centerbSing a Song with Me
Cherry Mecha
Chapter 9: The DJ
~*~*~
A/N: GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!!! I hit major writer's block!! (Plus I have about 3 applications to fill out and 5 interviews to prepare for on top of my daily homework .)
I'm going to upload two chapters instead of 1 so that you will all feel better (I hope.) and I'm going to edit my past 8 chapters cuz they're full of mistakes. There will be no major revisions and the storyline will basically be the same. Just words will be changed every now and then. Don't bother reading it if you already have. I'll just feel better if my work is as error free as possible.
Oh and I also figured out how to make things bold, centered and stuff! I went back and did that to all of my chapters as a celebration. Tee hee.
I have a new AU plot for Inuyasha & co., but I need to plan it carefully, not to mention finish this fic first. Hint: If anyone's seen Winter Love Song (or Winter Ballad or Winter Sonata), the Korean mini-series, email me.
And just so you all know, I don't really hate Kikyou or Sesshoumaru. They may be very annoying but as people, there's not much to hate. The only person I hate with my every being is Hojo. Go figure.
Oh and Sango/Miroku fluff as promised! (sorry if it's kinda cheesy. I'm doing the best I can!) More fluff on the way!
Thank you Lyn/Lin for the advice! It helped greatly.
~*~*~
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the songs I mention.
~*~*~
The band stepped out of the restaurant later that night, bloated but content. It turned out that the prize was a free meal. It wasn't much but they were a tad low on cash so it helped. Outside, Kagome looked at her watch.
"Oy. I gotta get home. It's almost past my curfew."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.
"You have a curfew?" He smirked.
"Shut up! I'm still in high school, ya know."
"Whatever. I'll take you home."
Sango and Miroku nodded and they departed in the opposite direction. Sango looked over her shoulder at Kagome, who was yelling, and Inuyasha, who was laughing his head off. She sighed as she and Miroku set off for home.
"They have each other to laugh with, to yell at, to love...sometimes I envy them." Sango said to no one in particular.
Miroku looked at her quizzically.
"Why? Is it something that you don't have? Someone who loves you?"
Sango winced at the truth in his words and nodded. Seeing this, Miroku's gaze softened.
"If it's any console, I meant those songs I sang."
"Let me guess, 'Baby Got Back?'"
Miroku looked thoughtful.
"Well, that one too but I was referring to the duet I did with Inuyasha."
Sango stopped walking and looked up in surprise.
" 'There She Goes?'"
She looked into Miroku's face and was replied with a gentle smile and a small nod. Sango looked away almost as fast as she looked up. She could feel a blush creeping on.
"Same with me and 'Everywhere.'" She said softly.
In her mind, however, she cursed herself. 'Kami! Why did I say that?! What if he was only joking? What if he doesn't feel the way I do about him?' Tears began to swell in her eyes.
Miroku was surprised, to say the least. He looked at Sango for a minute before smiling again. He touched her chin with his fingertips and lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes. He saw a desperate look of hope hidden behind her tears. Without hesitation, he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Miroku laughed to himself as Sango's eyes widened.
"I'm glad you sang for me. Now let's get home."
He held out a hand to her. Sango looked between Miroku's outstretched hand and his face.
His smile never faltered.
Giving him a soft smile of her own, she took the offer. They walked in silence, hand in hand, each enjoying the moment. Miroku glanced at Sango out of the corner of his eye. Her face was flushed from the cool air and her hair floated in the breeze. She was beautiful. Miroku looked back into the street.
'I meant what I sang for my second solo too, Sango.' He thought to himself with a sigh.
~*~*~
Kagome and Inuyasha walked home in silence. They started with a nice conversation but both were grateful for the time to think.
Inuyasha was thinking about Kagome and Kagome was thinking about Inuyasha. Typical. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Higurashi Shrine.
Kagome walked up the steps to her door with Inuyasha following her. While she was climbing the steps, she tripped. As a reflex, Inuyasha held out his arm and caught her. His grip tightened around her waist and he held her, almost afraid of letting her go.
Kagome, still a little dazed, turned so that she could see Inuyasha's face. She looked up into two endless pools of hazel and felt her body melt. (a/n: Sorry, couldn't decide between gold and black/blue. Hazel is a happy medium, ne?)
Inuyasha leaned in and kissed Kagome, full on the lips. Kagome was startled but made no move to stop it and turned so that she wasn't killing her neck.
After the kiss ended, Inuyasha smirked at Kagome's flushed face. He pulled her into another hug and whispered into her ear.
"Thanks for singing for me."
Kagome pulled back and had a mischievous glint in her eye. She tapped him lightly on the nose.
"Who said I was singing about you? I have a thing for the coffee boy."
Kagome grinned now at the horror on his face.
"You'd better be kidding."
She answered him with a quick kiss on the lips. Kagome opened her door and stepped inside before Inuyasha got a chance to react. She leaned on the wall inside her house and blushed. She touched her lips gingerly and couldn't help but smile.
Back outside, Inuyasha was staring at where Kagome had stood. He grinned and shook his head. That was Kagome for you. The Kagome who had stolen his heart in a week flat. Still grinning, he made his way to the street and walked home.
~*~*~
The next day, the band was sitting in Sengoku Jedai. They were all chatting happily about the turn of events. Even Inuyasha was smiling. Suddenly, his ears perked up.
"Is that the tune to 'Everywhere'?"
"Oop. Must be my cell. Excuse me." Miroku laughed nervously. He pressed a button and got up. Miroku resumed his conversation a short distance away from their table. Sango shrugged and kept talking. A minute later, Miroku was back looking slightly confused.
"Uh...Sesshoumaru just called. He wants us to meet him at his house in 10 minutes."
Everyone except Kagome cringed. Apparently not seeing the obvious discomfort of the others, Kagome smiled.
"Yay! Now I'll finally get to meet him!"
Inuyasha stared at her like she grew a third head. Noticing the same look from everyone, Kagome's happy expression turned to one of confusion.
"What?"
"You're happy about meeting him?" Inuyasha snorted.
Kagome frowned.
"He can't be that bad, can he?"
"You have no idea."
"We don't have much of a choice of going, do we? He said he wanted to meet us."
Sango and Miroku sighed at the realization while Inuyasha crossed his arms and muttered a "feh."
Kagome stood up and cast weary looks around the table.
"Well I'm going." With that, she made her way to the door.
"Erm, Kagome?"
"What?!" She snapped and turned around.
"Do you know where his house is?" Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face.
Kagome blinked twice before crossing her arms and glaring at Inuyasha.
"Fine then. YOU show me where it is! You're all coming!"
Miroku smiled and shook his head.
"You heard the girl. Let's go."
~*~*~
Sango, Miroku and Kagome walked behind Inuyasha, who was leading the way to Sesshoumaru's house. They came up to a house that could be characterized as a castle. Kagome was in such a rush last time she waas here that she didn't notice the huge size before. Now she stood outside with her jaw slack.
Gathering his strength for what was about to come, Inuyasha pressed the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened, but from the looks of it, no one had opened it. Kagome came up behind Inuyasha and looked peeked inside the door. A little squeaky sound interrupted them.
"Excuse me."
Inuyasha and Kagome looked down and saw a stout...thing dressed in a French Maid outfit with a toad-like face that held irritation at being so easily overlooked. Squinting, Kagome saw a tiny gold name tag, 'Jaken,' it said. (a/n: . Jaken in a French Maid outfit. Traumatizing ::shudder::)
"Are you here to see Lord Sesshoumaru?" The little voice spoke again.
Inuyasha snorted.
"LORD? Who died and made him king?"
The little toady face reddened with anger.
"Lord Sesshoumaru is a very dignified man, for your information!" The little creature proclaimed and his voice cracked on the last word.
"Whatever. Where is he?"
"Not just anyone can see Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed the door open, slamming Jaken onto the opposite wall. He lead the group past the flattened Jaken into what Kagome assumed was Sesshoumaru's study. Upon entering, she saw a tall, elegant man behind a wooden desk reading some papers through half-moon glasses perched on his nose. Judging from his face, Kagome guessed he was in his mid- twenties. Upon their arrival, the man looked up.
"Brother, how kind of you to come." He said with a monotone. Inuyasha snorted.
"Nice hired help you have here, Sesshy."
Sesshoumaru ignored the nickname and sighed. (a/n: As said before, I personally don't hate Sesshoumaru. I think he's kinda funny. Tee hee.)
"You mean Jaken? Yes, I hired him last week. I think he stalks me in my own house." He sighed again and straightened up, "Now, you are all probably wondering why I have asked you to assemble in my house."
Inuyasha snorted again. Sesshoumaru ignored the gesture and went on.
"You have an upcoming concert and unlike the previous one, you will not be the opening act but the main attraction."
Everyone's eyebrows shot up. Sesshoumaru took no notice and kept talking.
"Obviously, you cannot have a concert with only four songs. With some help from Jaken, I have written a few more songs for you." He handed Inuyasha the papers he had been looking at. There were three stapled booklets with "Dearest," "No More Words," and "Every Heart" written on them.
Inuyasha handed one packet to Kagome, another to Sango and Miroku and kept the third. He flipped through it, glancing at the music. Each part was easy enough. He flipped through it again, reading the lyrics this time. He tried horribly to cover up his laughter.
"You wrote this?"
"So what if I did?" Sesshoumaru sniffed, something very un-Sesshoumaru-like to do.
Kagome looked up at Inuyasha quizzically.
"What's wrong with them?"
"Dear Kagome," Miroku spoke up, looking very amused himself, "have you read the lyrics?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with them?" She asked again confused as ever. The guys burst out laughing.
"I don't get what's so funny either." Sango cocked an eyebrow at Miroku who was rolling on the floor laughing.
"The two of us, smiling, meet here,
Every heart has a habit of receiving its dreams.
Sadness has no effect on us,
Every heart gains happiness when it flies."
Inuyasha quoted from his packet after gaining composure, only to crack up even harder afterwards. Miroku had tears streaming down his face from laughing. Sesshoumaru's usually pale face was slightly pink.
"I think they're pretty sweet." Kagome frowned. (a/n: Alas, the difference between guys and girls.)
"Me too." Sango agreed and glared at Miroku. That said, Sesshoumaru's complexion went back to its normal state. He cleared his throat.
"I believe you have enough time to learn the music."
"When, exactly, is the concert?" Inuyasha asked once he caught his breath.
"Two weeks from this Thursday."
Kagome counted on her fingers and squealed.
"OMIGOSH! That's my birthday!"
"And we should care why?" Inuyasha teased with a smirk on his face. Kagome mock glared at him and bopped him on the nose.
"See if you get anything for your birthday, Inu-chan."
Sesshoumaru's usual expressionless face broke into a rare smile, even if it was a small one.
"Inu-chan?"
Inuyasha blushed but still held his dignity.
"Yes Fluffy-sama?" (a/n: I don't remember if -sama is for girls, boys or both. I'm not a native speaker of Japanese. Don't hurt me. .) The smile left as quick as it came. The brothers glared at each other. Deciding this was a good time to change the subject, Kagome cleared her throat.
"If that's all, Sesshoumaru, we'll be leaving. Thank you for the music."
"Actually, there was something else I wanted to discuss regarding improving the band. I believe that you should add a DJ in your group."
(a/n: Are they called DJ's? I'm not even sure.)
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.
"What if we don't want one?"
"I will volunteer Jaken as your new DJ." (a/n: BAD MENTAL PICTURE ::shudder::)
"WHAT?!"
"You have 2 days. You need to rehearse. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. You know where the front door is." Sesshoumaru dismissed the group and resumed his work. Inuyasha stomped out with Kagome, Sango and Miroku following closely behind. Once they were outside, Inuyasha exploded.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GONNA GET A DJ?!"
"Calm down," Kagome sighed, "we'll find one somewhere. For now let's just go to the well house and practice okay? We have a new concert to prepare for."
Grumbling, Inuyasha agreed and trailed behind Kagome to the well house.
~*~*~
In the middle of sight reading, "Dearest," Kagome's mother stuck her head inside the well door.
"Kagome! You have a phone call! It's Myouga." She handed Kagome the phone.
"Hello?"
"Kagome! Sorry to call on such short notice but I need you to teach one of my students today."
"I-" Kagome began
"It won't be too much trouble!" Myouga cut off, "It's just one student and I believe you've already met him. His name is Shippo."
Giving in, Kagome sighed.
"When is his lesson?"
"In 5 minutes."
"What?! I can't get to your house that fast!"
"Don't worry. He's coming to yours."
"WHAT?!"
"Oop! Sorry Kagome, gotta go!" The line went dead. Kagome stared at the phone in her hand in disbelief. Sango approached her friend and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Is anything wrong?"
"I have to teach a piano lesson in 5 minutes." Kagome glared at the phone, thinking that it was to blame, "I guess you guys can just hang out while I get this over with."
Kagome headed inside to her living room while the other three took a seat in the kitchen. Kagome sat down by the piano for a few minutes. She stared at the keys while trying to listen to the conversation from the other room. Apparently, they had started arguing about the DJ issue again.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Sighing, Kagome got up and pulled open the door. There stood the pouting little boy she met a little over a week ago. He hadn't changed a bit, and that included his pose: arms still crossed and sulking. Kagome managed a smile for this boy.
"Well Shippo, come in and we'll start."
Shippo whined but sat down at the piano bench. Kagome gave a weary glance to the boy sitting next to her but mustered all her energy for the next 45 minutes.
"Now let's see your piece from last we-"
"I KNOW THAT BUT HOW DO WE FIND A DJ?!" A voice that sounded like Inuyasha's interrupted her from the kitchen. Kagome dropped her head onto the keyboard and produced a loud, off-key bang. Shippo, however, bolted upright at the comment.
"You're looking for a DJ?" The little boy turned his head towards Kagome. Surprised by the enthusiasm in his voice, Kagome gave Shippo a curious look.
"Yes we are. I'm in a band and we need one. Do you know someone who is a DJ?"
The boy nodded his head vigorously and his ponytail bobbed slightly. His eyes shone with excitement.
"Me!"
Kagome couldn't help but to let her eyebrows shoot up. Then she relaxed a little.
"Oh. I get it. It's a joke right?"
Shippo shook his head wildly.
"No! I'm serious!"
Kagome shook her head to herself.
"Well, no harm in trying. Shippo, let's meet the rest of the band." She offered her hand to the little boy who took it and followed her into the kitchen. At the breakfast table, all three people were ignoring one another with their arms crossed. Inuyasha's head turned when he heard Kagome come in.
"You're already done?"
"Not exactly. I do have some good news though. Shippo says that he'd make a good DJ." Kagome looked hopefully around the table. Sango and Miroku just sat there and blinked. Inuyasha stared at Kagome, then Shippo, then Kagome again.
"You can't be serious." Inuyasha stated flatly. Looking at Kagome's face, he could tell that she was. "He's not even half my age!"
"Hey! I'm eight!" The little boy squeaked. Kagome cocked an eyebrow. She thought he was a little above four, but that could wait until later.
"Look, Inuyasha, we've got no other choice right now. Why don't we just give him a try? If he's half as good as he says he is, we'll have a new DJ."
"But he's a runt!"
"Inuyasha..." Kagome's eyebrow twitched dangerously. Inuyasha gulped. Kagome took that as an agreement.
For Shippo's tryouts, they would run through "My Will" and Shippo would have to do what he could to the song. If they liked the finished product, he was in. Shippo pulled out a laptop and equipment from God-knows where and set it up in the basement. He glanced through the music and smiled to himself. This would be easy.
The song started and Shippo added in little parts, played with the amplification here and there and made the song a little more 'techno'. It turned out awesome. (a/n: Imagine 'My Will' without the techno parts. Not pretty.) Kagome, Sango and Miroku were impressed ten seconds into the song. Inuyasha felt like gaping at the little kid but instead crossed his arms and 'feh'-ed. Kagome and Sango hugged the little boy after the song was over.
"Shippo, that was GREAT!" Kagome squealed.
"You were SOOOO good! You can be our new DJ!" Sango smothered the little boy.
"I agree. Shippo displays rare talent." Miroku said wisely, "It would be a pleasure to have you in our band."
"What do you think Inuyasha?"
"Feh. I suppose there's no point in arguing." Inuyasha turned his nose up.
"YAY!" Sango and Kagome squealed in unison and hugged Shippo again. "Let's see what else you can do!"
They ran through each of their existing songs and found that Shippo could do a whole heck of a lot to four ordinary songs. The piano lesson was soon forgotten and the band spent the remainder of the 45 minutes rehearsing with Shippo.
~*~*~
A/N: Another chapter done! I think that I had a hard time writing out dialogue for the Sesshoumaru and Shippo scenes. Tell me how they turned out! Oh and I was going to make the next chapter part of this one but I decided that there was too much happening so I cut it in half.
Anyhow, read on!
Cherry Mecha
Chapter 9: The DJ
~*~*~
A/N: GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!!! I hit major writer's block!! (Plus I have about 3 applications to fill out and 5 interviews to prepare for on top of my daily homework .)
I'm going to upload two chapters instead of 1 so that you will all feel better (I hope.) and I'm going to edit my past 8 chapters cuz they're full of mistakes. There will be no major revisions and the storyline will basically be the same. Just words will be changed every now and then. Don't bother reading it if you already have. I'll just feel better if my work is as error free as possible.
Oh and I also figured out how to make things bold, centered and stuff! I went back and did that to all of my chapters as a celebration. Tee hee.
I have a new AU plot for Inuyasha & co., but I need to plan it carefully, not to mention finish this fic first. Hint: If anyone's seen Winter Love Song (or Winter Ballad or Winter Sonata), the Korean mini-series, email me.
And just so you all know, I don't really hate Kikyou or Sesshoumaru. They may be very annoying but as people, there's not much to hate. The only person I hate with my every being is Hojo. Go figure.
Oh and Sango/Miroku fluff as promised! (sorry if it's kinda cheesy. I'm doing the best I can!) More fluff on the way!
Thank you Lyn/Lin for the advice! It helped greatly.
~*~*~
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the songs I mention.
~*~*~
The band stepped out of the restaurant later that night, bloated but content. It turned out that the prize was a free meal. It wasn't much but they were a tad low on cash so it helped. Outside, Kagome looked at her watch.
"Oy. I gotta get home. It's almost past my curfew."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.
"You have a curfew?" He smirked.
"Shut up! I'm still in high school, ya know."
"Whatever. I'll take you home."
Sango and Miroku nodded and they departed in the opposite direction. Sango looked over her shoulder at Kagome, who was yelling, and Inuyasha, who was laughing his head off. She sighed as she and Miroku set off for home.
"They have each other to laugh with, to yell at, to love...sometimes I envy them." Sango said to no one in particular.
Miroku looked at her quizzically.
"Why? Is it something that you don't have? Someone who loves you?"
Sango winced at the truth in his words and nodded. Seeing this, Miroku's gaze softened.
"If it's any console, I meant those songs I sang."
"Let me guess, 'Baby Got Back?'"
Miroku looked thoughtful.
"Well, that one too but I was referring to the duet I did with Inuyasha."
Sango stopped walking and looked up in surprise.
" 'There She Goes?'"
She looked into Miroku's face and was replied with a gentle smile and a small nod. Sango looked away almost as fast as she looked up. She could feel a blush creeping on.
"Same with me and 'Everywhere.'" She said softly.
In her mind, however, she cursed herself. 'Kami! Why did I say that?! What if he was only joking? What if he doesn't feel the way I do about him?' Tears began to swell in her eyes.
Miroku was surprised, to say the least. He looked at Sango for a minute before smiling again. He touched her chin with his fingertips and lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes. He saw a desperate look of hope hidden behind her tears. Without hesitation, he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Miroku laughed to himself as Sango's eyes widened.
"I'm glad you sang for me. Now let's get home."
He held out a hand to her. Sango looked between Miroku's outstretched hand and his face.
His smile never faltered.
Giving him a soft smile of her own, she took the offer. They walked in silence, hand in hand, each enjoying the moment. Miroku glanced at Sango out of the corner of his eye. Her face was flushed from the cool air and her hair floated in the breeze. She was beautiful. Miroku looked back into the street.
'I meant what I sang for my second solo too, Sango.' He thought to himself with a sigh.
~*~*~
Kagome and Inuyasha walked home in silence. They started with a nice conversation but both were grateful for the time to think.
Inuyasha was thinking about Kagome and Kagome was thinking about Inuyasha. Typical. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Higurashi Shrine.
Kagome walked up the steps to her door with Inuyasha following her. While she was climbing the steps, she tripped. As a reflex, Inuyasha held out his arm and caught her. His grip tightened around her waist and he held her, almost afraid of letting her go.
Kagome, still a little dazed, turned so that she could see Inuyasha's face. She looked up into two endless pools of hazel and felt her body melt. (a/n: Sorry, couldn't decide between gold and black/blue. Hazel is a happy medium, ne?)
Inuyasha leaned in and kissed Kagome, full on the lips. Kagome was startled but made no move to stop it and turned so that she wasn't killing her neck.
After the kiss ended, Inuyasha smirked at Kagome's flushed face. He pulled her into another hug and whispered into her ear.
"Thanks for singing for me."
Kagome pulled back and had a mischievous glint in her eye. She tapped him lightly on the nose.
"Who said I was singing about you? I have a thing for the coffee boy."
Kagome grinned now at the horror on his face.
"You'd better be kidding."
She answered him with a quick kiss on the lips. Kagome opened her door and stepped inside before Inuyasha got a chance to react. She leaned on the wall inside her house and blushed. She touched her lips gingerly and couldn't help but smile.
Back outside, Inuyasha was staring at where Kagome had stood. He grinned and shook his head. That was Kagome for you. The Kagome who had stolen his heart in a week flat. Still grinning, he made his way to the street and walked home.
~*~*~
The next day, the band was sitting in Sengoku Jedai. They were all chatting happily about the turn of events. Even Inuyasha was smiling. Suddenly, his ears perked up.
"Is that the tune to 'Everywhere'?"
"Oop. Must be my cell. Excuse me." Miroku laughed nervously. He pressed a button and got up. Miroku resumed his conversation a short distance away from their table. Sango shrugged and kept talking. A minute later, Miroku was back looking slightly confused.
"Uh...Sesshoumaru just called. He wants us to meet him at his house in 10 minutes."
Everyone except Kagome cringed. Apparently not seeing the obvious discomfort of the others, Kagome smiled.
"Yay! Now I'll finally get to meet him!"
Inuyasha stared at her like she grew a third head. Noticing the same look from everyone, Kagome's happy expression turned to one of confusion.
"What?"
"You're happy about meeting him?" Inuyasha snorted.
Kagome frowned.
"He can't be that bad, can he?"
"You have no idea."
"We don't have much of a choice of going, do we? He said he wanted to meet us."
Sango and Miroku sighed at the realization while Inuyasha crossed his arms and muttered a "feh."
Kagome stood up and cast weary looks around the table.
"Well I'm going." With that, she made her way to the door.
"Erm, Kagome?"
"What?!" She snapped and turned around.
"Do you know where his house is?" Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face.
Kagome blinked twice before crossing her arms and glaring at Inuyasha.
"Fine then. YOU show me where it is! You're all coming!"
Miroku smiled and shook his head.
"You heard the girl. Let's go."
~*~*~
Sango, Miroku and Kagome walked behind Inuyasha, who was leading the way to Sesshoumaru's house. They came up to a house that could be characterized as a castle. Kagome was in such a rush last time she waas here that she didn't notice the huge size before. Now she stood outside with her jaw slack.
Gathering his strength for what was about to come, Inuyasha pressed the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened, but from the looks of it, no one had opened it. Kagome came up behind Inuyasha and looked peeked inside the door. A little squeaky sound interrupted them.
"Excuse me."
Inuyasha and Kagome looked down and saw a stout...thing dressed in a French Maid outfit with a toad-like face that held irritation at being so easily overlooked. Squinting, Kagome saw a tiny gold name tag, 'Jaken,' it said. (a/n: . Jaken in a French Maid outfit. Traumatizing ::shudder::)
"Are you here to see Lord Sesshoumaru?" The little voice spoke again.
Inuyasha snorted.
"LORD? Who died and made him king?"
The little toady face reddened with anger.
"Lord Sesshoumaru is a very dignified man, for your information!" The little creature proclaimed and his voice cracked on the last word.
"Whatever. Where is he?"
"Not just anyone can see Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed the door open, slamming Jaken onto the opposite wall. He lead the group past the flattened Jaken into what Kagome assumed was Sesshoumaru's study. Upon entering, she saw a tall, elegant man behind a wooden desk reading some papers through half-moon glasses perched on his nose. Judging from his face, Kagome guessed he was in his mid- twenties. Upon their arrival, the man looked up.
"Brother, how kind of you to come." He said with a monotone. Inuyasha snorted.
"Nice hired help you have here, Sesshy."
Sesshoumaru ignored the nickname and sighed. (a/n: As said before, I personally don't hate Sesshoumaru. I think he's kinda funny. Tee hee.)
"You mean Jaken? Yes, I hired him last week. I think he stalks me in my own house." He sighed again and straightened up, "Now, you are all probably wondering why I have asked you to assemble in my house."
Inuyasha snorted again. Sesshoumaru ignored the gesture and went on.
"You have an upcoming concert and unlike the previous one, you will not be the opening act but the main attraction."
Everyone's eyebrows shot up. Sesshoumaru took no notice and kept talking.
"Obviously, you cannot have a concert with only four songs. With some help from Jaken, I have written a few more songs for you." He handed Inuyasha the papers he had been looking at. There were three stapled booklets with "Dearest," "No More Words," and "Every Heart" written on them.
Inuyasha handed one packet to Kagome, another to Sango and Miroku and kept the third. He flipped through it, glancing at the music. Each part was easy enough. He flipped through it again, reading the lyrics this time. He tried horribly to cover up his laughter.
"You wrote this?"
"So what if I did?" Sesshoumaru sniffed, something very un-Sesshoumaru-like to do.
Kagome looked up at Inuyasha quizzically.
"What's wrong with them?"
"Dear Kagome," Miroku spoke up, looking very amused himself, "have you read the lyrics?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with them?" She asked again confused as ever. The guys burst out laughing.
"I don't get what's so funny either." Sango cocked an eyebrow at Miroku who was rolling on the floor laughing.
"The two of us, smiling, meet here,
Every heart has a habit of receiving its dreams.
Sadness has no effect on us,
Every heart gains happiness when it flies."
Inuyasha quoted from his packet after gaining composure, only to crack up even harder afterwards. Miroku had tears streaming down his face from laughing. Sesshoumaru's usually pale face was slightly pink.
"I think they're pretty sweet." Kagome frowned. (a/n: Alas, the difference between guys and girls.)
"Me too." Sango agreed and glared at Miroku. That said, Sesshoumaru's complexion went back to its normal state. He cleared his throat.
"I believe you have enough time to learn the music."
"When, exactly, is the concert?" Inuyasha asked once he caught his breath.
"Two weeks from this Thursday."
Kagome counted on her fingers and squealed.
"OMIGOSH! That's my birthday!"
"And we should care why?" Inuyasha teased with a smirk on his face. Kagome mock glared at him and bopped him on the nose.
"See if you get anything for your birthday, Inu-chan."
Sesshoumaru's usual expressionless face broke into a rare smile, even if it was a small one.
"Inu-chan?"
Inuyasha blushed but still held his dignity.
"Yes Fluffy-sama?" (a/n: I don't remember if -sama is for girls, boys or both. I'm not a native speaker of Japanese. Don't hurt me. .) The smile left as quick as it came. The brothers glared at each other. Deciding this was a good time to change the subject, Kagome cleared her throat.
"If that's all, Sesshoumaru, we'll be leaving. Thank you for the music."
"Actually, there was something else I wanted to discuss regarding improving the band. I believe that you should add a DJ in your group."
(a/n: Are they called DJ's? I'm not even sure.)
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.
"What if we don't want one?"
"I will volunteer Jaken as your new DJ." (a/n: BAD MENTAL PICTURE ::shudder::)
"WHAT?!"
"You have 2 days. You need to rehearse. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. You know where the front door is." Sesshoumaru dismissed the group and resumed his work. Inuyasha stomped out with Kagome, Sango and Miroku following closely behind. Once they were outside, Inuyasha exploded.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GONNA GET A DJ?!"
"Calm down," Kagome sighed, "we'll find one somewhere. For now let's just go to the well house and practice okay? We have a new concert to prepare for."
Grumbling, Inuyasha agreed and trailed behind Kagome to the well house.
~*~*~
In the middle of sight reading, "Dearest," Kagome's mother stuck her head inside the well door.
"Kagome! You have a phone call! It's Myouga." She handed Kagome the phone.
"Hello?"
"Kagome! Sorry to call on such short notice but I need you to teach one of my students today."
"I-" Kagome began
"It won't be too much trouble!" Myouga cut off, "It's just one student and I believe you've already met him. His name is Shippo."
Giving in, Kagome sighed.
"When is his lesson?"
"In 5 minutes."
"What?! I can't get to your house that fast!"
"Don't worry. He's coming to yours."
"WHAT?!"
"Oop! Sorry Kagome, gotta go!" The line went dead. Kagome stared at the phone in her hand in disbelief. Sango approached her friend and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Is anything wrong?"
"I have to teach a piano lesson in 5 minutes." Kagome glared at the phone, thinking that it was to blame, "I guess you guys can just hang out while I get this over with."
Kagome headed inside to her living room while the other three took a seat in the kitchen. Kagome sat down by the piano for a few minutes. She stared at the keys while trying to listen to the conversation from the other room. Apparently, they had started arguing about the DJ issue again.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Sighing, Kagome got up and pulled open the door. There stood the pouting little boy she met a little over a week ago. He hadn't changed a bit, and that included his pose: arms still crossed and sulking. Kagome managed a smile for this boy.
"Well Shippo, come in and we'll start."
Shippo whined but sat down at the piano bench. Kagome gave a weary glance to the boy sitting next to her but mustered all her energy for the next 45 minutes.
"Now let's see your piece from last we-"
"I KNOW THAT BUT HOW DO WE FIND A DJ?!" A voice that sounded like Inuyasha's interrupted her from the kitchen. Kagome dropped her head onto the keyboard and produced a loud, off-key bang. Shippo, however, bolted upright at the comment.
"You're looking for a DJ?" The little boy turned his head towards Kagome. Surprised by the enthusiasm in his voice, Kagome gave Shippo a curious look.
"Yes we are. I'm in a band and we need one. Do you know someone who is a DJ?"
The boy nodded his head vigorously and his ponytail bobbed slightly. His eyes shone with excitement.
"Me!"
Kagome couldn't help but to let her eyebrows shoot up. Then she relaxed a little.
"Oh. I get it. It's a joke right?"
Shippo shook his head wildly.
"No! I'm serious!"
Kagome shook her head to herself.
"Well, no harm in trying. Shippo, let's meet the rest of the band." She offered her hand to the little boy who took it and followed her into the kitchen. At the breakfast table, all three people were ignoring one another with their arms crossed. Inuyasha's head turned when he heard Kagome come in.
"You're already done?"
"Not exactly. I do have some good news though. Shippo says that he'd make a good DJ." Kagome looked hopefully around the table. Sango and Miroku just sat there and blinked. Inuyasha stared at Kagome, then Shippo, then Kagome again.
"You can't be serious." Inuyasha stated flatly. Looking at Kagome's face, he could tell that she was. "He's not even half my age!"
"Hey! I'm eight!" The little boy squeaked. Kagome cocked an eyebrow. She thought he was a little above four, but that could wait until later.
"Look, Inuyasha, we've got no other choice right now. Why don't we just give him a try? If he's half as good as he says he is, we'll have a new DJ."
"But he's a runt!"
"Inuyasha..." Kagome's eyebrow twitched dangerously. Inuyasha gulped. Kagome took that as an agreement.
For Shippo's tryouts, they would run through "My Will" and Shippo would have to do what he could to the song. If they liked the finished product, he was in. Shippo pulled out a laptop and equipment from God-knows where and set it up in the basement. He glanced through the music and smiled to himself. This would be easy.
The song started and Shippo added in little parts, played with the amplification here and there and made the song a little more 'techno'. It turned out awesome. (a/n: Imagine 'My Will' without the techno parts. Not pretty.) Kagome, Sango and Miroku were impressed ten seconds into the song. Inuyasha felt like gaping at the little kid but instead crossed his arms and 'feh'-ed. Kagome and Sango hugged the little boy after the song was over.
"Shippo, that was GREAT!" Kagome squealed.
"You were SOOOO good! You can be our new DJ!" Sango smothered the little boy.
"I agree. Shippo displays rare talent." Miroku said wisely, "It would be a pleasure to have you in our band."
"What do you think Inuyasha?"
"Feh. I suppose there's no point in arguing." Inuyasha turned his nose up.
"YAY!" Sango and Kagome squealed in unison and hugged Shippo again. "Let's see what else you can do!"
They ran through each of their existing songs and found that Shippo could do a whole heck of a lot to four ordinary songs. The piano lesson was soon forgotten and the band spent the remainder of the 45 minutes rehearsing with Shippo.
~*~*~
A/N: Another chapter done! I think that I had a hard time writing out dialogue for the Sesshoumaru and Shippo scenes. Tell me how they turned out! Oh and I was going to make the next chapter part of this one but I decided that there was too much happening so I cut it in half.
Anyhow, read on!