~*~I know you all hate me for starting yet another one. I'm sorry! I just can't work on the others right now. Don't hurt me!!! I'm slowly working on the others, but this idea keeps hitting me scream "write me!!!!" It's painful! Anywho, I hope you like this one too…
Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once for the entire fanfic. I DON'T OWN INU YASHA!~*~
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"I've had it! I can't stay in this crappy band. I'm going solo. Later, your majesty."
A tall man with short dark brown hair walked over to the door, leaving the raven haired girl to stare at his back. "Hojo, what the hell are you doing? Going solo? But I thought…"
The man turned back to the girl. "Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I was only using you to get my name out there. Now that it is, I don't need you and your pathetic so-called band anymore. Consider this our official break up, Kagome. I want nothing to do with you or the band. See ya when I make it big. Maybe if you're nice, I'll let you come to one of my concerts."
With that, Hojo walked out, leaving Kagome to stare at where he had stood. A tear fell from her eye which she quickly brushed away. 'He left. How… how dare he use me like that! He promised he wouldn't… bastard! I'm so sick of this. Never again.'
There was a knock on the door. For a brief moment, Kagome hoped it was him, coming back to apologize, saying he didn't mean anything he had said. Her hopes were dashed when her best friend and fellow band member walked in. "Kagome? Are you okay?"
Slowly nodding, Kagome looked at the woman. "Let me guess. You heard everything, right Sango?"
With a sympathetic look, Sango nodded. She never really did like Hojo, but because of Kagome, she got used to him. "Don't listen to him, Kagome. A solo career? Yeah right! He'll be begging us for a chance to come to our concerts. You don't need him."
"You're right, Sango. I don't need him, or anyone one else."
The slightly older girl took a step back. "You loved him, didn't you?" Her heart broke when her friend nodded as tears freely fell from her eyes. Sango didn't waste any time pulling Kagome into a huge hug. "I'm so sorry."
At the moment, Kagome was numb. She felt drained of anything. She knew then and there she would freeze her heart to someone new. No one was going to hurt her like that again.
~A few months later…~
Sango sat at the table wishing she could bang her head against it repeatedly. "Next!" They had been at the audition room for about three hours now, listening to one tone deaf musician after the other. It was only her and Shippou, a fifteen year old musical genius. He played just about every instrument ever invented. It was also a plus that his grandma was their Manager. Kaede was such a sweetie, but she had been right that they needed to fill up Hojo's spot. Sango growled slightly at the thought of that… 'Kagome hasn't been the same since. Sure, I know she puts on a front, but she's still in so much pain. When I get my hands on that guy, I swear I'll kick his ass.'
The next guy came in with weird blonde hair and so many tattoos it was hard to see his actual skin. Sango looked up at the ceiling. 'What did I ever do to you?' Taking a breath, she looked at the guy. "Okay, Mr… umm… Drew. What do you play?"
"Anything you want, babe." He winked at Sango as her eyes narrowed.
"Oooookay, are you willing to… I'm sorry, what is that thing on your head?"
"My hair."
"Really? It looks like a mop. Anyway, what are you auditioning with today?"
"Wait, why should I audition? Just give me the spot."
Rubbing her temples, Sango shouted, without looking up, "Next!" Looking up she noticed the guy was still there. "That means you didn't get it and you need to get out."
"Pssh, forget this." The mop head walked out in a hissy fit and threw the book he had in his hand at some poor defenseless girl. Needless to say, the girl got up and kicked his ass. Sango could tell this for she heard the guy screaming in pain. "Not the hair! Not the hair!!! Gahhhh!!!!!"
Shippou looked up. "Should we help him?"
"You're too nice Shippou. Let the girl kick his ass. Anyway, the next person's coming in." As soon as she said that, Sango regretted it. A taller man walked in with his head held high and walked as if he was the best thing in the world. He stood in the middle of the area and held something in his hands towards her. "I don't have all day. Here is my music. Where's my accompanist?"
Sango blinked. "Excuse me? Are you… Mr… Doug?"
The man sighed. "Yes, I am the fabulous and talented Doug."
"We already have a singer. Do you play any instruments?"
The man looked at her as if she had three heads. "Me? Play an instrument in a band? I think not. I am a lead singer."
Sango snapped the pencil in her hand in two and crossed off his name. "Next!"
The man stood there and looked at her as if she was crazy. "Do you even know who I am?"
"Some guy who's not gonna be in this band. Now get out. Oh, and I think you dropped something."
The man looked down and pounced on the object. "My Altoids!!!! Oh forgive me! I did not mean to forsake thee!"
*Sweatdrop*
The man then got up and ran out the door. "You can't cut me! I'm a pretty pretty princess!"
Sango turned to Shippou who looked really scared. "Please tell me you saw and heard that too."
"I would never admit to it."
"Was he prancing?"
"If I had to give it a name, oh yeah. I think he had too many of those Altoids."
Sighing, Sango turned to the next guy that walked in. All she could do was blinked repeatedly. The guy with dark hair walked in with a pink fluffy boa and angel wings on his back. When he reached the center, he flipped the boa over his shoulder and struck a pose.
Sango continued to blink repeatedly. "Umm… Are you lost?"
"I'm ready for my audition. Where's the script?"
*Blink blink* "Umm… this is the auditions for a band. I think you have the wrong building."
The man looked around and looked puzzled. "This isn't the auditions for "Cabaret?"
*Sweatdrop*
"Nooooo…" Sango continued to blink as she tried not to think what part the guy was trying out for.
"Oh, umm… sorry." The man then ran out of there as if his life depended on it.
Sango continued to blink. In the next instant, her head went crashing down against the table and she banged her head on it repeatedly. Shippou just backed away.
"Sango, doesn't that hurt? You really should hit yourself that much. You could lose brain cells."
A deep sigh escaped her mouth as she recognized the voice. Looking up, her thought were confirmed. Standing there in his dark purple shirt and black jeans stood their drummer. "Where have you been, Miroku?"
The said man walked over to her and grabbed her hands in his. "Sango, I'm touched that you were concerned about me."
"Move that hand closer and I swear I'll slap you harder then last time, hentai." Sango sent death glares at the guy as he backed up.
"Where's Kagome?"
Sango shrugged. "I told her I'd handle the auditions with Shippou, get it down to a select few and then have them audition for her later. She is the leader after all."
"True. How's she doing?"
"Not good. Move that hand or I'll make sure you can't have children."
Miroku moved his "wandering hand" off of Sango and cleared his throat. "Any luck?"
"Nope. So I'll ask again. Where were you?"
"Well, I went out and found ourselves a lead guitarist. He's an old friend of mine I haven't seen in years, but his playing totally rocks. Has a bit of an attitude though."
Shippou muttered under his breath, "Don't we all?"
Sango sighed and sat back in her seat. "Okay, bring him in. He can't be any worse than the others. She visible cringed as she recalled the last three. 'A mop head, a "pretty princess" and a psycho. How interesting would it be to have them on a bicycle build for three?'
Shaking her head, Sango focused as Miroku brought in the guy. The guy had long white hair that was tied back. He wore a blood red shirt and denim jeans. He carried in his guitar case and looked over at the others.
Sango was impressed already. He certainly had the bad boy image. "What's your name?"
"Inu Yasha."
"Okay then. What are you auditioning with?"
He smirked and looked at the hentai. "Want to help me out with this, Miroku?"
Miroku blinked and then smiled. "Sure." He walked over to the drum set that was set up and got set as Inu Yasha took out his guitar and plugged it into the amp. He counted off the beats and Inu Yasha broke out into the opening theme song to Trigun (A/N: download to see just how awesome that makes him) Miroku kept up perfectly.
As soon as they finished, they looked over at Sango and Shippou, who were both staring at Inu Yasha with wide eyes. "Wow."
All heads turned when they heard someone clapping. Standing there in the doorway was a raven haired girl with deep brown eyes. She was dressed in a white button up shirt and denim jeans as well as black pointy boots.
As she walked into the room, Inu Yasha turned to the drummer. "Miroku, who is that?"
"That's Kagome, the singer and head of the band."
Kagome walked up to him and smiled. "I see someone has very good skills on the guitar. Surely you've played in other bands. Who have you played with?"
"Well…"
Miroku interrupted. "Awhile back, he jammed with Santana himself! He floats around from band to band, filling in holes when he has time."
Kagome looked at Miroku. "Thank you, but I was talking to him." She turned to the guitarist. "Santana, huh? Very impressive. What's your name?"
"Inu Yasha."
"Good name for the lead guitarist. You're hired. I'll talk with Kaede and have her draw up a contract for you. She's the manager." With that, leaving Inu Yasha standing there blinking, she headed back to the door to leave. Before she did, Kagome turned back to the white haired man. "Oh, and welcome to the group." With that, she disappeared through the door.
Sango blinked. "Well, that was unexpected." Shippou just nodded. Inu Yasha stood there lost in his thoughts as Miroku slapped him on the back welcoming him to the band. 'That was rather easy. Maybe I could actually stick with a band this time.'
A thought then struck him. "Hey Miroku. What's the name of this band anyway?"
"Shikon no Tama."
"Why would someone name a band 'The Jewel of Four Souls'?"
"Kagome read about it in some Feudal Fairy tale and liked the name. Anyway, let's get to Kaede for that contract. With that, all four of them went to find the manager of the group. Things were beginning to look up.
~A few weeks later because I want to get a song in here…~
Inu Yasha had been in this band for a few weeks and was very curious about something. "Hey, why doesn't Kagome sing during rehearsals?"
Sango looked over at him from her seat. They were in the tour bus heading to San Francisco to do a Battle of the Bands type thing. The bus was more like a mobile home though. "She doesn't need to. Kagome's a bit weird that way. She just needs to listen to us over and over again. When we get to actually perform, she'll sing it perfectly."
"Oh really? That's a bit odd."
"Well, she does play other instruments too, but we were limited to only two songs, so she didn't need to. We're hoping that some record label guy will be there tonight so we could get a deal. Kaede made some call before so it might happen."
Inu Yasha shrugged. He wasn't too comfortable having a girl get up and sing the songs they had worked on for weeks for the first time. Didn't seem right to him. 'Whatever.'
During the few weeks, he had gotten to know Sango better and learned Shippou was just damn annoying, but a true musical genius. He didn't really get to know much about Kagome. She seemed to distance herself from him. That bothered him a bit.
Speak of the devil, Kagome walked into the area they were and sat down, closing her eyes. Sango went in the back to check on the guys. Inu Yasha got up and walked over to her. Taking a breath, he tapped her shoulder. She opened her brown eyes and looked at him. "Yeah?"
"Umm… I was wondering why you avoid me all the time."
Kagome closed her eyes again. "It's nothing personal."
The white haired man wasn't satisfied with that answer. "Look, wench, if you have a problem with me, why did you let me in the group?"
"Don't call me wench. I have a name. Use it." Kagome looked out the window and closed her eyes again. "You might want to sit down."
At that moment, Inu Yasha fell flat on the floor with a lot of force. After twitching for a moment, he picked his head up. "What the…?"
"Bump," was all Kagome said in a relaxed tone, making Inu Yasha a bit ticked. He picked himself up and went in the back. 'Stupid bitch.'
A few hours later, they reached to hall where the concert was being held. Inu Yasha found out the "Battle of the Bands" was really a concert to raise money for some Cancer fund. Whatever. It didn't matter.
They got set up and waited until it was their turn to play. Finally, after listening to a few bad bands that choked under the pressure, Inu Yasha and the gang got up on stage. The crowd was huge! Kagome calmly walked up to the mic and grabbed it from the stand.
"How's everyone doin tonight?" The crowd roared as Sango gave Kagome the sign that they were ready. "Well, then let's get the party started!"
Sango began playing the keyboard in front of her as Miroku began to beat the drums. Soon Kagome joined in with vocals, knocking Inu Yasha back.
"Now, don't just walk
away
Pretending everything's ok
And you don't care about me
And I know there's just no use
When all your lies become your truths and I don't care... yeah, yeah, yeah
Sango joined in as backup as Inu Yasha began to play.
"Could you look me in the eye
And tell me that you're happy now, ohhh, ohhh
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Inu stole a glance at the girl working the music and lyrics to the crowd, who was eating it up. 'Well, Sango was right. Her voice is fantastic.'
"You took all there
was to take,
And left me with an empty plate
And you don't care about it, yeah.
And I am givin' up this game
I'm leaving you with all the blame cause I don't care,
yeah, yeah yeah,
Miroku was lost with the music. He beat down on those drums,
eyes closed.
"Could you look me in the eye?
And tell me that you're happy now, oohh oohhh
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,
Are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now? yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kagome began to walk forward, step by step, emphasizing each
word as if she was directing the song to someone.
"Do you really have everything you want?
You could never give somethin' you ain't got
You can't run away from yourself
Inu Yasha looked at her again. 'She knows how to work this
crowd, but she looks like she singing this to someone. I wonder…'
"Could you look me in the eye?
and tell me that you're happy now, yeah, yeah
come on, tell it to my face or have I been replaced,
are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh
are you happy now?
The song was coming to a close, though Kagome kept the
energy there.
"Would you look me in the eye?
Could you look me in the eye?
I've had that all I can take
I'm not about to break
Cause I'm happy now, ohhh, ohhh
Are you happy now?
The crowd was on its feet, applauding wildly for the band that just totally rocked. The gang smiled at each other and prepared themselves for the next song.
"Thank you. That was called 'Are you Happy Now'. We're gonna play one more called 'Everyone's Fool'. Enjoy!"
Inu Yasha let loose and waited for Kagome to come in.
"Perfect by nature
icons of self indulgence
just what we all need
more lies about a world that
Sango again came in with back up, but in the back of her
mind knew exactly who Kagome was singing to.
"Never was and never will be
have you no shame don't you see me
you know you've got everybody fooled
Miroku played on, but a bit of concern shined in his eyes
for Kagome.
"Look here she comes now
bow down and stare in wonder
oh how we love you
no flaws when you're pretending
but now I know she
Kagome liked this part the best. She knew he had betrayed
her. This song was especially for him. He had changed her, and she would never
forgive him.
"Never was and never will be
you don't know how you've betrayed me
and somehow you've got everybody fooled
Inu Yasha looked at her again. 'She's definitely singing
about someone. Who the hell hurt her this bad? Wait, why the hell do I care?'
"Without the mask where will you hide
can't find yourself lost in your lie
I know the truth now
I know who you are
and I don't love you anymore
Kagome knew that was partly untrue. For the most part, she
had numbed, but a part of her still loved him.
"It never was and never will be
you're not real and you can't save me
somehow now you're everybody's fool"
The band finished up and the crowd screamed, practically begging for more. Kagome smiled. "Thank you. You've been listening to 'Shikon no Tama'. Good night!"
The band then ran off stage while the people continued to scream. Backstage, Kaede stood there. "Great job guys. I'd like you to meet Mr. Kanagaki, head of Sengoku Jidai Records."
A man in a dark business suit came forward and smiled. "I like what I hear. Great name for a band too. How would you like to be under the Sengoku Jidai label?"
All of them looked at him wide eyed. Kagome smiled wide and looked a Kaede who just nodded. "We… we'd love to. Arigatou, Mr. Kanagaki."
He smiled. "Great! The main company is in New York though. Actually, the tour is heading to Los Angeles in a few days. Be there in three days to pick up with the tour. Might as well let the public hear you early on."
Their luck just kept getting better and better! They all agreed and made the arrangements. After a few more minutes of talking, they headed back to the bus and celebrated. A huge party was going on in the Shikon no Tama tour bus. Miroku and Sango were letting loose while Shippou went crazy. Kagome sat to the side watching her friends party. Eventually, she got up and went outside.
Inu Yasha watched her leave the bus. Curious, he got up and followed her. He found her sitting on the swings of a nearby park. Sighing, Inu Yasha walked over and sat on the other swing. "Mind if I join you?"
"It's a free country last I checked."
Taking that as a yes, Inu stayed on the swing. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at her. For someone who just got a recording deal, she didn't seem too happy. "Hey, wanna talk about it?"
Kagome looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"You look down for someone who just got a record deal."
A sigh escaped her lips. "I'm just thinking."
"…about….?"
"The guy that had your spot before you came."
Inu Yasha nodded. "Who was he anyway?"
"He was a good guitar player, not as good as you, and my partner in singing. He was also my boyfriend. We met through the band and began a relationship."
"May I ask what happened?"
~Flashback~
"But I thought…"
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I was only using you to get my name out there. Now that it is, I don't need you and your pathetic so-called band anymore. Consider this our official break up, Kagome. I want nothing to do with you or the band. See ya when I make it big. Maybe if you're nice, I'll let you come to one of my concerts."
~End Flashback~
"Basically, it turned out he was just using me to get his name out there. When he thought he did, he ditched us to go solo."
Inu Yasha almost sat back, but remembered at the last minute that there was no back to the swing. "The guy sounds like a real asshole."
Kagome nodded. "But the sad thing is, I loved him. He was one of those guys that always said the right things and acted the right way. I thought he loved me too. Kami, I was such a fool."
A single tear fell from her eye, making Inu Yasha concerned. Reaching over, he gently wiped away her tear. "Don't. This guy isn't worth your tears. You weren't the fool."
Kagome looked up at him and into his amber eyes. She hadn't noticed before how golden they were. 'No, don't do it again.' She looked away from him.
Inu Yasha had been looking deeply into her chocolate colored eyes, swimming in them when she turned away. 'She's still hurt. Wait, what the hell…? No, baka. You cannot fall for her. You are just a friend and fellow band member. That's all!'
Standing up, Inu Yasha extended a hand to her. "We better get back before Sango send out a search party… or kills Miroku."
Kagome laughed as she took his hand and stood up. "You haven't even been here long and you know them so well."
"It's a gift." They both realized they were still holding hands. Blushing, they quickly took their hands back and walked towards the bus.
*Smack*
"HENTAI!!!!!!"
When they walked back on the bus, Kagome sighed as Inu Yasha shook his head. "Miroku, when are you going to learn?"
A swirlie eyed Miroku lay on the floor. "Look at the pretty stars mommy."
*Sweat drop*
"Sango, maybe you shouldn't hit him that hard."
"It was his own fault!"
Shippou just sighed. "Maybe you should put him in a straight jacket or something."
"That might work."
Kagome shook her head and walked past them. "I'm going to bed. Night everyone."
"Good night, Kagome." She turned around and smiled at Inu Yasha, then disappeared into the back room.
~*~Well? Comments are lovely. The whole audition thing was a huge inside joke with a friend of mine. The songs were Are You Happy Now by Michelle Branch and Everybody's Fool by Evanescence. I'm pretty sure the rest of the chapters WILL NOT be this long. Review!!! Ja ne!~*~