InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Rebel Girl ❯ Roaming the Streets ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Arme 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.07.2005 | Updated On: 02.12.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 381 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.07.2005 | Updated On: 02.12.2005 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 381 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N This chapter is brought to you courtesy of my insomnia, L7, NOFX, The Descendents, Flogging Molly, and Kid Dynamite.
Oh, I want to add I don't see this as a songfic. I don't know a single person who is into punk that doesn't have music constantly playing so it feels right to have the characters listening to music often and using it to relate to their feelings.
Slight warning, some underage alcohol use in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any associated characters. Nor do I own the rights to any Flogging Molly songs, Tsunami Bomb songs, Offspring songs, Kid Dynamite songs, or Dropkick Murphys songs.
Definitions
SHARP=SkinHead Against Racial Prejudice You can tell them by red suspenders and bootlaces, usually wearing blue jeans rolled up at the ankle as well. At the risk of pissing off any SHARP who might read this, they tend to be extremely violent if they run across any sort of racist skinhead or anyone who is racist for that matter. Most SHARPs I've known were/are awesome people but not someone you wanted to be around when they were out looking for a fight. Pro-working class and unions.
ABC's= Avenue A, Avenue B, Avenue C etc...
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Back in the apartment he shared with Miroku, Inuyasha collapsed on the couch. It had been a long and confusing day, starting with meeting one of the most irritating girls ever and being unable to get her out of his mind, to almost getting in a fight with another hanyou. It was getting late though and he had his first day of school tomorrow. 'Time to get ready for bed and try to sleep.'
Kagome was having similar thoughts as she stepped out of the shower, the mirror still fogged from the steam. She slipped on her pajamas 'He's such an ass! So why am I still thinking of the way it felt to be in the pit with him and how intense he was when standing up to Naraku?' Frowning at herself she climbed into bed. It was to late at night to worry about this, time to put it behind her until morning. 'I wonder if he'll call.' Pulling her covers up over herself she started drifting off to sleep with the memories of a certain demon in her mind.
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The blare of the alarm clock pushed Inuyasha out of bed. He had positioned it on the other side of the room so he was forced to actually get up when it went off instead of smacking it and falling back to sleep. "Ugh, it is to fucking early to be awake." Walking around the room he grabbed his clothes in a daze, a NOFX t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, a pair of faded and torn blue jeans, and his ever faithful boots sitting next to his bed. "Yo! Miroku! Get up!" he screamed in the general direction of his friends' room. Wandering out into the kitchen he started the coffee pot, feeling a bit more awake as the smell invaded his nose. Pulling out a bowl, he grabbed some cereal and milk, sparing a quick nod to Miroku as he walked into the room.
"So we actually have to go to school, huh?" Miroku muttered as he grabbed a cup of coffee in an attempt to join the world of the living.
"Ya know we do, the money is going to run out in a year or two and we'll be screwed if we don't at least have our high school diplomas." In an attempt to shock his friend awake Inuyasha turned on one of his favorite wake up songs.
Now I`m aimin' for heaven
But probably wind up down in hell
Where upon this altar I will hang my guilt ridden head
But it`s time I`ll take before I begin
Three sheets to the wind, Three sheets to the wind
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
I said no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Terrified of the open road
Yeah, where it leads ya never know
But rest assured he`ll be on your back
Yeah, the Holy Ghost through his tounges in black
As the band dog howls and the young girl cries
The blessed virgin in her proud dad`s eye
The albatross hangin' round your neck
Is the cross you bare for your sins he bleeds
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Genuflect all you refugees who fled the land
Now on guilt you kneel
And say a prayer for those left behind
From beyond the pale to the Northern sky
So you saved your shillins and your last six pence
Cause in God`s name they built a barbed wire fence
Be glad you sailed for a better day
But don`t forget there`ll be hell to pay
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
I said no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Reserrection no protection all things life must be
Ah no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Now bless me father for I have sinned
But it`s the same old story again and again and again
Ah well, such is the bread of an everyday life
From mornin' to noon to this shadowless-night
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
I said no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
By the end of the song Inuyasha was jumping around the apartment, slamming into Miroku everytime the monk got to close.
"Okay, calm down time has now been instituted. I've still got that bruise from the other day, I'd rather not add to that right before meeting the ladies of our new school." Miroku walked around the apartment gathering his bags and books and headed towards the door. "Ready to go?"
As Miroku opened the front door Inuyasha rushed past him and leaped over the fence from the third floor down to the parking lot. "Oi! Hurry up already!"
Looking over the edge Miroku shook his head and turned towards the stairs.
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Kagome woke up slowly that morning, every muscle in her body stiff, aching and crying out for her to stay in bed. 'Never been this sore after a pit before. Probably that damn demons fault.' she thought, conveniently forgetting it had been her idea to ask him to go in the pit in the first place.
She dressed slowly, wincing a bit with each movement. She pulled on her Descendents t-shirt and, remembering the chill of last night, added a pair of loose black camo pants, then hopped down the hallway as she pushed her feet into her Vans sneakers. As she passed Sangos' room she knocked on the door to make sure her friend was up. Ever since the accident that had taken the lives of Sangos' family she had been staying on and off at Kagomes' house. "I'm up kag, I'm up" Sango groaned.
Soon both girls were in the eating their breakfast with the usual morning commotion of the Higurashi family going on around them.
"Souta! Hurry up or you're going to be late!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled up the stairs to Kagomes' little brother.
Soutas' voice came drifting down the stairs "Yeah yeah mom, I'm coming."
With a wave to her mom Kagome and Sango headed out the door. They lived to close to the school to bother driving so they threw on their headphones and set off walking to the school. Kagome had her own set of wake up music to listen to...
So these girls live on my street
or I guess I live on theirs.
They thought I was showing them
but really they made me aware
just how momentous music is, and why we should care.
Songs stay with you your whole life,
remind you of time spent and gone.
Carry you through dismal days, and help you to carry on.
I owe so many positive times to my favorite songs.
It can be more than just sounds and words
it can be something that saves your from yourself, your thoughts, your life, your world.
It can be more than a favorite line
it can be something that shapes you when you're young, but gives you freedom at the same time
So these girls live on my street
or I guess I live on theirs.
They thought I was showing them
but really they made me aware
just how momentous music is, and why we should share
It can be more than just sounds and words
it can be something that saves your from yourself, your thoughts, your life, your world.
It can be more than a favorite line
it can be something that shapes you when you're young, but gives you freedom at the same time
It can be more than just sounds and words
it can be something that saves your from yourself, your thoughts, your life, your world.
It can be more than a favorite line
it can be something that shapes you when you're young, but gives you freedom at the same time
Singing along, oblivious to the fact that the rest of the world wasn't hearing the music that she was, Kagome walked up to the school driveway.
Snapping Kagomes' headphones Sango pointed to the Monte Carlo that had just pulled into the schools' parking lot. "Hey, Kag, doesn't that car look familiar?"
"Oh no way, it can't be....." kagome trailed off as she saw the driver "It is!" She could hear muffled music coming from the car as it drove past. "Wanna go say 'hi'?" Kagome had an evil glint in her eye. "Just follow me" and Kagome started running towards the car.
As she got closer to the car she crouched down and motioned for Sango to do the same. She quickly pointed for Sango to go to Mirokus' side as she headed over to Inuyashas'. As soon as they were on the sides of the car they ran to the windows, jumped at the glass, and yelled "Morning!"
A muffled "Holy shit!" came from the inside as the boys opened the doors to get out. "You two go to school here?!" Miroku asked, looking a tad incredulous and happy at the same time.
"Yep, this shit hole is our alma mater, been going here since freshman year." The distaste for the school heavy within Sangos' words.
"Ah, I take it it's not the most welcoming of places" Miroku inquired.
"Well, there are some nice kids here but a larger number of superficial assholes. I'd say stay away from me and Kag if you don't want to take some shit, but you'll get lumped in with us anyway just cause of how you're dressed. So would you two like the grand tour? Oh wait, that's provided you've learned to keep your hands to yourself." Sango whispered as an aside to Kagome "Remember what you told me last night? You were right. Mostly."
Pointing ahead to the school building Kagome grabbed Inuyashas' arm and lead them off to the entrance of the building. Sango followed a bit behind, suprised by her normally physically reserved friends' boldness.
"Oi! Woman! My arm."
"Don't call me woman, and hurry up." Kagome said as she pulled Inuyasha along.
Jogging a bit to catch up, Sango joined the group as they walked into the building. While normally walking into the building was a non-event Kagome could feel the stares of people as they checked out the new students. It wasn't a big school, 400 students at the most, so any new student was cause for speculation, how they were dressed just added to that. While the others couldn't really make out what the hushed whispers were about Inuyasha picked up on everything, just as he had heard Sangos' whispered words to Kagome. He was still puzzling over what she meant, he'd have to ask Miroku later if he knew what that was all about.
From all around came "Who's that?" "Are they new?" "Look like trouble" the same comments Inuyasha heard everywhere else he went. He had stopped paying attention a long time ago. He did what he liked and couldn't care less what others thought of him, both positive and negative. It felt comfortable to him and as far as he was concerned that was all that mattered.
Looking over to Sango and Miroku, who had the red handprint on his face once again, and then to the small but tough girl holding his arm he couldn't help but let a smirk cross his face. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad place to spend the next year and a half.
"Do you guys need to check in? The office is over this way" Kagome said as she turned down another hallway. Walking into the room she knocked on the Principals office. "This is Mrs. Kaede." Kagome pointed to the woman who had answered the door.
"Hello Boys, you must be Inuyasha" as she pointed towards him "and Miroku." as she turned to the other boy. "Nice to have you here, and I see you are making friends already." She now turned to smile at the girls. "Well since you already seem to know each other I'll just have Kagome and Sango show you around. Go pick up your schedules at the front desk and if you have any question the girls can't answer feel free to stop by anytime." With a good day nod of her head Ms. Kaede turned and walked back into her office.
"Weird old lady" Inuyasha muttered as he walked to the desk to get his schedule.
"Aww, Ms. Kaede is nice" giving Inuyasha a playful shove Kagome finished "you just need to give her a chance."
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The morning went by quickly with the teens discovering they shared gym and science. Inuyasha and Kagome also had math together and Miroku, Sango, and Rin were all in the same english class. So far the day had gone by without any incidences though Inuyashas' ears had caused some speculation amongst the students. When lunch came the group of five went out to Inuyasha and Mirokus' car to go to a local bagel shop that Kagome loved.
Kagome jumped into the passengers seat and started rifling through Inuyashas' CDs looking for some good driving music. She popped in the CD she found as they were pulling out of the parking lot and went to track three. As soon as the lyrics started the car became one big sing along as each person fought to be heard above the others and the music itself.
Hey man you know I'm really okay
The gun in my hand will tell you the same
But when I'm in my car
Don't give me no crap
Cause the slightest thing and I just might snap
When I go driving I stay in my lane
But getting cut off it makes me insane
I open the glove box
Reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
I got a bad habit (Yeah, Yeah)
And it ain't goin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Well they say the road is a dangerous place
If you flip me off I'll get in your face
If you drive on my ass
Your foot's on the gas
And your next breath is your last
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
I got a bad habit (Yeah, Yeah)
And it ain't goin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Drivers are rude
Such attitudes
But when I show my peace
Complaints cease
Something's odd
I feel like I'm god
You stupid dumbshit goddam motherfucker!
I open the glove box
Reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
I got a bad habit (Yeah, Yeah)
And it ain't goin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Kagome was singing along to the next song as they pulled up to the bagel shop and parked. The smell of the yeast and dough were strong outside the shop even to the humans, by the time Inuyasha made it to the door he was already drooling. They walked inside and quickly got their orders, then moved around to the side where there were cafe tables set up.
Rin finished hers' first. For such a tiny girl she sure could eat, and eat fast. "So what brought you guys to our illustrious insitution?"
Swallowing the food in his mouth quickly Miroku answered for them "Well we wanted a change of scenery, and what a nice one it's been," he said eyeing Sango "but mostly it's because the apartments here are affordable and not total crackhouses."
"But you guys don't live with your parents?" Kagome asked.
"My mother died when I was born and my father followed when I was ten. Inuyashas' dad died before he was born and his mom followed a few years later." Miroku didn't seem upset at the topic but Kagome was kicking herself for asking such a painful question, especially when she saw the look of pain flash across Inuyashas' face. She had a feeling Miroku was just slightly better at hiding his.
"Damn, I'm really sorry, that was pretty insensitive of me wasn't it?" Muttering under her breath only Inuyasha could make out Kagomes' next words "Consider the subject dropped but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
'Subject change!' thought Miroku. "So what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"Around here, not much. There's the diner and bowling once in awhile, maybe a movie but that's about it besides going to shows and hanging at peoples' houses." Rin jumped in with.
"Hey, we could go into the city! See if anything is gonna be happening this weekend and check out the stores on Christopher Street." The conversation had been bothering Sango as well and she was happy for the distraction.
"What do you think?" Kagome asked looking at the rest of the group. "Want to go after school? As long as we're home by 10 or 11 I'm fine with it. Same for you, right Rin?"
"Yep, works for me! No band practice today and I need a new pair of pants anyway."
"Okay, then let's meet at my house after school and I'll drive to the Path station." Looking at her watch Kagome realized they were going to be late if they didn't hurry back to school. "Come on, we gotta go go go!"
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It was 3:15 and they were all at Kagomes'. Sango was inside the house putting her books away with Miroku and Rin while Kagome and Inuyasha were waiting outside next to Kagomes' car. It was the first time they were alone and Kagome could feel tension stretching between them.
"So, ummm, how you liking it here so far?"
"Keh, could be worse."
"That's a glowing review." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "If you don't want to answer you don't have to but I've been wondering, youkai or hanyou?"
Inuyasha didn't answer for a moment and Kagome was worried she had pissed him off again by finding another off limits topic. He finally dropped his eyes and answered "Hanyou, my mom was human and my dad was having an affair with her. I've got a half brother who's youkai, but you could say we aren't the best of friends. After my mom died I went to live with him for awhile but moved out recently using some of the money my mom had left me. It isn't much, enough to last a year or two, but I'll be out of high school by then and able to get a job that can pay the bills."
"What do you want to do after school is finished?" Kagome was a bit amazed at Inuyasha telling her all that. She could see he was trying to act like it didn't affect him but she was already getting good at catching the subtle hints he let off.
"I don't know, probably work construction if I can get in the union, maybe see if I can get a band together and do some shit with that. Miroku's a drummer and I play guitar." He looked up again when he mentioned starting a band, with almost a longing on his face. "Ya know, I don't want to be rich and famous or any of that shit, making enough to pay the bills and not have to work a regular job would be plenty."
"We should play together sometime, I sing, Sango plays guitar, and I'm sure we could convince Rin to hang out and play bass." Looking out of the corner of her eye Kagome could see Inuyashas' ears perk forward at the idea.
"Ready to go?" Rin yelled as they came out of the house and headed for the car.
"I get to pick the music this time since Kagome picked when she was in my car" Inuyasha said as he got into the passenger side of the car.
"Fair enough." came from Sango as she squished into the back seat between Rin and Miroku.
"Hey! No one asked me" Kagome pouted as she started the car "but I guess it's okay."
"Better believe it's okay woman."
"DON'T CALL ME WOMAN!"
"Keh" was all the answer Kagome got as Inuyasha checked out her CD collection. "here we go..."
Crashing down on consensus.
It's the vice that kills defenses.
Piercing through sort of feeling.
It only hurts if I let it take control of me.
Won't let the world weigh me down. Cause I'm coming alive.
What's the deal with life lessons?
If you can't forget regret them.
Taught to fold under pressure.
Failure doesn't mean you have to die.
Won't let the world weigh me down. Cause I'm coming alive.
Just how many are there on my side.
A calendar filled up with sleepless nights.
Keeps time.
Afraid of what it may have left behind.
Who cares?
I've thought about it all too many times.
What's worse?
Is that my self-esteem suffers a curse.
That tries to kill me but I kill it first.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
Today I found a friend in who I am.
Who promises to be there 'till the end, of what?
When it's over will it start again?
Can't worry about it or life becomes too crowded.
With panic. I'll panic and then I'll start to doubt it,
it's not worth it. So fuck it. Not gonna walk around it.
I'll face it. I'll smash it. I'm not gonna lose again.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
"Nice choice" was all Kagome said, though she was wondering at his reasons for picking that song.
Looking to her right as she pulled into the parking lot outside the Path station she gave a small smile to Inuyasha who just turned his head and gave another soft "keh." Kagome, thanking the gods she got a spot in the cheap lot, hopped out of the car and waited for her friends to untangle themselves from the backseat. "If you guys wanna grab a drink do it now or it's gonna cost you a fortune in the city" she said as they passed the small bodega right outside the station. They each grabbed a soda or water and continued on their way into the Path station and down the stairs.
The station felt, and looked, as though a blanket of grime had settled over the whole area. This time of day there weren't many people on either side of the tracks at the bottom of the stairs. It was to early for rush hour to have started and not many people traveled into the city on a late monday afternoon.
"It's a buck to get in, and make sure you have a dollar to get back at the end of the day cause I don't feel like having to hang around late enough to jump the rails." Sango let Inuyasha and Miroku know.
"I wouldn't dream of upsetting you, Sango." Miroku said as he walked up beside her, his hand heading towards her backside.
"And watch your hands!" Miroku quickly pulled his hand away, but not before a fast grab.
Kagome, walking ahead with Inuyasha heard a "Pervert!" followed by a rough slapping sound. Turning around she saw Sango walking quickly to catch up with her as Miroku held his hand to his face and smiled while Rin stood behind them laughing.
"Sango, stop playing with Miroku and hurry up, we're gonna miss the train." Kagome laughed at her friend, watching Sangos' face turn different shades of red before she gave in and started to laugh along with Kagome.
"Yeah ya pervert, move it." Inuyasha yelled back to Miroku "Same goes for you little girl." he said to Rin. Joining in the laughter they all ran to catch up, and jump on the train. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Rin grabbed the seats that were left leaving Sango and Miroku to stand together for the short ride over. Leaning over to Inuyasha, Kagome whispered "Think we should give them a break?"
"Hell no, this is to much fun. Besides," he continued as he turned to look at Kagome "it's obvious they like each other. They're just to stupid admit it."
Realizing how close their faces were Kagome blushed a bit and muttered "Yeah" before turning away to talk to Rin. "So any luck on the guy front for you?"
"Nah, nothing yet. I'm thinking I might end up leaving The Exiled though." Shaking her head Rin continued "Ever since Tako and I broke up things have been weird. it's not as much fun as it was."
Kagome leaned back, enjoying the gentle rocking of the train. "Actually, that reminds me. Hey, Sango, Miroku, this applies to you two also. Inuyasha said that you guys play drums and guitar right? Miroku nodded. "Well, it just so happens that Sango plays guitar, Rin plays bass, and I sing." Kagome said with a smile. "We should all get together and jam sometime later this week, see how we play together."
"I'm in, anything so I don't have to keep playing alone with that pissed off hanyou." Miroku was looking at Sango as he spoke.
Giggling at the possiblities Sango just shook her head "I could make a comment, but it would just be to easy..."
Joining along in the giggle Rin added "I think you just did."
As the train hissed to a halt Kagome stood up "Here we are." Walking out of the train, into the underground station and up the stairs the cool city air surrounded them as they started discussing where to head first. Occasionally they would cross a vent and warm stale smelling air would envelop the group.
"Well we could go check out the shops, see if there are any new CDs in, or what they have in clothes and shit." was Kagomes' suggestion.
"Yeah, that we could, or we could head over to the ABC's, grab some drinks, and see what's going on." Sango countered.
"Or we could do both, check out the shops and shows around here then head over to the ABC's later." Rin was always one for compromise. "Just promise no hanging with the SHARPs tonight. They are nice and all but I've got no desire to get stuck in the middle of one of their fights. What do you guys think?" She asked Inuyasha and Miroku.
"Keh, whatever. Though I'm fine with finding a fight tonight, I usually do whether or not I'm looking for one anyway." Inuyasha turned to walk down the faded worn out street. "So where to first?"
"Hmmm, let's go check out the CD shops, then I want to see if I can find a cute skirt anywhere." Catching up to Inuyasha, Kagome stuck her arm through his and smiled up at him.
"Whatever woman" Inuyasha huffed, feeling the fabric of his jacket pull tighter and the girls slight weight, but he didn't remove her arm.
The five teens made their way down the street popping into the shops that looked interesting and some that didn't. They had to drag Miroku away from the shop that sold fetish wear and bondage items, but not before he managed three or four slaps from Sango just by voicing a few suggestions. Stopping by one club they found that The Vandals were playing a show that weekend so plans were made to meet at Kagomes' house again. They would get together early Saturday to play some cover songs and see how they worked together then they would drive to the path station again and come back to the city for the show.
It was dark by now, or as dark as it could ever get in the city, always light enough to see where you were going but everything outside of the lights was hidden in a shadow. Kagome liked the feeling that came along with it, like she was somewhere faintly dirty and bad but that took care of her nonetheless. She had never been scared walking around the city at night, it felt to much like home for her to be worried. Looking at her watch Kagome realized it was 7pm already. She knew if they were going to party a bit tonight they had better go do it now or they would be getting back later then they had planned. Kagome had her own set of values and rules and followed them closely, which meant her mom rarely ever imposed a rule on her daughter. Kagome would party with her friends every so often, but only as long as she kept her grades decent. She was also strict with herself about never driving drunk or with someone who was drunk or messed up in any way. Even being home by 11pm was a self-imposed curfew, her mother was fine with Kagome coming home when she chose as long as she called to let her know she would be out late.
"Hey, it's 7pm, let's go grab some food then head over towards the ABC's." Kagome pointed to one of the many pizza places that lined the streets "That place is pretty good, we can stop in there."
Kagome was zoning out as they stood on the corner waiting for the light to change, not really paying any attention to the traffic. She started to walk as soon as the light changed, missing the car that was making a right and was only inches away from hitting her. Jumping towards her quickly Inuyasha scooped her up and set her back on the sidewalk with the rest of the group who were waiting for the traffic to clear.
"Woman! Be careful, you almost got hit." She might not be able to smell Inuyashas' anger the way he could hers, but she could definitely hear it within his words.
"Yeah, sorry about that, my mind was wandering and.... Sorry." Kagome couldn't find it in herself to take offense at Inuyasha calling her woman again, she was still shaken up by her near miss and to busy berating herself for being so stupid.
Inuyasha grabbed her hand as they crossed this time "Come on."
'Well, if he wants to hold my hand I'm not going to stop him.' Kagome looked up at the hanyou and smiled, "Thanks."
They walked into the little hole in a wall pizza place, the smell of the shop making them realize just how hungry they were. Sango, Miroku, and Rin walked up to the counter to place their order and grab drinks while Inuyasha and Kagome went and got them a booth in the back. The pizzas barely touched the table before they had been devoured by the five hungry teens.
Walking out of the shop, feeling much fuller and much happier they made their way over to one of the little bodegas on Avenue B. They knew they could pick up a few 40s there and a bottle of some White Horse whiskey with no worry of being carded . They elected to send Inuyasha in anyway, the reasoning being it's hard to figure out a hanyous' age, just in case.
It was quick work for Inuyasha to go in, grab the beer and whiskey and pay the clerk who didn't even bother looking at him. Walking back out he handed each of them a 40 and kept the whiskey for himself. Kagome put a quick stop to that idea, grabbing the bottle out of his hand she took a quick swig and passed it around. She knew her limits well, a shot of whiskey and a 40 would do her nicely without her heading to a blackout. She was proud of her record of zero hangovers and zero times throwing up. Though remembering the first time she drank whiskey still made her wince a bit.
Opening their bottles they started to walk down the streets, feeling the false warmth of the whiskey and beer coursing through their veins. Taking slugs from their bottles they would stop and chat with other people they knew who were walking the streets. A punk kid here, a homeless guy there, all of those who either had nowhere else to go or nowhere else they wanted to be. Kagome realized that it was comforting and fun in it's own way to be among those who truly understood you, people you could relate to and who let you be who you wanted to be. Maybe that's what had drawn her to Inuyasha from the begining, another person she truly felt in touch with. She knew she invited judgment from people because of how she dressed. She didn't really care but at the same time she did because she got angry at people who would judge a person before getting to know them. She knew how hanyous were treated in society and she figured Inuyasha had had to deal with more judgement than any of them. It made her feel almost protective over him, she wished she could just take him to a perfect world where everyone was free to be who they are.
Her thoughts were still traveling along those lines when she got an urge to reach up and rub Inuyashas' ears. Standing on her tip toes she tried to reach for his ears but missed and stumbled towards the ground. Before she hit the cement she felt his arms reach around and pick her up. "Hey there woman, getting a bit tipsy?" Kagome tried to deny it but her unsteady steps showed that for the lie it was. Turning his back to her Inuyasha bent down to let her have a ride. "Just like at the show, okay?" Swaying a bit Kagome nodded her head and climbed on his back.
'Ah ha! Now I can get those ears!' Kagome thought as she reached forward and started rubbing them. 'Wow, so soft...' Her thoughts trailed off as she began enjoying the feeling of being so close to the hanyou. 'Mmm, I could stay here all night.'
Inuyasha was having similar thoughts, when she started rubbing his ears he began growling softly to himself taking pleasure in the feel of her hands on him. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone had they asked. He was also enjoying the feel of her body along his back, his hands wrapped behind her legs... Without realizing what he was doing he began to slow down, letting the rest of the group get a bit ahead of them. Bending down, he let Kagome slide from his back, wrapping his arms around her he turned her to face him and lowered his head to hers.
Kagome was surprised when Inuyasha lowered her to the ground, she was having so much fun riding on his back she didn't want to get off. But before she could start a tantrum he had his arms around was turning her to face him. She felt an electrical jolt going through her body at his touch, drunk though she was she knew she would never forget how that felt. She looked up at him as he started to lower his head towards her, she heard him softly whisper her name before touching his lips to hers. It was a gentle kiss, nothing drunk or hurried about it. She could feel him deepen it as he pulled her closer, her body tingling everywhere that it met his. She opened her mouth slowly, inviting his tongue inside, shivering as he did so. Their tongues slowly playing together in her mouth and then his. Kagome felt herself go weak as he held her up, she didn't want this to ever end.
Suddenly Inuyasha pulled his head away, sniffing the air. "What the FUCK are you doing here?" he said as a guy with the same silver hair and golden eyes stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello Inuyasha. I might ask you the same." The new comers voice was cold and flat and it's owner looked more like a casual office worker than one who normally frequented the late night streets. There was something in his stance that spoke of controlled violence directed at Inuyasha. No one moved for a long moment as the tension increased toward the snapping point.
A small cough from behind the tableau the three created made them all turn their heads, the tension momentarily broken.
"Sesshomaru, I didn't expect to run into you here." Miroku put a name to the new person for which the girls were thankful. Kagome had already realized this must be the half brother Inuyasha had spoken of, the resemblance was uncanny, though she could make faintly make out some markings on his face, the darkness keeping her from seeing clearly.
"I am here on business." Was Sesshomarus' clipped answer.
"Still profiting off of other peoples' talent?" Inuyashas' hands balled into fists at his side, his fight for control over his temper was obvious to all those there.
"You'll understand someday half-breed."
Miroku knew what was coming next and stepped in to try and difuse the situation. "Come on, let's start heading home." He put his hand on Inuyashas' shoulder and started to turn him away from Sesshomaru and to the nearest path station. Shrugging his hand off Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagomes' waist and began following Miroku.
"Where do you think you are going?" Sesshomaru called out after them.
"Home, where else do you think we'd go? You've managed to ruin what was left of this night." Without waiting for an answer Inuyasha turned once again to leave.
"I think not." Came out quietly from Sesshomaru. "It's obvious you have all been drinking and not one of you is fit to drive. I shall accompany you. I care little what happens to you half-breed but I won't have a scandal."
"Do you actually think we're stupid enough to drive drunk? We can head back and not drive home right away you know." Inuyashas' irritation with his half-brother was growing.
"Nevertheless, I shall accompany to make sure you don't do anything more idiotic than what you've already accomplished this night."
Kagome could feel Inuyashas' muscles start to bunch. She reached up to his shoulder and on still unsteady tip toes whispered into his ear "It's okay." Her soft reassurance helped Inuyasha gain control and without a look back he started off for the path station again.
The walk back was almost silent except for Rin occasionally asking questions of Sesshomaru, the small girl seemed devoid of the fear the rest of the humans felt for the youkai.
Sitting on the bench in the underground path station next to Inuyashsa, Kagomes' thoughts traveled back to the kiss they had shared. 'Did he do that because he was drunk or did he really mean it?' Just then Inuyasha, still staring straight ahead, reached out and squeezed her hand. Kagome sighed softly and let a small smile cross her lips despite the stress of their current situation.
The train arrived after about 15 mins of waiting, the group of now six climbed aboard the almost empty train, all taking their own seats. It was a much different ride home than it had been at the begining of their day. Despite the tension Kagome couldn't help but smile at how the day had gone. Enough time had passed that when they arrived back at the parking lot Kagome was completely sober again and able to drive. Still Sesshomaru did not trust them and insisted on accompanying the group home. Sango sat on Mirokus' lap, watching his hands closely while Rin and Sesshomaru squeezed in besides them with Inuyasha and Kagome sitting up front again.
This time Kagome picked the music, finding the CD she thought most suitable...
Well the devil's nipping at your heels and this time it's for real
A lonely hunger starts to gnaw as you wish away the pain
Of another desperate dead end day forever filled with sadness
To forget about the pain you take your bottle, drink your grave
Singing Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here.
Leave your worries at the door boy, they're not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang's all here
When the going gets tough, I know my friends will still be there
Well you're walking down the road and the wind is in your face
You're down and out and the unemployment line's a mile long
The money in your pocket may not get you through the day
But cheer up son I know a place where mugs like us belong
Singing Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here.
Leave your worries at the door boy, they're not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang's all here
When the going gets tough, I know my friends will still be there
Pick your heart up off the ground though I'm sure it weights a ton
You're no better or no worse than any mothers son
Though you're up against all odds and you're backed against the wall
You recall the cheer, "The Gang's All Here" and shout!
Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here.
Leave your worries at the door boy, they're not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang's all here
When the going gets tough, I know my friends will still be there
******************************************************* *************************************************************************** **********************************
A/N - Song listing -
"Rebels of a Sacred Heart"
Flogging Molly from the album Drunken Lullabies
"Negative One to Ten"
Tsunami Bomb from the album The Definitive Act
"Bad Habit"
The Offspring from the album Smash
"Heart A Tact"
Kid Dynamite from the Kid Dynamite - 88 Fingers Louie split album
"The Gang's All Here"
Dropkick Murphys from the album "The Gang's All Here"
Converting /tmp/phpENBBFh to /dev/stdout
Oh, I want to add I don't see this as a songfic. I don't know a single person who is into punk that doesn't have music constantly playing so it feels right to have the characters listening to music often and using it to relate to their feelings.
Slight warning, some underage alcohol use in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any associated characters. Nor do I own the rights to any Flogging Molly songs, Tsunami Bomb songs, Offspring songs, Kid Dynamite songs, or Dropkick Murphys songs.
Definitions
SHARP=SkinHead Against Racial Prejudice You can tell them by red suspenders and bootlaces, usually wearing blue jeans rolled up at the ankle as well. At the risk of pissing off any SHARP who might read this, they tend to be extremely violent if they run across any sort of racist skinhead or anyone who is racist for that matter. Most SHARPs I've known were/are awesome people but not someone you wanted to be around when they were out looking for a fight. Pro-working class and unions.
ABC's= Avenue A, Avenue B, Avenue C etc...
************************************************* *********************************************
Back in the apartment he shared with Miroku, Inuyasha collapsed on the couch. It had been a long and confusing day, starting with meeting one of the most irritating girls ever and being unable to get her out of his mind, to almost getting in a fight with another hanyou. It was getting late though and he had his first day of school tomorrow. 'Time to get ready for bed and try to sleep.'
Kagome was having similar thoughts as she stepped out of the shower, the mirror still fogged from the steam. She slipped on her pajamas 'He's such an ass! So why am I still thinking of the way it felt to be in the pit with him and how intense he was when standing up to Naraku?' Frowning at herself she climbed into bed. It was to late at night to worry about this, time to put it behind her until morning. 'I wonder if he'll call.' Pulling her covers up over herself she started drifting off to sleep with the memories of a certain demon in her mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The blare of the alarm clock pushed Inuyasha out of bed. He had positioned it on the other side of the room so he was forced to actually get up when it went off instead of smacking it and falling back to sleep. "Ugh, it is to fucking early to be awake." Walking around the room he grabbed his clothes in a daze, a NOFX t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, a pair of faded and torn blue jeans, and his ever faithful boots sitting next to his bed. "Yo! Miroku! Get up!" he screamed in the general direction of his friends' room. Wandering out into the kitchen he started the coffee pot, feeling a bit more awake as the smell invaded his nose. Pulling out a bowl, he grabbed some cereal and milk, sparing a quick nod to Miroku as he walked into the room.
"So we actually have to go to school, huh?" Miroku muttered as he grabbed a cup of coffee in an attempt to join the world of the living.
"Ya know we do, the money is going to run out in a year or two and we'll be screwed if we don't at least have our high school diplomas." In an attempt to shock his friend awake Inuyasha turned on one of his favorite wake up songs.
Now I`m aimin' for heaven
But probably wind up down in hell
Where upon this altar I will hang my guilt ridden head
But it`s time I`ll take before I begin
Three sheets to the wind, Three sheets to the wind
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
I said no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Terrified of the open road
Yeah, where it leads ya never know
But rest assured he`ll be on your back
Yeah, the Holy Ghost through his tounges in black
As the band dog howls and the young girl cries
The blessed virgin in her proud dad`s eye
The albatross hangin' round your neck
Is the cross you bare for your sins he bleeds
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Genuflect all you refugees who fled the land
Now on guilt you kneel
And say a prayer for those left behind
From beyond the pale to the Northern sky
So you saved your shillins and your last six pence
Cause in God`s name they built a barbed wire fence
Be glad you sailed for a better day
But don`t forget there`ll be hell to pay
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
I said no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Reserrection no protection all things life must be
Ah no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
Now bless me father for I have sinned
But it`s the same old story again and again and again
Ah well, such is the bread of an everyday life
From mornin' to noon to this shadowless-night
Rebels are we, though heavy our hearts shall always be
Ah, no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
I said no ball or chain no prison shall keep
We`re the rebels of the sacred heart
By the end of the song Inuyasha was jumping around the apartment, slamming into Miroku everytime the monk got to close.
"Okay, calm down time has now been instituted. I've still got that bruise from the other day, I'd rather not add to that right before meeting the ladies of our new school." Miroku walked around the apartment gathering his bags and books and headed towards the door. "Ready to go?"
As Miroku opened the front door Inuyasha rushed past him and leaped over the fence from the third floor down to the parking lot. "Oi! Hurry up already!"
Looking over the edge Miroku shook his head and turned towards the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kagome woke up slowly that morning, every muscle in her body stiff, aching and crying out for her to stay in bed. 'Never been this sore after a pit before. Probably that damn demons fault.' she thought, conveniently forgetting it had been her idea to ask him to go in the pit in the first place.
She dressed slowly, wincing a bit with each movement. She pulled on her Descendents t-shirt and, remembering the chill of last night, added a pair of loose black camo pants, then hopped down the hallway as she pushed her feet into her Vans sneakers. As she passed Sangos' room she knocked on the door to make sure her friend was up. Ever since the accident that had taken the lives of Sangos' family she had been staying on and off at Kagomes' house. "I'm up kag, I'm up" Sango groaned.
Soon both girls were in the eating their breakfast with the usual morning commotion of the Higurashi family going on around them.
"Souta! Hurry up or you're going to be late!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled up the stairs to Kagomes' little brother.
Soutas' voice came drifting down the stairs "Yeah yeah mom, I'm coming."
With a wave to her mom Kagome and Sango headed out the door. They lived to close to the school to bother driving so they threw on their headphones and set off walking to the school. Kagome had her own set of wake up music to listen to...
So these girls live on my street
or I guess I live on theirs.
They thought I was showing them
but really they made me aware
just how momentous music is, and why we should care.
Songs stay with you your whole life,
remind you of time spent and gone.
Carry you through dismal days, and help you to carry on.
I owe so many positive times to my favorite songs.
It can be more than just sounds and words
it can be something that saves your from yourself, your thoughts, your life, your world.
It can be more than a favorite line
it can be something that shapes you when you're young, but gives you freedom at the same time
So these girls live on my street
or I guess I live on theirs.
They thought I was showing them
but really they made me aware
just how momentous music is, and why we should share
It can be more than just sounds and words
it can be something that saves your from yourself, your thoughts, your life, your world.
It can be more than a favorite line
it can be something that shapes you when you're young, but gives you freedom at the same time
It can be more than just sounds and words
it can be something that saves your from yourself, your thoughts, your life, your world.
It can be more than a favorite line
it can be something that shapes you when you're young, but gives you freedom at the same time
Singing along, oblivious to the fact that the rest of the world wasn't hearing the music that she was, Kagome walked up to the school driveway.
Snapping Kagomes' headphones Sango pointed to the Monte Carlo that had just pulled into the schools' parking lot. "Hey, Kag, doesn't that car look familiar?"
"Oh no way, it can't be....." kagome trailed off as she saw the driver "It is!" She could hear muffled music coming from the car as it drove past. "Wanna go say 'hi'?" Kagome had an evil glint in her eye. "Just follow me" and Kagome started running towards the car.
As she got closer to the car she crouched down and motioned for Sango to do the same. She quickly pointed for Sango to go to Mirokus' side as she headed over to Inuyashas'. As soon as they were on the sides of the car they ran to the windows, jumped at the glass, and yelled "Morning!"
A muffled "Holy shit!" came from the inside as the boys opened the doors to get out. "You two go to school here?!" Miroku asked, looking a tad incredulous and happy at the same time.
"Yep, this shit hole is our alma mater, been going here since freshman year." The distaste for the school heavy within Sangos' words.
"Ah, I take it it's not the most welcoming of places" Miroku inquired.
"Well, there are some nice kids here but a larger number of superficial assholes. I'd say stay away from me and Kag if you don't want to take some shit, but you'll get lumped in with us anyway just cause of how you're dressed. So would you two like the grand tour? Oh wait, that's provided you've learned to keep your hands to yourself." Sango whispered as an aside to Kagome "Remember what you told me last night? You were right. Mostly."
Pointing ahead to the school building Kagome grabbed Inuyashas' arm and lead them off to the entrance of the building. Sango followed a bit behind, suprised by her normally physically reserved friends' boldness.
"Oi! Woman! My arm."
"Don't call me woman, and hurry up." Kagome said as she pulled Inuyasha along.
Jogging a bit to catch up, Sango joined the group as they walked into the building. While normally walking into the building was a non-event Kagome could feel the stares of people as they checked out the new students. It wasn't a big school, 400 students at the most, so any new student was cause for speculation, how they were dressed just added to that. While the others couldn't really make out what the hushed whispers were about Inuyasha picked up on everything, just as he had heard Sangos' whispered words to Kagome. He was still puzzling over what she meant, he'd have to ask Miroku later if he knew what that was all about.
From all around came "Who's that?" "Are they new?" "Look like trouble" the same comments Inuyasha heard everywhere else he went. He had stopped paying attention a long time ago. He did what he liked and couldn't care less what others thought of him, both positive and negative. It felt comfortable to him and as far as he was concerned that was all that mattered.
Looking over to Sango and Miroku, who had the red handprint on his face once again, and then to the small but tough girl holding his arm he couldn't help but let a smirk cross his face. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad place to spend the next year and a half.
"Do you guys need to check in? The office is over this way" Kagome said as she turned down another hallway. Walking into the room she knocked on the Principals office. "This is Mrs. Kaede." Kagome pointed to the woman who had answered the door.
"Hello Boys, you must be Inuyasha" as she pointed towards him "and Miroku." as she turned to the other boy. "Nice to have you here, and I see you are making friends already." She now turned to smile at the girls. "Well since you already seem to know each other I'll just have Kagome and Sango show you around. Go pick up your schedules at the front desk and if you have any question the girls can't answer feel free to stop by anytime." With a good day nod of her head Ms. Kaede turned and walked back into her office.
"Weird old lady" Inuyasha muttered as he walked to the desk to get his schedule.
"Aww, Ms. Kaede is nice" giving Inuyasha a playful shove Kagome finished "you just need to give her a chance."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The morning went by quickly with the teens discovering they shared gym and science. Inuyasha and Kagome also had math together and Miroku, Sango, and Rin were all in the same english class. So far the day had gone by without any incidences though Inuyashas' ears had caused some speculation amongst the students. When lunch came the group of five went out to Inuyasha and Mirokus' car to go to a local bagel shop that Kagome loved.
Kagome jumped into the passengers seat and started rifling through Inuyashas' CDs looking for some good driving music. She popped in the CD she found as they were pulling out of the parking lot and went to track three. As soon as the lyrics started the car became one big sing along as each person fought to be heard above the others and the music itself.
Hey man you know I'm really okay
The gun in my hand will tell you the same
But when I'm in my car
Don't give me no crap
Cause the slightest thing and I just might snap
When I go driving I stay in my lane
But getting cut off it makes me insane
I open the glove box
Reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
I got a bad habit (Yeah, Yeah)
And it ain't goin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Well they say the road is a dangerous place
If you flip me off I'll get in your face
If you drive on my ass
Your foot's on the gas
And your next breath is your last
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
I got a bad habit (Yeah, Yeah)
And it ain't goin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Drivers are rude
Such attitudes
But when I show my peace
Complaints cease
Something's odd
I feel like I'm god
You stupid dumbshit goddam motherfucker!
I open the glove box
Reach inside
I'm gonna wreck this fucker's ride
I guess I got a bad habit
Of blowin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
I got a bad habit (Yeah, Yeah)
And it ain't goin' away (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Yeah (Yeah, Yeah)
Kagome was singing along to the next song as they pulled up to the bagel shop and parked. The smell of the yeast and dough were strong outside the shop even to the humans, by the time Inuyasha made it to the door he was already drooling. They walked inside and quickly got their orders, then moved around to the side where there were cafe tables set up.
Rin finished hers' first. For such a tiny girl she sure could eat, and eat fast. "So what brought you guys to our illustrious insitution?"
Swallowing the food in his mouth quickly Miroku answered for them "Well we wanted a change of scenery, and what a nice one it's been," he said eyeing Sango "but mostly it's because the apartments here are affordable and not total crackhouses."
"But you guys don't live with your parents?" Kagome asked.
"My mother died when I was born and my father followed when I was ten. Inuyashas' dad died before he was born and his mom followed a few years later." Miroku didn't seem upset at the topic but Kagome was kicking herself for asking such a painful question, especially when she saw the look of pain flash across Inuyashas' face. She had a feeling Miroku was just slightly better at hiding his.
"Damn, I'm really sorry, that was pretty insensitive of me wasn't it?" Muttering under her breath only Inuyasha could make out Kagomes' next words "Consider the subject dropped but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
'Subject change!' thought Miroku. "So what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"Around here, not much. There's the diner and bowling once in awhile, maybe a movie but that's about it besides going to shows and hanging at peoples' houses." Rin jumped in with.
"Hey, we could go into the city! See if anything is gonna be happening this weekend and check out the stores on Christopher Street." The conversation had been bothering Sango as well and she was happy for the distraction.
"What do you think?" Kagome asked looking at the rest of the group. "Want to go after school? As long as we're home by 10 or 11 I'm fine with it. Same for you, right Rin?"
"Yep, works for me! No band practice today and I need a new pair of pants anyway."
"Okay, then let's meet at my house after school and I'll drive to the Path station." Looking at her watch Kagome realized they were going to be late if they didn't hurry back to school. "Come on, we gotta go go go!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was 3:15 and they were all at Kagomes'. Sango was inside the house putting her books away with Miroku and Rin while Kagome and Inuyasha were waiting outside next to Kagomes' car. It was the first time they were alone and Kagome could feel tension stretching between them.
"So, ummm, how you liking it here so far?"
"Keh, could be worse."
"That's a glowing review." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "If you don't want to answer you don't have to but I've been wondering, youkai or hanyou?"
Inuyasha didn't answer for a moment and Kagome was worried she had pissed him off again by finding another off limits topic. He finally dropped his eyes and answered "Hanyou, my mom was human and my dad was having an affair with her. I've got a half brother who's youkai, but you could say we aren't the best of friends. After my mom died I went to live with him for awhile but moved out recently using some of the money my mom had left me. It isn't much, enough to last a year or two, but I'll be out of high school by then and able to get a job that can pay the bills."
"What do you want to do after school is finished?" Kagome was a bit amazed at Inuyasha telling her all that. She could see he was trying to act like it didn't affect him but she was already getting good at catching the subtle hints he let off.
"I don't know, probably work construction if I can get in the union, maybe see if I can get a band together and do some shit with that. Miroku's a drummer and I play guitar." He looked up again when he mentioned starting a band, with almost a longing on his face. "Ya know, I don't want to be rich and famous or any of that shit, making enough to pay the bills and not have to work a regular job would be plenty."
"We should play together sometime, I sing, Sango plays guitar, and I'm sure we could convince Rin to hang out and play bass." Looking out of the corner of her eye Kagome could see Inuyashas' ears perk forward at the idea.
"Ready to go?" Rin yelled as they came out of the house and headed for the car.
"I get to pick the music this time since Kagome picked when she was in my car" Inuyasha said as he got into the passenger side of the car.
"Fair enough." came from Sango as she squished into the back seat between Rin and Miroku.
"Hey! No one asked me" Kagome pouted as she started the car "but I guess it's okay."
"Better believe it's okay woman."
"DON'T CALL ME WOMAN!"
"Keh" was all the answer Kagome got as Inuyasha checked out her CD collection. "here we go..."
Crashing down on consensus.
It's the vice that kills defenses.
Piercing through sort of feeling.
It only hurts if I let it take control of me.
Won't let the world weigh me down. Cause I'm coming alive.
What's the deal with life lessons?
If you can't forget regret them.
Taught to fold under pressure.
Failure doesn't mean you have to die.
Won't let the world weigh me down. Cause I'm coming alive.
Just how many are there on my side.
A calendar filled up with sleepless nights.
Keeps time.
Afraid of what it may have left behind.
Who cares?
I've thought about it all too many times.
What's worse?
Is that my self-esteem suffers a curse.
That tries to kill me but I kill it first.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
Today I found a friend in who I am.
Who promises to be there 'till the end, of what?
When it's over will it start again?
Can't worry about it or life becomes too crowded.
With panic. I'll panic and then I'll start to doubt it,
it's not worth it. So fuck it. Not gonna walk around it.
I'll face it. I'll smash it. I'm not gonna lose again.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
I'm coming alive, alive through you.
"Nice choice" was all Kagome said, though she was wondering at his reasons for picking that song.
Looking to her right as she pulled into the parking lot outside the Path station she gave a small smile to Inuyasha who just turned his head and gave another soft "keh." Kagome, thanking the gods she got a spot in the cheap lot, hopped out of the car and waited for her friends to untangle themselves from the backseat. "If you guys wanna grab a drink do it now or it's gonna cost you a fortune in the city" she said as they passed the small bodega right outside the station. They each grabbed a soda or water and continued on their way into the Path station and down the stairs.
The station felt, and looked, as though a blanket of grime had settled over the whole area. This time of day there weren't many people on either side of the tracks at the bottom of the stairs. It was to early for rush hour to have started and not many people traveled into the city on a late monday afternoon.
"It's a buck to get in, and make sure you have a dollar to get back at the end of the day cause I don't feel like having to hang around late enough to jump the rails." Sango let Inuyasha and Miroku know.
"I wouldn't dream of upsetting you, Sango." Miroku said as he walked up beside her, his hand heading towards her backside.
"And watch your hands!" Miroku quickly pulled his hand away, but not before a fast grab.
Kagome, walking ahead with Inuyasha heard a "Pervert!" followed by a rough slapping sound. Turning around she saw Sango walking quickly to catch up with her as Miroku held his hand to his face and smiled while Rin stood behind them laughing.
"Sango, stop playing with Miroku and hurry up, we're gonna miss the train." Kagome laughed at her friend, watching Sangos' face turn different shades of red before she gave in and started to laugh along with Kagome.
"Yeah ya pervert, move it." Inuyasha yelled back to Miroku "Same goes for you little girl." he said to Rin. Joining in the laughter they all ran to catch up, and jump on the train. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Rin grabbed the seats that were left leaving Sango and Miroku to stand together for the short ride over. Leaning over to Inuyasha, Kagome whispered "Think we should give them a break?"
"Hell no, this is to much fun. Besides," he continued as he turned to look at Kagome "it's obvious they like each other. They're just to stupid admit it."
Realizing how close their faces were Kagome blushed a bit and muttered "Yeah" before turning away to talk to Rin. "So any luck on the guy front for you?"
"Nah, nothing yet. I'm thinking I might end up leaving The Exiled though." Shaking her head Rin continued "Ever since Tako and I broke up things have been weird. it's not as much fun as it was."
Kagome leaned back, enjoying the gentle rocking of the train. "Actually, that reminds me. Hey, Sango, Miroku, this applies to you two also. Inuyasha said that you guys play drums and guitar right? Miroku nodded. "Well, it just so happens that Sango plays guitar, Rin plays bass, and I sing." Kagome said with a smile. "We should all get together and jam sometime later this week, see how we play together."
"I'm in, anything so I don't have to keep playing alone with that pissed off hanyou." Miroku was looking at Sango as he spoke.
Giggling at the possiblities Sango just shook her head "I could make a comment, but it would just be to easy..."
Joining along in the giggle Rin added "I think you just did."
As the train hissed to a halt Kagome stood up "Here we are." Walking out of the train, into the underground station and up the stairs the cool city air surrounded them as they started discussing where to head first. Occasionally they would cross a vent and warm stale smelling air would envelop the group.
"Well we could go check out the shops, see if there are any new CDs in, or what they have in clothes and shit." was Kagomes' suggestion.
"Yeah, that we could, or we could head over to the ABC's, grab some drinks, and see what's going on." Sango countered.
"Or we could do both, check out the shops and shows around here then head over to the ABC's later." Rin was always one for compromise. "Just promise no hanging with the SHARPs tonight. They are nice and all but I've got no desire to get stuck in the middle of one of their fights. What do you guys think?" She asked Inuyasha and Miroku.
"Keh, whatever. Though I'm fine with finding a fight tonight, I usually do whether or not I'm looking for one anyway." Inuyasha turned to walk down the faded worn out street. "So where to first?"
"Hmmm, let's go check out the CD shops, then I want to see if I can find a cute skirt anywhere." Catching up to Inuyasha, Kagome stuck her arm through his and smiled up at him.
"Whatever woman" Inuyasha huffed, feeling the fabric of his jacket pull tighter and the girls slight weight, but he didn't remove her arm.
The five teens made their way down the street popping into the shops that looked interesting and some that didn't. They had to drag Miroku away from the shop that sold fetish wear and bondage items, but not before he managed three or four slaps from Sango just by voicing a few suggestions. Stopping by one club they found that The Vandals were playing a show that weekend so plans were made to meet at Kagomes' house again. They would get together early Saturday to play some cover songs and see how they worked together then they would drive to the path station again and come back to the city for the show.
It was dark by now, or as dark as it could ever get in the city, always light enough to see where you were going but everything outside of the lights was hidden in a shadow. Kagome liked the feeling that came along with it, like she was somewhere faintly dirty and bad but that took care of her nonetheless. She had never been scared walking around the city at night, it felt to much like home for her to be worried. Looking at her watch Kagome realized it was 7pm already. She knew if they were going to party a bit tonight they had better go do it now or they would be getting back later then they had planned. Kagome had her own set of values and rules and followed them closely, which meant her mom rarely ever imposed a rule on her daughter. Kagome would party with her friends every so often, but only as long as she kept her grades decent. She was also strict with herself about never driving drunk or with someone who was drunk or messed up in any way. Even being home by 11pm was a self-imposed curfew, her mother was fine with Kagome coming home when she chose as long as she called to let her know she would be out late.
"Hey, it's 7pm, let's go grab some food then head over towards the ABC's." Kagome pointed to one of the many pizza places that lined the streets "That place is pretty good, we can stop in there."
Kagome was zoning out as they stood on the corner waiting for the light to change, not really paying any attention to the traffic. She started to walk as soon as the light changed, missing the car that was making a right and was only inches away from hitting her. Jumping towards her quickly Inuyasha scooped her up and set her back on the sidewalk with the rest of the group who were waiting for the traffic to clear.
"Woman! Be careful, you almost got hit." She might not be able to smell Inuyashas' anger the way he could hers, but she could definitely hear it within his words.
"Yeah, sorry about that, my mind was wandering and.... Sorry." Kagome couldn't find it in herself to take offense at Inuyasha calling her woman again, she was still shaken up by her near miss and to busy berating herself for being so stupid.
Inuyasha grabbed her hand as they crossed this time "Come on."
'Well, if he wants to hold my hand I'm not going to stop him.' Kagome looked up at the hanyou and smiled, "Thanks."
They walked into the little hole in a wall pizza place, the smell of the shop making them realize just how hungry they were. Sango, Miroku, and Rin walked up to the counter to place their order and grab drinks while Inuyasha and Kagome went and got them a booth in the back. The pizzas barely touched the table before they had been devoured by the five hungry teens.
Walking out of the shop, feeling much fuller and much happier they made their way over to one of the little bodegas on Avenue B. They knew they could pick up a few 40s there and a bottle of some White Horse whiskey with no worry of being carded . They elected to send Inuyasha in anyway, the reasoning being it's hard to figure out a hanyous' age, just in case.
It was quick work for Inuyasha to go in, grab the beer and whiskey and pay the clerk who didn't even bother looking at him. Walking back out he handed each of them a 40 and kept the whiskey for himself. Kagome put a quick stop to that idea, grabbing the bottle out of his hand she took a quick swig and passed it around. She knew her limits well, a shot of whiskey and a 40 would do her nicely without her heading to a blackout. She was proud of her record of zero hangovers and zero times throwing up. Though remembering the first time she drank whiskey still made her wince a bit.
Opening their bottles they started to walk down the streets, feeling the false warmth of the whiskey and beer coursing through their veins. Taking slugs from their bottles they would stop and chat with other people they knew who were walking the streets. A punk kid here, a homeless guy there, all of those who either had nowhere else to go or nowhere else they wanted to be. Kagome realized that it was comforting and fun in it's own way to be among those who truly understood you, people you could relate to and who let you be who you wanted to be. Maybe that's what had drawn her to Inuyasha from the begining, another person she truly felt in touch with. She knew she invited judgment from people because of how she dressed. She didn't really care but at the same time she did because she got angry at people who would judge a person before getting to know them. She knew how hanyous were treated in society and she figured Inuyasha had had to deal with more judgement than any of them. It made her feel almost protective over him, she wished she could just take him to a perfect world where everyone was free to be who they are.
Her thoughts were still traveling along those lines when she got an urge to reach up and rub Inuyashas' ears. Standing on her tip toes she tried to reach for his ears but missed and stumbled towards the ground. Before she hit the cement she felt his arms reach around and pick her up. "Hey there woman, getting a bit tipsy?" Kagome tried to deny it but her unsteady steps showed that for the lie it was. Turning his back to her Inuyasha bent down to let her have a ride. "Just like at the show, okay?" Swaying a bit Kagome nodded her head and climbed on his back.
'Ah ha! Now I can get those ears!' Kagome thought as she reached forward and started rubbing them. 'Wow, so soft...' Her thoughts trailed off as she began enjoying the feeling of being so close to the hanyou. 'Mmm, I could stay here all night.'
Inuyasha was having similar thoughts, when she started rubbing his ears he began growling softly to himself taking pleasure in the feel of her hands on him. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone had they asked. He was also enjoying the feel of her body along his back, his hands wrapped behind her legs... Without realizing what he was doing he began to slow down, letting the rest of the group get a bit ahead of them. Bending down, he let Kagome slide from his back, wrapping his arms around her he turned her to face him and lowered his head to hers.
Kagome was surprised when Inuyasha lowered her to the ground, she was having so much fun riding on his back she didn't want to get off. But before she could start a tantrum he had his arms around was turning her to face him. She felt an electrical jolt going through her body at his touch, drunk though she was she knew she would never forget how that felt. She looked up at him as he started to lower his head towards her, she heard him softly whisper her name before touching his lips to hers. It was a gentle kiss, nothing drunk or hurried about it. She could feel him deepen it as he pulled her closer, her body tingling everywhere that it met his. She opened her mouth slowly, inviting his tongue inside, shivering as he did so. Their tongues slowly playing together in her mouth and then his. Kagome felt herself go weak as he held her up, she didn't want this to ever end.
Suddenly Inuyasha pulled his head away, sniffing the air. "What the FUCK are you doing here?" he said as a guy with the same silver hair and golden eyes stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello Inuyasha. I might ask you the same." The new comers voice was cold and flat and it's owner looked more like a casual office worker than one who normally frequented the late night streets. There was something in his stance that spoke of controlled violence directed at Inuyasha. No one moved for a long moment as the tension increased toward the snapping point.
A small cough from behind the tableau the three created made them all turn their heads, the tension momentarily broken.
"Sesshomaru, I didn't expect to run into you here." Miroku put a name to the new person for which the girls were thankful. Kagome had already realized this must be the half brother Inuyasha had spoken of, the resemblance was uncanny, though she could make faintly make out some markings on his face, the darkness keeping her from seeing clearly.
"I am here on business." Was Sesshomarus' clipped answer.
"Still profiting off of other peoples' talent?" Inuyashas' hands balled into fists at his side, his fight for control over his temper was obvious to all those there.
"You'll understand someday half-breed."
Miroku knew what was coming next and stepped in to try and difuse the situation. "Come on, let's start heading home." He put his hand on Inuyashas' shoulder and started to turn him away from Sesshomaru and to the nearest path station. Shrugging his hand off Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagomes' waist and began following Miroku.
"Where do you think you are going?" Sesshomaru called out after them.
"Home, where else do you think we'd go? You've managed to ruin what was left of this night." Without waiting for an answer Inuyasha turned once again to leave.
"I think not." Came out quietly from Sesshomaru. "It's obvious you have all been drinking and not one of you is fit to drive. I shall accompany you. I care little what happens to you half-breed but I won't have a scandal."
"Do you actually think we're stupid enough to drive drunk? We can head back and not drive home right away you know." Inuyashas' irritation with his half-brother was growing.
"Nevertheless, I shall accompany to make sure you don't do anything more idiotic than what you've already accomplished this night."
Kagome could feel Inuyashas' muscles start to bunch. She reached up to his shoulder and on still unsteady tip toes whispered into his ear "It's okay." Her soft reassurance helped Inuyasha gain control and without a look back he started off for the path station again.
The walk back was almost silent except for Rin occasionally asking questions of Sesshomaru, the small girl seemed devoid of the fear the rest of the humans felt for the youkai.
Sitting on the bench in the underground path station next to Inuyashsa, Kagomes' thoughts traveled back to the kiss they had shared. 'Did he do that because he was drunk or did he really mean it?' Just then Inuyasha, still staring straight ahead, reached out and squeezed her hand. Kagome sighed softly and let a small smile cross her lips despite the stress of their current situation.
The train arrived after about 15 mins of waiting, the group of now six climbed aboard the almost empty train, all taking their own seats. It was a much different ride home than it had been at the begining of their day. Despite the tension Kagome couldn't help but smile at how the day had gone. Enough time had passed that when they arrived back at the parking lot Kagome was completely sober again and able to drive. Still Sesshomaru did not trust them and insisted on accompanying the group home. Sango sat on Mirokus' lap, watching his hands closely while Rin and Sesshomaru squeezed in besides them with Inuyasha and Kagome sitting up front again.
This time Kagome picked the music, finding the CD she thought most suitable...
Well the devil's nipping at your heels and this time it's for real
A lonely hunger starts to gnaw as you wish away the pain
Of another desperate dead end day forever filled with sadness
To forget about the pain you take your bottle, drink your grave
Singing Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here.
Leave your worries at the door boy, they're not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang's all here
When the going gets tough, I know my friends will still be there
Well you're walking down the road and the wind is in your face
You're down and out and the unemployment line's a mile long
The money in your pocket may not get you through the day
But cheer up son I know a place where mugs like us belong
Singing Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here.
Leave your worries at the door boy, they're not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang's all here
When the going gets tough, I know my friends will still be there
Pick your heart up off the ground though I'm sure it weights a ton
You're no better or no worse than any mothers son
Though you're up against all odds and you're backed against the wall
You recall the cheer, "The Gang's All Here" and shout!
Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here.
Leave your worries at the door boy, they're not going anywhere
Hail, hail the gang's all here
When the going gets tough, I know my friends will still be there
******************************************************* *************************************************************************** **********************************
A/N - Song listing -
"Rebels of a Sacred Heart"
Flogging Molly from the album Drunken Lullabies
"Negative One to Ten"
Tsunami Bomb from the album The Definitive Act
"Bad Habit"
The Offspring from the album Smash
"Heart A Tact"
Kid Dynamite from the Kid Dynamite - 88 Fingers Louie split album
"The Gang's All Here"
Dropkick Murphys from the album "The Gang's All Here"
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