Here is a piece that I really rather love. I hope that you like it as well :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha! Or the songs that are mentioned here-which are (in order of appearance): Here's Your Letter by Blink 182, If You Only Knew by Shinedown, Whatever You Do! Don't! by Shania Twain, Redemption by Redlight King, and Perfect by Simple Plan.
One of the things she missed most about the modern age during her days in the past was music. Not only the many different genres of it, but the ease at attaining it, of getting it to speed along an otherwise slow, boring day. Here, one had to find someone who could play an instrument, then one who would be willing to play, and by that time you could be out of the mood hear that particular tune—or, as in the most recent case of Kagome's music blues, the moment you attained such a person, a certain surly hanyou would want to 'get a move on, wench'!
That particular instance had ended in many sits, and an irritated mood that hung around the group for days. It had come as a pleasant—much needed—respite for the other members of the Inutashi group when Kagome had made her way into the well a week later, a warning left to Inuyasha to not come after her unless he wanted to deal with the dire consequences echoing through the tress in the wake of the piercing glow of color that signified the young priestess' return to her original time line.
Since then Inuyasha had let the future teen get her taste of music when she needed it—despite how he felt about it—whenever she found someone to play for her. She still found it to be lacking, however, missing having the option of having her choice of music at her fingertips whenever she so wanted it.
Taking in the group before her, the soft breeze playing at her hair as she took note of her surroundings, she couldn't help the soft sigh that passed through her lips. It was a relaxing day, to be sure, each of her friends lost to their thoughts and leaving the only sound to be heard coming from the nature around them, the soft scrape of rock against rock as they shifted beneath their feet on occasion. It was days like this that left her wanting for some noise.
A frown marked her usually smooth features as she wondered on just how she could get her music whenever she so wanted it. She could get a CD player, she supposed, but that might be a little too conspicuous. While some of the things she brought would raise brows if they were seen, they were always hidden in her trusty yellow backpack until she needed them. It was hard enough to be the girl from the future already without adding something else eye-drawing and question inducing to her ensemble.
Crossing CD players off her list, her attention was drawn to the other portable music players out there. To be honest—even if only to her mind—she had known that a player would not be the most desired solution to her problem; Kagome just had not wanted to think about how much it would cost to have what she wanted.
Worrying her lower lip as she remembered how much an iPod had cost the last time she had happened to see the display at the store, the thought of how she would pay for it struck her mind.
This was not something that she wanted to ask her mom for; Mama did so much for her already, without her even asking. No, this was something she wanted to get on her own, with money that she had earned.
-Fuck I can't let this kill me, let go-
Several days passed before a suitable answer entered her mind. It had been after their last encounter with a youkai that it had struck her. That particular demon had preyed on young kids, for whatever reason—Inuyasha had later found out, but Kagome had been too scared to ask—and so once they had been freed it had fallen to her to care for them until they could get them back to their parents.
It wasn't a job she minded, caring for the children; she had always had a caring, mothering nature, and kids had always flocked to her, even with their parents in the vicinity. It was as she was tucking them all in for the night that it struck her what she could do to earn her money.
Babysitting! Why hadn't she thought of it before? Even with all of her 'illness'' that she had, parents who she had sat for before would go up to her mother, asking if she could watch their child for the night, or those few precious hours that took them to run errands, or have time just for themselves. An answer had for her question—finally—Kagome found herself going to sleep that night with a smile on her lips.
-I still believe in you, oh if you only knew-
During travel the next day, Kagome pondered on how to bring up the subject of going home for a few weeks to Inuyasha. He wouldn't like it, she knew, but it had been a while since the young woman had been home; supplies were running low and since it was summer and school was no longer in session, she no longer had to wear her school uniform—though why she wore it in the past was something she didn't even know the answer. With the change of temperature and freedom from school, she found herself longing a pair of shorts and her simple 'tees.
By the time every child had been given back to their appropriate parents, Kagome had yet to find a solution to her problem. She could just go right out and say it, she supposed, but she really was not looking forward to a fight. It was so tiring, their fighting. Despite what their friends probably believed, she didn't enjoy the fact that they always seemed to end up arguing with each other.
The fact that they could not talk without it somehow ending in a disagreement of sorts hurt, almost as much as the fact that no matter what happened he always left her for Kikyou. Just the thought of it had her frowning, her arms unconsciously wrapping protectively around herself. Though she would never admit it to Inuyasha, she worried that someday it would become too much for the undead miko, and she would lash out at the person who was keeping Inuyasha from following her to hell—Kagome.
Shaking herself out of her depressing thoughts, not wanting Inuyasha to notice it on her scent, she went back to trying to think of what to do. Maybe she should take him aside and ask him away from everyone else; at least that way if they did end up arguing, they wouldn't be providing a free show for their friends. The more she thought of that, the more she liked the idea.
Waiting until they were stopped for the night, their camp set up and everyone settled into their respective spots as they got in a bit of relaxation time before starting dinner, she made her way to Inuyasha, stopping at the base of the tree in which he sat. "Inuyasha?" she called softly, knowing that with his dog ears he would be able to hear her. Sure enough, under her watchful eye an ear twitched in her direction, his head tipping in her direction letting her know that he was listening. "Can we talk? …in private?" she added, waiting patiently for his answer.
It didn't take long to get it; one moment he was sitting with his arms crossed above her in the tree; the next, he was standing before her with a tinge of worry to his eyes. Turning his back to her he crouched, silently offering her a ride so that they could go somewhere away from the group. He waited until she was on, his hands strong on her thighs as he turned and glared at them.
"Don't follow us, got it?" he growled, the threat not as strong as he usually would issue but still holding the same threatening tone. The hanyou waited only long enough to see a nod of acknowledgment from the slayer—knowing that she would stop the other two from following or interfering—before taking off, running speedily through the forest to find them a private place to chat, where they wouldn't be interrupted.
Once he found somewhere suitable she slowly slid off his back, trying not to think about the feel off his hands on her skin as she walked to a rock to sit on, smoothing her skirt out before her unnecessarily. She waited until he was sitting next to her to speak, staring down at her skirt as she did.
"Inuyasha…I want to go home for a few weeks. It's been so long since I've spent much time with my family…plus, I need to get some more supplies, we're running low." When there was no interruption to her sentence, she was surprised; looking up curiously she was shocked to find him staring straight at her, his gaze piercing.
"A few weeks?" he finally asked after several moments—she had begun to blush from the intensity of his gaze, caught on only her as it was.
"Yes. And no longer, I promise. It's summer vacation so I have more time to spend here with you all, remember?" she said, referencing to their conversation they had had together before she went back for her last week of school. Though he had instantly hid it, she knew that the news of her school ending for the year pleased him. He didn't like when she left for it, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't not have an education; there was no give on the matter.
Sighing he finally looked away from her, leaving her part relieved, and part disappointed. "Keh, alright. But if you're not back in two weeks I'm leavin' to get you!" he said sternly, a soft 'oof' sounding as the younger girl let out a soft squeal, throwing herself at him in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Inuyasha." She said softly, pulling back just enough to smile brightly at him. A soft blush tinted his cheeks at her reaction, glad that he had chosen not to make a big fuss over her leaving. He was not happy about it, he hated when she was not near him, but he couldn't deny her this. Though his family life was far different from her own, he understood that she missed them and could go only so long between visits.
"Keh." Was his only reply, too embarrassed to give any other; an embarrassment that only grew when she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before pulling away and out of his hold, leaving him flustered as she grabbed his hand to lead him back to the others. He watched her as they walked back, a happy glow brightening her entire being, her happiness leaving him feeling warm, a gentle smile playing at his lips as he listened to her excited chatter.
-You stand too close to me, I might melt down from the heat-
The two weeks at home flew by, days full and never free as she balanced her baby-sitting duties with seeing her friends and spending quality time with her family. It was a good fourteen days, though, and despite longing for her friends in the feudal era—for Inuyasha especially—she did not regret putting the hunt for shards on hold like she thought she would. Considering that they would have her all summer—with a few days here and there to stock up—she found it to be a fair trade. By the time her last forty-eight hours home rolled around she had just enough to buy an iPod classic.
Luckily she had been saving up the money she received from family on her birthday and holidays for the past couple of years, or she would not have been able to afford it. As she thanked the most recent couple she sat for, assuring that she would love to again sometime, the young woman pocketed her cash and started off to the local electronic store to purchase what she so desperately wanted. Within no time she walked out with her wallet significantly lighter, and a black classic iPod packaged securely in her purse.
She made one more stop to buy it a protective case, knowing that she would more than likely need it in the past. Her bag was flung about without a care, everyone remembering to be careful too late. Kagome had long since stopped being upset about it, knowing that the feeling did her no good; no matter how many times she reminded them to be delicate, it was not going to change.
Lucky for them all, nothing had yet to break so she had managed to—for the most part—remain calm about it. With how small her iPod was though, she figured that she would be able to protect it by wrapping a few layers around it; the extra padding would hopefully keep it safe and working longer.
She spent her last two days at home spending time with her family and getting used to her new device. By the time came that the sun was setting on her last day home, she had put all the music she had on it, leaving it on the charger that night so that it would be ready to go in the morning. Kagome knew she wouldn't be able to charge it while she was in the feudal era so she would have to limit her use of it, but she didn't care.
To her, it was a worthwhile purchase and definitely something that she needed; plus she could not wait until she saw everyone's expressions when she used it for the first time.
-They took what you had now go take it back-
It was weeks before she found herself with the need to use it again; her group of friends kept her plenty occupied, and the one moment when she had been needing to hear some music Shippo had somehow managed to anticipate her needs and found a musician in the town they were staying in for the night. The music wasn't quite what she had been wanting, but it was so sweet of the little kitsune to find it for her that she hadn't had the heart to turn down the offer of music.
When she finally listened to it again, it was on an evening that a sudden down pour of rain had driven them to hide in a nearby empty cave, huddling around a fire for warmth, all the wood that they had managed to grab piled together near the back corner of the cave. Luckily for them Inuyasha had been able to smell the oncoming storm in enough time for them to find their shelter and source of warmth before everything was soaked.
It was too early in the evening for anyone to want to rest, but it was also too dark in the cave to do much of anything. Inuyasha sat near the front of their shelter, half turned to them and half turned to face outside. Shippo was playing in the space between him and the group with Kirara, occupied for the time being—something they were all grateful for. Sango and Miroku were close enough to have a surprisingly civil conversation, hands staying firmly where they should.
Despite the storm everyone was at ease, but quiet in their activities as if in deference to the storm. Though it was nice it was too quiet for Kagome that night, leading her to bring out her iPod, settling back against her bag as she readied herself, headphones on and thumb scrolling through her songs for something that she wanted to hear.
She finally settled on Simple Plan's 'Perfect', turning the volume up just enough that she could hear it, but not so loud that she disturbed her friends. The song had just reached the chorus for the first time when she felt someone settle beside her, leaning in close as they stared intently at what she guessed was her headphones. Opening her eyes she raised an eyebrow at the hanyou, tugging one of the earbuds out so that he would know she could hear him.
"Can I help you?" she asked, a small smile settling on her lips as she watched his eyes bounce back and forth from her to her iPod.
"What is that?" the question didn't surprise her; the only thing that was unexpected about the query was the lack of insult to it. She knew he didn't mean to, but he sometimes had a tendency to come off rude when she brought something around that he didn't understand. Knowing that, she tried not to let it bother her when he had his moments (not that she always succeeded).
"My iPod. It's…sort of like my computer, but it only plays music." Seeing the lingering confusion on his face she explained it as simple as she was able, glad that her friends had come to see what all the fuss was about so that she only had to explain it once. Not a one of them really understood it by the time she was done, she knew, but they accepted it anyways.
"Can I try?" Shippo asked from her lap, eyes wide as she smiled and nodded, helping him to place the buds in his ears. She set the volume as low as it could get, not wanting to risk hurting his ears. Next she chose a song from an anime her brother liked, knowing he wouldn't understand it but hoping that he would like it. Her choice must have been good because he gasped, bouncing up and down in her lap as he asked her to make it louder.
Kagome did as he asked, letting him listen to a few songs before taking it back to let Sango and Miroku have a turn as well. Once their fascination had abated enough that she felt she could take it back, she turned to the one person of their group that had yet to give it a go. Something in her warmed to see that he was still there, sitting beside her and watching what was going on with a close eye.
"Want to try it?" she asked, voice soft in the hopes that they wouldn't draw the other's attention to them. He gave an uninterested scoff, but stayed still and let her place a bud in his ear. When she went to do the same to his right ear he shook his head slightly, wrapping his fingers lightly around her wrist to stop her.
"You too," he muttered, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Kagome just smiled, saying nothing and doing as he asked, pressing play on the shuffle option, a small part of her relaxing inside when it started playing an old song her father used to listen to instead of one of the romantic songs she had plenty of on her device.
Contrary she had expected Inuyasha made no comment on any of it, choosing instead to just sit and listen with her. It was more relaxing then she thought it would be, to just be with him as they were, sitting beside each other with no words shared between them. It was something she wished they would do more often; letting out a soft sigh she rested her head on his shoulder, smiling when he did nothing but shift so that she was more comfortable.
Kagome didn't know how long they sat there like that for, listening to her music and enjoying each other's company in a way they didn't often get to do without being teased about. She didn't know that they were starting something that they would never stop, something that would lead them into being more than they ever thought they could be.
All she knew right at that moment, as she watched her closest friends interact, was that she had made a good decision in choosing to bring yet another bit of the future into their lives—a bit that they all enjoyed.
I really liked using lyrics as breakers; what'd you think about it?
This was really just me wanting to write something about her listening to music so it focused more on that than on relationships (though if you notice, there is leading up to a relationship moments happening).
Thanks for reading! Leave a review? :)