InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Seventeen ( Chapter 17 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I don't own Inuyasha, and please try to put up with my writing in this chapter. I hate inserting song lyrics; I find it awkward, but I tried to make it flow smoothly, and then I won't be doing this for several chapters, if ever again in the story.


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"Someone That You're With" Nickelback

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Savvy's Christmas Party, One Week Later...

Loud feedback rang through the club that evening, causing everyone who'd shown up early to the Christmas party to wince. Nathan smiled sheepishly before continuing to adjust his amplifier. The band was set up on the stage, nearly ready to start, but Inuyasha had told Miroku he needed to go up to his apartment for something first. Miroku had a feeling the hanyou didn't need anything, except perhaps a moment alone.

Kagome had invited a guy to the party.

She'd also invited a girl, a short, rather elfish looking thing with chunky, black hair and a nose ring, but Miroku and Sango had both seen the look on Inuyasha's face when Kagome had introduced him to Jonathan.

He was jealous.

When Inuyasha returned to the stage, Miroku knew better than to try joking about the situation; the surly look on his friend's face was warning enough. "Did you guys get your shit straight about the new song?" he asked Miroku as he adjusted the microphone stand he rarely used. Miroku didn't understand why he'd bothered buying a new one after he'd used the last one to catapult Kouga from Kagome's window.

"Did you want to play it tonight?" he asked.

"Tonight's as good as any," Inuyasha replied testily. From behind him, Miroku spied Nathan nodding his head, clearly a message to let Inuyasha have his way.

"Then, consider our shit straight," Miroku assured him.

"Good. I'll let you know when."

"Whatever works for you."

(*)(*)(*)

"This place is awesome," Jonathan commented with a smile, his eyes roaming over the walls of the club.

"It's hokey; I like it," Lindsay added, and Kagome smiled.

"I like it here," she agreed. "At first, it was a little intimidating, but now I can't imagine working anywhere else. Oh, did you guys want drinks?" she asked.

"I'll get them," Jonathan offered, leaving the table after the girls told them what they wanted. Kagura was manning the bar with Eric helping when he was needed, but most of the employees were grabbing their own drinks for themselves and their guests, and it was a little strange for Kagome to see all the girls she'd worked with fully dressed for once.

Lindsay shook her head as Jonathan left the table. "I swear, he's from a dying breed," she sighed.

"What? You mean Jonathan?"

"Of course I mean Jonathan. Do you know he actually opened the car door for me when he picked me up? I thought I might swoon." She placed the back of her hand on her forehead, leaning back in her chair theatrically.

Kagome giggled. "Well, maybe he likes you."

"Oh deary, I don't think so."

"Why's that?"

Lindsay tipped her a dramatic wink. "Because he's got his eye on you."

Kagome's smile faltered. "H-He does?"

"Yup. He told me he's going to ask you to go see My Fair Lady with him; he's got an extra ticket."

Without her permission, Kagome's eyes roamed towards the stage, coming to a stop on Inuyasha as he was helping Nathan with what appeared to be a faulty pedal. "Well, that might be fun," she managed to say.

"So, you're going to say yes?"

"There's no reason for me not to," Kagome replied, feeling strangely empty all of the sudden. "He's a nice guy."

"Don't forget cute. And... wholesome," Lindsay added, wrinkling her nose with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess so," she agreed, thinking of the two white, fuzzy ears hidden under Inuyasha's sock cap.

Jonathan rejoined them moments later with their drinks, and right after that Rin entered with a very reluctant Sesshoumaru in her wake.

"Kagome!" Rin squealed, running over to fall in the girl's lap as she hugged her tightly. Sesshoumaru merely nodded in Kagome's direction. "So, who are your friends?"

"This is Lindsay and Jonathan, from my acting class."

"Nice to meet you," Rin told them, still in Kagome's lap. "I'm Rin, former nude star of Savvy."
Lindsay laughed as Jonathan's eyes widened with shock. "Kagome, dearest, can I speak to you?"

"Um, sure."

Rin led Kagome to the end of the bar, far from her friends. "So, how's Inuyasha taking it?"

Kagome's brow furrowed. "Taking what?"

"That you invited that Jonathan guy."

"What do you mean? Inuyasha's just my friend."

"Look, honey, Sango filled me in on the whole fiasco. Don't worry, I haven't mentioned it to anyone else. She just needed another view on the situation, because I think she still wants to hurt him."

"It wasn't that big of a deal," Kagome muttered.

Rin placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "You might not think so, but if Inuyasha kissed you, it's a huge deal. Inuyasha doesn't just go around making out with girls."

"I didn't say he would!"

"I know. I'm just trying to tell you, if he kissed you, there's something more there than what he's saying."

"Well, I'm not going to stop talking to guys just because it might make him angry; being friends was his decision."

Rin smiled. "Oh, I never said you should stop. I was just wondering if there had been any drama; I miss this place, you know."

Kagome threw her a mock glare. "Well, I'm sorry, but this source of drama is completely tapped at the moment."

"Pity," Rin sighed sadly, but then she grinned. "Oh, well. The night is young!"

"You're a mess."

The girls turned to look at the band as music from Nathan's guitar suddenly filled the large room, and Kagome returned to her friends as the lights dimmed. Applause rang through the club as the rest of the band joined in, followed by Inuyasha, and Kagome noticed Lindsay looking appreciatively at the stage. "Do you like it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Lindsay replied with a nod. "You said the singer lives across from you, right?"

"Inuyasha? Yeah, he does."

"He's hot." Kagome blinked at the comment, suddenly at a loss for words. "I wonder how he gets his hair that color."

"It's natural," Kagome replied automatically, sitting back in her chair in hopes of ending the conversation. Lindsay didn't seem to mind; her attention was focused on the stage.

"Hey, Kagome?" She turned to see Jonathan leaning towards her, and lifted her brow in response. "I was wondering... I got these tickets for this production of My Fair Lady. It's a really small theatre, but I've heard good things about them. Do you think you'd like to go? It's this Friday, if you don't have to work, or anything."

Kagome smiled, but it felt wrong on her face, somehow. "I'd love to go. I'll just have to see if I can get Eric to trade with me; I'm scheduled Friday." She scanned the crowd for Eric, spotting him near the stage with Shiori. "I'll be right back, all right?"

Jonathan nodded, and Kagome left her seat to walk towards the stage, forcing herself not to look at Inuyasha. Part of her was screaming at her to stop, to tell Jonathan she couldn't go, and seeing Inuyasha's face would only make it worse. It's just one date, she told herself firmly. I haven't been on a single date since I moved here. It's not like I'm marrying the guy!

Tapping Eric on the shoulder, he turned to pin her with a charming smile. "Hey, Kagome."

"Hey. Um, can I ask you for a really big favor?"

(*)(*)(*)

It was during the band's break that Inuyasha found out.

He'd already known something was going on, even when he'd been up on stage. He'd seen that twerp Jonathan lean in closer to Kagome, and he'd seen her nervous expression as she approached Eric, who had looked crestfallen after his conversation with her.

It was Eric who broke the news to him, while Inuyasha was at the bar getting a bottle of water. "Hey man, I won't be working with you tomorrow," he said with a long face as he handed Inuyasha his water. "I traded days with Kagome so I can work her Friday for her. She's got a date." He said the last word as if it were an infectious disease. Eric then went on to complain about Kagome turning him down in favor of 'Mr. Actor,' but Inuyasha heard none of it, feeling as if the bottom had somehow fallen out from under him, and he was flailing helplessly for something to grab onto. Yet, looking around, it seemed as if everything was completely normal. Miroku and Sango were bickering light-heartedly as they always did, over by the stage. Mr. Simon, one of their older regulars, had put a Santa Claus hat on, and was trying to convince Taylor to sit in his lap. She laughed merrily, planting a big kiss on his cheek. It all seemed so far away, however, like he'd suddenly been removed from it all, even though he was right in the middle of it.

He dared to look at Kagome, who was chatting with Rin and Sesshoumaru at their table, leaving her future date to sit alone.

"Hey."

Inuyasha flinched, caught off guard by the voice, and turned to see Kagome's other guess standing very close to him. He couldn't remember her name... "Um, hey."

She smiled lazily. "I was just wanting to tell you, your band kicks ass."

"Thanks."

She made no move to walk away, and Inuyasha was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable. "So, do you guys have a demo?" She leaned in closer, and Inuyasha backed away a step, looking around for a means of escape.

"Yeah!" he replied, much more loudly than needed. "That girl over there," he pointed across the bar. "Her name's Sango. She'll get you one." Before anything else could be said, Inuyasha quickly walked away to return to the stage. Could this night get any worse? Two hours ago, his life had been fine, if not exactly great. What had he done to deserve this?

Going over the lyrics for the new song in his head as he hopped up onto the stage, he had a funny thought. The words for the song had just come to him before the last practice, and they'd seemed amusing enough to put music to. Now he was wondering if they'd been some sort of omen of doom. Perhaps he was psychic? If that was the case, he was going upstairs right after the show and writing a song about Kagome's new "friend" suddenly realizing he was gay.

I'm really losing it, he thought with a sigh.

Motioning the other members of the band back to the stage, he waited for them to take their places. "Alright," he spoke into the mic, causing several people to clap and yell. "New song."

"I reside in 209, and you're in 208..."

Kagome had joined Lindsay and Jonathan again, and she grinned at the first line of the song. Had he really written a song about her? Not that either of them actually had apartment numbers, but still...

"You moved in last Friday night,
And I just couldn't wait,
So I tried to call across the hall
To ask you out someday,
But a lineup formed outside your door, and I was way too late.

"Well, I'd rather start off slow,
This whole thing's like
Some sort of race
Instead of winning what I want,
I'm sitting here in second place..."

Kagome's smile faltered as the lyrics continued, a look of confusion replacing it, and as Inuyasha's gaze met hers across the darkened club, her stomach filled with nervous butterflies.

"Because somewhere
The one I wanna be with's
With somebody else,
Oh God, I wanna be that
Someone that you're with.

"And I can talk about it all day long
'Til I run out of breath,
But I still wanna be that
Someone that you're with.

And I'm pacing by the phone,
'Cause I hate to be alone,
And if you're out there with him
Somewhere and just about to kiss,
God, I wanna be that
Someone that you're with..."

Everyone was staring at her. Well, maybe not everyone, but Sango and Miroku were definitely sending her curious looks, along with Rin, and even Kagura and several of the girls she worked with. Did Inuyasha know about Jonathan already? That didn't matter, she realized. He'd written the song days ago...

"Well, I hear your favorite songs
You sing along with everyday,
And I borrow things that
I don't need for conversation sake,
Last night I heard your key,
It hit your lock at 4 AM,
Instead of being out with me,
You must be out with them.

"Well, I'd rather start off slow,
This whole thing's like
Some sort of race,
Instead of winning what I want,
I'm sitting here in second place..."

As the band went into the chorus again, Kagome could feel her face flushing furiously. How could he do this to her? What did it mean? Was it some sort of joke? Because if so, she didn't find it funny. Maybe he had just written it to be cute, but by the look on his face, he wasn't finding it any more amusing than she did.

As the song went into soft bridge, Kagome turned to her friends. "Guys, I'm not feeling so good," she told them. "I think I'm going to head upstairs."

Lindsay gave her a knowing look, but the band kicked into another chorus at that moment, and she had to shout to be heard over the music. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Stay here as long as you want, okay?" She waved to Jonathan before heading quickly across the floor, careful not to look anywhere near the stage on her way to the stairs.

(*)(*)(*)

Inuyasha felt his stomach sink as he watched Kagome cross the floor of the club at a quick pace, but he couldn't follow. They had another seven songs to play, and it would make things look even worse if he suddenly jumped from the stage and ran after her. He tried to ignore the dark looks Sango and Rin shot at him as they followed after Kagome seconds later, but he was starting to feel nauseous. He'd already pissed Sango off once, and now he'd made her angry again, and Rin along with her. He honestly hadn't expected the song to upset Kagome; he wouldn't have played it if he had. Didn't they know that?

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome heard footsteps in the stairwell as she unlocked her door, and she shut it quickly behind her, not wanting to deal with anyone. She was so upset, and angry, that her hands were trembling.

Her cell phone started to ring from within her purse just then, and she fished it out, looking at the caller ID.

That's when she lost her temper.

Flipping it open harshly, a dark expression on her face, she screamed into the receiver. "Kouga, I don't want to talk to you! Not now; not EVER!" Before she could think of something more logical to do, Kagome threw the cell across the kitchen, where it slammed into her cabinets, falling into pieces. She stared at it numbly for a moment, wondering exactly how something like that had happened, before she fell onto her knees in the floor, whimpering.

Having forgotten to lock her door, Rin and Sango entered seconds later, kneeling down next to Kagome with twin expressions of worry on their faces.

"Kagome, who were you yelling at?" Sango asked.

"Kouga called," she mumbled, her eyes focused on the floor. "I... I... I broke my phone!" she wailed miserably, falling against Rin, who exchanged a sad smile with Sango as she embraced the girl.

"You can get a new phone tomorrow," Sango assured her, reaching over to rub Kagome's arm comfortingly.

"I knowww!" she sobbed.

"And if you can't afford one, we'll make sure Inuyasha gets one for you," Rin added.

At the mention of Inuyasha's name, Kagome's pitiful crying doubled in intensity, and within moments, Rin's shirt was soaked through. Rin paid no attention, however, smoothing Kagome's hair with her hand as she let her get her tears out.

After a long while, Kagome's wails become hiccups and sniffles, and she sat up, wiping at her eyes. "Guys, I'm so sorry," she said quietly.

Sango gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't be sorry. You have every right to be upset, and trust me, he's going to pay for that."

"He probably didn't mean anything by it..."

"Kagome, stop defending him! If he wanted to let you know he was jealous, he could have stopped hiding behind his damned songs and tell you! All of this is his own fault, and he knows it. Would you have turned him down if he asked to be with you before?"

Kagome shook her head. "Of course not. I... I'd love to be with him," she said, her cheeks pinking a bit, and Rin smiled.

"Exactly," Sango continued. "It could be easy enough. He's the one making it hard, and he's making you miserable in the process. I understand what Inuyasha's been through better than most, but what he did was wrong. I know he wrote that song before; I heard them practice it while you were at class, but he could have had the tact not to sing it."

"So... he knows about Jonathan?"

"I'd say it's a safe bet that he does. He looked pretty pissed when the band took their break. Then again, Miroku said he was pretty bent about Jonathan coming in the first place."

"Oh."

"You can't let him play games with you, Kagome," Rin said. "He can't expect you to sit around and not be with anyone at all. It's unfair. You go on your date, and you have fun."

"And we'll deal with Inuyasha for tonight. You look exhausted," Sango told her.

"I guess I'm pretty tired," Kagome agreed, standing up. The others followed suit, each embracing Kagome before bidding her good-night.

Once they were in the hall, however, Rin and Sango's faces lost any trace of a smile. "I think I might kill him twice," Rin said grimly. Sango only nodded in agreement as they made their way back downstairs. The band was still playing, and Rin returned to Sesshoumaru for the remainder of it, while Sango went to stand with Kagura and Amber, waiting patiently for the set to end, and when it did, Inuyasha didn't disappoint her. She watched as he quickly mumbled something to Miroku, who nodded, and then jumped from the stage, heading right for the stairs.

Sango nodded to Rin, and the girls quickly crossed the floor after Inuyasha, intercepting him near the restrooms. "I hardly think so," Sango told him, blocking the path to the stairs.

Rin joined her, crossing her arms. "Don't you think you put Kagome through enough tonight?"

Inuyasha sighed, looking defeated. "Look, I'm sorry," he told them. "It was stupid."

"Stupid?" Rin echoed. "You humiliated her."

"Not to mention, you made her cry. She went to sleep, and I swear, if you go wake her up--"

"I won't, alright?" Inuyasha growled, his guilty expression quickly turning into something more angry. "I'll leave her alone, since it's very obvious that's what both of you would like."

Sango glowered at him. "Don't play that card with me, Inuyasha, because I'm the last person that's ever judged you. It's got nothing to do with us not wanting you around Kagome. But you did an asshole thing, and she's worn out. On top of that, Kouga called her, and she broke her cell phone."

"What?" he demanded. "Did she answer it?"

Rin nodded. "She threw her phone, by the looks of it. It's ruined."

Both girls heard the growl erupt from Inuyasha's chest, and Sango was thankful no one else was around to hear it, especially someone that was under the belief that Inuyasha was completely human. No one human could produce a sound like that. She wasn't sure why, but it made her anger with him dissipate almost entirely. "Inuyasha... If you want to be with Kagome, why don't you just give it a try?"

Inuyasha wouldn't meet her eyes as he replied. "I never said I wanted to be with her; it was just a stupid song, alright?"

Sango sighed, knowing she was going to get nowhere. Rin, who was clearly fed up, left the both of them to return to her husband. "Fine, Inuyasha. You can lie to me all you want. While you're at it, you can keep lying to yourself." He gazed up at her through the thick curtain of his bangs, looking uncertain. "But if you care about Kagome at all, either tell her what's really going on in that head of yours, or keep your songs to yourself." She stepped forward, putting her arms around him. Inuyasha didn't return the embrace, but he did relax a bit, which she figured was all she was going to get. "I'll pack your stuff up, alright?"

"You don't have to," he replied as she stepped away from him.

"Just go upstairs and try to calm down, alright? I'll get it."

He nodded distractedly, and Sango watched him walk slowly up the stairs, a sad look on her face.

When Inuyasha reached the hall, he was hoping he'd hear some sign of life from Kagome's apartment. There was nothing, however; she really had gone to sleep. Looking longingly at her door for a moment, he sighed. He'd really screwed up. He knew, however, that Kagome would be all smiles tomorrow, acting as if nothing had happened, and letting him continue pretending that there was absolutely nothing between them. "Sorry, Kagome," he said softly, letting his fingers trail down her locked door before going through his own.

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Thanks for all the great reviews! They push me along so much faster than I'd normally write. As for some of the "suggestions" you guys have made, or just hinted at, some of them are actually already planned in my outline. I won't mention which ones, though. Because I'm evil that way.