Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi is the brilliant creator of Inuyasha. Jane Austen is the author of the classic novel Persuasion. The song 'I hate everything about you' was written by Adam Gontier, and preformed by the band 'Three Day's Grace'. No money is being made from this work, and copyright infringement is not intended.

What do a newly-graduated university student and an angry rock star have in common? A lot of history, apparently. When Kagome is unexpectedly reunited with her ex-boyfriend Inuyasha will the love they felt be revived, or will they allow their past dictate their future?

Chapter 1

The air in the park buzzed with excitement, and despite her previously ambivalent attitude, Kagome found it catching. Strings of lights had been draped from the trees and gave the foliage an ethereal glow in the deepening dusk. If the performers gave half as much attention to their music as the organizers had to the appearance of the stage and surrounding venue, it would be a great show. "I'm so glad you decided to come with us," Sango said, linking their arms together as they began to push through the growing crowd.

"Sango, let go," Kohaku grumbled and attempted to shake off his sister's hold. Kagome laughed. She didn't think she had ever heard Sango's serious little brother sound like the sixteen-year-old he was. She remembered a time, not so long ago, when he would have been the one to grab his sister's hand.

"Not a chance," Sango said firmly, tugging them both through the milling throng and towards the open stage where the band would be performing. "If Kagome and I had to buy tickets to see this 'Miasma' band you've been talking about so much, we're going to at least be able to see their faces."

"I don't see why Father wouldn't let me come by myself," Kohaku muttered, though he allowed himself to be dragged along by his assertive older sister.

"When I told my mother I was coming to a rock concert with you two she was nervous even though I'm twenty two," Kagome admitted with a laugh. "Your father just wants you to be careful. It's a mixed crowd, after all."

"I'm not a child," Kohaku grumbled, but he seemed soothed by her words. Although these days humans and youkai lived together in relative peace, Mr. Yajima often saw the worst of both worlds through his job in law enforcement. Kagome wasn't surprised he was hesitant to allow his children to attend a rock concert hosted by a band that was named 'Miasma'.

They reached a small alcove only meters away from the stage and Sango grinned in triumph. Kagome looked up at the speaker that was suspended almost directly over their heads and forced herself not to grimace. There was probably a good reason no one had chosen to stand in this particular spot. Before she had time to point out the downside of their new position the spotlights burst to life and the crowd cheered with enthusiastic anticipation. Sango whooped and Kohaku shifted his feet with stifled excitement. Kagome teasingly elbowed the boy and his attempt at stoicism shattered. He hollered and clapped with the rest of the audience when a figure stepped onto the stage.

"I don't think I've ever seen such tight pants on a man before," Kagome yelled into Sango's ear causing her to laugh and nod in agreement. The vocalist strode forward and the thud of his heavy boots reverberated in the hollow structure of the temporary stage. His longish black hair was pulled back into a loose tail at the back of his neck and the upper portion of his ear glinted with a piercing. He quickly rolled back the sleeves of his purple dress-shirt and grasped the microphone.

"Welcome! It's a pleasure to be here with all of you tonight!" he yelled, and Kagome was surprised by the even timbre of his voice. Sango had warned her that the band's music was famous for their angry lyrics. This man's smooth tenor sounded almost too polished for a rock band. "We'll be starting in just a few moments!"

"I thought this was a youkai group," Kagome said, laughing as her friend cheered enthusiastically. Sango had claimed that she had only wanted to come to this concert to appease Kohaku, but Kagome was beginning to see that her friend hadn't been entirely honest with her.

"Miroku Tsujitani is the only human member of the band," Kohaku supplied when it became obvious that Sango hadn't heard her question. The speaker hummed to life above them and the sounds of a tuning guitar rattled Kagome's skull. The crowd quieted for a moment before the other members of the band filed onstage.

A tall, good-looking wolf demon seated himself behind the drum set and began to pound out a steady beat. He flashed a fanged grin and the noise of the spectators surged. An elegant demon strode on stage carrying a sleek, blue electric guitar and the female faction of the audience screamed their appreciation. Kagome thought the striped dog demon was pretty enough to be a girl. His waist-length silver hair flowed loose and his broad shoulders were clad in a light purple dress-shirt. Kagome looked away, the excitement of the moment tempered by memories of regret. If it wasn't for the facial makings and the elfin ears, the guitarist would have looked just like him.

The bass guitar began to pulse in time to the drumbeat and the last member of 'Miasma' clomped onstage. Kagome found she couldn't hear anything at all above the sound of her own rapid heart-beat. Of all the possible places she had ever imagined meeting him again, she had never once considered a rock concert. He scowled and kicked a dial on the stage with his foot, honing the sound of his guitar to perfection. His hair long was braided down his back, and like the lead singer, he had folded up the sleeves of his crimson dress-shirt.

He was even more beautiful than he'd been four years ago.

"I gotta go, Sango," Kagome said, failing to notice that the vocalist had begun to sing. She tugged Sango's hand, and the girl turned towards her, startled. "I have to go," Kagome repeated. "I'm really sorry."

"What? Why?" Sango demanded.

"You stay here. Enjoy the music," Kagome said and slipped away from her friends. Sango yelled after her, but Kagome didn't turn around.

She had to get out of here now, before he noticed her. "Coward. You're a coward, Kagome," she muttered to herself. Ever since their final argument, she had dreamed of the words she would say to him if she ever got the chance. Now that there was a real possibility she might speak with him she found that her courage had forsaken her. Though she knew she'd hurt him, he'd hurt her just as deeply. She chanced a look over her shoulder, and froze when she was pierced by a golden-eyed gaze. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe.

"...all the feelings that I get, but I still don't miss you yet..." The words tore through her painfully. Had this song been written about her? She wanted to run, but even if his eyes had not anchored her where she stood, the crowd would have stopped her from making any real progress. Kagome was quite certain she did not want to hear the rest of this song, but the lyrics continued. "Only when I stop to think about it..."

The music paused and the entire crowd seemed to hold their breath. Inuyasha opened his mouth, and spoke directly to her.

"I hate everything about you."

Kagome fled.

xxxxx

The sweet scent reached his nose almost the minute he stepped onto the stage. He didn't realize what it was at first, but then he felt his demon half stir restlessly within him and it all came flooding back. How was it possible that he could still recognize her scent after four fucking years? She was in the middle of a crowd, but was still able to pick out her sweet fragrance. He scanned the mob of spectators and was suddenly furious that she'd invaded his domain.

What the fuck was the bitch doing here? Why the hell wasn't she in Japan? He heard a woman call her name and it was almost enough to make him falter. "Kagome," the woman near the stage cried a second time and began pushing her way back through the crowd. He almost allowed himself to sneer when he realized that she had run away. Painful resentment threatened to choke him. That dark-haired woman would never manage to catch her, he thought sourly. Kagome was quite good at abandoning people.

Though he tried to keep his mind on the music, his eyes drifted to the sea of faces before him. His fingers missed a fret when he saw the woman dressed in the conservative yellow sweater and blue patterned dress. Oh god. She hadn't changed at all.

She cast a furtive look over her shoulder and paused like a frightened rabbit when she realized his eyes were upon her. Her face paled and suddenly he was filled with vengeful anger. He'd loved her. She'd left him.

"I hate everything about you," he said, and he meant every word.

Afterwards, he didn't know how he managed to last through the entire set. Inuyasha strode off the stage while the last notes of their final song still hung suspended in the air. "Where ya goin', Dogshit?" Kouga called after him. The fucking asshole never knew when to leave him alone, he fumed. "We still have an encore." He pivoted on his heel and stalked back to the front of the raised platform. He ripped his guitar strap off his shoulders and savagely swung the instrument against the edge of the stage. There was a satisfying pop of sparks as the internal circuitry was destroyed. He lifted the neck a second time intending to reduce his bass to match sticks, but he found a strong fist grasping his wrist.

"You will cease this pointless display," his half-brother hissed quietly.

"You bet I will," Inuyasha growled and dropped what was left of the guitar's neck. It clattered loudly against the hollow flooring. It was only then that Inuyasha realized the crowd was nearly howling with excitement. He yanked his arm out of Sesshomaru's hold and stormed away.

God damn it. He'd really liked that guitar.

xxxxx

She blindly fled from the concert, hurrying out of the temporary gates that had been erected and trying to escape the harsh sound of his furious voice. The part of her that wasn't reeling from the unexpected encounter was oddly proud of how successful he had managed to become in her absence. His band must have been very well known if they were capable of attracting such a large, enthusiastic crowd. Unfortunately, the rest of her felt the need to vomit. He'd just told the whole world that he hated her.

She moved out of the well-lit area and shakily sunk to the ground beside a cherry tree some distance behind the concert. She didn't sob – her throat was too tight for that. Instead, her tears came silently.

She'd honestly begun to wonder if she'd ever see him again. Four years was a long time, and their parting hadn't exactly been genial. Now she wondered if she might have been better off ignorant to his fame.

Kagome leaned back against the rough bark of the tree and closed her eyes. His voice had always had a soothing effect on her; even when he was yelling she managed to enjoy its gruff timbre. She remembered once she had teased him about his hair-trigger attitude. She told him that 'passionate' sounded better than 'evil tempered' but the later had more truth to it. He'd laughed and told her that he'd always be passionate about her. She sniffled and hastily wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.

Listening to him sing, she realized that he'd matured. She knew that seeing her in the crowd couldn't have been easy for him, but he had continued to perform like the professional musician he now was. He'd moved on with his life just like she'd moved on with hers.

She fumbled with the chain around her neck and at last she managed to unclasp it with her shaking fingers. A simple gold band hung at its centre in the place of a more traditional pendant. She held the ring up and ran the pad of her index finger carefully over the word etched into the metal. "Koishii," she whispered. Even though she couldn't read the inscription in the darkness, the word was burned into her mind.

Once, long ago, she'd been his beloved.

xxxxx

Inuyasha leaned against the edge of the stage, for once letting Sesshomaru's cold, furious voice simply wash over him. He honestly couldn't care less that he'd managed to piss off his half-brother. "I will not allow anyone in this band to stoop to such childish theatrics. It is pointless to destroy an instrument for the sake of paltry entertainment." Inuyasha blinked to keep his eyes from glazing over and at some length the asshole stopped his sanctimonious tirade. "Is that clear, half-breed?" he hissed.

"Right. Got it. Won't do it again," Inuyasha said shortly and walked away. If he had been feeling a bit more like himself he probably would have found Sesshomaru's incredulous look amusing.

But then, if he'd been more like himself he would have never even considered destroying his guitar like that. He'd just... he'd let her get under his skin. "Fucking Wench," he growled. His eyes widened when he realized he'd inadvertently used his old nickname for her. He growled, furious with himself for the slip. "Conniving, selfish bitch," he tried again, but found that calling her names did little to make him feel better.

"Is everything alright, my friend?" Miroku asked, walking over to where Inuyasha stood on the stage, surveying the wreckage of his bass.

"I'm fine," he said tightly and knelt to begin collecting the fragments of his poor guitar.

"I haven't seen you this agitated for ages," Miroku continued.

"Yeah, what gives, Mutt-face?" Kouga demanded, as he began to dismantle the drum set. "What's happened to your naturally sunny disposition?"

"Fuck you," Inuyasha snapped. There was no way he'd be able to get the guitar repaired. The lower part of the neck had been reduced to kindling and the circuitry had been smashed to shit.

"So it's a woman, then," Miroku said and rubbed his chin in amused speculation. "Has a lady at last managed to catch your eye? Did you pull that stunt in an attempt to impress her?"

"None of your fuckin' business," he repeated, his voice reduced to a snarl. If they only knew...

"Kagome!" a worried voice cried, and Inuyasha swore as he managed to impale his finger with a sizable wooden splinter. He looked up to see the dark haired woman from earlier wandering about in the empty pit. A boy followed some distance behind her with his hands in his pockets. A hawk-like security guard watched over them both.

"What the hell are they doing here?! I thought that everyone had been cleared out," Inuyasha hissed, glancing up at his band mates. Kouga shrugged and went back to packing up his cymbals.

"Excuse me, Miss, what seems to be the problem?" Miroku called and vaulted off the stage. Inuyasha scoffed. It seemed that everyone was intent on breaking Sesshomaru's rules tonight. Miroku had been warned on numerous occasions that he was forbidden to 'fraternize' with members of the audience. Not that Sesshomaru's severe warnings had ever stopped the man from trying.

"My friend – I can't find her anywhere," the woman said and her voice trembled with worry. Inuyasha sighed irritably. This woman was exactly the type the letch liked to harass. It was obvious that she had attended the concert by the way she was dressed, but she was not some shrinking violet. This woman was not afraid to look them in the eye just because they were members of the band.

"Maybe she met someone she liked better than you," Inuyasha offered, unable to stop the vitriol from escaping his mouth. His past was determined to haunt him tonight.

"Kagome's not like that," the boy said with startling vehemence. Kagome had managed to get to the kid, Inuyasha realized with a start. Fuck! The boy couldn't be more than sixteen – he was just a child! Inuyasha savagely smothered the jealousy that boiled within him. "Kagome wouldn't just go off with some stranger."

"Maybe he wasn't a stranger," Inuyasha snapped, and the boy's face pinched with anger.

"We drove here together," the woman said, shaking her head in a way that made her ponytail swing like a pendulum. "She doesn't have any money with her. She doesn't even have her house keys," she said and fished a key-ring out of her right pocket as if they required proof. "We can't just leave without her."

"If you'll both come with me," the security guard intoned, "It's clear that your friend isn't here."

"Now, let's not be too hasty," Miroku protested, cupping the woman's waist and guiding her away from the security guard and towards the venue's exit. The woman looked over at him in surprise and a light blush rose to her cheeks. "I'd be happy to help you search for your friend."

"Like a sheep to the slaughter," Inuyasha muttered, causing Kouga to snort with amusement behind him.

"Aren't you going to play chaperone?" Kouga asked, nodding towards the disappearing pair. The boy continued to trail a few paces behind, scanning the area with anxious eyes.

"Keh! Why the hell should I?" Inuyasha demanded.

"So your brother doesn't eviscerate our lead singer?" Kouga supplied with a quirk of his eyebrows. "Wow. I mean, you're usually a bucket of laughs, Dog-breath, but today you're in rare form. What gives?"

"I just don't want to help Miroku fish some slut out of the bushes," Inuyasha snapped.

"If you won't do it for the missing friend, why not do it for Ponytail? I wouldn't wish that letch on anyone," Kouga shuddered dramatically. He set the snare on the stage and folded its stand.

"If you care so much, why don't you play the fucking nurse-maid?" he snarled, his short temper wearing thin.

"And get on your brother's bad side? Hell no. I got more sense than that, even if you and the Monk don't. Plus, he's already pissed at you."

"That's real chivalrous, Wolf-shit," Inuyasha muttered, rising to his feet. God damn it. He knew Kouga wasn't going to let this go until he agreed to go after Miroku. "Fine," he said tightly and leapt off the stage. "I'll go find the bitch."

"Good dog," the other demon cooed. Inuyasha threw a rude gesture over his shoulder as he left the makeshift arena.

As soon as he passed out of the ring of light Inuyasha allowed himself to sigh. Kagome was incredibly selfish for allowing her friends to worry like this. He breathed deeply and began to follow her scent trail. He stopped when he saw the girl, kneeling at the base of a cherry tree. Her head was pillowed against her arms and her knees were drawn up tightly against her chest. She reeked of misery.

"Bitch," he said gruffly. Her head shot up and she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Go find your friends. Ponytail is frantic."

"Sango?" she whispered and her eyes widened. "Oh god," she moaned, "she's going to kill me for leaving her like that." Inuyasha scoffed and the girl seemed to realize her poor choice of words. "I mean…"

"Whatever," he said shortly but his voice sounded brittle even to his own ears. "Just get outta here. I don't want to see you." She sniffled and nodded stiffly.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," she said so softly he could barely make out her words.

"Whatever," he repeated. He turned on his heel and left her alone in the darkness.

He headed into the underbrush after Miroku and caught up with the trio with relatively little effort. "Ah, Inuyasha," his friend greeted him with a wide smile. "Have you come to join the search party?"

"Sesshomaru will kill you one day, you know?" he muttered and the other man shrugged his shoulders good-naturedly. "We have work to do. The girl will come back on her own."

"But…" Ponytail began to protest.

"You're welcome to wait at the stage," Miroku said in a conciliating tone. "There's no point getting lost in the woods. Your friend has probably noticed that the concert's over and is looking for you as well."

"He's probably right," the twerp piped up. "Let's go back. She's probably waiting for us."

"Alright," the girl said, although she didn't sound very convinced.

A/N: This story was inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion although it follows the original very loosely. Austen's novel is one of my favourites, and in my opinion it is much more romantic than Pride and Prejudice. I don't intend this story to be a 'song fic', but I will reference song lyrics occasionally when I feel they add to the overall plot.

I'll be taking a bit of a break from my other story, 'Second Time's the Charm', so that I can edit some parts that are starting to bother me. In the meantime I'll be working on this. Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter!