beneath the door. It was Kagome's! He leaned forward to the door to hear better.

 

“I can't take this any longer.

I won't heal until I'm stronger,

Strong enough to not be afraid

Just to leave it up to you.

Oh I'll leave it in your hands;

Respect your wishes and your demands.”

 

As if entranced, he found his hand wrapping around the doorknob and pushing the door open gently. He stood dumbfounded in the door way, watching her as she rocked and bounced in time to her playing.

The girl's eyes were closed and she was fully wrapped up in her song, so she never even heard him come in. Her hair had dried slightly and was beginning to bounce with her movements, framing her face in its constant state of motion. Her full pink lips formed the next words and notes as her ethereal presence seemed to unintentionally capture the man in the door and hold him hostage.

 

“Oh if it was up to me,

Honey we'd already be

Back at home,

And living out our dreams.

Living out.”

 

Kagome leaned forward and let her fingers strum out the pick up in tempo, rocking her body to the beat and singing.

 

“Everybody and everything I've known

Never taught me how to stand up on my own;

Had to learn it from the one who let me go.

Now I walk alone.

I walk alone…”

 

Her stormy silver eyes opened slowly, hazy at first, as the next words came out of her mouth. “Living blissfull--- AHHHHHH!”

She'd finally noticed Inu Yasha in her room, who had been watching her intently as she'd played. When he saw her eyes began to open he never even stirred, too entranced by the song, and her playing. Her scream had startled him, though, and send him scampering backwards until he tripped over a discarded box and fell on his ass.

Once Kagome had gotten control over her racing heart again, she scowled at him and set her guitar down into its case. “Don't you knock?” she grumbled.

Inu Yasha was about to snap a retort back at her when he finally got a view of the instrument. He snapped to attention and clambered to his feet. “That's a fucking Gibson!” he exclaimed, taken aback by the girl's taste in guitar.

Kagome blinked, confused at first what he was yelling about and then realized he was talking about her guitar. She looked at him skeptically, moving closer to the case protectively. “Yea… and?”

Inu Yasha's eyes were gleaming hungrily as his fingers flexed with the burning desire to get his hands on the instrument. His eyes widened as he studied the details of the guitar from behind her arm that she was using to shield it from him. “That's a Hummingbird Custom Koa!” he sputtered in disbelief, turning his brown eyes towards the girl whom he was suddenly seeing in a whole new light.

The girl blanched at first, her breath hitching at his eyes that were alight and dancing for the first time since she'd met him. During the interview and while they were unpacking earlier his eyes had been very intense and ominous, enchanting her in their own way. These eyes though, they were of a whole different variety. Their childlike wonder and excitement made her want to giggle and share in his exhilaration. “You know guitars?” she asked, still guarding her precious dreadnought from the boy. Just because he knew what it was didn't mean he knew how to handle it.

The boy looked at her incredulously, almost as if she'd grown another head. He had to remind himself that she was new to town and of course wouldn't have known him back in high school when he Kouga and Miroku had all been in a band together. Even still, he found himself speaking to her slowly, as if to an imbecile. “Um, yea. I was only the lead singer and guitarist for No Apologies for about a decade. I myself actually prefer the look and sound of the Firebird Custom, but I don't have the 5-6 grand to drop on one.” He paused and eye balled her. “Speaking of, how the hell did you afford a Hummingbird Custom? Those things have been running almost 7 grand lately.”

Kagome's eyes softened and she turned her head to avoid his eyes as she spoke. “It was a gift from a friend…”

Inu Yasha's eye brows shot to the top of his forehead. “That's a pretty damn good friend.” He let out a low whistle as he eyed the headstock with three ornate hummingbirds taking flight on it. Kagome seemed to finally cave and she reached back to scoop up the guitar and hand to him. As soon as he got his hands on it, a look like that of a little boy with a shiny new toy gun came over his features. His fingers traced the detailed pick guard and then strummed the strings. The sound that came out seemed to please him and he sat down and started picking out a song with a speed that was almost impossible to follow.

Kagome's jaw dropped as she watched his fingers fly over the strings, recognize the song immediately. “Is that Ultra Blue?” she screeched in excitement and stared at him in awe.

His eyes widened at her question and his fingers stopped immediately from the shock of her query. “You know Thrice?”

The girl had to hold back a squeal of exhilaration. “Are you kidding me? Dustin Kensrue is only like, the best musician ever!”

Inu Yasha stared at the girl before him, shaking his head. Where had this girl been back in high school? Not even Kikyou had shared his passion for music, and she'd been at his side through every concert, through every performance. He could only imagine what could have occurred if he and the girl had joined forces. From what he heard from her playing earlier, she could have definitely been a great addition to the band then.

He handed the guitar back to her and shot her a grin. “You want a drink? The kids are already in bed, so you won't get to meet them tonight anyway, and I want to grill you on this promising bit of knowledge of only one of my favorite bands of all time.”

Kagome flashed a grin back at him and took the guitar, putting her free hand on her hip. “I'd love one, thanks!”

He turned and headed down the hall to the kitchen. Kagome followed him, guitar still in tow, but paused at the second doorway in the hallway. Inside the door, amidst the shadows she could see the outline of two curled up shapes on the bunk beds. One foot was hanging out from under the blankets of the bundle on the bottom bunk, and looked like the precursor to the rest of the body's path in its mission to roll off of the bed.

Kagome leaned her guitar up against the doorway and instinctively stepped into the room to pull the covers back over the boy and push him gingerly back into a safe spot on the bed. The little boy groaned in his sleep and grumbled something about an alien and the moon. The girl stifled a giggle and brushed some of the dark hair out of the boys face. She gasped when she realized she recognized the boy from the park that afternoon. But who had that woman been?

The girl scowled and stood back, checking on the boy in the top bunk. She obviously wasn't a girlfriend, she was almost triple Inu Yasha's age, and there was something going on between Inu Yasha and that Kouga guy. On her way from the bathroom to her room she'd seen Kouga on top of Inu Yasha, pinning him to the couch. Not that she minded or was taken aback at all mind you. She had lived in Chicago for Christ's sake. Homophobe was definitely not a word one would use to describe Kagome. She smirked a bit at a few memories that flashed through her mind as she turned, grabbing her guitar and heading into the kitchen. Maybe his mother? She pondered, remembering the woman's gray streaked hair and scowling demeanor. The two did seem to share that resemblance.

Inu Yasha reached into the freezer and pulled out the bag of ice and turned to face the counter that looked out over the living room. Kagome turned the corner just as he pulled the cups out of the cabinet and let a few cubes fall into them with a soft clink-clink. He looked up at her, and felt his breath hitch in his chest when he realized once again how much her profile in the darkness reminded him of Kikyou's.

“Whaddya like?” Inu Yasha asked the girl, quirking a roguish eyebrow. His felt his lips tug at the corners up into a playful smirk as she swung onto the barstool on the opposite side of the counter.

“What do you have?” Kagome asked, her tone lilting a bit to match his as she felt a smile settle onto her face. She eyed the freezer's contents as he swung it open with a grandiose gesture. A couple bottles caught her eye in particular, but she decided to keep it simple tonight. “How bout a rum and coke?” she asked him, smiling a little too sweetly.

He snorted and looked pointedly at the bottom shelf in the freezer. “Clear or Spiced Rum?”

“Spiced,” she replied automatically. A flood of memories from her younger, stupider days made her automatically shy from the clear rum. Something about it made her act like she did whenever she drank vodka, and Vodka was a big no no for Kagome.

“I've got Bacardi Gold, Sailor Jerry's, Captain Morgan…” he said, ticking through one bottle in the row at a time. He snuck a peek at the cleavage spilling out of the top of Kagome's cami as she leaned against the counter to peer in at the freezer's contents. He felt a slight twinge of guilt for Kouga, but shook it off. Inu Yasha wasn't about to chide himself for enjoying his employee's assets when Kouga had left him to go run the damn show at the club tonight.

Kagome mulled it over in her mind for a minute before nodding in decision. “Captain.” The wicked gleam in Inu Yasha's eye seemed to promise some pretty interesting conversation that night as he grabbed a couple cans of coke and set about mixing together some drinks.

~~~~

An hour or so later, the two adults sat on the floor of the living room sharing various war stories about their teenage years. Inu Yasha had just told her about the time Miroku had been dating this particularly sleezy girl and they'd all been drinking some Jameson's when the girl had decided to show them her special `talent.' Apparently, she could shift Inu Yasha's Honda with no hands!

“I was scrubbing that gear-shifter for fucking weeks!” he howled, his fifth Captain and coke almost slipping from his hands.

Kagome tossed back the remains of hers and reached her arm out to stead herself. She felt a little woozy, but she wasn't sure if it was from thinking about how painful that must have been, thinking about how gross that sounded, or from keeping up with Inu Yasha drink for drink.

She pulled her guitar back into her lap and started picking at it as she and Inu Yasha tried to get a hold of their laughter again.

Inu Yasha slammed his glass down, eyes wide. “You like Puddle of Mudd too?” he demanded. The strains of Psycho had caught his ears from his days of covers from his other favorite band.

Kagome laughed and rolled her eyes. “Of course!” she exclaimed and skipped to the chorus, closing her eyes and rocking to the rhythm of the song.

The way she could play electric guitar songs on the acoustic and make them sound just as good, if not better, was a talent even he envied. Some things that she just should not have been able to make work on the acoustic, due to its inability to make harsh sounds, were translated into beautifully plucked acoustic solos that sent chills down his spine. This girl, given half the chance in the entertainment world, could turn Hollywood upside down. He really wished he'd known her back in high school. She would have been a Freshman when he was a Senior, but even just a year knowing her, he was sure he would have recognized her talent and scooped her up.

Maybe No Apologies would have had a brighter future if they'd known her. Inu Yasha scowled and shook the thought from his head. The past was the past. The second he let himself take that dark trip down memory lane was the second he'd loose himself in despair again. That was a treacherous line to hopscotch while drinking. He turned his attention back to Kagome and watched her foot tap out the beat of the song and her body sway as she played the song with a passion that completely enraptured him.

She looked up at him and blushed at his watching of her. She turned her face down to study the guitar. “Sorry, I got pretty loud there, didn't I?” she mumbled.

Inu Yasha tried to keep his mind far from the gutter as he shook his head in reply. “No, no, those kids sleep like the dead. Don't even worry. Please, keep playing. You're really an amazing guitarist,” he insisted.

Kagome blinked in surprise but smiled and nodded. “Ok, is there anything you'd like to hear?” she asked as he tipped back the rest of his glass and stood.

A pondering look crossed his eyes. He reached down and scooped up her glass, tipping it towards her as if to ask, `Refil?'

She nodded in affirmation and tried not to stare at his perfectly shaped butt, accentuated by the clingy material of his pants, when he left to go refill their drinks for the sixth time.

“How about… More than a Memory by Hoobastank?” he asked, glancing at the playlist on his computer for a title. Miroku had sent Kouga another CD of music that he'd learned in the past month for the club. Maybe he had found Miroku a real girlfriend for once. He eyeballed Kagome and tried to imagine her with the lecher. It'd be nice to get the pervert off of his back, and a girl who shared his interests would hold his attention longer than most did. For some reason, the thought didn't sit well with him, but he brushed it off as a reaction to the similarities in her looks to Kikyou's.

Kagome looked up at him curiously, intrigued about his taste in music. Every song she'd played that night, he'd known immediately what it was, and every song he'd brought up, she'd known and loved. His taste in music was almost in tandem to hers, and it brought a smile to her face. At least they wouldn't fight over the radio in the car.

She leaned down and picked a few strings and let the notes tumble from the guitar into the living room. The soft sounds of the instrument blended with her gentle voice and gathered in the living room before carrying over to the kitchen and wrapping Inu Yasha in a feeling of serenity.

“I've become tired

Of wasting my time

By thinking `bout choices

That I've made,

`Cause I can't move forward

While looking behind...”

 

Inu Yasha walked back into the living room and sat her glass down on the table beside her. He was listening to the words and finding a whole different meaning in them with the way she sang them than he had while listening to Miroku. Where his friend had seemed sad and resigned about his fate that the lyrics belied while he sang, this girl seemed resolved, and more at peace with the decision.

 

“The only thing I can do now

Is change the way

That I used to be

`Cause now it seems

Crystal clear to me…”

 

His black cat, Buyo, leapt up onto the back of the couch and attempted to sharpen her claws on the curtain. Her claws caught the ribbon that tied them shut to keep the hot noon sun out of the room as she drug them down the fabric. The moonlight that was allowed to seep through the crack lit on Kagome's face, her silver eyes glittering as they reopened and found Inu Yasha's. The look on his face was frozen in a one of bewilderment and awe which slightly bolstered her confidence, causing her to smile and continue playing.

 

“That you're so much more memory.

Yea, you're so much more than a memory…

 

Inu Yasha's hands found his notebook as the girl continued to play and he took out the pencil that was shoved into the spiral binding. It had been a long time that he'd been moved to draw something the way he was feeling moved to try and capture the complicated expression on Kagome's face. A serene, yet determined look in her eyes seemed to compliment the almost angry set to her brow and jaw. The frame that her hair and the moonlit provided for her face was one of the most surreal things he'd seen in a long time. The way she clutched her guitar as one would a lifeline, touched a tender part of his heart and lodged its way in.

Even though there were various determining elements of her expression, the overall feel was an expectant and eager anticipation for what lay beyond the window. He found himself wondering what this girl was looking for in life, and why she seemed so unhappy with what she'd had thus far. His fingers started flying across the page as he attempted to grab the atmosphere of the scene before him and get it onto paper before it disappeared.